Chapter 120: Perfection |
Soon, the damaged treasure ship slowly sailed into that relatively narrow waterway filled with jagged rocks and lush water plants.
The waterway was winding, and the light dimmed considerably. The shouts and killing sounds from Nine Waves Island in the distance seemed blocked off, appearing muffled and distant.
Chen Qing moored the ship at a relatively open position in the waterway and shut off the paddle wheels.
Chen Qing played with the Thunderbolt Fire Seeds in his hand. "No matter what, thirty thousand taels of silver are in hand."
He didn't know what the income from guarding the waterway would be like, but at least he'd secured the benefits first.
He stood at the bow, his mind stirring slightly as the Bone-Eroding Spider crawled silently from his sleeve.
The little creature moved swiftly. Between the opening and closing of its mouthparts, countless tough spider silks were precisely sprayed out, then wound around the ship's body.
These spider silks were highly poisonous. Not only could they defend, they could also provide early warning. Any touch or forceful impact would immediately pull on the silk threads, allowing Chen Qing to sense it.
Shen Xiuyong's method proved indeed effective.
Several groups of hurried teams piloted various small boats, carrying bulging packages, trying to slip away through this back door.
The first group consisted of four or five fierce-looking rogue cultivators whose auras hovered around the great achievement stage of transforming strength.
Seeing Chen Qing alone guarding a broken ship, fierce light flashed in their eyes as they tried to force their way through.
"Five Terraces Sect is eliminating demon sect remnants! The waterway ahead is sealed. Who are you people? What cargo do you carry? Do you have any Zheng family remnants or demon sect forbidden items? Stop your ship immediately and submit to inspection!"
Chen Qing's gaze swept coldly over the packages of valuables on their ship.
Those men were intimidated by Five Terraces Sect's reputation. Seeing Chen Qing's calm demeanor, unlike an ordinary disciple, they exchanged glances, their facial muscles twitching.
The leader, a scarred man, forcefully suppressed his ferocity and clasped his fists. "Brother, you've worked hard! We're just rogue cultivators who came to assist. We were fortunate enough to obtain some water bandit remains. Absolutely no demon sect items! A small token, please be accommodating, senior brother!"
As he spoke, he painfully tossed over the two most bulging packages from the ship.
Chen Qing weighed them. "This little bit, are you sending off a beggar? Elder Shen Xiuyong, Shen the elder, is stationed at the main waterway. When he speaks, he demands seventy percent."
He deliberately paused before continuing leisurely, "I'll take it upon myself to decide. Leave behind fifty percent of your valuables, and I'll let you pass. This is already... great kindness on my part."
"Fifty percent?! That's... that's great kindness?"
The scarred man nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. The men behind him trembled with rage.
But the three words "Shen Xiuyong" were like ice water poured over their heads, instantly extinguishing any thought of resistance.
Thinking of that killing god who demanded seventy percent at every turn stationed at the nearby main waterway, if they lingered here and angered this person in front of them, drawing that lord over... they'd probably have to leave behind ship, cargo, and lives!
The scarred man finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. "...Fine! Fine! Fifty percent! Thank you, brother... for your magnanimity!"
Almost closing his eyes, enduring his bleeding heart, he handed over another obviously heavier package. Inside were clearly several precious medicines of decent age and some high-quality jade items.
Only then did Chen Qing step aside to open the waterway.
With this successful opening, the next few groups, upon hearing about Shen Xiuyong, were terrified and extremely efficient.
Whether forty percent or thirty-five percent, after leaving their passage fees, they fled as if escaping, afraid Chen Qing would change his mind or alarm that 'Shen Seventy Percent.'
Besides these, a Hanyu Valley treasure ship also passed through.
Chen Qing didn't inspect it. He called out a greeting and let it through.
By his rough estimate, in just one afternoon, the value of the valuables collected was nearly twenty thousand taels of silver. Quite a rich harvest.
As the setting sun sank, the waters were dyed blood red.
