As winter approached, the water levels receded, leaving many laborers along the banks to repair the river embankments. They toiled like ants, moving stones and sand. It was said that the funds promised from above had not been fully disbursed, so other than those directly employed, the remaining laborers appeared listless. No one would put in much effort if they worked all day without a copper coin in their pocket. Only these listless laborers had the spare time to glance at the river they were already tired of seeing, imitating the lofty scholars and officials above them.

One glance was enough to startle them. They saw that suddenly, many boats had appeared on the great river leading into the Jiangnan Road, patrolling up and down. Winter navigation was not as busy as the other three seasons, and rarely was it this lively. It was as if someone had cast a spell overnight, airlifting many boats onto the river.

The boats were of varying sizes and shapes, and moved at different speeds. There were even a few modified three-winged ships among them. Three-winged ships were official vessels used by the Jiangnan Navy, known for their extreme speed and forbidden for civilian use. What the ships had in common was that the men standing on them all had bulging waists, suggesting they were armed. Besides the obvious water stains, their dark faces were filled with silent killing intent and vigilance.

To gather so many ships on this stretch of waterway leading into Jiangnan Road within two days without alerting the local authorities spoke volumes. Only the renowned Jiangnan Water Fortress possessed such capability. In terms of controlling the great river, even the famous Jiangnan families were far inferior.

The Jiangnan Water Fortress, officially known as the Jiangnan and Related Waters Twelve Linked Stockades (a rather charming name), made a living on Jiangnan’s dense network of waterways. Whether it was freight, passenger transport, or related industries, they dictated the terms. Especially the clandestine private salt, tea, and horse trading businesses, which gave them immense power. And after that person known as Xia Qifei, who was a descendant of the Ming family, became the head of the water fortress, he made great efforts to improve relations with the government. It was even rumored that this Master Xia could call the naval commander in Sha Lake his brother.

Thugs plus the government – no one could stop them. So, in recent years, although the Jiangnan Water Fortress ostensibly reduced its black market dealings, it gradually emerged from the lakes and reeds and came to the forefront, its influence surpassing its former days.

It was precisely such a powerful force that could run rampant on the great river, unconcerned about criticism, and commandeer ships along the river.

The order was issued by the head of the Jiangnan Water Fortress, Xia Qifei. Although he didn’t particularly care about the lives of his subordinates, Guan Wumei, who had suddenly disappeared, had some maternal relations to him. What worried him even more was who on earth had managed to bite off such a large chunk of meat so silently, swallowing such a huge loss!

The Internal Treasury was about to reopen in March. In previous years, it was always a small matter for the Cui and Ming families, but this year, with the fall of the Cui family and the widespread knowledge that the jurisdiction of the Internal Treasury had been transferred from the Eldest Princess to the Investigative Yuan’s Supervisor Fan, Xia Qifei decided to give it a try. He wanted to see if he could seize the opportunity in this new situation and openly reclaim what originally belonged to him.

However, the Internal Treasury business was too large, with bids starting at hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Even just wanting to sit and drink tea in that house of wealth in March required a sum of money that would frighten people to death.

The fallen Cui family and the still prosperous Ming family had this kind of strength, but Xia Qifei definitely did not. Even though he controlled the largest underworld gang on the waterways, his money was like that of a beggar compared to the Ming family. That's why he was in such a hurry to scrape together silver everywhere, even secretly ordering Guan Wumei to restart the river bandit business.

He wouldn’t let go of even such small amounts of money, clearly driven to the point of madness. As the saying goes, a penny can stump a hero. The first difficulty for heroes making a living on the river who wanted to learn how to do business was money.

At this critical juncture, Xia Qifei became even more cautious, not losing his rationality. He wondered if the events that had occurred on the Yingzhou shore were targeted at him.

At the time of the incident, he was in Shazhou City, treating Xu Shoushan, the naval garrison officer of the Jiangnan Navy, to drinks. The legends of the Jianghu were always exaggerated; the highest-ranking naval officer he could currently associate with was at the garrison level. This Officer Xu remained silent after learning about the matter, allowing Xia Qifei to search the ship, but still gave the water fortress people a warning: everything must be resolved before the beginning of March. After it’s done, everything must be cleaned up, washing away the bloody scent!

