Chapter 137: The Jiaolong Blocks the River

Chapter 137: The Jiaolong Blocks the River

The Three Rivers Bay has been the subject of many legends since ancient times.

Some say that in the ebb and flow of the river, at the point where yin and yang balance, there lies a massive whirlpool. This whirlpool connects to the deepest part of the riverbed, concealing a palace of the Dragon King.

Within this palace resides the Jade Water Lady.

As for the identity of the Jade Water Lady, opinions vary widely.

Some say she is the daughter of the Sea Dragon King, overseeing these three rivers, which is why she established her palace here.

This theory is generally accepted by the residents along the river.

However, there is another theory whispered in secret, claiming that the Jade Water Lady is actually the Sea Dragon King’s concubine, disliked by the Dragon Empress, and thus sent here.

Although such theories are not widely acknowledged, they are widely circulated in private.

But never discuss these legends on a boat; otherwise, if you are thrown into the water as an offering to the Jade Water Lady by the boat captain, do not blame fate or others.

After all, those who make their living on the boats along both banks of the river worship the Jade Water Lady.

Of course, for martial artists, these are merely tales for the ignorant and should not be taken seriously.

In contrast, more people study the principles of the ebb and flow of the Three Rivers Bay.

Some have used this knowledge to enter the path of martial arts, devising unique techniques and achieving genuine results.

Hundreds of years ago, there was such a master who sat in meditation by the Three Rivers Bay for three years and nine months, ultimately developing a set of internal and external martial arts.

These techniques were well-balanced and highly remarkable.

With these skills, he gained considerable fame.

However, he was eventually betrayed, losing all his knowledge, which was then pieced together by other martial artists, each forming their own systems.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun arrived at the Three Rivers Bay in the afternoon.

Yang Xiaoyun, acting as a guide, led Su Mo to a three-water old inn to rest.

A waiter, who was busy serving customers, saw Yang Xiaoyun and Su Mo from afar and immediately instructed someone nearby before hurrying over:

"Isn't this the young chief of the security company? It's been a while since you last visited. No wonder the boss said this morning that a magpie was chirping on the eaves, foretelling the arrival of distinguished guests."

As he spoke, he glanced at Su Mo and then looked behind them, relieved to see no large caravan.

Noticing his unusual expression, Yang Xiaoyun raised an eyebrow but did not press for details. Instead, she asked, "Is the boss here?"

"Yes, yes, please come in quickly."

He immediately led them into the inn.

The inn's main hall was crowded with groups of people sitting at tables, some frowning in deep thought, others sighing, and still others with furrowed brows, exuding a faint aura of killing intent.

Behind the counter, the boss was flipping through accounts, his face a mix of joy and worry, seemingly unsure whether to be happy or concerned.

"The boss, distinguished guests have arrived."

The waiter brought Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun to the front and whispered.

The boss's brow furrowed instinctively, about to speak, but then he saw Yang Xiaoyun and was momentarily stunned:

"Young Chief of the Security Company?"

"What's wrong, boss?"

Yang Xiaoyun glanced around the hall: "With business this good, shouldn't you be smiling? Why do you look like you haven't had a customer in half a month?"

"Ah..."

The boss sighed, unable to laugh or cry: "It's a long story. Let's not get into it now. Young Chief, how many people are with you this time? All the guest rooms in the back are full..."

"Not many, just the two of us."

Yang Xiaoyun replied: "One room will do."

"One room?"

Hearing this, the boss carefully examined Su Mo and then smiled: "One room will do, one room will do, it's just right."

He stepped out from behind the counter, instructing the waiter to take their mounts to the stable in the back yard.

He personally led them upstairs.

The second-floor guest rooms were almost all occupied.

Though the doors were closed, the sound of pacing could be heard from most of them, indicating deep worry.

Occasionally, a guest could be seen leaning against the railing on the second floor, sighing deeply...

Only after leading Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun to their room did Yang Xiaoyun ask:

"Boss, what's going on? Why are everyone so gloomy?"

The boss sighed: "To be honest, something has happened on the waterway. The Jiaolong Association must have encountered some trouble, as they suddenly started extorting money on the waterway last night.

"In the past, once the ships paid up, they could pass without hindrance. But since last night, whether merchant ships or private ferries, any vessel reaching the Jiaolong Association's territory has been stopped.

"Not only have they seized all the cargo, but they've also sunk the ships."

"Three Rivers Bay is a vital waterway, the stronghold of the Jiaolong Association, and it tightly controls the tributaries.

"Thus, who would dare to enter the water lightly?

"The caravans have all been stopped at Three Rivers Bay...

"At first, this situation was somewhat beneficial to me, as I could earn more silver for a few days.

"But with their goods stranded at Three Rivers Bay, if they don't sell them soon, they will lose everything. In the long run, they might not even be able to afford their lodging, which is certainly not good for me.