The sounds of slaughter on the island hadn't ceased. Instead, they seemed even more shrill as night fell.
Just then, a treasure ship of quite impressive construction silently sailed in from deep within the waterway.
The ship's speed wasn't fast. The hull's lines were smooth, clearly far superior to the damaged vessel beneath Chen Qing's feet.
A man stood at the bow, dressed in brocade robes, around forty years old.
On his sleeves and hem, several patches of dark red bloodstains were visible.
The ship stopped ten zhang in front of Chen Qing's vessel.
The brocade-robed man cupped his fists. "This one is Wang Zhenshan of the Wang family from the southern city, second in line. I came in response to the bandit suppression order but unfortunately encountered resistance from a small group of water bandits. I lost some men, but fortunately escaped. On the ship are only the remains of Wang family guards and some minor spoils of war. Please be accommodating, distinguished disciple of Five Terraces Sect."
He adopted a very humble posture, stating his identity, trying to move Chen Qing emotionally.
Chen Qing's gaze was sharp as lightning, sweeping over the other party's ship.
The bloodstains were fresh, and their positions suspicious. They didn't look like splatters from intense combat, but rather... stains from moving heavy objects or close-quarters killing.
Suspicious!
Chen Qing remained composed. "So it's Second Master Wang. Due to duty, I need to conduct an inspection. With the chaos of the suppression, there's no guarantee remnants or stolen goods won't slip out. Of the valuables on your ship, leave behind seventy percent, and you may pass."
He directly raised the price to the maximum, both as a test.
Wang Zhenshan's facial muscles twitched violently. He took a deep breath. "Seventy percent?! Sir, this... this is too much! Fifty percent! At most fifty percent! Wang will offer it immediately, absolutely no falsehood!"
This reaction further confirmed Chen Qing's suspicion. There was something fishy on the ship!
And it was definitely not as simple as ordinary valuables. Otherwise, why would a master at the early stage of embracing elixir strength so easily give up twenty percent of massive profit?
"No need to trouble Second Master Wang."
Chen Qing remained unmoved. His figure flashed, and he had already leaped onto the other party's solid and sleek treasure ship deck. "Whether fifty percent or seventy percent, Chen will inspect it clearly himself before discussing!"
Wang Zhenshan's expression changed abruptly. He urgently stepped across to block the cabin door. "This... how can this be appropriate! Inside are deceased guards. It's filthy and unbearable, afraid it will offend your eyes..."
Just as he was speaking, a sudden change occurred!
Behind Chen Qing, the lid of a large wooden crate originally piled in a corner of the deck suddenly exploded!
A blade light carrying freezing cold true qi, silent yet swift as lightning, slashed directly at the vital point of Chen Qing's neck!
Where the blade light passed, even the air seemed frozen. It was clearly a treasure blade of considerable quality!
At the same time, all pretense vanished from the face of Wang Zhenshan blocking the cabin door, leaving only savage killing intent.
His palms' true qi erupted thunderously, carrying scorching heat waves, viciously striking toward Chen Qing's chest!
Front and rear pincer attack! The killing formation suddenly formed!
"Little bastard! Ruining my great plan! Die!" Wang Zhenshan roared.
The person leaping from the crate was a pale-faced youth, none other than Zheng Da, the fifth young master of the Zheng family who had fortunately escaped.
At this critical moment, Chen Qing seemed to have eyes in the back of his head!
He pushed the Wave Treading Step movement technique to its limit. His toes suddenly spun on the slippery deck, and his entire body moved like willow catkins blown by a violent wind, narrowly and dangerously avoiding this fatal blade.
Simultaneously, the Cold Flood Dragon Spear in his hand transformed into a furious dragon. Rather than directly meeting Wang Zhenshan's violent palm force, he employed the essence of 'Moving Mountains and Unloading Seas.' The spear shaft traced a perfectly round arc as the spear tip precisely struck the pulse gate at Wang Zhenshan's wrist!
"Tss!"
