[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality":3,"chapter-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-101":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Mortal's Journey to Immortality",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2335027,4565,"Chapter 101: Wealth Brings Trouble","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-101",101,"\u003Cp>Han Li set out from his hometown, heading southeast toward Lanzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, he sometimes traveled in groups with others through bustling city districts, and at other times walked alone through desolate mountains and wilds to take shortcuts. He encountered no major dangers en route; the only incident occurred when he camped overnight in the wilderness and came across several starving wolves, which ended up as his dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout this journey, he trudged through dust and grime, crossing two other prefectures before finally arriving at Lanzhou, exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering Lanzhou, Han Li was astonished by its network of waterways. He knew that his home prefecture of Yuezhou was mostly barren mountains and wilds, dominated by hills and ridges—there were no canals or large lakes, barely even decent-sized rivers, and water was mostly drawn from wells and small streams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he became deeply intrigued by the variety of boats navigating the waterways, and eventually, driven by curiosity, he chartered a small boat, experiencing for the first time the sensation of drifting downstream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After ten days, Han Li arrived smoothly at Jia Yuan City, the place mentioned in Master Mo’s letter, stepping onto its unremarkable dock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dock’s first impression on Han Li was that it was terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire dock was constructed of crude wooden planks, narrow and shabby, littered everywhere with broken baskets and torn sacks, filthy and chaotic. Inside the only two bamboo sheds on the dock stood dozens of sturdy men, most bare-chested or wearing only short vests, radiating a fierce, rugged aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, all these men stared unblinkingly at him and Qu Hun, some with eager glints in their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before disembarking from the boat, the boatman had warmly warned him: in Jia Yuan City, there was an unwritten rule at the dock—no matter how little a merchant carried, he must hire a dock laborer to carry his goods; otherwise, he risked being mistreated, even beaten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li, new to this place, had no intention of breaking local customs, so he called out politely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I need a laborer—anyone available?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Ergou had already looked away. After observing him, he had concluded this young man was likely the son of some local wealthy landowner, and the giant beside him was merely a brute of a bodyguard. Such pairs appeared frequently in Jia Yuan City—visitors seeking novelty, spending a little silver to show off upon returning home, not worth serious attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such people were also the easiest to exploit—perfect marks! A few flattering words would make these country bumpkins pay not only the agreed fee but also generous tips. For the laborers, it was a lucrative trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this job wouldn’t go to his side. By prior agreement with Black Bear, they took turns accepting jobs—no one was allowed to compete; the size and quality of each job depended entirely on luck. They had just taken a job yesterday, so this one fell to Black Bear’s group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Sun Ergou glanced across and saw Black Bear whispering to his men; one of them eagerly broke from the crowd and rushed toward the young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t carry it alone—better get another person.” Han Li looked at the muscular man before him, then at Qu Hun’s enormous bundle, and shook his head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, this little load—I can lift it with one hand. No need for another.” The man didn’t want anyone else splitting his tip, and he didn’t believe even a large bundle could be too heavy unless it was full of stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he stepped forward and grabbed for the bundle without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li sighed. The bundle contained several thousand taels of silver and other miscellaneous items—its weight was far beyond what an ordinary man could bear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing the man’s eagerness, he reluctantly signaled Qu Hun to hand over the bundle without resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True enough, the moment the strongman took the bundle, his face turned pale. He struggled to sling it onto his back, took only a few steps, and was already flushed, panting. Ashamed, he dropped the bundle and ran back to fetch another man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Han Li saw the two men finally lift the bundle together, he nodded in satisfaction and quickly left the dock, walking along the road toward the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li did not know that due to his lack of worldly experience, two greedy eyes had already fixed on him—he was about to attract trouble he should never have drawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Ergou watched the young man’s retreating figure, finally tearing his gaze away. He suppressed his excitement and turned to glance at Black Bear across the way. He knew the treasure hidden in the bundle couldn’t have escaped the other man’s notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Black Bear’s face also lit up with delight. After a moment’s hesitation, he gave Sun Ergou a subtle signal. Sun Ergou immediately understood and followed him to a nearby trash pile. Before such a fortune, even a father’s murder or wife’s theft wouldn’t stop Sun Ergou from cooperating—after all, “Men die for wealth, birds die for food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifty-fifty split!” Sun Ergou cut straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three-seven. This was our job to begin with,” Black Bear bluntly refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Four-six. No less. You know your excuse doesn’t hold water.” Sun Ergou’s face darkened, striking straight to the heart of the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…” Black Bear hesitated, clearly unwilling to give up even one more share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph! If you keep thinking, other gangs will spot this fat sheep.” Sun Ergou sneered coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine! Agreed. Let’s seal it with a pact.” Black Bear, visibly stirred, finally conceded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clap! Clap! Clap!” Both men spat into their palms and slapped each other’s hands three times, forming a temporary alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Let’s hurry after them before this brat slips into a crowded area,” Sun Ergou urged urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh! Don’t worry—I sent two men to lead them down Black Water Alley. We’ll catch them there now.” Black Bear suddenly wore a sly grin utterly incongruous with his appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect! Clever plan, brother!” Sun Ergou feigned delight, but inside, he grew wary, tightening his guard against Black Bear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>www.feiazw.com\u003C\u002Fp>",1026,"2026-06-20T21:12:45.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e77b1b621a6173b355c7770c9d184613a0d05e00d9adf280c2f93fa737c5f558","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-102","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-100",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-cover.jpg"]