Chapter 19 Water Dragon

The water tornado rampaged across the river, forcing departing ships to turn back and seek shelter.

Zhou Jing flew to the side on the wind to avoid the tornado. His forehead throbbed, a slight stinging sensation indicating the significant expenditure of his mental energy.

'The elements in this world are restless and active. It's indeed easy to trigger chain reactions…'

Zhou Jing exhaled, rubbing his temples to alleviate the fatigue.

This time, he had been experimenting. He had channeled his wind manipulation to its fullest extent, causing it to spin and surge wildly, pushing the power beyond the critical point. This induced more wind elements, not yet bound by his mental control, to join in, resulting in this water tornado that far exceeded his actual strength.

The water tornado's wind speed was quite high. Once it broke free from his mental control, Zhou Jing found it difficult to stop. Getting too close could even result in being sucked in and injured. He could only let it dissipate naturally.

This was both to capture someone and to deliberately create a spectacle. Seeing that most of the ships had been forced back to port, Zhou Jing felt somewhat relieved.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed a small black awning boat still sailing forward, seemingly drawn in by the whirlpool created by the water tornado, as if it had lost control.

Zhou Jing focused his gaze and saw a couple frantically trying to steer the boat. One was an old boatman, and the other was a sallow-faced woman, seemingly husband and wife. Both were tainted with a faint demonic aura, appearing to be innocently caught up in the situation.

He immediately flew over, landing on the bow of the boat, and casually unleashed a gust of wind to stabilize the hull.

"Don't go any further. Return to the dock."

Zhou Jing said casually, taking the opportunity to size up the boatman and his wife.

The boatman was dazed and unresponsive.

The woman, however, flinched instinctively, her expression timid, seemingly quite afraid of him.

"We wouldn't dare disobey a Zhenren."

The woman quickly replied in a hoarse voice, turning back to call out to the boatman, and frantically steered the boat around.

Zhou Jing frowned slightly, finding something odd about the two.

He turned his head to look at the dock, where a dark mass of people was gathered on the shore, exclaiming in shock. Many were kneeling on the ground, prostrating themselves.

People on the other returning ships, while maneuvering their vessels, also frequently cast looks of shock and awe at him.

Zhou Jing turned back to scrutinize the couple on the small boat, finding that the boatman showed no reaction to his presence, simply steering the boat as if he didn't exist.

The woman seemed to be trying to maintain her composure, frantically handling the boat, but her inexperience was obvious.

Zhou Jing suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the woman's arm.

"W-what are you doing?!"

The woman was startled and tried to pull her hand away, but found Zhou Jing's palm like an iron clamp.

Zhou Jing glanced at her palm, which was devoid of calluses, then used a Detection spell, before smiling.

"Mei Zhanqing, your disguise is quite remarkable. I didn't recognize you at first glance."

He hadn't expected to find her so easily. This small boat had given itself away, and his investigation had led him straight to the culprit, saving him the trouble of meticulously searching other boats.

Mei Zhanqing, disguised as a boat woman, felt her heart sink. Still unwilling to give up, she said, "This humble woman doesn't know what the Zhenren means. I hope the Zhenren will show some respect."

Zhou Jing shook his head and suddenly twisted his hand, directly snapping Mei Zhanqing's arm.

*Crack!*

Mei Zhanqing hadn't expected Zhou Jing to be so decisive. She screamed and fell, clutching her fractured arm.

Ignoring everything else, she struggled to roll off the deck into the water, still trying to escape.

At this moment, Zhou Jing waved his sleeve, stirring up a fierce wind that lifted Mei Zhanqing up before slamming her heavily onto the deck, breaking several more of her bones.

Mei Zhanqing cried out in pain and abandoned her pretense, glaring at Zhou Jing with hatred. "Ling Fengzi! I have no grievances or animosity with you! Do you really want to push me to my death?!"

Zhou Jing raised an eyebrow. "Now you do, don't you?"

