Chapter 145: Chapter 138: Mortal World Prince
The Black Water River.
No one knew when the river first came to be known by this name.
But according to the Yunzhou County annals, for several centuries, this river had been as black as ink. It was only after an Upper Immortal passed through and took something from its depths that the water became clear.
Today, the eighty-li-wide Black Water River was home to a community of fishing families who made their living from it.
Because Spirit Fish lived in its waters, quite a few Cultivators also eked out a living here.
That night, the river’s surface was calm and still, and all was quiet. Only a few scattered fishing boats still had their oil lamps lit.
SCREE~
Just then, amidst the cry of an eagle, a colossal shadow suddenly dove down from the sky, its talons plunging into the water and sweeping through it.
SPLASH!
When its great wings beat again, a massive carp over two meters long was clutched in its talons. The carp’s scales were golden, and its whiskers were half a meter long. The moment it was lifted from the water, it began to struggle violently. The river water swirled up on its own, forming a monstrous fish several times the carp’s size that lunged toward the dark shadow.
This watery monster was formed entirely from river water, coalesced by the carp’s Demon Essence. Clearly, this great carp was also a Demon Beast of considerable strength.
But the dark shadow paid it no mind. With a single flap of its wings, it shattered the water monster and sped toward the bank.
"Strike!"
However, just as the shadow swept over the dense forest on the riverbank, a shout rang out.
SWOOSH!
The next moment, a great net woven from golden threads was seen blanketing the sky as it enveloped the dark shadow.
RIP!
The shadow had just torn through the first net, but dozens more immediately descended upon it.
At the same time, the Loose Cultivators hiding in the forest shouted in unison and pulled the nets taut. The dark shadow was instantly like a beast caught in a spider’s web. Unable to break free, it was forcefully dragged down from midair by the crowd!
"We got it!"
"We got it!"
Amidst a rising chorus of shouts, several torches lit up the dense forest.
Everyone looked and saw a Giant Eagle, as tall as a man, trapped within the nets. It had black feathers, and though entangled, it still appeared exceptionally majestic.
"Big Leader, this Demon Bird is incredibly fierce! Several of our brothers can’t even hold it..."
Several Cultivators were holding the nets, but they were being dragged forward bit by bit by the Giant Eagle’s struggles.
Deep furrows were plowed into the ground at their feet.
"Idiots!"
The man in the lead suddenly turned and cursed, "Tie the ropes to the trees..."
Hearing this, the men quickly wrapped the ends of the ropes around the trees.
CREAK~ GROAN~
Even so, several large trees, each requiring a few men to encircle, groaned under the strain, making one wonder if they would be uprooted at any moment!
"What a majestic Demon Beast! I’ve been on the Black Water River for decades and have never seen such a Great Demon... I wonder how much a beast like this would sell for? At least fifty or sixty, maybe even seventy or eighty Spirit Stones!"
The full-bearded Big Leader was ecstatic.
He was just the leader of a small fishing stall on the Black Water River, with seven or eight Loose Cultivators under him. They usually made their living by fishing.
In a whole year, they would only earn about ten Spirit Stones.
"This... Demon Beast. I’ll take it!"
Just then, a faint voice came from the darkness. "One hundred Spirit Stones!"
"Who’s there?"
The Big Leader raised his torch, and when he saw who it was, his expression turned grim.
"Tributor Chen?"
"One hundred Spirit Stones?"
The men exchanged glances, none of them having expected him to offer such a high price.
One of the Loose Cultivators secretly tugged on the Big Leader’s clothes, clearly afraid he would agree.
But the man ignored him and said respectfully,
"If Tributor Chen wants it, why, we would be honored to give it to you as a gift."
"That won’t be necessary."
Chen Che tossed over a bag of Spirit Stones and walked directly toward the Demon Beast.
"Tributor Chen, this Demon Beast is ferocious. I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it alone. You’ll need a few of us brothers to help you take it back... Huh?"
The Big Leader caught the Spirit Stones, a hint of disappointment on his face. He was about to speak again when he saw that the Demon Beast, which had been struggling violently just moments before, had calmed down upon seeing Chen Che approach. It even ate a Pill offered from his palm. The Big Leader couldn’t help but say,
"It seems it has taken a liking to you."
’He’s a smooth talker.’
Glancing back at the man, Chen Che nodded slowly.
"Is that so? The moment I saw it, I felt we had a connection as well..."
This Demon Beast was, of course, Little Chick.
The man and the eagle were putting on a show to launder Little Chick’s identity.
...
...
"Big Leader, how could you?!"
After Chen Che left, one of the Loose Cultivators stomped his foot in frustration. "Tributor Chen offered a hundred Spirit Stones right off the bat! If you ask me, if we sold this Demon Beast to Jinyun Valley or the Meng Family, we might have gotten double that! How could you..."
"Exactly! And you even offered to give it to him for free!"
Many of the Loose Cultivators began to clamor, feeling they had sold it for too little and were filled with regret.
"The Li Brothers died at his hands, and you dare to haggle with him? Do you really think he’s some harmless pushover? You want to rip someone off? You’d better check who you’re dealing with first!"
The Big Leader glanced at the exasperated crowd, slowly pulled out a dry pipe from his robes, took a puff, and couldn’t help but sigh.
"I wanted to give him the Demon Beast to build a connection for the future, but he wasn’t even willing to accept it."
He gazed in the direction Chen Che had disappeared.
The Big Leader slowly shook his head and said,
"A man has to be sharp."
"If you’re sharp, even if you don’t become rich and powerful, you can at least avoid unnecessary disasters!"
...
’That fellow from the fish stall is somewhat interesting...’
