I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

Li Shengnan was very familiar with the river and lake area. She led Xie An to a warehouse where there were yamen runners. They did not dare to speak when they saw Li Shengnan and told her to choose her own uniform and weapons.

Li Shengnan handed Xie An two sets of black robes, saying, "Junior brother, don't be afraid. We are just auxiliary soldiers on the river patrol. Our main responsibility is to patrol. The matter of the water monster will be handled by the river soldiers and the clerks and inspectors."

Xie An nodded, took the two sets of black robes, and then looked at the weapons rack full of weapons, and muttered to himself.

He practiced martial arts for over a month, but apart from daggers, he had never practiced with any other weapons.

What weapon to use... that's the question.

Li Shengnan seemed to sense Xie An's hesitation and smiled, "Our Yongsheng Martial Arts School doesn't emphasize quick results; we focus on gradual progress. We start with fist and foot techniques, then move on to weapons. Although you haven't practiced with weapons before, you'll need one for self-defense when you're out on patrol. Men should primarily use large weapons, so I suggest you choose a sword or spear first to make the most of your strength. Of course... if you think my axe is more imposing, you can choose that too."

Knives and guns...

It largely aligns with Xie An's own plans.

"My skills are still shallow, and I'm afraid I can't wield an axe with the same power as my senior sister."

"Haha. See for yourself. Once you break through the tendon-strengthening barrier, the martial arts school will have senior brothers to teach you weapon techniques."

Xie An took a large spear from the weapon rack. It was powerful, but it was too long.

In the end, I chose a weapon similar to a Tang sword.

The blade is three and a half feet long, perfectly straight except for the sword section which curves upwards. It is thin, sharp, and extremely easy to use for slashing or stabbing.

Xie An casually brandished the sword a couple of times, "This Tang sword will do."

"Junior brother has a good eye. This isn't a sword specially made by the River and Lake Bureau. It was stolen during the previous campaign against river bandits. It's been sitting unused for a long time. Judging from the material, it should contain some high-quality wrought iron; its hardness and toughness are quite good."

Upon exiting the storeroom, a servant handed over the newly made wooden waist tag.

The inscription reads "Xie An, Assistant Military Officer of the River Patrol Office".

Xie An hung the waist token on his waist and then followed Li Shengnan to the front hall.

Compared to the lively atmosphere of martial arts training at the martial arts school, the atmosphere in the front hall of the river defense post was rather oppressive. A dozen or so auxiliary soldiers on temporary assignment and more than a dozen regular river soldiers stood in the courtyard, all with solemn expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Xie An stepped into the crowd, and heard the whispers of others around him.

"I heard that a water monster was lurking in the Riwudong section of the river last night. Two regular river soldiers were attacked by the monster while on night patrol. Their bodies were only brought back early this morning. I saw the two bodies, and they both had signs of being eaten, especially their faces... they were bitten beyond recognition."

"The villagers near Riwudong are all saying that there were water monkeys in that area many years ago. At first, everyone thought it was made up, but I think... the rumors about water monkeys are probably true."

"Inspector Zhou and the clerk have invited a few local thugs to discuss how to exterminate the water monster. Please don't assign me to patrol the inner cave area later, it would be too dangerous."

"..."

Water monster, nibbling, water monkey, inner cave...

Xie An roughly understood. He also hoped that he wouldn't be assigned to patrol the inner cave.

After all, he had only just embarked on the path of martial arts, and everything was finally on the right track. He didn't want to be caught by a water monster like this...

Before long, Zhou Wu came out with two burly warriors.

Li Shengnan leaned close to Xie An's ear and said, "The bald martial artist on the left is Lei Ming, a disciple of the Lei Clan Martial Arts School's master. He's a Blood Crush Realm expert. The martial artist on the right is Liu Ji, a famous swordsman in town, a Five Organs Realm expert. I suppose the death of two river soldiers in the inner cave last night enraged Inspector Zhou, and he's preparing to exterminate the water monster today."

