When the carriage reached a section of road where it could no longer proceed, Qin Yuesheng, who got off the carriage, deeply felt how formidable his current physical condition was.
A continuous surge of vitality welled up from within, and there was considerable explosive power in his limbs as he moved.
Bam!
He forcefully stomped on the ground, instantly creating a footprint two fingers deep on the dirt road.
"Not bad," Qin Yuesheng nodded in satisfaction.
To everyone's surprise, during the journey to Baihe Village, Qin Yuesheng seemed to be the least exhausted. When they arrived at the destination, he wasn't even slightly out of breath and there was no sweat on him.
His entire demeanor appeared quite composed.
"So this is Baihe Village, the scenery is pretty nice," Qin Yuesheng remarked as he looked at Baihe Village in the distance and the scenery beyond.
The entrance of Baihe Village was a high slope, and from there, one could see the Gusu Fishing Bay to the east of the village, with green mountains and white clouds even further away.
"In addition to the water lotus saplings, Baihe Village is also known for its mushrooms, yams, okra, and fish and shrimp. Young Master can give some money to a local family later to prepare some homemade dishes and taste them," said Hua Shique.
He had been to Baihe Village many times and was quite familiar with the place.
"Sounds good." Qin Yuesheng immediately stepped down the slope and led a group of people into Baihe Village.
Without wasting time, Hua Shique went to find Su Daqiang, a villager responsible for supplying the Qin Mansion with water lotus saplings.
This person appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with an honest-looking face.
When Qin Yuesheng followed Hua Shique into Su Daqiang's home, the man was feeding chickens in the courtyard. Two women, one old and one young, were sitting in a corner of the yard peeling beans, while a child with a small braid was running around in circles with a wooden windmill.
"Su Daqiang," Hua Shique shouted.
The man put down the grain basket and turned around.
"Mr. Hua," Su Daqiang hurriedly greeted, "I asked a fellow villager going to Cyan Yang City to bring you a message, did you get it?"
"I got it," Hua Shique stroked his beard, "How could such an incident happen in the usually peaceful Gusu Fishing Bay? Something like this has never happened before. Did your village report it to the authorities?"
"We reported it, but it's useless. Anyone who goes into the water disappears, and a few days later, mutilated bodies appear on the shore. We don't even dare to fish near the shore, let alone search for water lotus saplings in the water."
Faced with Su Daqiang's grievances, Hua Shique asked, "What did the constables say when they came to investigate?"
"They can't investigate it. They don't know what caused it. We even took them out on a small boat to the waters of Gusu Fishing Bay, but they couldn't figure anything out. No one dares to do the water lotus sapling business anymore."
Gusu Fishing Bay being unable to supply goods is a significant loss to the surrounding areas. The water lotus saplings were considered a specialty of Cyan Yang City. If this business can't be done, the villagers of Baihe Village will definitely see a significant drop in income.
More importantly, the Qin family has a restaurant in Cyan Yang City that specializes in medicinal dishes featuring water lotus saplings. If Baihe Village no longer produces water lotus saplings, the Qin family will have to buy from further production areas, which will significantly increase expenses, and that's very disadvantageous.
"Take me to the riverbank to have a look," Qin Yuesheng said.
"Mr. Hua, who is this young man?" Su Daqiang asked in confusion.
"The young master of the Qin Mansion," Hua Shique replied.
Su Daqiang hurriedly bowed, "Young Master Qin."
"No need for formalities, just take me to the riverbank," Qin Yuesheng said.
Since Qin Yuesheng said so, Su Daqiang had nothing more to say and led Qin Yuesheng and the group to the side of Gusu Fishing Bay.
The so-called Gusu Fishing Bay is a tributary of the Gusu River. The river is covered with many lotus leaf-like plants called water umbrellas. This aquatic plant can grow from the rhizome to half a foot above the water, significantly obscuring visibility.
Upon arriving at Gusu Fishing Bay, Qin Yuesheng took a moment to observe and then asked Cao Zhengchun to go to the village to buy a chicken and throw it into the river.
Under everyone's gaze, the hen that fell into the water began frantically flapping its wings, trying to swim to the shore. Naturally, Qin Yuesheng wouldn't give it that chance. He bent down to pick up a few irregularly shaped stones and threw them at the moving hen.
With a mastery of the Flying Knife Skill, albeit only a beginner and not very accurate, Qin Yuesheng made up for it with quantity. After missing four stones, he finally hit the hen with the fifth just as it neared the shore.
Now, with 2.0 strength, Qin Yuesheng's force was something even an ordinary person couldn't withstand, let alone a chicken. The hen let out a mournful cry and instantly died on the spot.
The blood quickly spread out from the wound, dyeing the water, but as the blood spread wider, the red color faded.
"Have you tried this method in your village?" Qin Yuesheng asked Su Daqiang.
