The Terrifying Path of Immortal Cultivation

The two quickly found a restaurant in the small town.

The restaurant was doing quite well, and the exterior was very finely built.

Elaborate carvings, green tiles, red walls, all made of original wood, a total of three small floors.

At this moment, the two sat in a window seat on the third floor, right by the window, with the rushing Pujiang River just outside.

Misty waves, water vapor filling the sky.

Vaguely, they could see many fishing boats and merchant ships passing by below.

The waiter was attentively looking at the two, with a joyful face, and said, "Gentlemen, what would you like?"

Zhou Qingming took out a silver ingot from his pocket, at least five taels.

"Bring us the best wine and dishes you have here."

The waiter's eyes lit up at the sight, immediately picked up the silver, wiped it with his own cloth, then bit it, revealing a row of clear teeth marks and the color of pure silver inside.

"Alright, please wait, gentlemen!"

After speaking, he hurriedly went downstairs.

Li Qing looked at the scenery outside the window, feeling a sense of relaxation and joy.

During this time, he had been feeling quite oppressed. The unpredictable situation in Jade City and the terrifying dangers on the path of cultivation had made him feel a strong sense of crisis.

Now, looking at this vast scenery, he finally felt the beauty of the world.

"So beautiful, I rarely saw rivers and lakes before."

"The great power of nature! It's truly satisfying!"

Zhou Qingming, beside him, also looked at the Pujiang River, with a hint of joy on his face.

"The Pujiang River is one of the two major rivers that run through the entire Great Tang."

"The other one is the Tai River, which runs parallel to the Pujiang River and both pass through the northern continent."

"The Tai River is next to Longdao City, a world-famous bustling place for merchants and traders."

"I went there last time was three years ago, during the imperial examination."

"Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the list. I'm going to try again in the autumn examination this year!" Zhou Qingming said somewhat regretfully.

"There are also the famous Tai River Eight Beauties, a three-mile-long painted boat, where countless literati and scholars have left their masterpieces."

Seemingly thinking of something wonderful, Zhou Qingming's face showed a slight blush.

Li Qing, upon hearing about the Tai River painted boat and the Eight Beauties, immediately realized what place it was.

Looking at Zhou Qingming with a strange look, he said, "You still go to those places? Aren't you afraid of getting sick?"

"Venereal diseases can be very dangerous."

Seeing Li Qing's strange look, Zhou Qingming's face showed a hint of strangeness.

"Brother Qingshan, the painted boat is not a brothel, it's mostly frequented by respectable officials."

"Almost all of them are artists who sell their skills, not their bodies."

Li Qing nodded at the words, with a hint of "I understand" in his eyes.

Seeing Li Qing's expression, Zhou Qingming naturally knew that he didn't believe it.

He shrugged helplessly, "Brother Qingshan, you'll know when you go there next time."

Li Qing smiled, "Forget it, those places may not necessarily have anything good."

Li Qing had read many files in Jade City, and the land of fireworks was very prone to various strange occurrences.

Many victims were from the ranks of the pleasure seekers, and every year in Jade City, at least four or five missing persons cases were related to these places of revelry.

Since he felt like he was having a run of bad luck, he was very cautious about such high-risk places.

Soon, the waiter brought a table of good dishes, mostly river delicacies.

The waiter's voice was loud, "Steamed perch, braised river prawns, grilled river clams..."

There were at least ten dishes, and they were each served a pot of good wine.

"Gentlemen, your dishes are ready!"

Zhou Qingming picked up the wine pot and filled a cup for himself and Li Qing.

Raising his cup, he said to Li Qing with a serious face, "Brother Qingshan, I toast to you for saving my life!"

Li Qing raised his cup, smiled at each other, and drank it all in one go.

They enjoyed the delicious food while watching the beautiful scenery of the river outside, until the sky turned red as the sun set.

Li Qing couldn't help but feel moved and wanted to recite a poem.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any verses in mind, so he shook his head helplessly.

"Alas, I can't compose poetry, so I can't capture this beautiful scenery."

Zhou Qingming laughed, "Brother Qingshan, I didn't expect you to be a man of refinement!"

Li Qing shook his head, "I'm just a rough man, what refinement?"

"Now that we've eaten and drunk, let's go find a boat and head to Sanchuan City tomorrow."

They paid the bill and left, leisurely walking towards the pier.

At this time, a large number of boats had already returned to the pier, most of them were fishing boats, with a small number of cargo ships.

The two wandered around and asked many people, but most of them refused when they heard they wanted to go to Sanchuan City.

Because it was downstream, and it would be difficult to return upstream, it would take at least ten days for a round trip.

By now, the sun had set, and many fishing boats and merchant ships on the pier had lit their lights.

Li Qing and Zhou Qingming stood on the pier helplessly, still unable to find a suitable boat.

Li Qing said helplessly, "If we can't find one, we'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

"We might have to catch a cargo ship tomorrow, most of which are heading to Sanchuan City and will at least pass by there," Zhou Qingming sighed and said.

Just then, a large merchant ship was approaching the pier from a distance.

The two's eyes lit up, as the merchant ship looked very large and obviously long-distance.

When the merchant ship docked, Zhou Qingming hurriedly went over, showing his scholar's identity and inquiring if they could hitch a ride.

Unfortunately, they were ruthlessly rejected, and he could only walk back with a dejected look.

Seeing Zhou Qingming's dejected look, Li Qing could only comfort him.

"Alright, let's forget about it if we can't find one."

"Let's talk about it tomorrow, worst case, we'll stay here for the night."

Just as they were talking, a voice suddenly sounded not far from them.

"Are you two going to Sanchuan City?" It was a low and hoarse voice.

Li Qing and Zhou Qingming turned to look behind them, and saw a middle-aged man in a straw raincoat looking at them.

He was carrying a fishing rod, holding a fish basket, and wearing a bamboo hat, a typical fisherman.

Li Qing smiled and said, "Sir, we do intend to go to Sanchuan City, but no one is willing to take us."

"How much are you willing to pay?"

Li Qing thought for a moment and said, "I have five taels of silver here, I don't know if it's enough."

The old man's eyes lit up, "It's enough, definitely enough!"

"Follow me, we'll go to the boat."

Finally, they found a boatman willing to take them. The two followed the fisherman excitedly onto a small boat.

The small boat was about fifteen feet long and five feet wide, with a bamboo canopy in the middle, forming a small enclosed cabin.

"It's a bit simple," Li Qing said somewhat helplessly.