I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 163 Mediation (Third Update)

Just as the two large ships were about to collide.

The bearded man made no move, showing no sign of tension, and merely sneered, "You're asking for it!"

But then, in front of the speeding ship, a person jumped off a boat from Bahe Mountain Villa and walked on the river, each step leaving ripples.

He held a fishing rod in his right hand and gently cast it towards the large ship in front of him, the hook forming the bottom of the ship.

Then the man wearing the straw hat stood up and leaped up, stepping directly onto the outer wall of the boat and jumping dozens of meters high. When he reached the highest point, he pulled hard on the fishing rod.

The green bamboo poles were bent into an eye-catching crescent shape.

There was a squeak.

The large ship stopped moving forward. It was like a big fish that had been caught, its front half raised high and then crashing back into the water, creating waves several meters high. In the violent shaking, the entire ship flipped belly up like a drowning fish.

This scene left everyone around speechless, nearly scared out of their wits.

The impatient merchant ship owners dared not say anything more and fell silent.

In the martial world where strength is everything, the rules are determined by the strong, especially in Qingzhou, where whoever is more powerful has the right to be arrogant.

This fishing boat is so visually striking, it's just like a scene from the comedy short film 'Truck Disruptors vs. Bus Strikers'.

Feeling the tremors of the river firsthand, many people were speechless with astonishment.

Several young nuns were also frightened and turned pale. Even Nun Ranchen looked terrible. She recognized the fisherman who had just made the move. He was a well-known figure in Qingzhou.

The nun Ranchen looked at the smug-looking bearded man: "He is the man in the straw raincoat, ranked sixty-second on the Human Ranking."

“Yes, it is him.” The middle-aged scholar maintained his smile and continued, “Master, please don’t worry, we…”

Before he could finish speaking, a low shout interrupted him.

"Save people first."

The voice sounded very young.

Amidst the capsized river, a figure in white sped towards the surface.

This large ship was a merchant vessel with many people, but not everyone was a good swimmer. As the ship sank, a whirlpool would form on the water's surface near it, which could easily pull people into the river.

"Sigh, really..." Xi Qingqing sighed.

There's no money for saving lives.

Thinking this way, she still followed.

Bai Xuan rushed to the sunken ship, drew his sword and cut off the railings and handrails. He kicked the buoyant pieces of wood onto the river surface, where they landed near the struggling people. As long as they could hold onto them, they wouldn't sink immediately.

While creating ice floes can provide buoyancy, the ice floes are too cold, causing people to lose heat and energy rapidly.

He spread his spiritual power to sense everyone's presence, identified the target in need of rescue, and then floated down. He casually grabbed a plump middle-aged man from the water and threw him onto a nearby boat. Then he spun around, lightly slapped the water with his right hand, and a splash appeared on the surface. He continued forward, his figure like a dragonfly skimming the water, and soon pulled a woman holding a baby from the water. In just over ten seconds, more than ten people were pulled out of the river.

These scenes did not escape the notice of many people on the ship and on the shore.

While the act of overturning the large ship with a single pole was indeed visually striking, it was ultimately an act of bullying the weak with force. Now, the white-clad swordsman is taking action to save people, which is entirely in line with the spirit of a chivalrous knight, and it immediately caught the attention of many people.

The former is frightening, while the latter is admirable.

Moreover, Bai Xuan's movements were clean and swift, his figure graceful and elegant, like a white dragon crossing the river, skimming along the water and leaving behind a series of stunning afterimages, which made the young women on more than a dozen boats stare in amazement.

……

A boat with the character '阮' (Ruan) on its sign.

She pushed open the window with her bare hands and saw this scene as well.

The woman, dressed in simple clothes but exuding an air of nobility, murmured softly, "This person is indeed chivalrous and kind-hearted."

The maid also tilted her head and looked out the window, exclaiming in amazement, "Such a graceful figure, Miss, this young swordsman in white looks extraordinary."

"Hmm... appearing here might not mean they're from Qingzhou," the woman said. "Being able to take the initiative to save people shows they have good character. We can inquire about their background."

……

Such conversations also took place on almost all the ships in the vicinity. Some hot-blooded martial artists, seeing this, disregarded everything else and joined the rescue effort. Although their movements were not graceful, every additional person meant an extra bit of strength.

Most of the people who fell into the water were rescued within five minutes. Few drowning people were able to expel the water by patting their backs with their inner energy, and they were naturally fine.

Bai Xuan carried the last person ashore, and the fourteen-year-old girl clung to him like an octopus.

There are risks involved in rescuing people from drowning. If you're not careful, you can get entangled by the drowning person and dragged to the bottom. That's why there's the term "water ghost."

Driven by the survival instinct, the drowning person is far more dangerous than the water itself.

"Okay, it's alright now, you can relax."

He said something.

The little girl gasped for breath, looked up at the handsome boy nearby, water droplets falling from his hair. Having just escaped death, she was quite bewildered and for a moment forgot to let go.

Then Xi Qingqing walked over, pulled her away, threw her towards the girl's parents who had run over to pick her up, and said to Bai Xuan, "It's over, go change your clothes."

Bai Xuan felt that the clothes could be dried directly with his true energy, so there was no need for such trouble, but he still went to change into another set. The previous white Shu brocade suit had already sold out as Bai Xuan's reputation soared, so he was now wearing a different set, which was less sharp than the sword robe and more casual, with wider sleeves.

