Chapter 339 - 163: A Sudden Rise to Power, Dashing and Spirited, Breaking Bones and Sucking Marrow, The 8 Prodigies of Jianghuai, The Flood Dragon Monarch Pledges Allegiance

Chapter 339: Chapter 163: A Sudden Rise to Power, Dashing and Spirited, Breaking Bones and Sucking Marrow, The 8 Prodigies of Jianghuai, The Flood Dragon Monarch Pledges Allegiance

Within the entire Beicang Marquis’s Mansion, Granny Shi was second only to the Young Lady Heir, Xiao Mingli, in seniority and status.

Although she normally lived in seclusion and rarely made public appearances, every Grand Lineage and great clan with a few decades of history in Jiangyin Prefecture knew of her pivotal standing.

It was no exaggeration to say.

Marquis Beicang Xiao Pingnan was stationed in a state-level vassal town, where he commanded the Cangdu Soldiers and guarded a ’Realm Gate’. He was not in Jiangyin.

And this highly respected Granny Shi...

...was his eyes in Jiangyin Prefecture!

If Granny Shi so wished, she could report any incident in Jiangyin Prefecture involving the Young Lady Heir, Xiao Mingli, to the higher-ups.

In other words...

To offend her was to offend Marquis Beicang himself!

And just who was Marquis Beicang?

Among the masses of the Great Xuan, to even be considered part of the Nobility, one had to at the very least achieve the rank of Prefecture Official.

Prefecture Official, Ennoblement, a Fief, and the rank of Marquis!

In all of Jiangyin Prefecture, one couldn’t find a single Noble Clan, let alone a member of the Nobility with a fief large enough to dominate a county, or even an entire prefecture!

A mere Fishing Trade, in the eyes of those from a higher tier, was no different from some backwater nouveau riche who braved the wind and waves to ply a menial trade—fishing. They were seen as part of the lower nine professions, the dregs of society.

For that impossibly noble Young Lady Heir to send her most trusted attendant to accompany this boy on a trip to the Fishing Trade...

...her intentions were practically written on her face!

Chen Jing’s face darkened. Though he was seething with resentment, after hearing the servant’s report and considering the Young Lady Heir’s unmistakable message, he had no choice but to forcibly suppress the rage in his heart.

After a few long moments...

This Great Lineage Master of the Upper Nine Professions, a titan who had dominated the Fishing Trade’s vast seas for a generation, suddenly broke into a smile. He strode quickly out of the main residence to greet them personally, appearing exceedingly eager.

...

"Such a majestic bearing, with bones of jade and flesh like an immortal! A physique that seems to hold the power of Ten Dragons and Ten Elephants. If I weren’t seeing you with my own two eyes, I’d have mistaken you for a True Sect Disciple or an inheritor of the Celestial Pillar True Inheritance!"

Ji Xiu had just followed Granny Shi into the Fisherman Chen Residence, the predatory gazes from all around not yet having subsided, when he saw a middle-aged Martial Artist walking toward him. The man had broad shoulders, an imposing figure, and the powerful stride of a dragon in motion, radiating a natural air of authority.

His voice arrived before he did, his smile exceptionally warm, looking at Ji Xiu as if he were the son of an old family friend.

Ji Xiu glanced at Granny Shi, who gave a subtle nod, confirming that this was indeed Chen Jing, the Fishery Master—a man who had been a dominant power in Jiangyin Prefecture for many years and was the chief among the Ferry Leaders.

He was the master of the vast Chen Residence, his family having made their living from the Fishing Trade for three generations. His status was eminent, and his personal strength had reached the Leakless Realm, making him comparable to a Sect Leader!

Looking at the man’s affectionate gaze, as if he were greeting a favorite nephew...

’If I hadn’t crippled one of his clansmen and shot down the Fishing Trade’s sacrificial banner twice,’ Ji Xiu thought, ’I might have actually fallen for it and believed my master and this Great Lineage Master Chen were old friends.’

At this thought, the corner of Ji Xiu’s mouth twitched. He knew perfectly well this was all thanks to Xiao Mingli’s backing.

Otherwise, judging by the message Chen Jing had sent to the Beicang Marquis’s Mansion...

...Chen Jing would never have let this go without putting him in his place, teaching him a harsh lesson, and knocking him down a peg or two.

With this in mind, Ji Xiu met Chen Jing’s gaze, which looked for all the world like that of an old family friend, and a smile spread across his own face as well.

"Master Chen..."

Now that he had arrived at the Fisherman Chen Residence and met Lineage Master Chen Jing in person, seeing that with Granny Shi by his side, Chen Jing couldn’t touch him—not today, at least, not even as a mighty Lineage Master with the power to crush him like an ant... an idea suddenly sparked in Ji Xiu’s mind.

’That Wild Flood Dragon, Cangming Monarch,’ he mused, ’sided with me when I rode him into the prefecture. As a result, he lost his post as a Fishery Tributor. Isn’t he now wandering the outskirts, struggling to find his next meal?’

’Raising a Great Flood Dragon as powerful as a peak Qi Cultivation Grandmaster must consume a fortune in flesh and blood, not to mention Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Materials!’

Before, Ji Xiu had no way to properly provide for the Great Flood Dragon that had defected to his side, no way to show it the benefits of its loyalty.

But now...

He had a way.

As this idea took root, the smile on Ji Xiu’s face grew even warmer. He met Chen Jing’s gaze, and the two of them even managed to project an air of mutual admiration, as if two great men were finally meeting.

However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, one of the Chen Clan members, who had been glaring at him with open hostility, suddenly spoke up, his face filled with righteous indignation:

"First Uncle, Third Master died at the hands of this boy’s master! The mourning canopy hasn’t even been taken down yet! His children are still wearing sackcloth and filial piety attire in his courtyard!"

"How can you bury the hatchet with this boy!?"

Hearing this dissonant, resentful voice, Ji Xiu tilted his head and glanced over, spotting a familiar face.

It was none other than Chen Chuan, the son of the Chen Family whom he had defeated back at the docks in Anning County—the one who claimed to have practiced his family’s Martial Art, the Killing Whale Fist, to the level of Great Success.

Back then, his Master, Duan Chenzhou, had battled upon the surging waves. Aided by Cangming Monarch, the man and flood dragon duo had utterly crushed four Qi Cultivation Grandmasters who had come seeking vengeance.

Meanwhile, he himself had displayed his prowess with blade, fist, and arrow, subduing the arrogant young prodigies from each of those four families one by one.

But now...

This young man was still at the same level, not having progressed a single step.

’But I,’ Ji Xiu thought, ’have advanced my Dao Skill to the level of Divine Thought, and my Martial Dao has reached the Immortal Robe realm.’

’It’s no exaggeration to say that now, all I would have to do is activate my True Gang, shoot out the Divine Talisman Fire with a glance... I wouldn’t even need a single proper move...’

’...to turn this boy to cinders!’