In the evening, on a tributary of the East River flowing through Yuan Guang City.
A single rosewood skiff, though unadorned, had wood the color of honey, and a closer look revealed its exceptional quality.
The skiff’s furnishings were all elegant pieces, exuding an air of understated luxury from every corner.
At the bow of the boat, a handsome man with a face as smooth as jade and eyes as bright as stars was particularly eye-catching.
No one knew which wealthy family’s young master he was, having suddenly taken a fancy to boating on the East River.
Along the banks of the East River, many of the women washing clothes were stunned by the sight of the dashing young master, and they immediately began to gossip amongst themselves.
Before long, perhaps captivated by the man’s elegant demeanor, a young girl lost her footing, letting out a cry of alarm as she fell into the river.
However, the girl clearly knew how to swim and quickly resurfaced.
She was about to swim to the bank, but to her surprise, the skiff had somehow drifted closer. The handsome young master at the bow leaned over and offered her his hand.
The girl shyly reached out, her mind instantly filling with all sorts of romantic fantasies.
The handsome young master was quite strong, pulling the girl aboard with ease.
"Thank you for saving me, Sir..."
At this moment, the women on the banks were all incredibly envious, kicking themselves for not having thought of such a ploy.
"Then how do you plan to thank... me?"
Huh?
If she hadn’t been so keenly aware of the vast difference in their statuses, the girl might have even replied with the four words, "I’ll offer myself to you."
"Then take off your clothes. As it happens, you’ve piqued my interest."
His tone was gentle and his expression perfectly amiable, but the words that followed left the girl completely stunned.
"Strip!"
The handsome young master grew displeased, apparently because the girl had not immediately obeyed his command.
Faced with such an outrageous demand, the girl wanted to refuse him outright.
But looking into the young master’s eyes, she realized, almost instinctively, that if she dared to say the word "no," she feared...
The next moment, her trembling hands rose to her collar. Fighting back tears that threatened to fall at any moment, she slowly undid the first button.
However, seeing that she wasn’t accepting his "boon" with a look of pleasure, the handsome young master instantly lost all interest.
"Oh? You’re actually taking them off?"
Before he’d even finished speaking, the handsome young master kicked the girl disdainfully, sending her back into the river.
By this point, the other women washing clothes on the banks had naturally sensed that something was wrong.
It wasn’t that they intended to stand by and watch; the boatman in a conical hat at the stern had suddenly released an intangible pressure that rendered them unable to move.
Only after the skiff had rowed away did the women regain their ability to move. They quickly waded into the water to pull the girl out.
Thankfully, she was still breathing...
"Should we report this to the authorities?"
"Or... didn’t the Gang Leader just get back?"
If these women’s husbands made their living on the river, they inevitably had dealings with the Black Flood Dragon Gang.
That was how they knew that Deng Guangxin had returned from his seclusion.
For many matters, reporting to the authorities was useless. But if you knew someone with influence in the Black Flood Dragon Gang, things could be resolved quickly and properly.
"I’ve never heard of anyone like that in our Yuan Guang County Town. He’s probably a powerful dragon crossing the river. The gang most likely won’t choose to stick its neck out for this..."
"It’s a blessing the girl is okay. Let’s... let’s just leave it at that."
Hearing this, the women looked at one another and could only sigh in helpless resignation.
「Guangfa Gambling House—Rooftop Terrace.」
"Brother Wang, I’ll have to trouble you to look after my master and his family for a while."
Zou Feng and Bian Yixia were plotting a rebellion, so Luo Yong certainly couldn’t go back to being a cook at the Dragon Gate Boat.
Wang Xingjian waved his hand. "We’re brothers. There’s no need for such formalities."
"But, my young brother... how confident are you?"
"Huh? Confident about what?" Zou Feng feigned ignorance.
Wang Xingjian smiled. "Never mind. In any case, I wish you a resounding victory!"
"With your current strength, and the Miss on your side, you have more than enough to succeed!"
Though Wang Xingjian was based at the Guangfa Gambling House, he was never out of the loop when it came to intelligence.
Based on Zou Feng’s words and actions since his arrival, he immediately realized that the internal strife within the Black Flood Dragon Gang was far from over.
Zou Feng’s vagueness wasn’t because he distrusted Wang Xingjian.
Rather, if he laid his cards on the table now, it would be like forcibly dragging Wang Xingjian down with him, which wouldn’t do the man any good.
’An Eighth Grade Martial Artist would be of almost no use in the coming stages.’
As they chatted, a maid approached, holding two secret manuals.
She squatted directly in front of Zou Feng and respectfully presented the two manuals.
"My young brother, if you practice this type of Cultivation Skill now, won’t it just increase your risk of falling into demonic deviation?" Wang Xingjian asked, confused.
When Zou Feng had first arrived, he’d asked Wang Xingjian to see what Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals the Black Flood Dragon Gang possessed.
From which he had selected these two.
When he had first joined the Black Flood Dragon Gang, it was here at the Guangfa Gambling House that he had chosen three Evil Skills, including the Red Lotus Karmic Fire Palm.
In fact, the Black Flood Dragon Gang possessed dozens of Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals in total. Aside from the few most core, highest-quality volumes, the rest were all stored in a secret chamber at the Guangfa Gambling House.
After all, the Dragon Gate Boat was far too humid, making it unsuitable for preserving the manuals.
Besides, these were basically all Evil Skills. While their value as "True Records" wasn’t insignificant, it wasn’t as if they were priceless treasures either.
Other factions, like the Mountain and River Association or the Danxin Alliance, had plenty of similar Evil Skills.
Righteous Dao factions like the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall, on the other hand, completely disdained such Evil Skills.
"Don’t worry, Brother Wang. I’m just using these for reference to improve my current Cultivation Skill. I’m not actually going to practice them."