The night was dark, the moon bright.
Upon a great river, a fleet of ships sailed through the night.
The leading vessel had tall, upright masts and fully unfurled sails, carrying an extraordinary air.
The moonlit water was continuously cleaved apart.
At that moment, an old man and a young man stood on the deck at the ship's prow.
Moonlight streamed down, joined by rippling reflections from the river.
The entire deck was not dark in the least.
The two standing there were Fang Hong and Zhou Chengyuan, who had just left the banquet.
Whoosh, whoosh~
The great ship rode the wind and broke through the waves. The cool breeze blowing head-on sent Fang Hong's hanging hair dancing wildly and his robes fluttering.
Fang Hong cast a meaningful glance at Zhou Chengyuan beside him.
With a soft chuckle, he asked, "I wonder why Elder Zhou specifically asked me to stay behind?"
As he spoke, Fang Hong could not help recalling what the others had said during the feast.
According to them, this continent was called the Xuanfeng Continent, and it was home to countless Martial Dao Sects.
They were currently in Wei Kingdom, a nation located in the interior of the Xuanfeng Continent.
There was no need to mention the situation elsewhere in Wei Kingdom for now.
In Tianhe Prefecture alone, though there were many gangs and sects,
overall, there was one righteous and one wicked faction—two great sects standing in opposition.
The Star River Sect and the Crimson Spirit Sect!
Most of the other sects, large and small, were affiliated with those two great sects.
As for the Sea Sand Gang...
Well, could an organization without even a single Bone Refinement martial artist be called a sect?
In the eyes of those sects, the Sea Sand Gang did not even qualify as a minor sect.
At most, it was a small criminal gang.
No one took it seriously at all.
Of the two great sects, the Star River Sect was closer to Fenshui Town.
Traveling by water, one could reach the region where the Star River Sect was located in less than half a month.
The moment Fang Hong heard that, he immediately decided to find a way to join the Star River Sect.
The Martial Dao Sects in other prefectures were too far away, and his current strength was still insufficient.
Going to another prefecture would take far too much time.
If any mishap occurred on the way, he might lose his life.
And compared to the Crimson Spirit Sect's more rampant style of conduct,
the Star River Sect, though equally domineering, at least appeared benevolent and righteous on the surface. It suited Fang Hong's wishes better.
Not to mention that the Star River Sect was closer.
Yet when the feast ended, Zhou Chengyuan had quietly given Fang Hong a look.
That was why the two were now meeting alone on the deck.
Hearing Fang Hong's question, Zhou Chengyuan slightly narrowed his somewhat cloudy old eyes.
"During the banquet just now, I noticed that Mr. Fang seemed particularly interested in the circumstances of the sects in various places."
"Are you planning to find a sect and take a master, Mr. Fang?"
A faint gleam flashed through Zhou Chengyuan's old eyes as he asked softly.
Fang Hong chuckled and gave a slight nod.
He did not conceal this, nor was there any need to.
"That's right. I do intend to join a sect."
"Cultivating as an independent practitioner may be free, but it is ultimately far too inconvenient. The road ahead is difficult to find."
Fang Hong "sighed" as he answered.
Hearing this, a gleam flashed through Zhou Chengyuan's eyes, and he began to chuckle.
"Well, isn't that a coincidence?"
"Hm?"
Fang Hong raised a brow and looked at him in confusion.
Meeting Fang Hong's puzzled gaze, Zhou Chengyuan gave a hearty laugh.
"This old man happens to possess a Star River Sect Token. With this token, as long as one's innate bones are not too poor, one can directly enter the Star River Sect."
"What?!"
"A token that allows one to directly enter the Star River Sect?!"
Hearing Zhou Chengyuan's words, Fang Hong's face filled with surprise.
Looking at Zhou Chengyuan's smiling old face, Fang Hong slightly narrowed his eyes.
"You guessed my intentions, then deliberately called me out here."
