After the New Year's celebration, the weather remained cold.

A thin layer of ice floated on the river outside Wanzhou City.

Crack!

Ship master Chen Tuozi jabbed the ice layer seven or eight times with the tip of the pole, breaking the ice so that the small black canopy boat could barely squeeze into the dock.

The copper bell hanging at the bow of the ship had already frozen into an ice clump, but the cargo vendor Old Zhao's curses were more audible:

"Damn it, dog-fucking weather, it's been three days since the Waking of Insects, and the rope for my goods is still frozen stiff!"

At the stern, a herbalist was huddled, with angelica root whiskers covered in frost flowers in his bamboo basket. He tightened his tattered cotton coat and chimed in:

"You're not wrong, it's been snowing since the New Year, and it's still so cold after the holiday. This wasn't the case in past years, feels kind of sinister..."

Upon these words, the cabin instantly grew quiet.

The vendor Old Zhao squinted his eyes and whispered: "Do you think it might be related to that incident in Chengdu Prefecture?"

"It's quite possible, I heard things were pretty bad there, the common folk went mad, the snow scared them, and there was even an Earth Dragon Roll..."

"Hey, hey, hey, we've arrived, stop chatting!"

Upon hearing them, ship master Chen Tuozi hurriedly interrupted everyone.

The incident in Chengdu Prefecture had already occurred a month ago, and even though the people seldom traveled afar, merchants had relayed news of it everywhere.

For a while, rumors ran rampant everywhere.

Some unscrupulous merchants capitalized on the opportunity, claiming that there would be military uprisings in Shu, advising people to stockpile grains and salt, causing prices to skyrocket...

There were also scam artists wandering the pugilistic world, claiming demons of Shu were coming, selling peach charms everywhere, swindling many common folk...

The court had already ordered strict prohibition on discussing the matter, arresting many on charges of spreading unsettling rumors.

Chen Tuozi certainly didn't want trouble.

Everyone knew the risks, ceased their chatter, and disembarked after arriving at Wanzhou port.

At the tail end of the cabin sat two men.

One tall, one short, one fat, one thin, their faces dark, with bamboo hats, carrying large cloth packs on their backs.

Since boarding the ship, they had kept their hats pulled low, ignoring everyone, taking silent naps, merely twitching their ears hearing conversations about Chengdu Prefecture.

Once the others disembarked, the two slowly stood.

"Ship master."

The taller man spoke with a Xiangxi accent, asking: "Is there a tea house called 'Drunken River Wind' in Wanzhou City?"

"Yes, there is."

Ship master Chen Tuozi grinned, "It's in South City, and the Luzhou Luo Family wine there tastes quite good."

He had recognized them as Jianghu Guests at first glance.

After the Baozhou Yang Family's rebellion was subdued, many green forest men wandered the southwest, and he didn't want to provoke these men and lose his life.

"Luo Family wine cellar?"

The shorter, chubby man, with a full beard, smacked his lips and asked: "I thought Luzhou wine cellar should be the Du Family's best?"

Chen Tuozi shook his head with a smile, "You probably don't know, the Du Family has fallen, and was seized by the court. As for the specifics, this old man doesn't know."

He had heard some things, but not knowing these men's backgrounds, saying too much was asking for trouble.

Fortunately, these two had no interest in Luo Family's grudge, so once they figured out the tavern's location, they went directly into the city.

Wanzhou wasn't big, they quickly found the place.

In South City, a tea house could be seen, with its wooden eaves and corners hanging the "Drunken River Wind" wine flag drooping, the wood seemed dark and old but was well-maintained.

A man walked out of the tea house, tall and elegant, with graying temples, wearing a blue robe, exuding extraordinary charisma.

It was none other than Zou Shaohai, the president of Shu Divine Fist Association.

"Greetings to President Zou."

The two dared not slack off, cupped their hands in greeting.

Not to mention this Zou Shaohai before them, a recent rising Astral Force expert of Shu whose methods were quite formidable.

After mingling with Li Yan and others, he had united many sects under the guise of subduing the Dragon Worship Sect, including several sects among Emei's "Eight Leaves," all joining the Divine Fist Association.

Originally, the Shu Divine Fist Association wasn't valued by many.

Yet, under his leadership, its influence snowballed, showing signs of becoming Shu's third-largest force after Emei and Qingcheng.

"Hahaha…"

Zou Shaohai laughed heartily, raising his hand and saying: "Please, come in."

Leading the two to a private room upstairs, after the tea doctor filled their cups, Zou Shaohai smiled and said: "I was just busy nearby, received your news, so came to wait for you here."

With his current reputation, having to personally come out to greet them meant these two weren't as simple as they appeared.

Both men were from Mei Mountain Sect.

Currently, Mei Mountain Sect is quite notable in the whole pugilistic world because they pioneered firearms technique.

The power of new-style firearms has already transformed the pugilistic world's order, and Mei Mountain Sect's rise is quite evident.

Therefore, Zou Shaohai took them seriously.

"President is too kind."

The tall, skinny middle-aged man looked solemn, cupping his hand and said: "My senior brother and I have come this time to handle the issue concerning Tang Ling, and we'll need President's assistance."

Tang Ling of Mei Mountain Sect was their generation's finest disciple, even regarded as Xiangxi's foremost Demon Hunter.

To avenge his sister, he publicly shot and killed King Shu's third son and then followed the Unparalleled Prince's mix.

In Chengdu, King Shu ordered a city-wide search, and the Unparalleled Prince, to evade capture, sold everyone out directly.

Though the Unparalleled Prince ended up with a broken corpse and scattered soul, Tang Ling and others got imprisoned, and after King Shu's military action, were taken to Chongqing Government.

Upon hearing the inquiry, Zou Shaohai sighed and shook his head, saying: "This matter is tough."

He lowered his voice and said: "This is a demon's ploy; regardless of King Shu's involvement, it's deemed resolved with the culprits dead. Plus, the Emperor, considering the rapport, didn't charge rebellion, but even honored him with a lavish burial."

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