4: Chapter 4 Bandits Digging Up Stolen Goods

"Soles like suction cups, knees and hips like springs. Power comes from the waves, yet remains hidden in the water..."

Jiang Hanzhou slowly finished his practice in the courtyard. His feet seemed rooted in the ground; despite the river wind blowing against his face, his figure remained motionless.

Although this Still Wave Stance was just a basic grounding technique for Fishermen, focusing on using the waves to neutralize force and moving with the boat, he had reached Minor Achievement in just three days.

He had also mastered Fish Dragon Transformation, which involved holding one's breath and seeing underwater.

Though it seemed simple, among the last batch of Fishermen who cultivated these two Martial Skills, many had yet to even get the hang of them.

Yet Jiang Hanzhou had reached Minor Achievement in both Martial Skills in only three days.

He returned to the silent room.

The other Fishermen all left early and returned late, busy practicing their skills. After Jiang Hanzhou handed in his daily catch, he focused on testing his fate.

He went back to the communal bunk and picked up the compendium of one hundred herbs he had borrowed from Zhou Dazui. He flipped through it by the last light of day, but feeling a bit restless, he set the book down after a moment.

With a slight thought, words naturally surfaced in Jiang Hanzhou's mind:

【host: Jiang Hanzhou】

【fate: Late Bloomer (Rank 2)】

【Cultivation Technique: Tidal Breathing Technique (First Level)】

【Martial Arts: Net Casting Fist (Perfection), Fishing Eagle Plunging into Water Hand (Major Achievement), Still Wave Stance (Minor Achievement), Fish Dragon Transformation (Minor Achievement)】

"It seems that after Late Bloomer reached Rank 2, my Aptitude, Comprehension Ability, and memory have all significantly improved."

Aspects that were once obscure were now understood instantly. He suspected he could reach Perfection in an ordinary Martial Skill within ten days.

However, there was no joy on Jiang Hanzhou's face; instead, it held a trace of helpless solemnity.

While the advancement of his fate was good, by this logic... the next upgrade would likely require far more time and tempering than before.

The next one would take 200 years, and after that... it would probably be counted in units of centuries.

The current smoothness might just be a precursor to an even steeper road ahead.

He closed the book, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls toward the darkening river at dusk.

But in an instant, he exhaled a breath of turbid air and cursed himself for being melodramatic.

Wasn't an improvement in Aptitude good?

Wasn't an improvement in Comprehension Ability good?

Both were good, so why complain? Moreover, only by climbing higher could he practice better Martial Skills and Cultivation Techniques.

As for his fate, he would just let nature take its course.

Having resolved his worries, Jiang Hanzhou felt much more spirited. He put down the book and returned to bed, preparing to rest early for the next day's outing.

...

Early the next morning, before the mist on the river had dispersed, over a dozen small black-canopied boats had already left the shore. They cut through the greyish river surface, heading toward the agreed-upon deep-water area upstream.

Most of those on board were young Fishermen, all tense. Some repeatedly checked their nets and ropes, while others silently stretched their limbs, practicing those basic water-based Martial Skills. The air was thick with a restless energy—a mix of anticipation and unease.

Jiang Hanzhou's small boat was in the middle of the group. He rowed unhurriedly, his gaze scanning the mist-shrouded river while his ears caught the excited and nervous conversations from the boats ahead.

"I heard from my granduncle that someone caught a 'Silver-thread Carp' near that 'Ghost Head Whirlpool' last year and sold it for a full thirty taels of silver!"

"Forget it, is the Ghost Head Whirlpool that easy to get close to? The current is wicked, and the hidden reefs below are like ghost teeth. If the boat capsizes, you won't even have a place to cry for help! It's safer to cast nets in the outer areas."

"Safe is safe, but Spirit Fish love to hide in places with swift currents, big waves, and plenty of water weeds and strange rocks! Nothing ventured, nothing gained..."

Jiang Hanzhou listened silently, gaining a more concrete understanding of the place known as the "deep-water area."

He touched the water-dividing thorn at his waist and felt the boat beneath him. Though it swayed slightly with the waves, it remained steady, putting his mind at ease.

