RPAGF Chapter 229 Encountering River Bandits
Chapter 229 Encountering River Bandits
After a delay of about an incense stick's time, Lin Changsheng continued his flight along the Yu Huai River.
As for the young fisherman, Lin Changsheng sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanating from him.
If I'm not mistaken, he is also someone with spiritual roots.
Thus, he left behind a mantra for breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and drawing energy into the body to cultivate one's divine sense, as well as the first half of a high-quality water-attribute cultivation technique, which was extremely well-suited to the aquatic environment of this place.
That was enough for the young man to cultivate steadily until he reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
Furthermore, as long as one can successfully master the magical abilities attached to the technique, one will have a significant advantage in the early stages.
Under the same conditions, they are far superior to cultivators of the same level, and it is not impossible for them to even challenge those of higher levels.
As for the spirit stones, magical artifacts, and other items, Lin Changsheng did not give them away after consideration.
Because they learned from the other party that some "immortal masters" in this area had even tried to steal the spirit fish from mortals.
In Lin Changsheng's view, that mere inch-long spirit fish contained less spiritual energy than an ordinary spirit stone.
Therefore, those who are willing to stoop so low as to snatch the spirit fish are mostly low-level cultivators or immortal cultivators.
But since this young man has not yet become a cultivator, even if we give him some unimportant 'scraps' from ourselves, it would still be an attractive opportunity for a low-level cultivator.
If he can't control it, it will only bring disaster.
In short, Lin Changsheng is giving away this opportunity today without expecting anything in return.
They didn't even ask the other person's name.
It was only because the fisherman's son was so similar to him back then that he was deeply moved.
Just like back then, the young lady was able to leave behind a breathing technique, fulfilling Lin Changsheng's dream of cultivating immortality.
Now that he has achieved success in his cultivation, he doesn't mind casually fulfilling another young man's dream of becoming an immortal.
As for how far he can go, that depends on his own destiny.
……
Dawn.
A mist rose and billowed across the surface of the Yu Huai River basin.
Visibility is extremely low.
After crossing hundreds of miles of water again, Lin Changsheng finally made it ashore.
According to the young fisherman, this place is one of only two suitable land areas for living and cultivation in the Yu Huai River basin, and it is called 'Dafang Township'.
The area is governed by a powerful family, the Li family of Dafang Township.
Compared to another gathering place for cultivators called 'Yanzhangjian', the Li family of Dafang Township has less than half the territory and population of the former.
Before long, a rather large ancient stone village came into view on land.
Looking from afar, this stone fortress is smaller than Thousand Crane Immortal City, but larger than an ordinary market town.
Outside the stone fortress, rows of giant iron spikes are embedded in the ground, covered with mottled rust, and many spikes still have dried and blackened flesh and blood remaining on them.
It seems to be telling the story of some of the city's long-standing past.
However, at this moment, the outer gate of Dafang Township was tightly closed, and the area above was filled with guarding cultivators who were on high alert.
Not far away, there were many ordinary mortals and cultivators with magical powers.
Like a market, they gather here.
Some people set up tents and stayed here for a while.
Some people even set up stalls on the street, displaying items commonly used by cultivators.
Among them, Lin Changsheng also saw a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator with more than a dozen spirit fish in a wooden basin in front of him, which were listed for sale and attracted many Qi Condensation Level 1 and 2 cultivators.
Lin Changsheng quickly gained an understanding of the surrounding situation with a sweep of his divine sense.
Among these people, there were about twenty cultivators with magical powers, most of whom were at the early or middle stages of Qi Condensation.
Only a handful of people have reached the late stage of Qi Condensation.
As for cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage, there is only one: Lin Changsheng.
In addition, Lin Changsheng learned a lot about the history of this place from the conversations of these cultivators.
And one of the things that piqued his interest was this.
"Everything was fine when I went out last night, so why are the city gates suddenly closed today? I'm in a hurry to deliver this brood of spirit fish to the customers who ordered them yesterday. If the fish are damaged due to the delay, I will definitely demand an explanation from the Li family!"
"It is said that the 'Li Chongyuan' immortal of the Li family went out to Yanzhangjian to discuss matters last night, so the entire Dafang Township is on high alert, which may continue until the Li family immortal returns."
"Sigh, everything was fine when I left, but I can't go back..."
Among these monks, some were indignant, some sighed, and some seemed to know the inside story and were used to it.
Lin Changsheng concealed his aura, blending in unnoticed into the crowd, and silently familiarized himself with the accents of the cultivators here.
"Hmm? Something seems to be going on?"
Suddenly, Lin Changsheng looked up at the swamp behind him.
Before long, a huge spirit ship, several dozen feet long, flew in from behind, carrying a group of cultivators dressed in animal hide armor, charging menacingly towards the area.
"Listen up, people of Dafang Township! We have come from the main stream of Da Yeze and are passing through this place. We would like to rest for a while. Please ask the manager to open the gate as soon as possible!"
A domineering and arrogant voice came from the spirit ship artifact.
The person who shouted was a burly man in the late Foundation Establishment stage.
