Chương 33: The Phantom Shark Mask — Moving Out Overnight

Su Zhe fell silent. After all his careful schemes and calculations... In the end, all he had really accomplished was delaying the arrival of danger. But when he thought about it, that made perfect sense. This was a world where martial strength ruled above all else—a world filled with hidden dangers at every turn. Even in a tiny backwater like Lu County, anyone who had risen to become a local powerhouse was an old fox with countless tricks up their sleeve.

Compared to them, Su Zhe's little performance had been far too naive.

"I need to get Uncle and Aunt to Lu County as soon as possible and place them under Master's and the Sun family's protection."

"Until I'm strong enough to stand against Wang Shan, they'll have to stay hidden and avoid attracting attention."

"We move tonight." Looking up at the star-filled sky, Su Zhe let out a quiet sigh. He had returned to Su Family Fishing Village earlier that evening and gone to train along the Su River shortly after dinner, around sunset. Since then, he had trained, caught a Horned Pomfret, encountered the Rainbow Trout Spirit Fish, slain Mad Shark... Without realizing it, six hours had passed. It was now around two in the morning. Farmers rose before dawn.

If they waited another hour or two before leaving, someone was bound to see them. From the memories he had absorbed from Mad Shark, Su Zhe had learned much about Wang Shan. The man's talent was extraordinary. Not yet thirty years old, he stood only a step away from the Fourth Rank. He possessed the appearance of a fearless warrior, but his mind was sharp and meticulous. More importantly, he was obsessed with martial cultivation. Even Mad Shark at his peak had been no match for Wang Shan on land.

Having been trapped at the peak of the Third Rank for years, Wang Shan was practically obsessed to the point of madness. If there was even the slightest chance to break through to the Fourth Rank, he would stop at nothing to seize it. If Wang Shan truly began to suspect Su Zhe... Then even with Sun Tiexin protecting him, Su Zhe had no doubt Wang Shan would target his uncle and aunt. Removing that vulnerability was the highest priority.

"At least for now, Master can be trusted." Sun Tiexin clearly had high expectations for him, though Su Zhe still didn't understand why. But the old man's concern and care felt genuine. And besides, Su Zhe had no better option. Back inside the riverside cave. Su Zhe picked up the Blackwater Steel Trident and the Fiend Saber and began digging into the muddy ground. The Fiend Saber was a Second-Rank mortal weapon of excellent quality.

Now that he understood the truth behind everything, it wasn't hard to guess its origin. Wang Shan must have given it to Pockmarked Huang. Otherwise, how could a disgraced First-Rank martial artist have obtained such a weapon? Pockmarked Huang was Huang Yuan's younger brother. Huang Yuan, meanwhile, was Wang Shan's trusted subordinate. A nobody like Pockmarked Huang was the perfect intermediary between Wang Shan and Mad Shark.

If their dealings were ever exposed, Wang Shan could simply silence him and sever the connection. A disposable pawn.

"What a scheme."

"What careful planning." Su Zhe sneered.

"Since you want to play games, then let's play." The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The excavation progressed quickly. The cave stood beside the river, and the soil beneath it was mostly soft silt. Soon, he had dug more than a meter down. A chest roughly a foot long emerged from the mud. It was crafted from black ironwood, a dense, water-resistant timber that resisted decay and naturally sank in water.

Without hesitation, Su Zhe smashed it apart with a single punch. The wood itself was valuable, but in Lu County it was commonly associated with river bandits. Though it pained him, leaving any clues behind was too dangerous. The moment the chest shattered, dazzling flashes of treasure gleamed from within. Several gold and silver banknotes. Together, they were worth nearly two thousand taels of silver. An enormous fortune. Unfortunately, banknotes were traceable.

The issuing banks kept records, and these notes had almost certainly already been marked. Trying to cash them would immediately attract suspicion and tie him to the river bandits. With visible reluctance, Su Zhe tossed them into a fire and watched them burn. Anything dangerous was destroyed. What remained was clean wealth. Fifty taels of gold. Seven hundred taels of silver. Ten taels of refined gold bullion. Thirty taels of refined silver bullion....

"I'm rich."

"I'm really rich." Su Zhe's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. According to the prices within the Blacksmiths' Guild, the treasure was worth around twenty-five hundred taels. On Lu County's underground market, however, refined gold and silver sold for much higher prices. The total value could easily exceed four thousand taels. Adding the twenty-eight taels of gold and one hundred taels of silver he had already saved, Su Zhe suddenly felt unimaginably wealthy.