Because Supervisor Fan would be arriving in Jiangnan from Danzhou in March.

—————————————————————

The dozens of ships of the Jiangnan Water Fortress searched the river for a long time but still couldn't find the obviously large ship, which was quite unexpected. Listening to his subordinates' reports, Xia Qifei coldly narrowed his eyes and said, "It seems those people haven't come ashore... that chest isn't so easy to move off the ship. It should still be near Yangzhou. Did you check?"

The man with a white cloth wrapped around his head to block the river wind was stunned and said awkwardly, "We calculated the time, and the ship should have reached the vicinity of Shazhou in two days... we didn't expect them to stubbornly refuse to leave."

Xia Qifei was furious, almost kicking him, and cursed, "Are you a pig!" After a slight pause, he said grimly, "Search upwards. I want to see them alive or dead. At the very least, drag that ship back for me!"

The man acknowledged the order and left, not noticing that the chieftain's words showed that his confidence had begun to waver.

Xia Qifei sat at the table, seething with anger for a long time, unable to calm down. These past six months were the most important of his life, and he absolutely wouldn't allow anyone or anything to interfere with him, otherwise, his long-planned revenge would have to be re-planned.

He gulped down the cold tea in his bowl, which only made him feel hotter. A cruel look appeared in his eyes, and he simply walked to the courtyard, waiting for good news from his brothers. He unbuttoned the front of his jacket, revealing scars on his thick flesh. But these scars were somewhat strange, neatly arranged side by side, not like the cuts and axe marks from battles in the Jianghu, but rather like the marks of being severely whipped after being bound.

……

……

At noon, a large ship slowly left the bustling docks of Yangzhou and headed downstream.

At the same time, dozens of ships from the Jiangnan Water Fortress rushed upstream, braving the dangers of night travel, searching for the enemy's tracks.

Heaven didn't deliberately arrange a game of hide-and-seek. Before the sun had even set behind the mountains, the two sides finally encountered each other in the flattest part of the river, Mirror Bay.

Dozens of ships quickly moved up, and the water bandits' innate boat handling skills were brought into play. With a few quick maneuvers, they surrounded the large ship in the center of the river.

The ships of the Jiangnan Water Fortress cautiously surrounded the ship from Kyoto, and the leading three-winged ship moved closer to the large ship. The large ship had already stopped at this time, seemingly giving up resistance.

The water fortress leader on the three-winged ship shouted at the large ship, "Listen up, people on board! You are surrounded! Immediately lay down your weapons and accept inspection." (Please forgive my laziness)

Silence remained on the large ship.

The water fortress leader's expression slightly hardened. He made a gesture, and six ships approached at the same time, extending long bamboo poles and hooking the large ship's side plank with some difficulty. They took out short knives from their bodies, preparing to board by force.

At this moment, the large ship suddenly moved!

This movement was a full-speed acceleration, rushing towards the outside of the encirclement with a speed that stunned the water bandits. In an instant, the great driving force of the large ship tore apart all the bamboo hooks that had just been placed on the side of the ship. A dozen water bandits who were climbing upwards fell miserably into the water, creating countless splashes. The surface of the river was in chaos!

And the water fortress ship that was blocking the front collided head-on with the Kyoto ship - and then turned its head in a carefree manner, gently sliding aside.

Of course, this beautiful movement was accompanied by the unpleasant sound of deck cracking and sailors exclaiming.

……

……

Leaving a white wake behind, the ship from Kyoto sped downstream, leaving behind countless wood chips and water bandits floating on the water surface in the Mirror Bay-like river.

The water fortress leader grabbed the edge of the boat, stabilizing his body in the waves, staring dumbfounded at the stern of the large ship. He was shocked beyond words. This ship... was too sturdy! And how did the sailor achieve such a fast speed from a complete standstill? How was his level even higher than his own!

The sailors on the Kyoto ship were all former officers of the Quanzhou Navy who had been disbanded. They had studied naval warfare for many years, and their level of controlling large ships in naval battles was naturally much stronger than these Jiangnan Water Fortress shipwrights who were playing ant-eat-elephant.

