Chapter 83 - 82: Origin of the Water Monkey

Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Origin of the Water Monkey

As dusk fell, Lu Huaisan led a carefully selected team of trusted men out through the Back Door of the Lu Family Mansion in absolute silence. The coordinates provided by Lu Jing’an were clear and precise. By the time they arrived at the Lu Family’s private dock, the sky had turned pitch black. Nothing remained but the monotonous sound of the River lapping against the shore and a solitary lamp swaying in the wind.

Three empty cargo ships, like dormant beasts, slipped quietly out of the port and blended into the heavy night of the Canglan River.

When they returned, they rode low in the water. Their holds were stuffed with the massive haul unearthed from the Black Shark Gang’s secret lair.

By the time the cargo ships docked, four tarpaulin-covered trucks were already waiting on the shore. The headlights were muffled with thick cloth, leaking only a few wisps of dim yellow light. Silhouettes moved in silence, accompanied by the RUMBLE of handcarts. Heavy wooden crates and iron cabinets were transferred one by one as the trucks made over a dozen round trips. It wasn’t until a faint hint of dawn appeared in the East that the three ships were finally emptied.

On the edge of the dock district, a large warehouse controlled by the Lu Family was brightly lit. Lu Jing’an, Lu Huaiqian, Lu Huaichuan, and Lu Huaisan had gathered inside. Even for the core members of the Lu Family, who were well-versed in the ways of the world, the sight before them was staggering.

The once-empty warehouse was now almost overflowing with all sorts of trunks, sacks, and items. Inside the opened wooden crates, Silver Coins reflected a cold, hard light. Small Yellow Croakers were stacked neatly, while jewelry and Jade Artifacts swirled with enticing lusters under the lamps. There were also numerous antiques, calligraphy pieces, paintings, and Void Clocks that were difficult to appraise immediately. The air was thick with the mixed scents of aged wood, copper rust, and a faint, lingering trace of incense.

Lu Huaichuan, who managed the family’s money shops and dealt with silver coins all day long, involuntarily swallowed hard. He took a deep breath before sighing, "This Black Shark Gang really scraped the earth bare. To think the wealth they’ve plundered over the years is this abundant!"

"Second Brother, to tell you the truth, my calves cramped up when I first laid eyes on it," Lu Huaisan said, grinning and lowering his voice as he stood beside him. "It’s a staggering amount of wealth, truly staggering! Piled up in that cave, it was practically a small mountain."

Lu Huaiqian, who had maintained a calm expression all along, slowly swept his gaze over the mountainous pile of treasures. A ripple of emotion flashed deep in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

Lu Jing’an said calmly, "The Black Shark Gang entrenched themselves along the main routes of the Canglan River for over a decade. They ran a business with zero capital cost, so it’s not surprising they accumulated this much. If our Lu Family were more ruthless and abandoned our principles, forget about a year or two—our earnings in just a few months would likely far exceed this."

His words were not an exaggeration. The Lu Family possessed a massive estate and supported thousands of dependents. Despite the enormous expenses of greasing palms from top to bottom and managing all sides, they still had an annual surplus of one million silver coins. But this was earned through principled business. If they resorted to robbery and monopoly, the speed of their wealth accumulation would naturally be on an entirely different level.

Lu Huaiqian nodded slowly and instructed Lu Huaichuan in a deep voice, "Huaichuan, you will take full responsibility for inventorying and handling these items. Remember, not a single piece of this wealth can remain in Yin Mountain County. Break it down into smaller parts as quickly as possible and transfer it to secure locations in other provinces.

"Whether you purchase properties or store it in secret, you must handle it cleanly. Not a single rumor can leak out." He paused, his voice dropping even lower. "The current situation is unstable; it is always good to leave ourselves an extra way out. We never had the chance before, as any movement would attract attention. Now, this windfall has arrived at the perfect time."

Lu Huaichuan’s expression turned solemn as he immediately grasped his eldest brother’s profound meaning. He nodded heavily. "Rest assured, Eldest Brother, I know the gravity of this. The money shops naturally have their own channels for moving funds. I will do this cleanly and efficiently, absolutely ensuring no one notices a thing."

Lu Jing’an listened quietly, understanding the situation perfectly. His father was beginning to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

At this moment, Lu Huaisan seemed to remember something. He walked briskly to the corner of the warehouse and hauled over a square wooden crate about a foot wide, with strange patterns branded into one corner of its lid. Unlike the other chests holding gold and silver, this box appeared exceptionally thick and heavy, and its lock had rusted through.

"Jing’an," Lu Huaisan called, carrying the box over to Lu Jing’an and dusting off the lid. "This box was stored separately in the Black Shark Gang’s secret vault, tucked away in a very hidden spot. I pried it open to take a look. It’s not gold and silver inside.

"It’s just some bizarre items. I figured they might be related to cultivation, so I brought them to you. Take a look and see if they’re of any use."

