Chapter 152: Tread Carefully? Screw That!
Once upon a time, he was just an ordinary water carrier, toiling endlessly to make ends meet.
Back then, let alone the shopkeeper, even someone like Instructor Lin was beyond his reach, inspiring awe within him.
And now, in a mere three months, he had transformed into the shopkeeper in charge of an entire well!
Although Black Sand Well was just a turbid water well, like Grit Well, it also produced Eight Treasures Mercury, and its water volume and the number of water carriers under its command were even greater than those of Grit Well.
This was a great errand, second only to the Freshwater Ancient Well!
However…
Chen Shun’an was, after all, a master who had slain four thieves, his will firm.
The surge of wild joy lasted only a moment like a receding tide, replaced by a sense of something unusual.
Wasn’t Zhao Guangxi supposed to have only secured a deputy position and needed to keep his head down during this period?
Why would they promote him at this time?
Unless… Guo Guanfu had an accident!
Landlord Zhao was likely to become Zhao Lu Lu Tou!
Only then would they fulfill their ‘promise’ of rewarding merit!
Chen Shun’an suddenly realized, his mind becoming clear.
Immediately, his gaze sharpened as he fell into deep thought.
Both he and Zhao Guangxi were newly appointed officials.
It was inevitable that they would need to consolidate their power and make sweeping changes to root out any trouble.
Then, what would Zhao Lu Lu Tou’s first sweeping change be?
Could he… help him make that change?
Chen Shun’an realized this was an excellent opportunity to show his loyalty and earn merit.
Shopkeeper Li, standing before Chen Shun’an, watched him, his expression shifting from joy to contemplation, and he too became perplexed.
Honestly, Shopkeeper Li was quite puzzled why Landlord Zhao would promote Chen Shun’an at this juncture.
Moreover, Chen’s reaction seemed as if he could divine the landlord’s unspoken intentions, as if he understood the emperor’s heart.
This made me, Li, feel rather foolish.
…
Along the shantytown area, the river wind carried moisture and the smell of fish.
To prevent water demons from coming ashore, newly made abatis and fish traps had been roughly repositioned. The rough wood and iron spikes glinted coldly under the dim sky.
Several martial artists from the Outer Department of the Wuqing Stick Bureau were carrying out orders.
Their palms rested on the obstacles, circulating their internal energy, slowly infusing their martial artist aura into them, intending to deter the underwater fiends.
“Huh? Why are those water carriers fighting amongst themselves?”
“It seems to be Peng Lang, Wu Yan, and a few others from Mingqing Street. Relying on their numbers, they’re taking all the easy and profitable jobs, while leaving the tough, dirty work of fixing underwater stakes and injecting internal energy into the rotating barbed hooks to Sun Xiao and the others.”
“Good heavens, Sun Xiao and his group are so fierce! Clearly at a disadvantage in numbers, yet they’re not backing down?!”
“Heh, haven’t you seen Kong Chengping and his men under Zhao Guanghui eyeing them? Today, Sun Xiao and his group probably won’t get away without suffering a bit!”
“Alas, factionalism begets emulation. To put it bluntly, if the big bosses above are wrestling, the small ones below have to pick sides and fight desperately. This life… tsk…”
Whispers began to rise.
On the pile of rocks near the shallows of the shantytown area, seven or eight martial artist figures flickered and weaved, locked in combat.
Although no weapons were drawn, the winds howled with the exchange of blows, causing grit and sand to roll. The palm strikes on the massive yellow sandstone instantly cracked, revealing spiderweb-like fissures.
“Peng Lang! You bastards are going too far! You take all the benefits, and we bear all the hardship. How is that reasonable?”
Sun Xiao shot a cold glance, raised his hand, and pushed back the gloomy-faced man in front of him, shouting sternly.
Peng Lang performed a swallow flip and landed on a slippery reef.
He touched his burning, already bruised eye socket, his expression extremely ugly.
“Sun Xiao! Does Grit Well only resort to dirty tricks like throwing lime and ambushing? As expected, you’re all lowlifes!”
Where there are people, there is the martial world.
Even for the same task, there were subtle differences, a hierarchy of sorts.
Sun Xiao and his group had already been feeling disgruntled after taking on the task of setting up riverside obstacles, which was arduous and complex, requiring frequent trips into the water.
Who would have thought Peng Lang and his group would deliberately take on the same task, repeatedly making things difficult, snatching the assignments that only involved working on shore?
This left Sun Xiao and his group exhausted after finishing their errands each day, with no time to practice martial arts.
One gained while the other lost. If this continued long-term, it would not only delay their martial path cultivation but also risk the cold yin from the water invading their bodies.
And if they were unlucky enough to encounter a water demon attack…
Wasn’t this a subtle dagger, killing without drawing blood?
