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

When Xie An, Li Shengnan, and Liu Wei hurriedly arrived at the inner cave, it was already past noon.

This was Xie An's first time visiting the inner cave.

This section of the Huai River has a gentle current, a wide channel, and is so deep that the bottom cannot be seen. It also has a large bend, making it a great place for fishing.

The riverbanks are covered in marshland and dense forest. There are only about a dozen households nearby, but the fishermen have all moved away, leaving only empty, dilapidated houses.

More than a dozen river soldiers were gathered in front of an abandoned wooden house.

The leader was Zhou Wu, who was holding the unconscious Zhou Fu in his arms, making soft sobs, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Zhou Fu's official robes were already tattered and stained with blood and mud. His left arm had been bitten off by something, and the cut was a bloody mess.

"Fifth Master is here, make way!"

A soldier from the river shouted out, and the crowd immediately parted to make way for him.

Xie An hurriedly went over and squatted down to check Zhou Fu's breathing.

There was still a faint breath.

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief. "Brother Zhou, what happened?"

Zhou Wu wiped his eyes. "Yesterday, two fishermen who came to Liwu Cave to fish died. My father was reprimanded by the river magistrate of Baiyun County, who ordered him to deal with the water monster as soon as possible. Our Zhou family originally had a patron, Shi Hong, the master of Hanshan Martial Arts School. My father brought a large sum of money to Master Shi Hong to help him exterminate the water monster. However, Master Shi Hong claimed to be ill and refused to come. My father had no choice but to come to Liwu Cave to inspect it himself this morning, and as a result, he encountered the water monster... The other two river soldiers died in the river, and their bodies were never found."

Xie An offered a few words of comfort, saying, "Saving lives is the priority. Let's take Lord Zhou back to the river and lake management office first."

Zhou Wu nodded. "That's the only way."

……

River and lake area.

A dozen or so river soldiers and auxiliary soldiers gathered in the courtyard outside the main house in the backyard, all with their heads down and looking listless.

Xie An sat on the corner of the corridor, glancing occasionally at the main entrance of the house.

"Oh dear, I never expected even the inspector would suffer from the water monster. If anything happens to the inspector, our temporary assignments will most likely fall through." Li Shengnan approached at this moment, looking dejected.

Liu Wei walked over and plopped down on the ground: "Lord Zhou has always been very generous. We've been on temporary assignment here for half a year, doing absolutely nothing, but Lord Zhou's support has never been lacking. He even gives us extra rewards and medicine during holidays. Compared to other temporary assignments, the River and Lake Management Office is an excellent place."

Xie An wholeheartedly agreed with this.

For the past six months, Xie An had been fishing day and night at the riverbank, and Zhou Fu and his son never made any demands or requests of him, giving Xie An countless benefits.

Those who held temporary positions in the Grand Canal Gang, Zhenwei Escort Agency, minor government offices, and other martial arts schools were extremely busy every day. Moreover, they had performance targets to meet, and earning even a few coins or resources was no easy feat. Nothing compared to the relaxed life at the River and Lake Management Office.

"Even if the Inspector survives, his strength will be greatly diminished after losing his arm. The River and Lake Management Office is a crucial position in Wuqiao Town, and the River Management Magistrate of Baiyun County will definitely send a new official to replace the Inspector. What if this new official is difficult to get along with, raises performance targets, or reduces funding? That would be disastrous." Li Shengnan began to consider the future. "Uncle-Master Xie An, what are your plans?"

Xie An was quite philosophical about it. "Now that my senior sister has reached the Blood Rush Realm and Liu Wei is almost at the Five Organs Realm, we certainly don't lack places to hold temporary posts. It's just a pity for Lord Zhou. He was a perfectly fine Ming Jin martial artist, and suddenly he's crippled. We'll wait for the doctor to come out and see how Lord Zhou's injuries are before making a decision. If the funding amount isn't greatly reduced, I still want to continue my temporary post here."

Xie An only revealed three-tenths of the truth.

The other seven points are... he really enjoys the days of slacking off at the riverbank.

Basically doing nothing means you can slack off and practice your skills. Occasionally, Zhou Wu even manages to create some inexplicable meritorious service for himself... Who wouldn't like this kind of job?

Liu Wei looked at him with admiration: "Fifth Master is a man of great loyalty and righteousness."

Li Shengnan nodded, "Since that's what you say, Martial Uncle, I'll follow your lead."

Just then, the main door of the house suddenly opened. A doctor hurriedly came out, and several soldiers stepped forward to inquire about the injuries. The doctor simply shook his head, then picked up his medicine box and hurriedly left.

Before long, a middle-aged, burly man in a gray brocade robe came in and strode towards the main house.

