Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 98 Tianyan

early morning.

Before dawn, the streets of Qingkou Town were unusually quiet, with only the occasional breeze causing the strips of cloth hanging on the street to sway gently.

Chen Ping carried his bundle out of the courtyard and walked around the town.

At the dock, the canal workers had already started working. Their chants drifted over the river, just like a year ago. Some were carrying loads, some were pulling ropes, and some were shouting from the gangplank. The place was bustling with activity and steaming with activity.

Chen Ping stood on the shore for a while, then turned and walked west.

Smoke was already rising from the chimneys over the greywater field, a thin wisp drifting out from the roof of the shack and scattering in the grey sky.

An old woman was squatting by the door, holding a broken bowl in her hands, drinking something with her head down. When she looked up and saw Chen Ping, she paused for a moment, then nodded to him.

Chen Ping nodded and turned to walk towards the dock.

The sky gradually brightened.

The official boat was moored at the dock. The boat was wide and the deck was lined with soldiers in armor. The banners were unfurled in the morning breeze.

Lu Cheng, Li Yuan, Rouge Tiger, and Huang Ya stood on the shore. When they saw Chen Ping coming over, no one said anything; they just stood there.

Chen Ping walked up to the crowd and stopped.

Lu Cheng spoke, his voice calm: "Have a safe journey."

Li Yuan said, "I wish you great success in your military endeavors."

Rouge Tiger didn't speak, but glanced at Chen Ping with something in her eyes before looking away.

Yellow Teeth chuckled twice, pulled a money pouch from his pocket, stuffed it into Chen Ping's hand, and said, "For your travel expenses, don't think it's too little."

Chen Ping took it without pushing it back and nodded.

A soldier walked over and said, "Chen Ping, you can board the ship now."

Chen Ping turned around and followed the soldier onto the plank, his footsteps making a thumping sound as they stepped on the plank.

He walked to the side of the ship without looking back.

Inside the cabin, Bai Chongshan and Bai Ming were already seated. They both smiled when Chen Ping entered.

Sui Guan sat at the head of the table, his posture casual and imposing. The old scar on his face looked particularly deep in the lamplight. He raised his hand and waved, "Sit."

Chen Ping sat down beside Bai Chongshan, and a maidservant brought him tea, the steam rising gently.

Sui Guan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with emotion, "I was lucky enough to earn some merit right after coming off the battlefield, and I even brought back a genius with top-tier aptitude. Your Bai family deserves credit."

Bai Chongshan cupped his hands, said nothing, and simply smiled.

Sui Guan put down his teacup, looked at Chen Ping, and said, "When you go to Tianyan Prefecture, I'd like to say a few words to you."

Chen Ping raised his head.

"Tianyan Prefecture is very large, more than a dozen Shanyang Cities combined. Cangwu Terrace is located in the city, and the Dean is the Governor of Lichuan, with military and political power integrated. When you get there, observe more and talk less." Sui Guan paused. "There are four great families in the city: Lu, Xue, Xiao, and Wang. In addition, there are officials' families, merchant guilds, and people from all walks of life. The forces in the city are intertwined, each with its own considerations, cooperation, and conflict. Although you are a first-class disciple of my Cangwu Terrace, you still need to be cautious when walking in the city. Do not be arrogant or complacent just because of your status."

Chen Ping nodded and wrote down those words.

The boat moved smoothly on the water, and the scenery outside the window receded one by one. The outline of Qingkou Town became smaller and smaller, disappearing at the bend of the river.

The ship had been sailing for more than two days.

The river widened, and the water gradually deepened from a murky yellowish-brown. The villages and towns on both banks became more and more densely packed, with docks appearing one after another, and more and more boats moored there—cargo ships, passenger ships, and official ships, their masts standing tall, blocking out half the sky.

More boats were coming and going on the river, and the shouts of boatmen rose and fell. The smell of the water mixed with the smell of goods seeped in through the cracks in the windows.

On the evening of the third day, the setting sun dipped low, turning the sky a deep orange hue.

Chen Ping stood on the ship's side, looking ahead.

In the distance, a continuous mountain range stretches across the horizon, its peaks soaring into the clouds. The mountainsides are shrouded in mist, obscuring the summits, as if they have grown directly from the ground into the sky, covering half of it.

Sui Guan walked up to his side at some point, pointed to the mountain range, and casually said, "That's the Southern Ridge."

Chen Ping stared at the mountain without saying a word.

Sui Guan put his hand down, turned around and walked towards the second floor of the cabin. His footsteps thumped a few times on the wooden stairs before disappearing.

Inside the second-floor cabin, Sui Guan stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the figure standing on the ship's side. After a moment of silence, he muttered to himself, "Such talent, it would be great if I could take him under my wing sooner. But he has no military merits yet, so he can't enter the inner sanctum." He stood by the window, watching the sky gradually darken outside, and said nothing more.