Mei Zhanqing gritted her teeth and said,

"When I came to visit, I originally wanted to offer you a great opportunity. The current world is chaotic, and the imperial court is failing. The emperor is fond of grand projects and goes against the tide. This Xia Dynasty is like a brocade of flowers and cooking oil over a blazing fire, a perfect time for cultivators like us to seize wealth and power! The old emperor comes to Ningtian Little Abode every year. You have supernatural powers, and I have seductive arts. If we combine our strengths, we can bewitch the emperor! Wouldn't that be wonderful! If you let me go, we can join forces and have power at our fingertips!"

She hadn't given up, because there was no one else on the boat. She told him all her original thoughts, hoping to persuade Zhou Jing one last time and find a way to survive.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jing's expression became strange.

This person… is daydreaming?

Although he had similar ideas… what resources did he have, and what did she have? It seemed like he didn't need her at all. There wasn't much benefit to this collaboration for him, and it would only plant a ticking time bomb.

She wanted to freeload and had the nerve to say she was offering him wealth… how beautiful she thought.

"Absurd! How could I, a humble Daoist, conspire with a demoness like you?"

Zhou Jing immediately refused sternly.

Seeing this, Mei Zhanqing knew there was no hope. She said resentfully, "Ling Fengzi! You have profound Daoist skills, and I have nothing to say about falling into your hands. I'll go first and wait for you in the underworld!"

"Then you can wait slowly."

Zhou Jing casually struck her with a palm, knocking Mei Zhanqing unconscious.

He looked at the dazed boatman beside him, frowned, and investigated him slightly, finding that the man's brain was damaged and he didn't have long to live. He had probably been hit by Mei Zhanqing's sorcery.

"…Another unlucky person."

Zhou Jing shook his head and manipulated the wind to push the boat, making it shoot towards the dock like an arrow.

Since he was idle, he casually searched the cabin and found the bundle that Mei Zhanqing had hidden.

Opening it, he saw that the bundle contained many strange things: disguise tools, costumes, evil magic items, and so on.

There were also two yellowed books.

Zhou Jing picked up the books and flipped through them, his eyes suddenly shifting.

These two books, one called *Yin Yang Blending Embryo Secrets* and the other *Secluded Valley Records*, were both cultivation manuals from a sect called the "Secluded Valley Sect." They contained several types of spells, not all of which were evil. They were probably the secret manuals that Mei Zhanqing practiced.

After glancing at them, Zhou Jing put them away, planning to read them in detail later.

He didn't plan to cultivate in this world's magic system for the time being, but broadening his horizons was always a good thing.

In addition, his elemental wizard system should be impossible for anyone to enter in this world.

If he needed to train some subordinates one day, these two manuals could come in handy…

Before long, the boat returned to the dock, and Zhou Jing carried Mei Zhanqing ashore.

By this time, the place was surrounded by layers of people, who all showed expressions of shock and fear when they saw Zhou Jing, retreating and daring not to approach.

Most people only saw Zhou Jing creating the scene of a blue dragon emerging from the water. They didn't know the cause and effect, and they weren't sure of Zhou Jing's intentions, so they were naturally afraid.

Seeing the crowd's frightened appearance, Zhou Jing threw down Mei Zhanqing, put his hands behind his back, and slowly spoke:

"Everyone, don't panic. I did this to capture this demoness, and it has nothing to do with you. This demoness tried to escape by boat, so I used some means to force the boat back to port. Before long, the waterspout scene will dissipate on its own."

Hearing this, the crowd felt a little relieved and began to discuss in a clamorous manner.

At this time, the vice commander of the Garrison Camp led soldiers over, separated the people to maintain order, bowed fearfully to Zhou Jing, and said with a forced smile:

"Zhenren's magic is profound, truly a celestial being descended to earth. I have truly opened my eyes today."

"Mm." Zhou Jing responded noncommittally.

The vice commander of the Garrison Camp lowered his head to look at the unconscious Mei Zhanqing and asked curiously, "Is this the demon that Zhenren is trying to capture?"

"That's right." Zhou Jing nodded, looked around, raised his voice, and said loudly: "This woman is called Mei Zhanqing. She possesses evil magic and has committed more than a dozen murders in the city. I am chasing her. In order to delay her pursuers, she has used evil magic extensively. Many of you here have been afflicted by her evil spells. If you are not treated in time, you will surely fall seriously ill, or even lose your lives."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people present burst into an uproar and became greatly panicked, causing a commotion.

