Night fell, and a thick fog rolled over the river’s surface.
Once out of sight of the Cyan Wood Sword Sect, Su Yu and Qian Qinghong returned to the Giant Whale Gang’s treasure ship. Although the magnificent vessel was now deserted, plenty of supplies remained in the hold and secret chambers. The two of them swept through the ship like a plague of locusts, scouring it inside and out before finally resting.
「The next morning.」
A red sun leaped from the river’s surface, its myriad golden rays tearing through the morning mist and dyeing the sparkling water the color of shattered gold.
After they washed up, Su Yu inspected the treasure ship’s Array. Once he confirmed everything was in order, he let the behemoth drift north with the current.
On the deck, before a large green sandalwood table.
"Qinghong, it’s time to sort through the spoils. Crime pays, as they say. I’m sure we won’t be disappointed."
Su Yu walked over with a smile, tossing two Storage Rings onto the table with a CLINK.
One was pure white, carved with ancient whale patterns—the one he’d taken from Xue Kuang. The other, made of an ice-blue crystal, was exquisitely crafted. It had belonged to Leng Fei.
Then, with a thought, Su Yu used his Divine Sense to pour out his spoils like he was spilling beans.
Silver notes, Pills, gold and silver ingots, Treasure Medicines, Waist Tokens... a colorful assortment of items instantly formed a pile that nearly crushed the large sandalwood table. Leaning against the table were Xue Kuang’s heavy Black Gold Halberd and Sun Rui’s Horse-cutting Saber, their cold glints in the morning light promising death.
Though these two weapons hadn’t reached the Spirit Tier, they were top-quality among Mortal Tier items and worth a fortune.
Qian Qinghong didn’t hold back either. Her delicate hand reached into her robes, producing a stack of silver notes, a few Treasure Medicines sealed in Jade Boxes, and several porcelain vials.
These were the spoils she had collected from Sun Rui and the hunchbacked old man.
Gazing at the dazzling mountain of loot covering the table, the two of them exchanged a smile.
The Golden Waterway had seen a river of blood and storms of gore, with various powers making their grand appearances, but in the end, they were the biggest winners.
"Let’s start the count!"
"You got it!"
The pair worked in perfect sync, taking a full half-hour to sort and neatly arrange all the items.
"Brother Su, just in silver notes, there’s a full six thousand taels!" Qian Qinghong slapped a thick stack of notes on the table with a THWACK. A hint of pleasure appeared on her cold, stunningly beautiful face.
"Three stalks of Treasure Medicine." Su Yu opened the three Jade Boxes one by one. Instantly, a rich, fragrant scent of herbs filled the entire deck.
The Treasure Medicine in the center was a Blood Jade Coral Ginseng. Its roots coiled like an azure dragon, exuding an astonishing life essence. It was of the highest quality.
The one on the left, wreathed in a faint frost, was a high-grade Treasure Medicine: an Ice Silkworm Snow Lotus.
The one on the right, shaped like a horned dragon, was another high-grade Treasure Medicine: a Dragon Whisker Toughening Grass.
All three of these Treasure Medicines would fetch an extremely high price on the market. However, Su Yu had no plans to sell them. They were better kept as a foundation for his White Ape Transformation.
Qian Qinghong followed by lining up six white porcelain vials. "Six vials of Pills. The most valuable are these three vials of Ape Tendon Pills, twenty-three in total. This is high-grade stuff used by Muscle Forging Realm Martial Artists to temper their Great Tendons. A single one goes for over a hundred taels of Silver on the black market!"
"These miscellaneous items, including Thousand-Forged Iron, Exotic Beast bone armor, and gold and silver jewelry, should be no problem to sell as a bundle for a thousand taels of silver."
Su Yu wrapped the miscellaneous items in a thick canvas cloth, tossed them aside, and let his gaze fall on the two weapons. "Xue Kuang’s Black Gold Halberd and that Horse-cutting Saber... if we find the right buyer, they’ll fetch far more than a few thousands of taels. When we get back, we’ll list them for auction at the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce."
"You’re absolutely right, Brother Su." Qian Qinghong’s eyes danced as she calculated with gusto. "A rough estimate puts the total value of this haul close to twenty thousand taels of Silver! These old geezers from the Muscle Forging Realm were filthy rich."
Even as the Patriarch of the Qian Family, the thrill of suddenly coming into twenty thousand taels of silver made her heart beat a little faster.
"Don’t get too excited yet. The real prize is right here."
Su Yu’s gaze was fervent as he picked up the two Storage Rings from the table, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Qinghong, can you release your Divine Sense?" he asked, handing her the ice-blue ring.
Qian Qinghong took the ring and fiddled with it, shaking her head. "When someone at Flesh Refining Realm Perfection breaks through to the Muscle Forging Realm, all the acupoints in their body resonate as one, triggering a surge of human potential. Your Qi and Blood, comprehension, and even your unawakened Divine Sense all undergo a qualitative leap. But I haven’t learned any methods for controlling Divine Sense, so I doubt I can break the spiritual imprint on this Storage Ring."
"Then let me do it!"
Su Yu wasted no time. He formed a hand seal, and a powerful surge of Spiritual Power erupted from between his brows, smashing like a heavy hammer against the barrier of the white Storage Ring!
BOOM!
A silent roar exploded in Su Yu’s mind.
Xue Kuang was dead, so his imprint was like a river without a source. Compounded by a night of energy loss, it couldn’t withstand three blows before Su Yu’s Divine Sense shattered it with crushing force.
He sent his Divine Sense inside to investigate. Su Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, then his expression relaxed into a pleased smile.
"What goodies are inside, Brother Su?" Seeing his expression, Qian Qinghong couldn’t help but lean in closer and ask curiously.
