Chapter 1 The Merchant Ship Arrives

The Ye family's merchant ship cut through the river water, slowly heading towards the dock.

Zhou Jing stood at the bow of the ship. Sailors on ships in all directions followed his figure with their eyes, shocked and surprised, whispering to each other. Some even prostrated themselves directly on the decks of their own ships, bowing to Zhou Jing from afar.

Most boatmen and sailors were quite superstitious, often worshiping river gods, dragon kings, and other deities to ensure a smooth journey. Seeing Zhou Jing's miraculous feat of stepping across the river, they were awestruck, filled with reverence.

Originally, Ye Shunzhong intended to invite Zhou Jing into the cabin for a chat, offering him good tea, but Zhou Jing refused. He insisted on standing in the most conspicuous position at the bow of the ship.

Having finally had a chance to show off in public and create a stir, he wanted to show his face as much as possible, so that more people at the wharf could clearly see his appearance, making it easier for the matter to spread throughout Ning Tian Prefecture.

Ye Shunzhong and the others dared not leave, so they had to accompany him at the bow, respectfully recounting the general situation of their family, things that everyone in Ning Tian Prefecture already knew.

Zhou Jing stared at the increasingly close dock, listening to Ye Shunzhong's words, and couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart.

He had casually chosen a wealthy family, but it turned out to be among the top wealthy families in Ning Tian Prefecture. He had thought it was a small shrimp, but it turned out to be a dragon spitting out a pearl. He had caught a big fish!

Such a giant merchant and wealthy family was a very good stepping stone. It seemed that his plan to promote himself by playing the role of a deity would be easier to implement.

"Lingfengzi Daozhang (Daoist Priest), I wonder which Daoist temple you practiced in before? Which Daoist sect did you cultivate in?"

Ye Shunzhong asked curiously, his attitude somewhat cautious.

He was not sure how to address Zhou Jing, only calling him "High Master," until Zhou Jing took the initiative to let him call him Daozhang.

Because Zhou Jing denied that he was a god, Ye Shunzhong and the others regarded him as an extraordinary person with immortal methods. Although they no longer worshiped him as a god as before, they still respected him.

However, they were still extremely curious about Zhou Jing's identity and background, so Ye Shunzhong carefully probed.

Zhou Jing didn't turn his head, and said casually:

"The Dao is not in the temple, but in the mountains and fields. I never cultivate the Dao of others, nor do I need the recognition of any sect. I only cultivate myself. If there is Dao in the heart, there is no need to seek it elsewhere, no need to borrow external things, and supernatural powers will arise naturally."

Ye Shunzhong and the others were dumbfounded, unable to understand but feeling impressed.

As a local wealthy man, Ye Shunzhong had also come into contact with other Daoists, and had some understanding of various Daoist sects and Daoist classics, but this was the first time he had heard such a statement.

These words gave the inexplicable feeling of, "I was born so amazing, I don't need to study."

But Ye Shunzhong couldn't question it—this person already had supernatural powers, so everything he said was right.

Zhou Jing said this deliberately, because he really didn't understand the Daoist classics of this world. If someone tried to "debunk" him, he wouldn't be able to answer.

It was better to create a "self-contained" theory so that others couldn't find a way to attack it—anyway, his magical skills were genuine, so just believe it or not.

He was just playing the trick of mystification!

"Daozhang is indeed an enlightened master, profound and meaningful. I have always believed in Daoist principles, and after listening to Daozhang's words, I have gained great insight..."

Ye Shunzhong quickly flattered him.

Zhou Jing gave a perfunctory "hmm" and, holding back his expression, pretended to be nonchalant and asked:

"Layman Ye, I have lived in the mountains and fields for a long time, concentrating on cultivation. I have not set foot in the mortal world for many years. Now that I have come to Ning Tian Prefecture, I wonder what the rules of this mundane world are?"

Ye Shunzhong was flattered and hurriedly described some of the rules and laws within Ning Tian Prefecture, such as household registration certificates, road passes, and so on.

At this time, he saw Zhou Jing frowning slightly, so he quickly said:

"Daozhang need not worry. Since I have promised Daozhang, my Ye family will take care of all these trivial matters for Daozhang."

