Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

One group consisted of the private soldiers of a minor family, while the other was a hastily assembled team of wandering martial artists.

Faced with Shen Xiuyong’s strictly-business demeanor, both groups could only grit their teeth and accept their losses, though their hearts bled. They each had to leave behind a hefty sum of "Tea Money" before being allowed to pass.

Chen Qing watched silently from the side. Shen Xiuyong’s methods were masterful; he extorted just the right amount to make them feel the sting without pushing them into desperation.

Naturally, he also received a small cut of the profits: a few high-purity gold ingots and several ordinary Treasure Medicines of decent age. It was a reward for his troubles, and better than nothing.

Just then, the silhouette of a ship drifted erratically into view.

It wasn’t sailing from the direction of the island’s core battlefield but was hugging the edge of the island, drifting out from a relatively remote waterway.

The vessel’s design was quite extraordinary. Its entire hull was built from dark Iron Heart Wood with smooth, flowing lines, and an Exotic Beast was carved into its bow. It had clearly once been a ship of the Lower-Grade Treasure Level.

On closer inspection, however, the hull was damaged in many places, with several marks clearly caused by impacts. Large patches of dark red bloodstains marred the gunwale, and the deck was completely empty.

Chen Qing’s eyes narrowed, his heart stirring.

’This is exactly what I need—a Treasure Ship that can navigate the complex waters of Qianchuan Marsh.’

’This ship is severely damaged, but its frame seems intact. It might just be usable.’

He immediately signaled to Shen Xiuyong. "Elder Shen, there’s a damaged Treasure Ship drifting over there. The hull shows signs of a fierce fight, and the bloodstains are fresh. I’m afraid there’s something strange about it."

Shen Xiuyong followed the direction Chen Qing was pointing and squinted. "Oh? A broken ship? Bloodstains? Interesting... Let’s go take a look."

As the two drew near, Shen Xiuyong made a grasping motion from a distance. His powerful Li Huo True Qi surged out, pulling in and stabilizing the damaged Treasure Ship.

He leaped onto the ship, and Chen Qing followed close behind.

The scene on board was horrifying.

Besides the large patches of blood, fragments of broken weapons and scraps of clothing were scattered in the corners of the deck.

In a hidden compartment deep within the cabin, Shen Xiuyong found the fragment of a token, mostly soaked in blood. The character "Zheng" was faintly visible on it.

"A Zheng Family ship?"

Shen Xiuyong pinched the fragment, lost in thought. "Judging by the extent of the damage and the distribution of bloodstains, the people on this ship likely met a bad end. The attackers were ruthless and cleaned up pretty well, leaving only this broken ship to drift out... Hehe, what a lucky find for us."

He turned to look at Chen Qing, who was carefully inspecting the ship’s keel, and noticed the interest in his eyes. He understood.

Shen Xiuyong smiled and patted the gunwale. "Kid, you’ve taken a liking to this wreck? Not bad taste. It has an Iron Heart Wood frame. Though it’s badly damaged, the core rudder mechanism doesn’t seem to be completely broken. It can still be used."

Chen Qing nodded frankly. "I do. As a Fishery Steward, a ship like this would make my work much more convenient."

"Alright!"

Shen Xiuyong waved his hand readily. "This ownerless thing can be considered our spoils of war. For now, it’s yours! But..."

He changed the subject, pointing to a nearby waterway leading to the rocky shores of Nine Waves Island. "Since you have a ship now, it’s perfect. That waterway can’t be left empty. You take this ship and go guard that waterway."

"The place is remote, but it connects to the back mountain trails of Nine Waves Island and several hidden docks. There’s no telling if some fugitives who slipped through the net or some ’fat sheep’ looking for a shortcut might try to escape that way. You’ll guard that spot and, just like me, you’ll have a legitimate reason to conduct ’inspections.’"

Chen Qing frowned slightly.

’Guard a waterway alone? The risk would be much greater than staying by Shen Xiuyong’s side.’

’Nine Waves Island may be in ruins, but there’s no guarantee that some Zheng Family survivors or a powerful Water Bandit chieftain didn’t escape. If I run into someone tough...’

As if sensing Chen Qing’s hesitation, Shen Xiuyong chuckled slyly and took out two palm-sized, crude little figures cut from special straw paper from within his robes.

The figures were a male and a female, holding hands.

"Here, take this. They’re ’Mother and Child Heart-Connected Paper People.’ A little gadget cooked up by the Ghost Valley Sect. They’re not valuable, but they’re very useful. We’ll each take one. If one is activated, the other will move in response, acting as a warning, no matter the distance. I’ll hang mine in a conspicuous spot on my waist. The moment your paper person moves, I’ll know and be there in an instant! Pretty thoughtful of me, right?"