"I’ll tell you in a minute."
Su Yu deliberately kept her in suspense, smoothly taking the ice-blue ring from her palm. The brief touch of their fingertips sent a soft, warm sensation through him, making his heart flutter.
He repeated the process, breaking open Leng Fei’s Storage Ring in a flash. After sweeping his Divine Sense through it, Su Yu nodded in satisfaction.
"Hey, hey, Brother Su, stop teasing me! Hurry up and take the stuff out!"
"Alright, alright, here I go."
Su Yu’s Divine Sense returned to the first Storage Ring, the white one, and he began to take out the items one by one.
THUD!
The corpse of a Black Dragon Fish, over ten feet long, slammed heavily onto the deck. Although it was dead, the Dragon Tendon running from its head to its tail within its long, streamlined body still faintly glowed with a moist luster.
"The space in these two Storage Rings is pretty small, but they were packed with the most valuable things."
As he spoke, Su Yu flipped his wrist again.
This time, a metal ingot appeared in his palm. It was only the size of a fist, but it was as black as ink and radiated a bone-chilling cold.
The moment it appeared, the moisture in the surrounding air instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals that fell with a soft RUSTLE.
Qian Qinghong’s beautiful eyes widened instantly. "This is..."
"A Profound Tier spirit material!" Su Yu’s eyes flashed with a keen light.
"The ancient text, *Exploitation of the Works of Nature: Volume of Exotic Irons*, says: A star falls into the sea, tempered for a millennium by the pressure of the abyssal cold, absorbing the essence of the supreme yin. Its color is like lacquer, its weight surpasses a thousand jun."
"This is called Abyssal Sea Coldstar Iron! Don’t be fooled by its fist-sized appearance; it probably weighs several hundred pounds."
’Such a rare item... it seems Xue Kuang was preparing it for himself, planning to upgrade that Black Gold Halberd of his.’
Seeing the fervent look in her eyes, Su Yu looked up and asked, "Qinghong, is that weapon you use a Silver Dragon Shuttle? But I remember you used a saber before, didn’t you?"
Qian Qinghong explained, "I’m more skilled with the Silver Dragon Shuttle than with a saber. The Wave-sundering Stance I comprehended before is far inferior to this Silver Dragon Overlapping Waves Stance, especially after some ancient memories inexplicably appeared in my mind."
Su Yu froze at her words.
’Is Qinghong laying her cards on the table with me?’
Ever since Xu Hesui had pointed her out as a "Heaven-Blessed" last night, Su Yu had tacitly avoided asking about it. But now, Qian Qinghong was admitting that memories had appeared in her mind!
This meant she was practically confessing to Su Yu that she was, in fact, one of the Heaven-Blessed.
She was entrusting her greatest secret to him without reservation.
A warmth flowed through Su Yu’s heart. He gazed at Qian Qinghong’s stunning face and asked softly, "In that case, are you planning to go to the Cyan Wood Sword Sect in Jian’an Prefecture?"
"Hee hee hee..."
The serious Qian Qinghong from a moment ago suddenly burst out laughing. She leaned forward, bringing her gorgeous face close to Su Yu’s, her breath as fragrant as an orchid. "Hubby, didn’t I already say it in front of Immortal Xu last night? From now on, I’m only staying by your side."
Her tone shifted in an instant. The soul-stealing, bewitching charm was more than even Su Yu could handle.
He rubbed his temples, a bit vexed, and said helplessly, "Please stop using me as your shield."
Saying this, Su Yu unhesitatingly tossed the priceless Abyssal Sea Coldstar Iron over to her.
"This thing’s yours. It’s perfect for re-forging your Silver Dragon Shuttle. Turn it into a true Profound Tier weapon, and your combat power will definitely increase by a large margin."
Qian Qinghong caught the ingot, slightly stunned.
’Hey! This is a Profound Tier spirit material that countless Martial Artists would kill for! And he just tossed it to me like a worthless rock?’
Seeing her in a daze, Su Yu raised an eyebrow and pretended to reach for it. "What? You don’t want it?"
"I do!"
Qian Qinghong reacted instantly, slapping Su Yu’s large hand away with a SMACK and hugging the Coldstar Iron tightly to her chest.
"This is yours, too."
Su Yu smiled faintly and handed over the ice-blue Storage Ring. "The space isn’t huge, but it’s enough for you to store some miscellaneous items and your weapon."
Qian Qinghong stared at the crystal-clear ring Su Yu was offering, and it felt as if the softest part of her heart had been struck hard.
’A Profound Tier spirit material, a Storage Ring... This man gives away treasures without even blinking an eye.’
She didn’t take it immediately. Instead, she bit her red lip gently, her shifting gaze revealing an indescribable charm.
She slowly extended a slender, delicate hand that seemed whiter than frost or snow, presenting her long, well-proportioned fingers to Su Yu. Tilting her pale chin up slightly, she looked at him with a half-smile.
"Hey, Hubby, what’s the meaning of just tossing it to Hong’Er?"
"Put it on for me."
Su Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
’This world doesn’t have this kind of custom, does it?’
Su Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart. He reached out his large hand and gently took hold of Qian Qinghong’s soft fingertips.
The moment their skin touched, Qian Qinghong’s fingers trembled almost imperceptibly, but she maintained her cheerful, smiling expression.
Gently and slowly, Su Yu slid the ice-blue Storage Ring onto her middle finger.
The gesture was undeniably intimate, and both of them fell silent.
The river wind swept by, and the deck became so quiet that they could only hear each other breathing.
"Ahem..."
After a long moment, it was Su Yu who broke the silence with a slightly forced cough. He averted his gaze, looking at the remaining white ring on the table.
"There’s still good stuff in this white Storage Ring!"