They didn't know much about Mei Zhanqing, and now that they heard that they had also been affected, they immediately became wary and afraid of this demoness.

Zhou Jing then spoke again, saying, "However, everyone doesn't need to panic. I understand the method of exorcising evil. Those whom I point out should come before me, and I will naturally dispel the evil spirits for you."

"Zhenren is noble!" "Thank you, Zhenren, for your rescue!"

Many people immediately bowed gratefully, speaking all at once, completely believing him.

Zhou Jing directly set up a rescue operation on the dock, pointing out the people who had been invaded by evil energy and exorcising the evil energy one by one, while the rest of the people watched from the side. The garrison soldiers guarding the ferry bound Mei Zhanqing and stood guard beside her, not daring to leave her side for even a moment.

After a while, Wei Zifu, Ye family, Zhang family, and others finally arrived at the West Gate Ferry and saw this scene.

Immediately afterward, the group's eyes were involuntarily drawn to the water tornado still raging on the river, and they were all stunned.

What kind of shape was that?

Did Ningtian Prefecture have this kind of weather?

Wei Zifu couldn't care about anything else and quickly squeezed into the crowd. Seeing the captured Mei Zhanqing, he carefully identified her and confirmed that she was the culprit before breathing a sigh of relief.

He hurried to Zhou Jing's side and excitedly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Zhenren, for your help. We have finally subdued this demonic Daoist."

"It was just a small effort."

Zhou Jing nodded.

At this time, the people of the Ye family and the Zhang family had also inquired about the whole story from the people, and they were immediately amazed.

Ye Shunzhong looked at the raging water tornado on the river, dazzled and deeply admired.

Zhang Wentao swallowed subconsciously and looked at Zhou Jing again, only feeling that this person was like a ten-thousand-foot-high mountain. He dared not have any more careful thoughts, and his attitude became more respectful.

Before long, Zhou Jing had exorcised evil for the people on the dock. Amidst the grateful thanks of the crowd, he returned to the city with Wei Zifu and his party.

The group did not delay. Wei Zifu took action, abolished Mei Zhanqing's cultivation, and then directly handed her over to the officials.

After hearing the report, Zhao Xing'an opened court for trial as quickly as possible and directly sentenced her to death for her heinous crimes. Mei Zhanqing was temporarily detained and would be beheaded after the Ministry of Justice reviewed and approved it in the autumn.

In addition, the government also issued a notice, posted throughout the city, detailing Mei Zhanqing's crimes and explaining the whole story.

In just two days, rumors of "the demoness causing chaos in Ningjing, and the Zhenren fighting magic to capture her" had spread throughout the state.

The people who had not personally experienced it learned about it from word of mouth and regretted greatly that they had missed such a strange event.

However, the scene of the blue dragon emerging from the water at the West Gate Ferry at that time lasted for most of an hour. Even in the city, it could be seen clearly. Many people witnessed such a spectacle and deeply believed in it.

The story of "the blue dragon soaring into the sky" became another topic of conversation for the people of Ningtian, and this time it was even more shocking than Zhou Jing's previous deeds, causing everyone who heard it to be horrified.

There was even a saying circulating in the market, claiming that this demoness Mei Zhanqing was a demon from the heavens who had descended to earth, a female bat demon, who had harmed the heavenly court and came down to the world to avoid disaster, wanting to stir up trouble. And the True Person of the Wind was actually the Lei Bu Shenxiao Protector Heavenly Lord, who had come to Ningtian Prefecture to descend and capture the demon.

This statement was said with great seriousness, giving Zhou Jing a solid immortal origin, and many people actually believed it.

Although it was feudal superstition, it was quite beneficial to Zhou Jing, giving him a more mysterious veil and raising the high-ranking impression he left on everyone to another level.

…

After solving the demonic Daoist, Wei Zifu had been happy these two days.

