Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 118 Storm and Cloud
The autumn wind outside the window was bleak, swirling up a few withered leaves that pattered against the windowpane, making a soft rustling sound, which only accentuated the sorrowful and poignant sobs coming from inside the room.

"Old Chen?"

Cheng Bin was taken aback upon hearing this, his brows furrowing instantly, and his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.
"What's wrong with Old Chen?"

"What else!" Xiao Man suddenly threw herself into Cheng Bin's arms, her warm, soft body crashing into his embrace.

She twisted her serpentine waist, almost burrowing into Cheng Bin's chest.

Her voice was choked with sobs as she cried out pitifully, "You don't know, that man came to the pleasure boat to listen to music, took a fancy to me, and insisted on taking advantage of me..."

She looked up, tears glistening in her eyes: "Then, then, then they tried to force themselves on me! I'm a virgin! How could I endure such humiliation? Luckily, my mother heard the commotion and rushed in in time, otherwise, how could I face you again, sir!"

"Is this happening?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Bin's eyes flickered violently, and his expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.

He pictured Old Chen's weathered face, always bearing a hint of taciturnity and honesty.

Old Chen is always a man of principle and propriety, and he doesn't talk much. Logically, he shouldn't be so reckless, right? Could it be...?

His mind was filled with doubts, and he immediately stood up: "You wait here, I'll go ask Old Chen!"

Cheng Bin immediately stood up, but Xiao Man grabbed him, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force, her voice pleading.

"Master, please don't stab me in the heart again! Go confront him. Whether he admits it or not, once this shameful matter is publicized, how can I have the face to live in this world? I might as well drown myself!"

"No! I won't ask, I won't ask." Cheng Bin's heart tightened, and he quickly pulled her back, gently comforting her.
"Grandpa, let's go, let's fly far away and find a quiet place. You can till the land and I can weave cloth, and we can have a few big, fat sons to continue the family line of your Cheng family."

"This……"

Cheng Bin hesitated, "But what about my assets..."

Cheng Bin had worked hard for most of his life to finally buy a small house in Wuqing County and get a respectable job. How could he give it up?

Going to the countryside to become a local tycoon is also a huge expense.

But when he saw the beautiful woman in his arms, his heart softened.

Cheng Bin hesitated for a moment, as if he had made a huge decision: "If all else fails, I'll sell the house, use it as collateral, and borrow some money from the bank?"

A fleeting glint of triumph flashed across Xiaoman's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an even deeper anxiety.
"Sir, you mustn't. I'm just a worthless life with no parents and no one to care for me. How could I be worth this? I was just blinded by greed and spoke without thinking. Please don't take it to heart, sir."

Cheng Bin sighed deeply and embraced Xiao Man, whose face was seven parts aggrieved and three parts coquettish.

"Don't worry about this, I'll think of a way. With you by my side, I'm willing to do anything."

Seeing this, Xiaoman buried her face in his shoulder, a sly glint in her eyes.

She must not utter words like "selling out" or "borrowing."

Otherwise, it would definitely arouse Cheng Bin's suspicion.

He had to figure it out himself and think about it in this way.

She was half-heartedly going along with it, going with the flow.

That will do.

"It's a pity that Chen Shun'an is as hard-hearted as iron and has repeatedly failed to take the bait. Otherwise, how could a fifty-year-old widower withstand my eighteen kinds of manipulation and teasing? Sooner or later, I would have made him in debt and sent him to his death! After taking this deal, I think Boss Zhao will give me the antidote..."

"Why bother with this cripple, being all hypocritical and wishy-washy..."

Xiao Man seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of malice flashed across her clear, bright eyes.

……

"This slut is indeed harboring evil intentions and plotting something sinister. She even dared to insult my innocence."

Chen Shunan quietly clung to the roof behind Cheng's bedroom, his legs hanging from the eaves like a bat hanging upside down. His eyes were bright and his ears twitched slightly, and he could clearly hear the sounds inside even through the smallest crack in the window.

After Chen Shunan left, he felt increasingly uneasy, worried that the slut would become angry and bite him back.

So he found an excuse, informed Lin Shouzhou and the other man, and left halfway, only to return to this place later.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed as Chen Shunan had predicted!
When seduction fails, they turn around and blame others—isn't that bullying an honest person?!
Inside the bedroom, the soft rustling sounds of someone undressing gradually drifted in, accompanied by a melodious, warbling voice.

Chen Shunan naturally didn't have such an eavesdropping fetish. With a light leap, he landed in the dark alley behind him like a withered leaf and disappeared in an instant.

Occasionally, pedestrians at the alley entrance would feel a sudden darkness overhead, as if a gray shadow had swept past the eaves. Startled, they would look up and rub their eyes, but see nothing, and wonder if they had seen a ghost.

Back at the gravel well, Chen Shunan pushed the heavy wheelbarrow and went to Ma Xiucai's house again.

After the start of autumn this year, the temperature dropped sharply and the weather became increasingly cold.

The streets were bustling with people, and those who were wealthy were mostly dressed in long robes and padded jackets.

Chen Shunan heard from Ma Xiucai that the weather this year was unusual, with dark clouds looming over the city in the summer, and it often didn't rain for half a month.

However, the weather turned cold suddenly after the start of autumn. According to his observations and calculations, the Grand Canal would probably freeze over before the end of the twelfth lunar month.

At that time, the canal transport will be cut off, the flow of goods between the north and south will be blocked, prices will soar, and various chain reactions will likely lead to countless deaths from freezing and starvation.