However, because they were afraid of underwater reefs when sailing on the river, they didn't dare to move straight and horizontally. Therefore, the Kyoto ship didn't have its sails fully raised. Compared with the three-winged ships used by the navy, it didn't have any advantage in speed. The Kyoto ship only broke through one line of defense and was immediately followed by more than a dozen three-winged ships.

At this time, the river surface was half emerald and half red in the setting sun. The Kyoto ship was in front, and the fleet of Jiangnan Water Fortress ships was behind, rushing downstream at high speed, drawing countless pale scars on the water surface, making the yellow river water restless, creating a beautiful scene of a hundred boats racing.

"Use grappling hooks!"

Seeing that the Kyoto ship was aggressive and that its hull was made of something unknown that made it so sturdy, the Jiangnan Water Fortress leader shouted loudly while making several gestures. Although the river wind was very strong and blew his words to the sky in the blink of an eye, the water bandits surrounding the large ship took out a pile of ropes with great understanding, throwing them at the large ship.

More than a dozen ropes flew through the air, drawing beautiful arcs and accurately landing on the deck of the large ship. The water bandits' techniques were extremely skilled, as expected of people who were used to such skilled labor. Everyone then tightened their hands, and the hooks on the ends of the ropes firmly hooked onto the ship's plank. At this time, the two sides were moving at a similar speed, and the ropes were not hard like bamboo, so the water bandits were no longer worried about anything. They nimbly began to climb onto the large ship along the ropes.

……

……

Again, when they were halfway up, half of the miserable time, a dozen portholes opened on the side of the large ship, and a long halberd or axe extended from each porthole, viciously chopping at the people on the ropes - only to hear the sound of knives in the wind, miserable cries, blood scattering with the river wind, and severed limbs falling with the turbid waves. In one encounter, the water bandits suffered heavy casualties!

Some people were lucky enough to fall into the river, but those hooks were cut off. Then, from the portholes of the Kyoto ship, a dozen arrows ready to be fired extended, coldly aiming at the surrounding ships. Although they were not fired, the deterrent was sufficient, as if saying, anyone who dares to approach again will be killed without mercy!

The water fortress leader in the rear saw this and his eyes were about to split, revealing a fierce look, but he also felt a chill - he had been mingling on the rivers for many years and had experienced countless bandit suppression operations. He naturally knew that longbows, spears, and axes were the standard equipment of the imperial navy!

"Is there some kind of conspiracy?"

……

……

The ship set sail and went downstream, its speed extremely fast, and it soon left Mirror Bay and arrived in the Shazhou waters.

The water bandit leader stared fiercely at the large ship that was still surrounded, knowing that although the other side was unexpectedly well-prepared and powerful, even an elephant was afraid of ants. As long as they were still traveling on the river, he and his men who had grown up on the river all their lives would eventually find a way to sink the other side to the bottom of the river. All he needed was time.

As if in response to his request, four large ships suddenly appeared on the river ahead, arranged horizontally in the middle of the river, just blocking the downstream waterway. These four large ships had three decks and were extremely tall. The shadows they cast on the river were very long, making them look very powerful.

The water fortress leader narrowed his eyes and discovered that they were the naval turret ships that had often cooperated with him in secret in recent years. He was overjoyed and shouted, "We have brothers helping us! Don't panic, everyone!"

The Kyoto ship still silently and firmly rushed downstream, as if the four naval warships of Sha Lake did not exist, as if it were a tragic attempt to commit suicide.

……

……

Looking at that scene under the setting sun, the Jiangnan Water Fortress leader was immediately dumbfounded and sat down on the ground with a thud.

Just as the Kyoto ship was about to be attacked and killed from the front and back and trapped in a tight siege, the four warships of the Sha Lake Navy downstream simultaneously turned their rudders as if they had discussed it beforehand, opening a path for the Kyoto ship, allowing it to leisurely sail downstream!

What was going on!

The water fortress leader couldn't believe his eyes, but the rationality remaining in his mind told him that the ship that he and his men had been chasing for so long... and these four huge naval ships... looked very similar.

He didn't have time to think about it. The four naval ships had already stood in front of the Jiangnan Water Fortress ships like four giant beasts, creating a sense of oppression.

The official standing at the head of the naval ship was also known to the Jiangnan Water Fortress leader. It was none other than Chieftain Xia's close friend, Commander Xu Shoushan of the Sha Lake Navy!

