Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Even if it was just for show, he had to appear as though he had done everything humanly possible.

”Bring the ship in slowly, and maintain a distance of a hundred zhang!”

After giving the order to the captain in the pilothouse, Zhou Yonglu’s gaze swept over his dozen or so expert Fishermen. He said in a deep voice:

”Gentlemen, once the ship is in position, I’ll need two men to get in the water and retrieve Cai Bao...”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when the expert Fishermen all grimaced. The more timid ones immediately retreated to the back of the crowd.

According to Zhou Yonglu’s orders, the ship would only approach to a position a hundred zhang away from the body.

That meant they would have to travel a round trip of two hundred zhang in the water to bring the body back.

Under normal circumstances, this distance would be nothing to them. They could swim two or three round trips on a single breath.

But right now, no one could say for sure what was under the surface.

Even a Dark Force Martial Artist and expert swimmer like Cai Bao had been killed. If they went in—Fishermen with swimming skills but practically no Martial Arts strength—wasn’t it a suicide mission?

”One hundred taels!”

Zhou Yonglu held up one finger.

”Anyone willing to go, one hundred taels per person... Two hundred... Three hundred!”

Zhou Yonglu kept raising the price, but not a single Fisherman was willing to step forward.

But regardless, Zhou Yonglu had achieved his objective.

He had offered a fortune to retrieve the body. Even if word of this got out, he wouldn’t have to worry about being criticized. People might even praise him for his righteousness.

Of course, he wasn’t entirely acting.

If possible, he really did want to retrieve Cai Bao. If by some chance the man wasn’t dead, he could provide information about the situation underwater, allowing them to prepare a response in advance.

Unfortunately, none of his own Fishermen were willing to take the risk.

So, he could only accept the passive situation for now and wait to see what would happen.

”I’ll go in and take a look.”

Just then, Chen Cheng suddenly spoke up and immediately began to undress.

”Brother Chen? Are... are you serious?”

Zhou Yonglu’s eyes went wide, and Zhou An’s face was a mask of astonishment.

”Brother Chen! You mustn’t!”

Wu Ziyu shot her hand out reflexively, stopping Chen Cheng’s hand as it undid a button. She urged him desperately:

”In this situation, even those expert Fishermen who have spent half their lives in the water don’t dare to go in recklessly. You of all people can’t go down there...”

”Don’t worry.”

Chen Cheng said calmly:

”My swimming isn’t half bad, either.”

”...R-Really!?”

Wu Ziyu froze for a moment, her beautiful eyes staring blankly.

Her first instinct was disbelief.

But she knew Chen Cheng’s character all too well. He rarely made a declaration, but once he did, his word was his bond; he always did what he said.

The next instant.

Her hand recoiled as if shocked. She averted her gaze and didn’t say another word.

Soon, Chen Cheng had taken off all his clothes, leaving him in just his undergarments and a long, narrow leather pouch at his waist.

He looked around, not feeling comfortable leaving his clothes just anywhere, and finally handed them all to Wu Ziyu.

”There’s something important in my clothes. Please watch them for me.”

As Chen Cheng spoke, he stealthily took something from a Secret Pocket in his sleeve and slipped it into his waist pouch.

”...Alright, I’ll watch them for you.”

Wu Ziyu hugged the pile of clothes tightly, pressing them to her chest.

”Xiaowang, take off your leather gear and give it to Brother Chen!” Zhou Yonglu ordered a young Fisherman.

”No need to trouble him. I’m not used to wearing that sort of thing.”

Chen Cheng waved his hand dismissively, pushed off the deck with his toes, and vaulted into the air. Under the focused gaze of the crowd, he dove into the iron-gray, icy water.

When the crowd leaned over the railing to look, Chen Cheng’s figure had completely vanished from the water’s surface. There wasn’t even a single bubble.

”So... so fast!”

Zhou Yonglu and Zhou An exchanged a look, both seeing utter astonishment in the other’s eyes.

Wu Ziyu stared in the direction Chen Cheng had disappeared, her bright eyes once again wide and unblinking.

Unconsciously, the lingering scent of Chen Cheng wafted up from the clothes, and her heart began to pound, faster and faster, impossible to suppress.

「A few moments later.」

Another urgent cry came from the pilothouse.

”Young Master, another body! Another body has floated to the surface!”

Everyone immediately looked over.

This time, the body was much closer than the last one.

Zhou An could already make out the outline, and he exclaimed in shock:

”It’s Cai Xiong! He’s not moving... I’m afraid he’s... he’s a goner, too!”

”How can this be!?”

Zhou Yonglu’s brow furrowed deeply, his expression growing complex.

”Could it be...”

Wu Ziyu was quicker on the uptake. After quickly piecing things together, she offered a clear theory:

”Could it be infighting?”

”...That... that’s actually possible.”

Zhou Yonglu followed her line of reasoning, and it made perfect sense.

After he had agreed to give them the corpse of the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, a huge prize was now at stake for those five men.

And what was the most profitable way to split such a prize?

Naturally, the fewer people to split it with, the more profitable it would be.

With the Cai brothers dead, the remaining three would each get a bigger share.

Cai Bao had died first, a hundred-odd zhang away.

Then Cai Xiong died closer to the lead ship, which suggested he was likely intercepted and killed while trying to escape back to them.

”This is bad...”

Wu Ziyu immediately whipped her head back toward the water.

”Brother Chen! Brother Chen, come back! Come back now...”

She screamed hysterically, her voice cracking, but there was still no sign of Chen Cheng in her line of sight, and not a single response.

Despair gradually welled up in her eyes.

The expressions on Zhou Yonglu and Zhou An’s faces also became incredibly grim. Their fists were clenched so tightly their knuckles were turning white.

In their eyes, that stretch of water below now held not only the deadly Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, but also three master martial artists who were more vicious, more ruthless, and more lethal than the beast itself.