"Who just capsized the boat?" Bai Xuan asked Ning Jianshuang as she walked in after changing his clothes.

"Ranked sixty-second on the Human Ranking, the Straw-Clothed Man, at the peak of the fifth level of the Outer Realm, should be over forty years old."

"Is there a fifth layer to the outdoor scenery?"

“Yes,” Ning Jianshuang said. “The Tower of Ascension has nine levels, but you can continue to build upwards. The higher the tower, the closer you are to the stars… The higher the tower, the more solid the foundation, and the stronger you become after breaking through to the Grandmaster level.”

Bai Xuan understood: "It seems that the higher one ranks on the Human Ranking, the higher the Heavenly Tower."

Ning Jianshuang reached out and gently combed Bai Xuan's hair, saying softly, "Your technique in saving people just now was very elegant and graceful, quite pleasing to the eye. If others knew your identity, you would have gained a good reputation as soon as you arrived in Qingzhou."

"Saving lives was the priority; I didn't think about anything else."

“I know,” Ning Jianshuang said softly. “My Erlang has always been kind-hearted.”

"Bodhisattva?" Bai Xuan remained noncommittal. The number of people he had killed was enough to fill the eighteen levels of hell; the Queen of the Great Western Kingdom should have a tattoo of him on her back.

As Bai Xuan stepped off the boat, the way the boatmen looked at him changed once again.

Previously, Bai Xuan had always been very easygoing, without any arrogant attitude. On the contrary, he was very easy to talk to. Even if one did not have any contemptuous thoughts, one would still doubt how much real skill he actually had. That's how the world is. If you are proud, you have to have the right to be proud. If you are humble and hide your talents, and do not show your abilities, being easygoing will be seen as cowardice by others.

"The list of successful candidates is blocking our way; it seems we can't get past it for the time being." Bai Xuan thought for a moment, "It's not appropriate to delay any longer."

He doesn't like to arrive at the last minute for anything, because he can't always arrive on time successfully.

The disappointment of a failed site visit far outweighs the relief of a successful one.

"You're planning to fight someone on the Human Ranking?" Xi Qingqing sat on the figurehead at the bow of the ship and shook her head, saying, "I suggest you don't go. You can kill anyone below the second level of the Outer Realm at will, but those above the third level are a different story, there's a huge difference."

"A lot different?"

"The difference is huge. In reality, those who have reached the third level of the Outer Realm are already considered to have one foot in the Grandmaster realm as understood by ordinary martial artists," Xi Qingqing said.

"What if we join forces?"

"Why are you dragging me down with you when you're looking to die?" Xi Qingqing swung her legs: "If you can't beat him, go find your protector. Iron-Blooded Yama is seventh on the Human Ranking, and his cultivation should already be at the seventh level of the Outer Realm. Cutting down this straw-cloaked man is just a matter of one strike each."

“Guardians aren’t thugs, why are you using them like that?” Bai Xuan asked, “About what I just asked you to inquire about?”

Xi Qingqing said, "Just as you thought."

Bai Xuan returned to the dock and saw the man in the straw raincoat sitting on the deck of the large ship of Bahe Mountain Villa from afar.

The latter cast his gaze from a distance of over a thousand steps; their eyes met in mid-air before parting ways.

There was no murderous intent, only scrutiny.

Alright, let him off this time.

When Bai Xuan returned to the dock, the road naturally parted to allow him to return, as a sign of admiration and respect for the young hero who had saved lives.

However, the fundamental problem remains unresolved, and the shipping route is still blocked.

Bahe Manor acts aggressively, playing the good cop, while Wuya Academy tries to smooth things over, playing the bad cop.

Only Abbess Ranchen of Jingyunzhai was secretly annoyed.

The other party demanded that the Dragon King Stone be brought out as a feng shui talisman.

Since it wasn't in the river, they concluded that Jingyunzhai had taken the talisman.

If they cannot produce the Dragon King Stone, they must use other things as collateral, such as Jingyunzhai itself.

Once those words were spoken, the intentions of Bahe Manor were finally revealed.

The Dragon King Stone was merely a pretext; the real purpose was to use this ship's worth of wealth to acquire Jingyunzhai's territory.

It can be considered a form of extortion and plunder in some sense.

Jingyunzhai is a relatively influential martial arts force in the vicinity. Master Ranchen is also a semi-master, but she is old and frail and her strength is no longer at its peak. In addition, there is a lack of successors within the sect.

That's what attracted the jackals.

In the eyes of these people, the request for medicine ten years ago was not a favor at all, and even became an excuse to take action.

It's clear that the Jianghu (martial arts world) in Qingzhou is indeed very chaotic, so chaotic that they don't even care about the rules of the Jianghu, and their methods are quite ruthless.

This place not only houses Jingyunzhai, but also a wharf, serving as the gateway to Qingzhou. Occupying this area is equivalent to opening up another goldmine.

However, Jingyunzhai was not without any power to resist.

A voice sounded.

Bai Xuan strolled into the dock square, becoming the fourth party involved in these three parties.

"If the two sides can't reach an agreement, why not find a mediator? How about we send a letter to the White Plum Sect and ask them to send someone to mediate?"

(End of this chapter)