Xu Shoushan stood indifferently at the head of the ship, but his clothes seemed to have been put on in a hurry, and the belt wasn't even fastened, making him look a little ridiculous. He looked at the "old acquaintance" below, frowned slightly, used his eyes to signal the other party to surrender as soon as possible, and didn't care whether the other party understood or not. Then, he said in an official tone:

"Listen up, people on board! You are surrounded! Immediately lay down your weapons and accept inspection."

(Please forgive my laziness again)

—————————————————————————

Shazhou City was located at the point where Sha Lake entered the river. The water currents collided, and over the millennia, countless fertile lands had accumulated. In addition, the hard work of the people had made it one of the famous grain-producing areas along the great river. And with the disbandment of the Quanzhou Navy more than a decade ago, the Sha Lake Navy, after receiving some of the personnel, became the largest naval base in Qing Kingdom. The daily lives of tens of thousands of naval officers and soldiers depended on this city, which held the throat of Jiangnan.

The naval officers and soldiers, covered in the smell of sweat and fish, brought endless troubles to the people of Shazhou, endless dangers to the girls of Shazhou, and countless security problems to the officials of Shazhou. At the same time, they also brought countless silver and business opportunities to Shazhou City. It was feared that 90% of the salaries that the court distributed to those bachelors every year were spent in Shazhou's brothels, casinos, and restaurants. Therefore, Shazhou's entertainment industry, or rather, its tertiary industry, was quite developed, with all kinds of restaurants lining the streets. On the west side, the red sleeves beckoned from the windows, and on the east side, the dice kept rolling from morning to night... It was quite lively.

On this day, several people walked out of Shazhou's most famous inn. The combination of this group of people was a bit strange: a young master, a young lady, a scholar, a child, and several guards with serious expressions behind them. The group directly hired a large carriage and drove straight to the South City.

This group of people was naturally Fan Xian, Sisi, the Third Prince, Shi Chanli, and those seemingly ordinary Tiger Guards. They stopped in Yangzhou for a night and decided on the next itinerary. They had the people from all over the place transfer the Sha Lake Navy, and no one knew what procedures were used. But one would imagine that the military would protect the adults of the Investigative Yuan at all costs. Fan Xian seemed to have no intention of hiding his identity anymore, which made Su Wenmao, who was still left on the ship, feel very puzzled.

While letting the large ship maneuver on the great river with those water bandits, Fan Xian took the people around him and disembarked in Yangzhou at night in advance. They took a comfortable carriage and came to Shazhou City along the official road in a secret way, without being noticed by anyone.

The atmosphere in Shazhou's South City was somewhat tense. This place was a mix of people from all walks of life. Everyone knew that the overlord of the road - the Jiangnan Water Fortress's Chieftain Xia - was doing something. They didn't know the specific details, but they knew from the water fortress leaders who were constantly entering and leaving that small courtyard that this matter was a bit troublesome.

That small courtyard seemed unremarkable, but everyone knew that it was the Shazhou branch of the Jiangnan Water Fortress's Seventy-Two Linked Stockades.

Therefore, when Fan Xian's carriage came to a place dozens of feet away from the small courtyard, someone had already noticed it, especially the Water Fortress's eyes and ears scattered in the streets, who were staring at it intently, seemingly wanting to determine the purpose of this group of people. But no one noticed that in the dim twilight, those seemingly ordinary Sixth Bureau assassins had already occupied several of the most favorable locations on this street.

As the carriage got closer and closer to that branch, some people gradually approached, intentionally or unintentionally glancing at the carriage. The atmosphere was a bit tense. But the people in the carriage didn't seem to notice anything. They drove straight to the gate of the courtyard before stopping. A scholar lifted the curtain and got out, walked up the stone steps, and cupped his hands towards the thugs at the door with a calm expression, saying something.

After a while, a clerk-like person with upturned eyebrows and bean-like eyes walked out of the branch with a guarded expression, looking at him and narrowing his eyes, asking, "Who are you people? Why do you want to see Master Xia?"

