In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Zhang Sanfeng knew that at this moment, this peach wood sword was not only as powerful as a divine weapon, but in the hands of some Taoist masters, it was probably comparable to an unparalleled divine weapon!

Moreover, this is a ritual implement, not a real weapon, so its significance is completely different.

So Zhang Xiaoshan gave the lightning-struck wooden sword to Zhang Sanfeng as the most precious treasure of Wudang Mountain.

Firstly, I was grateful for Zhang Sanfeng's reminder; secondly, this thing was useless to him.

This isn't the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Technique; the electric current on it doesn't cause much substantial paralysis or damage to top-tier experts, let alone direct harm.

As for power comparable to divine weapons, the Zhang family has no shortage of divine weapons.

On the other side, the county magistrate, whom Zhang Xiaoshan called "Uncle Shen," was also somewhat unwilling!

It was disheartening that Zhang Xiaoshan had left like this, and Zhuxian Town had once again failed to become the core base of the Zhang family.

However, Magistrate Shen could only console himself with the resources left behind by Zhang Xiaoshan.

Contentment brings happiness!

It should be noted that most of the 5,000 people left behind by Zhang Xiaoshan were elites from various industries.

Compared to the bustling but limited-scale Zhuxian Town at this time, this can be described as a commercial enhancement.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan left behind three hundred guards for the merchant guild and the Zhang family in Zhuxian Town, under the command of the top expert Zhao Longxiang, while a team of Blood Droplets (Duan Yanqing) secretly moved in.

In addition to the branches of the Sun Moon Cult, the spies of the Demonic Sect, and the shops of the righteous path...

At this point, the defenses within Zhuxian Town had surpassed the capabilities of a top-tier power. As the Zhang family's "parent official" here, Magistrate Shen's word was law, and any power had to give him some face!

After all, every faction needs to eat, drink, relieve itself, obtain cultivation resources, and various supplies...

After the river was dredged, Zhuxian Town became a place where boats from the south and horses from the north converged.

This time, the Zhang family's withdrawal from the Wu Tang Empire will result in most of their scattered resources being concentrated here, except for Ghost Street, making it almost equivalent to the Ghost Street in the open.

Zhang Xiaoshan wasn't afraid of any imperial spies here, as long as these people gave the Zhang family some face!

···

"Young master, there are water ghosts ahead!"

"Water ghost?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoshan frowned.

Water ghosts are essentially water bandits. Although they are not very powerful, they dominate the Yellow River.

They have no advantage whatsoever, except for their strength, in terms of timing, location, and human resources.

"Young master, they've entered the water; they probably intend to attack us."

"How dare you!"

Zhang Xiaoshan never imagined that even the Wu Tang Empire wouldn't dare to attack them, yet a group of water ghosts dared to attack their Zhang family.

Moreover, bloodthorns require a telescope to see, but Zhang Xiaoshan's eyes, with no obstructions within a thousand feet, naturally discerned that these water ghosts were not simply ordinary water spirits.

Instead, they entered the water one after another after discovering their whereabouts; their target was them.

"Prepare the submarine! Leave no one alive among these water monsters!"

"Yes, son!"

Although submarines are the simplest and most crudely made types of submarines, their advantages in the water are absolute.

Even if you're a great swimmer and swim like a fish, you're still not a fish.

After traveling another 500 zhang, Zhang Xiaoshan suddenly ordered a halt!

Most people were puzzled by the order to suspend flights.

But seeing the actions of the Blood Droplets and Blood Thorns, those who were thinking clearly understood that they had encountered an enemy.

They just couldn't understand what kind of enemy was left that would dare to intercept the Zhang family's fleet.

When the water ghosts discovered that the Zhang family's fleet had stopped sailing, they realized something was wrong, only to find that two squads of fifty-man Blood Droplets had already surrounded them.

