Demon, come and cultivate for me.

Zhou Chu didn't waste a moment on the road, and arrived in Lucheng in just over half an hour.

After asking a passerby for directions, he rode his horse straight to the prefectural governor's mansion.

Two strong soldiers, each holding a long spear, stood on either side of the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion.

As soon as Zhou Chu approached the door, two long spears crossed and blocked his way.

"Who are you, and why are you trespassing in the government office?"

Zhou Chu said:

"Please inform him that Wu Yong has come to pay his respects to the Prefect."

"What do you mean by bravery or cowardice? Get out of here. The prefect is busy with his affairs and has no time to deal with idle people."

Zhou Chu was very dissatisfied with what the other party said, but he had other matters to attend to and it was not advisable to clash with him.

But being criticized for no reason like that doesn't feel good.

He darted forward, grabbed the intersection of the two spears with his large hand, and held them firmly.

The two soldiers realized what was happening and tried to retract their spears, but found that no matter how hard they tried, it was no use.

The two guns seemed to be permanently attached to each other's hands, remaining completely still.

The two men decisively abandoned their spears and went to draw their swords, only to see Zhou Chu pull out two silver ingots from his robes and flash them before their eyes.

Then, without making it obvious, he slipped the silver ingots into their waistbands and whispered:

"You two have worked hard. I have important business to discuss with the Prefect. Please inform him."

Although Zhou Chu was a commoner in the Yan Kingdom, due to his connection with the Crown Prince, it was not difficult for him to meet not only a minor prefect, but also high-ranking officials in the court.

But this is the State of Chu, not the State of Yan.

When you're traveling abroad, in a foreign land, nothing is more useful than money.

The two soldiers felt the silver sticking out of their clothes, realizing that it was definitely no less than five taels.

That much money is equivalent to a month's salary.

The two men immediately took the spear from Zhou Chu's hand, and their stern expressions softened considerably.

The two looked at each other, and one of them said to Zhou Chu:

"Please wait a moment."

Having said that, he jogged into the mansion.

The guard at the gate had been on duty at the manor for less than a year, so he naturally did not know Wu Yong's identity.

The soldier ran up to the prefect, and as soon as he mentioned Wu Yong's name, the prefect immediately stood up, apologized to the guest, and followed him out of the reception room.

When Jian Zu saw the prefect's behavior, his heart skipped a beat.

Although he had only been working at the prefectural office for a few months, he had never seen the prefect personally come out to greet anyone.

This is the first time.

It seems this kid outside has an unusual background; thankfully, we didn't get into a conflict with him.

The prefect hurried to the entrance of the government office and saw only the young Zhou Chu standing outside. Wu Yong was nowhere to be seen. He turned his head and asked with a stern face:

"Where are the guests?"

The soldier, somewhat frightened, pointed at Zhou Chu, trembling, and said:

"This man claims to be Wu Yong."

The prefect turned around, his face grim as he looked Zhou Chu up and down. Only when he saw the precious sword hanging at Zhou Chu's waist did the dark cloud on his face dissipate.

"Who are you, and where did you get this sword?"

Zhou Chu did not answer, but asked instead:

"Standing at the door and questioning a guest—is this how a prefect treats his guests?"

The prefect frowned, staring into Zhou Chu's eyes for a long time. At the same time, he unleashed the pressure of a peak martial artist towards Zhou Chu.

The result showed that the other party had clear eyes, was neither humble nor arrogant, and was not affected by the intimidation at all.

Then he burst into laughter:

"What a fine young hero! Please come with me."

The prefect led Zhou Chu straight to the study and ordered the servants to serve tea.

Upon entering the study, the two took their seats as host and guest, respectively.

The prefect took the initiative and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, you are Wu Yong's apprentice, aren't you?"

To avoid the trouble of explaining his identity too much, Zhou Chu did not deny it.

"How is your master doing lately?"

Zhou Chu nodded, not wanting to continue the pleasantries, and went straight to the point: "The matter is urgent, and I have come here to ask you for a favor."