The scholar was Shi Chanli. Where had he ever waded in the so-called Jianghu? Looking at the clerk's sinister expression and the thugs surrounding him, it was obvious that they were all carrying weapons. The scholar was really panicked in his heart and couldn't help but secretly complain that Supervisor Fan was too inhumane to make him do this kind of thing. But he still suppressed his nervousness and said, "We are from Kyoto. We are here to see Chieftain Xia to discuss important matters."

The branch's clerk gave him a contemptuous look, quite dissatisfied with the other party's pretense. He squinted his eyes and looked at the carriage, saying, "Is it you, or the people in the carriage? If it's the people in the carriage, why haven't they gotten out of the carriage when they're at the door? Such sneakiness is not the way to be a guest."

……

……

But the three people in the carriage didn't listen to what was being said outside. Fan Xian had thrown Shi Chanli out precisely because he wanted to exercise the scholar's mental strength. At this time, he was busy talking to the Third Prince. He said gently, "Your Highness, the people's livelihood that you've seen along the way from Yangzhou to Shazhou is very different from that in Kyoto. Please keep it in mind."

Traveling at night, Fan Xian deliberately had the Third Prince come into contact with the ordinary people along the way, allowing him to see the most real lives of the people. Whether it was an old man carrying firewood by the roadside or a second lady selling herbal tea in a shop, they would make a special stop and say a few idle words.

Fan Xian didn't have any experience or methods for the so-called prince education. He had no choice but to cross the river by feeling the stones, trying to see if this method would work.

Shi Chanli seemed to have smelled something in Fan Xian's arrangement, and couldn't help but worry about Supervisor Fan. The Third Prince calmly accepted it, maintaining a maturity that far exceeded his age, remaining silent and not talking nonsense.

"The people's livelihood is difficult," the Third Prince replied respectfully. "Although our Great Qing Dynasty's taxes are not heavy, the people's lives are still not easy. But looking at the people along the way, they mostly have a sense of peace and happiness on their faces. From this, we can know that the people's demands are not high at all. The key to the affairs of the court lies in first satisfying the people's most basic needs for food and clothing."

Fan Xian was purely a blind man leading the way. He didn't know how to govern the world. He nodded noncommittally and said, "The people are easily appeased, but all the court's needs and the salaries of the officials are taken from the people. Your Highness should pay attention to the degree of extraction in the future when you help His Highness the Crown Prince govern the world. As long as you don't cross the line, there will be no major problems."

The Third Prince looked at Fan Xian twice and suddenly smiled innocently, "Teacher, the folk customs of Yangzhou are much more fierce than those of Shazhou. The people there all have resentment on their faces. I imagine that the court's extraction is excessive."

On the ship, this young Third Prince had been extremely close, asking to call Fan Xian "teacher" instead of "Director", deliberately wanting to draw closer to Fan Xian. Fan Xian had stopped him several times, but without success, so he let him be. Hearing this sentence at this time, he subconsciously thought of the Yangzhou Governor who had been killed by his scheme. He didn't want to continue this topic, but instead asked, "What is Your Highness's opinion of... the Jiangnan Water Fortress?"

"Teacher said that heroes use martial arts to violate prohibitions, not to mention the so-called Water Fortress, which is just a group of underworld people on the water, hooligans in boats, plotting to make money and harm lives, using violence to demand wealth. They don't have the heroic spirit that teacher described," a hint of ruthlessness flashed across the Third Prince's clear and childish face. "In this student's opinion, we should mobilize the army and wipe them out in one fell swoop. The ringleaders should all be beheaded, and those who commit crimes should be exiled to the northern frontier."

Fan Xian was stunned and said, "I said earlier that folk customs are created by the terrain environment and living environment. Indiscriminate suppression is like wildfire passing through. Perhaps you can clear the weeds for a while, but if you don't start from the people's livelihood and the people can't survive, they will still fall into banditry, just like the weeds will regenerate after the spring breeze. In this cycle, when will it end?"

After thinking for a while, the Third Prince shook his head and said, "Teacher, what you said is wrong. The imperial court must use severe punishments for these rebellious people. You also said that the Jiangnan Water Fortress must have connections with the Sha Lake Navy to survive until now. If we allow these rebellious people to secretly undermine the court's laws, how will we clean it up in the future?"