About half an hour later, the mist ahead thinned, and the river suddenly opened up.

They had reached the deep-water area of the Three Rivers Estuary.

For the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on Jiang Hanzhou's normally expressionless face.

Because he hadn't expected this deep-water area... to be so vast!

How was this still a river?

It was clearly a vast inland sea!

Looking as far as the eye could see, the outline of the opposite bank was blurred by the morning mist and distant water vapor, almost merging with the low-hanging sky.

The width of the river far exceeded any stretch of the Yangtze in his memory. The waves spread across the expansive waters, no longer a crowded rush but a surge containing infinite power. The grey-blue water met the sky, with no end in sight.

Scattered islands looked like the backs of sleeping giants rising from the water—dark green nearby, bluish-grey in the distance, varying in size and layered until the end of his vision.

There were also patches and stretches of reed beds, some as continuous as land and as vast as forests, everywhere.

But compared to the natural scenery, what surprised Jiang Hanzhou even more were the... countless boats sailing on the river!

These were fishermen from the counties and prefectures along the Canglang River, White Dragon River, and Yunmeng Marsh. At this moment, they were all pouring into this final deep-water hunting ground like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

As far as the eye could see, there were shadows of boats.

When the dozen or so black-canopied boats entered this grand tableau, they were like a few sesame seeds scattered into the sea—so tiny they were almost negligible.

"How is it? Shocked, aren't you?"

At that moment, Manager Iron Hand Zhang approached in a small boat, looking at everyone with pride.

"Most people in our Linjiang Prefecture rely on the river for their livelihood. Therefore, it is quite an incredible feat for our Canglang Water Dock to hold a place here at the Three Rivers Estuary."

"And for you to be able to enter the Canglang Water Dock is an even greater honor!"

Hearing this, Jiang Hanzhou couldn't help but cover his face.

This Iron Hand Zhang was a good man, cold on the outside but warm on the inside; otherwise, he wouldn't have told them so much while they were learning martial arts.

But he was also a chatterbox.

Once he got excited, he wouldn't stop talking for at least half an hour.

However, perhaps because it was a bit cold today, after speaking for fifteen minutes and seeing no response, he waved his hand irritably. "I already told you the rules a while ago. Gather back here with me before dark!"

Having said that, he had someone row the small boat toward the pier.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began rowing their oars, heading into the river.

Once the black-canopied boats entered the deep-water area, they dispersed. Jiang Hanzhou also steered his boat to search for Spirit Fish.

But Spirit Fish, which even countless veteran fishermen found extremely difficult to locate, were even harder for Jiang Hanzhou to find.

However, he had sharp ears. While passing by many veteran fishermen's boats, he heard that Spirit Fish occasionally appeared in the reed beds.

So, he rowed his boat into a dense and vast reed marsh, intending to wait quietly.

This reed marsh was enormous, stretching beyond sight. He had just tied his boat's rope to a cluster of old reed roots when a suppressed argument drifted over intermittently with the wind.

"Damn it, I told the boss not to raid the Canglang Water Dock's boats. Now look, so many brothers are dead!"

"Who cares how many died? Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. Quickly dig the stuff out, and we'll run far away to enjoy ourselves elsewhere."

Water Bandits? Digging up loot!

Jiang Hanzhou's heart tightened. He immediately held his breath, lowered his body, and peered cautiously through the gaps in the reed stalks toward the source of the sound.

About twenty zhang away, on a secluded riverbank, two men in black diving suits with fierce expressions were vigorously digging a mud pit with short knives.

A wet bundle was exposed in the mud pit. Through the gaps, a faint metallic glint could be seen.

One of them looked up warily, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

Jiang Hanzhou immediately withdrew his gaze, his heart beating slightly faster.

Trouble had found him.

He silently untied the rope, preparing to slowly back the boat away.

Splash—

A slight sound of water; the edge of the oar had accidentally brushed against a withered reed.

"Who's there?!"

Those two Water Bandits reacted extremely fast, instantly turning their heads and shooting fierce glares toward the reed thicket!