"Method? What method?" Su Daqiang looked puzzled.
Hua Shique explained: "Using poultry as bait to see if it can lure out the harmful things hiding in Gusu Fishing Bay."
Su Daqiang suddenly realized: "It seems like those officials from Cyan Yang City have tried this before, but it didn't work, and they didn't find anything in the end."
"No rush, let's wait." Qin Yuesheng looked at the river calmly, then took out his portable herbal packet and started eating.
For half a stick of incense.
The river surface was quite calm, except for the ripples created by the wind and the water circles made by the fish surfacing for air. Indeed, there was no other abnormality to speak of.
The chicken's body had already floated among those water umbrella clusters, with only the chicken head still exposed to the crowd's view.
And the blood oozing out from the chicken's body had long dried up and dispersed into the river water.
Qin Yuesheng sat on a stone, supporting his chin, and thought to himself: "Could it be that only humans are the target, and poultry is ignored?"
Hua Shique asked: "Young Master, should we keep waiting?"
"Forget it, let's go back first. Tonight, we'll stay in this village for the time being, and I'll observe the situation further." Qin Yuesheng got up, took one last look at the river, and then returned to the village.
After everyone left, a dark shadow suddenly appeared beneath the water surface where the chicken's body was. Suddenly, a splash erupted, and in the blink of an eye, the chicken's body vanished from the spot, its whereabouts unknown.
The incident at Gusu Fishing Bay has indeed disturbed Baihe Village. First, because many villagers died within a few days, leaving behind a heap of orphans and widows, and secondly, because people are unable to continue the business of harvesting water lotus shoots.
Nowadays, whoever goes into the water in Gusu Fishing Bay dies, and although selling water lotus shoots is profitable, no one dares to do it anymore. After all, compared to life, what's money worth?
But Baihe Village is the Qin family's only source of water lotus shoot herbal material. If it's unable to provide water lotus shoots for the Qin family, their business will be significantly affected. Finding another location for water lotus shoots will definitely be a considerable expense, not to mention the high transportation costs you'll need to bear by then.
The matter in Baihe Village, if it can be solved, efforts should be made to solve it. If it's truly unsolvable and exceeds his capabilities, Qin Yuesheng will opt for a strategic retreat. He is not someone who insists on completing things regardless of the impossibility and slim chances.
There are quite a few families in Baihe Village willing to offer lodging, as long as you pay a bit extra.
Qin Yuesheng and his entourage stayed at the largest house of the village chief in the village.
Wow, the man has a courtyard with twenty rooms, so there's no worry about running out of rooms.
As the sun sets in the west, dusk arrives.
The village chief Gao Peng's household was busy cooking early on, adding wood to the stove.
Qin Yuesheng and Hua Shique sat in the courtyard, chatting with Gao Peng about the matters at Gusu Fishing Bay.
"Young Master Qin, this matter happened rather suddenly. Those villagers who went into the water to harvest water lotus shoots suddenly vanished, not a single one was found, and a few days later, many arms appeared on the shore."
Gao Peng sat on a bamboo chair with a backrest, cracking peanuts into his mouth, speaking unclearly.
Qin Yuesheng leaned against his chair: "Was there really no sign before this happened? Did anyone die in your village or nearby earlier? Did anyone die recently on the river?"
Gao Peng choked a bit: "Recently... it seems not. Those stubborn old folks in our village are living quite well, none have passed away."
Just as Qin Yuesheng was about to reply, Gao Peng suddenly had a bright idea, slapped his thigh, and exclaimed: "Young Master Qin, now that you mention it, I suddenly remembered something."
The peanuts Qin Yuesheng had just shelled trembled from his shout, and both fell to the ground, no longer edible.
"Why did you shout so loudly? Just say what's on your mind. Our Young Master isn't deaf; he can hear you." Cao Zhengchun immediately scolded at the scene.
Qin Yuesheng waved indifferently: "Let him continue."
Gao Peng said: "Just two days before this happened, a small boat that had never been seen before appeared on Gusu Fishing Bay. It came from over the Gusu River."
"What's special about a small boat? Don't you all use fishing boats when you fish in Baihe Village?" Hua Shique wondered.
"No, that small boat is different." Gao Peng's face grew serious: "The places that boat passed through, the water turned black, and the water umbrellas wilted."
"And then?" Qin Yuesheng asked.
"Nothing more, the boat just passed through Gusu Fishing Bay."
Qin Yuesheng gazed at the sky, deep in thought.
A boat that turns water black and makes plants wilt.
This is perhaps similar to the faceless pallbearers Du Beilun mentioned.
It's quite possible that the situation in Gusu Fishing Bay this time was caused by that boat, just like those faceless pallbearers caused crazed people to rampage in the streets.
"Cyan Yang City is about to be thrown into chaos, having so many bizarre things appear in succession."