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

Chapter 127 Linjiang, Heading South

Chen Shunan could never forget the strange and illogical aspects of the Holy Dynasty.

After the group of martial artists from Wuqing Sticky Pole Office dispersed, the bolder common people gradually arrived, and Caishikou slowly returned to its former bustling state.

Lu Jing coughed a few times, waved his hand to dismiss his attendants, and walked slowly back to the wooden frame where the corpse had been hanging.

His eyes were fixed intently, as if he were searching for something.

At this time,

A young man with dark skin, a straight back, and wearing a plain-colored uniform and thin-soled boots walked over quietly.

"Lord Lu, how are your injuries? I have some secret military medicine here..."

Lu Jing turned around, saw who it was, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, it's Li Yaozu. Aren't you going back to camp?"

"I was worried about the adults, so I stayed behind on purpose."

Lu Jing patted him on the shoulder and said, "Haha, thank you for your thoughtfulness. You are now Commander Liu's messenger, so don't get too close to me, or it will arouse the commander's suspicion."

Li Yaozu said calmly, "Lord Lu did not look down on me because I am the son of a fisherman. He taught me martial arts and saved me from my orphanage. His kindness is as heavy as a mountain. How could I ever forget it?"

Lu Jing shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just a minor injury. I'll recover in a few days."

Upon hearing this, Li Yaozu breathed a slight sigh of relief, then became somewhat serious and said...

"Lord Lu, today's events may damage your reputation, and many petty people will likely be eager to cause trouble again."

Damaging one's reputation?

Lu Jing smiled indifferently: "I actually hope that someone will jump around and try to test me, this worthless dog whose reputation is tarnished."

With a flick of his arms, a strong wind billowed up, lifting the outer robe beside him. With a 'whoosh,' the robe seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand and landed steadily on his shoulders.

"Perfect! Let their blood stain my glorious name once more!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yaozu's expression changed, and his eyes revealed deep respect and emotion.

A moment later, Li Yaozu bowed and quickly left.

Lu Jing checked everything carefully again, feeling somewhat regretful.

He had already secretly imbued the wooden frame with a trace of pure intention.

If someone rashly approaches or even touches a corpse, this thought will silently attach itself to it like a bone-deep infection. Unless the other party's mental strength far surpasses his, it will be extremely difficult for him to detect it.

The imperial court used the corpse of the head of the Xinzitang (a type of brothel) as bait.

Lu Jingzai was also using the story of "the imperial court using the corpse of the master of the Xinzi Hall as bait" to lure people into a trap.

It doesn't matter what kind of fish you catch.

A group of chivalrous heroes from the Guolu Society, risking everything to steal the corpse; a faction within Wuqing County who wanted to use the body of a top-tier martial artist for other purposes; and a group that wanted to do the Guolu Society a favor, even using the corpse to blackmail them again…

Even the one who suddenly appeared today, a master of the Four Slayers who is clearly not one of the same kind as Red Fifth Brother or the Guolu Society.

Unfortunately, after a thorough inspection, Lu Jing discovered that apart from a few executioners responsible for hanging the corpses, no one had touched the wooden frame.

Lu Jing shook his head regretfully, turned around and strode away.

It's unclear whether Nie Zheng is alive or dead, but given that he hasn't shown up for so long, he's probably in grave danger.

The imperial court has lost yet another loyal dog.

Lu Jing's lips curled up slightly, revealing a lighthearted smile.

But the expression quickly vanished, returning to its usual calm and indifferent state.

……

The deep alley was deathly silent.

The walls were covered with hideous and terrifying plow marks, as if they had been torn apart by the claws of a giant beast.

The hard bluestone pavement was riddled with potholes and littered with gravel.

A faint yet domineering spiritual pressure permeated the air, weighing heavily on people's hearts and making even breathing extremely difficult.

Standing in front of a deep pit.

Everyone stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar corpse. An unprecedented chill rose from the soles of their feet and shot straight to the top of their heads. An immense fear arose in their hearts, and even their breathing became rapid.

Born into a reclusive martial arts sect, the direct descendant of the contemporary "Zhuixing Bajiquan", burdened with a blood feud and even harboring the ambition of enduring hardship and revenge, Nie Zheng died just like that.
Nie Zheng's corpse resembled a tattered sack, with his bones almost completely reduced to dust, and his tendons and flesh resembling mud. It was only vaguely human-shaped that it still looked somewhat intact.

The scene was so tragic that it was hard to believe that this was once the imposing Nie Zheng.

I don't even want to imagine what kind of terrible torture or crushing crushing force Nie Zheng suffered before his death!
Bali Ma's throat was dry, and her voice was dry and trembling.

"Who killed Lord Nie?"

No one answered, and the faces of the martial artists who had followed them here turned pale.

A top-tier expert who had once entered the county government office and "joined forces" with Nie Zheng to fight against the Guolu Society rebels stared blankly at the corpse at his feet, and after a long while, finally spoke.
"He is at least a martial artist who killed four traitors. Perhaps he is the person Lord Lu mentioned. Today, when Guo Lu set fire to the county government office, he had been lying in wait in the shadows, ready to strike."

Upon hearing this, everyone present broke out in a cold sweat and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Luckily, we were weak enough, far inferior to Nie Zheng, otherwise we would never have seen the sun rise again.

All eyes involuntarily turned to the two men dressed in silver-embroidered constable uniforms.

One of them, his face grim, said, "Whoever dares to kill a military officer of our court must pay with their blood!"

The other man said in a deep voice, "I will report back to the Prefect and issue an order for a nationwide manhunt, which will be sent to all prefectures. Moreover, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble the brothers of the Wuqing Sticky Pole Office to pay close attention to this matter, cooperate in the investigation, and send more manpower to ensure that this scoundrel is brought to justice!"