Qingmu true qi condensed like a needle, instantly breaking through Wang Zhenshan's body-protecting true qi.
Wang Zhenshan felt piercing pain drill into his wrist. His true qi circulation suddenly stagnated, and the palm force he'd struck out immediately collapsed by more than half. The scorching heat waves dispersed in all directions but failed to harm Chen Qing in the slightest.
"The Wang family actually dares to secretly collude with Zheng family remnants? Aren't you afraid of clan extermination?!"
Chen Qing steadied himself, his spear pointing at the two men, his voice ice-cold.
"Hmph! Young pup, what do you understand of the jianghu! Is this world simply black and white? This old man and Brother Zheng have been friends for decades. How dare you sow discord!"
Wang Zhenshan forcefully endured the severe pain in his wrist, the fury in his eyes intensifying. "Nephew Zheng, attack together. Quick battle, quick resolution!"
Seeing his sneak attack fail, Zheng Da's eyes turned sinister. The treasure blade in his hand whipped up a curtain of bone-chillingly cold blade light. The blade qi was fierce, attacking again with cunning and ruthlessness, targeting all of Chen Qing's vital points.
Wang Zhenshan also forcefully summoned his true qi. Crimson red palm shadows fluttered about, sealing off Chen Qing's evasion space.
The two men, one near and one far, coordinated quite seamlessly.
A cold smile curved Chen Qing's lips.
His current strength had long since changed completely. He was only a step away from mid-stage embracing elixir strength.
"Since you seek death, I'll grant it!"
Qingmu true qi within Chen Qing's body surged like the Yangtze River, condensing at the spear tip.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!"
The spear shadow was like raging waves and wild billows, instantly colliding with Wang Zhenshan's palm shadows and Zheng Da's blade curtain!
With each collision, muffled explosions of true qi bursting and ear-piercing clashes of metal rang out!
Wang Zhenshan only felt an overwhelming force transmitted through the opponent's spear, shaking his qi and blood into turmoil, his arms numb and aching as he continuously retreated.
Though Zheng Da's blade qi was cold, Chen Qing's Qingmu true qi was more abundant and resilient, superior by a notch!
However, in one hard collision during a parry, the treasure blade in Zheng Da's hand blazed with cold light, its edge precisely slashing at the connection between the Cold Flood Dragon Spear's head and shaft!
Only a piercing "clang" sounded, sparks flew in all directions, and on the incomparably tough spear body of the Cold Flood Dragon Spear, a fine yet clear crack was actually cut!
Chen Qing's heart turned cold. Zheng Da's blade was actually a mid-grade treasure weapon! No wonder it was so sharp!
Seeing his blade succeed, a trace of wild joy flashed through Zheng Da's eyes as his offensive became even fiercer.
Chen Qing's eyes turned severe. He saw a tiny flaw. The spear tip shot out like a venomous dragon emerging from its den, so fast it left only an afterimage!
"Puff!"
The Cold Flood Dragon Spear pierced through Zheng Da's throat with perfect precision.
In his wide-open eyes, wild joy instantly transformed into shock and death's gray pallor.
Seeing this, Wang Zhenshan showed no hesitation whatsoever as he turned around. True qi exploded beneath his feet as he prepared to leap toward the river surface beyond the ship's rail!
He chose to flee!
While green hills remain, one need not worry about firewood!
"Want to leave? Too late!"
Chen Qing's eyes were as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice. He'd been prepared all along.
With a flick of his wrist, he withdrew the spear and turned. Facing the fleeing Wang Zhenshan, his technique changed again, from thrust to sweep!
The spear shaft carried a shrill sound of tearing air, like a mountain range moving sideways, wrapped in tremendous force, arriving first despite starting later!
"Boom!"
The spear shaft viciously smashed into Wang Zhenshan's hastily raised defensive arms!
"Crack!" The clear sound of bones breaking rang out!
Wang Zhenshan's arms instantly twisted and deformed, his violent true qi forcibly shattered!
The terrifying force penetrated through his body, crushing his heart meridian.
