The marketplace at Jingshan Pier was a noisy, chaotic affair.
In the corner of a small tavern.
Seeing Chen Shouheng’s reaction, Shu Qi waved a hand, signaling for him to be patient. "Don’t be so hasty, kid. I, Shu Qi, have been around the Jianghu for many years. My nose is sharp. This business isn’t as simple as it looks."
He lowered his voice even more. "I haven’t just been watching that ship for a day or two. Every so often, people go in carrying heavy, bulging packages. Judging by the weight, some of them are worth more than your ten thousand taels. But I’ve never seen anyone come out carrying a big package."
Chen Shouheng froze, his brow furrowed. "What are you trying to say?"
"Heh heh..."
Shu Qi’s eyes narrowed. "The Noble Families aren’t running a Charitable Hall. Those people, I’d bet most of them are just like those three you dealt with—thugs who do the Noble Families’ dirty work. But who robs people of silver only to hand it over obediently instead of hiding it for themselves? Who in the world is that stupid? Unless... they can use that silver to trade for something even better on the ship!"
"Something better?"
Chen Shouheng mused, ’Elixirs? Cultivation Techniques? Treasures?’
Shu Qi chuckled slyly. "Most likely that sort of thing. Only treasures that valuable would be worth those desperados risking everything to spit out the prize they’ve already caught."
Understanding dawned on Chen Shouheng, but his expression quickly grew serious. "Even so, once the silver is on that ship, getting it back will be next to impossible. The ship is heavily guarded. Charging in would be suicide, and sneaking aboard..."
He glanced at the ship’s overt and hidden sentries, the patrolling guards—all of them skilled in Martial Arts—and shook his head. "I’m afraid it would be extremely difficult to find an opportunity."
"Don’t be hasty."
Shu Qi lowered his voice, speaking persuasively. "Years ago, I learned a bit about the art of disguise. We can wait a couple of days, find someone with a similar build to yours, put on a disguise, and then you, Chen the kid, can just stroll right in."
Chen Shouheng’s gaze fell upon the heavily fortified Tower Ship. He studied it for a moment before shaking his head again. "Most of the guards are only at the Marrow Refining and Blood Refining realms; even Qi Realm cultivators are rare. But there must be a Spirit Realm master on that ship. Trying to take something from inside would be next to impossible."
"Aiyo, my young master! Who said you had to swagger out with the goods in hand?"
Shu Qi was so anxious he was practically scratching his head raw. "As long as you can find where they’re storing the silver, you can just bore a hole through the bottom of the ship and slip out underwater!"
Seeing Chen Shouheng still silent, Shu Qi’s small eyes glinted with excitement and urgency, spittle flying as he nearly sprayed Chen Shouheng in the face. "My dear Young Master Chen! Opportunity knocks but once!
The silver inside—Master Shu here thinks there might be hundreds of thousands of taels! Just grab a few chests and that’s tens of thousands of taels right there, not to mention all the other goodies. With your skills, sneaking in to check things out should be a piece of cake, right?"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, as if he could already see mountains of gold and silver beckoning to him. "Fortune favors the bold! This bit of risk is worth taking!"
Chen Shouheng’s brow was tightly furrowed, his gaze drawn once more to the massive Tower Ship at the pier.
The hull was imposing. On deck, sword-wielding guards could be seen patrolling back and forth. At the entrance to the cabins, eight more guards with profound auras sharply scrutinized everyone who boarded.
’The Noble Families have deep foundations. How could there not be a Spirit Realm master stationed on that ship?’
’If it’s truly as Shu Qi says, and this ship is a major hub for exchanging valuable treasures, then the defensive force is likely far beyond imagination.’
’Even though I’ve just entered the Spirit Realm, if I sneak in alone and get exposed, I might have to face more than just one or two Spirit Realm experts. There might even be someone at the Profound Acupoint Pass, or an even more terrifying existence... ’
’Not only would I fail to find the silver, but I’d also alert the enemy and put myself in grave danger.’
At this thought, Chen Shouheng took a deep, cold breath, forcibly suppressing his burgeoning impulse. He shook his head and said, "Master Shu, this matter is no small affair. I should go home and report to my father. Let him be the one to decide."
Shu Qi froze, the excited expression on his face instantly stiffening before collapsing completely.
’Dammit,’ he cursed internally. ’Why is this little brat so cautious?’
The two of them soon returned to Lingxi.
「Inside the study.」
Chen Shouheng told his father everything he had seen and heard over the past few days.
He left nothing out, covering the Bai Family’s situation, contacting Shu Qi to track the kidnappers, what he saw at the pier with the Noble Families’ grain ship, the tragic sight of commoners selling their fields, the Government Office aiding the oppressors, and finally, Shu Qi’s discovery of where the silver had gone.
Chen Li sat quietly in his chair, his expression calm. Only when he heard that Shu Qi had encouraged Chen Shouheng to infiltrate the ship did his cold gaze, like two tangible blades of ice, instantly fix upon Shu Qi, who was shrinking in the corner trying to make himself invisible.
Shu Qi felt as if a venomous snake had fixed its eyes on him. He stiffened, and a chill shot up his spine straight to the crown of his head. His scalp tingled, and he subconsciously tried to shrink back.
"Shu Qi."
Chen Li’s voice was flat, yet it carried a heart-stopping authority.
"S-Senior, th-this humble one is here..."
Shu Qi nearly fell to his knees, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Facing Chen Li, he was already filled with regret, cursing internally, ’Dammit, if I’d known this little brat would sell me out, I wouldn’t have tried to egg him on.’
But before he could think any further, he felt a deafening roar explode in the depths of his soul.
It was as if an intangible, formless pestle, imbued with the majestic might of the heavens, had torn through the void, carrying an supreme will as it smashed down violently upon his Divine Soul.
Shu Qi’s vision went black. His qi and blood surged in reverse, his Divine Soul felt like it was being torn apart, and he could no longer hold back a blood-curdling scream. Clutching his head, he collapsed to the ground, curling up as if struck by an invisible sledgehammer.
Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyeballs protruded, and his whole body convulsed violently. He could no longer suppress a mouthful of hot blood, which spilled from his lips.
The Evil Suppressing Seal!
The power of this punishment directly targeted the Divine Soul, inflicting a pain far beyond what any physical injury could compare to.
Watching from the side, Chen Shouheng felt a chill in his heart.
As a cultivator of the Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing, he naturally knew of the Evil Suppressing Seal. Although he understood his father was punishing Shu Qi for his malicious intentions, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of pity at the wretched sight.
A moment later, Chen Li slowly withdrew his Power of Divine Sense.
Shu Qi looked as if he had been dragged out of water, completely soaked in a cold sweat, and lay paralyzed on the floor, gasping for breath.
All color had drained from his face, and his eyes were filled with absolute terror. When he looked at Chen Li again, his gaze was evasive; he didn’t even dare to raise his head.
Chen Li did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he asked, "How is that Zhang Chengzong from the Zhuoyan Collection doing recently? How is his practice of the Swallowing Essence Technique coming along?"
Hearing this, Shu Qi forced himself to endure the searing, residual pain in his Divine Soul and answered in a trembling voice, "Replying to you, sir, that Zhang Chengzong... that man is utterly hopeless. Some time ago, he hooked up with two beautiful women from who-knows-where. He’s been drawing a bit of Power of Essence and Blood every day, but he wastes it all on those two women.
"Even though he has a supply of essence and blood, his Cultivation is progressing at a snail’s pace. Right now... right now he’s barely reached Marrow Refining Perfection. He’s still a long way from the Qi Realm, to say nothing of the Spirit Realm..."