Chapter 345: Constable Captain He Issues a Warning

Old Seven had called Wangchuan over.

In truth, this was the very reason.

This letter had been delivered by one of Hall Master Yin’s men.

Hall Master Yin would arrive in Qinghe Commandery the following day.

Caobang headquarters had only transferred fifty first-rank martial artists to support the new hall master’s assumption of office.

Together with the forty-odd men already at Hall Master Yin’s side, that was enough for the appointment itself.

But the situation in Qinghe Commandery had already rotted badly, and the hall had suffered grievous losses.

Those few men might be enough to stabilize the hall on the surface, but to ensure smooth shipping operations and suppress all the river bandits across an entire commandery…

it was no more than a drop in the bucket.

It was utterly impossible.

That was why Yin Xingtian had sent word to Old Seven through this letter, hoping Sanhe Commandery would dispatch a group of men to reinforce him.

Wangchuan immediately clasped his fists and volunteered on the spot.

“Old Seven!”

“I will arrange the men at once and personally lead them to reinforce Hall Master Yin, helping him hold Qinghe Commandery steady.”

As the foremost fighter of the Sanhe Commandery hall, Wangchuan naturally possessed that degree of awareness.

Old Seven nodded in approval.

“In truth, Hall Master Yin meant the same thing, given that you are already a third-rank martial artist. However…” At that point, his tone shifted. “Hall Master Yin feels that this old man is easier for him to use, so in this letter he specifically used coded language to inform me that I am to personally lead the force to Qinghe Commandery.”

Wangchuan was immediately taken aback.

Still, there was nothing wrong with such an arrangement.

Old Seven had always been Hall Master Yin’s white glove, the man who handled the dirty work. He was no ordinary third-rank martial artist.

As for Wangchuan, he was merely a brash youngster who had only recently broken into the third rank…

It was only natural that Hall Master Yin did not yet fully trust him.

Old Seven instructed him:

“Help me choose a batch of elite troops. I will enter Qinghe Commandery tonight under cover of darkness and join Hall Master Yin! The numbers cannot be too small. Hall Master Yin cares about appearances, so we must send out at least two hundred men! All weapons and dry rations are to be prepared as well…”

“Yes!”

Wangchuan already had a plan in mind.

“As for the hall, I’ll leave only Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu behind. All the remaining second-rank martial artists and the first-rank martial artists under them will accompany you, Old Seven. If that still isn’t enough, I’ll draw more men from the Sanjiang Branch Helm.”

“And in addition!”

“I’ll have the Weapon Room transfer a batch of Iron-Reinforced Bows, Armor-Piercing Arrows, and suitable weapons! They’ll be sent in advance to the docks of the Main Helm.”

“Good!”

Old Seven nodded with satisfaction.

He attached great importance to this operation.

And to ensure Hall Master Yin would be pleased, Wangchuan did not hesitate for even a moment. He mobilized all the second-rank and first-rank martial artists in the hall and spared no effort in sending aid.

Fortunately, over this recent period, they had steadily recruited quite a few second-rank and first-rank martial artists.

Apart from leaving behind Chen Ergou, Zhao Heiniu, and a small group of his own men, Wangchuan scraped together over two hundred full-fledged martial artists and above for Old Seven, assembled five large ships, and sent those elite troops and capable men through the night to Qinghe Commandery.

But because of that, the Sanhe Commandery hall was left looking much emptier.

Only the two teams led by Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu remained, fewer than eighty men in total. The rest were little more than lackeys with only the strength of quasi-martial artists, with almost no real combat power…

It felt rather hollow.

Still, Wangchuan was no longer the man he had once been. With the strength of a third-rank martial artist, combined with 《Xuanwu Art》 at Perfect Mastery and 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 at Integration, he no longer feared a fourth-rank martial artist!

At worst, it only meant not sleeping at night.

He simply gave up cultivating 《Star-Plucking Hand》 for the time being, went to the Weapon Room, had several assistants lend him a hand, and began forging Thousand-Forged Scales.

Three hours later…

he had produced fourteen Thousand-Forged Scales.

All through the night, he buried himself in the steady clang of forging, pushing forward the experience of 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》.

