Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

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"What does Master Chen mean?"

Master Long turned to look at Chen Mo by the ship's side, his tone more serious than when he had asked the first mate earlier.

In his eyes, Chen Mo was now the strongest person on the ship.

Chen Mo leaned against the railing, his pupils reflecting the lights on the shore, but his emotions were unreadable.

His gaze swept over the colorful sheds on the shore, finally settling on the silhouette of the house hidden deep in the street.

That uneasy feeling started the moment the ship docked.

A joyous occasion that is shrouded in gloom is clearly abnormal.

"Let's go, let's go now."

Tie Kun paused for a moment, forgetting to smoke the cigarette between his fingers. "Let's go? Mr. Chen, it's completely dark, and there's no village or shop in sight..."

Master Long frowned. "Master Chen, is there something you're talking about?"

Chen Mo didn't explain, but simply said, "It's better to avoid trouble. This happy occasion is clearly not right; it's best to stay away from it."

The first mate, listening nearby, turned somewhat pale.

"Master Long, how about..." he hesitated before speaking, "After we finish replenishing the coal, we can walk another twenty miles downstream. I remember there's a makeshift ferry crossing there. It's a bit rudimentary, but at least..."

Before he could finish speaking, footsteps sounded from the shore.

Several men in short jackets walked over from the pier. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a satin long gown, who looked like he was in charge.

Who is in charge of the ship?

The middle-aged man stopped at the top of the diving board, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled amicably. "I am Zhou, the steward of the Wang family. I heard that distinguished guests have arrived at the dock, so I came to invite them."

Master Long didn't move, standing at the bow of the ship looking down at him. "What are you inviting me to?"

Manager Zhou smiled even more ingratiatingly, "Our master is having a wedding tonight, and the entire dock is being filled with a banquet. All the boatmen who dock are honored guests. Please come up to our house and have a drink of our celebratory wine."

"No, thank you." Master Long refused decisively. "We'll be leaving soon, so we won't bother you any longer."

Manager Zhou's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned. "Master, there's a rule at Sanhe Wharf: every ship that docks must go to the Wang residence for a drink. This is to give face to the Wang family and also to provide support for all the brothers."

That sounds polite, but the meaning is clear: you can't refuse.

Tie Kun narrowed his eyes, pressed the cigarette in his hand against the gunwale, sparks flying twice. "Oh? Is this a treat or for escorts?"

The men behind Manager Zhou's expression changed slightly, and their hands unconsciously reached behind their waists.

Uncle Fu and his men, who were guarding the goods, immediately drew their guns and aimed at the other party first.

The atmosphere on the deck suddenly became tense.

Tie Kun took a step forward unhurriedly, revealing a bit of the pressure emanating from his Copper Skin Realm.

Those men who had already reached behind their waists froze on the spot, their faces drained of color.

Manager Zhou was a man of the world; although his smile froze, he stubbornly kept his back straight.

"Brother, you are quite skilled. I was blind to your abilities. Since you have matters to attend to on your ship, I cannot insist on inviting you."

"It's just that the docks are not safe at night, so if you're not going ashore, please make sure your doors and windows are closed."

After saying that, he didn't linger any longer. He flicked his sleeves and turned to leave with a few men.

Once the group had gone far away, Tie Kun withdrew his intimidating aura, took out another cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and said, "What the hell? They can't even invite you to dinner, so they resort to threats."

Lord Long didn't reply, but turned to look at the first mate.

"Go buy coal, the sooner the better. We can't stay here any longer."

The first mate responded, tucked the nautical logbook into his pocket, pointed to two young sailors, jumped off the gangplank, and strode quickly along the pier towards the shore.

The three figures quickly disappeared into the red lanterns of the dock, their footsteps swallowed by the night wind.

The deck fell silent.

Tie Kun leaned against the railing, smoking, the embers of his cigarette flickering in the darkness.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, three figures appeared on the pier, empty-handed, with no coal in sight.

The first mate walked at the front, followed by two young sailors; the three of them made very little noise.

Tie Kun leaned against the ship's side, his cigarette half-smoked, when his gaze swept toward the pier and he suddenly stopped.

He practices martial arts of qi and blood, and has reached the level of having copper skin and iron bones. His perception of human qi is no longer limited to his eyes.

He couldn't hear the three of them breathing.

There was no heartbeat.

"Stop! Don't get on the boat!"

Tie Kun's eyes changed instantly. He crushed the cigarette in his hand with two fingers, and the ash fell from between his fingers.

The first mate stopped walking, right at the other end of the gangplank.

