Chương 32: The Player and the Piece

Su Zhe's mouth fell slightly open. For a long while, he couldn't process what had just happened. After a moment, he finally muttered to himself with a calm expression:"A mere River Pirate King. I can deal with him easily." Then he paused.

"Wait a second... Since the Flood Dragon Plunges into the Sea Art came from the Mad Shark Gang, it most likely belonged to Mad Shark himself. And if he's ruled the Su River for so many years..." Su Zhe's eyes began to shine.

"... then he must have accumulated quite a treasure trove." Anyone who enjoyed killing enemies and looting their belongings knew one thing: There was no faster way to build capital than taking it from the dead. Without hesitation, Su Zhe began searching Mad Shark's corpse from head to toe. The man's upper body was bare. He wore only a pair of shorts. No shoes. Su Zhe even stripped off the man's underwear. Nothing.

"How can a mighty Pirate King be this poor?!" Furious, he stomped Mad Shark's corpse several times. Poor Mad Shark. A tyrant in life, and even after death he was still being kicked around by Su Zhe.

"Hm?" Su Zhe suddenly frowned. There was a stitched wound across Mad Shark's abdomen. The skin around it bulged slightly, dried blood still clinging to the edges. His eyes narrowed.

"Don't tell me this bastard used body-storage techniques?" The thought flashed through his mind. Drawing the Fiend-Slaying Blade, he sliced open the wound. The blade immediately struck something inside. It wasn't metal or silver. Soft, yet incredibly tough. The knife couldn't cut through it. Peeling back the flesh, Su Zhe carefully extracted the object and washed away the blood. What emerged was a piece of silk.

《Inferior Treasure Art — Flood Dragon Plunges into the Sea (Fragment)》 As he read through it, excitement gradually spread across his face.

"The continuation!"

"It contains the cultivation methods for the Intermediate and Mastery stages!" A broad smile appeared on Su Zhe's face. Immediately, he activated the Creation Immortal Cauldron. Lines of text appeared upon its surface. This item can be fused with the Lesser Mastery Fragment. Fusion will increase its power. Su Zhe retrieved the earlier silk fragment from his Immortal Aperture inventory. As the two pieces approached each other, something remarkable happened. The silk seemed alive.

Threads sprouted from the torn edges and rapidly intertwined, stitching themselves together before his eyes. Moments later, the fragments had become a complete chart.

Name: Flood Dragon Plunges into the Sea Art (Incomplete — Missing Martial Finishing Techniques) Grade: Third-Rank Mortal Relic Contains: Inferior Treasure Art Equipment Requirement: Minimum strength of one thousand jun force Effects: Flood Dragon Enters the Sea (Third Rank) Flood Dragon Soars Through Clouds (Third Rank) Strength of One Flood Dragon (Third Rank) Special Effects: Increased physique aptitude Increased talent Faster cultivation of Water-Attribute martial arts Intermediate and Mastery-stage cultivation memories of the Flood Dragon Art Key memories of the River Pirate King, Mad Shark"The second-rank silk only required a thousand jin of strength to equip.

This upgraded third-rank version requires a thousand jun instead." Su Zhe sighed.

"Fortunately, I possess the strength of four oxen. Otherwise I'd only be able to stare at it helplessly." All three traits were now Third Rank. The first two, Flood Dragon Enters the Sea and Flood Dragon Soars Through Clouds, enhanced aquatic mobility and speed. The third trait was entirely new. Strength of One Flood Dragon (Third Rank) Grants the power of a Flood Dragon. A Flood Dragon is a creature on the path toward becoming a true dragon, inheriting a portion of a Water Dragon's might.

A true dragon can possess a million jin of strength. A Flood Dragon possesses fifty thousand jin. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Fifty thousand jin! Su Zhe sucked in a sharp breath. At present, his physical strength already surpassed that of ordinary mid-stage Second-Rank martial artists thanks to the strength of four oxen. Even a naturally gifted powerhouse who cultivated the Savage Ox Art would struggle to exceed two thousand jin.

Yet this trait granted an additional fifty thousand. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Moreover, the Flood Dragon Art was designed around the fusion of speed and power. The stronger the body, the faster the movement. At the moment, Su Zhe possessed only three Immortal Aperture slots.

