Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

Ye Chen originally thought that with Elder Jiu's death, the matter of Blackwater would truly be over.

However, in the third month after the start of spring, Song Tiezhu suddenly brought an unusual message: the old city on the south bank was being demolished, and workers had unearthed a batch of old boxes near Tingshuidong.

The box was wrapped in linen soaked in tung oil. Inside were not gold or silver, but more than twenty secret ledgers of the Blackwater Headquarters and a navigation map that had been soaked in water until it was soft.

The most critical point is that the route map is marked with seven red dots in cinnabar, running from south to north, which happens to run through the entire provincial capital's water system.

Seven red dots, like seven eyes.

Jiang Ruoxi's expression changed when she saw the picture.

She understood what this meant better than Ye Chen.

Although the Blackwater has dispersed, the covert operations it laid back then extended far beyond Wuyi Ferry and the island in the middle of the river.

Those red dots are all old hideouts where they used to transport supplies, hide people, and even smuggle weapons by waterway.

Old Jiu died, but his old followers scattered in various places did not.

They were like snakes with their heads cut off; though paralyzed, their tails were still twitching in the mud.

If left unattended, new shoots will inevitably grow back sooner or later.

"We can't wait until they catch their breath." Jiang Ruoxi closed the map and looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen nodded.

He ordered Song Tiezhu and Han Song to immediately lead their men to the first red dot, Kuliu Ferry, thirty miles north of Jiangcheng.

That was the most secluded little dock in the old days of Blackwater.

That evening, Song Tiezhu sent back a message: there were fresh footprints on the dock, as well as several bundles of oilcloth that had been soaked by the rain.

The person had just left, but left behind two wooden crates that they hadn't had time to take with them.

The box contained bundles of cash and several communication cards spoken with a southern accent.

"They're the old guard from the main headquarters. They haven't dispersed, they've just changed their identities," Ye Chen sneered.

The ghost servant, wiping the iron ruler beside him, suddenly said, "I recognize the markings on these things. These are not ordinary old subordinates, but the lamp keepers of Elder Jiu. There are four people under each lamp, who are responsible for continuing to transport goods after the Great Chief's death. As long as the lamp is not extinguished, the people will not disperse. As long as one of them is still alive, the Blackwater is not considered extinct."

Jiang Ruoxi asked, "How do we break this?"

The ghost servant said, "Find the lamps. These seven red dots are the lamps. Each lamp has a copper talisman. When the seven copper talismans are put together, they can open Elder Jiu's last burial box. Inside that box are all the lists of his undercover agents and treasures accumulated in his life. Whoever gets them can rebuild Blackwater."

Ye Chen and Jiang Ruoxi exchanged a glance.

This is something that absolutely must be done.

Not only must they find the seven bronze tokens before the old guard, but they must also nip their new leaders in the bud.

Ye Chen decided to take matters into his own hands.

He took Aygul and the ghost servant with him, with the Five Shadows providing covert support.

The five shadows were most familiar with the lamp-keeper.

He said that when Old Man Jiu took on the role of the lampkeeper, his primary concern was his loneliness.

No relatives, no friends, no ties, no one will recognize you even after you die.

Therefore, once these people receive news of Old Master Jiu's death, they will not run away, but will work even harder to complete the orders at hand.

They're fearless; you can't get anything out of them using ordinary methods.

But the lampkeeper has a rule: seeing the talisman is like seeing the master. That talisman is the black iron token that Ye Chen seized.

Starting with the first lamp, Ye Chen and his team pulled them out one by one.

Kuliu Ferry, Bailugou, Qingwasi Temple, and Chenchuanwan. Each place witnessed a fierce battle.

The lantern keepers were all fearless and ruthless. Although their skills were not as good as Qin Wuyi and Wen Jiuhong, their willingness to die together with others made them more difficult to deal with than anyone else.

Ye Chen always charged to the front in every battle, and the withered sword drank its fill of blood in the spring night river breeze.

Jiang Ruoxi didn't go with them; instead, she stayed in Jiangcheng and cooperated in her own way.

She mobilized all of the Jiang Group's logistics and shipping resources to monitor all the waterways and land routes near the seven red dots.

If any of the Blackwater's former subordinates made any unusual moves, Ye Chen would receive a message from her in less than half an hour.

Han Song said that the couple, one in the open and one in the dark, managed to drain the last bit of black water.

The most dangerous battle was at the sixth red point, Guimen Beach, north of Jiangxin Island.

The lantern keepers there received advance warning and buried old-fashioned detonators around the mudflats.

When Ye Chen and his group reached out, a heavy rain began to fall. The detonators were half-damaged by the rain, but two of them still went off.