In front of him stood a middle-aged man with a pseudo-core cultivation level, whose face was covered with several centipede-like scars.
On the spirit boats and magical artifacts beneath these people's feet, one could vaguely see many young women imprisoned within, most of them looking extremely haggard.
"Those are... bandits!"
"The bandits are coming!"
"Li family members, open the gate and let us in! We're being attacked by river bandits!"
As the enormous spirit ship appeared, the cultivators outside instantly panicked, with many desperately shouting for help from the city's cultivators to open the gates and rescue them.
Unfortunately, no matter how much they shouted, the city gate of Dafang Township remained unmoved.
On the contrary, the mortals in this place were very quiet. Although they were terrified of the spirit ship, they dared not call for the city gate. They could only huddle together and wait quietly.
"Stop shouting, you lot! I advise you to come over and surrender willingly, and you'll suffer less. We're only after your money, we won't take your lives."
Before long, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator landed on the spirit ship. Holding a golden rubber rope, he ignored the mortals around him who had no physical abilities and came to Lin Changsheng and the other cultivators. He said impatiently.
"Alas, I had just worked as a 'boatman' for several months and had only been released for less than half a year when I encountered this again."
A thin young man sighed and stepped forward with a worried expression, fawningly saying to the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, "Senior, could you be a little gentler? The marks on my wrist from last time haven't faded yet."
As he spoke, the young man obediently stretched out his hands, looking resigned to his fate.
"Hehe, you're really unlucky, but since you're so sensible, we can loosen the reins a bit."
The mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator grinned menacingly, and with a gentle tremor of his golden rubber rope, he bound the man's wrists.
"Although you know the rules, I still have to remind you that the more you struggle after being tied up with this rubber rope, the tighter it will become. You'd better cooperate obediently and serve as boatmen for six months to avoid punishment. After six months, you will be released."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Qi Condensation cultivators around him trembled upon hearing the word 'boatman,' and most of them wore bitter expressions, as if they were about to face a great calamity.
Even the mortals around them, who were powerless, couldn't help but look at these 'immortal masters' with a hint of sympathy.
"Boatman?"
Lin Changsheng was puzzled, not knowing the meaning of the word 'boatman'.
But judging from the gloomy faces of the cultivators around him, it probably wasn't a good description of them.
These so-called 'water bandits' are probably equivalent to what is commonly known as 'robbers of cultivators'.
Just as he was pondering this in his heart.
Under the intimidation of the ruthless man in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, the Qi Condensation cultivators around them, though extremely unwilling, obediently stepped forward one by one, raising their wrists to allow him to bind them with golden rubber ropes.
Soon it was Lin Changsheng's turn.
"Senior, could you tie me up a little lighter? I've been weak since childhood and can hardly endure physical pain."
Lin Changsheng said calmly.
Having just arrived, he had not yet figured out the situation here and did not want to go too far, so he temporarily complied with the other party.
He had already investigated beforehand and found that the quality of this golden rubber rope was only equivalent to a second-stage early-stage magic artifact.
With his late-stage second-order body refinement realm, breaking free would be a piece of cake.
"Hmph, it's outrageous that a grown man like you has such delicate skin. Once we get out of the swamp, I'll give you plenty of practice."
The ruthless man's gaze swept over Lin Changsheng. Lin's otherworldly and indifferent temperament aroused his jealousy. He immediately tightened his grip on the golden rubber rope, and snorted unhappily.
The cultivators around him, who were tied to a golden rubber rope, looked at Lin Changsheng with different expressions after hearing this.
There was numbness, sympathy, and schadenfreude among them.
It seems that everyone is in the same predicament, which is hard to accept.
The fact that some people are now in even worse shape seems to offer some comfort to others.
On the other side, the bandits on the spirit ship, led by the fake cultivator, began to attack the city gate of Dafang Township.
It seems they want to force their way through.
The scene was chaotic for a while.
……
the other side.
Lin Changsheng, who was bound, finally understood the meaning of 'boatman'.
It turns out that the huge spirit ships that these water bandits were traveling on were a composite type of large-scale magical artifact, which sailed in the water year-round and could not be maintained for a long time by an individual alone.
Even if a Golden Core cultivator were to personally travel such a massive magical artifact, it would be difficult to bear the burden.
However, using spirit stones instead of magic power to activate it would be too costly, and ordinary cultivators would not be able to afford such a price.
So these river bandits kidnapped a large number of low-level Qi Condensation cultivators, threatening them to act as 'boatmen,' exploiting them day and night to continuously provide magical power for the spirit ship as its driving force.
Under normal circumstances, most river bandits are also very law-abiding.
Every year or two, these 'boatmen' suffer damage to their cultivation and regress in their realm due to prolonged exploitation.
They would then be released and replaced with new 'boatmen'.
This approach was taken for two reasons. First, there was a concern that frequently slaughtering low-ranking boatmen would eventually cut off the source of boatmen.
Secondly, if a low-level cultivator can be given a chance to survive, they will be easier to control and less likely to fight to the death.