The prefect said, "Don't talk about asking for anything. Just ask if you need anything. I will definitely help if I can."

"I have come here only to borrow something from the prefect."

"What is it?"

"Water-repelling beads".

"Well..." The governor leaned back in his chair, looking troubled.

The water-repelling bead is a family heirloom, and very few people know about it.

Wu Yong, an old friend of his, was one of the very few.

Although he is an old friend's apprentice, it is too presumptuous of him to suddenly ask to borrow the water-repelling pearl.

This is no ordinary thing; it's not something you can just borrow whenever you want.

Zhou Chu took out Wu Yong's treasured sword, placed it on the table, and said:

"My master said that this sword should be temporarily stored at the prefect's residence, and it can be retrieved when the water-repelling pearl is returned."

The prefect's eyes were captivated by the precious sword. After hearing Zhou Chu's words, he decisively stood up and said:

"Wait here a moment, I'll get the beads right away."

A moment later, the prefect came over with a three-inch square rosewood box in both hands and said, "This contains the water-repelling pearl. Be careful to keep it safe and never let it be bumped or knocked."

Zhou Chu opened the box, and sure enough, there was a crystal-clear, round, light blue bead inside, about the size of a baby's fist.

He had never seen what the water-repelling pearl looked like, and looked up at the prefect with a puzzled expression.

The prefect was playing with the gemstone on the sword when he sensed Zhou Chu's gaze and immediately understood his meaning.

The prefect smiled, carefully picked up the box, and said, "Come with me."

Zhou Chu followed him out of the study. At this moment, the sky was covered with dark clouds and a strong wind was blowing.

A moment later, a torrential downpour began.

The prefect, carrying a box containing water-repelling beads, walked into the rain and came back. Not a single drop of rain had gotten on his hair or clothes, and even his official boots were clean.

He handed the box to Zhou Chu and said with a smile:

"how?"

Zhou Chu accepted it with both hands:

"Truly miraculous!"

After obtaining the water-repelling pearl, Zhou Chu did not linger for a moment and rode straight to White Tiger Pond.

When we returned to Baihutang, the sun had not yet set.

Zhou Chu was about to head to the Yangtze River to fight the black fish, but Wu Yong stopped him.

Wu Yong said that ordinary weapons could not harm the blackfish in the slightest.

To kill the blackfish, you need a powerful weapon.

Zhou Chu asked, "At this critical juncture, where can we find divine weapons?"

Wu Yong said that forty miles to the west, there is a mountain range called Huangquan Ridge.

Deep within Huangquan Ridge lies a giant rock called Huangquan Stone.

A large knife was stuck in the upper part of the Yellow Spring Stone after it was split open.

This sword has a name: the Netherworld Sword.

Legend has it that these were weapons left behind in the mortal world by the King of the Underworld.

That Netherworld Blade had been placed in the mountains for countless years, yet it always gleamed with a cold light.

Ordinary people simply cannot remove it from the crack in the rock.

However, those who have the ability to extract it will not, or rather dare not, extract it for their own use.

This Netherworld Blade is different from ordinary weapons; its power lies in the curse on its blade.

Using the Netherworld Blade to kill is to injure the enemy by a thousand, but also to lose eight hundred of your own strength.

Whether the Netherworld Blade can unleash its full power has nothing to do with a martial artist's cultivation level, but only with their lifespan.

Simply put, if someone with a hundred years left to live is killed by the Netherworld Blade, the wielder will lose eighty years of their lifespan.

Once the Netherworld Blade is drawn, the one slain will surely die, and if the wielder's lifespan is insufficient, he will also die on the spot.

Everyone was stunned when they heard Wu Yong finish speaking.

After all that, we still have to go down and risk our lives against the blackfish.

That black fish spirit was at the third level of cultivation and had a lifespan of at least several hundred years. Among the people present, who else besides Zhou Chu could have such a long lifespan?

The problem is that even Zhou Chu in his true form might not have 80% of the lifespan of the black fish spirit.

Everyone was immediately stumped.