Bearing the blue sky

"Haha, you have a sweet tongue."

The fisherman in the straw raincoat shook his head and laughed, "Since there's nothing else here, let's head straight back to Yuanyang City to report for duty!"

"Yuanyang City." Zhu Gelu looked longingly at the book. "This is my first time going there."

"Yuanyang City is prosperous, with 100,000 mu of terraced fields and a population of one million," the fisherman in the straw raincoat laughed.

"Farmers and peasants cannot enter the city at will, but you are my canine tooth, and your status is above that of ordinary first-realm cultivators, on par with second-realm cultivators."

"Luckily, there are fishermen." Zhu Ge scratched his head and smiled, a sense of pride on his face.

The fisherman in the straw raincoat looked satisfied, and then suddenly said, "There are also several martial arts schools in the city, which are places for martial arts training, as well as academies, where teachers gather, and people from other sects also have more or less."

The fisherman in the straw raincoat narrowed his eyes, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "I obtained your 'Wrathful Vajra Palm' from a martial arts school. If you want to advance your skills, you'll have to start with that."

"A martial arts school? Those commoners would practically offer themselves up to a fisherman!" Zhu Ge, displaying the arrogant, theatrical air of someone abusing their power, boasted, "I'll introduce myself and have them come out to greet me!"

"Fool!" The fisherman in the straw raincoat shook his head. "Those martial arts school masters are also at the second or third realm, equal in status to me, second only to the city lord. Don't make any rash moves!"

"I see." Zhu Ge nodded, a few thoughts forming in her mind.

How powerful are the Three Realms?

At least from Zhu Ge's perspective, this fisherman in the straw raincoat could kill a second-realm cultivator as easily as crushing an ant, as long as he found a reason or excuse.

Moreover, this was even without the fisherman in the straw raincoat using his fishing song.

This is why Zhu Ge has always played the role of a lackey.

To defeat such a powerful opponent, you must find their fatal weakness and strike them so decisively that they have no chance of turning the tide!

"Since you've had some education, you could go to a private school to learn Confucianism and Taoism," the fisherman in the straw raincoat said with a smile.

"Confucianism, Taoism, immortality, and martial arts are the great paths of our time. Once you have traversed these paths, you can become a greater asset to me."

"Confucianism and Taoism? Immortalism?" Zhu Ge asked with curiosity. "What do Confucianism and Taoism, and Immortalism, involve? When I was in the village before, I felt that Scholar Yu didn't explain it very clearly."

"Confucianism and Taoism are all about being an official; a righteous spirit repels all evil, and even a sharp tongue can defeat enemies." The fisherman in the straw raincoat spoke with a hint of disdain.

"The path to immortality cultivates the soul, allowing the soul to leave the body, roam freely beyond the physical realm, fly on a sword, and attain the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages."

"These two paths are most prone to producing scheming and despicable individuals, all hypocrites, but their exceptional combat prowess makes them the true path!"

Are they all hypocrites?

A scoundrel?

Zhu Ge felt that the fisherman in the straw raincoat was referring to himself.

"You don't need to cultivate both of these paths at the same time," the fisherman in the straw raincoat said with a smile, looking at Zhu Ge. "The more mixed your cultivation, the harder it is to reach the peak. Just focus on your martial arts."

Ideally, you'd want someone with a simple brain who's easy to control, right?

Zhu Ge sneered inwardly.

At this moment, a hillside appeared not far away, which was the first stop after Zhu Ge and his group came out... Mengla Slope!

At this moment, on the terraced fields of Menglapo, the hardworking farmers and women are all dressed in mourning clothes, as the funeral arrangements are not yet over.

It's obvious that this must be related to the deceased Second Realm Master.

The fisherman in the straw raincoat naturally saw this place before Zhu Ge.

However, he remained indifferent and said nothing, continuing to leisurely row his small boat, thus passing through the area.

"These people are truly pathetic, like frogs at the bottom of a well," Zhu Ge said. "If they don't follow the strong, they'll always remain these lowly peasants. It's a pity and a shame."

