Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

"What is it?" Everyone looked puzzled, not understanding what Zhou Qingfeng was referring to.

Zhou Qingfeng's expression was calm, and his tone was unhurried: "You don't need to know, just do your own jobs well."

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned, but due to Zhou Qingfeng's domineering presence, they could only lower their heads and remain silent.

Zhou Qingfeng walked out with his hands behind his back, saying, "I'm hungry. I'll go to the kitchen and make some hot food. You guys go ahead with your work."

Jin Wei pressed his sword down with one hand and followed closely behind Zhou Qingfeng as they walked out of the command room and headed towards the kitchen in the stern tower. Soon after, Zhou Qingfeng arrived at the kitchen, familiarized himself with it for a bit, and then started cooking for himself. Jin Wei stood guard to the side, remaining silent.

Zhou Qingfeng focused intently on cooking the eight-treasure porridge, his every move exuding composure and maturity. Even if he were standing on a nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment, he could remain calm and composed, like Mount Tai collapsing before him. This demeanor already showed the initial signs of a leader.

Jin Wei looked at the increasingly mature leader in front of him, feeling deep respect and loyalty. However, his respect and loyalty stemmed from Zhou Qingfeng's power and the honor, wealth, and promising future that he and the Jin family could bring. When Zhou Qingfeng fell, he would also be buried with him.

He could not betray Zhou Qingfeng, nor could he betray him, because the two were already deeply bound together, sharing both glory and ruin.

This kind of loyalty, bound by shared interests, has transcended individual will.

"The conditions are limited, so please make do with this. Try my eight-treasure porridge." Zhou Qingfeng picked up the cooked eight-treasure porridge and placed it on the dining table. He then took two small bowls from the cupboard, sat down, and served Jin Wei a bowl of porridge with a spoon. He smiled and gestured for Jin Wei to sit down and have something to eat with him.

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei bowed slightly to show respect, then walked to the opposite side, sat down, picked up the eight-treasure porridge, and took a sip.

"How is it? Does it taste good?" Zhou Qingfeng looked at Jin Wei with a smile, hoping to gain his approval in terms of cooking skills.

Jin Wei pursed his lips: "It smells good and tastes delicious. It's not something that ordinary people can afford to eat. It's my blessing to be able to eat the eight-treasure porridge made by the young master himself today."

"You~~~" Zhou Qingfeng knew perfectly well that Jin Wei was praising him, but who doesn't like to hear nice things? He pointed at Jin Wei, shook his head and chuckled: "When you're out in the wilderness, you still have to fend for yourself. It's always good to learn a skill."

"Young Master is right." Jin Wei's lips curled up slightly as he picked up the small bowl of eight-treasure porridge and slowly sipped it, savoring its flavor.

Eight-treasure porridge is a porridge made from a variety of grains and beans, including but not limited to red beans, mung beans, peanuts, lotus seeds, and Job's tears. It is nutritionally balanced, has a rich taste, and contains a small amount of turbid energy. It is somewhat beneficial to cultivators in the Turbidity Realm, but for cultivators like Jin Wei and Zhou Qingfeng in the Fiend Realm, it is purely for enjoying their appetite and filling their stomachs.

They, the cultivators who practice the turbid food cultivation, live among mortals and struggle in the mortal world. They don't care about fasting, purification, or being without desires. Instead, they are more attached to various enjoyments. They won't starve themselves just because they won't die from not eating. They will eat when they are hungry, and they want to eat well. They will never mistreat themselves.

In short, life is short, so seize the day.

Jin Wei felt that having porridge without side dishes was always a bit lacking: "Shall I go cook some dishes and have some drinks?"

Zhou Qingfeng smiled and said, "Sure, I have some wine."

Jin Wei cooked a few dishes and sat down to drink with Zhou Qingfeng. They chatted freely, from the world situation to everyday matters, speaking frankly and openly, like old friends. The atmosphere was very harmonious. The key was that Jin Wei was very good at social skills and knew how to flatter, which made Zhou Qingfeng very happy. He was definitely a 'treacherous minister'.

Zhou Qingfeng picked up some food with his chopsticks, took a bite, and asked with a smile, "How old are your sons this year?"

When Jin Wei mentioned his family, his face lit up with happiness: "Seven sons, the oldest is 29 years old and the youngest is 22 years old."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "The children are all so grown up now, what good places have you arranged for them to go?"

Jin Wei smiled and said, "Thanks to the young master, these seven children have secured official positions in the army. They study military strategy and tactics every day and are now skilled in both literature and martial arts. Whenever needed, the young master can give an order and these seven children can charge into battle for you, slaying generals and capturing flags."