Two young sailors also stopped, standing on either side of the first mate behind him, their heads bowed the entire time.

Just after giving instructions to the engine room to prepare for anchoring, Master Long came out of the bridge and saw Tie Kun looking like he was facing a formidable enemy. He frowned, didn't ask any questions, but unconsciously put his hand on the butcher knife at his waist.

"Brother Tie?"

The first mate looked up, a smile on his face. "What's wrong? We couldn't buy any coal. The Wang family has sealed off all the coal yards at the dock, saying they need it for a wedding..."

He didn't unleash any external techniques that channeled his inner energy; he simply released the blood and qi that he had cultivated for many years.

A scorching wave of heat exploded from his body.

The first mate, standing at the other end of the gangplank, was struck head-on by the force of this energy, and his body leaned back.

The skin on his face peeled off in large pieces, starting from his cheekbones, revealing the color of yellow straw paper underneath.

Beneath the peeled skin was nothing but paper.

The two young sailors behind him also changed at the same moment.

Their heads drooped even lower, their necks seemed broken, and their heads hung limply at an angle that no living person could possibly achieve.

The exposed section of neck below the collar was wrinkled and covered with layers of paper.

The first mate was still talking, "Brother Tie, why won't you let me board the ship? It's not safe at the dock tonight if I don't get on board."

He spoke as he walked forward.

The springboard didn't even bend.

Chen Mo watched this scene quietly, his divine sense sweeping over the three people's divine senses.

Three paper figures, with paper skin, paper bones, and paper internal organs.

The paper-paper maker's skill lay in using the finest yellow straw paper, applying more than one layer, and mixing something into the paste that made the paper seem to speak like living people.

interesting.

But paper is just paper.

Upon being struck by Tie Kun's scorching blood energy, fine cracks began to appear on the three paper figures, starting from their faces and splitting inch by inch.

Then it began to spontaneously combust.

The first mate's face gradually caved in in the firelight, and two black holes burned into his paper-covered eye sockets, which were empty.

A gust of wind blew, and the three fireballs turned to ashes, scattering across the pier and being swallowed up by the night.

Only a small clump of grayish-white paper dust remained on the springboard.

Tie Kun stood there, looking down at the three piles of ashes scattered by the wind on the pier. His Adam's apple bobbed. (You have received a new chapter update: Chapter 229 The Wedding, reading link.)

".....Hold."

Master Long walked over from the cockpit door, picked up a small piece of unburnt paper ash from the edge of the pier, rubbed it between his fingers, and produced a thin layer of yellow paper ash.

"The paste was mixed with corpse oil."

Lord Long sniffed his fingertips and said something expressionlessly.

"The first mate and the other two have probably already been taken away by the Wang family."

He stood up and looked at the glow of the red lanterns deep in the dock. The area under the lanterns was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.

"That manager surnamed Zhou just said that things aren't safe at the docks at night," Tie Kun said. "It seems he wasn't just trying to scare us; it's the truth."

"The place that's not peaceful is none other than the Wang family."

Chen Mo leaned against the railing, remaining silent.

His divine sense had just swept over the remains of the three paper figures and could no longer detect anything unusual.

He had seen many paper-making techniques.

Whether it's heretical cultivation or folk esoteric practices, the paper figures they create are nothing more than tools for evil deeds; at best, they can move, but they are as stiff as puppets.

However, those three things just now, if it weren't for Tie Kun's keen senses, an ordinary person would never have been able to see them with just the naked eye and ears.

"I'll go take a look."

Chen Mo pondered for a few seconds and then had an idea.

Given the current situation, leaving is definitely not an option.

It would be better to take the initiative to visit them and see what tricks they're playing.

He was also somewhat intrigued by this evil paper doll technique; the ability to mimic a living person through paper doll making was quite rare.

Hearing his words, Tie Kun rolled up his sleeves and said, "Then I'll go too. My qi and blood are just right to counteract these evil things."

"You stay."

Chen Mo glanced at him. "Someone needs to stay on the ship. You and Fatty stay on the ship and don't go anywhere."

The fat man next to him opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but seeing Chen Mo's emotionless eyes, he swallowed his words.

"Alright."

Master Long tucked the pig-slaughtering knife behind his waist and took a lantern that covered half of the ground.

He selected two experienced sailors, both of whom had been with him for over a decade and had seen it all.

The four people disembarked from the boat and stepped onto the pier.

Strings of red lanterns hung from the dock, stretching from the pier all the way into the depths of the street, making the whole road look as if it had been splashed with pig's blood.

