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

His breath was like that of a tiger or leopard, deep and continuous.

Even on snowy days, I don't feel cold at all. A powerful internal energy flows through my body, invigorating my muscles and bones, refreshing my mind, and making me feel extremely comfortable.

Compared to three days ago, this inner strength is now incomparable.

Xie An opened the control panel.

[Author: Xie An]

[Treasure Vault Level: Lv0]

[Martial Arts Realm: Ming Jin (Minor Success: 2/100)]

[Current Martial Arts Skill: Sunflower Manual, Level 1 100/100, Level 2 69/100]

【Strength: 8.9】

【Spirit: 7.7】

【Speed: 7.7】

[Attribute Points: 0]

[Talent: Dragon's Breath]

[The Sunflower Manual includes 3 characters (Chen Lutang, Zhang Long, Liu Wei)]

[Chen Lutang's Sunflower Manual, Level 2: 69/100]

[Zhang Long's Sunflower Manual, Level 1: 88/100]

[Liu Wei's Sunflower Manual, Level 1: 75/100]

【八极拳（撑锤：100/100）、（降龙：100/100）、（伏虎式：100/100）、（探马掌：100/100）、（劈山掌：100/100）、（虎抱：100/100）、(熊蹲：70/100)】

【Red Sun Blade Technique (Tiger Crouching Stance Perfected, Sinking Press Perfected, Mountain Pushing Stance Perfected), Red Sun Stance: 70/100】

[Vajra Strength and Bright Body: 25/100]

[Talent: Dragon Breath (Unskilled): 0.0000021]

"The Vajra Strength Bright Body corresponds to the four minor realms of Bright Strength. Now that we've passed a quarter of the progress, we've reached minor success. Senior Brother's Sunflower Manual is also in its later stages of the second level. Zhang Long and Liu Wei are quite diligent..."

Xie An was very satisfied with the progress.

"With my current strength, I can kill a master of the Ming Jin Great Perfection without using Dragon Breath. If I activate Dragon Breath, even a master of the Ming Jin Perfection is no match for me. Only a master of An Jin is qualified to compete with me."

"Zhou Fu is just a beginner-level martial artist, yet he can still hold his own against that water monkey. If I go and deal with that water monkey, I should be able to crush him with a single blow."

He took a quick bath, changed into a light blue brocade robe, wore a jade pendant at his waist, and styled his long hair into a bun with a wooden hairpin. He looked every bit the dashing young man of the martial arts world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a wealthy young master.

This outfit was made by my sister-in-law herself, and she insisted that Xie An wear it. She said that Xie An's previous attire was too plain, which was quite an insult to the Bajiquan sect's reputation…

"Brother, breakfast is ready."

At that moment, Xie Yu popped his head out of the kitchen.

Xie Yu is now in charge of the martial arts school's backyard, so she doesn't have to do anything herself and is very well-maintained. Wearing a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), she looks just like a wealthy young lady.

"They're here."

……

Xie An arrived at the martial arts school early in the morning.

As soon as he entered the Central Academy's martial arts training ground, he heard disciples surrounding Wei Dian, discussing the matter animatedly.

"Senior Brother Wei Dian is truly amazing! He's found another treasure fish and even broke through the Ming Jin technique. His speed is only half a month behind Fifth Master's."

"Wei Dian possesses great fortune, having found several precious fish in succession. If a few more precious fish come in the future, he might surpass Fifth Master."

"That's for sure. If Wei Dian's cultivation surpasses that of Fifth Master, Fifth Master, as his senior uncle, will be in an awkward position."

"It's more than just embarrassing, it's downright shameful. The museum owner will also be humiliated."

"..."

Xie An glanced at Wei Dian, who was beaming in the crowd, from afar. Wei Dian seemed to sense something, and at that moment he also turned his head and saw Xie An, his brows furrowed with disdain, as if he wanted to compete with Xie An and suppress him, making him feel ashamed.

Xie An ignored the scoundrel and hurriedly went to the River God's residence after finding Li Shengnan.

……

Riwudong Swamp.

In an abandoned house on the riverbank.

The two auxiliary soldiers on temporary assignment started a fire and roasted fish.

Li Shengnan and Liu Wei were practicing martial arts on the side. Meanwhile, Zhou Wu was brewing a nourishing soup for Zhou Fu, who was sitting under the eaves.

For the past five days, Xie An had been away, so Zhou Wu, along with two auxiliary soldiers on temporary assignment, had settled here to investigate the water monster's whereabouts. Because this matter concerned the survival of the Zhou family, Zhou Fu, whose injuries had not yet fully healed, also came here personally to oversee the operation.

