43: Celebration

The morning sun rose, scattering golden light, attempting to dispel the blood and chaos on Crocodile Mouth Islet.

Gunsmoke had not yet dissipated, mixing with water vapor, charred wood, and a faint smell of rust in the air. On the Faces of the surviving Soldiers, joy and the exhaustion of having escaped disaster intertwined.

Chen Linsheng stood alone on a slightly cleaner slope, slowly stretching his muscles and bones against the morning breeze.

After a night of bloody fighting, his spirit was even more vigorous, stimulated by the life-or-death combat and the refinement of his strength.

He closed his eyes and looked inward at himself. His vital Qi and blood flowed endlessly, like the thawing spring river.

The medicinal power of the ice muscle pill had been completely absorbed. The Realm of the fifth Skin Quenching was entirely stabilized, and his skin glowed with a restrained yet tough bronze luster under the sun.

What delighted him most was that deep within his vital Qi and blood, a catalyst leading to the sixth Skin Quenching had quietly sprouted like a seed.

He casually practiced the Startled Swan Spear. The spear tip tore through the air, making “chichi” sounds. Its trajectory was tricky and fierce, imbued with the decisive killing intent tempered by actual combat.

The Eight Steps Catching Cicada was executed within a small area, leaving numerous afterimages. His footwork gained an agility proven in blood and fire.

Not far away, under the command of Head Constable Wang, the crowd was tallying the spoils: weapons, Provisions, and scattered gold and silver.

Amidst the noise, Chen Linsheng descended the slope, walking back and forth until he suddenly stopped in front of the largest wooden house belonging to the bandit leader, River-Flipping Shark.

His intuition was triggered.

Chen Linsheng pushed open the door and found the interior had already been ransacked and was a mess.

He stood at the doorway, not entering immediately. His gaze was sharp, like the most seasoned hunter. The “Five Senses Clarity” and “Minute Insight” components of Tracking Perfection were activated to the extreme.

He swept his gaze over the overturned tables and chairs, scattered clothes, and scratches on the walls... Finally, his sight landed beneath the crude wooden bed against the wall.

Embedded in the cracks between a few floor tiles was moist river mud, almost imperceptible.

This was completely out of place with the dry dust inside the house.

He approached calmly, bent down, and applied a subtle force with his fingertip, gently pressing and prying according to the direction of the mud trace.

“Click.”

With a soft sound, the floor tile lifted a corner, but seemed to be stuck by something.

Chen Linsheng frowned slightly, changing his force from rigid to gentle, sliding and picking sideways as if picking a lock.

“Ta,” a barely audible sound of a mechanism springing open, and the floor tile lifted immediately, revealing a small hidden compartment beneath.

Inside the hidden compartment, a square object, tightly wrapped in thick oilcloth and still carrying a trace of moisture, was clearly visible.

Chen Linsheng’s heart stirred. He took out the package; it felt heavy and substantial in his hands.

Just then, Shi Poyue and Head Constable Wang happened to patrol over. Seeing the object in his hand, they immediately quickened their steps.

“A Sheng, what did you find?”

Chen Linsheng placed the oilcloth package on an undamaged wooden table nearby and carefully unwrapped it.

A slightly worn yet exquisitely crafted hardwood box appeared before them. When the lid opened, the upper layer contained several Wax-Sealed Confidential Letters, and the lower layer held several thick Ledgers.

The three men exchanged glances, and their expressions instantly turned solemn.

Shi Poyue picked up the topmost confidential letter, tore open the wax seal, and quickly skimmed it.

Head Constable Wang, meanwhile, looked through the Ledgers.

The more they read, the graver their expressions became.

The confidential letters used aliases like “Master Hei” and “Mister Zhang.” The content involved multiple secret smuggling routes, profit distribution, and even revealed “superiors’ concern” regarding the Bandit Suppression Operation and worry about the plan being leaked.

Besides known Business dealings, the Ledgers contained several enormous sums of money whose destination was a mystery, with the recipients only marked by code names.

It also mentioned using government River Transport to smuggle illegal salt, and cooperation with a certain Patrol Inspector from a neighboring county.

Furthermore, it hinted at the preferences of a certain official in the Prefecture City.

Above the regular transactions in the Ledgers, there was also a Hidden Account Book recording several payments of Annual Tributes and Shares of Profit flowing to local government offices. The amounts were staggering.

“This is outrageous!”

Head Constable Wang slammed the ledger shut, his chest heaving, his voice hoarse with rage.

“This... these aren’t Water Bandits, this is clearly... a web that sucks blood and devours marrow!”

Shi Poyue’s eyes were cold: “Deeply entrenched and interconnected. These clues are a Sharp Weapon, but also a hot potato.”

Head Constable Wang took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and solemnly put away the wooden box. He then clapped Chen Linsheng heavily on the shoulder, his eyes showing a mix of admiration and gravity:

“A Sheng! You have achieved another Extraordinary Merit! The importance of this item far surpasses the head of River-Flipping Shark!”

...The Water Patrol Division personnel returned to the city in triumph, and the news spread quickly.

Chen Linsheng’s reputation for “Wisdom and Courage” and his title “ghost water dragon” quickly spread within the Water Patrol Division and the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall.

Those who had harbored doubts in the past now only showed respect and gratitude in their eyes.

That evening, the Celebration of Victory banquet was lively.

Chen Linsheng used tea instead of wine, behaving appropriately and handling the situation with ease.

Third Martial Sister Liu Ruyan carried a bowl of wine and walked straight to his side, unceremoniously putting her arm around his shoulder.

Her pretty Face was slightly flushed, but her voice was clear:

“A Sheng! Before, I just thought you had good talent, but now your Senior Sister is truly convinced! From now on when you go out, just announce your title 'ghost water dragon,' and see which petty crook on the waterway dares to disrespect your Face!”

Her words contained teasing, but also genuine respect.

“Third Martial Sister, you flatter me!”

Chen Linsheng clinked cups with Third Martial Sister, but his mind was on exchanging for the water essence algae.

However, judging by the current situation, it seemed temporarily impossible.

Because of the momentum from this great victory, Head Constable Wang acted decisively, using the subsequent interrogations and the newly acquired confidential letter clues, taking swift action to verify and arrest Zhou Hong, the Deputy Head Constable and mole within the Water Patrol Division.

With irrefutable evidence, Zhou Hong was dismissed from his post, investigated, and thrown into the Dungeon.

This move was like scraping poison from the bone; the atmosphere within the Water Patrol Division was instantly purified.

At the same time, the Warehouse was locked down, and exchanges could only proceed after inventory was taken.

After the Celebration of Victory banquet, Chen Linsheng returned home and began to Cultivate the Hunyuan Pile Posture Technique in his courtyard.

Meanwhile, Shi Poyue was in his Study under the lamplight, dipping his brush in ink, writing words that carried immense weight.

He meticulously wrote the entire process of the bandit suppression, especially Chen Linsheng’s decisive role, and the newly recovered clues from the confidential letters and Ledgers that involved a wider network, all within a confidential letter.

He sealed it with wax and dispatched an absolute Confidant to rush it to Master Zhao Zheng in the Prefecture City.

At the end of the letter, Shi Poyue’s writing was unprecedentedly grave:

“...Junior Brother Linsheng is a piece of unpolished jade and pure gold, but his sharpness is too exposed, and he may have become a thorn in the side of certain individuals. The items recovered are extraordinary, pointing directly to the Prefecture and County, involving a vast network. Black Mountain is not a lone wolf; beneath his shadow, a Giant Crocodile may be lurking. This is not the end, but the beginning. I humbly request Master to return quickly, preside over the overall situation, and make preparations early.”