Ye Chen was thrown into the river by the shockwave, and his old injury on his right shoulder reopened, staining the river water red with blood.

Aygul pulled him out of the water, her eyes red with anxiety.

Ye Chen smiled and said, "Perfect timing. The hemostatic medicine from Medicine King Valley hasn't been used in a long time. Let me see if it still works."

The ghost servant stomped his feet in anger, cursing him for being heartless.

Ye Chen bandaged his wounds and rushed back in. That night, they fought their way from the mudflats to the old lock, managing to pin the last two lantern keepers to the mud.

We finally got six bronze tokens.

Only one left.

The seventh one is in Meixi.

That's right, it's Bailanhua Lane.

Ye Chen never expected that Elder Jiu would hide the last lamp in Meixi.

Wu Ying said, "Your mother-in-law wasn't arrested back then. She was dealing with Old Master Jiu's men there and eventually refused to reveal her identity as the Lamp Girl. Old Master Jiu's men then waited outside the alley for twenty years. When Wen Jiuhong went to Meixi, it wasn't just to lure you into the scheme, but also to see if Old Master Jiu's lamp was still burning."

Ye Chen felt a chill run down his spine after hearing this.

Meixi, magnolia, plum blossoms like snow.

It turns out that those seemingly unrelated old stories all eventually pointed to the same place.

Ye Chen led everyone to Meixi overnight.

The alley was still so quiet, and the magnolia tree had sprouted a full set of new leaves.

Mei Changjin stood at the door, holding an old kerosene lamp in his hand.

He acted as if he knew he would come.

He said, "I was lucky to be alive. It's good that I can wait for them at my own doorstep."

Ye Chen didn't let him do anything, but only asked him to sit under the tree.

That night, shadowy figures flickered at both ends of the alley.

The last remaining members of the Blackwater gang came, like moths drawn to the last lamp.

Ghost Servant, Han Song, Song Tiezhu, Ayiguli, and the Five Shadows all remained hidden in the shadows.

Ye Chen stood under the magnolia tree, the withered sword stuck at his feet, waiting for them to arrive.

At midnight, the first person climbed over the east wall.

Then came the second and the third.

The old Blackwater followers seem to seep out from the night; no matter how many times you kill them, you can't kill them all.

Ye Chen stood in front of Jiang Ruoxi and Mei Changjin, his sword flashing like a dragon.

His right shoulder wound reopened, and blood flowed down his arm, but his swordplay remained completely unaffected.

Su Qinghan arrived at some point, walking slowly from the alley entrance, carrying only a medicine box in her hand.

But those former subordinates seemed to have seen something extremely terrifying, and they all retreated.

Su Qinghan didn't make a move. He simply put the medicine box on the ground and said coldly, "In today's battle, whoever takes another step forward will never be able to touch a woman or a sword again for the rest of their life."

Some people didn't believe it and rushed forward. Su Qinghan kicked the other person in the knee, and the person's leg felt like it had been pulled out. He fell to the ground and couldn't get up again.

She is Su Qinghan, the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, and she is not just someone who can brew medicine.

She just doesn't like to use her hands.

As dawn approached, the alley finally quieted down.

Ye Chen searched the last lampkeeper's arms and found the seventh bronze talisman.

The seven bronze symbols stood in a row in the morning light, gleaming with an extremely dark and deep light.

When pieced together, they form a tiny waterway map. At the end of the route is marked with a single word: Return.

Ye Chen and Jiang Ruoxi both understood when they saw that word.

The last caisson of Old Master Jiu was neither at Ghost Gate Beach nor at Listening Water Cave.

It is located at the root of this magnolia tree.

Twenty years ago, Old Man Jiu buried all his belongings here.

The old stories of the lamp maidens are all buried here.

After daybreak, Ye Chen dug out the caisson under the tree.

The box was black and so heavy that it would take two people to lift it.

He didn't open it; instead, he and Jiang Ruoxi carried it to the Meixi Earth God Temple and burned it.

The fire was very strong and burned for more than half an hour.

Those account books, rosters, and old maps all turned to dust.

Ye Chen and Jiang Ruoxi stood side by side, watching the ashes slowly dissipate.

Jiang Ruoxi said softly, "It's all over."

On the way back to Jiangcheng, Ye Chen leaned against the car, and Jiang Ruoxi leaned on his shoulder.

As the car crossed an old bridge, Ye Chen suddenly told Song Tiezhu to stop.

Jiang Ruoxi walked to his side and gently tossed a bunch of slender branches she had picked up from Bailanhua Alley into the river.

Jiang Ruoxi said, "From now on, this river should be quiet."