They were occupied by: Blackwater Steel Trident Demon Scale Inner Armor Flood Dragon Silk Scroll User: Su Zhe Physique Aptitude: Lower Grade-A (base) Upper Grade-A (with equipment) Cultivation Realm: Mid Second Rank Traits: Blackwater Affinity Blackwater Power Like a Fish in Water Supreme Goodness Like Water Flood Dragon Enters the Sea Flood Dragon Soars Through Clouds Strength of One Flood Dragon"I lost the Master's Legacy and the Fifty-Forging Hammer, along with the strength of three oxen..."

"But in exchange, I gained the strength of a Flood Dragon."

"My natural aptitude has also broken into Grade-A. With equipment bonuses, it's reached Upper Grade-A." His thoughts raced. He couldn't hide his excitement. Even better, all three equipped items belonged to the Water Attribute and complemented one another. Underwater combat would become one of his greatest trump cards. Recalling Sun Tiexin's teachings, Su Zhe pondered: Tempering is one of the most critical steps in the path of a smith.

Therefore, not only are forging materials important, but even the water used during tempering matters greatly. Places like Sword-Casting Manor possess special tempering lakes. Ordinary lake water is already a gift of nature, but some lakes contain spiritual treasures such as Tempering Water Essence, powerful beasts, and countless rare resources. To walk the path of craftsmanship, mastery over both water and fire is indispensable. Three equipment slots weren't many. But they could be swapped as needed.

For example, when cultivating the Savage Ox Hammer Art, he could simply replace one of his current items with the Fifty-Forging Hammer. Just then— A torrent of memories slammed into his mind. The memory fragments split into two parts. One contained the Intermediate and Mastery cultivation experiences of the Flood Dragon Art. The other was far more unusual. Fragments of Mad Shark's memories. Thankfully, they weren't the entirety of his life. Only key moments.

Had Su Zhe inherited Mad Shark's complete memories, the mental overload alone might have left him bleeding from all seven orifices and driven him insane.

"Li Kuang, you've spent ten years as an outer disciple of Sword-Casting Manor. Your aptitude hasn't reached Grade-A, and your comprehension is mediocre. Leave the sect and find work in one of the eighteen counties under Tang Prefecture."

"No! Ten years of youth! How many decades does a man have? Sword-Casting Manor has failed me! If I kill an inner disciple and seize a Treasure Art, I might still reach the Fourth Rank!"

"Li Kuang! How dare you! You colluded with an evil cult, cultivated forbidden arts, murdered fellow disciples for their treasures, and even consumed their flesh to heal your injuries! Your crimes deserve death!"

"Run... run to some remote county. Sword-Casting Manor is powerful, but they won't waste enormous resources hunting me forever..." The memories flowed by like scenes from a film.

"So Mad Shark's real name was Li Kuang..." Su Zhe watched with interest.

"He was actually an outer disciple of Sword-Casting Manor." Unfortunately, the memories contained no cultivation techniques from the sect itself. Only scattered events.

"Today, I have seized the title of Pirate King of Lu County! From this day forth, my gang shall be known as the Mad Shark Gang, and I shall be Mad Shark!"

"Five years... and I still can't even begin cultivating the Flood Dragon Art. Damn it! The secret has leaked. The Canal Guild, the government, and the Blacksmith Guild are joining forces to wipe us out!"

"Wang Shan of the Pojun Hall wants a private alliance. He can provide intelligence on Lu County's major powers. We'll communicate through a nobody named Huang Mazi. If anything goes wrong, sacrificing Huang Mazi will protect us both."

"I've handed over the Lesser Mastery section first. His intelligence was accurate. I escaped alive... but most of my men are dead." At this point, Su Zhe finally understood the relationship between Mad Shark and Wang Shan. The situation was simple. Mad Shark's possession of a Treasure Art had been exposed, leading to a joint hunt by Lu County's major factions. Wang Shan wanted the art for himself. So he secretly aided Mad Shark's escape in exchange for portions of the Flood Dragon Art.

Initially, the partnership had worked smoothly. Mad Shark had indeed delivered the Lesser Mastery section. Then the memories continued.

"Damn Wang Shan! May he die miserably! Even the Lesser Mastery section is a Treasure Art capable of leading someone into the Fourth Rank. He intends to swallow everything for himself..."

