Chapter 38: The Later Stage
Liu Ru Yue’s father was the money and grain secretary to the county magistrate of Wuqing County. Though merely a minor clerk without official rank, he handled critical matters such as land taxes, corvée labor, and financial calculations, making him equivalent to the county magistrate’s left and right arms.
As long as the county magistrate did not fall, the money and grain secretary held authority in this county equivalent to that of a local emperor.
Hearing this, Liu Ru Yue looked at Zhao Guangxi with the gaze one would give a fool.
“Why don’t you report to the officials yourself, and insist that I do it?”
The sound of the iron ball turning came to an abrupt halt.
Zhao Guangxi flipped his hand to grasp the iron ball and said honestly, “I’m afraid that Wanlong Pounding House has already curried favor with the county magistrate, or is even simply the county magistrate’s money bag! If I went, I’d lose my life.”
Liu Ru Yue laughed out of anger and said, “Then I’m not afraid?”
A extremely sincere smile appeared on Zhao Guangxi’s face as he said,
“Sister Liu is joking. Your father is deeply favored by the county magistrate, and you are even the county magistrate’s goddaughter! He couldn’t pamper you enough, so how could he kill you.”
Liu Ru Yue’s expression was coldly somber as she stood tall and straight. After pondering for several breaths, she slowly said,
“The county magistrate’s authority is as deep as the sea, and no one can guess his thoughts. Rather than reporting to the officials, it is better to observe quietly for now.”
“Oh, why is that?” Zhao Guangxi asked curiously.
“The granary was burned down, and the hibiscus paste fire went missing. If Wanlong Pounding House takes a hardline attitude and investigates the culprit everywhere, it means they are fearless, and we should not clash with them head-on;
If Wanlong Pounding House chooses to let the matter drop and swallow this hidden injury, then whether we make use of the situation to demand benefits, or take the opportunity to figure out the county magistrate’s attitude toward Wanlong Pounding House, there will still be time.”
Hearing this, Zhao Guangxi showed an admiring expression on his face without much thought, and said with a beaming smile,
“Sister Liu’s mind is still the sharpest. Zhao truly admires you. Since that’s the case, this matter is settled. Our two sides should advance and retreat together…”
The Baizhou iron ball in his hand began spinning joyfully with a whooshing sound again.
The matter was settled.
It was not until she walked out of Zhao’s residence that Liu Ru Yue somewhat belatedly reacted.
Why didn’t Zhao Guangxi argue with her?
Something was wrong!
This fellow was hiding his ability and playing dumb again!
He clearly already had a decision in mind, but was unwilling to face Wanlong Pounding House alone, so he simply borrowed her mouth to say it!
At this thought, a hint of annoyance appeared on Liu Ru Yue’s exquisitely featured face, and her impressively scaled chest rose and fell rapidly, appearing somewhat startling.
“Tang Jie, that mysterious first-rate lightness skill expert—you really don’t know him?”
Liu Ru Yue gritted her teeth and resumed her cold demeanor.
Tang Jie quickened his steps to stand beside Liu Ru Yue and said in a low voice,
“I don’t know him. This person’s lightness skill is exceptionally high. Apart from a few people like Lin Shou Zhuo and Yang Lu, none of us even noticed his presence. Even…”
At this point, a wry smile appeared at the corner of Tang Jie’s mouth,
“If not for that copper ring key truly and clearly hanging on the flagpole, I would even doubt if this person exists.”
Hearing this, Liu Ru Yue pondered inwardly,
“Could this person also be an enemy of Wanlong Pounding House? Or is he a subordinate recruited by Zhao Guangxi, a secretly trained confidant preparing for the contest over the wellhead?”
At this thought, Liu Ru Yue furrowed her brows, her expression grave, and she quickly led Tang Jie and the others away.
…
After Liu Ru Yue and the others left.
The smile faded from Zhao Guangxi’s face, replaced by a hint of sternness.
He looked at Lin Shou Zhuo and said,
“Tell me again about last night’s events, especially everything related to that mysterious expert.”
Lin Shou Zhuo, who was utterly arrogant in front of outsiders and even dared to swing fists at first-rate veteran like Yang Lu.
Was now utterly deferential in front of Zhao Guangxi, without a trace of frivolity.
“Landlord, it was like this…”
Lin Shou Zhuo repeated what he had said before.
