yasinovel Chapter 75 Zheng Chaoyang's Past
Chapter 75 Zheng Chaoyang's Past
Chapter 75 Zheng Chaoyang's Past
As a result, changes also occurred within the county government.
The most lucrative position of clerk was vacant and was filled by Du Wenzheng, the former instructor of the county school.
The vacant position of instructor, a rank of eighth grade, was taken over by Chen Wenyuan, a close confidant of the county magistrate.
Although the promotion from a ninth-rank counselor to an eighth-rank instructor was only one rank increase, the increase in authority and status was considerable, making it a well-deserved honor.
Zheng Chaoyang, in his capacity as the head of the county's armed forces, took over the position of captain and commanded the entire county's armed forces.
He has been busy lately, on the one hand training the guards who suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Blackwater Ferry, and on the other hand personally leading the team to clear out the fish demons on the Sandy River that have been corrupted by powerful demonic energy and turned into monsters, causing havoc on fishing boats.
The Guzhu Gang, which controlled the eastern docks of the city, kept an unusually low profile under the restraint of its leader Zhao Hengjiang. Everything continued as usual, and no trouble was stirred up by the expansion of its power.
This gang leader is clearly adept at navigating social situations and knows how to conceal his brilliance when things are going well.
As per the previous agreement, the portion of the dock revenue that originally belonged to the Black Tiger Gang was not taken by the Guzhu Gang; it was all handed over to Zhang Yuan for disposal.
Zhang Yuan himself had no interest in managing these administrative affairs, so he handed them over to his uncle Wang Quanfu and Xiao Yang to run together.
At first, Wang Quanfu felt that his nephew was being too distant and had some objections, but Xiao Yang simply said, "Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. Sometimes, the closer people are, the easier it is for them to develop grudges or even betray each other when it comes to interests."
Thinking of the various lessons learned in the city, Wang Quanfu fell silent and stopped arguing.
When Zhang Yuanxing arrived outside the city, he saw Zheng Chaoyang, dressed in a black martial arts robe, waiting on his warhorse.
He was also leading a sturdy chestnut horse.
Zheng Chaoyang's aura was more composed and restrained than it had been half a month ago, and the demeanor of a Grandmaster was naturally revealed.
"Master." Zhang Yuan stepped forward and bowed.
Zheng Chaoyang nodded and handed him the reins: "Get on the horse, let's go to the dock. The fish demons in the river have been mostly cleared out. I'll take you to see them today, and you can practice your skills while you're at it."
Zhang Yuan nimbly mounted his horse.
The two riders rode side by side, slowly making their way towards the Chensha River Wharf.
The horses' hooves clattered on the official road.
After a moment of silence, Zheng Chaoyang gazed at the shimmering river ahead and suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a sense of reminiscence and an indescribable heaviness: "Qingyang, back in the Pan Shi Martial Sect, I was considered an elite inner disciple."
"With my qualifications and the resources of my sect, I have a good chance of touching the threshold of the Insight Realm and then condensing the Golden Body of Martial Dao."
Zhang Yuan turned to look at Zheng Chaoyang.
Indeed, Zhang Chaoyang's cultivation level and martial arts talent are extremely rare.
To master a fist technique to perfection requires not only perseverance, but also sufficient martial arts talent.
Zheng Chaoyang paused, his voice lowering, "Unfortunately—a sudden tragedy struck my family. My parents, and my uncle and aunt who treated me like their own children—all perished at the hands of a passing water demon, their remains never recovered."
Zhang Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.
Zheng Chaoyang's profile features sharp lines, yet his eyes gaze into the endless distance, as if piercing through time and space.
"Back then, I was young and impetuous, filled with grief and indignation. I didn't care about the Insight Realm or the Golden Body Realm. I immediately left the sect and went home to attend the funeral. Afterward, I joined the army, thinking only of killing all the demons and evil spirits in the world to avenge my family."
Zheng Chaoyang's voice carried a hint of hoarseness and bitterness.
