Free Web NovelChapter 141: Chapter 138: Qingjiang
SPLASH—
The river surged, its deafening roar ceaseless as it rushed a thousand miles downstream.
Great waves crashed against the banks with a thunderous rumble, like a million soldiers charging across a battlefield—unstoppable. It was also like a soaring, unrestrained song, majestic and powerful. A small boat navigating these waters would be instantly capsized and sunk.
This great river was called the Qingjiang.
The entire Cyan Cloud Country was bisected by this river, dividing it into Jiangnan and the lands North of the River.
The river was over three hundred zhang wide—so vast it could swallow a mountain whole.
WHOOSH.
A large ship sailed upon the Qingjiang River, riding the wind and cleaving through the waves like an arrow, moving at an incredible speed.
"Back then, Sword King Chu Bai made his name known throughout Cyan Cloud by severing this very river with a single sword strike."
Standing on the bow, Li Shiyu spoke slowly. Her voice was crisp and clear, like jade pearls falling onto a platter.
The person beside her was Ning Jiang.
For this trip to Pill King Valley, the Li Family had said that traveling by boat was actually the simplest method. Following the river’s course, it would only take two to three days to reach their destination.
Of course, the fastest way would have been for Ning Jiang to fly. At his speed, it would have only taken about a day.
However, Cyan Cloud Country was vast, and he was unfamiliar with the territory. Even if he flew, he would still need a guide to find Pill King Valley.
So, he had accepted the Li Family’s suggestion and let Li Shiyu guide him to Pill King Valley by boat.
There were quite a few ships sailing on the Qingjiang, and this was one of them. Of course, very few could compare to a vessel of this size.
This great ship was named the Fish Dragon. It was enormous, capable of carrying over a thousand passengers. The entire vessel was quite luxurious, its exterior meticulously crafted and wrapped in iron plating. There was even a small garden on the deck.
The rooms below deck were all styled in a classic, antique fashion, adorned with exquisite murals by famous masters and various precious ceramics.
The cost of this ship alone was over a million Primordial Stones, enough to completely bankrupt a second-tier family.
At this moment, there were already many Martial Artists on board from all over. Ning Jiang and Li Shiyu had boarded at a dock in Golden Cauldron City.
Just to board the ship cost one thousand Primordial Stones. Such a steep price meant that anyone who could afford it was at least in the Postnatal Realm.
And indeed, of all the passengers who had boarded along the way, more than half were Innate Realm experts.
Ning Jiang stood at the bow, his eyes distant, his thoughts seeming to drift up to the Nine Heavens.
This Qingjiang River shared a certain destiny with him.
Years ago, Ning Changfeng had found him in the Qingjiang River, which was why he had been named Ning Jiang.
’Why did I appear on the Qingjiang River? And what secrets does my true origin hold?’ freёwebnovel.com
Looking down at the surging Qingjiang, Ning Jiang was lost in thought.
He would seek out the answers to these questions sooner or later.
"Mr. Ning, our old Patriarch said your strength is no weaker than that of Sword King Chu Bai. Back then, Sword King Chu Bai shook Cyan Cloud by severing the river with a single strike. As you’re also a Sword Cultivator, Mr. Ning, don’t you want to attempt a feat like his?"
Li Shiyu, not knowing what Ning Jiang was thinking, couldn’t help but ask.
Sword King Chu Bai severing the river with one strike was such a famous event that almost everyone in Cyan Cloud Country knew of it.
Many experts throughout Cyan Cloud Country had attempted to replicate Chu Bai’s feat, but aside from Chu Bai himself, no one had ever succeeded.
Li Shiyu felt that with Ning Jiang’s strength, he could perhaps become the second person to sever the river with a single strike.
"Heh, Sword King Chu Bai severed the river and shook Cyan Cloud, but this young friend here is still so young. I’m afraid that’s beyond his reach."
Before Ning Jiang could speak, a voice cut in from the side. It was a young man with a refined air who addressed Li Shiyu, "Hello, my name is Fu Zheng."
"Your surname is Fu? Are you from the Fu Family?" Li Shiyu asked casually, as a thought occurred to her.
"It is my honor that you’ve heard of my Fu Family, miss. I am indeed a member of the Fu Family, and this ship belongs to us."
Fu Zheng couldn’t help but sound a little smug. The Fu Family was a top-tier, First-Class Noble House of considerable strength. He was confident that upon hearing this, Li Shiyu would show some sort of reaction.
But Li Shiyu just gave a faint "Oh," seeming completely unfazed by his family name.
Seeing this, Fu Zheng frowned. ’It seems Li Shiyu isn’t so easy to win over.’ The tricks he usually used on other girls didn’t seem to work on her.
"And I have yet to learn your name, miss?"
Fu Zheng asked. He had seen many beautiful women in his life, but few could compare to Li Shiyu’s beauty. In fact, he couldn’t recall a single one who could.
He also secretly guessed that Li Shiyu must have an impressive background. Only someone from a great family could cultivate such a noble temperament.
As for Ning Jiang, he was completely ignored.
Ning Jiang was merely a little handsome. Beyond that, he appeared calm and unassuming, showing no sharpness. In Fu Zheng’s eyes, he wasn’t worthy of any attention.
"I’m sorry, but I don’t know you."
