Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The night was deep, and the river seemed to weep.

The cargo hold was deathly silent, save for the occasional snores and teeth grinding.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of sweat and feet, mixed with the damp, fishy odor of the river, making one want to vomit.

Chen Ping leaned against the corner, seemingly sleeping, but in reality, he was in a semi-conscious state.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint, strange noise entered his eardrums.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

The sound was extremely faint, unlike the scraping of metal, but rather like something slippery wriggling on the deck, accompanied by the sound of fingernails gently digging into the wood.

Not right.

Chen Ping suddenly opened his eyes, his muscles tensing instantly.

At that very moment, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the deck above, followed by the gang members' mournful and distorted roars.

"Lights on!!"

"The water ghosts have sabotaged the boat—!"

Before the words were finished, a sickeningly loud bang suddenly came from the originally dark side wall of the lower compartment.

"Crack—Boom!"

The sturdy ironwood planks were violently torn apart, and murky river water mixed with wood chips poured in instantly.

Along with the rushing water came several short but extremely terrifying black shadows.

They were hunched over, only the size of five or six-year-old children, covered in wet moss, like a group of evil spirits that had just crawled out of the mud, moving as fast as black lightning.

Water ghost.

It's a water ghost again.

In the dim light of the lower deck, Chen Ping only saw a few pairs of pale, lifeless eyes flash by in the darkness, followed by the sound of sharp claws tearing through flesh.

"Pfft!"

Before the nearest canal worker could react, the dark figure pounced on his face.

The sharp claws instantly tore open his throat, and blood gushed out.

"Run! Run!"

The cargo hold instantly erupted into chaos.

In this narrow, dark space, faced with such a small, incredibly fast-moving demon, fear instantly overwhelmed everyone's reason.

The canal workers scrambled to their feet like madmen, crying and pushing each other as they rushed toward the only ladder leading to the deck.

"Get out of the way! Don't block my way!"

"Let me go up first!"

Chen Ping didn't wander around aimlessly like a headless fly.

He pressed his body against the cabin wall, moving quickly along the edge of the chaotic crowd.

He observed the movements of the small monsters as he approached the top of the ladder.

Just then, a scream suddenly came from the crowd ahead.

Lai San was seen pushing his way out like a mad bull, his eyes red.

Two water ghosts, each the size of a child, blocked his path, their eerie white eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.

"Damn it! Block me!"

Without hesitation, Lai San reached out, grabbed a thin old canal worker next to him, and shoved him hard towards the two water ghosts.

"Rip!"

The old canal worker was instantly pounced on by the two water ghosts, and his screams were drowned out by the sounds of tearing and biting.

Taking advantage of this opening, Lai San slipped past like a slippery venomous snake, stepping over the old canal worker's corpse and blood, and ran up the ladder using both hands and feet.

Chen Ping followed closely behind, using his brute strength to push through the crowd blocking his way and also rushed onto the deck.

Chaos reigned on the deck.

The ship's sides were crawling with water ghosts, which clung to the masts, ropes, and deck like geckos, using their agile bodies to constantly ambush the members of the Tsing Yi Society.

Ordinary swords and knives will often slip away when they strike their slippery mucus and scales, making it difficult to inflict a fatal wound.

On the contrary, once the gang members get close to them, they are scratched and torn by their sharp claws.

As soon as Chen Ping crawled out of the hatch, he saw what was happening not far away.

Because of his thin body, Gouwa was jostled and staggered in the crowd. He finally managed to climb onto the deck and was now dizzy and disoriented, trying to find his way.

At that moment, Lai San was being entangled by a water ghost.

Although the water ghost was small, it was incredibly strong, clinging tightly to Lai San's leg and trying to drag him down.

Lai San was terrified. He turned his head and saw Gouwa climbing up.

"You little bastard! Come here!"

Lai San grinned maliciously, kicked the water ghost away, and then reached out to grab Gouwa's hair, intending to pull him over and throw him to the water ghost to eat, so as to buy himself time to escape.

"stop!"

A cold shout rang out like a thunderclap.

Chen Ping took a step forward and slammed his fist into Lai San's outstretched arm.

Lai San winced in pain and pulled his hand back, turning to look at Chen Ping. His bloodshot eyes were filled with madness and resentment.

He reached into his pocket with his right hand and pulled out a sharp dagger. He had hidden it well before, not even taking it out when he was in the storage room. Now, in order to save his life, he finally revealed it.

"Chen Ping! It's you again!"

Lai San brandished his dagger, his expression crazed.

"What are you pretending to be, playing the good guy? We're all just rotten bastards in this mud! In the warehouse, you've been pinning me down, and I'm about to die. What's wrong with using this little bastard as a scapegoat?"

"He's a weakling, he should just be my stepping stone! As long as I live, it's worth it if you all die!"

"That's fate! That's the way things are in this world!"

As Lai San roared, he stared at Chen Ping with a sinister look in his eyes. He slightly bent over, and surprisingly gave up on running away. He wanted to stab Chen Ping first and then grab Gouwa as a shield.