After bothering him for a few more days, he finally said goodbye to Zhou Jing.

"Things have come to an end. I have been out for more than half a year and should return home. If I have time to come to the South in the future, I will visit Zhenren again."

In front of the Ye residence, Wei Zifu and Li Qingyang were carrying luggage and saying goodbye to Zhou Jing.

In the past few days, many Ningtian dignitaries had expressed their desire to support Wei Zifu, but Wei Zifu was a worldly person and rejected them all.

Zhou Jing smiled and said politely, "You and I hit it off at first sight. Maybe I will go to the North to see you one day."

Wei Zifu was very flattered and said with emotion:

"In the opinion of this poor Daoist, Zhenren will surely become famous all over the world in the future. It is my honor to be able to meet a person like Zhenren on this trip. When I return to the North this time, I will definitely spread Zhenren's deeds, so that all cultivators in the world will know that someone in this world has achieved the realm of Dao Fa natural, so as to avoid them thinking that the ancestors were bragging all day long."

Li Qingyang couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this, secretly thinking that his master was so shameless.

Zhou Jing smiled and nodded, "Take care on the road."

Wei Zifu and Li Qingyang performed a Daoist salute, and without any more nagging, they turned around and left freely, disappeared into the crowd, and were gone without a trace.

Zhou Jing watched for a while before returning to the house, only to find that Zhang Jinduan was waiting here, also carrying luggage, and couldn't help but ask:

"Is Doctor Zhang leaving?"

"The old master's health has improved and he is fine. There is no need for me to take care of him. This old man is here to say goodbye to Zhenren."

Zhang Jinduan said with a bow.

These days, he came to discuss medical skills and herbal knowledge with Zhou Jing every day. He had long been conquered by Zhou Jing. He was not stingy in sharing his medical skills, and the two were considered friends.

"In the past half a month, I have benefited a lot from listening to Zhenren's explanation of alchemy. Many difficult points have suddenly become clear. I plan to return to my hometown to retreat and write a book, finish writing the *Miscellaneous Diseases Identification Record*, and sort out my medical skills to pass on to the world. When the book is finished in the future, I will come to visit Zhenren again."

Zhang Jinduan's tone was quite grateful.

When Zhou Jing heard this, he also became solemn and cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I wish Doctor Zhang a smooth journey."

"Thank you, Zhenren."

Zhang Jinduan politely said goodbye and left the courtyard with his medicine box on his back.

Zhou Jing sat back in his chair and glanced at the panel, his time in this world was running out.

There was also information on the panel, which was a new harvest that popped up two days ago after the performance at Ximen Ferry.

[You have obtained the career achievement - [Ling Fengzi of Ningjing]]

[Rating: National]

[Current Legendary Degree Bonus: +3]

"In this way, I am considered to be one of the landmark figures in this Ningtian Prefecture. When rumors spread, and everyone in the world knows that this contemporary master is living in seclusion in Ningtian Prefecture, then I will become famous all over the world, and my character will be completely established, and the plan will be able to enter the next stage."

Zhou Jing exhaled and couldn't help but recall the information mentioned by Mei Zhanqing when she was captured.

The emperor comes to Ningtian Prefecture for a while every year…

His thoughts ran wild, and his eyes flickered.

…

More than half a month ago, Ling Fengzi was born out of nowhere.

In just a dozen or twenty days, he made three popular deeds: "Stepping into the river into Ningtian", "Wind blowing Yulin River", and "Blue Dragon soaring to the sky". The entire Ningtian Prefecture knew about it. He also had the act of exorcising evil and avoiding disasters for the people, and the people who supported him were countless.

This matter was also recorded in black and white in the local chronicles of Ningtian Prefecture.

The name of True Person Yu Feng spread, and he was respected and sought after by the local powerful people, and became a guest of the powerful class in Ningtian Prefecture.

He has since been stationed in Ningtian Prefecture, constantly exposing himself in the name of searching for heavenly secrets, increasing his fame and consolidating his position, and his prestige is growing day by day.

The time for this personal visit has ended, and Zhou Jing's consciousness has also left Bill's apostle's body and temporarily returned.

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