I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 362: Chapter 82: The Servant of the Deity

He Dacheng left with the mirror Zhou Heng had given him, his belly full of doubts.

He didn’t even manage to finish his soup before leaving.

He patted the mirror in his bosom and gave Zhou Heng, who was happily sipping soup and eating pancakes, another puzzled look, feeling somewhat baffled.

Could such a tiny mirror really deal with two Secret Sixth Rank dignitaries?

No, why do I automatically assume they must be Secret Sixth Rank officials?

“But Zhou Wei seems like a good guy, he has no reason to trick me. Besides, if those two could capture a Seventh Rank sailor, even if they are not Secret Sixth Rank, they’re probably not far off,” he pondered.

He Dacheng thought it over carefully and then gritted his teeth, “Let’s do this! At this rate, once we enter County City, we’ll surely be captured; there’s no way out. It’s better to take a chance!”

Da Qi had strict regulations for the water routes of merchant ships and freighters. Deviating from the approved course without permission to places one shouldn’t or isn’t qualified to go, would inevitably provoke an investigation by the Imperial Court.

When that happened, from the captain to the crew, no one would be able to escape.

If it didn’t result in serious consequences, the most that would happen is a fine. But if it caused more severe damages, including injuries or deaths among the local people, death was certain.

And those two villains hijacking the freighter to head to Fengzhou County City clearly had ill intentions; it was bound to end badly.

Rather than waiting to die, it was better to take a chance!

Having made up his mind, He Dacheng was about to go below deck to look for the captain and those two villains.

However, just as he was about to head down, another crew member approached and whispered, “Old He, how did it go? Didn’t that scholar want to disembark?”

“It’s not that he didn’t want to, I explained it to him clearly,” He Dacheng replied.

He shook his head and lowered his voice, “I just told him that our freighter is making a detour to County City instead of heading to the Prefectural city, and that he should get off early. He agreed.”

“Good, that’s settled then.” The sailor didn’t suspect He Dacheng’s words and nodded, then went back to pondering his own matters.

After all, He Dacheng was typically seen as an honest and simple person, so no one doubted his words.

But in reality, He Dacheng hadn’t told the truth.

He might be straightforward and not cunning, but he wasn’t foolish.

At this moment, He Dacheng was very clear about one thing: there could be no mistakes now, or it could jeopardize the entire effort to rescue the captain.

If he told the whole truth and explained that “Zhou Wei” refused to disembark, he would surely have to explain why. Other crew members might also try to find Zhou Heng, and such commotion could draw the attention of those two villains, increasing the difficulty of the operation.

It was better to just tell a lie, get through this matter without any fuss, and avoid disturbing “Zhou Wei” and causing an uproar.

Everything else could wait until after the captain was rescued.

If they didn’t rescue the captain, then there would be no afterward; they would all die… and everything would come to an end, leaving no need to worry about anything else.

Zhou Heng, not far away, was paying attention to all of this.

He suddenly found Old He quite interesting, with an air of being slyly wise.

“If this trial is successful, I’ll reward him with a set of martial arts, as compensation,” he thought.

…

In the cabin, Captain Liu Chang looked haggard and slumped on a stool.

In front of Liu Chang stood a young man and a young woman, both in their twenties, looking at him with a mocking expression.

“Two esteemed figures, you are on a path to your own demise,” Liu Chang said, bowing his head and sighing. “There are far too many important people in County City, and you’ve chosen the wrong place if you intend to cause chaos there.”

“Are you referring to the Absolute Fourth Rank Prefectural Governor Cui Qingyang or the Celestial Man from Fengzhou’s Cui Clan, Cui Tianhe?” one of the men said, revealing a cold smirk. “These two are hardly worth mentioning.”

“You think you are Tao Lords?” Liu Chang scoffed. “Once we reach County City, whether it’s you or me, we will be captured immediately and escape will be impossible, even with wings!”

“Hehe,” the other woman chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand and swinging her graceful body to Liu Chang’s side, said with a smile, “Old boatman, how do you know that our goal isn’t to be captured?”

“You…?!” Liu Chang felt that the two were completely unreasonable. “Who exactly are you, and what do you want to do?!”

“We serve the deities!” The man’s face showed an expression of utmost devotion, and he made a gesture with his hands as if praying to some existence in the mysterious beyond.

“The greatness of the gods is beyond your understanding,” the woman said with a seductive smile. “For the glory of the gods, we are willing to sacrifice everything! Don’t you think that is an honor?”

“…” Liu Chang was speechless, took a deep breath, and clenched his teeth. “I don’t care about your need to showcase the glory of the gods, but could you please release my subordinates and the passengers on the ship, and let them disembark?”

“That is not possible.” The man shook his head and said, “Everyone on this ship, including the two of us, is a sacrificial offering to the gods, and not a single one can be missing.”

“Madmen!” Liu Chang cursed involuntarily.

“Hehehehe!” The woman burst into silvery laughter as she trembled like a flower in the breeze. She was about to say something more when suddenly her eyebrows knit subtly, and she turned to look at the cabin door.

Bang bang!

There was a knock at the door. He Dacheng had arrived.

“Boss, there’s something I need to discuss with you.” His voice came from outside, sounding quite normal.

“Interesting, a mere boatman.” The woman started laughing again and raised her voice, “Are you here to save your boss?”

“Ah?” He Dacheng’s puzzled voice came from outside, “Save what? I’d like to, but I don’t have the power, do I?”

“Haha, what a simpleton,” the woman said, turning to Liu Chang with a light laugh. “Old boatman, what do you think this boatman wants from you?”

“Hmph!” Liu Chang remained silent.

“Let him speak from outside,” the man said gravely.

“Don’t worry,” the woman smiled and said, “My Divine Sense has already enveloped the entire ship, and every action of this boatman is within my sight. Just now, he went to persuade a young man to disembark. He must be here to talk about that.”

“…” The man was silent for a moment before nodding, “Then let him come in.”

“Fine by me,” the woman said with a flirtatious smile, and with a wave of her hand, the cabin door swung open. “Come in.”

But what entered was not a person, but a hand holding a mirror black as ink.

The figures of the man and woman were immediately reflected on the dark surface of the mirror.

“Not good!”

The two were stricken with fear as if they were lost souls, attempting to flee, but it was too late.

A deep dark light burst forth, enveloping the two in an instant, seizing their vitality in an instant.

Thump!

Two bodies fell to the ground.

Liu Chang and He Dacheng were stunned, while Zhou Heng slowly walked in from outside, wearing a light smile.