Chapter 121: Dragon Lord's Birthday, Liuyun Treasure Ship

"Taking a Treasure Ship from Lin Immortal Ferry and traveling downriver, it will only take a few days to reach Jiangzhou."

Lin Qinhu said unhurriedly: "The sudden disappearance of the Yao fellow, while not exactly a major event, will inevitably cause some turmoil in Xishan Prefecture. Going together to the Red Dragon Temple in Jiujiang Prefecture to avoid the trouble is not a bad idea."

"Brother Lin, this old Daoist is aged and frail; I truly cannot endure the hardships of travel. I only wish to find a place to peacefully spend my remaining years. *Cough, cough-cough. *"

Guo Laodao coughed lightly a few times, looking very withered, as if he were not the same person who had just beheaded a powerful enemy: "I don't want to stay in Xishan Prefecture either. I'll find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters these days to see if there's any chance to live a few more years."

"Junior Brother Chen, what about you?"

Lin Qinhu looked at Chen Ci again and asked.

"This junior brother has no particular destination; I will follow whatever arrangements you make, Senior Brother."

Chen Ci raised his hand in response, his expression calm.

It is easy to share adversity but difficult to share prosperity; this saying is always true. Although they had risked their lives to follow Lin Qinhu and had luckily succeeded, no matter how pleasant the promises made beforehand were, there are plenty of people in this world who pull up their pants and refuse to acknowledge anything after the fact.

Just like the 'Seven Kill Primordial Spirit True Talisman' that Guo Laodao sought, this item's value is hard to estimate, but it counts as a treasure at the very least; it would likely be hard to obtain for less than several thousand Spirit Pearls.

Lin Qinhu might be willing to part with it now while in a state of exhaustion, but once he recovers tomorrow, that might not be the case. Guo Laodao is an old fox; naturally, he is unwilling to go to the Red Dragon Temple in Jiangzhou, and taking the item to run away early is the sensible choice.

As for Chen Ci... heh, he has already followed Lin Laohu down this path to the end. Moreover, this Five Ghosts Possession Method and Five Aggregates Yin Demon Method are not unique secret techniques; the He Mountain Sect and Chilong Altar likely both have inheritances of them. Giving him a copy is no big deal. Chen Ci is not afraid of Lin Laohu turning hostile and denying him; it would be meaningless.

"Agreed."

Lin Qinhu nodded, fished a palm-sized straw man out of his bosom, along with a piece of animal skin, and tossed them to Guo Laodao.

Guo Laodao was stunned at first, seemingly not understanding the meaning of this action. After he took it and glanced at the animal skin, the expression on his face inexplicably relaxed, and he bowed heavily to Lin Qinhu: "Many thanks for the technique, Brother!"

Chen Ci also curiously glanced over; so the 'Seven Kill Primordial Spirit True Talisman' is not a talisman, but a crude-looking straw man?

Interesting.

"The more exotic the species, the harder this technique is to master. If you find an infant, dissolve its soul, and merge your own soul onto it, although you will have no more cultivation and the path of the Dao will be hard to enter, you will have a twenty percent chance of living another forty or fifty years."

Lin Qinhu said indifferently: "I am glad you can thank me, but I do not like the little schemes you just had. You are not allowed to take any of the items from the field today. Brother Guo, do you have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, the expression on Guo Laodao's face, which had just relaxed, immediately wrinkled again, looking very unsightly. After a long silence, he still took nine Dharma Forks, one White Bone Dharma Whistle, and one Tiger Skin Pouch from his bosom, placed them on the ground, and then leaped into the mountain forest without looking back, clearly not intending to have any further relationship with the two.

"Though he has many schemes, he does not use them in the right place."

Seeing Guo Laodao's figure disappear into the mountain forest, Lin Qinhu shook his head: "I originally intended to grant him an opportunity. He wanted to use possession to extend his life without even condensing the lowest grade of Dharma Power. If this Seven Kill Primordial Spirit Method were that easy to use, the He Mountain Sect would not still be a side-door sect."

Scanning Chen Ci, Lin Qinhu nodded and smiled lightly: "Junior brother, you deserve credit today. Go and clean up the loose ends. The Treasure Ship on the Liuyun River only makes the trip once a month; if we miss it, it will take more time to reach the Liangjiang Sea Market."

Chen Ci was cleaning up the battlefield—though there was not much to clean. The flesh and blood of the living on the field had all been devoured by those five Yin Tigers. He simply collected the discarded Dharma Artifacts and valuable items, destroyed all the traces left behind, and spent a little time doing so.

Hearing Lin Qinhu's words, Chen Ci asked subconsciously: "Senior Brother Lin, are we not going to the Red Dragon Temple?"

"What would we go there for? It is of no great use."

Lin Qinhu let out a breath: "In a few months, it will be the thousand-year birthday of the Dragon Lord of Liuyun Palace. Master Jiao will certainly be invited, and I must go before Master Jiao to plead guilty. Otherwise, relying solely on the title of a True Inheritor, I might not necessarily be able to escape the Yao Clan's wrath. The Yao Clan has always been unreasonable."

Chen Ci: "..."