"The factions are hunting me again. Huang Mazi has vanished..."

"My injuries are severe. I have no healing treasures, and spirit fish are difficult to find. Must I slaughter my Rainbow Trout Spirit Fish?"

"No. Ranked martial artists are rich sources of nourishment. I'll use the fish as bait and lure greedy cultivators here. Their flesh will sustain me." Su Zhe's face darkened. A wave of nausea rose in his stomach. At last, he understood why Mad Shark had used the Rainbow Trout Spirit Fish to lure him here. The pirate had intended to devour martial artists to recover from his injuries. Cannibalism. Disgusting. Utterly vile. Mad Shark truly had been a cruel and monstrous man. He deserved his death.

Then another memory fragment surfaced.

"Something isn't right. Lately, men from the Wang Estate have been appearing around several fishing villages."

"After capturing one and interrogating him, I learned that Huang Mazi is probably dead."

"The Flood Dragon Art never reached Wang Shan's hands. He suspects I killed Huang Mazi and reclaimed it."

"Still, I'm not the only suspect. Warriors from multiple fishing villages are being secretly investigated."

"One interesting youngster caught my attention. After receiving bone-reading instruction from the Blacksmith Guild, he mastered a hammer technique in a single day."

"Someone saw him return briefly to the Su Family Fishing Village afterward. The next day he left. Earlier, his uncle had angered Huang Mazi in broad daylight."

"Soon after, Huang Mazi disappeared."

"An excellent seedling..." The memory continued:"Lu County has become a heavenly net. I cannot escape alone."

"So I released the man from the Wang Estate and sent a message through him to Steward Huang Yuan."

"I told him I wasn't responsible."

"I wish to negotiate another alliance."

"Huang Yuan seems occupied with personal matters. We agreed to meet in three days beneath the Deadwood Bridge along the Su River." The memories ended there. Su Zhe slowly opened his eyes. His face was ashen. He had believed Huang Mazi's death had been handled flawlessly. But he had overlooked one crucial detail. When he returned to the village that day, many people had seen him. Earlier, Huang Mazi had met Mad Shark's men in the reed marshes to receive the Lesser Mastery section of the Flood Dragon Art.

By chance, Huang Mazi discovered Su Zhe's uncle nearby. Fearing exposure, he intended to kill him. However, too many fishermen had witnessed the confrontation, forcing him to hold back. That night, Huang Mazi had planned to attack the Su family under cover of darkness. Instead, Su Zhe killed him first. Many villagers had seen Huang Mazi publicly threaten his uncle. Then Huang Mazi vanished. One clue alone meant little. But put together... A pattern emerged. No investigator could conclusively identify Su Zhe.

Yet he would inevitably become a suspect. And when a Treasure Art was involved, people like Wang Shan would rather kill a hundred innocents than let a single possibility escape. Even Mad Shark himself would have suspected him had he not been too busy fighting for survival. For powerful men, suspicion alone was enough to justify murder. As the implications settled in, cold fury ignited in Su Zhe's eyes. Killing Huang Mazi had been an act of self-defense.

Yet that single decision had become an invisible hand, pushing him toward a deadly conspiracy far beyond his control. Fortunately, the Creation Immortal Cauldron had granted him Mad Shark's memories. Otherwise, he would still be completely in the dark. If Huang Yuan met Mad Shark as planned... If Huang Yuan's suspicions deepened... If he then returned to the Wang Estate and reported everything to Wang Shan... The consequences would be catastrophic.

"Three days..." Su Zhe's racing thoughts gradually calmed.

"According to the memories, Huang Yuan is currently away in some remote mountain settlement. The investigators operating nearby are all warriors loyal to Wang Shan."

"When Huang Yuan returns in three days, he'll hear their reports, meet with Mad Shark, and then head back to the Wang Estate to deliver his findings." A glimmer of calculation appeared in Su Zhe's eyes.

"That gives me time." The enemy was strong. He was weak. But he possessed one advantage. He was hidden. Delay. That was the answer. The muddier he made the waters, the longer he could drag things out. And the more time he bought, the stronger he would become. One day, he would no longer be a piece moved by others. He would become the player holding the board.