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

Chapter 98 Searching for Treasure in the Water, Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

Chen Shunan hesitated for a moment, then accepted the oil paper package and joked,

"You'll have to keep bothering the shop in the future. For things like stir-fried liver and offal, you can't skimp on the ingredients for the brothers."

Understanding Chen Shunan's implied meaning, the shopkeeper's face lit up with joy, and he readily agreed, leading the way and lifting the curtain to invite Chen Shunan into the private room.

"Old Chen is here."

"Brother Chen, come, sit here!"

"The dishes have all been served, and we're just waiting for you!"

Sun Xiao, Cheng Bin, and the others greeted Chen Shunan upon seeing him.

Chen Shunan sat down at the table and glanced at the dishes, estimating that the others had actually been waiting for a while.

Chen Shunan said, "Sorry, I ran into some trouble on the way. I'll treat you guys to a meal at Shaguoju another day."

Actually, it wasn't anything special. I just went to the county's private bureau in the north to buy the 'Tianshui Broken Ant Grass', which took some time.

Chen Shunan glanced at Lin Shouzhou, his gaze sharpened, and he exclaimed in surprise.

Today, Lin Shouzhou's violent and manic tendencies have completely faded, his eyes are clear, and his temperament is natural, giving him a sense of returning to simplicity.

Even his triangular head and toad-like eyes became more pleasing to the eye.

"Instructor Lin, you've broken through to the first-class level?!"

Upon hearing this, the people at the table gasped in shock, their faces filled with astonishment.

"Instructor Lin, congratulations!"

"Instructor Lin, when you get promoted, you must remember our old friendship and help out your brothers!"

"Instructor Lin, what are your employer's plans for you? Are you going to be the manager of a freshwater well, or will you be given another important role?"

Sun Xiao, Cheng Bin, and the others spoke up one after another.

Lin Shouzhou tapped the table lightly with his finger, and the person next to him immediately poured him a drink.

Lin Shouzhou laughed heartily, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

He had been waiting for Chen Shunan to say those words!
Sun Xiao, Cheng Bin, and the others, after all, practiced intermediate-level martial arts, and their eyesight was far inferior to Old Chen's.

Lin Shouzhou has been sitting here for half a day, and not a single person has uttered a single word!

"I'm so ashamed, it was a breakthrough I made last night..."

Lin Shouzhou originally intended to casually boast a few words.

But then he suddenly remembered that two months ago, 'Invincible Lin,' who had defeated all second-rate opponents, had encountered a first-rate enemy.

That day, he was repeatedly beaten to the ground by Yi Zitang Master and Xiao Qingchou and several others.

There is also a mysterious and terrifying master of light-body skills, seemingly real yet not quite, whom even Zhao Dongjia and others are wary of.

Lin Shouzhou was silent for a moment, then returned to his usual stern and unsmiling demeanor, always speaking with a stern tone.

Seeing this, Sun Xiao, Cheng Bin, and the others breathed a sigh of relief and praised Lin Shouzhou for remaining true to his original aspiration and sticking to his principles, truly worthy of being a member of the martial arts community!
After meal.

Lin Shouzhou leaned back in his chair, handed his pipe to Chen Shunan, and casually said,
"A raffle? Top-grade 'Tiger Skin Wrinkle' from the South China Sea Prefecture, you can't usually get it by raffle."

Chen Shunan pushed Lin Shouzhuo's wrist away and laughed.

"I quit a long time ago."

"Really quit?"

"I've really quit."

"Sigh, if you keep giving up this and that in your life, what hope is there?"

Chen Shunan chuckled: "I'll quit smoking, but I won't quit anything else. I'll have plenty of fun."

Lin Shouzhou chuckled and shook his head, took two puffs of his cigarette, then slowly sat up straight, his smile vanishing, replaced by an extremely solemn expression.

Seeing this, everyone, including Chen Shunan, couldn't help but perk up and quiet down.

Lin Shouzhou said in a deep voice,

"The day after tomorrow, at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), everyone should gather at the well, prepare their weapons, take some medicine, and travel light."

"The well is overflowing with the Eight Treasures Mercury; it's time to send another batch to Jindu Pharmacy!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiao nodded, his expression solemn, and the flow of qi and blood within his body accelerated slightly.

Cheng Bin also looked serious, his brows furrowed slightly.

The other second-rate fighters reacted similarly and were already quietly adjusting their form.

