Chen Ye walked along the town's muddy streets, shocked by what he saw.
Many women stood by the roadside, their eyes vacant as they stared fixedly at passersby, like soulless puppets.
Judging by their complexions and the occasional mannerisms they displayed, these women had probably all been pampered young ladies before.
But now, whether one was of imperial blood or a golden bough and jade leaf, one had to bow to cruel reality.
Women's fates were often even more miserable in a place like Blackwater Lake.
Men could at least dive for pearls. Though the work could cost them their lives at any moment, it at least kept their bellies full for the time being.
But these women were different. Their bodies were too frail to withstand the Yin Cold Qi of Blackwater Lake, so they could only make a living by doing odd jobs.
Yet how much work could there be in a small town? With too many monks and too little porridge, most women were left with only one path in the end: selling their bodies.
Of course, some women refused to endure such humiliation and chose to end their lives.
But in this place, even death was no escape. Those women's corpses would be hauled away to grow flowers all the same.
Chen Ye walked on with his head down. As he passed, the women seemed to spring to life, doing everything they could to show off their figures while forcing smiles, trying to attract him as a customer.
"Young master, want to have some fun? It's very cheap!"
"Sir, I'm yours for just one cornbread bun."
Chen Ye turned a deaf ear to them, kept his eyes straight ahead, and quickened his pace as he left the area.
Once he had gone, the women, seemingly accustomed to this, returned to their places along the street and resumed staring blankly.
Chen Ye was no saint, but right now he had no desire for that sort of thing between men and women.
Staying alive was what mattered most. How could he spare a thought for anything else?
Soon, he arrived at his new dwelling.
As a fourth-rank convict, he had been given a much better place than his old, dilapidated shack. It was still crude, but at least the roof didn't leak and there were no gaping holes in the walls. There was even a fairly decent bed.
Chen Ye shut the door and started a fire to cook.
A small handful of polished rice simmered into thin porridge, a wheat cake toasted golden brown over the fire, and several slices of smoked meat, thin as cicada wings, sizzled in the heat, giving off a tempting aroma.
Chen Ye wolfed down his food. As soon as it reached his stomach, it was digested and absorbed, transformed into precious nourishment for his depleted body.
His Ox and Horse Physique talent was at work.
This talent let him absorb the maximum amount of nourishment from food, turning even coarse grains into energy that nourished his body.
Chen Ye even suspected that once his level rose a little further, he might actually be able to survive on grass alone, like an ox or a horse.
After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Ye began planning his actions for the next day.
To avoid danger and unnecessary attention, Chen Ye had always stayed on the outskirts of the pearl-gathering area. Although the spirit pearls from the central area were of the highest quality, he had never gone there.
But now, after seeing that ninth-grade spirit pearl at the docks, Chen Ye could no longer suppress his desire.
Moreover, he had already attracted the attention and covetous gazes of Zhao Qiu and the others. His priority now was to increase his strength as quickly as possible, not continue hiding his abilities.
With that thought, Chen Ye immediately began preparing what he would need for the next day.
There wasn't much to prepare, really. Aside from the necessary clothing, the only thing worth paying attention to was a dagger.
Chen Ye had traded two days' rations for it with a newly arrived convict. The dagger was ornate, and its hilt had even been inlaid with many gemstones, but Chen Ye had pried them all out.
Those things were a pain to grip and made him easier to spot. They weren't worth a damn otherwise.
In this town, the only things accepted in trade were food, supplies, and gold. Everything else, including gemstones, was utterly worthless.
The dagger itself, however, was made of excellent material and was very sharp.
Chen Ye packed it away, then set a basin filled to the brim with water behind the door and another in front of the window. That way, if anyone sneaked in, he would be woken immediately.
Once everything was ready, Chen Ye fell straight into bed.
These days, he slept astonishingly well, perhaps also because of his Ox and Horse Physique. He no longer even dreamed, sleeping until he woke naturally.
It was still dark outside. Chen Ye got up and began brewing ginger soup.
It was an essential for the Tanka pearl divers, helping them dispel the Cold Qi in their bodies after diving.
Once it was ready, Chen Ye poured it into a wooden bucket, gathered his things, and headed for the docks.
The sun was only just peeking over the horizon when he arrived, but quite a few people were already lining up to collect the day's Yin-Dispelling Talismans and spirit shovels.
Chen Ye collected his share and prepared to board his boat.
Just then, he noticed three men standing on a boat in the distance. They were Zhao Qiu and the other two who had followed him yesterday.
The three seemed to be discussing something, glancing over in his direction from time to time.
Chen Ye's heart sank slightly. He immediately lowered his head, boarded his boat, and quickly rowed away from the docks.
