18: Chapter 18: The White Dragon Gang, Numerous Martial Arts Techniques!

The small boat drifted quietly in the night, and the river breeze, carrying moisture, dispersed the smell of blood in the air.

Shen Hongxiu sat at the stern, bandaging the wounds on her body. She was silent for a long time before slowly speaking, her voice sounding somewhat ethereal amidst the murmuring water:

"Seven years ago, there was a little girl in Yunmeng Prefecture named Shen Hongxiu."

She paused, as if fishing fragments that had long sunk to the bottom of the river from her memory.

"Her father was a constable at the prefectural office, upright in character, with decent kung fu, and had a good reputation among the neighbors. Her mother was gentle and virtuous, supporting half the family with her embroidery. She also had a younger brother named Aman, who had just turned six that year, a lively and energetic boy who loved to follow behind her, shouting 'Sister, wait for me'."

Jiang Hanzhou rowed the oars without interrupting, just listening quietly.

"That year during the Lantern Festival, the prefectural city was extremely lively. Aman fussed about wanting to see the carp lanterns, and my parents couldn't refuse, so they took us out to the street. There were too many people, and Aman was small. I don't know how, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Father searched like a madman, Mother cried until she fainted at the corner of the street... Later, we only found one of Aman's tiger-head shoes, trampled and dirty, under the bridge arch."

Shen Hongxiu's voice was very flat, as flat as a frozen lake, but Jiang Hanzhou could hear the surging undercurrents beneath the ice.

"Father resigned from his position as a constable, sold everything valuable in the house, and began searching downstream along the Three Rivers Estuary. He believed Aman had been taken by child traffickers and that as long as he was alive, he could definitely be found. Mother's mental state gradually collapsed; she was sometimes lucid and sometimes not. When she was well, she would sit on the threshold embroidering, and when she was unwell, she would hold Aman's old clothes and call his name to the empty courtyard."

"Two years later, Father's corpse was discovered on a barren beach downstream of the White Dragon River. There were no valuables on him, only a dozen knife wounds, the deepest one on his back, inflicted by someone sneaking up from behind. The prefectural office closed the case hastily, claiming it was wandering bandits killing for money."

She raised her head and looked at the dark, gloomy river in the distance, the moonlight plating a layer of cold glaze on her pale face.

"When Mother heard the news, she went completely mad that very night. She ran out of the house and jumped into the small river where Father used to take Aman to catch crabs... By the time she was fished out, she had already stopped breathing."

The sound of the oars cutting through the water rang out monotonously.

"There was only me left in the family. I buried my parents and... and Aman's empty coffin together. Then, I started practicing martial arts. The sword manual Father left behind, the meager savings Mother had saved to hire a mediocre Master, the secret help from neighbors... I practiced everything, learned everything. I just wanted to know who had taken Aman away back then, and who had killed my father."

"I investigated for five years. From Yunmeng Prefecture to the Three Rivers Estuary, from wharf laborers to Gang underlings. The clues were cut off time and time again, but I finally touched the edge—the White Dragon Gang. They don't just collect protection money or smuggle goods; their most secretive and profitable business is 'trafficking water goods.' Water goods... are living people."

Shen Hongxiu turned her head back to look at Jiang Hanzhou's profile, her gaze as sharp as a knife, yet filled with endless exhaustion.

"Women and children, strong young men, those with a bit of beauty, those with strong bodies, and even children with special Bloodlines or Aptitude for martial arts... They are screened like livestock, imprisoned, loaded onto cargo ships, and sold to all corners of the land, or even shipped overseas. Some enter deep mansions to serve as slaves, some are thrown into mines where they never see the light of day, and some... become 'medicine dregs' for cultivation, or are used for even worse purposes."

"Aman probably disappeared on one of these cargo routes. And my father was 'cleaned up' because he investigated too closely and became an eyesore to certain people."

Jiang Hanzhou's rowing did not stop, and there was still no expression on his face.

But Shen Hongxiu's story was like a pebble thrown into the deep pool of his memories.

He remembered his past life, in the village in the north, where children had also gone missing.

The men of the village had carried hoes and sickles, searching the mountains and fields, only to find the child's torn clothes and one shoe under the cliff behind the mountain.

Later, the neighboring town caught a Gang of human traffickers, and the angry villagers barely let those people walk out of the village alive... That kind of deep-seated hatred for human trafficking, rooted in the Bloodline, seemed to transcend time and space, resonating slightly at this moment.

But he quickly suppressed this ripple.

Sympathy is sympathy.

He was currently just a Third-Rank Apothecary of the Medicinal Cuisine Hall in Canglang Water Dock, a Martial Artist who had just stepped into the Iron Bone Realm and had only barely managed to kill a Viscera Burning Realm river bandit by relying on his fate and ruthlessness.

The White Dragon Gang had been operating such businesses for years, forming a delicate balance with the Canglang Water Dock and the Patrol Inspection Division at the Three Rivers Estuary. Their power was deeply rooted and intertwined, and the water was unfathomably deep.

If he were to jump in now, relying on himself alone, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

He needed time, needed to become stronger, and needed more accumulation and planning.

"I've heard your story," Jiang Hanzhou finally spoke, his voice clear and calm in the night. "I sympathize with your plight. But I'm sorry, as I am now, I cannot help you. The White Dragon Gang... is not something I can shake at the moment."

A flash of disappointment crossed Shen Hongxiu's eyes, but it was mostly understanding.

She was not surprised. The Jianghu is treacherous, everyone is looking out for themselves, and as mere acquaintances, who would throw eggs against a rock for a stranger's blood feud?

"I know." She lowered her head, looking at her rough palms, covered in calluses and old scars from practicing the sword. "I didn't expect you to help me take revenge and topple the White Dragon Gang right now. That would be too unrealistic."

