Chapter 54

Su Peng and Fu Yi quickly arrived at the port. The coastal city, being a key transit point where a major river meets the sea, naturally had a bustling port. The dock was teeming with people, with groups of sailors and seamen scattered about, and laborers unloading cargo from the ships in rows. There were also merchants directing the unloading, officials patrolling the shore, and passengers like Su Peng and Fu Yi.

Su Peng and Fu Yi easily found a ship heading inland. It was a Fuchuan, a ship as tall as a building, with a mast towering over twenty meters high, a length of over forty meters, and a width of about twelve to thirteen meters. The ship was pointed at the front and square at the back, and the hull was made of hard wood like camphor, capable of carrying both cargo and passengers. This ship could likely hold over a hundred people and several hundred stones of cargo.

At the bow of the ship, there was a round mark, which was the symbol of the shipowner's business, similar to a personal trademark. Su Peng had seen this symbol at the Sea Guest Inn. Su Peng and Fu Yi recognized it as the ship they were to board.

At that moment, a small boat was placed at the side of the Fuchuan for people to board from the shore. A crew member was checking the boarding credentials of the merchants. Su Peng and Fu Yi saw that the White Eyebrow Chan Master, supposedly from the Great Void Temple, and a group of wealthy merchants had also boarded the Fuchuan. Behind them, the young hero Huo Sijie from the Hengshan Sect seemed to have successfully connected with the White Eyebrow Chan Master. The other martial artists and young heroes, except for two who were possibly locals seeing them off, had also boarded the Fuchuan.

"Let's board the ship," Fu Yi said to Su Peng. Su Peng nodded, and the two showed their credentials and boarded the Fuchuan.

After boarding, Su Peng felt the view was much broader. The ship itself was not low, and this Fuchuan was like a high-rise building, with many cabins inside. It was quite comfortable for travel, though the price was a bit steep.

"Little friend Su, I am in cabin number three of the Jia series. I'll go to the cabin to put down my belongings and rest for a while. The ship is about to set sail. If you're in the mood, we can chat after lunch," Fu Yi said after boarding.

"Sure," Su Peng nodded. He was in cabin number seven of the Jia series, not far from Fu Yi.

Fu Yi then bid farewell and went to his cabin. Su Peng watched Fu Yi's back as he entered the ship's building, noticing a subtle detail.

"The cabins on this ship are divided by class. The Jia series cabins are inside the ship's building, with sunlight and larger rooms, but they are not cheap... The Yi series cabins are in the ship's body, smaller, but half the price. There is also the Bing series with large communal cabins... I changed to a Yi series cabin because someone thought the Jia series cabin was too expensive, costing one tael of gold to board, leaving a Jia series cabin for me. Fu Yi, who seems to be down on his luck, can actually afford the Jia series cabin fee... He came early, not because he couldn't book other cabins, but because he didn't like the Yi or Bing series cabins. It seems he is used to a life of luxury and is not as down on his luck as he appears."

However, this was not a big deal. Everyone might have secrets they don't want others to know. Perhaps he was just out to experience life.

Su Peng didn't pay too much attention and went to his cabin.

Su Peng's cabin, Jia 7, was on the first floor of the ship's building, not too small. It had a bed and a table nailed to the cabin floor. The bedding was new, and the air in the room was fresh. Su Peng nodded, feeling it was worth the two taels of gold he spent.

Su Peng didn't have much to put in the room. Just as he was about to sit down and rest, the ship suddenly swayed, indicating it had set sail.

Su Peng watched the dock scenery slowly recede through the window, feeling quite relaxed. With nothing to do, he sat in the cabin and quietly practiced his internal skills.

Gradually, Su Peng entered a meditative state. He practiced the Lava Mirror Lake technique, which had many methods. He could improve by sitting in meditation and circulating his energy, or by gaining combat experience. Since he couldn't find a place to gain combat experience, he sat in meditation and regulated his breathing.

Su Peng closed his eyes and visualized a volcano and a lake on top of it, while simultaneously circulating his internal energy.

He sat for two hours, completing three major cycles of the Lava Mirror Lake technique. When he opened his eyes, he felt refreshed and clear-minded. Checking his skill progress, he found his internal skill had improved by about two to three percent.

"Although sitting in meditation can improve my internal skill, the speed is still too slow. At this rate, it would take at least a month to advance one level... However, it might be that dark gold skills naturally improve more slowly. For example, the Transforming Rain technique improved a level in just three days..."

"But at this rate, the progress is still too slow. When we reach Jiangning, I need to find a place to gain combat experience to speed up my internal skill level. Although combat experience cannot break through skill bottlenecks, it can save a lot of practice time." Su Peng had made up his mind.

As he was thinking, Su Peng heard footsteps outside his cabin. Someone knocked on the door, bringing lunch... Passengers in the Jia series cabins had their meals delivered by the ship's crew, while those in the Yi series had to go to the lower deck for communal meals. As for the Bing series, they had to bring their own food.

Su Peng took the food box and saw two small dishes, one meat and one vegetable, a bowl of fish soup, and a bowl of rice. It was decent, but he wasn't very hungry, so he put it aside, logged out of the game, and went to the dining hall for a meal. He then logged back into the game.

The afternoon passed with Su Peng practicing. His efforts were not in vain, and the Lava Mirror Lake technique was finally improved to about 67% of the first level.