These are rules that were summarized and passed down by the predecessors of the river bandits through countless practices.
……
After Lin Changsheng and the others surrendered, they sat in a row on the ground and watched helplessly as the bandits attacked the city gate.
On the bandit side, a middle-aged man with a centipede-like scar and pseudo-core cultivation was activating a golden seal-like magic weapon. Under the impetus of magic power, it transformed into a giant seal several meters in size and kept smashing it down towards the city gate!
However, there seems to be a layer of defensive restrictions on this city wall.
Moreover, within Dafang Township, there is also a beautiful woman with fair skin, a slender waist, and a delicate appearance.
His entire body exuded the aura of a pseudo-core cultivator. At this moment, he was pursing his lips and frowning, fully activating the defensive restrictions to resist the invasion of the water bandits.
"Both sides have one high-end Pseudo-Core Formation level combatant, but in terms of the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, the bandits are clearly outnumbered and at a disadvantage. Hmm... I see!"
Lin Changsheng, seemingly at a bottleneck, secretly used his divine sense to fully grasp the situation on the field.
With his pseudo-core level divine sense, as long as he is careful and discreet, no one in the arena will be able to detect him.
In terms of sheer strength, the Dafang Township side, taking advantage of its geographical environment and the formation's restrictions, fought desperately, relying on favorable terrain, making it difficult for the river bandits to break through the formation in a short period of time.
But during his spiritual exploration, he unexpectedly discovered something interesting.
The fake Core cultivators on the bandit side seemed to have a lot of influence, but they didn't seem to put in much effort.
Upstream on the other side, a sneaky late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator released a large amount of concentrated toxins into the river flowing into Dafang Township!
Judging from his poison-releasing techniques, he seems to be extremely professional, clearly a rare 'poison cultivator'!
This was the first time Lin Changsheng had ever seen a cultivator following the same path as the 'Heavenly Poison True Man' in his memories since he began cultivating immortality.
The toxins seeped into the water and flowed into the interior of Dafang Township. Before long, under the control of this poison cultivator, they rose up and spread into the air.
About half a day later, faint shouts of alarm and anger could be heard from within Dafang Township.
On the city wall, the cultivators who had been cultivating Qi Condensation first had black aura on their faces, and their internal magical power was not flowing smoothly. They all lost their strength and collapsed to the ground.
Immediately afterwards, even Foundation Establishment cultivators were affected, their magical power circulation became sluggish.
With the loss of some cultivators maintaining it, the defensive barrier of Dafang Township dimmed at a visible speed.
"mean!"
The slender, beautiful woman standing atop the city wall had a few strands of black hair visible on her face, clearly indicating that she too had been infected by the toxin.
It was merely a temporary suppression of the toxins using pseudo-elixir-level magical power.
Even so, it still limited the beautiful woman's ability to perform.
"As expected of a poison master, although it may not be considered high-level, if the opportunity is right, it can indeed far surpass that of other cultivators of the same level."
Lin Changsheng looked at the poison master's methods and sighed inwardly.
With the poison cultivators taking action and dismantling the cultivators of Dafang Township from within, the balance of this struggle gradually tilted towards the side of the water bandits.
"You audacious bandits! How dare you take this opportunity to launch a sneak attack on the Li family of Dafang Township!"
Just as the defensive barrier was on the verge of collapse, a deep voice filled with anger rang out.
It was so striking that it stirred up a storm of emotions within one's heart.
Clearly, the sound contained a hint of spiritual intimidation.
"Golden elixir monk!"
Looking around, a middle-aged scholar dressed in an elegant long robe was flying towards them from afar.
"Oh no! The Golden Core cultivator from the Li family has returned! We must evacuate this place immediately!"
Upon seeing this, the leader of the fake Dan Shui bandits showed a look of terror on his face. He immediately put away his magic weapon and slunk away, leading his men into the magic weapon of the spirit ship and fleeing at top speed.
As the middle-aged scholar approached.
The slender, beautiful woman on the city wall felt a sense of relief, swayed slightly, and coughed up black blood.
"lady!"
The middle-aged scholar, a Golden Core cultivator, paled slightly. He immediately abandoned his pursuit of the spirit ship, instead waving his hand to open the barrier. He then helped the beautiful woman up, producing a delicate porcelain bottle in his hand. He poured out a fragrant pill from it and said with concern:
"Madam, quickly take the antidote."
"Senior, this antidote pill is of exceptional quality and can cure most common poisons. However, it happens to be incompatible with the toxins in your wife's body. In fact, it would clash with their properties. It would be better to let your wife recuperate on her own; at most, she will suffer a little."
A calm voice came from behind.
Both the middle-aged scholar and the beautiful woman were startled and subconsciously stopped what they were doing.
"Who are you? Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a monk from the Great Wilderness Waters."
The middle-aged scholar quickly locked his gaze on Lin Changsheng's location.
"I just happened to be passing by and was captured by these bandits because I am not good at fighting. I also happen to have some knowledge of medicine, which is how I was able to see the problem in your wife's body."
Lin Changsheng spoke casually.