She raised her head again, her eyes becoming solemn:

"But I need helpers, helpers who are trustworthy and have the potential to become strong. I can tell that you are different. When I saw you last time, you were still worried about the Cultivation Technique to break through to the Iron Bone Realm, but now you can already behead the Over-River Dragon... Your rate of progress is simply shocking."

She paused and took an inconspicuous gray Jade Slip from her bosom, handing it to Jiang Hanzhou.

"Inside this are the martial arts I have collected, copied, or even... seized through various channels over the years. There are thirty-seven Yellow Rank Martial Skills in total and five body-forging Cultivation Techniques. Although the grades are not high, mostly just Low Grade or Medium Grade Yellow Rank, they cover fists and kicks, weapons, movement techniques, hard-body skills, hidden weapons, poison arts... every aspect. It is enough for a Martial Artist to lay an exceptionally broad Foundation and draw inferences about other cases."

Jiang Hanzhou's gaze fell on the Jade Slip, and his heart jumped fiercely.

Dozens of Yellow Rank Martial Skills! And body-forging Cultivation Techniques!

For him, who possessed the 【Late Bloomer】 fate and could accumulate "years" by cultivating a large number of martial arts, this was a Treasure Trove tailored specifically for him!

He currently only had the Layered Wave Palm at Perfection, which provided 30 years of progress. Although Tidal Shadow Thousand Hands had also broken through during that battle, it was only at Major Achievement, and it would be some time before it reached Perfection.

And now, with so many Yellow Rank Martial Skills, he could definitely push his fate to the fourth rank!

Its value was far beyond what gold and silver could measure.

Shen Hongxiu observed his reaction and continued:

"I can give it to you, for free. I only ask that... some day in the future, when I have concrete evidence and a feasible plan, and need to collect a blood debt from the White Dragon Gang, you will be able to help. On the premise that it is within your power and does not violate your own morality."

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip. It was cool to the touch and had a special texture; it was clearly not an ordinary item.

He rubbed the surface of the Jade Slip and pondered for a moment.

"Within my power, and not violating morality." He repeated these eight words and looked up at Shen Hongxiu. "Fine. I agree. But on the condition that you cannot let me go to my death, nor can you ask me to do anything heinous."

A light of surprise erupted in Shen Hongxiu's eyes, and she nodded quickly:

"Of course! Although I, Shen Hongxiu, am a mere woman, I know the difference between gratitude and grudges, and I will never harm an ally! What I want is revenge, not the indiscriminate killing of innocents!"

She was secretly overjoyed.

The young man in front of her was not only a Genius with astonishing strength, but more importantly, he had a steady temperament and principles.

Such an ally was far more reliable than those profit-seeking desperadoes.

Using these martial arts accumulations, which were of no use to her anymore, to exchange for a promise from a future powerhouse with infinite potential—this deal was simply too cost-effective.

"Good." Jiang Hanzhou put away the Jade Slip. "Let's keep today's events between us. How do I contact you?"

Shen Hongxiu gave him the address of a seemingly ordinary grocery store in Flying Fish City and a code phrase.

"I need time to digest these." Jiang Hanzhou pointed to his chest. "Do not look for me in the short term. If there is anything, I will contact you via the code."

"I understand." Shen Hongxiu nodded. "You must also be careful. Although the Over-River Dragon is dead, he was, after all, a link in the White Dragon Gang's 'whitewashing' process. The White Dragon Gang may investigate in secret. The Three Rivers Estuary will not be peaceful recently, so... take care."

As they spoke, the small boat approached a quiet, deserted river bend on the outskirts of the Canglang Water Dock.

Jiang Hanzhou brought the boat to shore.

Shen Hongxiu endured her pain, leaped onto the shore, bowed to Jiang Hanzhou with cupped hands, and turned to disappear quickly into the night.

Jiang Hanzhou disposed of the small boat properly, then used his movement technique to return to his apothecary's single room silently.

He closed the door and lit the oil lamp.

He couldn't wait to take out the gray Jade Slip and, following the simple Mental Energy probing method Shen Hongxiu had told him, sank his mind into it.

In an instant, a massive stream of information poured into his mind!

《Chasing Wind Sword》, 《Rock Shattering Fist》, Spirit Cat Steps, 《Iron Arm Art》, 《Turtle Breath Technique》, 《Mother-Child Darts》, 《Five Poison Hands》...

The names, diagrams, mental formulas, and cultivation points of one Martial Skill after another unfolded like a scroll.

Although the grades were not high, the system was relatively complete, and as Shen Hongxiu said, the types were extremely complex, covering almost every basic field of martial arts.

What surprised him even more were the five body-forging Cultivation Techniques: Bronze Skin Art, 《Iron Bone Strength》, Hundred Refinements Viscera Essence Method, Tendon Transformation Chapter, Blood Fortifying Secret Record.

Although they were all just Yellow Rank, if he could integrate their essence into his own practice, it would undoubtedly have huge benefits for solidifying his Foundation and tapping into his potential.

"With these... for a long time to come, I won't have to worry about the source of martial arts and Cultivation Techniques." A sharp light flashed in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes, and his heart was burning.

The accumulation of "years" required by the 【Late Bloomer】 fate would usher in a leap!

He seemed to have already seen the scene where countless martial arts were cultivated to Perfection, turning into majestic insights of time, pushing his fate to ascend to a higher rank.

Outside the window, the sky was about to brighten.

Jiang Hanzhou put away the Jade Slip, blew out the oil lamp, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

After a night of running and killing, hearing secrets, and obtaining a great treasure, although his heart was slightly turbulent, it soon calmed down.

What he needed to do now was to prepare new medicinal cuisine.

Iron Bone Realm, medicinal cuisine!