40: Chapter 40 I am Li Feiyu!

The next day, the light of dawn was just breaking.

Jiang Hanzhou changed into ordinary cloth clothes, applied medicinal mud to his face again to darken his skin, thickened his eyebrows, and pasted on that inconspicuous scar. Wearing a bamboo hat, he became a taciturn, ordinary middle-aged man.

After leaving the Water Dock, he didn't go directly to the west district of Flying Fish City. Instead, he wound through several streets and alleys, making brief stops at a few markets.

He bought some trivial sundries, and after confirming no one was following him, he walked toward the somewhat aged market area of the west district.

The sign for "Liu Family Grocery Store" was neither new nor old, the storefront was small, and the light inside was a bit dim.

A gray-haired old shopkeeper was leaning behind the counter, by an oil lamp, slowly clicking a brass abacus, making crisp "clack-clack" sounds.

The shop was filled with a mixed scent of dust, dried herbs, and aged goods.

Jiang Hanzhou walked into the shop with light steps.

Without even looking up, the old shopkeeper slowly asked, "What would the customer like to buy?"

Jiang Hanzhou walked to the counter and lowered his voice, speaking at a steady pace:

"Do you sell red dates?"

The old shopkeeper's fingers on the abacus paused slightly, and he didn't look up: "We have red dates, local ones, small and sour."

"I want red dates from Yunmeng Prefecture," Jiang Hanzhou stared at him, "the bigger the better, I want three hundred catties."

The moment the code words were spoken, a sharp light suddenly flashed in the old shopkeeper's originally cloudy eyes, so fast it almost seemed like an illusion.

He slowly put down the abacus, stood up, hunched his back, walked to the shop's entrance, poked his head out to look around, then turned back and nodded to Jiang Hanzhou, lowering his voice even further:

"Customer, please follow me."

He led Jiang Hanzhou through a narrow passage piled with clutter and into the backyard.

The backyard was small, with old wooden boxes and jars piled in the corners, and a well with mottled moss.

The old shopkeeper walked to the well. Instead of drawing water, he reached out and pressed a few spots on the inner edge of the well and turned a seemingly ordinary blue brick.

"Clunk, clunk, clunk..."

A faint sound of mechanical gears turning rang out.

A stone slab by the well, which seemed to be one with the ground, slowly slid to one side, revealing a staircase entrance leading downward, with a faint light emanating from below.

"Please." The old shopkeeper stepped aside, having no intention of going down, but silently stood guard by the entrance like a statue.

Jiang Hanzhou glanced at him, asked no questions, and stepped down the stairs.

The staircase wasn't long, about twenty-odd steps, ending in an underground secret room about two zhang square.

The secret room was simply furnished: a wooden bed, a square table, two chairs, a crude medicine cabinet, and a few oil lamps hanging on the walls, their flames steady.

The air was filled with a faint scent of golden sore ointment and blood.

Shen Hongxiu sat on the inner chair with her back to the entrance, seemingly regulating her breath.

Hearing the footsteps, she slowly turned around.

Compared to her awe-inspiring and heroic appearance at the black market a few months ago, her face was now pale, her lips colorless, and her eyes showed obvious fatigue and weakness. There were faint traces of bandages under her clothes on her left shoulder, and her aura was much weaker than before.

She was clearly seriously injured.

Seeing the disguised Jiang Hanzhou, a flash of doubt crossed her eyes, but she quickly recognized his calm and deep eyes. She breathed a slight sigh of relief, then frowned slightly as the movement agitated her injury.

"It's you." Shen Hongxiu's voice was a bit raspy, "You are quite punctual."

Jiang Hanzhou walked to the chair opposite her and sat down. His gaze swept toward the secret room's entrance as he asked directly:

"That old shopkeeper above, can he be trusted?"

Shen Hongxiu seemed to have expected this question. A complex expression appeared on her pale face as she slowly said:

"His surname is Liu. He originally had a son who worked as a porter at the docks, a daughter-in-law in an embroidery workshop, and a six-year-old granddaughter. Three years ago, to forcibly seize a small piece of his family's ancestral riverside land to build a gambling house, the White Dragon Gang set a fire at night. All four family members were burned to death in the house. He happened to be in a neighboring town collecting debts at the time and escaped."

She paused, her voice turning colder:

"When he returned, only a pile of charcoal remained. He reported it to the authorities, but the government took the White Dragon Gang's money and said it was an accidental fire."

"He wanted to fight for his life, but the White Dragon Gang's people broke his leg in the street and left him to die in a stinking ditch. I happened to pass by and picked him up."

"He has no family left, no future. His only reason for living is to watch the White Dragon Gang collapse and see Bai Tianxiao die."

Shen Hongxiu looked at Jiang Hanzhou.

"Do you think a person like that would betray me?"

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then nodded, "No."

In the Jianghu, such a blood feud was indeed more reliable than any oath.

He no longer dwelled on the matter, his gaze falling on the injury on Shen Hongxiu's shoulder: "The White Dragon Gang did this?"