Meanwhile, underwater, the water ghosts pierced by arrow bamboo were slowly brought to the surface with the help of the bamboo's buoyancy.

In an instant, the entire water surface was filled with panic.

After all, these bodies riddled with holes are just too bizarre.

However, occasionally some broken submarines would surface, clearly indicating that there were still skilled individuals below.

Not only can it dodge arrows fired from submarines, but it can also destroy submarines, demonstrating its considerable skill.

"Floating catkins!"

Seeing the submarine floating on the water, Liu Sheng Piaoxu jumped down at Zhang Xiaoshan's command.

As a Japanese samurai, being good at swimming is one of his skills!

Moreover, with the added advantage of the fish-skin armor, Liu Sheng Piaoxu's strength is not much weaker than that of his subordinates.

After Liu Sheng Piao Xu entered the water, it was already covered by a layer of mask. The ancient crystal served as a water mirror, so even though the river water was extremely turbid, one could still clearly see the surrounding area within ten feet.

At this moment, twenty or thirty submarines were hunting down those water monsters in a coordinated attack!

Although the river is more than ten feet deep, the waves are strong and the currents are turbulent, making it difficult to dive.

Therefore, as long as there is sufficient depth, the encirclement and suppression can be completed!

However, there were also experts among them. Therefore, after Liu Sheng Piaoxu joined, he drew his demonic sword and, relying on his agility in the water comparable to that of a swimming fish, virtually no water ghost could escape his blade.

Even for those experienced masters, it's only a matter of three strikes.

As for escaping by taking advantage of his swimming skills?

Not to mention that their swimming skills are no less than their opponent's, and their strength is far superior, the Fire Cloud Armor made of dragonfish skin alone offers advantages in water:

No need to hold your breath, it blocks water flow, and it's invulnerable to knives and bullets!

In less than fifteen minutes, with a single gesture, Liu Sheng Piaoxu sent all the submarines back to port!

"So many water ghosts, and it's over already?"

"Yes, but it's just that the female warriors around you are too strong."

After she went down, the water ghosts rose up one after another, all covered in knife wounds and carrying bamboo spears!

"The warriors beside the young master are no ordinary warriors; they are the top masters in the martial arts world."

Chapter 547 The One-Eyed Dragon King of the Bad Guys Presents the Sword to Yu Huatian

"Son!"

After getting ashore, Liu Sheng Piaoxu, dressed in martial arts attire, threw the captured prisoners in front of Zhang Xiaoshan.

This was an extremely skilled expert. Liu Sheng Piaoxu knew that the other party was a high-ranking member of the Water Ghost faction, so she spared his life and brought him to Zhang Xiaoshan.

"Long Tianyun, the chief leader of the 72 villages along the Longhe River!"

Zhang Xiaoshan looked at the other person. Although he had never seen him in person, he had heard of his name—the One-Eyed Dragon King.

After all, while the one-eyed mark is not uncommon in the martial arts world, there are very few top masters who possess it, as it is considered quite beneath them.

Especially the childish name of Long Tianyun.

Although it sounds a bit childish, it did have a certain domineering air in ancient times when literacy rates were low.

"Young Master Zhang, spare my life!"

No one is exempt from the law when it comes to life.

The one-eyed dragon king, who ruled over the seventy-two villages on both sides of the Dragon River, was now begging for mercy, looking just like a villain.

But Zhang Xiaoshan didn't say anything. He simply flicked his finger, and a mysterious ice spell from the Life and Death Talisman shot into the opponent's Tanzhong acupoint. From the moment the opponent made his move, there was no possibility of survival.

He didn’t believe that a mere one-eyed dragon king would dare to attack the Zhang family.

He didn't believe it was that simple!

"what!"

First came a scream, then the One-Eyed Dragon King's howl, like a vengeful ghost, sent chills down everyone's spines.

Three-quarters of an hour later, the one-eyed dragon king, unable to endure any longer, confessed everything.

Bad Guys!

