Chapter 133 — The River Did Not Wait

CHAPTER 133

The River Did Not Wait

“Lead it from the left,” Tao San said. “Keep its head away from the gap.”

Shi Feng guided the dark horse down the landing. It was the third morning since leaving Great Liang’s capital. The nearest bridge stood half a day’s ride north, and this flat-bottomed ferry carried horses across the river each morning.

The horse stopped at the plank. Shi Feng loosened the rein and waited rather than dragging it forward.

“Doesn’t like the water?” Tao San asked.

“It doesn’t like that loose board,” Shi Feng replied.

The ferryman checked beneath his foot. One end lifted. He swore, wedged it down, and beckoned again.

This time the horse crossed. Tao San’s Qi Condensation qi steadied the rail while Shi Feng tied the bridle where the animal could keep its footing.

The crossing cost five spirit stones for horse and rider. Shi Feng paid and sat near the bow. Tao San tested the board once more before pulling the plank aboard. He wasn’t about to spend the morning recovering a horse from the river.

A mushroom peddler sat opposite him with two baskets of dried mushrooms. The man's Meridian Opening cultivation wasn't strong enough to hide how nervously he watched the water.

“Does this boat leak?” the peddler asked.

“Only when it rains,” Tao San replied.

The peddler looked up at the clear sky, then down through the gaps beneath his shoes. Shi Feng smiled faintly. For a moment, he wanted to turn and tell Ling Qingzhu what the boatman said.

The empty place beside him stopped the thought.

He looked toward the opposite bank instead.

Tao San pushed them away from the landing. The river moved quickly beyond the reeds, carrying the boat downstream while he guided it toward the far bank.

Shi Feng sat with one hand near his sword. The horse stood quietly behind him. the peddler checked the basket lids twice, then asked whether Qingyun City's mushroom prices really rose when tournament candidates arrived.

“Ask at the western gate,” Tao San said. “The cooks buy there before the crowds wake up.”

The peddler glanced toward the sun. He began counting how many hours of walking remained after the crossing. His mushrooms might reach the city at exactly the wrong time.

Shi Feng watched a broken branch drift past. He'd travelled alone before marrying Ling Qingzhu. There was nothing difficult about deciding when to eat, where to sleep, or which road to take.

The difficulty came when he forgot he was alone. At the morning stall, he'd nearly ordered the kind of vegetables she liked. Last night, he took the blue cloak out and remembered her checking that it wouldn't catch his sword hand.

He still used it. Throwing away a useful gift wouldn't make him stop loving the person who chose it.

Shi Feng thought, Keep going. The road won't shorten because I stare at it.

The horse snorted sharply.

He looked toward the reeds.

A dark head rose beside the boat. Hard ridges covered its jaws, and a yellow eye fixed on the moving horse. The water bulged around a broad shell beneath the surface.

Tao San's face turned pale.

“Black-Armoured River Turtle!” Tao San shouted. “Don't move!”

The peddler immediately moved. He scrambled away from the side and nearly knocked a mushroom basket overboard.

The beast's head struck the rail. Wood cracked. The horse pulled back against its rope, terrified by the sudden noise.

Shi Feng stood and caught the bridle before the animal could rear.

“How strong?” Shi Feng asked.

“Foundation Establishment!” Tao San cried. “This one shouldn't be here! They stay upriver!”

The turtle didn't care where it should've stayed. It opened its jaws and lunged toward the horse again.

Shi Feng drew his sword.

He stepped across the narrow deck and thrust beneath the beast's lower jaw. Piercing Current drove through the soft seam before the shell could turn toward him.

The beast shuddered.

Shi Feng held the sword steady and released a short burst of qi. The force tore through the head from inside. The jaws stopped a hand's width from his sleeve.

Then the beast collapsed against the side of the boat. Water splashed across the deck. Shi Feng pulled the sword free and caught the broken rail before it fell on the peddler's foot.

Tao San stared at him.

One strike. A Foundation Establishment river beast died before the ferry could even turn.

An ordinary early Foundation Establishment cultivator would've struggled against that shell. Shi Feng's strength and control made the exposed seam enough.

“Keep steering,” Shi Feng said.

Tao San jerked back to his pole.

“Yes, Senior!” Tao San replied.

The peddler stared at the dead eye beside the boat. Then he carefully moved his mushrooms farther away from it.

At the far landing, Shi Feng led the horse onto dry ground and checked its legs. It was frightened but uninjured. The horse dealer sold him a healthy animal, and it settled after a little water and fresh grass.

Tao San stood beside the broken rail, looking from it to the carcass floating against the bank.

“I can't pay for the beast,” Tao San said.

“I didn't offer to sell it,” Shi Feng replied.

The ferryman swallowed.

“And the repair?” Tao San asked.

“Ask the turtle,” Shi Feng said.

The peddler laughed once, then stopped when Tao San looked at him.

Shi Feng kept the devouring flow still and put the carcass into his spatial ring after checking that the useful shell remained intact. He'd decide what to keep later. There was no reason to leave a valuable kill in the river.

Tao San untied the boat from the landing and hesitated.

“The crossing fee,” Tao San began.

“You brought me across,” Shi Feng said.

“I nearly fed your horse to a beast,” Tao San replied.

“You didn't invite it,” Shi Feng said.

The ferryman looked relieved. Shi Feng wasn't interested in turning every incident into a debt of gratitude or a claim against someone else's purse. He took the reins and continued toward the road.

The peddler called after him before he mounted.

“Senior, are you entering the tournament?” the peddler asked.

“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.

“Which kingdom?” the peddler asked.

“Great Liang,” Shi Feng said.

The merchant nodded eagerly. He already looked forward to telling his buyers that he crossed the river with a kingdom representative. Shi Feng didn't offer to carry his baskets too.

That evening, he stopped beside a sheltered rise and let the horse graze. The road was quiet enough to hear wheels approaching from a long way off.

He took out the carcass and separated the useful shell from the soft parts. Then he touched the remaining flesh and allowed the devouring flow to begin.

The beast's qi entered his body. He assimilated it patiently before packing the shell away. His foundation absorbed the gain without difficulty, but the medicine was only a small addition to what it needed.

Early Foundation Establishment remained his realm. He wasn't going to mistake one easy kill for another breakthrough.

He checked the horse's water before sitting down. The animal nosed his sleeve, looking for more grain, and he moved the bag out of reach.

“You've already eaten,” Shi Feng said.

The horse tried again.

He gave it a small handful and tied the bag shut. An ordinary horse didn't care about Great Sects, qualification ranks, or unhappy marriages. It wanted feed and a dry place to stand.

Tonight, he found that simple appetite easier company than another concerned question from a stranger. When he finished, he opened his provisions and ate beside a small fire.

He had food, money, and the strength to keep going without asking anyone to take him in. The road ahead wasn't beyond what he could manage alone.

Shi Feng banked the embers with a flat stone, checked the perimeter where the two royal outriders had lost his trail before the ferry, and pulled the blue cloak over his shoulders without looking back toward Great Liang.