Chapter 384
Chapter 384 The Fish Leaps Through the Dragon's Gate
Both banks of the lake were densely packed with people, a massive throng that stretched as far as the eye could see. A dark mass of old and young, men and women, craning their necks to look into the lake, as if expecting to find some treasure.
"What's all this commotion?" Master Lin was taken aback and grabbed an old man, asking, "Elder, why have so many people gathered here so early in the morning, before the sky has even brightened?"
"You must be an outsider, young man," the old man whispered mysteriously after looking around. "Let me tell you, something big has happened. Incredibly big—silver has grown in our Weishan Lake! I've heard there are several million taels of it. The Imperial Court has sent a high official here to fish out the silver. Just think, several million taels of silver—what would that look like? Piled up, it might be even higher than Mount Tai? Our Weishan Lake truly has produced a treasure. We villagers, who might not see so much silver in ten lifetimes, all got up in the middle of the night to come and watch how the high official of the court is going to fish it out. Who knows, maybe after they haul in their nets, we could try our luck fishing in the lake too!"
Silver grown in Weishan Lake? Several million taels? Master Lin was covered in a cold sweat. How could rumors spread like this? This was clear evidence. Yesterday, he had only let Luo Yuan spread the word that the court's lost official silver had been found in Weishan Lake. He had not expected that overnight, it would turn into this. People's words were indeed to be feared, and Master Lin finally realized it.
"Big brother, big brother—" Luo Yuan came running, breathless, his hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot, showing clearly that he had not slept well the previous night.
"Little Luo, what's happening here? How did so many people suddenly arrive?" Lin Wanrong pointed at the crowd around them, shaking his head in disbelief.
Luo Yuan forced a bitter smile, "Big brother, we underestimated the villagers' ability to create stories. Yesterday, I deliberately spread the word that the official silver was found. Who would have thought that after patrolling the lake all night, I'd wake up to hear all kinds of different versions? Some say silver grows in Weishan Lake, others say treasures are buried underwater, and still others say the Dragon Palace is in our lake. In any case, all sorts of wild legends, but the fact that Weishan Lake is about to produce great treasures is true. This is a once-in-a-thousand-year event! See, the villagers came early, bringing their families to watch the excitement."
Salute to the great masses! Master Lin was left speechless by Luo Yuan's words. He had planned and calculated, yet overlooked the people's ability to distort facts, leading to this miraculous spectacle of thousands coming to watch the silver being fished out. With this feat, he, Master Lin, would go down in history as unmatched.