It seemed that because of him, there were more people on the roads, so Wang Sheng mostly let Da Bai take more concealed routes to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
So, he arrived peacefully in Yongfeng County.
Yongfeng County was not as bustling as Lushui County—the streets were less crowded, and those who were out were hurrying along. The city gate was manned, but the guards were listless; they didn’t even glance at Wang Sheng when he entered.
This was actually to his advantage for what he wanted to do next.
Zhang Ze knew the location of the iron ore warehouse and had informed Wang Sheng.
Wang Sheng went to a secluded corner and put on the mask he had worn before.
He planned to visit the county office first.
He would rather not play the gentleman on the beam—a Chinese idiom for a thief—if it was not necessary.
The Lushui County office was unstaffed due to the Green Flood Dragon Gang’s raid, and the situation had been stabilized by a prestigious family, according to the information Wang Sheng received.
It was different in Yongfeng County; the county office staff were present, but they were essentially disengaged from actively managing affairs, merely maintaining basic order.
The Yongfeng County Magistrate was actually quite troubled.
He had always wished for the absence of his superiors so that he could carry out his own grand plans.
But now his perspective had changed, especially after Lushui County was attacked by the Green Flood Dragon Gang and its officials were ultimately massacred.
The Lushui County office had already been raided once before by the Green Flood Dragon Gang who stole the geomancy maps.
At that time, the Lushui County Magistrate had sought help from their superior, the Prefecture Master.
But at that moment, King Long River and King Yong Nian had just gone through a major battle, and the Prefecture Master was powerless against the Green Flood Dragon Gang, leaving the matter unresolved.
Everyone knew the outcome: the offices of Lushui, Dishui, and Yong’an counties were all annihilated, and the Green Flood Dragon Gang took control of tens of thousands of civilians.
The magistrate wanted to flee, but King Yong Nian, who had recently taken residence in Shuzhou, directly ordered the officials of each county office not to leave and to “hold their posts” to maintain order; otherwise, they would face death.
Yet whenever the magistrate inquired about the Green Flood Dragon Gang, he was told they were already “looking for solutions.”
In simple terms, they had to stabilize the county town, while the problem with the Green Flood Dragon Gang couldn’t be solved for the moment.
If it weren’t for the highly skilled Martial Artist who came to announce the news, he would have cursed out loud. He had even been planning to stealthily escape.
But before he could flee, he heard about the Grandmaster who killed the Evil Flood Dragon and dealt with the Green Flood Dragon Gang. Realizing that the empire had not yet fallen and that his life wasn’t threatened, he didn’t want to risk leaving.
It was then that the Yongfeng County Magistrate understood that to realize his grand ambitions, a strong backer was most crucial, or he might be easily wiped out.
Especially after seeing the situation in the three counties, he became even more convinced of this.
Look at the three counties—just by gaining some reputation, they were able to slowly recover.
After learning of this, the magistrates of the neighboring counties were beating their chests and stomping their feet with regret, thinking, why didn’t they come up with that strategy?
You said he entered the mountains from Dishui County, but I still saw him in Yongfeng County.
You said he only dealt with the Evil Flood Dragons of the three counties, but I could say it was because the Green Flood Dragon Gang was gradually threatening Yongfeng County, so the Grandmaster had to take action!
Anyway, no one really knew the truth, but of course, the key point was that Yongfeng County bordered Lushui County; if it had been too far away, this strategy wouldn’t have worked.
“It’s a pity indeed, just a step too late; otherwise, I wouldn’t have to worry every day. Advisor, do you think I should also move to the three counties? So many people from the county town have already left…”
With safer places elsewhere, even people from neighboring counties and those further away with timely information were heading towards the safer three counties.
So, the three counties grew busier while the populations of the surrounding counties dwindled. It was a difficult situation to prevent, and the magistrate himself was considering fleeing.
“Your Excellency, I think it’s actually not impossible. You haven’t been to the county office for several months anyway.”
The advisor felt indifferent about it. The people of Yongfeng County no longer came to the county office for services. If they did run away, it was likely no one would know, and it would be safer too.
“Let’s go then, it’s not far… Who are you?!”
The County Magistrate was discussing matters with his advisor when he suddenly discovered an extra person in his courtyard, someone wearing a mask.
His thoughts raced, and he thought of his colleagues who had met with terrible fates.
“Hero, although I am not a virtuous official, I swear I have done nothing to harm justice and righteousness!”
The more chaotic the times, the more likely it was for minor officials with limited means of self-protection like him to be killed by so-called “agents of justice.”
Wang Sheng looked at the magistrate who was nearly on his knees and was somewhat speechless.
He had not even said anything yet!
“I won’t kill you. I just want to ask you something. I heard your county office has iron ore, is that true?”
“It’s true, there is still some left. If you want it, I can arrange for it to be brought to you.”
The magistrate’s quick submission wasn’t without reason. He was a Martial Artist himself, not particularly strong, but he had some capability. Yet Wang Sheng had entered without a sound or a trace, which obviously marked him as a formidable figure, so the magistrate dared not offend him.
“How much do you have? I will buy it at the original price.”
