Black Rock River was an important waterway of Black Goose City.
It rose in Moxu Mountain, over a thousand kilometers outside Black Goose City, flowed through the city, and joined the Cangyuan River.
Much of the prosperity west of Black Goose City also relied on this river.
By day, it was packed with grain transport ships, supporting nearly three-quarters of Black Goose City's economy.
By night, the waterway was filled with all manner of pleasure boats, their lanterns blazing brightly amid extraordinary bustle.
It could be said that this Black Rock River not only supported Black Goose City's economy, but also satisfied the city's people in their pleasures.
Thus, the families able to live in the western part of the city were all either wealthy or noble.
Qin Zheng walked cautiously along the riverside street in the west of the city, his eyes constantly sweeping over the crowds around him.
After receiving the information from Wang Er, he considered it briefly before deciding to come and take a look.
He had no money or silver on him now, only a Ghost-head Saber passed down through his family.
But in his mind, he still possessed a Ghost-head Saber Technique!
Though this saber technique could only be considered low-grade, it was still a martial art capable of allowing one to enter the Skin-Refining Realm!
In an era where strength reigned supreme, the scarcity of martial arts had been greatly elevated.
Even if this Ghost-head Saber Technique was not particularly formidable, it should still be worth a fair amount.
Even if he could not use it to trade for a more powerful martial art, he should at least be able to exchange it for one of the same level, right?
Then he could see whether he could choose a movement technique.
If he could not face his opponent head-on, having a movement technique that could help him escape would still be good.
After weighing it over and over, this was the only solution Qin Zheng could come up with.
There was no helping it. His predecessor had been too poor, with no family assets at all, and simply lacked the means to trade for higher-level martial arts.
Thinking of this, Qin Zheng let out an imperceptible sigh.
To be honest, if he had not provoked Shi Dian, a Muscle-Refining Realm martial artist who had broken through three major barriers—
With only a Ghost-head Saber and the Ghost-head Saber Technique at consummate mastery, Qin Zheng could already have lived quite well in Black Goose City.
After all, according to Wang Er, someone in the Skin-Refining Realm already counted as a skilled hand in the martial world.
Unfortunately, in order to obtain merit, he had no choice but to forcefully chop off the head of Shi Yan, that young master, and make an enemy of a Muscle-Refining Realm martial artist.
But even if Qin Zheng were sent back to that moment, he would still chop off the other man's head without the slightest hesitation.
Because the palm force that had accumulated within him at the time had already reached an irretrievable point.
If he had not killed the other man and gained merit, thereby raising the Ghost-head Saber Technique to consummate mastery and seeking a change—
He might not have lived until now. In the early hours of this morning, he would have died amid agonizing pain.
While carefully observing the movements around him, Qin Zheng walked along the riverside street toward his destination.
By the time Qin Zheng reached the pleasure boat moored at the shore, the remnants of the Golden Cicada Gang had yet to appear, which made him breathe a slight sigh of relief.
With a mixture of unease and hope in his heart, Qin Zheng stepped onto the pleasure boat.
"Hey! Wait! Wait!"
The moment Qin Zheng stepped onto the pleasure boat, two servants ran over and stopped him.
"What is it?"
Qin Zheng frowned and asked in confusion.
The two servants first looked him up and down, then said arrogantly, "Ordinary people are not permitted to enter."
Following their gazes, Qin Zheng looked down at his washed-out blue robe and immediately understood what they meant.
Suppressing his irritation, Qin Zheng said, "Don't worry. I know what kind of place this is. Since I dared to come, I can afford the price."
At this, the two servants still did not let him in. Instead, they mocked him, "Sir, it isn't that we refuse to let you enter."
"It's just that this boat has a rule: anyone without proof of assets worth a hundred taels cannot enter."
"How about this? If you can immediately take out something worth a hundred taels and smash it into our faces, I'll let you in right away."
Hearing this, Qin Zheng reached behind him and slowly drew out the Ghost-head Saber wrapped in coarse cloth.
"What are you doing?!"
At the sight, the two servants leaped back in fright.
Everyone in Black Goose City knew the background of this pleasure boat.