Only then did Zhou Jing relax his brow, reveal a slight smile, and nod.

He paused and asked again, "I am here to seek heavenly secrets. I wonder if there are any noteworthy rumors recently?"

Hearing this, Ye Shunzhong pondered for a moment and mentioned a few things.

Zhou Jing listened silently, nodding from time to time.

At this time, Ye Yingguang hesitated for a moment and interjected:

"Not long ago, there was a strange incident that happened in the Lu River area. According to reports, more than a month ago, a thief named Chen Feng caused a great disturbance in Jing Prefecture of Lu River. He possessed the courage of a ghost or god, fought against hundreds of people, slaughtered virtuous gentry, and seriously injured the prefect. After committing heinous crimes, he escaped from Anlin Prefecture and disappeared... The government's wanted notices have been issued throughout the surrounding provinces, and even Ning Tian Prefecture has posted wanted notices."

"There's such a thing?"

Zhou Jing's eyes flickered, pretending to be surprised.

So more than a month had passed... Chen Feng's deeds had also spread to the surrounding provinces and were known by more people.

Ye Shunzhong's face changed, and he immediately scolded his son: "How dare you bring up the dirty deeds done by such a bandit? You are simply polluting the ears of the Daozhang!"

Ye Yingguang quickly admitted his mistake.

Zhou Jing waved his hand, knowingly asking: "It doesn't matter, this matter is quite novel. I wonder why this thief took action?"

Hearing this, Ye Yingguang first glanced at his father, then explained:

"The government's notice says that this Chen Feng thief coveted the wealth of the local virtuous gentry, so he murdered them for money. When he was fleeing in the city, he happened to run into the Anlin prefect. The Anlin prefect was righteous and stern, scolding the madman in the street and intending to stop him, which angered the madman, who then injured him..."

Ye Shunzhong added in a deep voice: "This kind of madman has no regard for the law. He should be captured by the government and beheaded as a warning to others."

Zhou Jing remained noncommittal and said nothing.

The government would naturally not tell the people the truth about Chen Feng's specific motives for committing the crime. Moreover, since he had injured a court official, he couldn't expect the government to say anything good about him. His reputation outside the green forests was definitely not good, which he had already expected.

It seemed that he hadn't killed enough people... Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows.

While the group was chatting, the Ye family's merchant ship finally docked at the pier.

The pier was crowded with people, craning their necks and excitedly sizing up Zhou Jing, all wanting to join in the fun and catch a glimpse of the "immortal's" face.

Zhou Jing and Ye Shunzhong and others disembarked, and the crowd made way, not daring to stand in front of Zhou Jing.

After the group entered the city, the people who had been watching at the pier dispersed with a clamor, returning to the city to spread the word, passing it on from mouth to mouth.

People who hadn't seen this scene were skeptical when they heard the confident words of those who had witnessed it with their own eyes.

The news spread like wildfire. In just half a day, the matter of the "divine man stepping on the river to enter Ning Tian" spread throughout half of Ning Tian Prefecture, quickly becoming a hot topic sweeping the streets and alleys, stunning the city's people and causing much discussion.

…

The group entered Ning Tian Prefecture through the West Gate, took small sedan chairs, and were carried all the way back to the Ye family.

The Ye family mansion was located in the north of the city. It was a grand residence with two stone lions crouching in front of the gate.

When they arrived, servants opened the gate and welcomed everyone in.

As soon as the group entered, many people immediately came up to greet them. They were the other masters and nephews of the Ye family, who had been waiting here for a long time.

"Brother, did the trip go smoothly?"

"Were you able to invite back a famous doctor?"

The other masters of the family asked one after another, feigning anxiety.

Ye Shunzhong's face straightened, and he gestured to Zhang Jinduan next to him, saying solemnly: "This time, I have invited back Doctor Zhang, who will definitely be able to cure the Old Master's strange illness."

The crowd immediately showed joy and hurriedly came up to greet him politely.

"This is the famous doctor of Xinglin (medical profession), Zhang Jinduan, known as 'Master of Miracles'? Good, the Old Master is saved this time!"

