Chapter 86 - 85: I Have the Final Say on the Rules of This River

Chapter 86: Chapter 85: I Have the Final Say on the Rules of This River

To verify his hypothesis, Lu Jing’an retrieved the short blade he always carried with him, a weapon exceptionally sharp enough to slice through iron like butter. The blade was only about the length of a forearm, gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the dim, yellow glow of the lamp. Fine, wavy patterns were faintly visible along the edge, the distinctive mark of hundred-forged Fine Steel. Lu Jing’an gripped the hilt tightly, not circulating any Cultivation Technique. Using only his ordinary physical strength, he lightly slashed his palm.

An inch-long wound instantly split open, and beads of fresh blood rapidly welled up. The pain was sharp, but before it could spread, and even before the first drop of blood hit the floor, Lu Jing’an felt a tingling itch radiating from the cut. It was as if countless tiny ants were gently wriggling and knitting the flesh together beneath his skin. Focusing his gaze, he watched the torn flesh slightly contract and mend at a visible rate. Within minutes, the bleeding had completely stopped. The wound smoothed over, leaving only a faint red line that looked like a gentle smear of rouge.

Even though he had anticipated it, Lu Jing’an couldn’t help but feel a tremor of shock at this level of regenerative ability. He slowly sheathed the blade and brushed his fingertips over the faint red mark. It felt smooth to the touch, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding skin.

"Is this a hidden achievement of the Six Harmonies Fist itself, or a hidden danger left behind when the Cultivation Technique was split into six parts back then?" he wondered, lowering his eyes in deep thought.

He knew his innate talent couldn’t compare to the ancient Boxing Champions. If there were truly such a profound mystery hidden deep within the Cultivation Technique, how could his predecessors have failed to notice it? From this perspective, it was likely caused by the fragmentation of the Cultivation Technique. Some sort of mutation resulting from its incompleteness had paradoxically been awakened by extreme, agonizing training.

"In that case, even if someone in this world managed to gather the complete manual of the Six Harmonies Fist, their strength would be absolutely no match for mine," he concluded. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Lu Jing’an didn’t come to this conclusion out of arrogance. That single stat allocation just now was equivalent to ten years of unceasing day-and-night bitter cultivation. Who else in this world would be willing to waste a full decade at the exact same realm, just to gamble on an unverified possibility? Only he, who could see his progress bar and use stat points to leap across time, had truly managed to navigate this obscure path.

At this thought, a subtle, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of Lu Jing’an’s mouth. Unlocking this kind of hidden achievement was, ultimately, something to be happy about.

Lu Jing’an straightened his dark grey Water Patrol Bureau uniform, reattached the short blade to his waist, and pushed the door open. He prepared to head back to the Lu Family villa to soak in a medicinal bath. Although the effects of the medicinal bath had become virtually negligible, Lu Jing’an refused to waste even the slightest bit of benefit.

He had just gotten into his car and hadn’t yet started the engine when a Bureau officer jogged over and bowed respectfully. "Chief Lu, your uncle called. He’s waiting for you to pick up in your office."

Lu Jing’an nodded and stepped out of the vehicle. He crossed the bluestone-paved courtyard and returned to his office, where a navigation chart of the Canglan River hung on the wall. Picking up the brass telephone receiver, he heard Lu Huaichuan’s deep yet slightly exhausted voice on the other end.

"Jing’an, there’s news about the Crimson Gold Copper," Uncle Huaichuan said. "I went through a few channels, but I could only scrape together forty pounds. Does it absolutely have to be fifty pounds?"

Unconsciously tapping the edge of his mahogany desk, Lu Jing’an replied with helpless resignation, "Uncle Huaichuan, it has to be fifty pounds. We can’t be short by even a single pound."

The Zhengqi Furnace demanded fifty pounds, and that meant fifty pounds. If there had been room for negotiation, Lu Jing’an would have loved a ninety percent discount. But there was simply no way around it.