"That makes sense," the fisherman in the straw raincoat said with satisfaction.

"Unlike me, I followed the fisherman from a young age." Zhu Ge's voice was somewhat smug.

But after a moment, the two fell silent.

A hint of struggle and reminiscence was also faintly revealed on Zhu Ge's face.

"We're almost at Jianshan Village." The fisherman in the straw raincoat, though his back was to Zhu Ge, suddenly spoke up: "Would you like to go back and see your 'old friend'?"

The fisherman in the straw raincoat emphasized the pronunciation of "old friend".

"Having wholeheartedly followed the fisherman, I dare not have any other thoughts." Zhu Ge immediately knelt on one knee.

The fisherman in the straw raincoat watched Zhu Ge quietly.

Zhu Ge initially kept her head down, but when there was no response, she couldn't help but raise her head slightly, which met the fisherman's ambiguous smile.

"I told you, as long as you do your best for me, I naturally won't make things difficult for you," the fisherman in the straw raincoat said magnanimously.

"Here's what we'll do. I'll give you a month. After a month, I'll come here to pick you up and take you to Yuanyang City."

"Really?!" Zhu Ge stood up in surprise, then quickly bowed her head to express her gratitude: "Thank you, fisherman! Thank you, fisherman! I will go back to pay my respects to my parents, and I will follow you to the death when you return in a month!"

"Very good." The fisherman in the straw raincoat smiled. "As for the others from Jianshan Village, if they're willing, I can take them on as my subordinates in the future. I can afford to support a few of them!"

"That's unnecessary..." Zhu Ge's eyes darted away, and she pouted, "I worked so hard to get to follow the fishermen, they must hate me now, I don't want them to get any of these benefits..."

"It's up to you," the fisherman in the straw raincoat shook his head.

"You and them are from two different worlds. In the future, that Scholar Yu won't even be qualified to serve you tea and water. If you want, you can bring him to your side and praise him in different ways every day to make him feel better. In short, it's up to you to decide."

"Hmm." Zhu Ge fell silent, her eyes filled with anticipation and pleasure, as if she was already recalling the exhilarating feeling she had when facing the villagers.

The fisherman in his straw raincoat rowed silently without saying a word.

In less than half an hour, they had approached Jianshan Village.

From afar, Zhu Ge could already see the flat mountaintop and wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys.

Jianshan Village extends downwards, with terraced fields shimmering in the sunlight, but most of them have been abandoned and are overgrown with weeds.

Zhu Ge stood up, a nervous yet sinister smile on her face.

"You'll jump down yourself later," the fisherman in the straw raincoat said. "I have to get back to Yuanyang City. You'll have to deal with those peasants yourself."

"Okay!" Zhu Ge agreed.

Once they reached the summit, the fisherman in the straw raincoat descended a little.

Zhu Ge immediately leaped down, his blood surging through his body to lessen the recoil from the fall.

However, at that moment, Yu Xiucai's aura rose up.

"Get out! Zhu Ge, now that you've severed ties with me, don't ever come back to Jianshan!" Yu Xiucai's voice was filled with indifference.

"This is my home too, get out if you want!" Zhu Ge retorted without any politeness.

"boom!!"

The next moment, Zhu Ge landed, and Yu Xiucai quickly arrived in front of Zhu Ge.

Hearing the commotion, Duan Lei and Ji Fuhui followed behind Yu Xiucai.

There was also Sui Niang with her hair disheveled.

Duan Lei and Big Belly Dog, one holding a kitchen knife and the other a sword in both hands, stared at Zhu Ge with wary expressions.

And Sui Niang?

Sui Niang held only a hairpin, but her expression was completely different from that of the young mistress before.

Even their faces are different!

More than a dozen bloody marks appeared on Sui Niang's once delicate face, seemingly made by the hairpin in her hand, and they had already scabbed over.

In her eyes, however, there was a deep hatred, calm as a deep pool, yet as dark as the deep sea.