I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 97: A Thought-Provoking Question

Like a reed crossing the river!

As if treading on level ground!

No!

Now, Zhou Heng’s speed was even faster than on flat land!

In almost an instant, he had crossed half the width of the Qingxia River and arrived at the center, where he saw two people struggling in the water.

It was a man and a woman; the man seemed to be trying to save the woman, attempting to push her towards the boat.

However, they couldn’t swim, and in just a short while, they had already choked on a good amount of water, their bodies about to sink beneath the surface.

Not far away, two children, a boy and a girl, were barely being held afloat by the boatman, but they were still frantically struggling, extremely panicked.

It was already approaching dusk, and Zhou Heng, moving across the river while stepping on reeds, was bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

To the eyes of the people in the water, such an image resembled an Immortal descending from the heavens to save their lives.

“Close your eyes.”

Zhou Heng’s voice rose beside their ears, gentle and magnetic, making one feel tranquilly at ease.

The four individuals, originally in a state of panic, immediately closed their eyes.

Then they felt a great force lifting them from the water, and soon a whistling wind by their ears, as if they were flying through the air.

Surprised exclamations continued to resound around them.

“My god! How impressive!”

“Is that really safe?”

“So strong!”

It seemed that something remarkable had occurred.

Listening to these exclamations, their anxieties inexplicably subsided quite a bit.

It seemed their current situation was not bad?

Immediately after, they felt themselves descending, a very subtle force at a very low height, just mildly sinking down to land.

The dust settled.

That was more or less the posture.

The five who were rescued couldn’t help but open their eyes and found themselves sitting on the riverbank, surrounded by solid ground rather than water, safe at last.

They looked towards the center of the Qingxia River, where the Immortal figure cloaked in the glow of the sunset was still standing, grasping the boatman and preparing to bring him back to the shore.

“So amazing! Uncle!” ShengXinrou couldn’t help cheering, grinning at her companion beside her, “I told you, I knew from the beginning this uncle was no ordinary person!”

“He’s incredibly strong, unbelievable!” The woman who had previously advised Sheng Xinrou watched Zhou Heng with amazement, exclaiming, “To tread on water with such nimbleness, even an Eighth Rank expert might not be able to achieve it.”

The other three men were also staring blankly at Zhou Heng, crossing the river on a reed.

Their hearts were struck with unparalleled shock, realizing that the vast world of martial artists was indeed full of extraordinary talents, even a seemingly common uncle like him could possess such formidable martial arts.

One must never be careless nor complacent!

Some truly powerful figures may not look impressive and might conceal their capabilities while dressing plainly.

These are details to be wary of in the future; otherwise, one might not even know how they met their end.

The scene of Zhou Heng crossing half of the Qingxia River on a reed, whether viewed from the boat or the shore, drew awe, such martial prowess was truly suave and cool!

Many young women’s eyes gleamed with admiration, though some regretted that this master seemed a bit old, likely around thirty years old.

Even so, quite a few were already making plans in their hearts, what did age matter? With high martial skill, the ravages of time would slow.

Besides, thirty-something wasn’t all that old.

Hence, many young women from both banks of the Qingxia River were ready with their plans; as soon as Zhou Heng returned, they would immediately extend an invitation to travel together and enjoy the night scene.

The very thought was thrilling.

But at that moment, the capsized boat suddenly moved.

It began to rock violently.

Boom!!

Following that, a huge wave surged upward from below, and a green water snake as thick as a barrel burst out from the water!

It pierced through the boat, raised its head high, flicked its thick tail, and with a ‘crack’, smashed the boat in half. At the same time, using this momentum, it charged towards Zhou Heng.

The green water snake was like a flash of green lightning, extremely fast!

Slash!

With a ferocious breeze howling, the green water snake’s charge was so forceful that it tore through the Qingxia River, creating clear white trails in the air and causing the surrounding water to churn violently.

“Heavens! What is that!?”

“Oh no, that person is in danger, it’s hard to turn around on the water!”

“How can there be such a thick water snake!?”

The crowd exclaimed in alarm, all looking at Zhou Heng with great concern; the situation was very dangerous.

How was he going to handle it?

At that moment, the green water snake had already reached Zhou Heng and, all of a sudden, it opened its mouth wide revealing sharp, piercing teeth, aiming for Zhou Heng’s head!

With the size of this water snake, its open mouth could easily engulf Zhou Heng whole!

The scene was utterly chilling and horrifying.

Many were terrified out of their wits, some even collapsing to the ground in fear.

How often did ordinary people witness such a gigantic water snake?

Zhou Heng, however, remained calm and collected. He first threw the boatman towards the shore, then with a slight flicker of his figure, the section of reed beneath his feet seemed to come alive, moving with him to the side, dodging the green water snake.

Following that, he suddenly raised his right hand, forming it into a knife shape, and bellowed, “Fiend! Dare to show ferocity! Behold my mighty Dragon Palm of the heavens!”

He did not release any bolts of lightning, simply using his hand as a knife, employing the principle of the Six Deflecting Plum Hand Technique, he executed a move called “Sudden Thunderstorm.”

To conceal his identity.

He even masked his speech.

Although the green water snake was enormous and appeared quite terrifying, it was nothing special, merely having a sturdy body and great strength, at best equivalent to a Ninth Grade martial artist.

For Zhou Heng at present, it was not even worthy of a strike.

Whoosh!

Zhou Heng’s palm knife effortlessly sliced through the green water snake’s body, splattering blood like rain across the sky, instantly staining a vast expanse of the river crimson.

The massive snake, now severed into two segments, fell into the water, wriggling and struggling, but it was completely in vain as it slowly sank to the riverbed, waiting for death.