"You are too kind, everyone. I am unworthy of such praise." Zhang Jinduan quickly cupped his hands in return.

Although he had a good reputation in medicine, under the environment of the Great Xia Dynasty, the status of doctors was neither high nor low. Even a famous doctor was nothing in front of wealthy families, so he naturally dared not neglect them.

Zhou Jing couldn't help but glance at this person.

On the ship, he hadn't had much interaction with Zhang Jinduan. At this time, he realized that this person seemed to be a quite famous doctor.

Just then, the Ye family's relatives noticed Zhou Jing, who looked strange. Seeing that Ye Shunzhong seemed to respect this person very much, they couldn't help but ask curiously.

"I wonder who this brother is?"

Hearing this, Ye Shunzhong's face changed, and he shouted: "Don't be rude! This is Lingfengzi Daozhang, a high master who has come to my Ye family to stay temporarily. You must all respect him and not be presumptuous."

The Ye family's relatives were stunned, puzzled.

A high master? How high?

He hadn't seen his eldest brother admire Buddhism and Daoism so much before. Why had he changed his temperament today? He didn't know what skills this strange-looking Daoist had, that could make his eldest brother so respectful.

The Ye family's relatives were surprised, but it was not good to inquire in person, so they suppressed their inner confusion and stepped forward to greet him politely.

Zhou Jing deliberately acted pretentious, saying faintly: "I am disturbing you all. But if there is nothing important, do not easily disturb me."

Hearing this, everyone was immediately displeased, feeling that this person was pretentious. They were letting him stay in their home, yet he was so ungrateful. He really thought they were fools...

Ye Shunzhong didn't think there was anything wrong, and respectfully agreed. He ordered the servants to prepare the best wing room, which made the Ye family even more puzzled, wondering why he was giving this person so much face.

At this time, Zhou Jing turned to look at Ye Shunzhong and asked:

"Just now I heard you say that someone in your family is sick?"

Ye Shunzhong quickly replied: "I didn't tell Daozhang before, but my Old Master contracted a strange disease several months ago, and no one in the city can cure it. That's why I personally went out to invite Doctor Zhang back."

Zhou Jing nodded, remembering it in his heart. After thinking about it, he didn't plan to intervene in this matter for the time being.

Since others had invited a famous doctor, he shouldn't rashly intervene. If he couldn't handle it, it would be too embarrassing.

After all, he wasn't a real doctor. Although his alchemy and herbal medicine skills were profound and he could make medicines to save people, the diagnosis and treatment of intractable diseases was within the scope of medical skills, which he hadn't mastered yet.

This time, when he used Bill to travel, he originally planned to learn medical skills. Otherwise, it would be too specialized if he only knew how to make medicine but didn't know how to treat illnesses.

Zhou Jing turned various thoughts in his mind, but didn't show it on the surface. He nodded and said:

"Then I'll go rest first and not disturb your Old Master's treatment."

Ye Shunzhong hurriedly agreed and turned to instruct the steward to lead Zhou Jing to the wing room, also specifically instructing him not to be negligent and to satisfy any requirements the Daozhang might have.

After Zhou Jing's figure disappeared from sight, a Ye family relative couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Brother, why are you so respectful to that Daoist?"

Ye Shunzhong said solemnly: "You don't know, this person has supernatural powers. His methods are inconceivable..."

He immediately told everyone about the fact that he had personally witnessed Zhou Jing stepping across the river.

After listening, the Ye family looked at each other, their eyes full of suspicion. Their first reaction was disbelief.

Walking on the river... It sounded like a fantasy. How could there be such a method in the world? He must have run into a swindler!

Someone couldn't help but sneer:

"Brother, you're usually so smart, how could you be fooled this time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Shunzhong immediately put on a stern face and shouted:

"Silence! Lingfengzi Daozhang is a true enlightened master. Don't mention this again!"

Seeing this, everyone had to put out the words of persuasion, secretly sneering at Ye Shunzhong for being deceived.

