Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Anomalies in Shuzhou
The relocation of Qingshan Village had begun, perhaps it was all well-planned, for the process was somewhat smooth.
Wang Sheng didn’t bring much with him, just his most important matured medicinal herbs; he left behind most of his living supplies. He planned to return later with the Mountain Lord to retrieve them. For him, anywhere was the same; he only needed a quiet place for cultivation.
There were still quite a few people left in the village, and the line of people was long.
Fearing accidents, five martial artists spread out: three watched over the crowd while two others, along with a few experienced hunters, dealt with disguising the traces of relocation.
Wang Sheng walked at the rear with Xu Qu, keeping an eye on the elderly and the children.
By now, Xu Qu had nearly blended into life in Qingshan Village, so naturally, he followed along with the relocation.
“Did you manage to get any news from those two martial artists?”
Xu Qu nodded and said, “Yes, I did. Although these people weren’t lowly thugs, what they knew was indeed very little.”
“What kind of news did you get?”
Xu Qu nodded and explained, “The Green Flood Dragon Gang was just a rabble of hooligans up until a year ago, all with ordinary members, not a single martial artist among them. But their gang leader, somehow, advanced to a Sixth Grade Martial Artist in just one short year.
Not only did the gang leader of the Green Flood Dragon Gang manage to elevate himself, but he was also able to elevate his subordinates. However, due to the suppression by the authorities at the beginning, because wars had not broken out, they kept a low profile.
It wasn’t until the battles between King Yong Nian and the others began, and the officials lost their power to deter, that they stopped hiding and emerged.”
Xu Qu was somewhat shocked when he learned this information. From an ordinary person to a martial artist in one year—there had to be some trickery involved.
He thought his own fortune was heaven-defying, yet after all his struggles, he was still just a modest Third Grade Martial Artist. Now it seemed that the fortune of the Green Flood Dragon Gang’s gang leader was even more heaven-defying, albeit gained through cruel methods.
“So his becoming a martial artist must be related to the sacrificed boys and girls, right? He made offerings to some bizarre ‘god’?”
Xu Qu looked up at Wang Sheng, not a difficult guess, but Wang Sheng was quick on the uptake.
“Those two martial artists didn’t know much, only that the gang leader indeed threw the people they kidnapped into the Yellow Dragon River.”
“I knew it!”
This answer was almost identical to what Wang Sheng had guessed.
As for what was being sacrificed to, it could be any water demon like a fish spirit, water snake spirit, or maybe direct to a Flood Dragon.
Especially since the Green Flood Dragon Gang leader was able to boost his subordinates’ strength, and considering the name of the gang itself, it was most probable they were worshipping a Flood Dragon.
“Xu Qu, if the Green Flood Dragon Gang is indeed worshipping a Flood Dragon, what do you think the strength of this Flood Dragon is?”
Xu Qu replied, “The strength of a Flood Dragon is at least that of a Grandmaster, and it’s not impossible to be a Great Grandmaster, because Flood Dragons have undergone a transformation and have achieved a qualitative change in strength.
However, in my years of wandering about, I have not heard any information on Flood Dragons. It’s been a long time since any sightings of Flood Dragons in the Great Zhou, don’t you think the Green Flood Dragon Gang is worshipping a Flood Dragon, Wang Sheng?”
Wang Sheng wanted to roll his eyes, “Green Flood Dragon Gang, ‘green flood dragon’, isn’t it the most natural assumption? Moreover, there’s no news on the Flood Dragon, wasn’t there an evil Flood Dragon causing havoc in Lushui County just a few months ago?”
The chrysanthemums in Qingshan Village were destroyed by that evil Flood Dragon, and other villages also suffered to varying degrees, with rumors even suggesting one village had all its inhabitants swallowed whole.
“An evil Flood Dragon on the rampage? I’ve only recently returned to Shuzhou and hadn’t heard of this incident.”