It seems that escorting the Eight Treasures Mercury was an extremely arduous and dangerous task.

Chen Shunan's heart stirred.

finally come!

He had been puzzled for a while; a third-rate martial artist was one thing.

Why are even second-rate soldiers bringing water from wells all over the capital?
Some ancient freshwater wells, and even sweetwater wells, are overseen by top-notch experts.

This is a bit of a waste of talent.

Even if the water troughs were one of the four tyrants of the capital, monopolizing the water supply for the people of the capital and making extremely high profits, the need to hire thugs to explain this is still somewhat related.

Now, it seems that the root of the problem lies in escorting the Eight Treasures Mercury and the Five Wheels Water?
At this point, Lin Shouzhou looked at Chen Shunan and said,

"Old Chen, this is your first time escorting the Eight Treasures Mercury. Observe and think more along the way. I will teach you everything I need to. Learn well, time is running out."

After saying that, Lin Shouzhou stood up and strode out of the private room.

"Hey? Instructor Lin?"

Chen Shunan was full of doubts and wanted to ask a few more questions, but Lin Shouzhou just turned his sleeves and left.

Escorting the Eight Treasures Mercury?

Who is it being escorted to? Who is the seller/customer?

Hano Tsuto Pharmacy?
Chen Shunan knew the way to Banno Tsudo so well he could find it with his eyes closed.

Chen Shunan knew perfectly well where there were tea stalls for resting, gate towers of abandoned houses, and shortcuts.

They didn't feel there was any danger, so why were Lin Shouzhou and the others so wary?

Who dares to intercept the goods from Shuiwozi?

The mortar and pestle maker, the four major cauldrons, and the other gangs did not dare to do so.

After all, it was a real, open fight, a gang war.

If it really involves poisoning, destroying wells, intercepting goods, or threatening and extorting the other party's customers, then that's really breaking the rules.

Those in power will intervene to maintain order.

Sun Xiao, Cheng Bin, and the others noticed the doubt in Chen Shunan's eyes, but they chuckled and didn't explain. They maintained a proper demeanor and even deliberately patted Chen Shunan on the shoulder.

Then they all left one after another.

Before they first escorted the Eight Treasures Mercury, their seniors kept it a secret from them, and they weren't told anything until the very last moment.

This is a tradition, and it must be preserved.

So everyone secretly rejoiced at Chen Shunan's eagerness. No wonder those old guys wanted to be the riddle solvers; this was quite a treat.

After a while.

Chen Shunan sat alone in the private room of the two-meat shop, his face somewhat dark.

Those bastards!

However, judging from the attitudes of Sun Xiao, Cheng Bin, and others, the task of escorting the Eight Treasures Mercury was manageable and far from a life-or-death mission.

It's still under control.

However, there are inherent safety concerns involved.

Chen Shunan squinted and made a decision.

In the afternoon, he went to Manager Li and asked for an advance on his monthly and next month's allowance and benefits.

Zhao Dongjia was honest and generous in sharing profits with his brothers.

Last time, in order to buy a thousand pieces of gold, Zhao Dongjia doubled Chen Shunan's allowance and benefits.

At the same time, the allowance for the remaining three children was also appropriately increased.

Even if the profit-sharing bet with Zheng Shicheng expired afterward and he didn't receive the final payment.

Zhao Dongjia did not take back the rewards given to his brothers; he rewarded them as they deserved and punished them as they deserved.

So for two months, I ate mung bean porridge with coarse grains and wild vegetables.

Chen Shunan now earns 24 taels of silver a month, which is only less than Lin Shouzhuo's income in the entire Shajijingshuizi area.

Now, after receiving his two-month advance payment, Chen Shunan received a total of 48 taels of silver, four drops of water, and other miscellaneous items.

Although by now, the effects of the Five-Round Water on Chen Shunan's mental well-being are almost nonexistent.

After all, this item is mainly for nourishing the five chakras, helping second-rate martial artists increase their skill points.

Nourishing the spirit and strengthening the mind are secondary.
But Chen Shunan is now only one step away from killing the three traitors. He thinks that four more drops will be enough.

Then, Chen Shunan almost emptied his pockets to buy a bottle of Tianxian Xue Beng Wan and other major medicines, leaving only a dozen taels of silver for daily necessities.

He took two more hours off, finished his shift early, and went to Sakano Tsutoku in plain clothes.

