"A flood dragon bead?!"
Liu Zhijian looked up, staring at the jewel glowing with faint water-clear light as his angler's heart burned with passion. 'Since there's a flood dragon bead, there must be a flood dragon!'
'This is my target catch!'
'Could there be one right inside this White Dragon River?!'
Sitting beside him, Deng Gang, who had been silently posing as an expert, also looked on with glowing eyes.
Seeing everyone's fervent reaction, Zhao Changfan nodded in satisfaction. He carefully stowed away the 【Fubo Flood Dragon Bead】 and smiled. "The Fubo Gang has dominated the White Dragon River for over a century; naturally, we have something to rely on."
"This flood dragon bead is one such reliance!"
The people inside the cabin watched helplessly as Zhao Changfan put the bead away, their eyes filled with reluctance.
It was the scholar in green robes who marvelled, "I did not expect Gang Leader Zhao to possess such a supreme treasure."
"However, there are so many of us here today, yet there is only a single flood dragon bead."
"Once the deed is done, how shall it be divided?!"
These words struck right at the crucial point.
Some were even beginning to stir, preparing to seize it by force.
"Hehe, Young Master Lin's vision is still too narrow."
Zhao Changfan was indeed quite a character. He spoke nonchalantly, "At the end of the day, this flood dragon bead is merely a dead object."
"I brought it out today solely to earn everyone's trust."
Granny Jiu struck her walking stick heavily against the floor and said in a cold voice, "Kid of the Zhao family, stop speaking in riddles. If there's a secret, speak plainly."
"Granny, please do not be impatient."
Zhao Changfan offered a sincere apology and explained in detail, "To be frank with you all, this flood dragon bead is merely the key to a treasure trove."
"Beneath the main headquarters of our Fubo Gang lies the very place where a flood dragon was buried!"
"You must know there is a reason why this great river is named White Dragon!"
"Even if that flood dragon was not direct dragon kin, it was still tainted with dragon qi."
"It was merely slain later by immortals from the mountains!"
"Our Zhao family spent a hundred years and several generations risking their lives to retrieve this single flood dragon bead!"
"Even now, within that cave abode, there remain flood dragon bones, a precious pool of dragon blood, and immortal cultivation techniques carved upon the stone walls!"
Now, no one present could sit still any longer.
"Immortal cultivation techniques!"
The blind old Daoist grew agitated. Shaking the cloth banner in his hand, causing faint swarms of mosquitoes to flutter about and disperse a foul stench, he asked in a trembling voice, "Is there any 【Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth】 needed to enter the Dao?!"
Zhao Changfan froze for a moment, his face filled with confusion. "May I ask Daoist Master Zhong, what is this 【Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth】?"
Old Daoist Zhong snorted coldly, shaking his head without another word.
The middle-aged saber wielder remained calm, asking, "So the Danzhou City Magistrate and his wife wiped out the Fubo Gang precisely for the flood dragon's leftover legacy?!"
"Indeed!"
Zhao Changfan gnashed his teeth, speaking with bitter hatred, "Within that cave abode, besides the flood dragon's bones, there is a precious pool of flood dragon blood."
"Beside the blood pool grows Dragon Saliva Grass."
"Our Zhao family harvested it once every three years and sent it to Spring Return Valley to refine pills."
"For some unknown reason, news leaked out, and that wretched couple discovered our secrets. Taking advantage of the chaos, they slaughtered my parents and clan members, forcefully seizing that flood dragon cave abode."
"Unfortunately for them, they do not have the flood dragon bead."
"As of now, they are likely completely helpless before that cave abode!"
Everyone suddenly realized the full picture.
Although the story was full of twists and turns, its logic was perfectly sound.
Liu Zhijian, however, felt that something was amiss after listening to this.
He had thought it was merely a jianghu blood feud, but in the blink of an eye, it had turned into a cultivation treasure hunt.
Based on his ten years of reading web novels, there was likely a massive conspiracy hidden behind all this.
Liu Zhijian felt a stir in his heart and softly urged Deng Gang to leave with him.
Deng Gang shook his head in refusal. With fervency and sincerity in his eyes, he said, "Brother Liu, I don't want any flood dragon bead, nor do I want techniques—I only want that flood dragon blood! I beg Brother Liu to help me. Once this is done, I will surely repay you handsomely!"
Facing the first friend he had made in this world, Liu Zhijian ultimately could not bring himself to refuse heartlessly.
He could only let out a sigh and nod in agreement.
...
Seven days later, at the main headquarters of the Fubo Gang, Fubo Island.
