Chapter 135: Fei Zai Brings News

After 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》 broke through to “Minor Mastery,” Su Wangchuan discovered that his underwater breath-holding time rapidly increased from the initial ten minutes to fifteen minutes.

Each time he surfaced, he gained 2 experience points.

Moreover, he did not feel particularly exhausted after coming ashore.

Now the efficiency of cultivating 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》 had improved.

In one hour, he could advance roughly 8 experience points.

Cultivating for twelve hours pushed it forward by more than one hundred experience points.

Not bad!

In two more days, he would be able to raise 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》 to “Practice Makes Perfect.”

He could not help admiring Gang Leader Yang Feiyue. To think that Yang Feiyue had been able to master 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》 in a single day—clearly, when a martial artist’s rank rose, it also helped greatly with cultivating techniques, allowing twice the results with half the effort.

On the morning of the third day, Su Wangchuan finally cultivated 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》 to “Practice Makes Perfect,” receiving 2 Stamina as he wished.

He summoned his Status Panel and glanced at it:

Su Wangchuan: Male (Hunger 77/100)

(Life Profession: Blacksmith)

(Combat Profession: First-Rank Martial Artist)

Strength 26; Attack 8–9;

Agility 27; Defense 5.4; Speed +27;

Stamina 24; HP 240/240;

Spirit 8: (Not Activated).

Free Attributes: 3 (Assignable)

(Techniques Folded)

He was contemplating whether to cultivate 《Iron Shirt》 next, or 《Green Robe Dance》 and 《Swift Sword Art》, when Chen Ergou entered from outside, leaned close, and whispered a few words with a secretive air.

Fei Zai had come.

He was waiting in the courtyard of the hall, and it seemed to be something extremely urgent.

Su Wangchuan hurriedly changed clothes and went to him.

Since Fei Zai and Chen Ergou had not come to the medical hall, it was clearly because there were too many people there—too many eyes and too many ears beyond the walls.

Entering his residence, Su Wangchuan saw Fei Zai pacing back and forth, his face full of anxious hesitation. Hearing footsteps, Fei Zai lifted his head in surprise, then hurried to meet him.

“Hall Master!”

Fei Zai clasped his fists.

Chen Ergou remained outside.

Su Wangchuan invited Fei Zai to sit and asked, “Fei Zai, you look frantic. What happened?”

“Hall Master, you were right.”

Fei Zai sat down on the stone bench opposite, only half his body settling onto it. He kept his posture rigid, his expression grave.

“Recently, this subordinate was responsible for escorting cargo as part of the guard team for a group of merchant ships heading west to Rong County. We had two incidents—neither small nor large. We almost capsized. I felt the atmosphere was not quite right.”

“Oh?”

Su Wangchuan lifted the teapot on the stone table and poured two cups.

“What was the situation?”

“Although the other side claimed the hold had taken on water and the ship could not move, it happened to be at a narrow chokepoint in the waterway. And this subordinate secretly went into the water and discovered there were people beneath the surface.”

“…”

Su Wangchuan paused, then looked at Fei Zai more carefully.

“Rong County has always had a good relationship with us. There are no river bandits along the route. Yet you thought to go into the water immediately to scout the situation? That is a high level of vigilance, Fei Zai.”

“This subordinate… did not you advise me, Hall Master? I cultivated 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》. On one hand, I wanted to test it. On the other, I felt the ship’s stop was strange, so I grew more cautious.”

Fei Zai still looked tense.

“I did not expect there really to be people in the water… When they saw me, they also looked shocked and nervous. They immediately climbed aboard, said they had just finished patching the hull, started sailing, and left. After I returned, the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed…”

Su Wangchuan’s expression turned contemplative.

“It is indeed suspicious.”

“Yes,” Fei Zai said. “After I went back, I specifically asked other brothers at the branch. These days, there truly have been occasional frictions in that stretch of the river near Rong County. Perhaps Hall Master, you truly were right.”

Then Fei Zai spoke with heavy emphasis. “Our Yulong Gang… may really be getting targeted.”

“Good.”

“You have improved.”

Su Wangchuan smiled and nodded slowly.

“To be able to realize this, Fei Zai, you are already quite capable among the inner disciples. Have you told Hall Master He about this matter?”

“I did.”

Fei Zai smiled bitterly.

“But Hall Master He does not believe it. He says the dock gangs in Rong County are friendly with us, calling each other brothers. They would not target us. And there are indeed no river bandits in the nearby waters. Like the route from the Water Stronghold to Heilong County, it is already clear sailing. There is no need to arrange many guards.”

Hearing this, Su Wangchuan suddenly felt a jolt. He sharply caught an important piece of information in Fei Zai’s words.

“Fei Zai, what did you just say?”

“From the Water Stronghold to Rong County… there is no need to arrange many guards?”

“Yes.”

“For the short-distance cargo convoys, we have already lowered the guard standard. On one hand, it reduces expenses. On the other, it eases the manpower shortage.”

Fei Zai answered.

“The Water Stronghold… is short on manpower right now?”

“Of course!”

Fei Zai counted on his fingers.

“In Heilong County, we arranged more than sixty brothers to go over. The Water Stronghold still needs dozens to stand guard, including stationing men on the nearby small islands to control the waters. We also have to sail out and collect protection fees from every merchant ship. Now there are too few people we can spare as escorts—only thirty or fifty at most!”

“So the escorts for the Rong County merchant ships have been cut by almost half. Each ship symbolically has only one inner disciple assigned to be responsible for safety.”

“…”

Su Wangchuan’s expression grew severe.

One ship, one Quasi-Martial Artist…

That was not merely cutting the manpower in half. In the past, there were at least four Quasi-Martial Artists assigned!

“If anything happens to the Rong County convoy on the river, our Yulong Gang’s reputation in Rong County will be ruined! And we will have to pay a great deal of compensation!”

Su Wangchuan’s worry was precisely what Fei Zai feared as well.

“Yes, Hall Master.”

“Ever since that day, this subordinate has been worried! Especially now that one person escorts one ship—if something happens, would not we brothers have to compensate until we are bankrupt?”

“So when I saw that ship stopping strangely, I specifically went into the water to check… and afterward my spine went cold! If the cargo ship gets drilled through… then the loss of our ship, the loss of the cargo, and the escort fees and protection fees—all of it would have to be compensated several times over.”

“…”

Su Wangchuan’s brow tightened.

“What has Hall Master He been busy with lately?”

“Cultivation. Hall Master He is single-mindedly trying to break into Second Rank. Every day, aside from cultivating, he is still cultivating.”

“Hall Master, what should I do?”

“Hall Master He will not listen. He does not take it seriously at all.”

“But if something really happens… we brothers truly will have to fill it with our lives.”

Fei Zai looked haggard, his mind restless.

“…”

Su Wangchuan did not want anything to happen at the Water Stronghold. He did not want anything to happen to Fei Zai either.

After thinking for a moment, he summoned four inner disciples and instructed them:

“You will follow Fei Zai to the Water Stronghold. Tell them it is my order: exchange for 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》. For the next few days, stay with Fei Zai. When it is busy, follow him on missions. When it is idle, Fei Zai will instruct you on how to cultivate 《Water-Submerged Breath Regulation Art》. I will pay for the martial arts manual.”

“Yes!”

“We obey the Hall Master’s command!”

The four men were delighted and accepted the order at once.

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