After listening, Zhao Guangxi’s iron ball ground with a ‘crackling’ sound in his hand, and he frowned, saying,
“Are you sure? Even someone like Yang Lu couldn’t react in time?
The whole process took only seven or eight breaths. Not only did he take the personal key, but he also entered the storeroom to take the treasure, then hung the key on the banner pole twelve zhang high, and left through the rain.”
Zhao Guangxi said suspiciously,
“This must be something only a martial dao grandmaster, or even an immortal, could accomplish… I remember there’s an old man named Chen Shun’an under the grit well, who is the son-in-law of Zhang Mansion, right? His 《meat flying immortal》, even if it’s a superior lightness skill practiced to perfection, is no more than this!”
Lin Shou Zhuo said, “Every word is true.”
Zhao Guangxi pondered for a moment, but truly could not figure out where such a lightness skill expert had come from.
But fortunately, this person was a friend, not an enemy, and seemed to harbor no malice.
“Never mind, no need to worry about this person. If others ask, neither explain nor refuse…”
Ever since Lu Jing set up his own faction, the number of first-rate experts under Zhao Guangxi had sharply decreased, and his power had subtly weakened.
Now, with such a rare opportunity to bluff and bluster, he naturally had to seize it firmly.
Zhao Guangxi was happy to let Liu Ru Yue speculate and ponder in all sorts of ways.
You guess that mysterious expert is my subordinate?
Then that’s exactly it…
“You did well on this matter. Keep up the good work, old Lin. Once this busy period is over and things are settled, I’ll lend you the 【Inner Scenery Rotation True Cultivation Manual】 to look at.”
Zhao Guangxi skillfully began painting a pie in the sky.
A flash of heat passed through Lin Shou Zhuo’s eyes as he said, “Thank you, Landlord.”
Zhao Guangxi then looked at Shopkeeper Li and said,
“How is the fundraising going? This month, I want to draw four hundred taels of silver from your grit well.”
Hearing this, Shopkeeper Li showed a troubled expression, but after several breaths, he gritted his teeth and said,
“No problem.”
“Good!”
Zhao Guangxi nodded in satisfaction and said,
“We’ll have the brothers endure a bit for now. Once Zhao buys an official post and rises up, I naturally won’t mistreat the brothers…”
……
Lately, the work at the well had become increasingly heavy.
Not only were more remote clients, whom Shopkeeper Li had previously ignored entirely, now included in the water delivery area.
The water price had also risen, with turbid water going from 20 wen per shoulder load to 23 wen.
Fresh water rose to 45 wen per shoulder load.
The reason was the heavenly stems were dry, well water was evaporating, and daily production had decreased.
This left many clients suffering bitterly, yet helpless.
What, you won’t buy water?
Heh, the water station was a local tyrant in the capital city, with plenty of ways to deal with those ‘maliciously uncooperative’ clients.
And it wasn’t just the grit well; similar situations were occurring in the left and right brother well stations, Jinyuan Street, and other managed areas.
Chen Shun’an’s daily water delivery tasks increased from 24 households to 30.
Fortunately, with Chen Shun’an’s current foot strength, this was merely a trivial matter.
He even took the opportunity to develop a few more benefactors, with daily average wish points stably above 20.
Chen Shun’an did not hesitate, converting all the obtained wish points into incense and granting them into the grass talisman.
【Grass Talisman（4/100）】
【Wish: 43】
The divinity of ‘Closeness to Water Spirits’ further awakened, allowing clearer perception of the water spirits’ consciousness over a wider range.
And in a certain late night, after eating two ‘good grandsons,’ Chen Shun’an naturally and smoothly formed twenty-four qi and blood seeds, breaking through to second-rate late stage.
Normally, at the second-rate mid stage, pearl gathering and origin retrieval, mobilizing qi seeds to nourish the whole body and remove hidden injuries, is a matter of steady grinding.
It cannot be achieved simply by rashly advancing.
Even those with exceptional talent must spend extra time.
But Chen Shun’an had reforged his root bone into tiger tendon leopard vein, with qi becoming pure yang, plus the freezing effect of spirit fish.
In an extremely short time, he expelled the hidden injuries from Chen Shun’an’s body.
So he barely felt any bottleneck before naturally breaking through.
