Chapter 79: Zhang San

This night, for most people in the Seven Blood Eyes, it seemed no different from usual, but for some people, it was a bit different.

Some were on magic boats feeling emotional, envying others' extraordinariness.

Some were hysterical with anger, vowing to smash them into ten thousand pieces.

Some were comfortable in rocking chairs, with fruit pits like mountains beside them.

Some were bitter in inns, their hearts incomparably chaotic.

Sometimes, judging whether a person has integrated into the environment isn't by looking at this person's achievements here, nor by looking at this person's behavior, but by looking at how many people's heartstrings they can pull.

Those envying extraordinariness were the disciples of the Seventy-Ninth Harbor, those hysterical were the Mermaid tribe cultivators, those with fruit pits like mountains were the Sixth Team Captain, and those with chaotic hearts were the Jin Gang Sect Ancestor.

But no matter what, when the morning light spilled, the thoughts of the night also followed the rising sun and slowly hid away, as if after the all-night sleeplessness of the fish and dragon dance in the poem, the people who wearily left the stage outside the poem.

Thus, when the morning light spilled along the broken cabin and knocked lightly on Xu Qing's eyelids, Xu Qing opened his eyes, blending the gloom within his eyelids with the brightness of the outside world.

The eyes revealed in the sunlight were crystalline, just like the early sun outside, carrying anticipation for the future.

"I don't know if the morning at sea has a bit more charm." Xu Qing whispered softly, harboring yearning deep in his eyes, and stood up.

Today, there were many things he had to do.

First, he had to go to the Homicide Department to ask for a long leave for the upcoming sea voyage. This process wasn't complicated in the Homicide Department. Seventh Peak disciples were often not in the harbor, and since they cultivated by the sea, going out to sea was inevitable.

So after reporting to the Homicide Department, Xu Qing completed a series of procedures and obtained a forty-day leave. If he returned early, he could go to cancel the leave; if the time was delayed, he could also make up the report afterward.

After doing these, the time was still early, but Xu Qing's pace didn't slow down. He went to the Sixth Peak's shops. Although after experiencing the previous incident, it shouldn't happen again, Xu Qing still had to guard against it, so he spent some effort in finding shops.

But finally, Xu Qing was still somewhat hesitant. Looking at a shop, just as he was hesitating whether to go in, his identity token received a voice transmission from the Captain.

"Xu Qing, did you forget something recently?"

Xu Qing was stunned and began to ponder.

"Forget it, I'll just say it directly. Xu Qing, when are you going to pay back the five hundred spirit stones you owe me!"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he replied.

"One hundred spirit stones!"

"Fine, fine, I won't haggle with you so much anymore. Three hundred is three hundred. When will you give it to me?"

Xu Qing was silent, took out the bamboo slip engraved with the enemy's name, and crossed out the question mark after the word "Captain."

"Why aren't you talking? I saw you asked for leave in the department, you aren't going out to sea to escape debt, are you? Forget it, forget it, going out to sea is very dangerous, and the requirements for the magic boat are very high. In order not to let you die outside and cause my five hundred spirit stones to go down the drain, I'll remind you: to refine a magic boat, find Zhang San!"

"Zhang

When it came to Zhang San, the captain seemed to have even greater interest. After giving some pointers via the voice transmission jade slip and telling Xu Qing how to manage his expression and what to say, he ended the transmission.

Xu Qing stood where he was, pondering for a long time, before finally finding Zhang San of the Transportation Department with a sense of bewilderment and surprise.

When he arrived at the Transportation Department, Zhang San was squatting on a pile of cargo, smoking a pipe. He looked as content as an old man, enjoying the nourishment of the tobacco and the sunlight, occasionally shouting a few times to direct the handymen of the Transportation Department to work.

Upon seeing Xu Qing's figure, Zhang San's eyelids narrowed slightly. After looking him over carefully, his eyes lit up.

"Oh, why does Junior Brother Xu have time to come to my place today?"

Xu Qing walked closer, looked at Zhang San squatting on the cargo, and leaped up onto the cargo as well. But this time, before he could maintain a certain distance, Zhang San quickly scooted outward.

Xu Qing glanced at Zhang San and squatted down.

Zhang San looked at Xu Qing under the sunlight with a smile, especially at that side profile capable of making the opposite sex obsessed. He couldn't help but mutter a few words in his heart, but his expression revealed nothing.