Sun Xiao and his group couldn’t stand it any longer, and today they took the initiative, ambushing at the intersection.
As soon as Peng Lang, Wu Yan, and the others appeared, they attacked without a word, throwing sand and lime, and firing arrows and flying locust stones.
*Thump!*
After more than ten rounds of fighting, Sun Xiao seized an opportunity, his eyes malicious, his palms faintly glowing green, and with a step forward, his hands like spider fangs, he lunged repeatedly.
The strikes and collisions, fierce and aggressive, erupted with the aura of a Second-rate Late Stage martial artist.
He immediately suppressed Peng Lang, and within a few moves, Peng Lang sustained several bloody, mysteriously purplish-green wounds.
During this period, not only did Lin Shou Zhuo break through to the First-rate realm, but Old Chen also caught up.
They had completely surpassed all the water carriers of Grit Well.
All the water carriers of Grit Well felt a sense of urgent crisis, shaking off their previous laziness. Most of them diligently practiced martial arts.
Especially since Landlord Zhao was quite generous, advancing several months’ worth of salary and providing ample resources, many people saw significant progress in their strength.
“Damn it!”
His body felt itchy and uncomfortable, his head was dizzy.
Peng Lang, seeing this, put on a brave front and turned to shout at a few figures with their arms crossed and faces full of amusement not far away.
“Kong Chengping, what are you still watching? Come on!”
Kong Chengping and his group were water carriers under Zhao Guanghui.
Therefore, the situation was very clear.
The conflict today, on the surface, seemed to be a squabble over petty gains, a dogfight among water carriers.
But in reality, Guo Guanfu, the newly appointed wellhead, had already allied with Zhao Guanghui to jointly attack Zhao Guangxi.
Even though none of the three had explicitly stated their positions, power had already made the decision for them and their subordinate water carriers.
Kong Chengping chuckled upon hearing this.
“Brother Peng asks, how could I refuse? Sun Xiao, take this punch!”
Before his voice even fell, he stood with his feet planted firmly, his dantian gathering energy, his lower abdomen visibly swelling, emitting a few faint but clear cicada chirps!
Then, he stomped his legs on the ground, his movement technique like a swift cicada skimming the earth, instantly appearing before Sun Xiao. His fists shot out like cannon blasts, creating a string of explosive sounds, directly aiming for Sun Xiao’s face!
*Boom!*
Sun Xiao hastily blocked, only to feel an immense force like a mountain and sea coming at him. One of his arms instantly went numb with pain, hanging limply.
He was sent flying back several steps, a sweetness rose to his throat, and he almost spat out blood.
With the intervention of Kong Chengping and his group, Sun Xiao’s side quickly fell into a disadvantage.
After a few punches, Sun Xiao and the others were knocked to the ground, utterly defeated.
Even so, Sun Xiao and his group did not give up. Their faces were covered in blood, their expressions fierce, biting with their teeth, kicking with their legs, and when ganged up on, they focused their attacks on one person.
They even imitated Scarred Liu, specifically targeting the opponent’s groin, buttocks, and other vulnerable areas.
“Damn it, let go, let go!”
“Ouch, my butt, it’s almost torn open!”
“These Grit Well water carriers are really ruthless!”
“Madmen, madmen!!”
A moment later, Sun Xiao and his group finally exhausted their strength, unable to resist any further. They could only curl up on the ground, holding their heads, panting heavily, their bodies covered in mud and blood.
Peng Lang, Kong Chengping, and the others slowly retracted their hands, but their expressions were not good. They spat bloody saliva onto the ground.
Especially a few brothers, clutching their groins and anal areas, their faces contorted in pain, clearly having been ambushed.
This fight had indeed been won, as Peng Lang and the others had expected.
But it was a rather inglorious victory.
Especially the martial artists watching from a distance, their gazes were strange, their expressions mocking, pouring like cold water onto their faces.
With superior numbers, they had been beaten to this extent.
Utterly disgraceful!
Many onlookers, however, were secretly impressed and admired Sun Xiao and his group for their courage.
Peng Lang, enraged, stepped forward and kicked Sun Xiao again, cursing.
“Damn it! You ungrateful wretch! From now on, all the work of driving stakes and burying underwater anchors will be yours! Do you hear me?!”
Having said that, they swaggered away.
…
He gave Shopkeeper Li five jin of Pig-Dragon meat.
Chen Shun’an carefully put away the letter, water map, and red seal, and had just returned to the temporary residence next to the public office.
A chaotic and heavy sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
The strong smell of blood, even through the door, was clearly audible and pierced his nostrils.
Chen Shun’an frowned, pushed open the door, and saw Sun Xiao and a few others, leaning on crutches, limping, while some brothers were directly carried inside, groaning, their faces pale.