By the time the boat docked, it was already completely dark.

The dock was brightly lit, with torches stuck in wooden stakes, illuminating the entire dock as if it were daytime.

The pier was extremely wide, more than ten times wider than the pier in Qingkou Town. The boats moored there were densely packed together, large and small, official and civilian, with their masts stretching out in the night.

People came and went at the dock, carrying goods, unloading goods, carrying bundles and hurrying on their way. They wore clothes of all colors and spoke in different accents. The noise was deafening.

At the entrance to the dock stood a row of soldiers in full armor, with swords at their waists, their eyes scanning the crowd. People around them consciously avoided them, and no one dared to approach.

Chen Ping, carrying his bundle, followed the others off the boat. He stepped onto the bluestone slabs of the dock and looked up.

The city walls of Tianyan City are just ahead.

The city walls are towering, with huge, bluish-gray stones piled up one by one, each taller than a person. The walls are so thick that they look like a mountain lying there. Torches are lit on the city towers, illuminating the top of the walls in a bright red glow. Banners flutter in the night wind, obscuring half of the night sky.

The city gate was wide and deep, wide enough for ten horses to walk side by side. Torches were hung high inside the gate, illuminating the interior clearly. The flow of people coming and going was separated on both sides, each going their own way, in an orderly manner.

On either side of the city gate stood four soldiers, their armor thicker than that of those on the dock, holding long-handled swords whose blades gleamed coldly in the firelight.

As Chen Ping passed by, he glanced at the group of people. They had strong blood and qi, sharp eyes, and faint signs of energy flowing around them, indicating that they were at least at the Ming Jin level.

Chen Ping followed the crowd into the city gate. His footsteps echoed on the bluestone slabs inside the gate, reverberating in his ears.

Once outside the city gate, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before us.

The wide bluestone avenue stretched out from the city gate and seemed to have no end. The streets on both sides of the avenue were crisscrossed and lit up, making the whole city as bright as day.

Shops lined both sides of the street: martial arts schools, weapons shops, medicine shops, restaurants, and teahouses, one after another, most of them open even at night, brightly lit.

Shouts rang out from the martial arts school, and various knives, spears, swords, and halberds hung at the entrance of the weapons shop, gleaming coldly in the lamplight.

The windows on the second floor of the restaurant were wide open, and the laughter and sounds of martial arts players playing drinking games drifted out from inside, carrying far and wide.

The streets were crowded with pedestrians, many of whom were martial artists with knives at their waists and steady steps. They walked in twos and threes, their eyes sharp, easily distinguishable from ordinary people.

Occasionally, a troop of soldiers in full armor would walk by on the street, and the people around would consciously make way for them, without saying a word, simply retreating to the sides.

There were also scions of noble families, dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by guards, sitting in sedan chairs with the curtain half-lifted, glancing at the street before lowering it.

Chen Ping followed behind Bai Chongshan, taking in all of this.

This city is not in the same league as Shanyang City.

If Shanyang City were placed here, it would probably only be big enough to fit into a section of a street.

The Bai family's house is located in the east of the city. The courtyard is not large, but it is kept clean. The servants have already cleaned the inside, and the tables and chairs are all set up. There are two trees in the courtyard, with their branches spreading out, providing shade for the courtyard.

Bai Chongshan led Chen Ping around the house, then to a side room and said, "This is where you'll be staying. From now on, if you need anything in Tianyan Prefecture, feel free to come find me."

Chen Ping nodded and said, "Thank you."

Bai Chongshan waved his hand and turned to attend to other matters.

Bai Ming stood in the courtyard, glanced at Chen Ping, and said, "This place is not like Qingkou Town. We should be careful about many things."

Chen Ping hummed in agreement.

At night, Chen Ping sat in the side room, opened the bundle, took out the items one by one and put them away. Finally, he leaned Jing Ye against the bedside, lay down, and stared at the roof beams above his head.

Occasionally, footsteps could be heard passing by outside, and the faint sounds of people could be heard on the street; this city was not quiet even at night.

He closed his eyes, and soon after, there were three knocks on the door.

Chen Ping got up and opened the door. It was a servant from the Bai family who cupped his hands and said, "Master Chen, someone from Cangwu Terrace has come and said that you are invited to report to the Martial Arts Hall of Cangwu Terrace early tomorrow morning."

Chen Ping nodded, and the servant withdrew.

Bai Chongshan appeared under the corridor at some point, glanced at Chen Ping, and said, "There are only two possibilities for the people from Cangwu Terrace to come to our door in person. Either an outer court instructor has taken a liking to you and wants you to meet them tomorrow, or there are too many geniuses with first-class aptitude this year, and they need to make special arrangements for you."

He paused, then his lips twitched slightly: "Neither way is a bad thing."

Chen Ping glanced at him, closed the door, and lay back down.

Outside, the night wind rustled the branches of the two trees in the yard, making a few soft sounds before falling silent again.