Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The following evening, the setting sun, like blood, spilled across the turbid river surface.

As soon as the dockworker's bell rang, the canal workers, their legs feeling like lead, lined up to collect their hard-earned wages for the day.

Most people could only receive eighteen or nineteen coins, while those who received a little over twenty coins were strong laborers with excellent physical condition.

Chen Ping now earns a stable 30 coins a day thanks to his physical strength and physique, sometimes with some left over.

He had just ripped off the worn-out shoulder pads and was about to collect his wages when he was stopped before he could even wipe the sweat from his brow.

The newcomer was a lean middle-aged man with high cheekbones, wearing a white-haired long gown, and carrying a crumpled account book in his hand.

He is "Yellow Teeth," the manager of another pier in Tsing Yi.

His lips couldn't cover his teeth; when he smiled, he revealed a set of uneven, yellowed teeth with wide gaps between them.

"Chen Ping?"

Huang Ya's voice was unhurried and businesslike.

He held a thin silver pick in his hand, picking at his large teeth as he opened the account book and circled a name with the tip of the silver pick.

"Your humble servant is here." Chen Ping clasped his hands in a fist salute, his muscles instantly tensing.

"Tsk..."

Yellow Teeth sucked on some toothpaste, making an unpleasant sound.

He raised his eyelids, his eyes showing no ferocity, only scrutiny.

"I heard you were the one who killed the water monkey last night?"

"I was lucky to escape with my life," Chen Ping said in a low voice.

"Luck is also a skill."

Yellow Teeth tapped the scraps he'd picked out on the sole of his shoe with a silver skewer and said slowly and deliberately:

"You can earn a steady thirty cash every day and even work as a porter. It would be a waste for someone of your caliber to rot at the docks carrying loads. Our Tsing Yi Society believes in making the most of everything."

He spoke calmly when he said the words "make the best use of everything".

"Perfect timing. There was a major flood in Xiahe County, and the price of rice has increased more than tenfold. The gang needs to transport a shipment of grain there, but the road is not safe, so we need a few tough and quick-witted men to escort the boat."

Chen Ping's heart sank.

Xiahe County is notorious for its muddy conditions.

Huai'an Prefecture covers a vast area, but along the Huai River, only three counties truly attract a large population.

Qinghe County occupies the upper reaches of the river and possesses fertile land and fields. Shanyang County is located in the middle and is the seat of the prefectural city. It is the most prosperous county. Only Xiahe County is like an adopted child, located in the lowest-lying area at the mouth of the sea.

Every year during the flood season, in order to protect the officials in Shanyang City and the fertile fields in Qinghe County, the sluice gates at the top are opened, and the floodwaters, carrying garbage, corpses, and filth from the two upstream counties, all flow into the lower river.

Over time, the area became a desolate and impoverished place, teeming with displaced people, and turning into a cesspool for the entire Huai'an Prefecture.

Now it has suffered another disaster; it is now a living hell.

On the surface, this trip was supposed to be an escort mission, but in reality, it was meant to make these newcomers with no connections act as human shields.

"Manager Huang," Chen Ping said, his head bowed and his voice hoarse, "I've only been here a few days and don't even know the rules. I'm afraid I might ruin something important for the gang..."

"Tsk."

Huang Ya sucked on his teeth again, interrupting Chen Ping.

The gentle smile on his face was still there, but his eyes were slightly cold.

"Chen Ping, you're a smart man. There's a cost to keeping people in the gang. Once a name is on the register, it's a done deal."

He took a step closer, and the stench of years of smoking cheap tobacco hit him. He spoke softly, in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"The gang allocated this land to you, providing food, drink, and money. You also have plenty of accommodation. Now that the gang is asking you for a favor, it's not right for you to make excuses."

He grinned, revealing a set of uneven yellow teeth, but his eyes were cold and piercing.

"Going to Xiahe County gives you a 50% chance of survival. Staying here will render you useless. You should be able to do the math."

"We're boarding in two days, don't be late."

After saying that, he didn't look at Chen Ping again. He picked up the account book and silver scepter, picked his teeth, and walked to the next consumable.

Chen Ping stood there, looking at Huang Ya's desolate and indifferent back, and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

This is a cannibalistic world.

They won't hit you or scold you; they'll just hold up an account book and tell you that your life is only worth this much.

As night fell, the dim light of oil lamps illuminated the soup kitchens by the dock.

The lowest quality mixed grain porridge sold here costs one penny for a large bowl. It's so thin you can see your reflection in it, and it's mixed with sand and rotten vegetable leaves.

Old Liu squatted on a long bench in the corner, with a chipped black pottery bowl in front of him.

He slurped his porridge loudly, as if it were some kind of heavenly delicacy.

After finishing the last sip, he even stuck out his tongue and licked the bottom of the bowl clean, not letting a single grain of rice go to waste.

"Uncle Liu."

Chen Ping sat down opposite him, his face grim.

Old Liu didn't even lift his eyelids, tapping his empty bowl on the table: "You got called out by Yellow Teeth?"

Chen Ping nodded: "Let my son escort the boat to Xiahe County."

"Hey, that's normal."

Old Liu pulled a pipe out of his pocket.

He took a shrunken leather bag from his waist, turned it upside down, and shook it in his palm for a long time before a few meager bits of tobacco residue came out.

He sighed, carefully dipped his finger in saliva, and stuck the few bits of tobacco residue into the pipe, wasting not a single bit.

"This trip is extremely profitable. A boatload of grain will be exchanged for half a boatload of silver. Such precious things should be paid for with the lives of people like you."

"How are the waterways in Xiahe County?" Chen Ping asked directly.

"fierce."

Old Liu carefully lit the cigarette with his tinderbox, gently protecting the flame, and took a deep drag before exhaling a very thin plume of smoke.