“What happened?” Chen Shun’an asked sternly.
Sun Xiao’s arm was slung with a rag, and he dragged a lame leg, forcing a smile.
“We were outmatched and beaten by that scoundrel Peng Lang and his gang… Limping really doesn’t feel good. Old Cheng is quite resilient; he’s endured it for half his life.”
“Is that really being outmatched? It’s just Peng Lang and that bunch of scoundrels, Kong Chengping, ganging up on us and fighting shamelessly!”
Someone leaned against the wall, listlessly smoking dry tobacco, and sighed faintly.
“Alas, we were told to act with restraint, but now, even our tails are about to be chopped off.”
“If Instructor Lin hadn’t broken through to True Intent, and He Qiang hadn’t failed his breakthrough, and we hadn’t lost two generals, Peng Lang and the others wouldn’t have dared to humiliate us like this!”
Everyone chimed in with their complaints.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Chen Shun’an’s eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he immediately understood.
If the landlords are at odds, how can their subordinates be spared?
They had been bullied right to their doorstep!
This seemed like an opportunity…
Chen Shun’an squinted, as if an idea had struck him.
“How are your injuries?”
Chen Shun’an approached Sun Xiao and the others again to check their wounds.
Sun Xiao chuckled, “We won’t die… Peng Lang isn’t doing so well either. He took my Five Poisons Powder. He’ll either have to spend a hundred taels of silver to buy an antidote or lie in bed for months…”
Although there was a conflict, both sides tried to avoid causing death.
This was also one of the red lines.
“You guys wait here.”
Chen Shun’an looked at the group, who were weak but still trying to hold on, left them with those words, and turned back into his room.
Although this makeshift dwelling was small and not spacious, it had everything one needed, even cooking utensils, pots, pans, oil, salt, sauce, and various seasonings.
Before long, a remarkably rich aroma of meat began to permeate from Chen Shun’an’s room.
The aroma was mellow and potent, instantly dispelling the smell of blood in the courtyard and making one’s stomach rumble.
Chen Shun’an emerged, carrying a large tray with several bowls of steaming meat soup.
The soup was rich and mellow, with a deep milky white color and a slight sheen of oil.
Several pieces of bone-in crocodile meat bobbed within, not yet soft, still retaining distinct muscle fibers.
It emanated an extraordinary vital energy; just smelling it made Sun Xiao and the others’ mouths water, and their injuries didn’t hurt as much.
“This is…”
“You’re lucky. This afternoon, I just fished a behemoth from Black Fork River, a Pig-Dragon weighing over a thousand jin!”
Chen Shun’an’s tone was calm, but he heavily emphasized the word ‘behemoth’, distributing the meat soup to everyone.
A Pig-Dragon?
Could it be the Pig-Dragon that frequently appeared in Black Fork River and instilled fear in the pearl-gathering Tanka fishermen?
Old Chen actually managed to catch it?!
Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces showed disbelief, followed by a surge of saliva, and they eagerly gazed at the soup and meat before them.
No wonder it smelled so good.
Sun Xiao stared blankly at the rich soup in his bowl, then at the calm-faced Chen Shun’an, and felt a surge of warmth rush to his heart.
Old Chen truly cared for his brothers…
After swallowing the meat soup, it was rich and smooth.
Even the dense and compact Pig-Dragon meat was quickly chewed and swallowed by their teeth, like razor blades.
Instantly, a fierce and hot life essence was released from their stomachs, circulating throughout their bodies.
An abnormal flush appeared on Sun Xiao and the others’ faces, their qi and blood seemed to ignite, and they could no longer speak. They quickly sat down cross-legged, doing their best to circulate their internal breath, digesting this magnificent restorative power.
Half an hour later.
With the sound of cracking bones, Sun Xiao stood up in disbelief and waved his arm again.
“This… this beast’s qi and blood are so abundant?! It’s almost comparable to a True Intent Master! I’m… almost healed?!”
His voice was filled with surprise.
The others also stood up shakily. Although not completely healed, they could at least walk without difficulty, and their injuries were completely under control.
Chen Shun’an watched the scene with a calm expression, saying,
“Can we go? If you can go, then come with me.”
Sun Xiao was taken aback by the words, his face showing confusion: “Huh? Old Chen, go where?”
Chen Shun’an took off his robe, revealing a set of black tight-fitting clothes. He held a dagger in his hand, wore Python Fang Boots, and then hung a red seal at his waist, before saying faintly,
“When you defeat the younger, the elder appears. This old man naturally must seek justice for you all.”
Speak cautiously and act prudently?
Prudence my ass!
This old man is brimming with youthful vigor.
Now, it’s time for Peng Lang and the others to behave themselves!
