Yellow Calamity, Black Calamity

After breakfast, Lu Shaolin strapped a long Dao to his waist, carried a long spear in hand, and headed straight for the docks.

When he arrived at the docks, Ma San and Li Si were waiting for him at the entrance.

"Boss!" Seeing Lu Shaolin, the two clasped their fists and called out.

"Morning!" Lu Shaolin nodded in greeting.

The two then followed behind Lu Shaolin.

The laborers and merchants along the way all gave way to them, while some looked at the three with ingratiating smiles.

"How do these foreign merchants know we're from the Blackwater Gang?" Lu Shaolin turned and asked.

It was normal for locals to recognize them, but how could outsiders tell?

"Boss, there's a mark on our collars!" Li Si stepped forward and replied.

"Hm?" Lu Shaolin lowered his head to look. There were indeed three wave-like markings there, though they were inconspicuous enough that one would not notice them without looking closely.

"Where are we going now?" Lu Shaolin continued. It was his first day on duty, so naturally he did not know what he was supposed to do.

"In the morning, Boss, you patrol. In the afternoon, it'll be Boss She's turn. You can take a casual look around. If we get tired, we can find somewhere to rest, or even rest on a pleasure boat," Li Si replied.

"Then let's just take a look around!" Lu Shaolin nodded.

The three began wandering around the docks.

"Right, where are the twenty brothers stationed here long-term?" Lu Shaolin asked as they walked.

"In that wooden house over there!" Li Si pointed toward a wooden building by the docks, close to the forest.

Following the direction of his finger, Lu Shaolin saw a two-story wooden building standing at the edge of the woods.

"Mm." Lu Shaolin nodded and continued strolling around.

After making a round, the three arrived at a tea stall.

The old man running the stall clearly remembered Lu Shaolin, and he also recognized the mark on Lu Shaolin's warrior uniform. He carefully greeted them, "Please have a seat, honored sirs. This old man will bring tea for the three of you at once!"

"No need to be so restrained, sir. Have you forgotten me already?" Lu Shaolin said with a smile.

"Of course I haven't forgotten you, young sir. I simply didn't expect you to join the gang so soon." Seeing that Lu Shaolin was not putting on airs, the old man relaxed and smiled.

"Old Man Zhang, my boss didn't merely join the gang. He became a leader right away!" Li Si said loudly.

"I knew at first sight that you were a capable man, young sir—a dragon and phoenix among men!" Old Man Zhang hurriedly flattered him.

"Enough, sir. Bring us a pot of tea first. Just go about your work after that." Lu Shaolin waved with a smile. He did not really like such scenes; they felt somewhat false.

"Alright! Alright!" Old Man Zhang nodded repeatedly, then turned and went to the counter, bringing over a pot of tea.

Li Si took the teapot and first poured Lu Shaolin a cup, then poured tea for himself and Ma San.

Lu Shaolin picked up his cup and sipped his tea as he watched the docks.

As he watched, a woman caught his eye.

She was around twenty years old, with wheat-colored skin, an oval face, and gray coarse-cloth clothes and trousers.

She was tall and slender, with a narrow waist, a full bust, and shapely hips.

Her glossy black hair was tied into a ponytail that hung down her back.

Of course, that was not the main reason she had caught his attention. Rather, she too was working as a laborer, hauling cargo. Though she struggled, she gritted her teeth and persevered.

An eight-year-old little girl followed beside her, occasionally taking out a handkerchief to wipe away her sweat.

"Li Si, do women work as dock laborers too?" Lu Shaolin asked Li Si.

He had noticed that Ma San was not fond of talking. He was like a sealed gourd, always wearing a cold, long face.

Li Si, on the other hand, was smoother and more talkative.

"A woman? Let me see!" Li Si turned to look.

Ma San looked over as well.

"She really is a woman, though there's not much flesh on her!" Li Si smacked his lips.

"Too skinny," Ma San said coldly.

Lu Shaolin shook his head with a smile. He truly did not understand the beauty standards of this world.

In his eyes, that girl was absolutely beautiful, whether in looks or figure!

"Old Man Zhang, what's the story with that woman?" Li Si called out.

Old Man Zhang hurried over, craned his neck for a look, and said, "You mean the Dong Family girl?"

"She's the only woman on the entire dock right now. Hurry up and tell us!" Li Si urged.

"Alas, her father was a gambling addict. He used to work at the docks too. Two days ago, he went gambling and not only lost their house, but also ran up a mountain of debt. With his heart dead as ashes, he jumped into the river and killed himself."

"He left behind two daughters. I heard the house was seized yesterday, so the elder daughter brought her little sister to the docks to work as a laborer. After all, laborers are paid daily, and some of the older men know her and have been looking after her quite well!" Old Man Zhang sighed.

"So that's how it is. That girl is quite strong," Lu Shaolin said with a nod.

"That Miss Dong is very sensible. Since coming out here, she hasn't let her little sister suffer. She shoulders everything alone!"

Old Man Zhang continued.

"She's just too skinny. Otherwise, finding a husband's family would spare her all this hardship." Li Si shook his head somewhat regretfully.

Retracting his gaze, Lu Shaolin asked Li Si and Ma San in a low voice, "Do you know where there are demons, monsters, or strange entities?"

Hearing Lu Shaolin's question, the two were clearly taken aback.

Li Si lowered his voice. "Boss, why are you asking about that?"

"Just curious!" Lu Shaolin laughed it off.

"Our Internal Affairs Hall rarely comes into contact with such things. The External Affairs Hall specializes in handling them," Li Si said quietly, glancing around.

"Hm? The External Affairs Hall specifically handles such matters?" Lu Shaolin asked doubtfully.

"Yes. The reason our gang can survive is because the yamen needs us to handle these matters. Our Blackwater Gang's External Affairs Hall is responsible for the Blackwater River and the fishing villages along its banks."

"The Little Knife Society is responsible for the surrounding villages. If we encounter something we can't handle, we report it to the yamen, and the yamen sends the lords of the Demon Suppression Bureau to deal with it!" Li Si explained.

After hearing Li Si's explanation, Lu Shaolin recalled some memories. It seemed that after the previous owner of this body had escaped from the mountains, several men in gray had indeed come to his home to ask about what had happened.

They must have been from the Little Knife Society.

"What kinds of demons, monsters, and strange entities do we usually encounter?" Lu Shaolin continued asking.

"They are divided into Yellow Calamities and Black Calamities. Yellow Calamities are generally river demons and spirit creatures, while Black Calamities are things like Zombies and Vengeful Souls."

"It's manageable when the brothers of the External Affairs Hall encounter Yellow Calamities, but Black Calamities are a real headache. There will definitely be casualties!" Li Si continued.

"Does this happen often?" Lu Shaolin frowned.

"Not often, but it does happen from time to time. River demons especially—there are basically several incidents every month." Li Si shook his head.

They chatted for an hour, and Lu Shaolin came to understand quite a few inside details.

For example, Black Calamity Zombies were divided into walking corpses, Zombies, Copperclad Corpses, Ironclad Corpses, Silverclad Corpses, and Goldclad Corpses. He had heard that beyond those, there were Corpse Kings.

Vengeful Souls, meanwhile, were divided into White Rank, Black Rank, Red Rank, Nether Rank, Vicious Rank, and Baleful Rank.

Furthermore, Black Calamity entities were generally far more formidable than martial artists of the same rank!

Anyone in the Organ-Tempering Realm who encountered a Copperclad Corpse would be dead beyond doubt. Only with special weapons and the combined efforts of several people would there be any chance of victory!

Compared to that, things like river demons were truly nothing at all!