Lu Jing’an’s gaze fell on the ancient box. Even before he opened it, a line of softly glowing text suddenly materialized before his eyes:

[Item capable of Refining/repair detected. Please select?]

Lu Jing’an truly hadn’t expected to stumble upon such a pleasant surprise while raiding a stronghold. He said sincerely, "Thank you for the trouble, Third Uncle. I might really need to study these things."

Lu Huaisan waved his hand dismissively. "What’s the need for such words among family! Without you, how could we have found this mountain of treasure? At a rough estimate, the money in here is equal to five or six years of our family’s overt income. With this foundation, our Lu Family will have a way out no matter what."

The group carefully inspected the warehouse once more to ensure everything was in order. The sky was on the verge of dawn, marking the darkest hour of the night. Lu Huaiqian, Lu Huaichuan, and Lu Jing’an boarded the car waiting outside and departed quietly. Lu Huaisan stayed behind; he would personally oversee the location until all the wealth was safely transferred. This was the Lu Family’s way out, and not a single mistake could be tolerated.

By the time they returned to the Lu Family Mansion, a pale grayish-blue tint had appeared on the horizon. After parting ways with his father and Second Uncle at the inner gate, Lu Jing’an carried the peculiar box back to his private courtyard. He dismissed the servants and shut the door tight. Only then did he sit at his desk, carefully examining the box under the bright electric light.

The lock was already broken, so he gently lifted the lid. There truly weren’t many items inside: a few books tightly wrapped in oiled paper, three or four palm-sized blue-and-white porcelain bottles, and a dark yellow Copper Gong about a foot in diameter, its edges chipped and its patterns blurred.

That faintly glowing prompt had emerged precisely from the Copper Gong.

"A Copper Gong?" The first thing Lu Jing’an thought of was the Water Monkey that feared the sound of gongs.

He wasn’t in a hurry to touch the Copper Gong. Instead, he first took out the tightly wrapped books. Peeling back the oiled paper revealed several thread-bound volumes. The paper was yellowed and brittle, though the ink remained intact. Thumbing through the contents, he found them to be a combination of a nautical log and a cargo manifest.

According to the records, the ship had set sail thirty years ago. It departed from the Celestial Peace Imperial Capital, and its destination was modern-day Yingjing Province. The log documented trivial matters such as sailing dates, weather, and crew rotations. It mentioned transporting a batch of special [Ingredients] to the mansion of a prominent figure in Yingjing. However, it was frustratingly vague about what exactly these [Ingredients] were. The records ended abruptly after the ship entered a certain stretch of the Canglan River, with nothing further written.

"A shipwreck from thirty years ago... it met with disaster just as it entered the Canglan River?" Lu Jing’an murmured, closing the book. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the desk, deep in thought. "The critical information was likely hidden on purpose or recorded separately."

With a stir of his mind, he summoned the glowing memory bead he had obtained from the Dragon King in his sea of consciousness. During his previous search, he had only focused on the location of the hidden treasure and hadn’t delved into anything else. Now, with a targeted search, sure enough, more memory fragments surfaced.

...A chaotic, swaying, and leaking cabin. The young Dragon King—who at the time was just a down-and-out Water Bandit named Short Mule—was groping around in panic among the wreckage of the sunken ship when he accidentally discovered this well-sealed box. His survival instincts drove him to struggle and escape with the box in tow.

The memory scene skipped. In a filthy shack by the river, Shuigouzi was forced into a dead end by his enemies. Grievously wounded, he tightly clutched this box—his only valuable possession—in his arms. In a mix of despair and madness, he pried open one of the porcelain bottles. He recklessly swallowed a few dark red pills from inside, which emanated a bizarre, fishy stench.

Agonizing pain instantly swept through his entire body as his muscles twisted and swelled. It felt as though countless tiny bugs were scurrying beneath his skin, and his vision grew blurry yet bizarrely clear. He survived, became a Smoke Cultivator, and ultimately became the Dragon King.

As for the books in the box, one had indeed been taken out separately by the Dragon King and burned after he read it. That particular book detailed that the ingredients transported on this voyage were, in fact, Water Monkeys. And this quaint, patterned Copper Gong was the Spiritual Treasure the ship’s crew used to intimidate and guide the Water Monkeys. However, it had been damaged when the ship sank, losing its spiritual efficacy.

After obtaining this fortuitous encounter, the Dragon King had tried all sorts of methods to repair the Copper Gong. He intended to control and even breed Water Monkeys, but he could never figure out how to do so.

Reaching this point in the memories, Lu Jing’an slowly opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon the seemingly ordinary, damaged Copper Gong, a flash of realization glinting deep within his pupils. He reached out a finger and gently brushed the cold surface of the Copper Gong.

The prompt clearly materialized once again:

[Item capable of Refining/repair detected. Please select?]