Xie An nodded, gazing at Lei Ming and Liu Ji, the swordsman, from a distance. Even from a distance of more than ten meters, he could feel two powerful auras pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He wondered when he could become such a master, and even become a guest of honor for Inspector Zhou.

A moment later, another person came out of the living room.

He was dressed in a light blue official robe and wore an official hat. He was probably in his sixties, but his aura was deep and powerful, and his oppressive presence was even greater than thunder.

It goes without saying that it was Zhou Fu, the patrol inspector of the River and Lake Management Office.

cough~

Zhou Fu coughed twice, his fierce eyes sweeping across the room. "I know everyone is panicked right now. But since we are paid by the imperial court, we must protect the peace and well-being of the people in our region to repay the court. The rumors of water monkeys in the inner cave have caused panic among the nearby residents. As a ninth-rank military officer of the court, I, Zhou, feel deeply ashamed and unworthy of the emperor's grace..."

After a series of righteous and impassioned official pronouncements, Zhou Fu changed the subject and got to the point, "Fortunately, Wuqiao Town is a land of righteousness and bravery, with countless heroes and righteous men. Upon hearing of what happened in the Liwu Cave last night, the head of the Lei Family Martial Arts School, Lei Peng, specially dispatched his personal disciple, Lei Ming, to assist me in slaying the water monster. Furthermore, the swordsman Liu Ji is also helping. With the assistance of these two righteous men today, I am certain that I will be able to eliminate the water monster and restore peace and tranquility to this place."

Lei Ming and Liu Ji naturally exchanged pleasantries.

Finally, Zhou Fu summarized, "With two righteous men leading the bandit suppression, our river and lake garrison will fully cooperate. The rest of the river soldiers and auxiliary troops will perform their respective duties. Zhou Wu, arrange today's patrol operation."

"Yes."

Zhou Wu then stepped forward and began to assign people to patrol.

Xie An, Li Shengnan, and Liu Wei were paired up to patrol a section of the river called Yingyuan Village.

Liu Wei?

Xie An opened the panel to check the other party's progress on the Sunflower Manual...

……

Yingyuan Village is more than ten miles away from Wuqiao Town.

It was a large village with about two hundred households. Because it was located near the Huai River, most of the villagers made a living by fishing. Therefore, there was a small wharf with several fishmongers who bought and sold fish. Many fishermen even lived directly on their sampans on the riverbank. Many houses displayed the flags of the Dragon King Gang at their doors.

Clearly, the Dragon King Gang's offerings have already reached the countryside.

The midday sun shone on the river outside the wharf, making it sparkle.

Many fishermen who had gone out to sea returned with a full catch. After their sampans docked, they called over the fish market workers to help unload the fish.

There was a worker at the fish market named Shuisheng who was quick and efficient at carrying fish.

"Wow, Ah Shui, your fishing skills are impressive! You've brought back a full catch in just half a day. At this rate, your family will be able to move to town soon."

The young man named Ashui jumped off the sampan. "Brother Shuisheng, don't make fun of me. What are my skills compared to others? A while ago, Zhang Pizi caught a treasure fish in the Huai River and sold it for thirty taels of silver. He made a fortune right away, not only buying a small house in town but also going to Lei's martial arts school to learn martial arts. Zhang Pizi is the one who's really successful; I'm still far behind."

Shui Sheng chimed in warmly, "Zhang Pizi's fishing skills aren't as good as yours; he's just lucky. You're a better swimmer, more skilled, and you even dare to go out on long journeys. Catching a treasure fish is only a matter of time. By the way, where did you catch all those fish?"

Ah Shui lowered his voice, "It's the Liwu Cave, three miles away. There's been a water monster there before, and two river soldiers from the river management office died last night. Nobody dares to go near it, so I went. There are more fish where there are fewer people."

Shui Sheng exclaimed, "You dare go to that place called Liwu Cave? Aren't you afraid of being attacked by a water monster?"

Ah Shui said dismissively, "My mother is sick and needs medicine to prolong her life. No matter how scary the water monster is, it's not as scary as poverty. Besides, I'm a good swimmer and I can swim fast. As long as we don't go too deep into the inner cave's waters, we can just set a few nets nearby, and it won't be a big deal."