Zhou Qingfeng clapped his hands and cheered: "Good, let them do well in the army, I will use them in a great way in the future."

Jin Wei smiled happily because he knew that the young master had always coveted military power. Otherwise, with his current power and connections, he could easily send his sons to serve as governors in the Jianta local castle. Why would they need to gain seniority in the army?

Mentioning it to the young master today will leave an impression, and it will be natural to recommend my son when he has the opportunity to make contributions in the future.

Zhou Qingfeng picked up his wine glass and took a sip. He glanced at Jin Wei out of the corner of his eye, a smile playing on his lips, and remained silent. Jin Wei's little scheme was nothing more than a father wanting to pave the way for his son. There was nothing wrong with that; it was only human nature. The important thing was that Jin Wei hadn't let personal matters interfere with public affairs or harmed the interests of the Zhou family to seek personal gain for the Jin family.

Moreover, he did indeed have seven more loyal subordinates in the army, which was a real good thing for him.

Jin Wei put down his wine glass and got down to business: "Young Master, what are your plans next?"

Zhou Qingfeng licked his lips, a slight smile playing on his lips, and toyed with the wine glass in his hand: "Now the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, which puts us in a very passive position. If one attack fails, there will be a second and a third. We can't always passively wait for someone in the shadows to set a trap and kill us. We must find a way to find him and then eliminate him, nipping this fatal threat in the bud."

Jin Wei: "Turning a passive situation into an active one? How do we do that?"

Zhou Qingfeng narrowed his eyes, staring at the pattern on the wine glass, and fell into thought: "I now strongly suspect that the one who secretly set a trap to kill me is Ma Guai, who suddenly disappeared mysteriously. But I also feel that things are not that simple. Often, things that are easy to find out are the ones that make me more suspicious."

"Ma Guai's disappearance seems to have been deliberately orchestrated for me to discover, misleading me into believing that Ma Guai was behind it all."

"But when I think about it carefully, something doesn't seem right. Think about it: cutting the anchor, the demonic fog trapping the ship, the demonic waves attacking, and using the Dragon King of Guanjiang to kill me—this trap is a series of interconnected schemes. If the Dragon King of Guanjiang hadn't been in labor and an unexpected situation hadn't occurred, we would probably be in grave danger."

"This person is so meticulous and acts with such precision and ruthlessness, how could he leave such a big flaw for me to notice?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei had to admit that what the young master said made sense, and the suspicion was not unfounded: "Young master suspects that it is not Ma Guai who is causing trouble, but someone else. Who is this person? It is unlikely that the people on the ship are involved. The Dragon King of Guanjiang kills people indiscriminately, so the other party is definitely not on the ship. The only suspect is the missing Ma Guai. Tsk, we've come full circle. Could it be that Ma Guai is so fearless and thinks that we are doomed to die, and is not afraid of retaliation, that's why he didn't bother to cover it up?"

Zhou Qingfeng tapped the table, his brows furrowed, and pondered deeply: "Perhaps we've overlooked someone."

Jin Wei was taken aback: "Who is it?"

Zhou Qingfeng calmly asked, "What kind of people are most easily overlooked?"

Jin Wei said, "The elderly, children, the disabled..."

Zhou Qingfeng sneered: "Dead people, dead people are the easiest to ignore."

Jin Wei was startled, then realized something: "You mean him? But I clearly saw him dismembered and left in the river."

Zhou Qingfeng looked up at him: "Who said that corpse was him? Who examined it carefully? Couldn't the corpse have been Ma Guai?"

Jin Wei said, "Where is the evidence, young master? This is just your bold guess, without any supporting evidence."

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head: "No evidence is needed unless there is evidence to dispel my suspicions. However, even if I guess it, it's meaningless."

Caught in the middle of the situation, Zhou Qingfeng was unable to accurately assess the situation, let alone determine who the other party was.

Everything is just speculation. No matter how many clues there are, they can't be confirmed. And even if they were confirmed, what would be the point?

Knowing who the other person is won't change your current dangerous situation; in fact, it will only delay your chance to save yourself.

Fortunately, Zhou Qingfeng adjusted his thinking in time and decided to step out of the situation and stop trying to find out who the opponent was, otherwise he would be led by the nose.

Zhou Qingfeng calmly said, "The enemy has repeatedly plotted to kill me, so they must have something in mind. If one plan fails, they will devise a new one. They won't give up easily. Now let's assume that the enemy is Ma Guai or Qu Sanjiu. What do you think the enemy wants from my possession?"

Jin Wei blurted out: "A storage artifact!"

Zhou Qingfeng nodded: "So, if you want to get my storage artifact, what will you do?"

