Fighting for Water

Shizigou.

At this time of day, even experienced hunters would have already gone home, and only wild animals would roam this area.

But at this moment, it was illuminated by the torches and turned bright red.

In the valley.

The two sides are facing off.

"You bastards from Xiahe Village, are you looking for death? You dare to ruin the affairs of my Sand Gang?"

A bearded man shouted sternly.

The moment the martial artist unleashed his aura, coupled with the gleaming blades wielded by the dozen or so members of the Sand Gang, many of the men in Xiahe Village showed expressions of fear.

Xu Mao, standing at the front, remained expressionless and said coldly:

"Hu Liu, why is the Sand Gang cutting off the water supply to my Xiahe Village?"

Outside Baisha County is a large river called Baisha River, which is a tributary of Qinghe River, one of the three major rivers of Qing Kingdom. Baisha County is named after this river.

As the saying goes, "Those who live near the mountains live off the mountains."

There are woodcutting gangs and fishing gangs.

Because the Baisha River is rich in a fine and white sand that is highly favored by officials and nobles, the Sand Gang came into being. Moreover, due to its high profits, it has become the most powerful gang in Baisha County.

The Sha Gang usually acts arrogantly and domineeringly.

If their livelihood hadn't been cut off, Xiahe Village would never have dared to provoke the Sand Gang.

Hu Liu, a minor leader of the Sand Gang, snorted: "Does the Sand Gang need to consult with your Xiahe Village when it comes to doing things?"

Seeing the Sha Gang's arrogant attitude.

Some of the spirited young men of Xiahe Village immediately raised their hoes and roared:

"Brother Xu, why waste words with these people? Let's beat them up!"

"Yes, beat them up!"

"There are no cowards in our Xiahe Village!"

The noise behind him grew louder and louder, and it seemed to be getting out of control.

Xu Mao frowned slightly.

He's a seasoned veteran of the martial arts world.

He knew very well what the Sha Gang did; once they started fighting, people would definitely die. So, unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to get into a conflict.

Just as the two sides were about to take action.

Old Wu, hiding at the very back of the crowd, hunched his shoulders and looked around.

"Why haven't the officials from the government arrived yet?"

Officials?

Zhong Xuan sneered inwardly.

I'm afraid they haven't even left Baisha County yet.

Just like in the TV shows of my past life, they would arrive late, but surely, after the battle was over.

There were hundreds of people gathered here, while there were only a few constables from the county government.

Such a big matter, I don't want to get involved, and I don't dare to get involved.

It would be strange if they were willing to come forward.

Although he was skilled in martial arts, he was powerless to turn the tide of the battle in this chaotic situation; ensuring his own safety was enough.

Look again at the center of the crowd.

Seeing the young, energetic farmers behind Xu Mao, Hu Liu felt a little intimidated.

These farmers have been working the land year-round and are quite strong. If they really fought to the death, even a skilled martial artist could be beaten to death by a group of them, so they certainly wouldn't be having an easy time either.

But when he thought about the young gang leader's death order, Hu Liu had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it.

The tension between the two sides escalated.

If it weren't for Xu Mao's suppression, people would probably have already bled to death.

Just when tensions were about to rise.

A group of teenagers suddenly burst in from the nearby woods.

Hu Liu was taken aback when he saw the four young men and women, then respectfully asked, "Young Master Zhang, what brings you here?"

"Hu Liu?"

These were Zhang Linchun and his three companions who came from the prefectural school.

Zhang Linchun recognized Hu Liu's identity. He glanced at the group in the valley and said, "We've come to hunt down a Red-tailed Wolf."

"A demonic beast?!"

Upon hearing the words "Red-tailed Wolf," the expressions of both the villagers of Xiahe Village and the members of the Sand Gang changed drastically.

Zhang Linchun and his three companions came here because they were chasing after a demonic beast.

Does that mean there are monsters lurking nearby?!

Even the lowest-ranking demonic beasts are not something ordinary people can contend with.

For a time, many people began to consider giving up.

After Zhang Linchun finished speaking, he asked, "Hu Liu, what are you doing here?"

Hu Liu then gave Zhang Linchun a general account of the matter.

Zhang Linchun was able to become a scholar at a young age, so he was certainly not a stupid person.

Even though Hu Liu embellished the story, he still managed to guess the general truth of the matter.

"I will discuss this matter with An Yu myself. Let's open the canal."

Zhang Linchun's words were filled with an unquestionable tone.

But Hu Liu felt a sense of relief.

An Yu, whom Zhang Linchun mentioned, is the courtesy name of the young leader of the Sha Gang. In addition to being a wealthy merchant, the Zhang family patriarch also holds the title of the third leader of the Sha Gang.

In all things considered, he could be addressed as the young master.

With this connection, Hu Liu also had a reason to report back.

There was no delay.

Hu Liu winked at the few Sand Gang brothers behind him, then turned and disappeared into the mountains.

Zhang Linchun resolved the issue of the irrigation canal.

Xu Mao bowed to Zhang Linchun and said, "Young Master Zhang is a man of great chivalry. On behalf of all the households in Xiahe Village, I thank you."

"It was nothing, everyone can go now."

Zhang Linchun waved his hand.

He resolved a conflict with just a few words.

He stole the show.

Zhang Linchun glanced at Cui Yi, the girl beside him, without changing his expression.

"Junior Sister Cui comes from a prestigious family, and she is the perfect match for me."

He was not a pedantic person; he knew very well that his biggest flaw was his merchant background. It might not have been a bad thing in ordinary times, but it would be the biggest stain on his future career in officialdom.

The best way to erase this stain is through marriage.

Cui Yi would be a good fit.

As for being mutually attracted?

For those from wealthy and influential families, marriage is essentially a transaction; they have no say in the matter.

Cui Yi was indeed impressed by Zhang Linchun's willingness to take the initiative to resolve a potential disaster.

Because of Zhang Linchun's appearance.

The conflict came to an abrupt end.

The men of Xiahe Village returned to the village laughing as if they had won a battle.

Hu Liu has agreed to reopen the irrigation canal, and the biggest crisis in Xiahe Village has been resolved.

Zhong Xuan observed the whole thing from the sidelines.

I returned to my room.

Only then did he begin to ponder.

"What exactly does the Sand Gang want to do?"

Hu Liu, the leader of the Sha Gang, was one of the main culprits who disguised himself as a bandit and killed Ma San's family that day.

"Forget it, I don't own any land, and the affairs of the Sand Gang are none of my business."

Zhong Xuan discarded all distracting thoughts.

Continue your cultivation.

Zhang Linchun was able to settle things today, partly because of his father Zhang family's background, but also because he was strong enough to even hunt down monsters that mortals would avoid at all costs.

If Zhong Xuan can break through to the Bone Refinement stage...

Few people in the entire city of Baisha dared to provoke him.

After all.

The Kingdom of Qing is a place where strength reigns supreme.

Zhong Xuan took out the wooden sword he had bought in the city for ten coins from the corner.

Although these toys for little kids aren't real swords, they still feel much better to hold than bamboo poles.

After ten days of practice.

His sword-wielding posture had become quite professional, no longer as hesitant as it had been at the beginning.

The sword is the gentleman among weapons.

This is why swordsmanship was chosen as one of the subjects in the imperial examination.

There are countless scholars in the Qing Kingdom who wield swords.

As Zhong Xuan felt his swordsmanship continuously improving, he thought to himself:

"Once we master Eagle Flight, will Old Zhong be called a swordsman too?"