No, you said so much earlier; is it possible that not a single word was entirely true?

And saying the Yao Clan Ancestor wouldn't suspect him, that as long as the deed was done it would be foolproof—heh, in the end, he still has to go find a big shot to cover for him.

This goes to show that the pie drawn by a black-hearted boss can only be eaten halfway at most.

However, this opportunity Lin Laohu mentioned—could it be that he intends to introduce him to Jiao Zhenren?

Damn it, Chen Ci's heart stirred. If he could cling to the thigh of a Golden Core True Person, wouldn't he take off on the spot!

"Senior Brother, what is the opportunity you mentioned?"

The exhaustion throughout his body after the great battle vanished; Chen Ci packed up even faster, wishing he could pay respects to that Jiao Zhenren immediately.

If you do not abandon me, Ci is willing to...

"Hmm, the opportunity I spoke of is that Dragon Lord's birthday banquet."

Lin Qinhu glanced at Chen Ci and smiled lightly: "If it were before, I could only follow Master Jiao into such a grand banquet and stand behind him to gain some experience. But since I have attained an Upper Grade Dao Foundation, I will have a seat this time and can bring two people along."

Chen Ci: "..."

Eating at a banquet counts as an opportunity?

The gap is a bit large.

And listening to this, he probably won't even be able to sit at a table; he'll just have to wait on the side like a servant. What is the point of eating—no, just watching—such a banquet? Better not to eat at all!

A real man living between heaven and earth, how could he...

"I heard that during the Dragon Lord's hundredth birthday in previous years, anyone who entered could be gifted a cup of Liuyun Longevity-Extending Paste, with effects equivalent to a Breaking Aperture Pill. For this thousandth birthday, the reward will likely be even better than before."

Lin Qinhu's eyes also rarely revealed a sense of longing: "Moreover, the Dragon Lord loves liveliness; perhaps even a Primordial Spirit True Monarch will come. I fear the Liangjiang Sea Market will be much livelier in the coming months... Hmm, where are you going?"

"Senior Brother, look at you; if we miss the Liuyun River Treasure Ship, wouldn't that be a pity?"

Chen Ci packed up all the Dharma Artifacts and items, slung them onto his back, and said sincerely: "The opportunity or whatever is not important; the main thing is that I want to follow by your side to broaden my knowledge and see the world, really."

That night, Lin Immortal Ferry.

A massive storied ship, over fifty zhang in length, passed through the night, the waves it stirred up frightening away all living creatures on the surface of the Liuyun River.

Flags fluttered on the ship, lanterns were bright, and the three characters 'Baohua Workshop' were carved in a dragon-flying, phoenix-dancing style on the hull.

It is not that Chen Ci has never seen the world; although this storied ship is huge, it is slightly inferior to the cruise ships of his past life. But what made him marvel was that there were no 'sails' on this ship. Could it be that it relies on the current to travel?

It is fine traveling downstream, but if traveling upstream, how such a giant ship moves is a question.

"Baohua Workshop; I haven't been on it for many years either."

Lin Qinhu said indifferently: "This ship only stops for one night at a few key ferry crossings and markets on the Liuyun River to let passengers on and off. The rest of the time, it is on the Liuyun River until the river mouth."

Chen Ci nodded. It seems this cheap senior brother of his has calculated everything. Once the deed was done, he would take the Treasure Ship downstream all the way to the Liangjiang Sea Market, not lingering in Xishan Prefecture at all. He looks rough, but his mind is actually quite deep.

After a while, the hull of the 'Baohua Workshop' suddenly shook and came to a stop. It was actually at a deep-water spot in the middle of the river, half-suspended by the mountainside, extending massive gangways and bridges to pick up and drop off guests.

When Chen Ci walked closer, he discovered that there were several giant paddle wheels on both sides of the rear of the ship; it was actually a self-propelled storied ship.

Lin Qinhu walked in front and stepped onto the deck, but when Chen Ci went up, he was stopped by a crew member who looked like a steward.

"Does this gentleman hold a ticket?"

This steward was only a mortal martial arts expert, and his attitude was very respectful. However, Chen Ci naturally did not have a ticket, so he asked directly: "What is the fare?"

"One hundred taels of gold."

At this mention, Chen Ci did have some recollection; it seemed to be the price, so he fished a Spirit Pearl from his bosom, handed it over, and said generously, "Keep the change."

But just as he took a step, he was blocked again.

"Hm?"

Seeming to see that Chen Ci was already dissatisfied, the steward hurriedly opened his mouth to explain, "Forgive me, sir, but there are two tickets; the gentleman in front also hasn't bought his ticket."

Chen Ci: "."

No, why did it feel like something was wrong? How could it be that he was the one paying the money?

Once on the deck, Chen Ci was still pondering how he should ruthlessly seek reimbursement for this fare, when he saw Lin Qinhu wave his palm at him.

"Go and open two superior rooms."

Lin Qinhu scanned the deck and calmly instructed, "There is still some time before we reach the Liangjiang Sea Market; we can just take advantage of this period to pass the Five Ghosts Possession Great Method and the Five Skandhas Yin Demon True Method on to you."

(End of this chapter)