"Squatting is more comfortable, right?"

"Mm." Xu Qing nodded.

"What's the matter?"

"Senior Brother Zhang, I want to upgrade my magic boat."

"Refine a magic boat? Who told you to come find me? Your captain?" Zhang San was stunned.

Xu Qing didn't speak; he took out two apples and gave one to Zhang San.

Zhang San instinctively took the apple. After holding it in his hand, he suddenly regretted it and wanted to return it, but Xu Qing didn't take it.

Zhang San gave a wry smile, his eyes slowly revealing contemplation. After weighing the apple in his hand, he looked at Xu Qing again.

Xu Qing also turned his head to look at him.

After a long while, Zhang San suddenly laughed.

"If you agree to one thing, I'll refine it for you."

"Please speak, Senior Brother Zhang." Xu Qing noticed the wording in the other party's statement—it wasn't about finding someone to help him refine it, but rather that the other party would do it personally.

"When you look at me in the future, can you stop staring at my neck? It's such a hot day... I'm afraid of the cold." Zhang San winked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing thought for a moment, shifted his gaze, and looked into Zhang San's eyes.

Zhang San slapped his forehead and sighed.

"Your gaze always makes me feel strange, as if wherever you look, that place is about to get hurt. Forget it, forget it. It's rare that you can change your gaze, so I'll help you refine it. But I'll say this in advance: my magic boat refining is very expensive..." As he spoke, Zhang San jumped off the cargo and beckoned to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing stood up, cupped his fists, and followed. Soon, the two arrived at the back of the Transportation Department, where there was a huge warehouse. When the warehouse doors were pushed open, the light from countless artifact-refining materials spread out brilliantly.

Xu Qing was stunned, noticing that the types and quality of the materials inside were extraordinary. In particular, he saw seven or eight magic boats dismantled into pieces, and in the distance, there was even half a warship from the Sea Defense Department being assembled...

There were also boats from other alien races scattered about in disarray. All of this made him gasp, and in a daze, he felt as if he had gone to the shop on the Sixth Peak.

Thus, he couldn't help but look at the proud Zhang San beside him.

"How about it? Let me tell you, among all the disciples of the Seventh Peak, I'm not great at fighting, and my cultivation is average, but when it comes to refining boats, hmph hmph, there aren't many disciples on the Sixth Peak more skilled than me. In these dozen warehouses around here, all of them are my works." Zhang San stood with his hands behind his back, speaking proudly.

"And no one dares to come and rob them!"

"Is Senior Brother Zhang really a disciple of the Seventh Peak?" Xu Qing hesitated for a moment, recalled the captain's words, and then tried hard to widen his eyes, putting on a look of astonishment as he asked.

"Your captain asked the same thing back then, hahaha. It's a pity I discovered this talent too late; otherwise, I would be a core disciple of the Sixth Peak by now." Zhang San thoroughly enjoyed Xu Qing's expression, feeling immensely satisfied in his heart.

"Show me your magic boat."

Xu Qing's eyes revealed respect as he took out his magic boat bottle and handed it over. Zhang San took it and scanned it, his brows furrowing slightly, but he didn't say anything. Just as he was about to take it to be refined, Xu Qing hesitated, thought of the words the captain had taught him, and spoke.

"Senior Brother Zhang San, I feel that this magic boat of mine was refined quite well, and many parts of it have reached a high standard."

"Not bad? High standard?" Zhang San stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows immediately arching into an inverted 'eight' shape, and he couldn't help but speak.

"What kind of mess is this? The materials are one thing, but the technique is poor to the extreme. And these two sides of the hull—the arrays all have flaws."

"These scales are also pasted incorrectly, destroying the structure of the magic boat. This will definitely affect the Spirit Gathering Array. One look and you can tell it was refined by those trash disciples of the Sixth Peak."

"And these front and rear ends—this is a Level 7 boat, not a Level 1 boat. The focus isn't on the styling, but on the inner quality... Why make it so flashy? To attract enemies?"

"Practicality is the best choice."

"Trash, refined too trashily. This magic boat of yours, if it doesn't go to sea, that's one thing, but once it goes to sea and encounters storms or large sea beasts, it simply doesn't possess enough strength, rigidity, stability, or reliability under external forces. Being able to maintain a certain level of watertightness is already the limit."