He then said coldly and ruthlessly, "Appeasing the people's livelihood and making the people live well is naturally a prerequisite for eliminating thieves in the world, but for those thieves who dare to come out, we must not be soft-hearted. Those who should be killed must be killed!"

Fan Xian looked at the Third Prince with a smile that was not a smile, discovering that this child was indeed much more decisive than himself, but his concealment skills were still far worse than his own. He dared to raise objections in front of him, wanting to show his openness and honesty. He proposed to use the word "suppression" to deal with the Jiangnan Water Fortress, wanting to show a decisive and unconcealed side in front of him, allowing him to feel his sincerity - he wanted to deliberately edify and change the Third Prince on this trip to Jiangnan, but wasn't the Third Prince also trying to influence him - although the little guy wasn't smooth enough, it was really impressive that he could have such a scheme at such a young age.

"Then why doesn't Your Highness object... to your subject coming to this Jiangnan Water Fortress branch today?"

"Teacher has his own wonderful calculations that this student cannot presumptuously guess," the Third Prince replied calmly with a hee hee smile.

Fan Xian raised his eyebrows, knowing that although the Third Prince didn't know the details, he should be able to guess his general direction. He smiled self-deprecatingly, thinking that he was indeed a somewhat hypocritical fellow. At this time, the conversation outside the carriage had also progressed halfway. He didn't know what Shi Chanli had said, but the clerk's expression finally became flustered, and the thugs surrounding the carriage moved even closer.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Fan Xian walked down from the carriage, looking around at the scenery in the twilight, seeming not to care much about the water bandits who were approaching.

Then, he turned around and pulled the Third Prince and Sisi down.

The Third Prince stood beside him, just reaching his armpits, looking at the surrounding thugs with great interest and asked softly, "Teacher, are these the so-called Jianghu people?"

Fan Xian replied, "They should be considered as such."

The Third Prince was a bit excited but not afraid. After all, he was a prince. Where would he know the dangers of the Jianghu? And following beside Supervisor Fan, he never considered his own safety. Ever since the Suspended Temple incident, the Third Prince had believed that with Supervisor Fan around, no one could harm him, especially now that the whole world knew about Fan Xian's background... The imperial family was inherently ruthless, but the Third Prince thought that Fan Xian was an exception.

Fan Xian looked at him sideways and asked curiously in a low voice, "Young master, why aren't you worried at all?"

The Third Prince hee hee smiled and said, "With teacher around, what's there to be afraid of?"

In everyone's mind, Fan Xian was still that martial arts prodigy who could be compared to Northern Qi's Haitang, but no one knew his true situation. They just didn't understand why Fan Xian dared to go so deep into the tiger's den, disregarding his own safety.

The two people's conversation, falling into the ears of the Jiangnan Water Fortress people, seemed to explain the other party's identity. That child was probably a young master from a big family, and Fan Xian, this handsome scholar, was a tutor, but he seemed a bit too young.

"Young master, let's go in."

Ignoring the alert and tense gazes of the people around him, Fan Xian leisurely took the child's hand with one hand and the girl's hand with the other, and walked towards the gate of the courtyard.

Shi Chanli lowered his head, following with great shame. This exam was a complete failure. Supervisor Fan had told him not to reveal his identity, but to enter the door openly. The scholar really had no choice.

The clerk's expression changed constantly. Looking at the other party's personnel arrangement, he guessed that the other party was the enemy that the chieftain was desperately looking for. But... how dare the other party come to his door? When did the other party disembark from that ship!

At this time, countless brothers of the Jiangnan Water Fortress were working hard to track down Fan Xian's group on the river, engaging in a desperate battle with that large ship. Who would have thought that the enemy they were searching for would have come to Shazhou so blatantly, coming to the front of the branch so arrogantly, and barging in directly!

"Take them down!" The clerk's face turned green and white, seemingly never having seen such arrogant enemies. He was somewhat panicked in his heart. Anyone who was arrogant was either an idiot or had something to rely on. But Master Xia was currently inside the courtyard. If his response was slow, he was afraid that something big would happen.

With this shout, the thugs drew their short knives, let out a roar, and charged towards Fan Xian's group!

……

……

Fan Xian felt his right hand tighten slightly, turned his head to look, and saw that the Third Prince still had an innocent smile on his face, but his palm had subconsciously gripped his hand, suggesting that he was still a bit afraid beneath the disguise.