It was completely dark by then. Chen Mo took out his pocket watch and checked the time; it was exactly nine o'clock.

The four walked along the street.

Red lanterns hung one after another under the eaves of every house.

A breeze blows, the lanterns sway gently, and the light and shadow on the ground sway along with them.

The lanterns were decorated with gold-stamped double happiness characters, and some even had red flowers pasted on them, all meticulously cut.

Chen Mo remembered that when the ship docked, there were still many people walking around on the pier, and it was a mess.

But now there's not a soul in sight on this road. The stalls on both sides are set up with tables and chairs, the bowls and chopsticks on the tables are neatly arranged, and there are red paper rolls stuck in the wine pots, as if someone had just sat there.

"Master Chen," Master Long suddenly spoke, his voice low, "look at the vegetables in that shed."

Chen Mo followed his gaze.

In the shed closest to the roadside, several dishes were laid out on the table: braised pork, sweet and sour fish, and braised pork hock. They looked quite appetizing, glistening with oil.

It was made of the same material as the ashes from the burning of the first mate and the others.

"Don't touch it," Chen Mo said.

Master Long nodded, gripped the butcher knife in his hand, and lowered his voice: "This place is not right."

Chen Mo did not answer.

His divine sense had already spread out, probing from the street corner all the way to the deep mansion at the end of the street.

"Let's go straight to the Wang family's house; there's no one left alive outside."

......

The four continued walking forward, passing through the shed area, and a narrow alley appeared before them.

The walls on both sides of the alley were painted snow-white, with large red "囍" characters pasted on them, one every few steps, as if afraid that people would not see them.

At the end of the alley, two huge red lanterns hung above the gate of the Wang family mansion. Under the lanterns stood two men in short jackets, their waists bulging, clearly carrying something.

Seeing Chen Mo and his group approaching, the two men exchanged a glance, one of them turned and went into the house, while the other came forward to greet them.

"Who are you?"

"I'm looking for your manager, Zhou." Before he could finish speaking, Master Long interrupted, "There are three of us on the ship. We came to the dock to buy coal, and we haven't returned yet."

The man's expression changed for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. "Oh, are you the manager at the dock? Manager Zhou instructed that if any distinguished guests arrive, please come in directly."

He stepped aside and gestured for them to proceed.

Master Long glanced at Chen Mo, who nodded slightly and stepped over the threshold.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, the scene before me changed abruptly.

Red candles burned brightly, illuminating the entire room.

Each square table was covered with a red tablecloth, and the tables were laden with food and drinks, including chicken, duck, fish, meat, and seasonal fruits.

The room was packed with guests, men, women, and children, dressed in bright red and green, clinking glasses and exchanging laughter and chatter in a cacophony of sounds.

The air was filled with the aroma of wine and food, as well as an intensely strong sandalwood scent.

lively.

It's unusually lively.

But when Chen Mo's divine sense swept over, his brows twitched slightly.

These are not paper figures.

is a living person.

There were at least two or three hundred of them, crowding the front hall and side courtyards of the entire Wang residence.

Men and women, old and young, wearing all sorts of clothes.

The dockworkers were wearing short jackets, the accountants were wearing long gowns, and several others were still wearing raincoats, clearly having just been pulled off the ship.

Everyone had a smile on their face, but the smile was stiff, and their movements were very uncoordinated.

living people.

But something's not quite right compared to a dead person.

Master Long also noticed, his hand gripping the handle of the butcher's knife, his knuckles turning white. "Master Chen, these people are... the boatmen being held here?"

.....

"Oh, our distinguished guest has arrived!"

A loud voice came from the direction of the main hall.

A man in his fifties strode out to greet them, wearing a crimson brocade robe with a gold ribbon hook around his waist. He had a big smile on his face and looked like a wealthy old man.

But unlike the other guests, he had a light in his eyes.

"I am Wang Shouren, the head of the Wang family."

The middle-aged man bowed with his hands clasped, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile. "It's an honor to have distinguished guests here. Please, please, take your seats. The bride and groom will be here shortly."

Master Long didn't move, his gaze sweeping over the stiffly seated guests. "Did you detain these people?"

Wang Shouren's smile remained unchanged, as if he hadn't heard those words. He stepped aside and gestured for them to enter: "Gentlemen, please don't stand there, the food and wine are getting cold."

"Today is a joyous occasion for the Wang family. All the friends at the dock have given us face, so please do us the honor of joining us."

To immerse yourself in Chapter 229, "The Wedding," please click here.