Zhang San looked at the magic boat bottle and launched into a critique.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing felt a tremor in his heart. He felt that the other party's words were very professional, so he became even more respectful and bowed to Zhang San with cupped fists.

Seeing Xu Qing like this, Zhang San felt proud and very comfortable inside. He loved seeing those fellow disciples who were usually feared by others show admiration in the face of his expertise. The captain had been like this back then, although it caused him to lose many spirit stones afterward...

And he originally hadn't intended to critique it this time, only planning to refine it simply, but Xu Qing's comment about it being "not bad" made him unable to hold back.

However, Zhang San had no malice. Everything he said was correct. For an ordinary disciple, such a magic boat would be fine for going to sea, but Xu Qing's combat power meant he would challenge stronger sea beasts and go to more dangerous areas. As such, this kind of magic boat was naturally unsuitable.

"Looking at your direction, it should be sturdiness. I'll help you fix it. I guarantee that your magic boat will be able to withstand multiple impacts from giant beasts at sea, as long as those beasts haven't reached Foundation Establishment. Even if it cracks, it will be very difficult for it to disintegrate!" Zhang San waved his hand proudly and said arrogantly.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother." Xu Qing's expression was solemn, and he then took out the spirit stones from his pocket.

"I have two hundred spirit stones here, and there are some I need to reserve for going to sea. I wonder..." Xu Qing was somewhat hesitant; he felt his spirit stones probably weren't enough.

Zhang San's eyes swept over them and then looked at Xu Qing. The words of the Sixth Team captain once spoken in his mind, along with what he had seen in the Sixth Peak shop, and then thinking of the dragon whale sound from last night and the spiritual energy fluctuations he had just sensed from the other party, he finally thought of the satisfaction he had gained from his own sharp critique just now. Thus, he suppressed his heartache and feigned ease.

"That's enough. You kid might have great prospects in the future. I invested in your captain back then, and here... I'll consider this an investment too. Come get it tonight." As Zhang San spoke, he began to get busy.

Xu Qing looked up, gave Zhang San a deep look, thanked him solemnly, bowed deeply with cupped fists, and then left.

Not until Xu Qing had walked far away did Zhang San let out a long sigh, muttering with a miserable face.

"I've made a loss. Every time I see these people who cultivate fast, why can't I break the habit of showing off my skills? I could have just refined it casually, but now... I have to live up to what I said."

"Eh, that's not right. This kid's demeanor is somewhat similar to his captain's... But his captain is petty; he didn't give a single spirit stone back then, always stingy. This kid has more conscience than his captain."

But in the final analysis, he knew he was doing this because, firstly, the captain had recommended him, and secondly... he trusted the captain's eye.

"This investment shouldn't be a loss!"

Over these years, the reason he could go from being truly unknown to now being intentionally unknown, while possessing such wealth, controlling the Transportation Department, and having no one dare to rob him, was all because he had refined a boat for the captain once.

At this moment, Xu Qing, having left the Transportation Department, had a strange expression on his face. He took out his voice transmission jade slip and, after hesitating for a moment, sent a message to the captain.

"Captain, is this okay?"

"You said it just as I taught you, right?"

"I said it..."

"Haha, that's fine. Don't worry, Zhang San is one of our own. This guy is a big spender. If you feel like you've taken advantage of him, help him out more in the future."

Xu Qing nodded seriously, took out the bamboo slip, wrote Zhang San's name on the other side, then flipped it over to look at the side engraved with enemies, and added a question mark after the captain's name.

At this moment, in the Capture Demon Department, the Sixth Team captain was smiling as he ate a strange fruit that couldn't be bought in the main city and was only produced on alien islands in the sea.

After finishing, he put down the voice transmission jade slip and picked up a report file about Zhang San. Inside, it proposed that during his missions, Zhang San was bloody, brutal, killed too much, and robbed alien merchant ships. The file strongly protested this and demanded severe punishment.

Glancing at the file, the captain chuckled, and with a wave of his hand, the file burned and turned into fly ash.

"My friend, as long as he doesn't betray me under this mountain, no one can touch him."

Two chapters, nearly 8,000 words.

Handsome guys and beautiful ladies, the new book has been released for a month, and I've updated 300,000 words. Seeing some people guessing that the little Mengxin is going to be published soon, I think it's better to wait until the end of the month to publish.

Although everyone isn't short of money... just consider it a little sincerity from the little Mengxin. August 1st, then it will be published.