His body flew backward like a broken sack, heavily smashing into the ship's rail. Blood sprayed wildly, and there was no more sound.
The waterway returned to deathly silence once more, with only the treasure ship gently rocking with the waves.
Chen Qing slowly withdrew his spear. Looking at the crack on the spear body cut by the treasure blade, his brows furrowed slightly before relaxing again.
He searched Wang Zhenshan and Zheng Da's bodies and found several bulging leather pouches and brocade bags, approximately thirty thousand taels of silver in total.
Looking at the thick stack of gold and silver notes in his hands, Chen Qing's mind rapidly calculated, "Accumulate more silver. When the time comes, I can go to Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to look for precious medicines that enhance root bone."
Precious medicines that enhanced root bone had appeared at Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion auctions, but the prices were extremely high. Each time they appeared, they were immediately auctioned off.
Chen Qing calculated that he needed to accumulate more silver.
After all, the benefits of enhancing root bone were too great.
Not only that, but handy divine weapons, life-saving superior inner armor, and even Five Terraces Sect's secret premium pills, each and every item required massive amounts of silver to support.
Taking stock of this battle's harvest, besides those gold and silver notes, there were also several bottles of pills for healing and restoring true qi, as well as several pieces of jade materials and gemstones of decent quality.
The greatest surprise was none other than the treasure blade Zheng Da had used.
The blade was over three chi long. The scabbard was made from deep-sea sunken iron wood, feeling heavy and cold in hand.
He slowly drew the blade. A trace of cold light, pure as moonlight, flowed forth. The blade body was narrow and slightly curved, its edge incomparably sharp, with faint cold qi emanating. Near the guard on the blade body, two small archaic seal characters were inscribed: "Yellow Springs."
The end of the blade handle was inlaid with a yellow gemstone.
"Mid-grade treasure weapon!"
A trace of joy surfaced in Chen Qing's eyes. He lightly flicked the blade body, producing a crisp sound.
This blade's quality was superb, worth at least one hundred and fifty thousand taels!
Clearly it was a treasured item from the Zheng family collection.
He carefully stowed it away. If he couldn't use it in the future, selling it would be a huge sum.
Besides this, there were also several damaged weapons and a few mediocre to inferior martial arts manuals. To Chen Qing, these were all worthless items.
This treasure ship itself was also extremely extraordinary. Whether in material, sturdiness, or the precision of the stern's wheel and rudder mechanisms, it far exceeded the damaged vessel Shen Xiuyong had 'loaned' him on credit.
Chen Qing didn't hesitate to transfer the valuables from his ship onto this brand-new treasure ship, and also redeployed the Bone-Eroding Spider silk.
He used true qi to push that damaged old ship into the reef area deep in the waterway, letting it sink.
After finishing all this, night had completely fallen.
In the direction of Nine Waves Island, flames soared into the sky, reddening half the sky. The shouts of slaughter also seemed much weaker.
Chen Qing piloted the brand-new treasure ship, quietly sailing away from these waters.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success Guaranteed]
[Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear: Major Achievement (1997/2000)]
After Chen Qing briefly tidied up, feeling that his spear technique was approaching perfection, he immediately picked up the Cold Flood Dragon Spear and entered a cultivation state.
Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear, when still it remained motionless, when moving it was like earth splitting and mountains crumbling, unstoppable!
The might of suppressing prison lay not only in defense, but more in using unmatched gravity to crush all obstacles!
The momentum of collapsing mountains was precisely transforming this weight that suppressed the eight wildernesses into devastating destructive power!
In his mind, every detail of every spear move, every exertion of force, the circulation and eruption of true qi, all became incomparably clear.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success Guaranteed]
[Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear: Perfection (1/3000)]
A sense of perfect harmony arose from Chen Qing's body, then restrained itself within.
He opened his eyes. The Cold Flood Dragon Spear in his hand also seemed to emit a pleased light hum, its intent connected with his.
Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear had finally reached perfection!