As he spoke, he stuffed one of the paper figures into Chen Qing’s hand.

Chen Qing took the paper figure. It felt as light as a feather in his hand, yet he could clearly feel a mysterious connection contained within it.

He tried to inject a faint trace of Cyan Wood True Qi into the paper figure. Sure enough, the figure in Shen Xiuyong’s hand also lifted its hand slightly in sync.

"Thank you, Elder Shen," Chen Qing said with a smile.

Shen Xiuyong watched Chen Qing fiddle with the paper figure, his eyes darting about. As if suddenly remembering something, he took out three dark red, longan-sized metal spheres from an inconspicuous leather pouch at his waist.

"Kid, I’ll give you another piece of ’insurance’."

Shen Xiuyong held the three spheres in his palm, his tone laced with temptation. "A ’Thunder Fire Bomb’! The genuine article from Crimson Flame Valley—the enhanced version! As for its power... hehe, if a Late-stage Embracing Pill expert gets hit by one of these unprepared, they’ll be knocked silly and their True Qi thrown into chaos. A Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power expert? Even if it doesn’t kill them, it’ll take off a layer of skin! Throw one at a critical moment, and it’s an absolute lifesaver, a real game-changer!"

"They’re priceless nowadays—impossible to find on the market. I bought them years ago in Fengle Prefecture... and I don’t have much use for them anymore."

Chen Qing immediately remembered that Ye Rong’Er had used a similar item to force Tu Gang back. Its power had been astonishing.

These three in Shen Xiuyong’s hand were clearly of a higher grade.

’For me, right now, this is an absolute ace up my sleeve!’

His heart pounded with excitement.

"Elder Shen, this item..."

"Hey, not so fast."

Shen Xiuyong interrupted him with a beaming smile and a you-know-what-I-mean expression. "We’re from the same sect, so I won’t rip you off. A regular one on the market would cost seven or eight thousand taels. This enhanced version... seeing as we’re fated to meet, I’ll give it to you for eleven thousand taels each! A package deal for all three, a special price of thirty-three thousand taels!"

Thirty-three thousand taels!

Chen Qing’s heart skipped a beat. ’That price is simply outrageous!’

’A Tributor for the Wu Family only earned ten thousand taels a year, and a Lower-Grade Treasure Artifact cost thirty thousand taels. The power of these Thunder Fire Bombs was impressive, but the price was truly steep.’

’This Shen Xiuyong really does seize every chance he gets to make a deal!’

A troubled look appeared on Chen Qing’s face. "Elder Shen, you must understand, I am a man of meager means. With the small salary and kickbacks from my post as Fishery Steward, how could I possibly have saved up so much? Right now... I simply can’t scrape together that much cash."

He paused, looking toward the distant waterway. "How about this? I’ll go guard the waterway first. If, as you say, some ’fat sheep’ happen to pass by, I won’t take a single coin of the ’Tea Money’ I collect. I’ll give all of it to you, Elder, to put toward the cost of these three Thunder Fire Bombs. What do you think? If it’s not enough, I’ll make up the difference later."

Hearing this, Shen Xiuyong squinted and sized up Chen Qing for a moment.

’This kid looks honest enough, but he sure knows how to haggle!’

’Still, if I send him to guard that waterway, he’ll probably be able to skim something off the top. Using the spoils to pay off his debt seems reasonable enough.’

’Besides, these Thunder Fire Bombs are useless to me just sitting around.’

"Alright then!"

Shen Xiuyong put on a magnanimous air. "Fine! What can I say? I’ve taken a liking to you, kid! We’ll do it your way! Take these three ’Thunder Fire Bombs’ for now. I’m selling them to you on credit! Just remember, that’s eleven thousand taels for one, and thirty-three thousand for all three. Once you’ve paid up, we’re square!"

As he spoke, he thrust the three Thunder Fire Bombs into Chen Qing’s hands.

Chen Qing carefully stored away the three deadly devices and the Mother and Child Paper People, then cupped his fist. "I understand! Thank you, Elder Shen! I will go guard the waterway now."

"Go on, go on. Keep your wits about you!"

Shen Xiuyong waved his hand and lay back down on the deck chair of his Treasure Ship. "If something happens, use the paper people to contact me!"

Chen Qing said no more and leaped onto the damaged Treasure Ship.

He tried to inject a thread of Cyan Wood True Qi into the rudder at the stern.

HUM!

A dull groan echoed as the paddle wheels on both sides slowly began to turn!

"It still works!"

Chen Qing was overjoyed. ’The speed is a far cry from what it would be in perfect condition, but it’s enough to steer it toward that branch waterway.’

.....