Chapter 153 - 151: Sudden Upheaval on the River
The port outside Donglai County City.
With the government’s emphasis on developing waterway trade in recent years, this largest port in Donglai County has also seen remarkable development.
Numerous trading ships come and go, stimulating the local fishing industry to thrive.
The village originally dependent on the port is now under great development, showing a trend of transforming into a bustling port town.
More and more people venture out to sea in search of treasure, occasionally turning up precious items that cause a sensation in the town.
Nowadays, there is a dedicated treasure appraisal event in the town, where unearthed treasures are displayed, exhibited, and auctioned to maximize profit.
"Brother Song, what do you think of this crimson jade marrow?" Song Ping’an pointed to the fiery red jade marrow on display at the appraisal event, eye-catching like a piece of true burning jade.
"Not bad, make sure to buy it." Song Changming glanced at it and nodded.
His Skin Refining, Muscle Training, and Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining have long been trained to the Seventh Realm.
Among them, Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Skill progressed the fastest, second only to the Bull Demon Skill which has already reached the Extreme Realm, and he was making a push towards the Eighth Realm.
This crimson jade marrow, rare and of visibly top grade quality, if acquired, might help him reach the Eighth Realm in one go.
Such a treasure, Song Changming naturally wouldn’t miss.
"Alright, I’ll keep an eye on it these two days." Song Ping’an nodded.
Such a piece of crimson jade marrow doesn’t come cheap.
Especially when auctioned openly at this appraisal event, it could cost more than a thousand silver.
But Song Changming didn’t care, as long as it could enhance his martial strength, spending money and silver extravagantly was worth it.
Especially since he will likely ascend Jade Void Mountain next year, gaining every bit of strength beforehand would offer extra security.
After viewing this crimson jade marrow, Song Changming wandered around the appraisal event, inspecting other new treasures from the sea.
This had become his regular routine every few days.
He’d often come to the port town’s appraisal event, joining in the excitement, hoping to find top grade treasures he needed.
After having Song Ping’an note down some valuable materials for bidding, Song Changming walked to the portside, gazing at the expansive Luolong River in front of him.
At present, the river wasn’t calm, with particularly turbulent currents and abnormal undercurrents surging at the riverbed, occasionally forming sizable whirlpools, which could potentially drag smaller fishing boats into the river’s depths.
Moreover, hot steam would sporadically rise from the river, forming mist in the air.
These anomalies had appeared as early as half a year ago.
However, they weren’t noticeable back then, attracting little attention.
It wasn’t until recently, as these disturbances continued to intensify, affecting the docking of merchant ships, that it drew widespread notice.
Even the government was alarmed, deploying personnel from the Cao Yun Bureau to various parts of the river to conduct a specialized investigation.
"Could it really be an underground volcano?" Song Changming, standing at the dock’s edge, muttered to himself, feeling the abnormal heat rising from the river.
He had such guesses before.
If it were indeed a sign of an impending natural disaster, the devastation upon eruption would be incalculable.
Not to mention the County City, even this increasingly prosperous port town would likely not escape unscathed.
Even for him, with unmatched martial prowess, in the face of a massive natural disaster, he’d be exceedingly insignificant and vulnerable.
"Hopefully, I’m wrong." Song Changming shook his head.
Since he wasn’t in a position of power, there wasn’t much more he could do in this situation.
Just as Song Changming was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a group of people disembarking from a newly docked merchant ship in the distance.
They were members of the Dinghai Water Gang.
Ever since Gu Wenhui took charge of the Seven Prefectures, he quickly discarded a group of Jianghu influences under his command, who were ornamental but useless and insincere.
This included the Dinghai Water Gang, preventing them from exploiting their official position to act recklessly and arrogantly.
Now, the relationship between the Dinghai Water Gang and the government, though still not very harmonious, no longer immediately escalates to violence upon meeting.
The government controls this port town, sets rules, and permits the Dinghai Water Gang to conduct trade at the port, provided they follow the rules set by the government.
Consequently, the Dinghai Water Gang became considerably more compliant and had no objections.
They understood well that the times had changed.
Under Gu Wenhui’s rule, the local government’s authority far surpassed before, and should the Dinghai Water Gang stir trouble, they’d risk being entirely eradicated.
As such, their influence on the waters was no longer as formidable.
If it was merely this group of compliant Dinghai Water Gang members, Song Changming wouldn’t have paid much attention.
What caught his notice were the figures walking down next to the Dinghai Water Gang members, wearing cloaks and covering their faces.
Upon closer inspection, Song Changming found them somewhat familiar.
Were they not the Dongcang Three Dragons chased away some years ago?
It was an old story now, from the time when the Xiao Family ruled Donglai Prefecture. Back then, Song Changming had crossed paths with one of the Dongcang Three Dragons.
Now having traversed the Fifth Prince’s reign, and onto Gu Wenhui’s kingship, the three bandit leaders who once gave the government immense headaches, had returned.
"Brother Song, what’s up?" asked Song Ping’an, puzzled.
"Nothing, just saw a few old acquaintances." Song Changming replied with a faint smile.
No matter what the bandit leaders returned for, it had little to do with Song Changming, now an ordinary man.
As long as they didn’t provoke him, he wouldn’t interfere.
"Join me for a stroll by the river, we’ll head back shortly." Song Changming continued.
He mainly wanted to further investigate the extraordinary situation of the Luolong River.
Song Ping’an nodded in agreement.
Walking along the riverbank for a while, they noticed some fish occasionally floating belly-up to the surface, adding to the growing severity on his face.
He had a faint feeling that something was about to happen.
The mist over the river grew thicker, with the warmth continuously spreading.
Suddenly, a sharp and large fish several meters long emerged from the river, smashing half of the dock as it got stuck in the muddy wall, struggling frantically, creating considerable commotion.
"What’s going on!"
"Isn’t this a Black Sword Exotic Blood Fish? Why did it suddenly rush ashore!"
"Be careful, this fierce fish is very dangerous, don’t get too close!"
"..."
Many on the shore were astonished, while others, observing the increasingly unusual river, felt an unsettling sense of anxiety.
Before long, the destroyed dock attracted a team of Cao Yun Bureau soldiers, intending to deal with the rampaging fierce fish.
At this moment, another large fish, previously buried in the riverbed, burst forth, its huge form like a water monster, destroying another merchant ship!
Finally, more and more people realized something was amiss.
The river seemed on the verge of erupting!
"Young Master, it’s dangerous here, let’s return." An accompanying old servant urged from another part of the shore.
"This is part of my training journey south, how can I leave just like that? I want to see what caused Luolong River’s abnormality, staying might even present an opportunity!" Li Pu, walking along the shore, expressed with an intrigued look, observing the river.
Just then, suddenly an explosion seemed to occur at a certain spot on the river, as if a missile had been dropped, erupting on the spot.
With a muffled boom, the water’s surface bulged and exploded, sending up rocks and muddy water, instantly muddying a large area of the river.
Standing at the shore, Song Changming could distinctly feel the ground shaking, prompting him to pull Song Ping’an back.
Yet the commotion on the river continued, with countless dense schools of fish emerging from the depths, jumping wildly on the surface.
Everyone was seeing this spectacle for the first time, astonished beyond words.
"What’s happening?!"
"What happened just now!"
"Such abundant resources, feels like you could cast a line, and catch fish even with your eyes closed..."
"What are you thinking, I knew something was strange about this river recently, and today proved it! Let’s go, let’s go!"
"Hurry! Quickly sail the ships away!"
"..."