Glancing back toward the men who were now out of sight, then looking at Little Chick trotting obediently beside him, Chen Che couldn’t help but smile faintly.
’Identity laundered!’
Before long, word of him spending a fortune here would spread to the Market through these men.
It might seem like an unnecessary move, but it wasn’t.
First, Little Chick could now move about openly in this area under the protection of his identity, and no Loose Cultivators would dare to covet it.
Second, even if it were one day recognized as the pill-stealing Demon Beast, that would be something that happened before he bought it. What would that have to do with him, the buyer? He could deny any connection whatsoever.
"It seems the group from the fish stall weren’t the only ones trying to catch you tonight."
Chen Che suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
Just then, a series of footsteps and an urgent shout came from behind him:
"Tributor Chen, please wait!"
Turning around, he saw several figures rushing toward him from behind. The one in the lead was Dan Guanliang.
"Dan Guanliang?"
Chen Che’s tone was lukewarm.
"Tributor Chen has a good memory. I didn’t expect you to remember a small fry like me."
Dan Guanliang said with a complex expression, and he wasn’t being sarcastic.
Although he was a noble Royal Grandson in the Mortal World, in the Cultivation Realm, he was still at the bottom of the hierarchy. His status was far beneath Chen Che’s.
"Are these the Cultivators you brought from the Mortal Dynasty?"
Chen Che gave a casual nod, but his gaze fell upon the several Cultivators behind Dan Guanliang.
These Cultivators wore Flying Fish Official Uniforms, Wusha caps, and sabers at their waists. Their auras were all immensely powerful, having reached the Eighth or even Ninth Layer. However, their faces were aged, and they looked as if they didn’t have long to live.
’Could it be...’
He had once heard of an Evil Technique in the Mortal World that could raise one’s Cultivation at the cost of their lifespan.
With the Royal Family’s resources, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a few children with Spiritual Roots, raise them as Death Warriors, and then use this technique on them.
"...Yes."
Dan Guanliang was unwilling to discuss these Cultivators. His gaze shifted to Little Chick as he cupped his hands and said,
"Tributor Chen, I wonder if you would be willing to part with this Demon Bird? I am willing to pay five times the price!"
"Not for sale."
Chen Che slowly shook his head.
"Uh..."
Dan Guanliang stared blankly for a moment, then tilted his head. A Cultivator in a Flying Fish Robe behind him stepped forward, presented a Jade Box, and opened it on the spot. Inside lay a Clear Moon Lotus Seed.
"I am willing to add this lotus seed. This is already several times the demon’s value! I implore Tributor Chen to part with it..."
He wasn’t wrong. The offer was indeed far more than what a single Demon Beast was worth.
Any other Cultivator would have found such an offer impossible to resist.
However, he could never have imagined...
...that this Little Chick had belonged to Chen Che all along. Tonight was just an act. And he had fallen for it completely.
"I’m sorry to disappoint you, Fellow Daoist Dan, but I have a connection with this Demon Bird. I will not sell it."
Chen Che slowly shook his head.
Dan Guanliang’s expression froze.
He never would have thought that even an offer like this would be rejected.
His desire to buy this Demon Beast was not, of course, born from some petty rivalry.
In the eyes of mortals, the Dynasty was unified, the emperor held all authority, and his glory was boundless.
But a year ago, the Chi State Tiger Demon incident had taught them that there was always a higher heaven.
Therefore, the Dynasty planned to use the Meng Family as a stepping stone into the Cultivation Realm. As the granddaughter of the Meng Family patriarch’s Direct Lineage, Meng Qingxuan’s status was extraordinary. If he could marry her, his future position in the Meng Family would be anything but low.
He could even use the marriage to gradually usurp the Meng Family’s power.
But...
Meng Qingxuan had always given them the cold shoulder. After learning that she was fond of rare and exotic beasts, he had brought his men here tonight to wait.
But who would have thought that a group of Loose Cultivators from a fish stall would beat them to it, and before they could even make a move, the Demon Beast was bought by Chen Che.
He was not the only Prince in the Dynasty.
Having failed to achieve results for so long, the court had already sent people to warn him multiple times. If he made no further progress, someone would be sent to replace him.
"Tributor Chen, I..."
"Don’t mention it again!"
Before Dan Guanliang could finish, Chen Che had already turned to leave.
Dan Guanliang took a step forward and called out several times, but received no response. He stopped, his expression complex. After a long moment of deliberation, his eyes turned cold, and he swung his hand down fiercely.
SHING!
In an instant, two Cultivators in Flying Fish Robes responded. They drew their long sabers with lightning speed, and two beams of blade light, like bolts of white silk, shot across several zhang of space, slashing down fiercely at Chen Che!
SHRAKK!
Where the blades passed, they stirred up a flurry of what looked like willow catkins—the spectacular sight of air itself being sundered!
And at that moment...
Chen Che, as if sensing something, slowly turned around.
But the two slashes were too fast; they were already upon him.
"Tributor Chen, you can’t blame me for this..."
Dan Guanliang’s face was chillingly cold.
Having had a taste of the long road of the Immortal Dao, how could he be content with returning to the Mortal World to be an ordinary Prince? He was already bracing himself for the sight of Chen Che’s blood splattering across the ground!
Although killing a Tributor was extremely risky, as long as he cleaned up properly and eliminated those Loose Cultivators from the fish stall, no one would ever know what happened tonight. Even if he couldn’t get into the Meng Family, devouring all of Chen Che’s wealth would still be a great accomplishment.
Just as the thought arose in his mind...
...he saw that Chen Che, having turned around, simply raised his head slightly. There was none of the panic and confusion he had imagined. Instead, Chen Che merely brought his fingers together and swiped with his hand.
In an instant, a gale erupted throughout the dense forest.