Liu Wei muttered softly, "That burly man is Shi Hong, the master of Hanshan Martial Arts School, a martial artist who has reached the minor stage of Ming Jin. It is said that he was just a poor and destitute young man in his early years. It was Lord Zhou who sponsored him, which enabled him to learn martial arts. Eventually, he broke through the Ming Jin stage and returned to Wuqiao Town to open his school and take on students. Lord Zhou's sponsorship has never stopped every year. Yesterday, Lord Zhou asked him to help exterminate the water monster, but he pretended to be sick and did not come. Isn't that too heartless and ungrateful?"

Li Shengnan, however, expressed a different opinion: "That water monster is extremely ferocious. It devoured Leiming and Liuji several months ago. It's understandable that Shi Hong has some reservations. However, Lord Zhou is also in charge of inspecting the river and lake area, and the county's river management magistrate is assigning tasks layer by layer. Lord Zhou has no way to back down."

Not long after, Xie An heard a loud commotion coming from the main room, seemingly from Zhou Fu and Shi Hong arguing. Then he saw Shi Hong walk out of the main room with a serious expression and storm off.

Clearly, the two sides' second round of negotiations broke down.

After a long while, Zhou Wu emerged from inside, his face utterly dejected. His gaze swept over all the temporary river patrol soldiers present. "Today is the Lantern Festival. Those of you on temporary assignment, line up here to collect your monthly stipends and then go home. You don't need to come to the river patrol station anymore. Ultimately, this matter is my Zhou family's fault. I will increase your stipends accordingly. I hope you will remember the Zhou family's kindness and do us a favor when you travel the world in the future."

Everyone lined up to receive their monthly allowance, then thanked the donors and left.

Normally, the money and medicine for the previous month are distributed on the eighth day of the following month.

Today is only the Lantern Festival, just half a month ago. Everyone is naturally happy to receive their full pay and benefits, plus a considerable amount extra.

When it was Xie An's turn, Zhou Wu gave him a dose of Tiger Bone Marrow Soup, twelve doses of Qi and Blood Powder, and twenty taels of silver. He then doubled the amount.

Xie An, holding the heavy cloth bag, said, "Brother Zhou, this..."

Zhou Wu's face was somber, and he appeared extremely dejected and lost: "The water monster scourge of Liwu Cave has been a long-standing problem. The county's river management magistrate has repeatedly urged my father to exterminate the monster. Now that my father's left arm is crippled, he just invited Master Shi Hong and spent all his family's wealth trying to persuade him to exterminate the monster, but Master Shi Hong did not agree. Alas... the Zhou family is incapable of exterminating the monster. According to the agreement, the river management magistrate will soon send someone else to replace my father. My father is no longer able to support the river management office, so he thought it best for everyone to part ways amicably."

They spent all their savings to ask Shi Hong to intervene...

As far as Xie An knew, Zhou Fu was considered one of the wealthiest families in Wuqiao Town, and the amount of his wealth he had poured into the family was probably enormous.

Xie An considered for a moment and said, "I would like to see Lord Zhou. Is that convenient?"

"Of course it's convenient. Come with me." Zhou Wu distributed all the silver and resources, then led Xie An into the bedroom.

The spacious bedroom was filled with a pungent medicinal smell. Zhou Fu was covered in bandages, including his severed arm. He looked ten years older, with most of his hair turned white and his eyes deeply sunken.

Xie An offered a few words of simple comfort, then inquired about the details of Zhou Fu's encounter with the water monster.

Hmm.

Zhou Fu sighed, "That water monster is just a water monkey. It exchanged a few blows with me. Although it severely injured me, I can roughly judge that it's about the strength of a minor master of the Ming Jin realm. Just now, I offered Shi Hong six hundred taels of silver plus a twenty-year-old treasure fish as a reward, but Shi Hong claimed to be ill and refused to come. Alas, the world is cold-hearted. Over the years, my Zhou family has sponsored Shi Hong with far more than a thousand taels. However, this water monster is indeed powerful, and since it involves life and death, I can't force it."

Similarly, Ming Jin (明劲) also has four smaller levels: beginner, minor success, major success, and perfection.

The differences between each sub-level are significant.

Perhaps because Zhou Fu and Zhou Wu both felt that Xie An had only just entered the realm of Ming Jin, they did not mention the matter of helping him.

Six hundred taels of silver, plus a twenty-year-old precious fish...

The catfish Xie An had previously consumed was only a ten-year-old specimen, which shows how rare a twenty-year-old treasure fish is.

After some deliberation, Xie An said, "Lord Zhou, you might as well let me try to exterminate the water monster. However, I have a favor to ask: could you please give me the twenty-year-old treasure fish first?"