There was no longer any need for Chen Ergou or Zhao Heiniu to stand night watch.

With the cultivation realm of his current 《Xuanwu Art》, in the dead silence of night, he could easily remain on guard against every footstep within fifty meters of the hall.

No one could approach the hall in secret.

He passed the entire night without sleep!

And he gave the assistants in the Weapon Room a firsthand lesson in what a true iron man looked like.

By morning, the experience of 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》 had reached 52/100.

Just as he was preparing to make use of daylight and log off for a good rest, the hall received a visitor he had never expected.

“Constable Captain He?”

“What a rare guest. You bring glory to our humble Sanhe Commandery hall.”

Wangchuan entered the front hall and saw Constable Captain He standing there with a saber at his waist, admiring that giant bear pelt. He immediately stepped forward and clasped his fists in greeting.

Both were third-rank martial artists, but one was an official and the other a civilian, so naturally Wangchuan had to lower his posture.

Constable Captain He turned around and looked at Wangchuan—clad in Thousand-Forged Battle Armor, efficient and steady—and smiled.

“These days, I’ve been tracking those monsters that disappeared after the Blood Moon in various places. Only recently have I found some leads, and I came back specifically to report them! As it happened, on the way back, I ran into something and thought I should let the brothers of the Caobang know… But I was still a step too late. Old Seven has already departed, so I may as well speak to you about it, Brother Wangchuan.”

Wangchuan shot Chen Ergou a glance.

The latter immediately withdrew and motioned for the disciples standing at the entrance to move farther away as well.

Constable Captain He smiled.

“I hadn’t yet had the chance to congratulate Brother Wangchuan on officially taking office at the Sanhe Commandery hall and succeeding Zhao Jinshan’s position. But judging by what I see now, Brother Wangchuan has been doing quite well in Sanhe Commandery.”

“Heh, under a great tree it is easy to enjoy the shade. This humble man has merely borrowed the Caobang’s momentum to achieve what I have today.”

Wangchuan answered modestly,

“It is nothing like men such as you, Constable Captain He, who serve the authorities and handle affairs in every direction. You even dare to track those monsters from the Blood Moon. That is truly worthy of admiration.”

“As for the Blood Moon monsters, I do have some leads, but for now it remains confidential, so I won’t speak of it… The reason I came today is because, while passing through Qinghe Commandery, I discovered traces of the Five Poisons Sect. The Qinghe Commandery hall’s fleet was ambushed, and the casualties were severe. That may not have been the Beggar Sect’s doing alone. The waters of Qinghe Commandery… run very deep.”

Wangchuan’s expression changed drastically.

Constable Captain He’s face grew solemn, and he said in a low voice,

“Our Six Gates has always maintained a good relationship with the Caobang. Especially during the Blood Moon Incident, your Caobang provided quite a bit of help. Since I happened to come across this, I had to give you warning.”

“May I ask what exactly Constable Captain He discovered?”

“In Qinghe Commandery, there is no branch helm of the Five Poisons Sect. If disciples of the Five Poisons Sect have gone there to operate, then they are most likely targeting the Caobang, planning to join forces with the Beggar Sect to destroy the hall over there, and then look for a way to deal with the Sanhe Commandery hall.”

Constable Captain He’s words were shocking.

“Hall Master Yin and Old Seven have gone to Qinghe Commandery. They may well be in danger. Wangchuan, you must make preparations early.”

Constable Captain He reminded him:

“The Six Gates and the Caobang are on good terms. I also do not wish to see shipping disrupted and the whole of Sanhe Commandery affected… It would be best if you also keep those stinking Beggar Sect mendicants and all those lurking demons and monsters from entering the city.”

“Wangchuan understands!”

“I’ll make arrangements at once.”

“Many thanks, Constable Captain He, for the warning.”

Wangchuan nodded, then drew a one-hundred-tael gold note from his robe and placed it into Constable Captain He’s hand.

This was the custom.

The other man did not refuse. He accepted it smoothly, and the smile on his face grew even more sincere.

“The Five Poisons Sect branch helm has most likely appointed a new helm leader. Be careful.”