Xu Qu was also helpless. He had only just returned to his homeland and soon found himself involved in a poisoning case, with many things still unfamiliar to him.
“But if there was an evil Flood Dragon passing through before, could it be that the Green Flood Dragon Gang was worshipping that very evil Flood Dragon? I remember the Green Flood Dragon Gang originated from Lushui County!”
“…”
Xu Qu’s seemingly casual words took Wang Sheng by surprise.
Don’t say it, it really might be possible.
Flood Dragons aren’t just something that can appear casually; otherwise, Xu Qu wouldn’t have said that Great Zhou hadn’t had any information on Flood Dragons for a long time.
He hadn’t thought about it this way at first, but now that he did, it seemed very likely.
Seeing Wang Sheng silent, Xu Qu quickly came to the same conclusion, then sighed and said,
“Shuzhou really does suffer one disaster after another. Even though it’s a remote location and not a key strategic place for Great Zhou, a Flood Dragon that hasn’t been seen in Great Zhou for a long time has appeared, and the war erupted there first.
What is King Yong Nian truly after? If he really wants to compete for the world, why doesn’t he attack those affluent regions instead of some remote areas? Shuzhou isn’t known for its grain production…”
Wang Sheng grew even more silent. Could all this be because of his transmigration?
But that didn’t seem right either; the Green Flood Dragon Gang had appeared long before, unless the world somehow anticipated it in advance.
War was bound to break out eventually; the only question was, why did it concentrate in Shuzhou?
Shuzhou is located in the western part of Great Zhou, surrounded by mountains except for the area around Yellow Dragon River. Despite its name, it’s not the same “Land of Abundance” as in his previous life.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like a place that would be contended for.
Wang Sheng had never imagined that information about the Green Flood Dragon Gang could lead to so many things.
It seemed that even Shuzhou couldn’t offer safety.
In the end, all of his thoughts consolidated into three words.
“Must be coincidence!”
Xu Qu was stunned for a moment, then said, “Indeed, must be coincidence!”
There’s a saying: “The soldier comes to block, the water comes to cover with earth,” they had no way to solve this.
The force that could rise in such chaotic times was indeed not a simple one; originally thinking that the Green Flood Dragon Gang only had a Sixth Grade Martial Artist, it now seems their depths were quite profound.
…
Even with the elderly and children, the people didn’t dare to stop. In such cold weather, even with a bonfire, if they stopped, they might never wake up, so they had to keep moving throughout the night. Yet, even so, they only managed to arrive the next morning.
Wang Sheng hadn’t visited Qingshan Village again since his last trip there. Maybe because the village head had previously sent people to deal with it, thus, a large area looked pretty good.
Upon arrival, although everyone was exhausted, they still couldn’t rest immediately.
Village Head Zhou Zhengwen was arranging accommodations, and many caves and houses were uninhabitable; people needed to squeeze together temporarily. This was the result after some repairs; otherwise, they might have had to sleep in the wilderness for a long time.
In such severe cold, any longer than three days could result in many deaths.
Wang Sheng didn’t participate in these arrangements but found a house at a distance from Qingshan Village’s residential area.
The place was spacious and would not be disturbed, making it suitable for cultivation.
Of course, the house was very dilapidated and he might need to call someone to fix it up later.
Xu Qu also found a similar spot, open and with no one nearby, clearly sharing a similar idea to Wang Sheng.
However, just as Xu Qu was feeling satisfied, a huge white figure appeared beside him.
This was none other than the Mountain Lord, who had been guarding the grain. No one had deliberately mentioned the Mountain Lord transporting the grain, and Xu Qu had been restricted during that time, so naturally, he didn’t know that the people of Qingshan Village had transported grain.
So when Xu Qu saw the Mountain Lord, he was completely dumbfounded. He, a mere Third Grade Martial Artist, was no match for such a massive Mountain Lord!
“Wang Sheng, save me!”