Another two days passed.
Jiang Fan and Su Weiwei stayed at home, deeply enamored with each other, as they had just consummated their marriage and were brimming with the energy of youth. Both of them savored this new intimacy.
At the same time, they had several weeks of food stored at home, so there was no need to worry about sustenance.
However, on this day, he expended a lot of energy to finally pull himself out of the comfort of the bed.
Because his Eighth-Grade Opportunity was about to arrive.
If he missed this time, he would likely miss the Eighth-Grade Opportunity altogether.
No matter the reluctance, he had to get up.
"At noon, in the reed area of Yunmeng Lake, I wonder what kind of opportunity it will be?"
Jiang Fan was full of anticipation.
He bid farewell to Su Weiwei and left home, heading to the dock of Osmanthus Village.
Basically, the villagers of Osmanthus Village moor their fishing boats at the dock.
It didn't take long for Jiang Fan to find an upturned boat that hadn't been used for a long time, then he headed towards the reed area.
As a child of a fishing family, mastering the fishing boat was a skill learned from a young age, so he was very familiar with it.
Especially now that he was a Skin Tempering Realm Martial Artist, handling the boat became even easier.
"Oh, is that Jiang Family Boy? Coming fishing?"
"Isn't that to be expected? Even if Old Jiang left a lot of property, you can't just sit around eating until it's gone."
"It's said that Jiang Family Boy was sick for several days and rested at home for a while. Now that he's recovered, naturally he wants to fish; after all, without fishing, there's no food."
"Coming out to fish at this time isn't a good idea."
"But it's better than sitting at home doing nothing and running out of resources."
"That's true. Coming out might even result in a good catch."
Many fishermen noticed Jiang Fan. After all, Osmanthus Village wasn't large, and everyone was quite familiar with each other.
However, they only exchanged a few words casually.
After all, they also needed to venture deep into Yunmeng Lake to catch a substantial amount of fish. There wasn't time to delay.
At noon, with the sun high in the sky,
Jiang Fan maneuvered his upturned boat into the reed area, where the lake was densely filled with reeds.
Apart from him, there were basically no other fishermen around.
"Hmm?!"
It was at this moment that Jiang Fan's heart stirred, as if he saw something.
He noticed at first glance a vast amount of fresh blood in the reed area, staining that patch thoroughly.
As he maneuvered the upturned boat over, he immediately saw a corpse dressed in black clothes.
The deceased appeared to be in his forties or fifties, of small stature, with numerous knife wounds and sword marks on his body.
His eyes were wide open, filled with terror and unwillingness, clearly a restless death.
Although he didn't know who this person was, there was undoubtedly a treasure left on the body.
"Could this be the Eighth-Grade Opportunity?"
Jiang Fan was truly astounded, even though it wasn't the first time, he remained deeply amazed.
His Life Chart was truly unusual, allowing him to foresee future opportunities, which was simply inconceivable.
If he hadn't came at that time, to that place, he definitely wouldn't have obtained the opportunity.
Thinking of this, he maneuvered the upturned boat closer, flipped over the corpse, and quickly found a black package on it, stuffed full.
He sat on the upturned boat and opened the black package.
Immediately, he discovered thirty taels of silver inside; besides that, there were many bottles and jars, seemingly filled with special concoctions, though he didn't know what they were.
Finally, there were two secret manuals.
One on the Disguise Technique, and one on Cao's Poison Scripture.
Although Jiang Fan was quite curious about the origins of these items, he knew this wasn't a place to linger.
It was obvious that the corpse hadn't been dead long.
Moreover, the body was covered in knife wounds and sword marks.
Clearly, the individual had been hunted down by enemies.
If he stayed there, he might encounter enemies.
Thinking of this, Jiang Fan didn't hesitate, and quickly left the reed area with the upturned boat.
Boom~~
Just as Jiang Fan left the reed area not long ago, a giant black fish appeared from the depths of the lake, as large as a whale, pitch black, exuding a fierce aura.
It had caught the scent of blood in the lake and swam over instantaneously, like a deep-sea monster.
Thud!
Immediately, the monstrous fish breached the surface and swallowed the corpse in one gulp, as if devouring a light snack at lunch, then diving back into the depths, sauntering away.
The corpse seemed to have vanished without a trace in this place.
Without a doubt, if Jiang Fan had arrived a moment later, the corpse and the Eighth-Grade Opportunity would have disappeared without a trace.
If he had arrived too early, he wouldn't have encountered the corpse.
After a while, a black warship appeared on the lake, bearing the Court's banner.
Standing on it was a group of soldiers clad in Court attire.
Each of them exuded murderous intent, wielding sharp swords, closely watching the movements on the lake.
They could be described as elite, not to be underestimated.
Leading them was Tonghe County's County Captain, Feng Hao, the second-in-command only to the County Magistrate, a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist.
His strength was truly exceptional.
"Lord Feng, we have already dispatched quite a few people to investigate the nearby lake."
"But there has been no sign of the Flower Thief, Cao Jun."
One governmental constable immediately reported.
"Keep searching."
"That Cao Jun fell into our ambush, severely wounded, he can't have gone far."
"If he really escapes, catching him next time will be nearly impossible."
"That guy won't fall for it a second time."
County Captain Feng Hao said solemnly.
The infamous Flower Thief Cao Jun had wreaked havoc across the martial world for decades.
Countless women from noble families had fallen victim to his cruelty.
However, his ancestry traced back to the Poison Doctor, Cao Yi, making him exceptionally skilled in poisons and adept in disguise.
Once he eluded capture and disguised himself as another person, it became impossible to track him down.
Thanks to this disguise technique, not even the Court's relentless pursuit could unveil his trail.
Additionally, he was proficient in poisons.
Even a slight oversight could lead to a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist falling victim to his venomous scheme.
In past sieges, Cao Jun had escaped unfettered each time.
This infuriated the Prefecture City to no end.
Numerous noble families had united, vowing to make the Flower Thief pay the price.
If successful, his accomplishments might extend beyond Tonghe County, paving the way for further advancement.
"Yes, Lord Feng."
Many governmental constables nodded in agreement.
They knew that capturing the Flower Thief Cao Jun was a significant matter; success would bring rewards for each of them, and everyone could earn a silver reward.
Unfortunately, the Flower Thief Cao Jun had long been swallowed by the monster fish of Yunmeng Lake.
Finding his remains was virtually impossible.
Thus, these people were destined to return empty-handed.