Although he didn't know what Zhao Qiu and the others were discussing, he knew trouble had come.
By the time Chen Ye reached the central pearl-gathering waters, the sun was already high in the sky. Several boats were anchored there, but no one had entered the water.
They were still waiting for the right moment.
Only when the sun was at its strongest would the lake's Yin Qi be weakened to its lowest point.
Chen Ye was no exception. He found a relatively remote corner to anchor his boat, took a piece of smoked meat from his pack, and slowly began to eat.
The smoked meat was dry and hard as wood, and it didn't taste like much either. But Chen Ye ate it with great care, chewing and swallowing it bit by bit to ensure he wasted none of its nourishment.
At last.
The sun reached its zenith, and sunlight began to strike the lake's surface directly.
Without hesitation, Chen Ye stripped off his outer clothes, hung the Yin-Dispelling Talisman around his neck, and plunged into the water.
The water in the central area was colder than at the edges, but perhaps because he had eaten and drunk his fill and slept well the previous day, Chen Ye found that his Qi and blood circulated far more smoothly than usual today.
After quickly diving to the bottom, Chen Ye began searching for a target.
His Spirit Clam Sensing ability let him clearly detect the fluctuations unique to spirit clams.
Soon, he stopped before a thick layer of silt and used his shovel to push the mud and sand aside.
A moment later, the spirit clam beneath was finally exposed.
The spirit clam was as large as a round table and extremely well hidden, buried deep in the silt where it was hard to detect.
Chen Ye had only found it because he possessed a sensing skill.
With time pressing, Chen Ye immediately began prying at the spirit clam's shell.
This spirit clam was clearly much sturdier than any Chen Ye had encountered before. He had to exert himself for quite a while before he managed to pry open a crack, and a pink glow shone through it.
Delighted, Chen Ye put strength into his hands and finally forced the shell open.
A spirit pearl the size of a ping-pong ball lay quietly inside, giving off an enticing luster.
Without hesitation, Chen Ye reached out to take it. Just then, an intense sense of danger suddenly welled up in his heart.
Without thinking, Chen Ye abruptly flexed his waist and abdomen, forcibly shifting his entire body half a foot sideways in the water!
Swish!
A black shadow grazed his arm, trailing a string of blood droplets.
He focused his gaze and saw a strange fish about a foot long glaring at him like a tiger stalking its prey. Its body was pitch-black, its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, and its eyes brimming with ferocity.
Rather than panic, Chen Ye instantly calmed down.
As the strange fish lunged again, he advanced instead of retreating, striking it squarely on the head with his spirit shovel!
Bang!
The faint spirituality imbued in the spirit shovel was a natural counter to water monsters like this one. The strange fish let out a soundless wail and its body went stiff as the blow sent it flying. It tumbled through the water several times before fleeing in panic.
Though he had dealt with his attacker, Chen Ye felt a tightness in his chest. There was almost no air left in his lungs.
Not daring to delay, he grabbed the ninth-grade spirit pearl from the clam's flesh, kicked hard with both legs, and surged desperately toward the surface.
As he struggled upward, a line of small text that only he could see quietly appeared before his eyes.
[The Boat of the Other Shore has detected spiritual essence that can be absorbed. Devour it?]
It worked!
Wild joy surged through Chen Ye. The spirit pearl really was the key to activating the Boat of the Other Shore!
Splash!
He finally burst out of the water, gulped down great breaths of fresh air, and clambered into the boat on hands and knees.
Only after drinking two large bowls of ginger soup and changing into dry clothes did Chen Ye feel alive again. He slumped in the boat and glanced at the water in the distance. Zhao Qiu's boat was still within sight.
I can't wait!
If those three discovered that he had gathered a ninth-grade spirit pearl, the consequences would be unthinkable.
He glanced at the pink ninth-grade spirit pearl and, without the slightest hesitation, willed it.
"Devour!"
In an instant, the ninth-grade spirit pearl seemed to melt, turning into a stream of light that seeped into Chen Ye's palm.
[The Boat of the Other Shore has been unlocked]
As the notification appeared, Chen Ye felt a brilliant light flare before his eyes. Immediately afterward, a small boat appeared in his sea of consciousness.
Chen Ye stared at the thing before him, which was more of a canoe than a boat, somewhat taken aback.
This is the Boat of the Other Shore?
The name sounds so magnificent, so why does the real thing look like this?
As he grumbled inwardly, a faint glimmer suddenly lit up at the bow of the battered little boat. Then the whole vessel jolted violently, and Chen Ye felt as though his consciousness had been abruptly yanked up by an invisible force and cast into a bizarre, kaleidoscopic vortex...
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