Gou Zai Xianwu Chaos World, Physical Sainthood

To conceal his whereabouts, You Lancang used an ordinary fishing boat.

The ship planks were neither good wood nor very thick.

Lu Cheng easily chiseled a hole the size of a human head.

The river water immediately poured into the cabin like a flood.

In the blink of an eye, the water inside the boat had submerged their ankles.

You Lancang glanced at the surging river, then at Lu Cheng's fishing boat two zhang away, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and shouted:

"Lu Cheng, I give up, I surrender. Please forgive me this time. Whatever your conditions are, I'll agree to them!"

"Now that you've submitted, why are you still holding that harpoon?"

Yu Lancang turned his head upon hearing the sound, but was momentarily stunned when he saw Lu Cheng on the river.

Across the waves, Lu Cheng could be seen with his entire body above waist above the surface of the river.

No matter how big the waves are, it remains as solid as a rock, without the slightest tremor.

He held an old harpoon in his right hand.

The fork head was less than a foot long, and the fork blade was only an inch and a half long, yet it gleamed with a cold, sharp edge.

The middle branch protrudes slightly like a spearhead, while the two outer branches extend outwards with barbs.

By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and its rays were spreading across the river.

The river water flowed down Lu Cheng's head and face without leaving him looking disheveled; instead, it reflected colorful light in the sunlight.

This posture truly resembles that of a water god in the river.

Yu Lancang, being someone who had lived a life of constant danger, quickly regained his composure and forced a stiff smile.

"Lu Cheng, this is all a misunderstanding. Please don't act impulsively. If someone dies, you won't be able to explain it to the authorities."

"I'll give you ten taels, no, fifty taels! Fifty taels, how about letting me go?"

Lu Cheng shook his head:

"Confess? Confess what? The river is rough and the waves are high. It swallows people up every day. It's just your turn today. As for the money, I'll go to your house to get it."

You Lancang hurriedly said:

"No, my money is hidden very well, and no one but me can get it."

Lu Chengdao:

"Then forget it. Your life is more important than a few taels of silver."

"..."

In the short time it took to say those few words, the water in the cabin rose several inches, already submerging half of You Lancang's lower leg.

Yu Lanchuang became increasingly anxious:

"Yes, my life is more important than money. I can help you; I can support your education!"

"And there's the matter of bribing officials. Even if you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, you still have to grease palms. If Wang Shuban hadn't bribed the fishmongers, he wouldn't have been able to become a tax collector."

So that's how it is. Only then did Lu Cheng understand why Wang, the clerk, would listen to a scoundrel.

I underestimated this festering sore.

Lu Cheng's expression led You Lanchuang to mistakenly believe that he had fallen for Lu Cheng.

He subtly tightened his grip on the harpoon, continuing to speak:

"You're far more capable than that Wang fellow. Once you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, the fishmongers will do everything in their power to help you. At that time, you'll be able to make not just a tax collector, but even a high-ranking official in the yamen... die!"

As soon as the word "death" left his lips, a ruthless glint flashed in Yu Lancang's eyes. With a forceful push of his right hand, the harpoon shot out like lightning.

As the last three words fell, the harpoon swiftly crossed the distance between the two men, and with a "plop" sound, Lu Cheng and the harpoon both disappeared into the water.

"Hehehe~" Yu Lancang laughed excitedly and viciously, "You little bastard, let you be arrogant."

Without looking to see if Lu Cheng was dead or not, he immediately turned and jumped towards Lu Cheng's ship.

Just as Yu Lancang was about to enter the water, a harpoon suddenly shot out from the river.

With a "whoosh," it pierced right through his chest without mercy.

As the excruciating pain struck, Yu Lancang stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Lu Cheng is actually alright?

How did he manage to dodge it?

How could he be so fast?

It was so fast it seemed like it had been waiting there all along, and it was as if it had deliberately run into the place?

How can someone so young have such an astonishing amount of experience?

Yu Lancang's throat bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but a large amount of fresh blood gushed out of his mouth.

It just chuckled twice, then tilted its head to the side and fell silent.

A notorious tyrant who had plagued the surrounding villages and towns for years met his end.

Lu Cheng took a deep breath, looking at the corpse on the harpoon, then at the water where Diao Laosi had long since disappeared, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised:

"I killed two people in such a short time, and I didn't feel anything at all?"

"Is it because they've committed evil for years and deserve to die, or... is this how the world is supposed to be?"

Looking up at the sky, the clouds in this world have always been a strange dark gray.

The sun was shining its light on the river, but the sky above was still devoid of blue.

Perhaps, what's gray isn't the clouds, but the resentment of those at the bottom of society.

"Yes, human life is as worthless as grass, isn't that how it should be?"

Lu Cheng was decisive by nature, and with this thought in mind, he had no more worries and was even more motivated.

It's great that you can adapt to this world so quickly!

It's only right that this young master makes a name for himself!

Lu Cheng snorted coldly, flicked his waist and arm, and pulled out the harpoon.

Yu Lancang's body was first slammed onto the surface of the water by a large wave, and then pushed out by an undercurrent.

Before it could sink, a huge black shadow rose rapidly from the bottom of the water and crashed into it.

Bang!

The body was lifted high off the water, swung around in the air like a tattered sack, and then plunged back into the water.

"..."

"That's... a silver sturgeon?"

Lu Cheng stared in astonishment at the enormous shadow underwater, which was over three meters long.

This fish is so big, it must weigh over a thousand pounds!

It could easily overturn a person, let alone capsize a boat.

Could it be the king of fish in this river?