The spirit descended and left behind a fish, then beheaded the thief with a nasal nose.

He is bound to win!
……

Hanojin Ferry, Funiu Shuizhu.

This place is more than ten miles away from the two forks. Due to the terrain, it is connected with Nanwa to form an inverted 'U' shaped bay, which looks like a crouching ox horn, hence the name.

Due to the terrain, occasionally some abalone and spirit fish that did not make it back to the deep waters with the receding tide are stranded here.

It has always been a sacred place for fishermen from Banno Tsuto to row their boats and fish.

at this time,

The wind howled, making the water surge, and the blood-red afterglow shone on the shimmering waves, refracting into streaks of rainbows.

A small sampan floated quietly on the water. Li Tiezong, a lean and wiry man with a dark complexion, and his neighbor Zhang Dadan worked together to pull up the net that had been cast in advance.

The net was used to scoop up the fish, which were still dripping wet. There were only a few fish and shrimp.

The two sighed and cast the net out again.

While waiting for the fish, Zhang Dadan seemed to have thought of something, and couldn't help but rub his hands together and lick his lips as he spoke.

"Li Tiezong, your wife doesn't have any guests tonight, right? How about you serve me? Give me a discount, we're brothers and neighbors."

Upon hearing this, Li Tiezong was not offended; instead, he smiled.
"We will no longer accept customers from now on."

"Ah? Why?"

"Hehe, my son has made something of himself. He's been noticed by a senior officer from the Liangjiang Military Academy, who's keeping him in the camp as a messenger and personally teaching him martial arts!"

Li Tiezong, with a smug look on his face, tilted his head back and said...

"That kid insisted on taking us to the county to enjoy a life of luxury! We're used to living in this shack, how could we adapt to those high-class families in the county, so we didn't go!"
That kid insisted on giving us money, so we're not taking any more customers. We'll just fish and mend our clothes from now on!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dadan offered a few words of congratulations, but a strange look flashed across his eyes.

Can the son of a prostitute be allowed to serve in the army?
Zhang Dadan muttered a few words and was about to say something more when he suddenly saw the net sink!
Something large seemed to have entered the net, causing the sampan to tilt and become unstable.

The goods have been delivered!
Upon seeing this, the two were overjoyed and quickly gripped the net tightly, straining with all their might.

Soon, a dark shadow, which was actually four feet long, gradually rose up, frantically slapping the water and stirring up huge waves.

It resembles a black fish, covered in blotchy spots that look like ghost faces, and it also emits a soft glow.

This head, this luster, this strength.

Could it be a precious fish that is over fifty years old?

Sent!

The two were deeply shaken.

Just then, a gust of wind and a strong wave came from behind the two of them.

A loud shout rang out—

"Young man, relinquish your chance!"

The two men were stunned for a moment, and before they could react, they felt their hands loosen and were pushed backward by inertia, falling onto the sampan.

As the net bulged, the large black fish rolled onto the wooden plank of the boat, struggling wildly and slapping its face repeatedly.

"Huh? Is it someone we know?"

A surprised exclamation came from behind.

Just as Li Tiezong was wondering, where did he find such a highly skilled martial arts master?
Zhang Dadan was even less likely to be involved; he was just an old fisherman who went hungry one day and had already seen the end of his life.

However, before the two could react further...

Then a hand gently pressed down on the back of their heads!
The two of them immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Then they saw Chen Shunan, wearing only his underwear to cover his private parts, land on the sampan.
Since we're acquaintances, they can't see my face.

Then Chen Shunan let out a strange "hehehe" laugh, his demeanor gloomy, and reached out to grab the big black fish.

Do you youngsters understand how to make the most of such an opportunity?

Treasures are born of nature; those with virtue reside in them.

Chen Shunan is the truly virtuous person!
"Ok?"

However, Chen Shunan had just caught a big black fish.

The once plump and slippery black fish instantly shrank into a layer of skin, its body withered and bones dissolved, its life force gone, and even its scales lost their luster and became dull.

Out of the corner of Chen Shunan's eye, a silver light shot out, fell into the water silently, and headed towards the distant waters.

Chen Shunan could see clearly that the silver light was only as thick as a chopstick, and its entire body was silver...

Is that the jade silver fish from 'Wanji River Goods Store'?!
This guy actually eats meat!

(End of this chapter)