Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 80 Nighttime Investigation of Ghost Mountain Island

The painted boat docked, and Su Mo and his sister disembarked.

"Young Master Lin, Madam Lin," Su Xiaoxiao greeted them gracefully.

"My brother said the weather was nice today, so he took me boating on the lake. I didn't expect to run into you two again."

"What a coincidence." Lin Chen's eyes flickered slightly. "We're here to enjoy the scenery too."

Su Mo said, "Since we've run into each other, why don't we go for a ride together? I've chartered this pleasure boat; it's just the right size for everyone."

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

The four boarded the painted boat.

The painted boat was not large, but it was exquisitely decorated, with a tea table at the bow and a zither stand at the stern.

The boatman was a capable middle-aged man with skillful rowing techniques, and the painted boat sailed smoothly towards the center of the lake.

"I've thought about what Brother Lin said yesterday carefully since I got back, and the more I think about it, the more reasonable it seems," Su Mo said as he poured tea.

"If the Purple Robe Tower is truly behind the Grand Canal Gang, then this matter is no longer just a problem in Jiangnan."

Lin Chen took the teacup: "Brother Su, what are your thoughts?"

"The Purple Robe Tower operates in secrecy and rarely intervenes directly in local forces," Su Mo analyzed.

"Their support for the canal gang must have some ulterior motive."

I suspect they intend to control the economic lifeline of Jiangnan by controlling the Grand Canal, thereby influencing the political situation at court.

Xiao Yulou frowned: "They want to rebel?"

"It's not necessarily a rebellion," Lin Chen shook his head. "It's more likely that they want to support a certain prince, or... control Jiangnan and establish a separatist regime."

Su Mo nodded:

"Brother Lin is right. The situation in the court is delicate right now. The Empress ascended the throne as a woman, and her foundation is not yet stable."

If chaos breaks out in Jiangnan, the imperial court will inevitably be affected, and at that time, some people will be able to fish in troubled waters.

"Therefore, the Canal Gang must be eliminated," Lin Chen said calmly. "And it must be done quickly, ruthlessly, and thoroughly."

Su Xiaoxiao listened quietly from the side, a look of worry flashing in her eyes:

"But Young Master Lin, the Purple Robe Pavilion is very powerful, you..."

"Don't worry, Miss Su," Lin Chen said with a smile.

"Since I dared to investigate, I naturally had some preparations."

As they were talking, the pleasure boat approached Turtle Island.

From the lake, the island is covered with lush trees, and a few houses can be vaguely seen, making it look no different from any other lake island.

But Lin Chen could sense that there were indeed array fluctuations on the island.

"That's Turtle Mountain Island," Su Mo explained.

"The scenery used to be beautiful, a great place for spring outings, but now it's abandoned and few people go up there."

"Oh?" Lin Chen feigned curiosity. "The scenery looks nice, why is it deserted?"

Su Mo lowered his voice: "It's said that the island is haunted, and fishermen often hear strange noises nearby. Over time, no one dares to go near it."

"Haunted..." Lin Chen mused.

This is probably a rumor deliberately spread by the Canal Gang and the Purple Robe Tower to deter outsiders from getting close.

The pleasure boat circled the island once and then slowly departed.

Lin Chen memorized the island's terrain and planned his actions for the night.

The pleasure boat returned to shore at sunset.

Before parting, Su Mo said:

"Brother Lin, the correspondence between the Trough Gang will be sorted out and sent to you tomorrow. If you need any assistance, please just let me know."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Su." Lin Chen cupped his hands in greeting.

Su Xiaoxiao glanced at Lin Chen, hesitated, and finally said softly:

"Young Master Lin, please be careful in everything you do."

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Su."

After watching the Su siblings' carriage depart, Lin Chen and Xiao Yulou returned to the inn.

……

As night fell, Taihu Lake was completely silent.

Guishan Island was shrouded in darkness, with only a few scattered lights.

On the island, the guards of the canal gang patrolled back and forth, unaware that uninvited guests were lurking in the shadows.

Yuan Tiangang and Zhang Qing quietly infiltrated the island.

Both of them were at least Grandmaster level, and their movements were as elusive as ghosts, easily evading the guards.

"The Nine Palaces Bewitching Array..." Yuan Tiangang stood in front of a rock, observing carefully.

"The person who set up the formation was clumsy and full of flaws."

He took out a Bagua mirror and adjusted its angle in the moonlight.

The mirror reflected the moonlight, which shone on the rocks, revealing faint streaks of light.

"As expected." Yuan Tiangang sneered.

"Using stone as the base and wood as the guide, and borrowing the movement of water vapor from Taihu Lake, the only way to break this formation is to cut off the flow of water vapor."

He asked Zhang Qing to protect him, then sat down cross-legged and formed a mudra with his hands.

An invisible force spread out from him, and the surrounding water vapor gradually condensed into fine water droplets.

"Heaven and earth are boundless, and the universe borrows their laws. Water returns to its proper place, and the array's core manifests itself!"

Yuan Tiangang gave a low shout, and the water droplets suddenly scattered, turning into countless fine lines that extended in all directions.

Several of the water lines suddenly broke in a certain direction—that was the key point of the formation!

"Walk!"

The two figures swayed and arrived at the center of the formation.

It was an ancient tree with strange runes carved on its trunk.

Yuan Tiangang struck out with his palm, the wind from which was like a knife, erasing all the runes.

"Click—"

It was as if something had broken.

The fog on the island quietly dissipated, and the scenery became clear.

"The formation has been broken," Yuan Tiangang said.

"Go and rescue them, I'll stay here and keep watch."

"yes!"

Zhang Qing vanished into the night in a flash.

The dungeon is located inside a cave in the center of the island.

Zhang Qing evaded the patrolling guards and quickly found the cave entrance.

For him to do this with his abilities is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, but Lin Chen has the power to be capricious.

There are two guards at the entrance of the cave, both of whom are at the third rank of cultivation.

But it was no match for Zhang Qing and was dealt with silently.

Upon entering the cave, a musty smell hit us.

The cave wound its way down, and after walking about a hundred steps, a huge underground space suddenly appeared before us.

This really is a dungeon.

Dozens of iron cages were neatly arranged, each containing a person.

There were men and women, old and young, all dressed in rags and looking terrified.

"Who goes there?!" The four members of the Cao Gang guarding the dungeon noticed the anomaly and rushed over with their swords drawn.

Zhang Qing didn't even look, and with a flick of his sleeve, four gusts of wind shot out.

The four disciples groaned and collapsed unconscious.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you." Zhang Qing said, waving his hand to unlock the iron cage.

The prisoners were initially afraid to move, but seeing that Zhang Qing had indeed come to rescue them, they all came out of their cages.

"My savior!" An old man knelt on the ground. "Thank you so much for saving me!"

"Get up, let's go." Zhang Qing waved to help the old man up.

"There are people waiting outside. I'll take you out."

He led the group outside.

As soon as they emerged from the cave, they heard a commotion in the distance—the patrolling guards must have noticed something amiss.

"Hurry up!" Zhang Qing urged.

The group stumbled and staggered towards the shore.

Yuan Tiangang had already prepared a small boat on the shore, and upon seeing everyone arrive, he immediately invited them to board.

"Mr. Yuan, the situation on the island has already been alerted," Zhang Qing said.

"It's alright," Yuan Tiangang said calmly.

"Leave them a mark as the Lord commanded."

He raised his hand and waved it, and a sword aura shot out, drawing a huge "林" (Lin) character on the open ground in the center of the island.

The sword energy reached a depth of three feet, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Walk!"

The small boat quietly left the shore and headed into the depths of Taihu Lake.