“The Rouge Fruit!”
Fang Qiu felt a surge of excitement.
The Rouge Fruit ranked 28th on the Heaven Treasure List!
It was the shape of round fruit, the color of rouge, the size of a thumb; its texture was like cotton; its leaf and its stem all had silver lines. No one but the Martial Superior could pick it up. Its fragrance was as thick as that of gold-silver laurel and tuberose; when it was ripe, it smelled heavier!
This was the description of the Rouge Fruit in the Scroll of Heaven and Earth Treasures.
And that was the kind of scary smell Fang Qiu smelled right now.
Although the fragrance seemed very faint, when it came in slight gusts, it smelled too strong.
“It’s going to ripen.”
Fang Qiu’s heart leaped.
He was ready to fly off in search.
Just then, however, a loud cry came.
“Going by ship to search for the Heaven Treasure and Earth Treasure can save energy. 500 yuan per person. Leave as soon as the seats are taken. There aren’t many seats.”
Fang Qiu stared and saw a man in a bamboo hat, paddling a boat in the river ahead.
It was an ordinary wooden boat, which looked a little old.
“500 per person? This is too expensive!”
“Yes, 500 yuan is enough to buy your boat.”
“What a black-hearted businessman!”
Everyone complained and swore.
However, hearing their abuse, the businessman replied carelessly, “This is a small business. No waiting after the set time!”
“The voice?”
Fang Qiu raised his eyebrows.
He recognized He Gaoming’s voice.
On closer observation, he saw that the boatman was the same size as He Gaoming.
He burst into laughter quietly.
This guy was not looking for the Heaven Treasure. He was here to make money!
“Stop. I want to get on board!” a man shouted all of a sudden.
“500.”
Upon hearing that someone wanted to get on board, He Gaoming, without hesitation, took off his hat and held out his hand to the man with a smile on his face.
“Damn it, it’s too expensive! How about 100 yuan?”
The man began to bargain.
“Not one yuan less.”
He Gaoming curled his lips and rowed on.
Seeing that He Gaoming was about to leave, the man immediately called out, “Fine, 500. You stop.”
Then with a wave of his right hand, the man threw 500 yuan to He Gaoming.
He Gaoming grinned when he received the money.
“I’m afraid someone will rob the boat, so just jump in the boat yourself,” He Gaoming said, glancing at the crowd by the river.
Hearing that, the crowd paused.
In fact, every one of them was looking forward to someone taking the boat. As long as someone did it first, they had a reason to do it.
As a result, He Gaoming had not only read their minds but also spoken it directly.
“Swoosh!”
The man who had paid jumped into the boat.
“Be seated. If someone wants to rob the boat or force me to do something, don’t feel that it’s a loss to spend 500 yuan. You can just sit and watch,” He Gaoming said with a laugh.
The crowd was stunned once again.
Wow, the boatman had a good brain.
In the boat, the face of the Martial Superior who had just paid changed. He felt as if he were on a pirate ship. He not only paid the money but also became the boatman’s goon. What a shameless man!
Although he felt very unhappy, this Martial Superior did not know how to refute. After all, he was already on the boat and couldn’t get the money back.
Instead of wasting his energy, he’d better help the boatman find enough passengers and hurry to find the Heaven Treasure.
At the same time, all the people on the bank of the river laughed bitterly.
Robbing the boat?
That was obviously out of the question.
How could they rob the boat when the boatman had already seen through their minds?
Furthermore, there was now a Martial Superior in the boat. If they fought for the boat, the man and the boatman would also make moves.
For a time, everyone gave up the idea of taking the boat.
Some even started paying to get on board. As long as there were a certain number of people in the boat, others absolutely dared not to rob the boat even if they had the idea.
What was more, the Heaven Treasure was already ripe.
Then, in the scramble for it, there must be an uphill battle among them.
This was a bad time to waste energy.
“Bud, can’t you come down a little?” one person asked.
“If you don’t make it cheaper, I’ll take someone else’s boat,” he added.
He Gaoming suddenly laughed and said, “I’ve contracted for all the boats here. It doesn’t matter whose boat you’re in. The price is the same. There’s absolutely no cheaper ticket.”
Indeed, He Gaoming came here to try his luck.
However, when he arrived in the Western Wetland and saw so many strong Martial Superiors, he knew that his odds of finding the treasure were slim.
But now that he was here, he could not watch and do nothing.
As a result, this guy directly contracted all the boats in the Western Wetland, at the price of 500 yuan per boat, and also hired a group of martial arts practitioners who absolutely had no hope of competing for the Heaven Treasure to be the boatmen. He made a deal with the boatmen to pay them according to the number of passengers–100 yuan for each passenger. So, the more passengers a boat took, the more money the boatman earned.
“Besides, forget about these boats. To tell you the truth, all the martial arts practitioners in these boats were found by me. If I give the order, they’ll destroy the boat in an instant, and none of you will get on board,” He Gaoming stated with a smirk.
His words left everyone speechless.
Damn!
“You’re really something!”
Even Fang Qiu was speechless.
This guy really had some economic sense.
Knowing that he had no chances of taking the Heaven Treasure, he went into business.