And that wasn't even counting the Horned Pomfret still trapped inside the bamboo fish basket by the riverbank. This fish was significantly larger than the one Old Li had caught in the village before. It could probably fetch four to five hundred taels of silver on its own. Unfortunately, the Creation Immortal Cauldron couldn't store living creatures, so he had been forced to leave it in the basket for the time being. With all this wealth combined... Little Su Zhe had practically become a landed noble overnight.

After disposing of everything else, Su Zhe picked up Mad Shark's sharkskin mask. Golden text appeared above the Creation Immortal Cauldron. Name: Phantom Shark Mask Grade: Third-Rank Mortal Weapon Requirements: Second-Rank cultivation, strong swimming ability Equipment Traits: False Appearance (Third Rank): Conceals one's aura, making detection difficult. Shark's Breath (Third Rank): Greatly increases underwater endurance and breath retention. Special Benefits: Increases Bone Talent. Increases Comprehension.

Accelerates cultivation of water-element martial arts. Upon reaching the Third-Rank Internal Force Realm, the wearer can channel internal energy underwater and manipulate water currents. Another incredible treasure.

"What a pity. I still haven't opened a fourth Immortal Aperture."

"For now, I'll have to wear it normally." He stored the mask inside the Creation Immortal Cauldron. Then he dove into the river and floated downstream, following the route he had taken earlier. Before long, he returned to the shore near Su Family Fishing Village. Thankfully, the Horned Pomfret was still there. Su Zhe wrapped the fish carefully in an undershirt to conceal the silvery glow of its scales, then quietly slipped back home. He woke his uncle, Su Yuan, and his aunt, Lin Xia.

Without explaining the full situation, he simply told them that a serious danger was approaching and that they had to leave the village immediately. Any delay could cost lives.

"Good heavens, you're making it sound so serious. Xiao Zhe, don't scare your aunt. What happened?" Lin Xia clutched her chest nervously. Before Su Zhe could answer, Su Yuan spoke.

"Enough questions." He lit his tobacco pipe and took a long drag.

"Pack your things and go with Xiao Zhe. He won't harm us." The sternness in his voice startled her. Su Yuan rarely spoke to his wife like that.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" His tone hardened further. Lin Xia's eyes reddened. Though unhappy, she didn't dare argue.

"Why are you being so fierce? Hmph... I've really suffered enough marrying into the Su family..." She grumbled while gathering her belongings. Su Zhe repeatedly reminded them that they could abandon everything else. The new house had already been fully prepared. Watching his uncle calmly smoke, Su Zhe couldn't help asking:"Uncle, aren't you curious at all?" Su Yuan knocked the ash from his pipe against his shoe before replying evenly:"You're the head of this family now."

After a pause, he added:"I heard the government launched a massive campaign against the river bandits."

"Did Pockmarked Huang really join them?" Su Zhe fell silent. Back then, he had used that story to reassure his uncle. Now that Mad Shark's gang had been annihilated and official information was no longer being suppressed, the timing did seem suspicious. Joining a bandit gang right before its destruction was unbelievably unlucky. Still, Su Yuan asked no further questions. And Su Zhe offered no explanations. Under the stars, the three of them set out for Lu County.

They traveled along secluded paths whenever possible, avoiding contact with others. By the time they arrived at the Sun Estate, dawn was approaching. The estate steward had already received instructions from Sun Tiexin. He knew the neighboring residence had been sold to Su Zhe and was prepared to help the family settle in. Though surprised by their sudden arrival, he asked no questions. Clearly, he understood how highly Sun Tiexin regarded the young man.

The next day, Su Zhe headed to the Internal Affairs Hall of the Blacksmiths' Guild. He intended to purchase the Five Metals needed to open his Fourth Immortal Aperture. For a martial weapon smith from the Artisan Hall, buying cultivation materials was hardly unusual. The hall's allocation system was notoriously stingy, largely due to costs and the high failure rate of weapon crafting. Most smiths supplemented their resources through private purchases.

This time, however, Su Zhe was buying in unusually large quantities. Naturally, it attracted attention. But with Huang Yuan and Wang Shan hanging over his head like a blade, he could no longer worry about drawing notice. Fortunately, Mad Shark's treasure had provided enough refined gold and silver to cover the cost. Purchasing black iron, refined copper, and refined tin wasn't enough to shock anyone. Soon, the materials were delivered to Artisan Courtyard One.

The requirements for the Fourth Immortal Aperture appeared before him: Fourth Immortal Aperture Requirements: 2 taels refined gold 200 jin black iron 20 taels refined silver 300 jin refined copper 400 jin refined tin Looking at the mountain of materials, Su Zhe sighed.

"My fortune just shrank by a large chunk..."

"It hurts. Every coin here was earned by risking my life." After gathering the Five Metals and feeding them into the Creation Immortal Cauldron, he couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache.