I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 361: Chapter 81: Look in this mirror

Fengzhou is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the river on one side, serving as the central transportation hub of Da Qi.

It is bustling.

The coming and going of merchant ships is very dense, and the waterways within the state are extensive and connected in all directions.

Therefore, after passing through the Starlight Bridge of Purple Tenuity Palace and arriving in Fengzhou, Zhou Heng did not go directly to Roongdu Prefecture City to find Yun Xiu and He Mengqiu but boarded a merchant ship and traveled along the waterways.

The path he sought to cultivate was the Way of the Five Virtues, the path that sustains all things, requiring not only arduous cultivation, gathering the qi of the Five Virtues, but also the observation of natural scenery and the understanding of human culture.

Moreover, he was still lacking two of the Five Virtues—Holy Virtue and Yin Virtue.

Although Zhou Heng had plans for acquiring these two, he still needed to diligently accumulate them in his everyday life.

And both are related to people.

Being solitary wouldn’t allow for the accumulation of Holy Virtue and Yin Virtue; one needs to interact more with others.

…

The Ronghua River is a major river within Fengzhou, one of the tributaries that stem from the vast Tianfeng River within the borders of Fengzhou, stretching tens of thousands of miles, and leading directly to Roongdu Prefecture City.

The river surface teems with ships competing in flow, bustling with merchant and passenger ships alike.

The merchant ship Zhou Heng was on was a medium-sized cargo ship, mainly transporting fruits, vegetables, and fresh meat, not particularly valuable, hence it did not object to taking on passengers looking for a lift with favorable winds.

Since Zhou Heng was extremely handsome and had a gentle temperament, he quickly became familiar with the boatmen, learning much about the local customs of various places in Fengzhou along the way and heard of many extraordinary people and events he hadn’t known of before.

This was very helpful in increasing his knowledge and experience.

After that tense period in Southern Jin, such a journey was quite relaxing for Zhou Heng.

Especially, the broth and pancakes on this boat were very tasty.

It reminded Zhou Heng of his life back on Earth.

Back then, he would often go to a soup restaurant opposite his school’s gate and eat similar things for breakfast.

Moreover, the broth and pancakes here were free of charge.

You didn’t have to pay.

Actually, Zhou Heng had intended to pay for them, but the workers wouldn’t allow it. They felt that such food, left outside on the boat, was unwanted by anyone and often more than they could eat themselves, so there was no reason to charge for it.

Also, considering that Zhou Heng’s current disguise was that of a student traveling to gain experience, possessing only modest martial arts for self-defense and not much money, the boatmen were even less willing to take his money.

Zhou Heng didn’t fuss over it, thinking he could just leave them some money in secret when he disembarked.

This morning, Zhou Heng again got a bowl of broth from a familiar boatman, topped with a shiny layer of red oil, looking very tempting.

With five pancakes in hand, he found a wooden plank on the deck to use as a table and placed the bowl of broth on it, eating alternately between bites of pancake and sips of broth.

Feeling quite content.

“Oh, Zhou.” Boatman He Dacheng also came over with a bowl of broth and said in a low voice, “When noon comes and we’re outside of Roongdu Prefecture City, you should get off the boat.”

“Slosh… What?” Zhou Heng sipped the soup, swallowed it, and then looked at He Dacheng with confusion, “What’s going on? Didn’t we agree that I’d get off once we’re inside Roongdu Prefecture City?”

The Prefectural city is the central hub of a prefecture, usually, after entering a prefecture’s territory, one would need to travel a bit longer to reach the city itself.

“It’s not that we don’t want to take you there.” He Dacheng lowered his voice and said, “Yesterday, the boat stopped for a while in the reed marshes, you remember, right?”

“I remember.” Zhou Heng nodded and said, “It seemed like two people came aboard, a man and a woman?”

“You have a keen observation.” He Dacheng sighed, “Yes, those two. Initially, the captain took pity on them for their urgent travels and agreed to let them hitch a ride for a fee. But we never expected…”

“They have ill intentions?” Zhou Heng said, surprised. At the same time, he spread out his Divine Sense, instantly enveloping the entirety of the boat, and located the two people.

“These two have taken the captain hostage and are forcing us to divert to Fengzhou County City just outside of Roongdu Prefecture,” He Dacheng spoke quietly, “No one knows their purpose, but we cannot disregard the captain’s safety. Zhou, this matter doesn’t concern you. It’s best if you disembark sooner.”

For the boatmen, the captain wasn’t just an employer; often, he was their respected elder brother, the one who took them in when they were destitute, providing them with a means to survive—a savior in their eyes.

Their long drifting on the waterways had created a bond with the captain akin to a life-and-death friendship, and now that the captain was held hostage, the boatmen naturally refused to abandon him.

“Old He, what do you plan to do?” Zhou Heng gently set down his bowl of broth and slowly crumbled a pancake into it, piece by piece.

“We’re going to beat the hell out of them, of course!” He Dacheng’s face showed a fierce expression, “Zhou, don’t think that just because I, Old He, don’t normally fight, I’m not capable. I’m almost at Ninth Grade, you know, I know quite a few martial arts.”

“The captain is a Seventh Rank Warrior, right?” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

“Yes, yes…” He Dacheng seemed to realize something, his expression darkened but soon lifted again, “Numbers count for strength, those two aren’t high-profile figures of Secret Six Rank, we can outnumber and overwhelm them if we get together.”

“But those are two Secret Six Rank people.” Zhou Heng shook his head gently, stood up, and looked towards the cabin not far away, “Two Secret Six Rank martial artists hijacking a common cargo boat, and specifically diverting to head to Fengzhou County City, it seems very suspicious, no matter how you look at it.”

“Ah??” He Dacheng looked bewildered at Zhou Heng’s words, his face full of confusion, “Zhou, aren’t you just a scholar traveling to broaden your horizons? How come you know so much about martial artists.”

“Books have told me.” Zhou Heng chuckled and said, “As I embark on a journey of thousands of miles, naturally, I had to first read thousands of books, and in those books, there’s also knowledge of the Martial Path. Old He, you should read more in the future too.”

“Forget about it, I know my own limitations. My brother might manage some practice, but reading isn’t for me,” He Dacheng shook his head continuously, “And reading isn’t the real issue. Even seeing more than ten characters together makes my head spin.

“Anyway, let’s drop that subject. Zhou, since you read a lot and understand martial artists, do you have any ideas on how to deal with those two… are they really martial artists of Secret Six Rank?”

He Dacheng still found it hard to believe.

Secret Six Rank! For ordinary people, that’s someone who can enter Qing Ming and fly through the skies, a big shot who could be a lord in a prefectural territory. Why would such people be here, taking the captain hostage?

It seemed incredible.

“There is indeed a way.” Zhou Heng grinned and took out a pitch-black mirror from his bosom, handed it to He Dacheng, and said with a smile, “Old He, if you trust me, take this mirror and shine it on those two people.”