"I presume Elder Zhou intends to give that token to me."
"Since that is the case, I will not mince words."
Fang Hong stared at Zhou Chengyuan. "I want that token."
"Whatever conditions Elder Zhou has, just say them."
Rather than becoming angry at Fang Hong's blunt words, Zhou Chengyuan's smile grew even wider.
Earlier, at the banquet, when Fang Hong had asked about the Martial Dao Sects in various places,
Zhou Chengyuan had already noticed something unusual about him.
After guessing Fang Hong's intentions and carefully considering the matter, Zhou Chengyuan had reached a decision.
He would give that token to Fang Hong!
Naturally, he could not simply hand it over for nothing. He had plans of his own as well.
Seeing Fang Hong staring straight at him, Zhou Chengyuan chuckled.
"Since Mr. Fang is so forthright, this old man will not beat around the bush either."
"I can give you that token."
"But Mr. Fang must agree to two conditions of mine."
Fang Hong's spirits rose. "Speak."
Zhou Chengyuan said, "First, during the upcoming operation at the Water Origin Cave, Mr. Fang must ensure my safety."
Fang Hong nodded directly. "No problem. I can agree to that right away."
"The second condition is that Mr. Fang must likewise leave a token for my Zhou Family."
"When a member of my Zhou Family holds that token and goes to the Star River Sect to take a master in the future, Mr. Fang must do everything in your power to smooth the way for them, so that they may enter the Star River Sect."
Hearing this, Fang Hong was somewhat puzzled.
"The token is in your hands. Why don't you go and take a master yourselves?"
At this, Zhou Chengyuan sighed. "I will not hide it from Mr. Fang."
"If I could, I would have sent someone to the Star River Sect to take a master long ago."
"But my Zhou Family has few descendants in this generation. I have already examined the bones of the few grandchildren I have, and they are all very poor."
"They simply do not meet the Star River Sect's requirements."
Zhou Chengyuan continued, "If that were the only issue, it would not matter. At worst, we could wait for other descendants to be born."
"But I have received word that the Star River Sect external affairs elder who gave me the token back then was severely injured in a previous battle with the Crimson Spirit Sect."
"If we do not use this token now, then once that elder passes away, I fear the matter of entering the sect will come to nothing."
"Therefore, giving the token to Mr. Fang is truly a choice forced upon this old man by circumstance."
As he spoke, Zhou Chengyuan's face was full of helplessness.
"Mr. Fang has already reached the Bone Refinement level at such a young age. Your innate bones must be extraordinary."
"Furthermore, with the token in hand, you will certainly be able to enter the Star River Sect."
"This old man merely wishes to secure a path forward for the descendants of the Zhou Family. That is why I specifically stopped you, sir. I hope you will not take offense."
After hearing Zhou Chengyuan out, Fang Hong's eyes flickered.
Zhou Chengyuan had clearly misunderstood the quality of his innate bones.
His innate bones were actually quite ordinary. He had cultivated this strength entirely through the heaven-defying effects of his Golden Finger.
Even so, he still wanted to take a gamble.
After all, no matter what, with the token in hand, his chances of entering the Star River Sect would ultimately be greater.
As for the promise to the Zhou Family,
with the effects of his Golden Finger, so long as he could enter the Star River Sect, he would certainly rise at a breakneck pace.
Such a small promise was nothing at all.
And if he still could not join the Star River Sect even with the token,
then that promise would naturally become void.
Either way, he would not lose out!
With that thought, Fang Hong directly nodded and agreed to Zhou Chengyuan's conditions.
"Fine. I agree to what you said."
Hearing this, Zhou Chengyuan immediately burst into laughter. "Good, good, good! The Zhou Family's inheritance has hope!"
"As for the token, once the matter of the Water Origin Cave is settled and we return to Fenshui Town, I will fetch it and give it to Mr. Fang at once!"
"Good!"
After settling the matter, both men entered the ship with satisfied smiles on their faces.
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