Among the eccentric masters recruited by Zhao Changfan, many had already been killed or wounded while fighting off the guards from the magistrate's estate.
Those who managed to survive until entering the cave abode were either formidable in strength or cautious like Liu Zhijian.
The blind old Daoist was the first to charge into the cave abode. Muttering under his breath, he seemed to spot some treasure and rushed toward the southeastern corner in wild joy, only to be wiped out by a clear beam of water light that appeared out of nowhere.
The middle-aged saber wielder was killed by Granny Jiu while trying to snatch the old Daoist's cloth banner magic treasure.
Granny Jiu, holding two magic treasures, actually launched a sudden attack on Zhao Changfan in an attempt to snatch the flood dragon bead.
Unexpectedly, the hunchbacked old servant beside Zhao Changfan was also a deeply hidden master; trading injuries for a lethal blow, he beat Granny Jiu to death.
Liu Zhijian did not take part in the fight. His expression was terribly grim as he struggled just to protect Deng Gang, who was heavily injured and unconscious.
Not far away, the scholar in green robes held a black wooden sword, his face filled with smiles.
Just now, it was precisely this green-robed scholar who had suddenly thrusted his sword toward Liu Zhijian.
Liu Zhijian was caught off guard, on the verge of losing his life.
Beside him, Deng Gang let out a furious roar, knocking the wooden sword away with his bare fists. He saved Liu Zhijian in the nick of time, though he himself suffered heavy injuries as a result.
Recovering his wits, Liu Zhijian urged his wooden staff magic treasure forward, knocking the scholar in green robes flying.
However, he did not dare to pursue, merely turning back to protect Deng Gang.
Within the flood dragon cave abode, only five people remained, each staying on guard against the others.
"Good, good, good!"
Zhao Changfan did not care about the lives of others at all, laughing aloud, "Everyone, wait for me to open the cave abode's restriction with a secret method, and then we shall divide the treasures!"
In his heart, however, he was sneering coldly.
'The treasures all belong to my family. How could I offer them to others on a silver platter?!'
'Once I use the flood dragon bead to activate the immortal formation, I can easily silence them all and keep the flood dragon's secret stash for myself.'
Using his family's secret technique, Zhao Changfan activated the flood dragon bead and successfully bypassed the cave abode's formation as expected. Casting a wary glance at the scholar in green robes, he turned back to remind, "Uncle Luo, keep close to me!"
"Yes."
The hunchbacked old servant's injuries were not light. Coughing up blood after a few hacking coughs, he stumbled over behind Zhao Changfan and struck a fist right into the back of Zhao Changfan's heart.
This punch was exceedingly heavy, thrusting straight through Zhao Changfan's chest.
The smile froze on Zhao Changfan's face as he collapsed to the ground with a thud, completely lifeless.
"Haha, a loyal servant of the Zhao family indeed."
"Striking so heavily that the Zhao family junior died without any pain—it really was too easy on him."
In the corner of the cave abode, a shimmer of spiritual light faded away, revealing a man and a woman dressed in luxurious attire with extraordinary demeanors.
"City Magistrate Du, Lady Hua..."
The hunchbacked old servant picked up the flood dragon bead, his expression showing neither sadness nor joy. "I have done what I promised you. Where is my granddaughter?"
The woman in palace attire let out a light laugh and stepped aside, revealing a little girl sleeping on the ground.
The hunchbacked old servant walked over quickly. After inspecting her carefully, he placed the flood dragon bead on the ground, picked up the little girl with care, turned, and departed.
Liu Zhijian let out a sigh.
It was not difficult to guess that these two were undoubtedly the city magistrate and his wife.
In the end, Zhao Changfan was still too young.
In all his schemes, he had failed to anticipate that while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole lurks behind.
"Invisibility talismans, is it..."
"Interesting."
The scholar in green robes examined the two orioles with great interest, asking, "Is the Hua family not renowned for pill refining? Since when did you also master talismans? It looks quite extraordinary—could it be an heirloom of City Magistrate Du's family?"
Hua Yuhe's relaxed expression instantly tightened as she asked guardedly, "Who are you?"
In a situation like this, anyone who could still remain relaxed and at ease was either a fool oblivious to danger or a powerhouse with absolute confidence.
Evidently, this green-robed scholar was no fool.
The scholar in green robes lightly flicked the black wooden sword in his hand, producing a resonant metallic clanging sound. He spoke slowly: "Inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect, Lin Muyang, greets fellow Daoists!"
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