"Boss, this is Bai Ziyue, Young Hero Bai, a disciple of Sect Leader Liu of the Sunburst Gang. I hear he has become an outstanding disciple within their gang. With him present, our journey this time should be smooth."
Chang the Second quickly approached a sturdy man and said respectfully.
"Bai Ziyue, the Broken Blade Hero. I’ve heard of your reputation. Seeing you now, your elegance is indeed remarkable."
The sturdy man laughed loudly and quickly stepped forward to say.
"You’re too kind. How should I address you?"
Upon seeing this sturdy man, Bai Ziyue’s pupils contracted, but he quickly calmed down and asked calmly.
He had met him before.
In detail, there was a bit of a conflict between them.
The Fifth Rank Golden Body he previously cultivated, though acquired from Liu the Sixth, actually belonged to this man.
The Water Bandit Leader, Water Immortal!
He never expected to be on the same boat as this person, and it seemed like he was supposed to help the other party transport goods?
*Since when did water bandits start doing legitimate business?*
Suddenly, Bai Ziyue recalled the recent incident of seeing Water Immortal secretly meeting with Zhang Yuchang, a disciple of Daoist Wutong.
*Could it be that the items beneath this cotton were what Zhang Yuchang’s so-called uncle needed?*
"My surname is Zhou, and I’m third in my family. You can call me Zhou the Third."
The Water Immortal said with a smile.
Nodding, Bai Ziyue said nothing more.
By now, he was completely certain that he had found himself in a den of bandits.
However, he was still a bit hesitant about whether or not to take action.
After thinking it over, he decided to remain still.
If possible, he didn’t want to complicate matters further.
No matter what the Water Immortal wanted to do, as long as it didn’t involve him, he didn’t wish to interfere.
"Young Hero Bai, if there are no issues, shall we set off?"
The Water Immortal, Zhou the Third, asked.
Bai Ziyue nodded, and soon after, he heard the calls from some water bandits to raise anchor and set sail.
Before long, the merchant ship left the shore, gradually picking up speed, gliding through the reeds like a swimming fish.
Ten minutes later, the merchant ship appeared on the river.
By then, various vessels could be seen navigating the waters.
There were fishing boats, cargo ships, and small ferries crossing the river.
The merchant ship carrying Bai Ziyue and the others blended in inconspicuously.
"There’s a boat approaching, it’s indeed a patrol ship from the Sunburst Gang’s Water Hall. Young Hero Bai, we need your help next."
Suddenly, the Water Immortal spoke up.
"I naturally know what to do."
Bai Ziyue said softly.
Quickly, the patrol ship drew close.
"With Junior Brother Bai here, there’s no need to inspect this ship. I watched Junior Brother Bai’s battle against Li Yingru. It was truly inspiring."
Standing at the bow, Bai Ziyue was immediately recognized in his Inner Sect disciple’s attire by those on the Sunburst Gang’s patrol ship, one of whom promptly spoke up.
They all knew Bai Ziyue had already attained recognition as an outstanding disciple within the sect and was destined for great things. Naturally, they were eager to establish a connection with him.
Besides, this was an easy favor, and gaining goodwill was always welcome.
"You’re too kind, Senior Brother Zhu. Next time I have the chance, I’ll treat you to drinks."
Bai Ziyue had some impression of this person, but could only recall his surname, Zhu, without remembering his full name.
"We’ll remember that. Don’t pretend not to know us when we meet again."
Senior Brother Zhu was pleased to hear Bai Ziyue call him by his surname and laughed heartily as he spoke.
"I definitely won’t," Bai Ziyue quickly replied.
"Alright, let’s not take up any more of your time, Junior Brother. We’re off."
With a loud call, Senior Brother Zhu directed the patrol ship away, and soon it was headed towards another merchant ship.
"Young Hero Bai’s connections are indeed broad. If it were just us, they’d certainly have extorted some silver from us."
The Water Immortal said with a face full of flattery.
Bai Ziyue glanced at the other water bandits, seeing their relieved expressions after the tension, and understood that without his intervention, they would have resorted to violence. His suspicions about the goods beneath the cotton grew, but he simply said, "It’s just because Senior Brother gave face."
The merchant ship continued its journey.
Along the way, they encountered another patrol ship. Once again, Bai Ziyue stepped forward, and the patrol ship granted safe passage without delay.
More than an hour passed in this manner before the merchant ship gradually approached a sandy spot along the shore.
Bai Ziyue looked towards the Water Immortal.
"Immortal Master Zhang, come out. We’ve arrived."
The Water Immortal did not respond but shouted loudly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than agile figures sprang out from the bushes behind the sandy ground.
At the same time, Zhang Yuchang’s somewhat corpulent figure also emerged from behind.
"Is everything ready?"
Zhang Yuchang called out from a distance.
"Of course, one hundred and fifty crossbow arrows, one hundred war bows, plus ten thousand long arrows, all ready."
The Water Immortal quickly said loudly.