Over all these years, not a single person had dared to make a move in front of the pleasure boat, and that had fostered these servants' dog-backing arrogance.
Thus, Qin Zheng's action gave the two of them a tremendous fright.
They immediately began shouting, "Guards! Guards!"
The commotion instantly drew the attention of people on the riverbank and aboard the pleasure boat.
More than ten guards quickly rushed over from the shore and from inside and outside the pleasure boat. As they looked at Qin Zheng, their eyes were filled with vigilance.
Qin Zheng did not waste words. Expressionless, he stepped forward and suddenly swung the Ghost-head Saber.
The pupils of those guards shrank. Then they gritted their teeth, drew their sabers, and stepped forward.
Against these guards, who had not even entered the Skin-Refining Realm and were merely brawny with a rudimentary grasp of saber techniques—
Qin Zheng was like an adult whipping children. With a twist of his blade, he sent the guards flying off the boat one after another and into the river.
In no more than a few breaths, Qin Zheng had smacked every one of those guards into the water.
Then, amid everyone's shocked gazes, Qin Zheng sheathed the Ghost-head Saber, looked toward the pleasure boat, and said, "Using this saber martial art as payment, may I enter the boat?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a fat man with a mustache shaped like the character eight, draped in gold and silver, hurried out of the pleasure boat.
He quickly came before Qin Zheng and said with a smile, "Sir, you're being far too courteous. If even a Skin-Refining Realm martial artist cannot enter, then who possibly could?"
"Come, come, come. Go right in, sir. Whatever catches your eye, whatever you want, just say the word!"
As he spoke, he pulled Qin Zheng toward the interior of the pleasure boat.
When they passed those two servants, he stopped and cursed loudly, "You two blind fools! Apologize to this gentleman at once!"
The two servants trembled. How could they not realize they had caused trouble? They immediately came before Qin Zheng.
Then, while slapping their own faces with broad palms, they repeatedly said, "Sir, forgive us. We were dogs looking down on people!"
Qin Zheng frowned, then ignored them outright and walked straight into the pleasure boat.
To be honest, Qin Zheng truly had not wanted to cause such a commotion.
But given his current appearance, with those two servants making things difficult for him, it had been practically impossible to enter the pleasure boat peacefully.
However, Qin Zheng had his own reasons for choosing to use his saber.
By using the flat of the blade to knock the guards off the boat, he had avoided injuring anyone and prevented bad blood from forming.
At the same time, he could demonstrate his strength as much as possible, as well as the sophistication of the Ghost-head Saber Technique.
He had to bluff them into submission; only then could he raise the price of the Ghost-head Saber Technique!
It was only a pity that the people he had fought were merely guards without martial training.
If a skilled hand of the Skin-Refining Realm had appeared, he could have raised the value of the Ghost-head Saber Technique even further.
With that thought in mind, Qin Zheng entered the pleasure boat.
The first floor looked like an exhibition hall, filled with all sorts of small objects.
"Sir, these are all collectibles seized from the Golden Cicada Gang."
"Please have a look. What would you like?"
The steward walked to Qin Zheng's side and spoke.
Qin Zheng swept his gaze around and asked, "Do you have martial arts?"
He had no time to speak in riddles or beat around the bush.
Upon hearing Qin Zheng's words, the steward's eyes immediately lit up.
Martial arts?
That would not be a small business deal!
"Yes! We happened to seize a movement technique this time. It's on the second floor. If you need it, sir, I'll take you to see it right now."
Qin Zheng's eyes also suddenly brightened.
A movement technique?
Wasn't that exactly what he wanted?
He nodded and was about to go upstairs with the steward to see the movement technique.
But just then, the corner of his eye caught sight of a string of prayer beads resting on the counter before him.
A faint golden glow seemed to flicker over the beads, making Qin Zheng reach out and touch them involuntarily.
At once, the Merit Scroll above the sea of his heart trembled, and a line of text appeared.
Discovered item: High Monk Sarira. Can be refined. Requires one tael of merit. Refine? Note: Refinement grants martial art: Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill (incomplete)
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