Shen Hongxiu gave a bitter smile and didn't deny it:

"I found some important things but was discovered by the water ghosts they keep. After a fight, I took a hit from a poisoned water-dividing thorn. If I hadn't run fast, I might have died in the river."

She looked at Jiang Hanzhou with a searching gaze, "You came here in disguise to find me; it's not just to check on my injuries, right? Is there something?"

Jiang Hanzhou looked up at her and asked directly, "Who are the experts in the White Dragon Gang? What is their strength?"

Shen Hongxiu was startled; she hadn't expected him to ask so directly.

She frowned, "Why are you asking this? The White Dragon Gang has many experts, especially their gang leader Bai Tianxiao, who is unfathomable. You..."

"I am Li Feiyu."

Jiang Hanzhou calmly interrupted her.

"..."

In the secret room, it suddenly became so quiet that only the faint crackling of the oil lamp's wick could be heard.

Shen Hongxiu froze, her eyes widening as if she hadn't heard clearly, or as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

She stared blankly at Jiang Hanzhou as if she were truly meeting the person in front of her for the first time.

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her mind, leaving it blank.

A few months ago, when they first met at the black market, this person was just a newcomer who even needed to buy an Iron Bone Realm Cultivation Technique.

How long had it been since then?

Three months? Four months?

He casually killed two people in the Viscera Burning Realm?

One of whom was a "Second-Class Evil Physician" known in the Heavenly Evil Cult for his treacherous use of poison?

How was this possible?!

But... if it wasn't him, why would he admit it? Why would he come to ask her for intelligence on the White Dragon Gang's experts at this moment?

Various clues quickly connected in her mind. Shen Hongxiu finally exhaled slowly, a complex smile appearing on her pale face.

That smile contained shock, disbelief, and bitterness, but more than that, it was a long-suppressed, almost burning excitement.

"Heh... hehe..." She chuckled and shook her head, "I didn't expect... I really didn't expect it. I, Shen Hongxiu, have wasted several years here at the Three Rivers Estuary, investigating back and forth, hiding here and there, thinking this place was already a stagnant pool of dead water with only insects in the mud..."

She looked up, her eyes shining brilliantly, staring intently at Jiang Hanzhou:

"Yet I didn't expect that in this small river ditch, there was actually a... true Dragon hidden!"

Jiang Hanzhou was noncommittal about her lament and only repeated his question, "The experts of the White Dragon Gang."

Shen Hongxiu took a deep breath, suppressing the churning emotions in her heart, her gaze becoming sharp and focused again.

"Fine, I'll tell you."

She dipped her finger into the cold tea in the cup on the table and began to draw on the rough wooden surface.

"The core combat power of the White Dragon Gang, besides the unfathomable gang leader Bai Tianxiao, is the Eight Great Vajras under him. These eight are all in the Viscera Burning Realm and are all outlaws who were defeated and subdued by Bai Tianxiao's martial prowess. Every one of them has blood on their hands and rich combat experience."

"'Mountain-Cleaving Hand' Zhao Mang, Middle Stage Viscera Burning Realm. He has practiced his iron palms for forty years and can shatter stone monuments. He is extremely strong in direct confrontation but slightly lacking in movement techniques."

"'Ghost Shadow' Mo Qi, Early Stage Viscera Burning Realm. He has superb lightfoot skills and excels in stealth and assassination. He uses a pair of poisoned short thorns, which are sinister and tricky."

"'Mad Dog' Tu Hong, Middle Stage Viscera Burning Realm. He practices external hard skills, has thick skin and tough flesh, and possesses immense strength. He fights like his life doesn't matter; he's a difficult boor to deal with."

"'Poison Lady' Liu Sanniang, Early Stage Viscera Burning Realm. She is a poison expert, covered in poison, and even keeps a nest of 'Bone-Eroding Bee,' making her impossible to guard against."

"'Iron Abacus' Qian Tong, Middle Stage Viscera Burning Realm. He is meticulous and good at calculating; he is the White Dragon Gang's strategist. His martial arts style is somewhat deceptive, and his weapon is an iron-framed abacus that can fire hidden projectiles."

"'Flood Dragon in the Waves' He Kun, Early Stage Viscera Burning Realm. He is skilled in water combat and manages the White Dragon Gang's water stronghold. His combat power underwater is even stronger."

"'Blood Whip' Cui Yu'er, Middle Stage Viscera Burning Realm. Her whip technique is ruthless. It's said she was taught by an eccentric; her whip can suck blood to enhance herself, which is very eerie."

"'Vulture' Old Freak Sun, Late Stage Viscera Burning Realm. He is the strongest among the eight, practicing the evil sect technique 'Marrow-Sucking Claw,' which specifically destroys a person's Qi, blood, and marrow. He is incredibly cruel and the oldest, serving as Bai Tianxiao's right-hand man."

Shen Hongxiu finished describing the characteristics of the eight people in one breath, panting slightly, her face seemingly even paler.