"After years of fighting in the army, crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, I finally accumulated merits and was promoted to captain, leading a battalion of brothers. I thought I finally had some power—but when I was ordered to clear out a great monster in a water area, we encountered—the Overturning Sea Dragon."
"The Sea-Overturning Dragon?" This wasn't the first time Zhang Yuan had heard this name.
The great flood that swept through several counties this time was indeed caused by the sea-overturning dragon.
Dragon Elephant Demon!
"Hmm, a great demon at the Dragon Elephant Realm." Zheng Chaoyang uttered these words, his tone filled with a deep sense of powerlessness. "It can overturn rivers and seas, and possesses great supernatural powers—it's simply beyond the ability of us ordinary martial artists to contend with."
"In a single encounter, over a hundred brothers in the entire camp were almost all killed or wounded. I barely managed to survive thanks to my cultivation and luck, but my foundation was damaged and my path to enlightenment was severed. I could only disarm myself and return to my hometown of Fengming, where I opened a martial arts school and lived out my remaining days."
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhang Yuan, his eyes filled with even greater dejection: "What we captured this time was merely a small mudskipper under the command of that Sea-Overturning Flood Dragon, who had cultivated for hundreds of years. The real Sea-Overturning Flood Dragon—ha—"
He shook his head, and the rest of his words turned into a long sigh that drifted away in the river breeze.
That sigh was filled with despair at the inevitability of the disaster and deep sorrow for the fallen comrades.
Zhang Yuan remained silent.
He sensed the immense sorrow and helplessness in his master's heart.
A great demon at the Dragon Elephant Realm is an existence far surpassing that of a Grandmaster!
With his current level of cultivation, he was probably not even as good as an ant in front of such a powerful demon.
The desire to become stronger had never burned so intensely in his heart.
We are approaching the dock area.
On the riverbank, Wang Ziteng was waiting with several elite members of the Guzhu Gang.
Seeing Zhang Yuan and Zheng Chaoyang riding over, Wang Ziteng's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he waved vigorously: "Qingyang! Instructor Zheng! Over here!"
A moment later, the group boarded a large fishing boat.
The boat traveled to a bend in the river where the current was rapid.
Several members of the Guzhu Gang carried wooden buckets onto the deck.
They dumped several large buckets of animal entrails, along with scraps of meat, into the river, which reeked of blood.
"Master Zheng, Qingyang, this is it. Due to recent cleanup, several formidable fish have been hiding beneath this body of water. They are very cunning and difficult to catch with nets; we'll have to lure them out with bait and kill them by force," Wang Ziteng explained.
A strong smell of blood quickly spread through the water.
Before long, the once calm water began to churn with turbid waves.
Several strange fish, unusually large in size, with scales shimmering with an eerie light and sharp white teeth protruding from their snouts, emerged and began to tear at the flesh and blood in the water.
Their eyes were bloodshot and they exuded a violent demonic aura. They were fish monsters that had been corrupted by the evil blood and qi of that day, turning into demons!
"Let's do it!"
Zheng Chaoyang said in a deep voice.
Everyone on board was already on high alert.
The men of the Guzhu Gang threw out barbed javelins and fishing nets to restrain the fish demons.
Several guards held longbows and shot arrows into the water, causing blood to splatter.
Zheng Chaoyang did not draw his sword, but stood at the bow of the boat, his grandmaster aura covering the river surface, both to support the group and to prevent a sudden attack from a stronger demon.
Zhang Yuan's eyes narrowed as he spotted a pitch-black fish demon that had just leaped out of the water. It was over half a zhang long and had a mouth full of fangs. His blood and qi suddenly erupted!
He lightly touched the deck with his toes and shot out like lightning!
"Clang!"
The long sword was drawn, its cold light flashing!
A condensed, crescent-shaped blade, carrying the weight of a rock and the indestructible sharpness, precisely swept across the hardest point where the fish demon's head and body connected!
"Pfft!"
The enormous fish head snapped off with a snap, spraying out a torrent of foul blood!
The headless fish body crashed heavily back into the water.
【Ding! 】
[Slaying the Demon-Transformed Black (low-level demon) increases lifespan by thirteen years!]