If he was planning to seize it by force, he wouldn’t have come to the county office.
“How about I take you there right now?”
“That works!”
Led by the magistrate, Wang Sheng reached the county office’s warehouse where the iron ore was stored.
There was still quite a bit of iron ore remaining in these warehouses, more than enough for Wang Sheng’s use.
“Give me half first. Bag it up and have someone transport it to the woods outside the city.”
Da Bai was still outside. Now that its strength had improved, it could move the entire stock without issues; it simply lacked the capacity to carry it all.
“Understood, Your Excellency!”
The County Magistrate gave the clerk a look, and the clerk understood immediately and left with his men.
Iron ore mining was not allowed to be privately operated, but it could still be sold, otherwise, those blacksmith shops could not continue.
Of course, this required a process.
But facing Wang Sheng, the County Magistrate dared not delay.
While waiting for the people to arrive, Wang Sheng intercepted the money. The revenue from selling his ginseng was substantial, providing more than enough to purchase the iron ore.
The County Magistrate did not expect Wang Sheng to actually pay, and was somewhat surprised for a moment. Reasonable strong characters like this were rare.
Wang Sheng did not say much, just quietly waiting.
Yun Xiao was preening its feathers on his shoulder and occasionally chirping once or twice.
The County Magistrate looked at this masked strong character with a sparrow on his shoulder, and his heart was filled with curiosity.
Where did this strong character come from, to be interested in iron ore and not ask for much?
Unfortunately, he was wearing a mask…hmm, a mask?
The County Magistrate suddenly thought of a possibility. Although the outside world told stories of masks with green faces and ferocious fangs, the one this man wore was a plain iron mask. As a County Magistrate, he knew that some rumors could be exaggerated.
Could this person be—
“Sir, were you the one who handled the Evil Flood Dragon in the three counties?”
The County Magistrate felt this was the boldest he had ever been.
Wang Sheng looked at the County Magistrate, smiled under his mask, and asked, “What makes you think so?”
The County Magistrate’s heart raced with excitement, feeling that he had mostly guessed correctly.
As for Wang Sheng’s question, the only thing he dared to do was to tell the truth: “Believe it or not, it’s a guess based on some information combined with intuition.”
“Intuition? Quite a fascinating thing. You’re not wrong, the Evil Flood Dragon was indeed slain by me.”
There was no reason to deny such matters.
After all, he had not blown his cover.
The mysterious Grandmaster of the three counties was not a bad title to hold.
“So it was you, thank you, Sir, for saving countless lives from disaster!”
With Wang Sheng’s admission, the County Magistrate was even more excited. This was the man who had killed a Grandmaster-level Evil Flood Dragon with a few punches, and he could hardly believe he had met him.
“It’s nothing, just what I could do easily. If I really couldn’t handle it, I wouldn’t have played the hero. You don’t need to put me on a pedestal.”
The County Magistrate shook his head and said, “Judging by actions, not intentions, since you did it, you are the true hero.”
This was the County Magistrate’s genuine feeling, not flattery.
There were many who could handle the Evil Flood Dragon, but none came forward to do so.
Wang Sheng shook his head without speaking. The stronger one became, the more ordinary the people he met.
Soon, the clerk arrived with men and many sacks.
And they brought devices for transportation, while the County Magistrate directly ordered the men to start moving the ore, even lending a hand himself, which quite startled the clerk.
Since there were many people, Wang Sheng’s requested portion was quickly filled. The County Magistrate did not take the liberty to load more.
“Do you also have coal for smelting here?”
The County Magistrate nodded hurriedly.
“Load some of that as well!”
Ten minutes later, everything was loaded, and the County Magistrate accompanied Wang Sheng in carrying all the items outside the city.
“I may come again in the future. If possible, please help me collect some ore, especially the special ones.”
The regular iron ore met the current requirements, but he might need unique ores for certain special items, so Wang Sheng intended to utilize the County Magistrate to gather some. If they could be collected, that was great; if not, it would be fine.
“Rest assured, Sir, I will definitely accomplish this.”
The County Magistrate was thinking about how to establish a connection with Wang Sheng, and since Wang Sheng already had a task, he definitely wouldn’t miss out.
“Then you may leave!”
Wang Sheng quickly sent them away, and naturally, the County Magistrate would not object, leading his men away.
…
On the way back, the clerk couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked, “County Magistrate, do you know the identity of that man?”
The County Magistrate shook his head and uttered two words: “Evil Flood Dragon!”
The clerk immediately understood.
Originally, he thought the people from the three counties boasting that the Grandmaster resided within their borders was an exaggeration, but now it seemed it might be true.
No wonder the County Magistrate was so eager to please; if it were him, he would have been even more thorough.
“Aren’t you afraid he might be an impostor?”
“Does it matter? He’s stronger than us; the county government can’t handle him!”
The clerk: “…”
An irrefutable reason indeed.
Meanwhile, Wang Sheng secured all the ore and charcoal onto Da Bai, and then headed towards the direction of the camp.
However, on the return journey, he saw a person wearing a Daoist robe sitting on a large stone…