If I catch a few more silver sturgeon, I shouldn't anger it, right?

In that brief moment of surprise, the shadow had already swum into the deep water and disappeared.

Yu Lancang's body also plunged into the water, quickly sinking to the bottom of the river along the dark current stirred up by the shadow.

Lu Cheng was about to turn around and swim back to his fishing boat when he suddenly cursed under his breath.

He plunged headlong into the spot where Yu Lancang's corpse had sunk.

After finally defeating the monster, how can we not loot its corpse?

[Swimming] With all his might, before You Lancang could sink to the bottom of the river, Lu Cheng chased after him.

……

A moment later, Lu Cheng sat on his own fishing boat, checking the four items in his hands.

A short knife, a folding fan, a money bag, and a bunch of keys.

The short knife is about half a foot long, and when held up to the light, it reveals sparse sesame and snowflake patterns.

It was even made with a small amount of wrought iron mixed in.

Buying it at the shop would cost at least five hundred coins, which is equivalent to half a month's fishing harvest for Lu Cheng.

"The product is good, what a pity."

Lu Cheng waved it twice and casually tossed it into the river.

With a "plop," the short knife vanished without a trace, much like the sound of Old Man Ge releasing a fish into the water.

The knife is fine, but it was hand-forged, so even if Lu Cheng resells it, it will still leave traces.

If it gets discovered, it will be troublesome for me.

It's not worth it for a few hundred coins.

After throwing away the knife, Lu Cheng picked up the folding fan.

When Lu Cheng found the folding fan underwater, he had already casually thrown it away.

But as soon as he let go, he remembered something and immediately snatched it back.

Lu Cheng remembered very clearly that when he attacked You Lancang from underwater, You was planning to pull people onto the boat.

At that time, he was still holding this folding fan in his hand.

After that, he forced me back underwater with a spear, and when I came up again, he only had the spear in his hand.

It now appears that he tucked the folding fan into his bosom.

But that's precisely where the problem lies.

It's just a folding fan, how could it be more important than life?

Despite being so nervous, he didn't just toss it away, but instead put it in his pocket?

"There's a problem, there's definitely a problem."

Lu Cheng examined the folding fan carefully.

The fan surface is made of ordinary Xuan paper, which has long since rotted after being soaked in river water and submerged underwater, so there's no need to look at it anymore.

I don't know what kind of bamboo the fan ribs are made of, and the polishing is mediocre; even the color is inconsistent.

The fan pendant is a round fishbone slightly larger than the palm of your hand, with a very ordinary river scene carved on it.

Lu Cheng glanced at it twice, then suddenly slammed the fan pendant against the ship's side.

The fan pendant collided with the ship's side with a "crack," and a crack appeared on the fishbone fan pendant, vaguely revealing what was inside.

"Hmph, who can you fool with such a little trick?"

"Who hangs such a big thing on their fan? Why not just hang a brick?"

He smashed it twice more, and the fishbone shattered completely, leaving Lu Cheng with a palm-sized black iron piece in his hand.

The sheet metal is about three millimeters thick and is triangular in shape.

One side is a smooth arc, while the other two sides have some serrations, much like a piece of a broken disc.

Lu Cheng looked at the curvature and size of the arc surface and roughly sketched it in his mind.

If it were truly a disc, its size would be about the size of two hands; this piece of iron is approximately one-fifth of that.

It's round, and this size...

Mirror?

Or a plate?

Unfortunately, the iron sheet was covered in rust, making it neither smooth nor textured, so it was impossible to tell what it was.

However, since Yu Lanchuang has hidden it so carefully, there must be some secret behind it.

This thing is so well hidden, like a festering sore, that no one else will ever know about it. It's fine to leave it here.

Lu Cheng didn't casually throw away the remaining fan ribs.

First, I knocked on it, but the sound was normal.

Then they broke them one by one, but found no hidden layers.

It seems the secret of the fan lies in this mysterious piece of iron.

Knowing he couldn't understand it immediately, Lu Cheng put away the iron piece and picked up You Lancang's money bag.

The money pouch wasn't heavy, which slightly disappointed Lu Cheng.

But upon opening it, a look of surprise appeared on their faces.

Besides several hundred copper coins, there were also several pieces of silver inside.

All together, it's about one or two ounces, which isn't a small amount.

Unfortunately, the fishmonger's money box was missing, otherwise...

Ok?

Lu Cheng suddenly thought of something and picked up the last bunch of keys to examine it carefully.

There aren't many keys, only four.

Three of the larger ones were clearly used to open the large locks on doors.

The remaining one is only half a finger long and is exquisitely crafted.

Looking at the key, Lu Cheng's heart began to pound.

Without saying a word, he flipped over and plunged into the water, rapidly diving toward the sunken ship of You Lancang.

Passing through layers of undercurrents, the wrecked boat had already sunk into the silt at the bottom of the river.

Lu Cheng quickly crawled into the cabin and searched the place.

Bedding, fishing nets, raincoats—one piece of tattered junk stirred up waves of mud, instantly obscuring visibility inside the cabin.

Lu Cheng searched for a long time with his eyes closed, but still found nothing.

As his breath gradually ran out, his expectations vanished.

It seems that Yu Lancang didn't bring anything with him.

Having only given it a try and found nothing, Lu Cheng finally gave up the search.

He turned around and kicked hard at the bottom of the cabin, trying to use the momentum to leap out of the water.

But when he kicked down, he not only failed to gain any leverage, but the object under his feet was also kicked out of control, causing Lu Cheng to stumble.

Lu Cheng was suddenly overjoyed and immediately turned around to reach down to his feet.