Helplessly, people along the river bank had to pay to go aboard.
After all, no one knew exactly where the Heaven Treasure grew. The use of lightness skill to look for it would no doubt consume a lot of internal Qi. It was too much for them. So it was a better choice for them to get on a boat.
Fang Qiu swooped in when he saw someone trying to get on the boat.
Since everyone gave in, He Gaoming brought the boat to shore so that everyone could get on board.
As a result, Fang Qiu flew in and was instantly recognized by He Gaoming.
Just as He Gaoming was about to call Fang Qiu, Fang Qiu approached him and gave him a wink.
He Gaoming got the message right away and acted like he didn’t know Fang Qiu.
“Pay before you board, 500 yuan.”
He Gaoming just reached out and asked Fang Qiu for money.
“Are you serious?” Fang Qiu whispered.
“At least act it with sincerity,” He Gaoming answered in a low voice.
Fang Qiu paid right away.
Fortunately, when he came to the Western Wetland, he prepared some cash, or he really could not get on the boat.
He Gaoming took the money, pocketed it quickly, and then ignored Fang Qiu.
“Bastard, you can give me the money back on the sly,” Fang Qiu swore in his heart and sat down helplessly on the boat.
Soon the seats were all taken, and the boat began to sail.
“Those who did not board the boat wait for the next one. There are a dozen more boats behind. I’ll have them all over at once.”
He Gaoming called to the men who had missed the boat and set off.
The boat went straight down the river. Passengers smelt the strange fragrance in the air.
Fang Qiu kept looking at He Gaoming all the way.
He Gaoming didn’t even look at him, pretending not to see him.
It seemed that he was really going to take 500 yuan from his cheap master!
It was a huge wrench for Fang Qiu.
That was 500 yuan!
“Man, wait and see!”
As the boat moved forward, the strange fragrance in the air became thicker and thicker.
This situation made everyone on board nervous.
They knew that the stronger the smell was, the closer they were to the Heaven Treasure!
As they waited with bated breath, looking around for signs of the Heaven Treasure, suddenly a low sound of water came from the side of the lake.
“Splash…”
Everyone turned their eyes to take a look.
They saw a man in antique white clothes, who looked very ethereal and gave a feeling of celestial menace. He was crossing the water with a log under his feet.
Behind the man in white stood four beautiful women.
When they saw him, the people on the boat cried out in surprise.
“The White-dressed Man!”
Fang Qiu also turned to look.
He saw an extremely handsome middle-aged man in his thirties in white clothes who wore an antique bun.
Before anyone noticed, Fang Qiu walked over to He Gaoming and asked in a low voice, “Who is this man?”
“A Martial Superior at the peak of sixth-class, who will soon break through to the seventh-class. He ranks 990 in the List of Martial Superiors, one place lower than you, master.”
Speaking of this, He Gaoming glanced at Fang Qiu and said, “The man became famous as a teenager and always wore white clothes. He is nearly forty and still thinks of himself as an elegant young man. That’s why people call him White-dressed Man. Bah, he’s just acting young!”
Fang Qiu nodded.
His dark blue, near-black tracksuit and black mask looked in stark contrast to the outfit of the White-dressed Man.
But judging by what He Gaoming said, the White-dressed Man was a narcissist.
Fang Qiu was certainly not that kind of person.
“Everybody.”
Looking at the crowd on board, the White-dressed Man smiled and said, “I need the Heaven Treasure badly, so I hope you give it up. Don’t make a trip in vain but get injuries all over.”
Hearing this, the people on board frowned at once.
“Since no one speaks, I’ll assume you’ve agreed. Thank you, everybody,” continued the White-dressed Man.
Then he even bowed to the crowd on board.
At this time, a big man in the boat gave a discontented roar, “How can one word of yours make us give up? The Heaven Treasure comes to those who have the strength to get it. You need it badly, and so do we.”
However, as soon as these words were spoken, the White-dressed Man, with his feet on the log, gave the man a slap through the air.
“Bang!”
There was a ringing sound.
Before the big man reacted, he opened his mouth and squirted a large mouthful of blood. He was instantly blown away and thrown into the water under the boat.
The sight filled everyone with fear.
What a cruel man!
“Ha-ha.”
The White-dressed Man chuckled and continued to scan the crowd on board. “I made that very clear,” he said, “don’t make a trip in vain and get injuries all over. Is there anyone who does not agree to compromise?”
No one in the boat answered.
It was not that they did not want to fight, but that they were no match for the White-dressed Man. If they resisted, they would definitely be wounded by the White-dressed Man.
“No one seems to disagree.”
After a moment’s waiting, the White-dressed Man nodded approvingly. Then with a nonchalant wave of his hand, he put on a lofty pose and said, “In that case, off you go.”
He Gaoming on board did not move.
How could he, a captain, retreat so easily? Besides, the mysterious man was still with him. How could he be afraid?
The White-dressed Man shook his head when he saw that the boat was not backing up.
“I want you to… leave!” he yelled.
The last word seemed to carry a thousand pounds.
The moment the words were spoken, many people covered their chests and stepped back because of the impact.
Meanwhile, Fang Qiu waved and shielded He Gaoming.