Upon hearing this, the martial artists at the Wuqing Sticky Pole Station quickly exchanged glances and hurriedly bowed in response.

"I will do my best in my duty!"

……

Along the canal, the river breeze rustles the reeds on the bank, creating a mournful sound.

The wide river surface ripples, reflecting the clouds on the horizon; the vast expanse of water stretches as far as the eye can see.

A small, covered boat is quietly moored at an abandoned, makeshift dock, gently rocking with the ripples on the water.

Hong Wuye, Zhou Yongyi, Moqianshou, and a group of other gangsters stood silently on the shore, watching Bai Manlou on the boat.

Fifth Master Hong spoke in a deep voice, his voice drowning out the sound of the wind.
"Xiao Bai, I entrust Master Xin's body to you. Make sure you safely return him to his homeland in Sichuan and hand him over to his family."

Bai Manlou, dressed in a blue robe and carrying a long sword, glanced back at the corpse of the Hall Master Xin, sealed in an ice coffin, before turning back to speak.

"I will bring my brother home."

At this point, Bai Manlou glanced at these familiar faces and said in a deep voice,
"We're also waiting for you to come home."

"Most definitely."

Fifth Master Hong nodded seriously, raising his voice deliberately, with an undeniable determination: "I will also bring my brothers home."

Bai Manlou said no more, clasped his hands in a fist and looked around at everyone: "Everyone, take care! Until we meet again!"

"See you later!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Bai Manlou picked up a long bamboo pole and gently tapped it on the blue stone on the bank.

The small boat gracefully parted the ripples, slowly gliding into the heart of the river and heading downstream.

Several people stood tall on the shore, watching the small boat gradually sail away into the distance.

Until the boat's shadow grew smaller and smaller in the vast river, eventually turning into a black dot and merging into the horizon, becoming indistinguishable.

Looking at the vast expanse of the river, the man who had been touching the money sighed softly and said...

"The Jin Family Troupe has been completely disbanded. The remains of Master Jin have been handed over to his family, and I have already arranged for them to set off ahead of schedule to head south to Sichuan."

"As for the rest of the troupe, I gave them a settlement allowance, divided their belongings, and they went their separate ways. The world is vast, and even if the court wanted to arrest them, it would be powerless to do so."

From the day the Kim family became involved with the Kwok-lu Association and the Gelaohui (a secret society), it seemed their fate was sealed.

Hong Wuye remained silent for a moment, just about to speak, when he suddenly felt a gaze fall on his side.

He suddenly turned around and looked towards the willow-lined embankment, which was reddened by the setting sun. He could vaguely see a thin and blurry figure, half-hidden behind the drooping willow branches, standing silently.

Master Hong's eyes suddenly lit up as he realized who this person was.

His expression turned solemn, he straightened his clothes, and facing the willow-lined embankment, he respectfully clasped his hands in a salute and called out,
"Thank you so much, brother, for your kind assistance today!"

Zhou Yongyi and the others were stunned by what they heard, looking bewildered and confused.

"Fifth Master, is someone chasing us?"

Fifth Master Hong turned around and smiled, "Someone is chasing us. But we're friends, not enemies."

"friend?"

Zhou Yongyi and the others were somewhat surprised.

They are now like rats crossing the street in the capital, hated by everyone. Even if there are forces or martial artists who are benevolent towards the Guolu Association, they would never dare to openly have any involvement with them in this tense situation.

Could it be...

The group seemed to have thought of a certain possibility at the same time, and their faces showed expressions of surprise and uncertainty.

Hong Wuye turned his head to look at the willow embankment again, and saw the shimmering water and the vast white clouds, but there was no one to be seen under the willow embankment.
Master Hong chuckled lightly.

"A dear friend I've never met."

……

Wanlong Mill, Back Hall.

Huang Xing, who had just taken over the mill, placed a statue of the God of Fire, which had been consecrated by the Holy Maiden Tianxuan, behind the shrine in the main room of the back hall.

The air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense. The God of Fire, illuminated by the flickering candlelight, had a majestic face with a faint red glow.

Huang Xing casually gave an order to the waiter who was standing by with his hands at his sides.
"As the saying goes, if the Fire God doesn't cause trouble, the house will be safe and sound. We will use respect instead of warding off evil. From now on, we must serve the Fire God well. Do you understand? Offerings and incense must be provided every day."

"Understood, boss, don't worry."

The waiter bowed respectfully in response.

Huang Xing nodded slightly, personally picked up three incense sticks, lit them with the candlelight, and respectfully inserted them into the incense burner. Only after watching the smoke rise straight up did he feel completely at ease.

Today, Wanlong Mill has long since moved to Mingyang Street, near the center of the county town, where the shops are now spacious.

Opposite the shop is a grand gatehouse of an official's residence.

When this shop was chosen, a feng shui master consulted the experts and said that a jade centipede lived on the gatehouse opposite. Choosing to do business opposite the jade centipede would secretly conform to the feng shui pattern of "Heavenly Dragon Ascending to the Clouds," which would be enough to ensure that Wanlong Milling House would be free from disasters and misfortunes.

"It's a pity," Huang Xing walked to the window, looked at the street, and sighed softly, as if talking to himself.

"The 'Golden Scaled Catfish' that's been rumored in the fish market hasn't been seen for a long time. Otherwise, if we put a large water tank at the entrance of the shop and invited it in, we could create the amazing 'Dragon Entering the Treasure Basin' formation, and my Wanlong Rice Mill would be making a fortune every day. That wouldn't be an exaggeration."

(End of this chapter)