As he spoke, his men immediately began to move, tossing the bags of cotton from the ship to reveal numerous wooden crates inside.
The wooden crates were swiftly opened, revealing crossbow arrows, war bows, and long arrows in their entirety.
These war bows and crossbow arrows were exquisitely made, with production marks visible on the arrow tails and bow bodies, authentic military items.
Even though Bai Ziyue had known all along that these were bound to be contraband, his expression changed slightly when he actually saw these war bows and crossbow arrows.
Compared to private salt, smuggling military hardware was explicitly forbidden by the government. Once caught, it would necessarily lead to severe punishment and even the death penalty for such a serious crime.
He truly hadn’t expected that what they were transporting would be such items.
"So this means these people’s identities become obvious."
Bai Ziyue immediately turned his gaze to the sturdy men following Zhang Yuchang.
Ghost Head Stronghold!
They could only be people from Ghost Head Stronghold.
Only they would need, only they would dare, to trade in military arms to counter the imminent bandit suppression action led by Chief Clerk Li Xun.
Moreover, what left Bai Ziyue somewhat horrified was.
He knew that, in fact, Ghost Head Stronghold had seemingly foreseen this more than half a month ago, or even earlier, and had the Water Immortal prepare in advance to smuggle this batch of military hardware.
"And then there’s Hou Linkun..."
Thinking of the role the other party played in this operation, Bai Ziyue’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of murderous intent surged in his heart for an instant.
The other party’s move had indeed placed him in extreme danger.
"Good, the Water Immortal truly is a reliable man."
Zhang Yuchang leaped, his corpulent body jumping more than ten meters away onboard the merchant ship. Seeing the items inside, he revealed a satisfied smile and said, "Get everything on board, take the goods away."
"Wait, what about the remaining silver?"
The Water Immortal loudly asked.
As soon as he spoke, his subordinates all gripped their weapons tightly, with a tense demeanor.
Some even quickly picked up crossbow arrows, attached long arrows, and were ready to shoot at any moment.
"We naturally brought the goods." Seeing this, Zhang Yuchang’s smile did not change, and soon a person below quickly jumped onto the ship with a large box in hand.
Opening the box, a glimmer of gold appeared before everyone’s eyes under the sunlight.
"This is the remaining five hundred taels of gold," Zhang Yuchang looked at the Water Immortal with a smile and said, "Water Immortal, you seem to be overly cautious.
Since we even gave you the five hundred taels of gold as a deposit earlier, why would we misappropriate this paltry remaining five hundred taels?"
"Haha, Immortal Master Zhang is right. But I, the Water Immortal, am accustomed to licking blood off a knife blade. Without this bit of caution, I would have long been a submerged corpse at the river bottom, turned into fish fodder.
There’s no fault in being careful." The Water Immortal was not embarrassed and laughed heartily, directly accepting the box containing the five hundred taels of gold, and said, "Give them the goods."
Subsequently, dozens of people from Ghost Head Stronghold swiftly jumped onto the merchant ship, each hoisting one, or even two wooden crates, and quickly disembarked.
They were all trained martial artists, very strong. Even if the wooden crates were filled with long arrows, weighing at most one or two hundred pounds, it mattered little. In their brisk steps, the group promptly headed toward the distant mountains and forests.
There, it seemed, lay the direction of Ghost Head Stronghold.
"By the way, I wonder what this little brother’s name is?"
Seeing the transaction progress smoothly, Zhang Yuchang seemed to notice Bai Ziyue standing aside for the first time, and asked.
"Haha, Immortal Master Zhang may not know yet, this is Bai Ziyue, known as the Young Hero Bai, disciple of Sect Leader Liu Dong from the Sunburst Gang in Qinghe Town, famous for the title Broken Blade Hero."
Having received the silver, the Water Immortal seemed to be in an extremely good mood, laughing heartily as he spoke.
"Broken Blade Hero Bai Ziyue? I really have been disrespectful."
Zhang Yuchang appeared somewhat moved as he spoke.
"Senior Brother Zhang, you tend to forget important people, we met three years ago."
Bai Ziyue responded calmly.
"Really? Now that you mention it, I do have a faint memory. It’s just that Young Hero Bai’s appearance has changed greatly, not recognizing you is understandable."
Zhang Yuchang smiled and continued, "Recently, however, I lost something in Qinghe Town. Since Junior Brother is a disciple of the town’s most prominent sect, the Sunburst Gang, your influence must surpass even that of the government. Would it be possible for you to help me find it?"
"Is there really such a thing? I wonder what item Senior Brother lost. I dare not compare to the government, but within my means, I will certainly help."
Bai Ziyue also quickly replied.
This apparent warmth between brothers left the Water Immortal a bit puzzled.
"A corpse that has been with me for over ten years, into which I have invested countless efforts, significant financial resources, and even neglected my cultivation progress for it.
I wonder, does Junior Brother have any impression?"
Zhang Yuchang’s face still held a warm smile, but his voice gradually grew somber.