Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The next morning, as dawn broke.

Chen Ping had just finished reciting the "Crushing Stone Force" stance the first time, and before the heat from his body had dissipated, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

"Chen Ping, are you there?"

It's Yang Sen.

Chen Ping wiped his sweat with a cloth and went over to unlatch the door bolt.

Yang Sen stood at the door carrying a pot of wine, his one eye glazed over, as if he hadn't woken up from a hangover.

But as soon as the door opened, his gaze swept over Chen Ping's bare upper body, and his single eye suddenly lit up.

"Brother, you... broke through?"

His tone carried a hint of disbelief and astonishment.

Chen Ping stepped aside to let him in, nodding: "Just a fluke."

Yang Sen walked into the courtyard, put the wine pot on the stone table, and carefully looked Chen Pingzai over. Finally, he shook his head in amazement: "I originally thought it would take you several more months to break through to the Skin Refining Realm, but I didn't expect you to only take a month and a half."

He reached out and patted Chen Ping's shoulder, his palm touching the tough, leathery skin, and pressed it firmly.

It remained completely still, yet the impact was powerful.

"Tough skin and abundant blood and qi... Not bad, brother! Now you have some real confidence in the Green Robe Society." Yang Sen grinned.

Chen Ping said calmly, "It's still far from good enough."

"Don't be modest." Yang Sen waved his hand. "To break through to the Skin Refining Realm in a month and a half, there are very few people in the entire Qingkou Wharf who can do that. You have good talent, kid."

He paused, then changed his tone, his expression becoming somewhat helpless: "However, precisely because you've broken through, this next task... is perfect for you."

Chen Ping raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"

Yang Sen sighed: "Master Huangya asked me to tell you that something has happened again at the greywater mine... This time it's a water ghost, you need to go and handle it."

Chen Ping was slightly taken aback.

Water ghost?

"People die every few days at the greywater quarry. When did Old Man Yellow Teeth become so merciful?" Chen Ping frowned. "He actually cares about the lives of people in that filthy place?"

"Do you really think Yellow Tooth Master cares about those few lives?" Yang Sen gave a wry smile.

He looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "The gang gave orders today that they're sending someone from Shanyang City to inspect Qingkou Wharf. This is a big shot from above."

Chen Ping's heart skipped a beat: "An inspection?"

"Yes." Yang Sen nodded. "We'll arrive in three days. The inspection area will conveniently include the greywater field. As for the corpses, Rouge Tiger will send people to handle them; they can just be thrown into the river to feed the fish. But..."

He glanced at Chen Ping meaningfully: "Rouge Tiger said she'll take care of the rough work like sweeping, but this kind of ferocious creature, the water ghost... the greywater area is under your jurisdiction now, so you have to clean it up yourself."

Chen Ping squinted.

Rouge Tiger?

Logically speaking, she could have just sent anyone with a red flower stick to deal with the task of clearing out the water ghosts, so why did she have to push it onto him?

Yang Sen seemed to see Chen Ping's doubts and waved his hand, saying, "Don't overthink it. You know these people are all about saving face. It's not good for them to have something like a water ghost appear in their territory. This matter needs to be handled properly and cannot be taken lightly."

He patted Chen Ping on the shoulder: "You are now a martial artist at the Skin Refining Realm, and you have kung fu skills. Dealing with water ghosts is a piece of cake for you. Besides, the Gray Water Field is nominally your territory now, so it is reasonable for you to clean it up."

Chen Ping was silent for a moment, then nodded: "I understand."

"Great." Yang Sen breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. If you do this job well, Huang Ya will treat you well. Remember, it's only three days. In three days, I want to see a clean and tidy greywater field."

After saying that, Yang Sen turned and left.

Chen Ping stood in the courtyard, watching his figure disappear into the morning mist.

three days?

He looked down at his hands, then touched the dagger at his waist.

He had killed several water ghosts on the ship, so they weren't much of a threat.

But... why did Rouge Tiger push this job onto him at this particular time?

Chen Ping frowned.

Last time he went to the greywater field, he saved Li Wenxiu and also injured Liu Dabiao's men.

There must be someone backing Liu Dabiao up.

Now that a water ghost has appeared at the greywater field, this matter is probably not simple.

"never mind."

Chen Ping shook his head.

Since it's an order, it's not easy to refuse.

Besides, with his current Refined Skin Realm body and Proficient Stone-Shattering Force, dealing with a few water ghosts is just a piece of cake.

Just then, a series of dragging footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Old Liu walked in, his body hunched over, carrying a dusty cloth bag.

"I heard you're going to the greywater quarry?" Old Liu asked bluntly.

Chen Ping nodded: "I have no choice but to go on Master Huang's orders."

Old Liu clicked his tongue, walked to the stone table in the courtyard, sat down, and put the cloth bag on the table: "Open it and take a look."

Chen Ping walked over and untied the cloth bundle.

Inside were several packets of medicine powder.

"What is this?"

"It's for stopping bleeding." Old Liu said slowly, puffing on his pipe. "I wanted to prepare some for you when you went to the greywater field last time. Since you're going again this time, take it with you. The water there isn't clean. If you get scratched, this ointment will keep your wound from getting infected."