One-Eyed Dragon is one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits of the Bad Guys. Although he is not a core figure, his loyalty to the Bad Guy Commander is beyond doubt.

"Pity!"

With a flick of his finger, he ended the life of the One-Eyed Dragon King and threw him into the rolling river.

The Bad Guys are a big problem, after all, they are very secretive, and there are even Bad Guys on his ship, in Zhuxian Town, and in Ghost Street.

If it were the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhang Xiaoshan wouldn't even bother with them.

"Young master, the ship is probably..."

"I know!"

Zhang Xiaoshan nodded, naturally understanding Liu Sheng Piaoxu's guess.

However, he couldn't possibly conduct another screening of the people on the ship, since he had already secretly carried out an extremely rigorous screening of them before.

"They're just minor characters; as long as they can't send out any intelligence, that's fine!"

Besides, if people are careful enough to keep an eye on things, they can deal with it directly if they slip up.

We continued our journey through the canyon.

As for the One-Eyed Dragon King's confidants and stronghold, Zhang Xiaoshan also sent people to clean them up.

Zhang Xiaoshan wanted to nip any potential problems in the bud.

Especially considering his status as a member of the Bad People, who is at least one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, Zhang Xiaoshan still hopes to obtain some valuable information.

The hundreds of corpses, along with several crudely made bamboo submarines, naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Three days later, news spread throughout the martial arts world that the Dragon King Fortress, the headquarters of the seventy-two strongholds on both sides of the Dragon River, had been wiped out by the Blood Droplets, in addition to the previous news.

Soon everyone realized that it was the One-Eyed Dragon King who had attacked the Zhang family!

As for why it wasn't the Zhang family that attacked Dragon King Fortress?

After all, with hundreds of corpses first, followed by the massacre of the Dragon King Fortress, it was clear that the Seventy-Two Fortresses of the Dragon River had angered the Zhang family, attracting the Blood Droplets to wipe them out.

Moreover, the Zhang family's reliance on waterways gives them a natural advantage over the 72 villages along the Longhe River.

····

"This humble one greets Young Master Zhang!"

The land of Qi and Lu, the hometown of sages.

As Zhu Shou's envoy, the person who came this time was Yu Huatian, the supervisor of the Western Depot.

Firstly, the situation in the Ming Dynasty is still unstable, and Cao Shaoqing needs to stay in the capital to oversee things.

Secondly, the scholars of the Ming Dynasty had a strong sense of pride. They invited people to settle in the Ming Dynasty, rather than trying to suppress others as "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants".

Even if the Zhang family were powerful, those scholars would probably still look down on them and ridicule them. Therefore, even Zhu Shou did not dare to send ministers to invite the Zhang family to settle in the Ming Dynasty.

"So it's you, Your Excellency. I am honored to greet you!"

Zhang Xiaoshan nodded to Yu Huatian and invited him to join them on the merchant ship.

After all, although the Ming Dynasty was weak, it was still a dynasty. Moreover, the emperor guarded the country's gates and the Ming Dynasty would never make peace through marriage, making it arguably the dynasty with the strongest moral integrity.

Inside the cabin, incense was burned, tea was served, and glassware was displayed...

Even Yu Huatian, who enjoyed all the riches and honors in the palace, was still shaken.

The incense is the highest grade of agarwood, which is basically the exclusive incense of the Zhang family now. In Huang Rong's opinion, musk is cruel, ambergris is disgusting, and sandalwood is too Buddhist.

Xiangming is also a top-grade ancient tea, even better than the most famous tea among the tribute teas.

Needless to say, the glass tea set and the modern tea table made of rosewood were also specially ordered by Zhang Xiaoshan.

Even at his level, simplicity reveals the true essence;

But he still prefers the modern atmosphere, the poetic and picturesque tea brewing amidst the misty clouds, which is not just about tasting tea, but also about enjoying a beautiful scene.