She took a sip of the cold tea and continued:

"As for the gang leader Bai Tianxiao... this person is extremely mysterious. He suddenly appeared in Flying Fish City twenty years ago and rose rapidly. His Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art has been practiced to an extremely high level; he is certainly at the Peak Viscera Burning Realm. But as for whether he has broken through to that extraordinary Dragon Elephant Realm... I haven't found definitive evidence."

She looked at Jiang Hanzhou:

"However, based on the records of his few actions over the years, he probably hasn't yet. The Dragon Elephant Realm already possesses divine wonders; one's Qi and blood are like a Dragon Elephant, allowing for brief flight, and every move's power far exceeds the Viscera Burning Realm. If he were truly a Dragon Elephant, he would have unified the Three Rivers Estuary long ago and even advanced into the prefectural city, rather than still scheming with forces like the Canglang Water Dock and the Patrol Inspection Division in Flying Fish City."

Jiang Hanzhou listened quietly, calculating rapidly in his mind.

The Three Stages of Mortal Shedding: Qi Accumulation, Iron Bone, and Burning Viscera.

After that is the Dragon Elephant Realm, the beginning of the extraordinary.

In this Realm, Qi and blood undergo a qualitative change, strength explodes, and one possesses various means unimaginable to mortals, truly deserving the title of a human Vicious Beast.

If Bai Tianxiao were truly a Dragon Elephant, it would indeed be troublesome.

But listening to Shen Hongxiu's analysis, there was a high probability he hadn't broken through yet.

The Eight Great Vajras, eight people in the Viscera Burning Realm, including three in the Middle Stage and five in the Early Stage.

Plus Bai Tianxiao, a Peak Viscera Burning Realm expert.

This level of strength was indeed considered a powerhouse in a place like the Three Rivers Estuary. No wonder they could commit evil for twenty years.

"I see." Jiang Hanzhou nodded, his tone remaining calm as if he had just heard a list of ordinary names.

He took a neatly folded piece of paper from his robe, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Shen Hongxiu.

Shen Hongxiu looked down; it was a medicinal diet recipe.

The handwriting was neat, titled "Gold Bone Foundation-Nurturing Soup."

"This recipe is quite effective for Iron Bone Realm Martial Artists to temper their bones and solidify their Foundation, especially suitable for those who have suffered hidden injuries and have unstable Foundations."

Jiang Hanzhou said indifferently, "Consider it a thank-you gift for the technique you gave me before and for the intelligence this time."

Shen Hongxiu picked up the recipe. After just a few glances, she knew the ingredients were exquisitely balanced and its value was immense, far beyond the common goods on the market.

Her heart shook as she looked up at Jiang Hanzhou.

Jiang Hanzhou had already stood up.

"Don't get involved in the White Dragon Gang's affairs from now on." His tone brooked no argument. "Recover well from your injuries."

Shen Hongxiu was startled and said subconsciously, "Why? I can help you! I know them better, I..."},{

"You can't help." Jiang Hanzhou interrupted her, his voice calm but carrying a cold pragmatism, "What I need is intelligence, not a burden. You won't be able to interfere in what comes next, and I won't have time to look after anyone else."

"A burden..."

Shen Hongxiu bit her lip, a flush rising to her pale face, whether from shame, anger, or something else.

She gripped the recipe in her hand and watched Jiang Hanzhou's back as he turned toward the stairs, suddenly asking:

"Are you... are you going after the White Dragon Gang because of the favor I showed you back then?"

Jiang Hanzhou's footsteps stopped before the stairs.

He didn't turn around, only showing a small part of his slightly coarse, disguised profile.

"First, it's a debt of gratitude." He spoke slowly, his voice calm and without ripples. "Second, the White Dragon Gang has already provoked me. Third..."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of indifferent coldness:

"My moral compass isn't high, but the human trafficking business the White Dragon Gang does is abhorrent, and I find it distasteful."

Shen Hongxiu listened blankly.

Then, she saw Jiang Hanzhou seem to give a very slight laugh. That smile was faint, but it carried a sense of disdain and determination.

Finally, he said:

"Fourth... in this world, there are always some people and things that prevent me from being happy."

"Since that's the case, then..."

"Wipe them all out."

As his words fell, he didn't stay any longer, stepped onto the stone stairs, and his figure quickly vanished into the shadows.

Leaving Shen Hongxiu sitting alone in the dim basement, staring at the paper with the medicinal recipe, the calm yet Killing Intent-filled words echoing in her ears as she remained dazed for a long time.

The light from the oil lamp cast her shadow long, flickering slightly on the wall.

After a long while, she finally exhaled slowly and looked down at the recipe in her hand.

She thought back to the overwhelming Killing Intent and confidence contained within those calm words just now, and a complex, hard-to-define smile finally appeared on her pale face.

She carefully folded the recipe, tucked it away close to her body, looked toward the darkness of the entrance, and whispered to herself, as if to her own heart, or perhaps to the person who had already left:

"Fine... then I shall wait and see."

"See how you, this true Dragon, will... churn up the muddy waters of this Three Rivers Estuary."

The secret room returned to silence.

Only the lamp flame burned silently.