Chen Ping's eyes were icy cold. Keeping this kind of person around would only bring trouble.

Rather than letting him stab you in the back later, it's better to send him on his way now.

"Have you finished explaining your reasoning?"

Chen Ping took a step back.

Lai San, thinking Chen Ping was afraid, grinned maliciously and pounced, the dagger in his hand gleaming coldly, aiming straight for Chen Ping's heart. "Die!"

Chen Ping did not retreat but advanced.

Step to the side to avoid the dagger.

Progress, crashing into my arms.

"Bang!"

Chen Ping suddenly exerted force with both legs, concentrating all his strength in his shoulders according to the "Backing Against the Mountain" technique, like a hard wooden stake, heavily slamming into Lai San's chest.

A crisp sound of bone cracking rang out.

Lai San's arrogant expression froze instantly. He looked as if he had been hit by a galloping horse, his sternum collapsed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He also lost his grip on the dagger, which clattered to the ground.

Before Lai Sanfei could even get out, Chen Ping's large hand reached out like an iron clamp and grabbed his throat.

"Click."

Clean and neat.

Lai San's body slumped to the ground, his resentful eyes staring intently at the night sky, as if he couldn't believe he would die so easily.

Chen Ping bent down and picked up the dagger.

It feels heavy in your hand, made of fine steel, with a blood groove; it's a good knife.

He casually rummaged through Lai San's pocket and pulled out a piece of silver, weighing about an ounce.

"He was a real penny-pincher, but unfortunately he didn't live to enjoy it."

Chen Ping stuffed the silver and dagger into his pocket, then turned to the dumbfounded Gouwa: "Get behind the mast!"

Just then, the little water ghost that had been chasing Lai San pounced over.

It saw Chen Ping, opened its mouth full of fangs, let out a sharp screech, and pounced.

"kill!"

Chen Ping gripped the dagger he had just acquired, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

So what if they are demons?

There is no set method, only power and speed.

Turning to the side and gripping the dagger in reverse, Chen Ping accurately predicted where it would land and stabbed it hard in the back of the neck.

"Pfft!"

Although the dagger pierced through, it felt as if it had struck a layer of tough old cowhide, the fine scales of which were incredibly slippery.

The water ghost cried out in pain, its body twisting strangely as it bit into Chen Ping's wrist.

Chen Ping's eyes hardened. Without retreating or dodging, he clenched his left fist, unleashed his full power, and slammed several punches into the water ghost's face.

"Bang!"

These punches were powerful and heavy, directly denting the water ghost's blurred features, and splattering moss and slime all over its face.

The water ghost let out a wail and tried to stand up, but Chen Ping stomped hard on its head, causing the water ghost's skull to explode. The corpse twitched a few times on the deck and then lay still.

Just as one was dealt with, two more water ghosts, drawn by the smell of blood, crawled over on all fours.

Chen Ping, caught up in the thrill of the battle, drew his sword and charged forward.

In the blink of an eye, two more water ghost corpses fell at his feet.

As the battle on the deck gradually subsided, the one-eyed second-in-command, along with several core members, had already killed most of the water ghosts.

Seeing that things were not going well, the remaining water ghosts jumped into the river and fled.

The one-eyed deputy glanced at Lai San's corpse on the ground, then at Chen Ping, who was casually wiping his dagger with three short water ghost corpses lying at his feet. A meaningful glint flashed in his one eye.

He didn't ask anything.

In this place, it's perfectly normal for one or two people to die, let alone these consumables.

Lai San's kind of scum is no big deal if he dies.

But Chen Ping is exactly the kind of person the gang needs.

"Well done."

The one-eyed deputy stepped forward, took out three pieces of silver from the money pouch at his waist, and tossed them to Chen Ping.

"This is what Master Huangya instructed. He said we're not as stingy as Ghost Hand Zhang. The brothers risk their lives and we have to see cash."

"Three taels of silver for a water ghost. Here are three taels for you. I don't have that much on hand today. I'll make up the difference later."

Chen Ping took the silver and felt its weight in his palm.

Adding Lai San's tael, tonight's income is four taels.

"Thank you for your reward, sir." Chen Ping clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression calm.

The one-eyed deputy nodded in satisfaction: "Throw the body into the river to feed the fish. Wash the deck clean before dawn, so as not to delay our 'funeral procession'."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Chen Ping watched the one-eyed deputy's retreating figure, his mind perfectly clear.

These three taels of silver are not just a reward, but also money to buy hearts.

Yellow Teeth was telling him that following Ghost Hand Zhang would only lead to being bullied, while following Yellow Teeth would bring him money.

Chen Ping put away the silver, then turned around and picked up Lai San's body.

The body was still warm, but Chen Ping showed no reaction whatsoever.

He walked to the side of the ship and let go of his hand.

"Thump."

Lai San's body fell into the rolling river and was instantly swallowed by the waves without even a bubble.