"Confidence." At this juncture, Fan Xian did not forget to explain, "People of the imperial family must possess overwhelming confidence."

Clang clang clang clang, just like that absurd song ringing out, the brothers of the Jiangnan Water Fortress's Shazhou branch also saw a very absurd scene. They saw countless short knives flying up at the entrance of the small courtyard, like rain, mysteriously and unpredictably breaking free from the control of their palms.

Immediately afterwards, there were countless muffled groans. All the thugs who blocked Fan Xian's path were sent flying!

……

……

Gao Da led six Tiger Guards, floating around Fan Xian and the others like a gust of wind, silently drawing the long knives they were carrying on their backs, sending those thugs flying with brute force. Their momentum soared into the sky, truly worthy of the title "blockers flee!"

Fan Xian still calmly led the two of them, walking towards the small courtyard, his footsteps very steady, accompanied by screams and the flashes of knives.

"Although there are thousands of people, I will go forth." He explained to the Third Prince beside him, "The imperial court doesn't need to interact with the Jianghu people. We only need to arrange for them to do things. So in the beginning of the meeting, don't talk about anything."

The Third Prince nodded, his eyes darting around at the fighting beside him, thinking that this feeling was really great, very excited in his heart. His small palms began to sweat, slightly damp.

"Why are these... Jianghu people's martial arts so vulnerable?" The Third Prince was somewhat puzzled by the facts before him.

At this time, some of the Jiangnan Water Fortress people were already lying on the ground, unable to get up for a long time. And those who were still able to stand looked at Fan Xian's group with gazes that had become very fearful, especially when looking at those silent long knife wielders, they were even more shocked. The clerk, covered in cold sweat, stared intently at those hands holding the hilts of the knives steadily, howling in his heart, when did so many seventh and eighth-rank experts suddenly appear in the Jianghu! And they were even bodyguards!

……

……

At this time, the group had already walked to the bottom of the stone steps of the main hall. Fan Xian stopped and said with a smile to the Third Prince, "What is the purpose of practicing martial arts? It's the same as reading, all for the sake of power, profit, and fame. What the Jianghu can give martial artists, the imperial court can give even more. Therefore, all the truly famous scholars are officials in the court, and all the truly powerful experts are also working for the imperial court. Young master, don't be fooled by those stories. The Jianghu is a poor place. How can a dead-end job like collecting protection fees attract truly powerful experts..."

At the front of the main hall, Xia Qifei, the chieftain of the Jiangnan Water Fortress, finally stood up. He looked coldly at the group of people approaching and said, "All of you retreat. Don't embarrass yourselves. I will meet these honored guests from Kyoto."

At this time, his expression was calm, but in his heart, he was also shocked. He had long guessed that the other party was from that ship from Kyoto, but how could he have expected that the other party would not avoid him, but would instead come to his door so forcefully!

Without waiting for him to extend his hand to invite them in, Fan Xian's group entered the central hall as naturally as if they were returning home.

Fan Xian invited the Third Prince to sit in the main seat, and then he sat down beside him in a dignified manner. Sisi and Shi Chanli stood quietly behind him, and seven Tiger Guards, with their hands on their sword hilts, were distributed around the central hall.

Seeing the other party's actions, Xia Qifei was so angry that he almost exploded with anger. Was this still his territory! He suppressed the anger in his heart and cupped his fist towards Fan Xian, saying, "Qifei greets milord... but there are heroes among the Jianghu commoners, and milord's words earlier were a bit too much."

At this time, if he still couldn't see that Fan Xian was a powerful figure from Kyoto, then he would really be an idiot. That's why he had to suppress his anger. Within Qing Kingdom's borders, the imperial court was a terrifying existence as unbreakable as an iron plate. Any force that attempted to confront the government would only end up in a tragic end of being reduced to ashes.

"Xia Qifei?" Fan Xian looked at the sinister-looking figure in front of him, confirmed the other party's identity, and said with a gentle smile, "This official doesn't want anyone to know that this official is visiting your mansion for the time being. Many people saw it earlier. Go handle it. It's a bit difficult. Consider it this official's first test for Chieftain Xia."

……

……