This scoundrel is truly everywhere!
Yun Ze hurriedly buried his head deeper, leaving only his eyes and nose above the water. He paddled his hands and feet gently beneath the surface, observing the situation on the pleasure boat in silence.
He wanted to kill He Laichao, but without knowing the situation on the boat, acting rashly would be unwise. It was best to observe first.
Before long, he saw a woman, gorgeously dressed and elaborately made up, emerge from the cabin. She waved her embroidered handkerchief and whispered something into He Laichao's ear.
However, He Laichao didn't move, nor did he even glance at the woman. He merely moved his lips coldly, and the woman, losing interest, walked away.
Yun Ze found this scene strange.
Though he wasn't old, he knew what kind of business the pleasure boat conducted.
Since He Laichao was already on the boat, why would he turn away that woman?
Did he have some unspeakable secret?
If so, he wouldn't need to come to a pleasure boat.
As Yun Ze was pondering, the pleasure boat suddenly stopped, less than ten meters away from him.
Could it be that they discovered me?
He quickly submerged himself, daring not to peek out. But just as he was about to turn back, he suddenly heard He Laichao's voice from the surface of the water.
"This mortal greets the immortal."
Immortal!
He came here to see an immortal!
Yun Ze's heart trembled, and he immediately panicked.
No, calm down! I must calm down!
If I turn back now, I will definitely be discovered by the immortal. If I'm captured then, I'll have no chance of survival.
Instead, if I stay put, there might be a glimmer of hope!
With my swimming skills, I can stay underwater for sixty breaths. As long as the immortal and He Laichao return to the cabin within sixty breaths, I can surface and seize an opportunity to escape!
As Yun Ze was thinking, another voice came from the water's surface.
"What about the jade pendant?"
It was a man's voice, deep, hoarse, and extremely old.
"Reporting to the immortal, I had already found the place where the immortal pendant was hidden. However, I never expected that the owner of the immortal pendant would rather shatter than bend, and smashed the pendant..."
"Smashed!?"
The man exclaimed in surprise, "Then where are the fragments? Where are the fragments?"
He Laichao was silent for a moment, then said, "...taken away by the owner of the immortal pendant."
"Useless!"
The man cursed immediately, "You said you were omnipotent in Weishan Prefecture, yet you can't even handle this small matter? Truly useless!"
"Yes, I am useless. I beg the immortal for forgiveness!"
The arrogant He Laichao did not hesitate, readily accepting the label of 'useless': "However, please rest assured, immortal. I have set up a net in Weishan Prefecture. Tomorrow, I will issue the wanted poster and offer a reward of a thousand taels of silver.
As long as that brat dares to show his face, I will tear him to shreds!"
"Heh, what good is that!"
The man cursed again, "If the Inspector wasn't in your Tangshan Dynasty, I would have dealt with it myself. Why would I need a useless person like you?"
"Yes, yes, yes, the immortal is right. I will strive to retrieve the immortal pendant within seven days... no, three days. Please forgive me, immortal!"
He Laichao didn't even dare to retort. Then he said, "Immortal, why don't you stay for a drink of light wine? Perhaps by the time you finish, there will be news?"
Drink what? Just leave quickly!
Yun Ze cried out in his heart!
More than half of the sixty breaths had passed, and he was almost at his limit.
If the immortal didn't leave within the remaining time, then if Yun Ze surfaced, he would be dead!
He asked for nothing else now, only that the immortal would either go inside quickly or leave quickly!
"Drink... it's not impossible."
The man's tone softened slightly. From Yun Ze's perspective, he could vaguely see the man place a hand on He Laichao's shoulder and pat it: "Xiao Chao, you must understand that all opportunities in this world come at a price.
You give me that immortal pendant, and I will teach you the complete Blood Refining Great Method. This is fair.
If you cannot give me the immortal pendant, then the latter half of the Blood Refining Great Method will naturally..."
"I understand, I understand!"
He Laichao nodded repeatedly and invited the man again, "Immortal, please come inside."
Before the immortal could answer, Yun Ze felt water about to flood his trachea.
He was almost unable to hold his breath!
If he held on any longer, he might drown in the lake before he was even discovered!
Couldn't the two guys on the boat find another place to chat!
Yun Ze could no longer hold back. The air in his mouth and lungs began to leak out, and tiny bubbles floated to the surface.
Surely, such small bubbles wouldn't be noticed by those above?
"Hmm?"
Just as Yun Ze was thinking this, a light hum came from the surface of the water.
It's bad!
It was the immortal's voice!
Yun Ze hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with both hands, holding his breath.
Don't be discovered!
"Immortal, what's wrong?" He Laichao asked, confused.
"There seems to be something underwater."
Hearing the voices from the surface, Yun Ze's heart trembled. He could only try to move as little as possible, and try to descend without being exposed.
Cold!
It's too cold!
As the depth of the water increased, Yun Ze felt a chill all over his body. Coupled with the lack of air, he felt completely groggy.
Could it be... that I'm going to die here like this?
No!
Absolutely not!
He still had a deep-seated revenge to exact. Now that he had found a glimmer of hope for revenge, if he died in the lake like this, he would die with regret!
Right, the immortal jade!
Since the immortal on the boat was so intent on finding the immortal jade, it meant the legend was not baseless.
There must be something mysterious about this immortal jade!
Now that he was in a desperate situation, he could only take a gamble!
Yun Ze took out the immortal jade he carried with him. Upon seeing it, his heart sank into despair.
The jade was still the same jade. Even after being broken in half, it looked no different.
Indeed, his ancestor had studied this for hundreds of years, and it was now broken in two. How could he, a mere mortal, decipher it so easily?
Rather than pinning his hopes on it, he might as well think about the old beggar's breathing techniques!
"Gulp~"
Yun Ze could no longer hold back and took a large gulp of lake water: "Cough, cough, cough!"
With two coughs, Yun Ze froze in the water.
He... choked on water!
This choking was different from normal drowning. It wasn't like a mouthful of water pouring into his trachea, but rather like he had taken a breath while drinking, causing some water to flow into his trachea.
Breathing!
He seemed to be able to breathe in the water!