Lu Huaichuan sighed softly over the line, accompanied by a BZZZ BZZZ of static, sounding exactly as if he were pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, I’ll figure out a way to transport these forty pounds back first. As for the remaining ten pounds, I’ll go ask around the Jianghu. Jianghu martial artists like to use this material to forge Weapons. If we spend a bit more money, we should be able to buy some."

Lu Jing’an pondered for a moment. "How about... I try sounding out the Anping Bureau?"

"There’s no need," Lu Huaichuan’s voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "Those forty pounds I just mentioned were intercepted directly from the Anping Bureau."

Lu Jing’an was momentarily speechless. He couldn’t blame his uncle for this, though; he could only blame the times they lived in. In this day and age, whoever had the money was the boss. As long as you had the cash, even intercepting the Anping Bureau’s goods was fair game.

However, the mention of Jianghu people reminded Lu Jing’an of something else. "Then I’ll have to trouble you to put in some more effort, Uncle Huaichuan. I’ll also have someone ask around through the Jianghu Path to see if we can find anything."

"Alright, we’ll take a two-pronged approach."

Hanging up the phone, Lu Jing’an got back into his car and glanced at the towering figure of Black Bear in the front seat. He raised a hand and lightly tapped the back of the seat.

Black Bear immediately turned around, his eyes shining brightly beneath thick brows. "Mr. Lu, your orders?"

"Go find Smiling Tiger and have him spread the word," Lu Jing’an instructed. "I’m willing to pay a high price for any Weapons forged from Crimson Gold Copper, no questions asked about their origins."

Black Bear replied in a muffled, booming voice, "Mr. Lu, I’ll go right away."

With that, he pushed the door open and stepped out. His muscular frame quickly disappeared around the street corner.

Lu Jing’an drove himself back to the Lu Family villa. In the courtyard, Cui Jieyi had already prepared his medicinal bath. The brown liquid rolled in the wooden tub, emitting steaming waves of medicinal aroma. Taking off his outer robe, he immersed himself in the water, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and let the heat seep into every bone and limb of his body.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Anping Bureau.

Yin Futou kicked over an iron anvil in the yard and cursed loudly, "I finally managed to wait for a sum of money to come through, and some son of a bitch jacked up the price and intercepted my goods halfway! If I find out who it is, I’ll hack them to pieces!"

His furious curses echoed through the quiet courtyard, startling a few crows resting beneath the eaves.

Time flowed like the waters of the Canglan River, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Under the crackdowns and regulation of the Escort Team led by Zhao Laosuan and his men, the Yin Mountain section of the Canglan River’s shipping routes displayed a rare semblance of order. As long as merchant ships and freighters flew the triangular flags issued by the Escort Team and were accompanied by their patrol boats, absolutely no Water Bandits dared to block the River to extort money along the way.

After all, there was no one foolish enough to dare rob a ship protected by the Escort Team. Everyone knew the Escort Team was backed by the Water Patrol Bureau—an entity capable of wiping out even the Black Shark Gang. What could a bunch of common thugs amount to in comparison?

Although this type of escort still required the payment of escort silver, it was a one-time fee, eliminating the endless layers of extortion. The merchants from all over universally praised the Water Patrol Bureau for this. They even pooled their resources to gift a golden plaque to the Bureau.

Looking at the golden plaque, Lu Jing’an could only sigh in amazement. The absurdity of this chaotic world was truly twisted. Simply by plundering them less, he had suddenly been hailed as a paragon of justice.

In stark contrast, the merchants from the two counties of Lou Mountain and Xiao Mountain were plagued by gloom. If their ships wanted to pass through the territory, the toll was actually ten times that of Yin Mountain. Even though this was still slightly cheaper than the days when bandits ran rampant, how could they possibly feel it was fair?

The merchants of both counties submitted joint petitions to the County Magistrate’s Office, but the officials were acutely aware of the root cause of this issue. Therefore, the appointed county magistrate simply deflected, claiming that the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau. They were more than happy to let the three families tear each other apart over it. The government officials were merely passing through; there was no need for them to get deeply involved in such disputes.