Shuisheng made a shushing gesture: "Keep your voice down. Three auxiliary soldiers from the River and Lake Police Station are eating at the steamed bun shop next door."

Ah Shui glanced at the awning erected not far away for the steamed bun shop, then lowered his head and said no more.

Inside the steamed bun shop.

Xie An ate his dry bread, staring idly at the water at the dock. But he overheard Ah Shui and Shui Sheng talking.

"Senior sister, what is a treasure fish?"

Before Li Shengnan could speak, Liu Wei interjected, "You've just arrived on temporary assignment and haven't dealt with the Huai River, so naturally you wouldn't know. The Treasure Fish is a rare and highly sought-after item. For ordinary people, it strengthens muscles and bones and prolongs life. For martial artists, it can dramatically improve their skills. Our Lei Family Martial Arts School's Senior Brother Lei Ming ate a Treasure Fish years ago and broke through a major realm in three days. This Treasure Fish… everyone's scrambling for it."

Xie An was greatly surprised.

I thought I had the blessing of the Sunflower Manual, and I was already quite experienced in breaking through the Skin Refining stage in just over half a month.

I didn't expect that I would break through a major realm in just three days.

This treasure fish is truly a wonderful thing.

If only I could get a treasure fish to cook... that would be wonderful.

Li Shengnan saw through Xie An's thoughts and said, "Forget about the treasure fish. I've been working at the River and Lake Bureau for almost a year and I've never seen one. Not only is it rare, but it's also ridiculously expensive. It's not something ordinary people can even dream of."

"What Senior Sister says is true." Xie An said this, but his eyes were fixed on Ah Shui in the fish market next door.

Ah Shui is a skilled fisherman who dares to venture into the inner cave to fish; he's quite daring.

Who knows, this guy might actually be able to catch the treasure fish.

I need to get to know this Ah Shui.

"Senior sisters, you guys eat first. I'll go buy two fish to nourish my little sister."

Xie An walked up to Ah Shui. "Your name is Ah Shui?"

Ah Shui recognized Xie An's brocade robe and waist badge as those of an auxiliary soldier stationed at the riverbank, and immediately bowed respectfully, saying, "I am Ah Shui. What are your orders, sir?"

Xie An stopped, saying, "It's not really an order. I see your fish is fresh, so make me two crucian carp to make soup."

"Alright."

Ah Shui felt that this gentleman was very approachable, so she quickly and skillfully threaded two large crucian carp onto a waterweed leaf. "Please take this, sir. Forget about the silver; consider it Ah Shui's tribute to you."

Even so, Xie An still gave him thirty copper coins, and when no one was around, he said, "If you catch a treasure fish next time, sell it to me. I'll introduce you to the Yong Sheng Martial Arts School."

Ah Shui's eyes lit up: "I'll remember that."

In the afternoon, the three of them patrolled along the Huai River. The inner cave was not far from the end, but the three dared not approach it.

By late afternoon, the three had completed their day's patrol and were heading back home.

When they arrived at the Water Lantern Wharf River Management Office, they found several river soldiers and auxiliary soldiers crying in the courtyard, and the atmosphere in the entire office was very oppressive.

Liu Wei grabbed an acquaintance and asked, "What happened?"

The man said, "Go see for yourself."

Xie An followed Liu Wei through the crowd and was shocked to see two stretchers on the ground, with two cold corpses lying on them.

It was the two righteous men from this morning.

Lei Ming and Liu Ji.

His clothes were disheveled, bloodstains were congealed, and many parts of his body had been bitten. His face, in particular, was gnawed beyond recognition.

Xie An's heart sank.

One is a master of the Five Viscera Realm, and the other is a master of the Blood Rush Realm...

Was it really eaten by a water monster?

Before long, Zhou Fu and Zhou Wu rushed over.

Zhou Fu demanded of a panicked river soldier, "Wang Wu, what exactly happened at the inner cave you went to with these two righteous men?"