At this point, Su Peng was tired of sitting. He looked out the cabin window and saw the sunset turning the river a deep red. Birds flew in the distance, creating a scene reminiscent of "The setting sun and the solitary wild goose fly together, the autumn water and the sky are of one color."

Seeing this beautiful scene, Su Peng felt much better. He opened the door, walked out of the ship's building, and went to the deck.

He saw two groups of people standing on the deck, both admiring the scenery.

At the stern, a group of martial artists and young heroes, including Huo Sijie, were watching the sunset, chatting animatedly. Huo Sijie himself was not there. The other two were Fu Yi and the red-haired Kaifeng Ouyang Qing, who seemed to be getting along well.

"Brother Ouyang, you're on this ship too? I didn't see you earlier," Su Peng greeted Ouyang Qing and walked over.

"Ha, it's little brother Su from Jiangning. We're on the same ship, what a coincidence. Come, come, let's chat a bit."

Ouyang Qing seemed to like Su Peng and waved him over. Su Peng smiled and walked over.

"Brother Fu, I was practicing martial arts and didn't notice the time. How far has the ship traveled?" Su Peng asked Fu Yi with a bow.

"The ship is sailing with the wind and has already traveled 140 li. In a while, we'll enter the Poyang Lake area. We might spend the night there, exchange some cargo, and continue sailing," Fu Yi said, having talked to the shipowner.

"The speed isn't very fast..." Su Peng commented. Using lightness skills, he could probably travel faster, but the terrain was complex, making the water route more convenient.

Just as he was about to say more, Su Peng heard a loud voice from the stern: "Look over there, isn't that the Iron Rooster of Jiangning? What's he doing here?"

Su Peng turned back and saw the group of martial artists and young heroes, one of whom was looking at him with disdain.

"Oh? When did you get that nickname?" Ouyang Qing asked, looking at Su Peng.

Su Peng smiled and shook his head, briefly explaining the morning's events: "I didn't give money to the high monk to release the old turtle, so they caught me in a weak spot."

"You were right not to give it!" Ouyang Qing said, looking at the group of martial artists and young heroes with disdain. "People can't even eat, and you want to save a turtle? If it were me, I'd catch the turtle, bleed it, and cook it."

"Not a bad idea," Su Peng couldn't help but laugh.

"Hmph, a vulgar and ignorant person!" A cold voice came from behind them, full of arrogance and disdain.

Su Peng and the others turned around and saw Huo Sijie, the White Eyebrow Chan Master, and a group of wealthy merchants coming out of the ship's building. The White Eyebrow Chan Master was holding a large turtle.

"Ha, I see, the turtle you were talking about earlier, little brother Su, is this one?" Ouyang Qing heard the disdain in Huo Sijie's voice and responded with a cold laugh.

Su Peng laughed, thinking Ouyang Qing's words were quite venomous. Huo Sijie had just come out and was already called a turtle, and the White Eyebrow Chan Master was indirectly implicated.

"But what are you saying?" One of the wealthy merchants, who didn't like the banter between Su Peng and Ouyang Qing, spoke up.

"Am I saying anything wrong? I may not be well-read, but I know that like attracts like. Turtles find turtles, and tortoises find tortoises. You all came out with a turtle, what do you think I would think?" Ouyang Qing continued, not caring about the merchant's reaction.

"Amitabha, sir, be careful with your words. The Three Lives Sutra clearly states that speaking falsely and insulting others will lead to the tongue-cutting hell," the White Eyebrow Chan Master said, frowning and reciting a Buddhist phrase.

"I don't agree with that, Chan Master," Su Peng said, shaking his head. "I've read the Three Lives Sutra, but I have a question. The sutra suggests that those who did evil in their past life will be born with congenital deformities, such as being a dwarf, having sores, being mute, or blind. While I don't claim to be compassionate, I know that these people are already suffering enough. The sutra says their suffering is due to past sins, which seems to blame the innocent for the sins of fate. Isn't that cruel? Isn't it taking advantage of their inability to defend themselves and labeling them as self-inflicted?"

"Amitabha!" The White Eyebrow Chan Master was taken aback, not expecting Su Peng to raise this question. He frowned, seemingly displeased, and said, "The Buddha is a sage, and you should listen to and follow his words. How can you have objections?"

"That's not the case. Little friend Su's words are quite profound. The sutra also says that those who did good in their past life have good looks, while those who did evil have ugly appearances. I didn't think much of it when reading the sutra, but after hearing little friend Su, I have a new perspective. If we ignore the concept of karma and focus on the present, the sutra seems to be quite biased. Those born with good looks and strong bodies are said to have done good in their past life, while those born with poor looks and weak bodies are said to have done evil. This seems to reflect the world's tendency to favor the strong and belittle the weak," Fu Yi said, seemingly deep in thought.

Fu Yi's view was moderate, but Ouyang Qing, who was more radical and had a bias against Buddhism, laughed loudly, "Ha ha ha! I've always thought you monks are hypocritical, but I couldn't figure out why. Now, thanks to my two brothers, I see that you Buddhists are all about favoring the strong and belittling the weak!"

~~~

I have some family visiting from afar, and I had to entertain them. My internet time was scattered throughout the day, and I didn't have a large block of time to write. I only started writing after sending them off in the evening, so there was a delay. I will have another update today.

Note 1: In favorable conditions, a Fuchuan can travel about 60 to 70 li per day. In the game, let's assume the current is faster.

Previous Page AD Start

Previous Page AD End