"To be honest, when I received this news last night, I didn't sleep at all."

He sighed again as he spoke.

Yang Xiaoyun frowned: "The Jiaolong Association... that must be Zhuge Changtian. In the past, I rarely dealt with this person.

"However, the Jiaolong Association, situated in a special location, has never lacked money. Suddenly acting like this, how can the major thieves downstream tolerate him?"

Not to mention, with the Jiaolong Association blocking this spot, what will those downstream eat?

If they can't get anything, they will have no choice but to target the Jiaolong Association.

"To put it bluntly, I'm just a businessman and don't know much about these matters. But I've heard that the upstream waterways have been quite turbulent recently.

"It seems a group of monks is coming, and these monks are very fierce, forcing people into monastic life. The leaders of the various camps along the waterways are all worried about being found by these monks and forced into monkhood...

"But I think this news is exaggerated; it sounds like a joke."

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun both twitched their lips.

Is Master Hongyun coming to Three Rivers Bay?

That's pretty quick.

The sudden change in the Jiaolong Association couldn't be related to Master Hongyun's journey, could it?

"What do these people plan to do now?"

Thinking about this, Su Mo asked, "If the waterway is blocked, is there any other way?"

The innkeeper glanced at Su Mo and managed a smile, saying:

"Currently, several large merchant houses are trying to find a way to negotiate with the Jiaolong Association, but there's no news yet. We can only wait a few more days to see.

"But if things remain like this for ten to fifteen days, these merchant houses will suffer significant losses."

These people move in large groups, and being stuck in one place means a lot of expenses for food and lodging. How could the losses be small?

"Thank you for your information, Innkeeper."

Yang Xiaoyun bowed slightly.

"Not at all, your Iron Blood Escort Agency has always been very supportive of my small business. What I said isn't really a secret, so there's no need to thank me...

"But if the young chief escort wants to head east, it won't be easy. You might have to stay here in Three Rivers Bay for a few days."

"I understand."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded, and the innkeeper didn't say anything more. He just told the kitchen to prepare some food and drink, then left.

After the innkeeper left, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun were silent.

"Why is it that wherever we go, there's always trouble..."

Yang Xiaoyun let out a sigh, feeling a bit helpless.

But Su Mo shook his head: "It's not that wherever we go, there's always trouble, but rather that the world of martial arts is inherently unstable... So, we encounter problems everywhere."

"That's true."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded and said, "The storms of the martial world never cease, and everyone has their own thoughts and interests, making the entanglements complex and hard to discern. But the actions of the Jiaolong Association this time are truly hard to fathom... What should we do?"

"Changing to land travel now would be difficult, as it would take too much time, and we can't avoid this river anyway.

"For now, we can only stay in Three Rivers Bay for a couple of days and see how things develop.

"If there are new changes on the Jiaolong Association's side, we can go downstream smoothly. If not..."

Su Mo raised his eyebrows slightly: "Then we'll pay a visit to the Jiaolong Association and see what Zhuge Changtian is planning."

"Oh? You rarely have such aggressive thoughts."

Yang Xiaoyun was a bit surprised.

"Otherwise, there's no other way."

Su Mo sighed: "If the usual methods don't work, we can only resort to force."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded in agreement: "Escorting goods through the martial world requires being kind to others, but merely smiling won't secure wealth from all directions. Ultimately, we stand on our martial skills. If the usual methods don't work, we can only rely on our martial prowess to speak.

"The most convenient part of this trip is that we are only two people, making it easy to come and go... Otherwise, with more people from the escort agency, being blocked here would indeed be quite troublesome."

"Do you have any knowledge of Zhuge Changtian, Xiaoyun?"

"I've heard a little about him. Father once mentioned this person...

"The Jiaolong Association has dominated this river for over a hundred years, a family legacy. By Zhuge Changtian's time, it's the third generation."

"The family legacy of his martial arts is quite profound, though he seldom uses it.

"In the past, while his approach was to take advantage of every opportunity, he never went too far.

"Therefore, his reputation along the waterways below Three Rivers Bay has been decent.

"But I wonder what's going on this time, whether there have been any changes within the Jiaolong Association?"

"Hmm..."

Su Mo nodded slightly: "Let’s stay calm for now and see how the situation develops. The Jiaolong Association will inevitably make enemies with such actions. If they want to do business long-term, this move won’t last."

With that, there wasn't much more to say about the Jiaolong Association.

The two of them spent the night at the Old Three Waters Inn. After dinner, they went down to the main hall to see if they could hear any news.

However, most of the talk was gloomy, with various speculations.

Some were optimistic, thinking that the Jiaolong Association must be short of money and would restore the waterway once they had enough to eat.

Others were pessimistic, believing that this waterway would become troublesome from now on.

There were also those who vividly described some internal changes within the Jiaolong Association, but their stories were inconsistent and couldn't hold up.

In short, all kinds of things were being said, but useful information was scarce.