Ye Shunzhong didn't want to dwell on this topic. He immediately invited Zhang Jinduan to treat the Old Master, taking a group of uncles to the Old Master's courtyard.

Only the nephews and nieces of each house remained here, looking at each other. Then, they focused their attention on a sturdy young man with a long sword on his back, and started booing:

"Heng-ge'er (Brother Heng), what do you think of this Lingfengzi Daozhang?"

The sturdy young man who was asked the question was called Ye Heng. He was a descendant of the second house of the Ye family. He was an oddball in the family. When he was a child, he didn't like business or reading. He only loved martial arts, and often pestered the family's guards to practice and spar, which once gave the elders of the family a headache.

But unexpectedly, this Ye Heng had excellent bones and was really a martial arts material. Later, he was spotted by a passing Jianghu (Martial World) master and accepted as a disciple.

This Jianghu master was actually an elder of the famous "Wu Mountain Sect" in the Jiang Chun area. This Ye Heng also joined the "Wu Mountain Sect" due to fate, becoming an inner disciple and being taught a set of swordsmanship and internal skills. His martial arts were superb.

After achieving a small level of martial arts, he went down the mountain and returned to Ning Tian Prefecture, where he was stationed at the sect's branch hall. However, he usually lived in the Ye family mansion because of his extraordinary skills and Jianghu experience, so he was quite popular among the younger generation.

Ye Heng's eyes flashed when he heard the questions from his other cousins, and he snorted coldly:

"This so-called Daoist is mostly a swindler. Even my Wu Mountain Sect's head, when using qinggong (light body skill), can only skim across the water like a dragonfly, at most running four or five zhang (1 zhang = 3.3 meters) on the water. It is impossible to walk slowly on the river surface. Although I don't know how this Lingfengzi did it, it must be a Jianghu trick, just like fishing for copper coins in boiling oil or using a spear to support the throat. Hmph, I didn't expect someone to swindle on my Ye family's head!"

Everyone nodded repeatedly, agreeing with him. They didn't believe Zhou Jing's deeds at all.

"This person came to eat and drink for free, and still acts high and mighty, which is annoying. He really treats us as fools... Heng-ge'er, we have to expose this swindler!"

Ye Heng nodded, then smiled confidently and said:

"I already have a plan. I'll find an opportunity to expose his tricks in person, make fun of him, and make him lose face. He will naturally leave in disgrace... Hey, just watch my methods then."

…

On the other side, the backyard mansion of the Ye Mansion.

Ye Shunzhong and other uncles gathered in the Old Master's room, watching Zhang Jinduan treat the Old Master.

The Ye Old Master lay on the bed, his consciousness blurred, his breath weak, his appearance withered, and his face green and black.

A few months ago, he was still a chubby, wealthy old man, but now he was so skinny that he was almost skin and bones, and he was about to become inhuman. Almost all of his hair had fallen out, leaving only a few strands of white hair sparsely hanging on his head, making him look quite miserable.

Zhang Jinduan sat in front of the bed, taking the Old Master's pulse, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

After a long time, Zhang Jinduan released his fingers, took out silver needles, and inserted a few needles into the Old Master's acupoints, watching the reaction, and then pondered without speaking.

Seeing this, Ye Shunzhong hurriedly leaned forward and asked in a low voice: "Doctor Zhang, can you find out what disease my Old Master has contracted?"

Zhang Jinduan stroked his beard, looking puzzled, and said:

"It's strange, his pulse is weak and powerless, his qi and blood are failing, but I can't find the cause of the disease. It's as if he's naturally aging and about to die... I've been practicing medicine for many years, and this is the first time I've encountered this. Brother Ye, did your Old Master really contract this disease a few months ago? Were there any signs at that time?"

"Naturally, there's no lie. The onset of the disease was without any warning. It just suddenly became like this." Ye Shunzhong asked anxiously: "I wonder if Doctor Zhang can cure this disease?"

Zhang Jinduan stroked his beard and showed a wry smile: "I'll try for the time being."

Although he said that, everyone in the room could hear that he had no confidence.

The Ye family next to him showed disappointment on the surface, but their eyes exchanged secretly, hiding joy.