Consequently, this public resentment settled over the Li and Liu Families like the thick, heavy mist on the River.

The Li and Liu Families were equally furious now. Ordinary merchant ships only had to pay ten times the fee, but if their own cargo ships traveled by water, they were charged a hundred times the amount! This was clearly an attempt to completely sever their waterway shipping livelihoods.

They tried changing their ship flags and disguising themselves as traveling merchants. While they might have been able to fool the Water Patrol Bureau, it was impossible to deceive the Water Bandits who spent year-round navigating the River. These veteran Water Bandits were eagle-eyed. They could tell at a single glance exactly what cargo a ship was carrying and whose enterprise was backing it.

The two families also attempted to send their own Guard fleets to escort the shipments, but not only were the costs astronomically high, they also faced constant harassment throughout the voyage, leaving the crew exhausted. With the slightest lapse in Defense, someone would chisel holes in their ships under the cover of night, making it impossible to guard against.

If the Escort Team couldn’t find an opening to strike for a long period, Zhao Laosuan would report the situation to Lu Jing’an. The Water Patrol Bureau’s Ironclad Ships would then act like sharks smelling blood in the water. They would block the River to intercept and search the vessels, seizing the ships and sealing the cargo under the pretext of "smuggling munitions." Even flashing the badge of the Public Security Bureau proved utterly useless.

Lu Jing’an had plenty of methods to drag things out endlessly with official paperwork back and forth. Political tactics were always the most troublesome and the most sluggish. By the time the Liu Family and Li Family sorted things out through official channels, it would be far too late.

To this day, the Li and Liu Families each had two cargo ships still detained at the Yin Mountain Pier. Their masts stood isolated and alone, resembling silent tombstones.

Lu Jing’an had long made up his mind regarding this matter. Now that he was sitting at the poker table, he harbored no sentiments of mercy. He had conquered the Canglan River with his own blade and gun. Since it had fallen into his hands, the Li and Liu Families had to be suppressed until they could never rise again.

Under such relentless, step-by-step pressure, the Li Family and Liu Family—who originally had their own squabbles—were finally forced to sit down together.

In the Jiang Xin of the Canglan River, a three-story Void World-style pleasure boat was quietly anchored. Its hull was painted white, and its window frames were inlaid with gold, reflecting a cold, sharp light under the moon. This was the agreed-upon meeting place for the two families. Since there was absolutely no foundation of mutual trust between them, neither dared to easily enter the other’s territory. Jiang Xin had instead become the only neutral ground.

Outside the ship, two Ironclad Ships flanked it as Guards, one on the left and one on the right. Over a hundred elite fighters in Martial Attire stood across various small boats, their eagle-like eyes scanning every inch of ripple on the River’s surface.

Inside the cabin, a crystal chandelier cast a warm, yellow halo of light. Patriarch Li, Li Chongshan, wore a navy-blue long gown, a jade thumb ring gleaming faintly on his finger. Patriarch Liu, Liu Zhenyue, wore a brown silk jacket, slowly rotating two Copper Galls in his hand with a soft CLINK CLINK.

"To think," Liu Zhenyue said with a bitter smile, looking out the window at the dark, sinking currents of the River, "that our two families would actually have to meet in the Jiang Xin controlled by the Lu Family."

The hand with which Li Chongshan held his teacup paused slightly, sending fine ripples across the surface of the tea. He didn’t reply immediately, instead casting his gaze upon the Canglan Autumn Mist Painting hanging on the cabin wall. The painting depicted vast, misty waters and a solitary wild goose flying south, which vaguely mirrored the scenery outside the window at this very moment.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice low and deep.

"The River is still the same River, it’s just that... the man holding the pole has changed," Li Chongshan said.

He paused for a moment before calmly continuing, "But fortunately, we still have a chance to correct our mistakes."