"The dike over there collapsed, and half the county is submerged. The water is as muddy as sludge. The worst part is that there are hordes of water monkeys. If you're lucky on land, you might step on one and kill it, but what about in the water?"

The old man glanced sideways at Chen Ping with his one cloudy eye:

"Once you're in the water, your strength will be completely halved. You won't be able to see what's happening underwater, you won't know where there are undercurrents or hidden things. You'll be blind, and you won't even know how you died."

Chen Ping fell silent.

He knew that Liu Laoguo was telling the truth.

If he were in the water, he would most likely have been dragged down to be fed to the fish.

This trip to Xiahe County will most likely involve going into the water.

"Since Uncle Liu says so, he must have a way to teach me." Chen Ping looked at the old man.

Although Old Liu is greedy and stingy, he must have a lot of knowledge to have survived at the docks for so long.

"hey-hey."

Old Liu grinned, revealing a set of broken, yellow teeth.

He put down his pipe, extended a withered, bony finger, and waved it in front of Chen Ping.

"I have a method called the 'Water Observation Method.' It's not some kind of divine skill, but it's an old skill I accumulated when I was begging for food on the Yellow River. It can teach you how to see water, how to distinguish the current, and how to spot dirty things in muddy water."

Chen Ping's eyes lit up.

"How much?"

Old Liu didn't retract his finger, he just bent it slightly: "Not expensive, one hundred coins."

Chen Ping's eye twitched suddenly.

One hundred coins.

This was exactly the money he had risked his life to get from Ghost Hand Zhang last night.

This old man had calculated his entire fortune before setting the price.

"Fifty coins," Chen Ping gritted his teeth and bargained.

"One hundred coins, not a single coin less."

Old Liu slammed his pipe on the table, his expression cold: "Kid, get this straight, you're going to buy your life, not vegetables. Once you get to Xiahe County, how many times can a hundred coins buy you some precognitive abilities? Do the math yourself."

Chen Ping stared intently at Liu Laoguo.

The old man looked completely unconcerned and continued to puff away on his secondhand tobacco.

Chen Ping's heart was bleeding.

Not going to study? Save 100 coins.

But if one dies in the waters of Xiahe County, the hundred coins will be left as inheritance to someone else.

study?

Chen Ping took a deep breath and suddenly stood up.

"Wait."

He turned and rushed into the darkness, running all the way back to his shack.

He lay on the ground, lifted the rotten straw mat under the bed, and used his fingers to pry out the blue bricks on top.

A broken earthenware pot lay quietly inside.

Chen Ping poured out the copper coins inside.

With a whoosh, one hundred coins were counted out.

The copper coin was cold, carrying the earthy smell of soil, and also his body temperature.

He was holding this string of coins.

"call……"

Chen Ping closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath.

Money can be earned back, but once you lose your life, you lose everything.

As long as you're alive, you can always earn that money back.

He buried the remaining money again, grabbed the hundred coins, and rushed back to the soup kitchen.

"Snapped!"

One hundred copper coins were slammed heavily on the table in front of Old Liu, making the empty bowl jump.

"teach!"

Chen Ping's eyes were bloodshot: "If you can't teach me, I'll tear you apart!"

Old Liu looked at the money on the table, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

He chuckled, reached out and swept the money into his pocket, carefully tucked it away, and then slowly stood up.

"Come with me to the river."

……

The night was deep, and the river wind was biting.

In a secluded spot at the edge of the dock, Old Liu pointed to the dark, churning river, his voice low and serious, completely devoid of his usual playful demeanor.

"Look at the water, not its surface; look at the patterns, not the waves."

"Where the water is calm on the surface but the current is swift underneath, there must be whirlpools; where the ripples flow upstream, there must be a large creature lurking beneath."

"Whenever evil spirits lurk, the water's color will darken by three parts; even at night, the water in this spot will appear more lifeless than elsewhere..."

As Liu Laoguo spoke, he instructed Chen Ping on how to adjust his breathing and focus.

"Focus your energy in your dantian, half-open your eyes, don't stare at one point, use your peripheral vision to scan..."

Following Liu Laoguo's instructions, Chen Ping adjusted his breathing rhythm.

At first, all I could see was a dark expanse of river water, and I couldn't see anything at all.

But as time went on, and as this special breathing frequency caused the flow of qi and blood in his body, his vision seemed to undergo some subtle changes.

The once chaotic water surface began to show distinct layers in his eyes.

You can actually discern clues by observing where the flow is fast, where there are obstructions, and where the water is unusually deep.

Just then, that familiar line of light blue text popped up again:

[Skill Acquired: Water Observation Technique (Beginner)]

[Proficiency +1]

[Skill: Water Observation Technique (Beginner)]

[Current Progress: Water Observation Method (0/100)]

[Effect: Subtle observation of changes in water flow can reveal unusual activity in the depths.]

It became.

Looking at the new entries on the panel, Chen Ping's heartache finally subsided a little.

This is a real skill.

"Alright, the master has led you through the door, but the cultivation is up to you."

After imparting the formula and key points, Old Liu yawned, turned around and left. "Sleep less these two days and practice more. When we get to Xiahe County, this will be your third eye."

Chen Ping did not move.

He squatted by the river like a stone statue, his eyes fixed on the dark surface of the river.

Although he hasn't quite grasped the basics yet, he can feel that with each focused observation, his understanding of water flow is deepening.

One hundred coins.

A full one hundred coins!

Chen Ping gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and repeatedly practiced the breathing rhythm of the [Water Observation Technique], forcing himself to capture every tiny whirlpool on the water's surface.

Since the money has already been spent, I must master this skill to the core.

"Xiahe County..."

Chen Ping silently recited this in his mind, his eyes cold.

He was determined to make that money back over there, with interest.