Ma Xiucai advised Chen Shunan to stockpile grain to make clothes, plaster the walls with pepper paste, and prepare charcoal in advance, so as to plan ahead and prepare for any eventuality.

Finally, rubbing his hands together, he sheepishly borrowed another five taels of silver from Chen Shunan...

Chen Shunan, who was taking out small loans, was scammed and had no choice but to generously give money to the loan sharks. Only then did he leave the tenement and push his wheelbarrow onto the main street. Chen Shunan largely believed in Ma Xiucai's 'prophecy'.

But now, he was clearly preoccupied and had other thoughts on his mind.

Xiaoman is too professional, yet she seems strange in every way.

The pleasure boat that Chen Shunan visited was not a high-class brothel, but just an ordinary place for entertainment.

The prostitutes there, after being trained and instructed by the madam for several years, can write a few words and recite a few lines of poetry. Once their value is increased, they will quickly go out and perform.

Xiao Man's singing and pronunciation were unique; they were soft and gentle, and she was proficient in all the arts, such as playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She was like a white lotus blooming in a muddy and filthy place.

In other words, Chen Shunan's ruthlessness was something few others could handle.

Who nurtured Xiaoman's literary talent?
Was her scheming to get close to Cheng Bin for money or to kill him?

If Chen Shunan had been a little more soft-hearted, Cheng Bin today might have become Chen Shunan.
"The Holy Dynasty is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources; everyone, human or ghost, is putting on an act. How come it's another small pitfall?"

Chen Shunan looked helpless as he pushed the empty cart back to the gravel well and skillfully used a wooden fork to prop up the cart shaft.

After waiting a moment, seeing that San Dezi had also returned to fetch water, Chen Shunan went to greet him and said,

"San Dezi, I need to trouble you with something. Help me find out some information and get information about someone."

San Dezi paused for a moment, then patted his chest as if presenting a treasure, and chuckled.

"Brother Chen, just tell me what you need! There's no news in Wuqing County that I can't get through to. No matter what happens, it won't escape my notice."

A moment later, San Dezi hurriedly left.

Chen Shunan took over San Dezi's job and delivered water for him a few times.

As dusk settled, the last glimmer of light beside the gravel well was swallowed up.

Lanterns lit up in the shops on the street, and Shui San'er, who was working at the gravel well, also finished his shift one after another.

San Dezi returned to the gravel well with a slightly serious expression. He glanced at Chen Shunan, who seemed to have just woken up, and said in a deep voice,

"Brother Chen, we found it. All those pleasure boats, bookstores, teahouses, and other places we frequent... there's always someone behind them, more or less."

"Who?"

"Zhao Guanghui".

Chen Shunan's pupils suddenly contracted, and the doubts in his heart instantly connected, and many vague clues seemed to have a direction.

San Dezi continued, "He is not necessarily the boss, but rather he gets in touch with them by providing funding, manpower, and shielding them from attacks."

Following this lead, I discovered that many people who owed exorbitant interest to Guanghui Money House had, before disappearing, either redeemed themselves from prostitutes, mistakenly thought they had found a bargain but ended up being cheated, or simply squandered their fortunes at the money exchange, accumulating massive debts!

San Dezi and Chen Shunan exchanged a glance, both understanding the shady business behind Guanghui Money Shop.

They set a trap, forced people into bankruptcy, and then directly arrested them to pay the debt!

"Brother Chen, you'd better stay away from Guanghui Money Shop. Don't get involved with the King of Hell's debts. If you're short of money, I can lend you some. If you grit your teeth, you can come up with a few hundred taels of silver..."

San Dezi couldn't help but offer some advice.

He knew that practicing martial arts was a money pit, a bottomless pit, and he was afraid that Chen Shunan would go astray.

"Don't worry, I understand."

Chen Shunan's expression remained unchanged.

Over the next two days, the newly established Wuqing Sticky Rod Office demonstrated astonishing efficiency, a stark contrast to the sluggish and cumbersome nature of the government offices in the past.

With sufficient funding, adequate personnel, and a unified and harmonious will from all parties, the situation is stable.

An invisible inspection network was quickly deployed, dividing the area into inspection zones, drawing manpower from outside to cover the entire county, questioning unfamiliar martial artists, and verifying missing persons.

Top-notch experts from within took turns leading teams to waters such as Bannozutsu, Mihun Bay, and Funiu Water Marsh, setting up sentry posts and sharp knife traps along the shore, recruiting fishermen with excellent swimming skills to explore the waters and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

However, an accident occurred yesterday. A top-notch martial arts master from a private martial arts school, while on his routine patrol in Bewitching Bay, accidentally encountered a demon and fell into the water. His fate is unknown.

He became the first top-notch master to sacrifice himself at the Wuqing Sticky Pole Office.

This seems to completely confirm what Yuan, the temple keeper, said that day.

Wuqing County is in grave danger.

Everyone felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts.

Meanwhile, during this time, the Guolu Society members seemed to have vanished into thin air. Even though the Wuqing Sticky Pole Office turned the entire county upside down, they found nothing.

Although it is autumn and the temperature is cool, after four or five days, the corpses of the Xinzitang master and others who were left exposed at Caishikou have begun to decompose.

Fortunately, martial artists are strong and vigorous, which greatly reduces the number of insect eggs and embryos in their bodies, thus extending the preservation time of their remains.

Not to mention that Master Xinzitang gathered strength and combined it with Yushu to kill two thieves. If placed in some remote and ignorant place, he would almost be considered a living Vajra or a true Arhat. After his death, his body could be used to make offerings.

Therefore, these corpses were relatively intact and there were no maggot bites.

(End of this chapter)