“Congratulations! You have killed the non-threatening animal ‘Water Snake Transformed from the Breath of the Qingxia God,’ and received no reward!” Zhou Heng heard this prompt, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Can it really be like this?

Ninth Grade pinnacle, ah!

Has a Ninth Grade pinnacle creature now become “non-threatening” in the System’s eyes?

Is this because I have already stepped onto the Eighth Rank?

I can’t help but feel a bit short-changed.

He couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

However, what concerned him more was the name of that water snake.

A water snake transformed from the breath of the Qingxia God!

This meant that the green snake was related to the Qingxia God, and its sudden leap out of the water to attack was probably no accident.

“Was it for me?”

Zhou Heng frowned slightly, and at the same time, he turned and tread on the reeds, walking on water to return to the riverbank ferry.

However, in his heart, he already had two guesses.

“Either it’s because I had previously come into contact with the Time Imprint, or it’s because of the fragment of the Qingxia God’s scale on me.” Comparatively speaking.

He felt that the Qingxia God’s scale fragment had a greater chance of attracting that water snake.

After all, that was a genuine scale carrying a trace of the Qingxia God’s Dao power, an object of Sect Fifth Rank quality, sure to have a tremendous attraction to a water snake transformed from the breath of the Qingxia God.

I need to find an opportunity to use it as soon as possible, or I don’t know what else it might attract in the future.

Moreover, before using up this scale, I must stay as far away from Qingxia River as possible.

It’s better not to approach it.

It’s really too dangerous.

As Zhou Heng’s thoughts churned, he was already using a single reed to cross the river, and soon reached the ferry at the bank of Qingxia River.

The moment he stepped ashore, many people immediately crowded around him.

Especially the four people he had saved earlier, who directly knelt before Zhou Heng to thank him for saving their lives.

This family, leading a boy and a girl around seven or eight years old, knelt down together.

“Benefactor! We thank our benefactor!” The family knelt and bowed together.

“It was merely a helping hand,” Zhou Heng said lightly, shaking his head and leading his jujube-red horse away from the crowd, then galloping off without the slightest intention of lingering.

This left the crowd on the river bank stunned, and the family of four was left frozen in place.

ShengXinrou couldn’t help but exclaim, “Such a true hero, a real chivalrous warrior! He rescued people from danger, yet concealed his name and identity. A hero indeed!”

Her companions also couldn’t help but marvel.

Especially the woman who had earlier mistaken Zhou Heng for a heartbroken wanderer, she shook her head in regret, saying, “I was really blind, to have misjudged such a chivalrous man as someone defeated by the jianghu and downhearted. I’ve truly been blind.”

” Excuse us, do you know our benefactor?”

At this moment, the rescued couple came forward, looking somewhat anxious as they inquired, “Do you know the name of our benefactor? We want to repay him, but we don’t even know what to call him.”

“We don’t know either,” Sheng Xinrou and the others shook their heads, regretting that they hadn’t asked that “uncle” his name earlier!

They had missed the chance to get to know a chivalrous man!

“Hold on!” ShengXinrou suddenly had a brainwave, looked towards the direction Zhou Heng left, and smiled, “Although we don’t know the name of that chivalrous man, his jujube-red horse is quite distinctive and easy to recognize. If we see that horse in the future, we should be able to find him!” “That’s right! The benefactor’s jujube-red horse is strong, with a tuft of white hair on its forehead, quite recognizable!” The couple’s eyes lit up, feeling as if they had found a thread of hope.

“We remember that big brother’s smell,” at this moment, the couple’s children suddenly spoke up, “That big brother had a very warm smell on him, we could smell it.”

“Yu Shu, Yu Li, are you serious?” The parents seemed unsurprised about their children being able to detect scents, smiling, “Then that’s really wonderful, we will definitely be able to find our benefactor.”

“Mhm mhm!” The two children nodded, their smiles radiant.

On the waters of Qingxia River, the old boatman who had ferried Zhou Heng and the others across before looked back at the shore, squinted his eyes thoughtfully in the direction Zhou Heng had left.

After leaving Qingxia River, Zhou Heng rode his horse at full gallop, speeding away to avoid attracting more trouble with the snake scale he carried.

This made his journey exceedingly rapid.

Soon after.

He arrived at the nearest county city.

Dongxiang County.

A city even smaller than Yuyang County City.

When Zhou Heng arrived, it was already dark, and the city gates were about to close. He was allowed to enter only after flashing his Pure Yang Sect outer disciple waist tag.

Often, the identity of a disciple of a righteous sect suggests a good person who can be trusted anywhere.

Despite Dongxiang County City being small with early gate closings, it was quite lively inside, with no curfew, and the streets were brightly lit with plenty of pedestrians.

So, Zhou Heng didn’t rush to find an inn, planning to drink some tea and listen to storytelling to relax his mind.

At the same time, he could gather some information about Shocking Thunder Manor and the Five Elements Sect there.

After all, places like inns and teahouses often circulate all kinds of news.

While the authenticity of the news in these places is generally not very high, the sheer volume of it means there are always some valuable pieces of information.

But as he walked on.

Zhou Heng discovered he had arrived at a place shrouded in pink mists with dreamy lighting and a magnificent pavilion.

He heard the sound of girls’ laughter being carried to his ears.

He saw graceful and charming figures entering his sight.

A brothel?

He looked up, only to see the signboard with the three big characters: “Tongtian Pavilion.”

These days, are brothels this poetic?

What exactly is this “reaching to the heavens” all about?

Upon reflection, it appeared that in the two and a half years since he had transmigrated, he had yet to visit these renowned establishments… With this in mind, Zhou Heng paused in his steps, lost in thought.