Chen Ping took the cloth bag and glanced at Liu Laoguo: "Do you think I'll get hurt?"

Old Liu tapped his pipe, looked up at Chen Ping, and said with a complicated expression, "Your skin is now tough and your blood and qi are abundant. You've broken through to the Skin Refining Realm. Dealing with ordinary water ghosts is indeed no problem for you."

He paused, his tone becoming serious: "But this time it's different. You have to go into the water, and you have to go deeper."

Chen Ping narrowed his eyes: "What do you know?"

Old Liu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "You've been to the Greywater Dump, too. All sorts of people are there there—those who starve to death, those who die of disease, those who are beaten to death… It's not uncommon for a dozen or twenty people to die every year."

He lowered his voice, the smoke blurring his wrinkled face: "But things are different these days. In the last two weeks, seven or eight people have died over there, and their deaths were all very strange."

Chen Ping narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean?"

"There were several corpses that were dragged up from the edge of the pond. They were soaking wet, and their skin was white from being soaked. It was obvious that they had been dragged down by water ghosts. This kind of thing has happened before, so it's not unusual."

Old Liu's voice grew deeper and deeper: "But there are two more corpses, and their deaths are very bizarre. One of them had all the flesh gnawed away, leaving only the skeleton. The other had a huge hole ripped out of its chest, and its heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were all gone, as if something had dug them out of there."

"Normal water ghosts will eat a few bites and then discard the corpse before looking for prey. Even two or three of them can't completely devour a corpse."

Chen Ping felt a chill run down his spine.

"You mean... there are many water ghosts at Greywater Shoal?"

"Not only that," Old Liu shook his head, "but I suspect that some of the things inside are no longer ordinary water ghosts."

Chen Ping frowned: "What do you mean?"

Old Liu was silent for a moment before slowly explaining, "Water ghosts are mostly transformed from drowned ghosts or animals like monkeys that have been tainted by yin energy. Although they move quickly, they are not very strong and can generally only deal with ordinary people. A martial artist at the Skin Refining Realm can easily handle three to five water ghosts."

He raised his head, looked at Chen Ping, and said, word by word, "However, if the water ghosts devour enough flesh and blood and stay in places with heavy yin energy for too long... they will evolve."

"evolution?"

"Yes." Old Liu nodded. "After evolving, the water ghost's skin becomes tougher, its strength increases significantly, and it may even grow sharp claws and teeth. We usually call this kind of thing a Rakshasa."

Chen Ping's heart stirred.

Rakshasa?

How powerful is the Rakshasa?

Old Liu pondered for a moment: "If it is a newly evolved Rakshasa, it is roughly equivalent to a martial artist in the Flesh Refining Realm. But if it is a fully mature Rakshasa, it is a demon in the Blood Refining Realm. If an ordinary person encounters it, they will surely die."

He paused, then added, "However, Rakshasa are very rare. Although the Greywater Field is an eerie place, it doesn't necessarily mean there are Rakshasa there. I'm just reminding you not to let your guard down."

Chen Ping nodded and put the cloth bag away: "Thank you."

Old Liu waved his hand: "Don't thank me. You've reached the Skin Refining Realm now, so you have some confidence. But the world is dangerous, so it's best to be careful."

He stood up, turned and walked out: "By the way, if we really encounter a Rakshasa, if we can't beat him, we should run away. Don't fight him head-on. We only have one life, and once it's gone, it's gone forever."

After saying that, Old Liu left without looking back.

Chen Ping stood there, watching his hunched back disappear outside the courtyard gate.

Chen Ping took a deep breath, a hint of caution flashing in his eyes.

He turned and walked into the house.

"Doggy!"

Gouwa ran out of the house: "Brother Ping, what's wrong?"

"I need to go to the greywater quarry," Chen Ping said calmly. "You stay home and practice your calligraphy. Don't wander off."

Gouwa nodded quickly, "Yes!"

Chen Ping glanced at him, then turned and pushed open the door to leave.

……

The greywater treatment plant remains in its dilapidated state.

This time, he went straight into the depths of the greywater field.

That was the lowest point in the entire area, and the place where all the sewage converged—a stagnant reed marshland connected to the Grand Canal.

Chen Ping stood on the muddy ground on the shore.

The reed marshland before me was deathly still; the withered yellow reeds didn't even sway in the wind.

The water was murky and black, with a layer of colorful oil and garbage floating on it.

There seemed to be nothing unusual.

But Chen Ping did not rush to conclusions.

He adjusted his breathing and slowly closed his eyes.

The Water Observation Method is operating quietly.

As my mind calmed down, the noise around me began to separate into layers.

Chen Ping opened his eyes and observed the bottom of the water.

Chen Ping's brow twitched slightly.

There is movement underwater.

That wasn't the sound of fish and shrimp swimming, nor the sound of water flowing.

Instead, it was an extremely dull, slow friction sound.

It was as if something was lurking deep in the mud at the bottom of the water, slowly turning over and stirring up the heavy silt.

and……

Chen Ping suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the murky water.

Through his perception using the [Water Observation Technique], he sensed a bone-chilling cold emanating from beneath that body of water.

The feeling was hard to describe; it was like a block of ice that had never melted for millennia, constantly radiating a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

That's probably not an ordinary water ghost down there.