Jin Wei frowned and said, "I am weak and cannot rob by force, so I can only use someone else to kill me. I will take advantage of the danger in Guanjiang to kill you and then steal the treasure from your body. However, for some reason, the Dragon King of Guanjiang did not carry out a large-scale massacre. Instead, he boarded the ship, which made my plan to kill and steal the treasure fail."

"With the ship still twenty-four hours away from reaching Qiantang City, I don't have much time left. Tonight, I must take a risk, or I will lose my last chance. But how can I take that risk?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng stomped his foot on the floor: "Take advantage of the night, dive down and attack, drill through the bottom of the ship, sink the ship, the Dragon King will be furious, and we are likely to be in grave danger."

Jin Wei suddenly realized what was happening and gasped, "Hiss..."

Zhou Qingfeng narrowed his eyes: "If we catch this rat tonight, everything will be clear."

The fishing boat sped across the turbulent river, surrounded by endless water, making it impossible to discern any land. Above, aerial demons occasionally darted through the clouds, and a golden-winged roc, thousands of feet long, descended from the sky with overwhelming force, instantly seizing a thousand-foot-long dragon before soaring away.

The Guanjiang River is home to many water monsters, which also means that the area is rich in food.

The aerial demons circled above and below the Guanjiang River, waiting for an opportunity to swoop down and hunt. In comparison, a small boat seemed insignificant on this vast river, and most of the aerial demons disdained it, unless someone dared to challenge the overlords of the sky and attract their attention.

As the sun set, a blood-red moon slowly rose, dyeing the entire Guanjiang River a crimson hue, as if it had turned into a sea of ​​blood.

A man dressed in black was swimming underwater in the river, rising and falling with the waves at great speed. The water monsters around him seemed to be deliberately avoiding him, allowing him to swim in the river safely. He approached the fishing boat silently, holding a boat-splitting tool in his hand, coughed twice, and then smashed it down on the bottom of the boat.

A muffled thud was followed by the sound of the river water lapping against the shore, accompanied by the sound of the boat being shoved and his suppressed cough.

At that moment, a sword suddenly flew out of the ship, circled in the air, and precisely rested against the man's neck.

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, steadily perched on the eaves of the boat, looking down at the people who were chiseling the boat below: "I've been waiting for you for a long time, my friend."

The man who was shoveling the boat had his pupils contract violently, and with a flying sword hanging over his neck, he dared not move an inch.

Zhou Qingfeng looked down at him coldly, his eyes reflecting the blood-red moon reflected in the river, his black hair dancing in the wind, like a demon god standing above all living beings: "Come up."

Upon hearing this, the boatman had no choice but to slap the river surface, leap onto the boat, land on the deck, and cough again.

Jin Wei kept the Sword of Truth at his neck at all times, ready to kill him instantly if he dared to run away.

Zhou Qingfeng lightly touched the ground with his toes and landed on the deck, standing with his hands behind his back: "Take off your face mask."

The man who was shoveling the boat silently removed his mask, revealing Qu Sanjiu's face.

Upon seeing this, Jin Wei looked surprised: "It's you?"

Zhou Qingfeng narrowed his eyes: "Captain Qu, you are a man of your word. Not only have you changed your mind time and time again, but you also set a trap to kill me on the river. What were you thinking? I can't understand. Who gave you the confidence and courage to risk your life to scheme against two cultivators at the Food Fiend Realm? Could it be that there is a force behind you directing you?"

Qu Sanjiu coughed violently twice, his face deathly pale, as if he might die at any moment: "Cough cough cough... Do you believe what I'm saying?"

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "I don't believe it."

Qu Sanjiu's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Then what's the point of asking?"

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at him sideways and said indifferently, "Whether you say it or not is your business, whether you believe it or not is my business. If you want to die now, I can grant your wish."

Qu Sanjiu coughed twice, ignoring the flying sword at his neck, and slowly sat down to rest: "I don't know who you are, where you come from, or what kind of person you are. I don't care. No one ordered me to do this. I'm just someone who wants to earn money to treat my injuries. You have money, so I'll kill you. It's that simple."

A framed picture appeared in Zhou Qingfeng's palm, which he casually tossed to Qu Sanjiu: "Is that so? Then why did you kill your brother Ma Guai?"

Qu Sanjiu picked up the picture frame, wiped it, and a trace of regret and pain flashed between her brows: "This was an accident. How could I have killed him on purpose? He was the person I loved most. I never married or had children in my life so that I could be with him, but he actually stopped me and left me to die in pain..."

Zhou Qingfeng: "???"

Jin Wei: "???"