How could Li Shiyu not see through Fu Zheng’s intentions? She was ranked in the top three of the Famous Family List; even Young Master Floating Snow pursued her. Why would she give a second thought to a mere Fu Zheng?
She couldn’t even be bothered to give her name and was actually a little annoyed. ’I was having a perfectly fine conversation with Mr. Ning. What business do you have interrupting?’
The corner of Fu Zheng’s mouth twitched. No matter what, he was the young master of the Fu Family and the owner of this ship. Who didn’t show him some respect?
After a moment’s thought, Fu Zheng snorted inwardly but ultimately refrained from losing his temper on the spot.
At this moment, he took a closer look at the two of them and noticed that Li Shiyu’s gaze always lingered on Ning Jiang, her beautiful eyes filled with complex emotions.
’Could it be because of this kid?’
Fu Zheng immediately misunderstood, assuming Li Shiyu was being cold to him because of Ning Jiang. A pang of jealousy rose in his heart.
"And what might your name be, friend?"
Fu Zheng asked. He had ignored Ning Jiang before, but now that he saw Li Shiyu seemed to care a great deal about him, he started paying attention.
Ning Jiang acted as if he hadn’t heard, his gaze fixed on the vast, endless expanse of the river.
To him, Fu Zheng was just a passerby, a transient figure in his life, like a splash of water from the river that appeared for an instant before vanishing.
A passerby, and one with impure intentions at that—he naturally couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge him.
A flash of anger crossed Fu Zheng’s eyes. Li Shiyu hadn’t given her name, but at least she had exchanged a few words with him. Yet this young man, Ning Jiang, didn’t even acknowledge his existence.
He had never been treated like this before and couldn’t help but let out a cold snort.
"Insolent! Young Master Fu is asking for your name! Are you deaf?"
Hearing Fu Zheng’s cold snort, a large man behind him understood the signal and barked out the question. This was an Innate Late Stage expert.
The Fu Family had many experts stationed on this ship.
Sailing on this great river wasn’t entirely safe. Sometimes, fierce bandits would target merchant ships to rob them, so it was necessary to have experts on board to ensure the vessel’s security.
Ning Jiang remained silent, but Li Shiyu’s delicate brows furrowed, and her beautiful eyes turned cold.
’Who did they think Ning Jiang was?’
He had single-handedly slaughtered over one hundred and fifty Innate Realm experts from the Huangfu Family, including four at the Innate Limit. Now, even her Li Family served under him and followed his orders.
For the mere Fu Family to dare shout at Ning Jiang—they were simply courting death.
"Heh, that’s enough."
Fu Zheng waved his hand, stopping the expert’s interrogation. As long as Ning Jiang was on this ship, as its owner, he had plenty of ways to cause trouble for him.
’The real challenge is how to win over Li Shiyu.’
From the very beginning, his only target had been Li Shiyu.
"Let’s go."
Fu Zheng left with his men.
"Mr. Ning, should I go and warn them?"
Li Shiyu asked. Given Ning Jiang’s status, he should have been received with the highest honors. Frankly, with his strength, his presence on this ship was a blessing for the Fu Family.
If any expert from the Innate List were to board this ship, the Fu Family members would have to treat them with the utmost respect and care, let alone a supreme figure like Ning Jiang, who could be compared to the Sword King Chu Bai of old.
Yet a young junior from the Fu Family had been foolish enough to offend him.
"No need."
Ning Jiang said indifferently. In his eyes, Fu Zheng was nothing more than a tiny insect. Would a dragon in the heavens care about a tiny insect on the ground?
Of course, if the little insect hopped around too much, he wouldn’t mind extending a claw to crush it.
The river surged, but the Fish Dragon sailed steadily in its center, completely unshaken.
Slowly, night fell. A layer of mist rose from the surface of the Qingjiang, shrouding it in a hazy veil.
That night, the many Martial Artists on the ship were not resting.
On the contrary, the bow of the ship was livelier than ever.
A fighting ring had been set up on the huge, wide bow. Two Martial Artists were currently sparring on it, while many others below were placing bets on the outcome.
This was a form of entertainment on the Fish Dragon.
After all, staying on the Fish Dragon with nothing to do would be quite dull.
Cyan Cloud Country was a nation where martial culture flourished. Everyone practiced Martial Arts, so under these conditions, sparring matches in fighting rings had naturally become popular everywhere.
Anyone could participate in these matches. The one defending the ring was an expert from the Fu Family. As long as you could win, you could walk away with a large amount of Primordial Stones.
Additionally, the other Martial Artists could place bets on the winner.
"Nice!"
Suddenly, a cheer erupted from the bow as a Martial Artist was knocked off the ring by the Fu Family expert.
The man suffered a minor injury and shook his head helplessly.
Afterward, another person went up to challenge the Fu Family expert, making the atmosphere quite intense.
"I wonder if you, my friend, would be interested in going up for a round?"
A voice sounded beside Ning Jiang. It was the ship’s owner, Fu Zheng.
"Not interested."
Ning Jiang glanced over indifferently. ’These Fu Family experts couldn’t even withstand a single finger from me.’ Naturally, he wasn’t the least bit interested.
"Kid, do you dare come up here and have a go with me?"
Suddenly, the Fu Family expert on the fighting ring issued a challenge to Ning Jiang, instantly making him the center of attention.