Xie An led Li Shengnan and Liu Wei into the courtyard, and everyone stood up, calling him Fifth Master.

Xie An greeted them, then quickly walked up to Zhou Fu and bowed, saying, "Lord Zhou, your injuries haven't healed yet, why have you come in person?"

After drinking the herbal medicine, Zhou Fu smiled faintly and said, "It's just a broken arm, nothing serious. I'm almost fully recovered now. The water monster here is a matter of life and death for my Zhou family, and I really don't have the time to recuperate at home. Fifth Master, how was the effect of the treasure fish you took?"

Xie An didn't hide anything: "I have already reached the minor stage of Ming Jin (a level of martial prowess)."

Snapped.

Zhou Fu slammed his hand on the table in excitement, "Excellent! Excellent! You truly are a young prodigy. You broke through your cultivation level with just one treasure fish. With the cultivation of the Lesser Completion of the Ming Jin realm, your chances of defeating that water monkey are much greater."

Xie An quickly helped Zhou Fu sit down. "Have you been able to find any trace of that water monkey in the past few days?"

Zhou Wu recounted in detail: "The water monkeys appear and disappear without any discernible pattern. However, a few days ago, a patrolling soldier saw a masked man in black dragging a living person and tying him to a crooked tree on the riverbank. Around midnight, the water monkeys would smell the human scent, climb up into the darkness, and devour the living person. It seems someone is offering a living person as a sacrifice to the water monster."

Sacrificing living people...

The image of Wei Dian instinctively appeared in Xie An's mind.

This scoundrel has caught several precious fish; it's quite possible that he's the masked man in black.

"Where is the man in black?"

Zhou Wudao said, "The man in black tied the living person to the tree trunk and then quietly left. After the water monkey came ashore, the man in black dived into the water. As for what he did, no one knows."

I see……

Xie An had already deduced what had happened: Wei Dian sacrificed living people to the water monkeys, and while the water monkeys came ashore to eat people, Wei Dian dived into the water to catch the treasure fish.

So, the place where the water monkey lives does indeed have a treasure fish nest.

This is also why Wei Dian was able to catch the treasure fish one after another.

However, for every precious fish that Wei Dian catches, there is a human life behind it.

He's quite a formidable character.

Xie An immediately made arrangements: "I will keep watch tonight."

Before coming here, Xie An instructed Xie Yu that he would be away for a few days and that Xie Yu should not go home at night, but stay at the Hundred Herbs Hall of the martial arts school. There was no need to worry about his younger sister's comfort.

……

Night fell.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, and the riverbank is deathly silent.

Xie An and his group hid behind a haystack near a crooked tree on the riverbank, only peeking out half their heads to look.

At the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM), sure enough, a masked man in black was seen carrying a small child. The child had a tattered rag stuffed in his mouth and could only stammer, unable to make a sound.

With a few snapping sounds, the masked man in black tied the child to the trunk of the crooked tree and then hid to the side.

A soldier named Zhong Wu spoke up: "It's this man. I saw him when I was on night patrol before. He brings someone here every few days."

Xie An gestured for silence and lowered his voice, saying, "We'll know soon enough. This man in black is suspicious. If the water monkey comes out, I'll go and kill it. I'd like to ask Lord Zhou to take some men to follow the man in black and find out his background."

Zhou Fu nodded in agreement, "This is an excellent plan. This way, we can catch the culprit red-handed. I'll also have something to report to my superiors."

After agreeing on a detailed plan, the group said no more and quietly lay down behind the haystack to wait.

The surrounding area is dense forest, and the river flows swiftly. Moonlight shines on the water, making the entire river shimmer and sparkle.

Finally, midnight arrived, and the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Splash!

A strange splashing sound came from the river near the crooked tree, and everyone stared wide-eyed. Ripples appeared on the calm surface of the river. Soon after, a large head emerged.

The head swam underwater and soon reached the bank of the crooked-necked tree, where it slowly walked ashore.

Xie An then got a clear look at the guy's full appearance:

It stands 2.2 to 2.3 meters tall and is extremely robust. Its body is covered in bluish, tumor-like scales, and it has fish fins on its back and webbed fingers and toes. Its head is somewhat similar to a human's, but it looks more like a monkey.

Even from dozens of meters away, everyone could feel a chilling and terrifying aura.

Xie An, however… he clearly felt the dragon breath talent within him becoming restless, like the impulse of a hunter seeing its prey.

Just then, the man in black, who had been hiding on the riverbank in the distance, quietly entered the water.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan."

Xie An gave a brief instruction, then, gripping his Tang sword, quietly left the haystack and crept towards the crooked tree, concealed by the thorns of the swamp...