For several days, the situation remained largely the same.

During the day, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun wandered around Three Rivers Bay. Occasionally, they saw ships coming from the Hui River and the Heng River, which had to stop at the Three Rivers Bay dock because they couldn't pass through.

If this continued, the dock might not be able to accommodate so many boats.

More people meant more trouble, and the dock hadn't been peaceful these past few days.

There were constant conflicts and disputes, and sometimes they saw people fighting in the streets, causing chaos.

On the Three Rivers Bay dock, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun also saw the women from the Cold Moon Palace from that night.

They were clearly gathering information and looking for ways to get to East City.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun didn't show themselves.

After all, they had only met once, and the women seemed wary of Su Mo's identity.

Although they didn't know why, it was better to avoid them.

It wasn't until the fourth day of their stay in Three Rivers Bay that different news came.

The main hall of the Old Three Waters Inn was momentarily invigorated.

"Indeed, Yunyang Trading Company is no ordinary entity. They've managed to negotiate with the Jiaolong Association, and it's said that ships can pass tonight, and they will be allowed through when they reach that point."

"However, with this precedent set, other merchants are now exploring how to achieve similar results, to get the Jiaolong Association to let them through."

"Have you heard anything back?"

"The price is steep. For a large merchant like Yunyang Trading Company, it might be manageable, but for us small traders, it's too much. We'll lose everything on one trip, making it a losing proposition."

"What should we do then?"

"If nothing else works, perhaps we should find someone to lead us and form a temporary merchant alliance, to negotiate our passage?"

The main hall was noisy, with all sorts of opinions being voiced.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, however, leaned against the railing on the second floor, listening silently.

There was still no news about whether any changes had occurred within the Jiaolong Association.

At the dock, at least five major trading companies had already docked.

The largest among them was Yunyang Trading Company.

Their chief manager was a man of considerable influence, rumored to have strong backing from a major faction in East City.

It wasn't surprising that they had successfully negotiated with the Jiaolong Association.

After listening for a while without hearing any new information, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun returned to their room to discuss the matter.

There were essentially two ways to travel this waterway now.

The first was to join a merchant convoy, which was relatively simple and often required just a bit of money to secure a spot.

The second was to personally visit the Jiaolong Association and meet Zhuge Changtian.

However, this was a last resort.

Going there would likely result in a confrontation, and with the Twin Lotus Scroll in their possession, the outcome was unpredictable.

Moreover, the internal situation of the Jiaolong Association was still unclear, adding to their uncertainty.

After much discussion, they decided to wait another day.

If the Jiaolong Association truly opened a passage under the current blockade, and Yunyang Trading Company could pass, other companies might also have a chance.

Since they had already waited for several days, they decided to be patient and wait one more night.

After dinner, they each rested, waiting for news the next day.

The result... did not wait until the next morning.

That night, while Su Mo was in a deep sleep, he heard a loud banging at the inn’s front door.

In no time, the entire inn was lit up.

At this moment, few people in the inn could sleep, all waiting for news from the waterways.

The innkeeper went to remove the door panels and saw a man quickly stride into the inn.

Immediately, several shopkeepers came downstairs.

They watched as the man scanned everyone's faces before speaking:

"Yunyang Trading Company is gone!!!"

"Gone??"

"What do you mean, gone?"

"Passed away?"

Some still clung to a glimmer of hope.

But the man shook his head: "After Yunyang Trading Company reached the waters controlled by the Jiaolong Association, they were immediately intercepted. The third shopkeeper was in charge this time. He shouted across the river and even offered tribute, but... before he could finish speaking, the water ghosts started to drill holes in the ship.

"The pirates of the Jiaolong Association threw out grappling hooks and charged aboard.

"On Yunyang Trading Company’s ship, there was also a martial arts expert from the southwestern region guarding them, but in just one exchange, he became a soul under the water.

"In a fierce battle, the Jiaolong Association showed no hesitation, almost slaughtering everyone on the ship.

"They only captured a few people, including the third shopkeeper as a hostage, perhaps with some other plans in mind.

"After they looted everything from the ship, it finally sank to the bottom.

"Shopkeepers, I’m afraid this route is truly impassable!"

Hearing this, all the shopkeepers were dumbfounded.

"It was supposed to be arranged... What happened?"

"A scam, a complete scam! They lured Yunyang Trading Company there just to kill and rob them?"

"Have they gone mad? This is breaking the rules; there’s no such thing in this world."

"Damn it, if these scoundrels won’t let us live, then they’re forcing us to fight to the death with them!"

In an instant, even though it was the middle of the night, the inn became bustling.

Su Mo let out a light breath and returned to his room, slinging the Dragon Chant in its box onto his back.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaoyun smiled, "Leaving?"

"Leaving!"

Su Mo nodded. Whenever he made a decision, he acted immediately, never hesitating or dragging his feet.