Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”Everyone.”

Zhou Yonglu composed himself, walked up to the five experts, and bowed with his fist clasped in his hand.

”The reason I’ve brought you all here is for this very matter. Once the job is done, I will ensure the payment I promised you is delivered in full!”

He took a deep breath, bowed even lower, and spoke four solemn words:

”I’m counting on you!”

The five of them stood on one side of the bow.

A burly man in his thirties was the first to speak. He patted the Water-Splitting Needle at his waist and said heartily,

”Don’t be so formal, Young Master Zhou. You pay us to solve your problems, and I’ll certainly do my best.”

The man beside him, who was inspecting a hand crossbow, didn’t speak. He just nodded silently. The crossbow mechanism snapped shut with a CLICK, signifying his agreement.

In the distance,

Wu Ziyu explained to Chen Cheng in a low voice,

”The one who spoke first is Cai Xiong, also known as the ’Langli Bear.’ The one fiddling with the hand crossbow is Cai Bao, the ’Tide Leopard.’”

”They’re both powerhouses with Six Pillars of Blood Qi. They grew up by the water, so their skills in it are exceptional.”

”Zhou Yonglu must have paid a fortune to hire those two.”

Chen Cheng didn’t reply, merely nodding as he committed the information to memory.

”…And the three of you?”

Zhou Yonglu’s gaze shifted to the remaining three.

A bald, brawny man on the left stood with his leather coat open, revealing an old scar that ran from his collarbone down to his ribs. He casually tossed a short fork in his hand, twirling it between his fingers.

”Young Master Zhou, this Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel here is far more ferocious than any I’ve seen before…”

The bald man paused, then deliberately drawled,

”When my wife and I discussed our payment, we had no idea this was the situation we’d be facing.”

Beside him, a stern-faced woman in her early forties nodded in agreement.

”Young Master Zhou, you’re a reasonable man. That initial price… shouldn’t we reconsider it?”

”This…”

Zhou Yonglu’s brows knitted together tightly.

’He knew, in his heart, that the price he had offered was by no means low.’

’This couple standing before him had to know it too. But they were just greedy by nature. No matter what price he had initially offered, they would have demanded more right now.’

’It wasn’t that he was short on money.’

’Giving them a bonus on top of their fee after the job was done wouldn’t have been a problem.’

’But this kind of blatant extortion—jacking up the price on the spot—disgusted him.’

A ball of indignation was stuck in his chest, impossible to swallow.

”Wang Han and Qi Yan.”

Wu Ziyu continued to explain in a hushed voice to Chen Cheng,

”That couple were both experts approaching the level of Seven Pillars of Blood Qi in their younger days. Unfortunately, they hit a ceiling in their Martial Arts and were never able to generate Transforming Force…”

”Later, they stumbled upon some opportunity and switched to practicing underwater Skills. They actually managed to make a name for themselves with it. What’s more, they have a special method for finding Treasure Fish…”

Wu Ziyu paused and sighed softly.

”If their asking price wasn’t so outrageous, I would’ve recruited them long ago.”

Upon hearing this, an almost imperceptible glint flashed in Chen Cheng’s eyes.

’If there really is a reliable method for finding Treasure Fish, I have to find a way to get my hands on it.’

”Elder Ruan, what are your thoughts?”

Zhou Yonglu suppressed his anger and turned to the last man, an elder.

The elder was wiry and thin. His eyelids drooped, but his eyes shone with a light that defied his age.

”Young Master Zhou, I have some history with your Zhou’s Fishing Village. By all rights, I should be on your side, but…”

The elder spoke slowly, his voice quiet but perfectly steady.

”This Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel is indeed no ordinary beast. The price has to be increased.”

He paused, then added,

”Of course, it would look bad for us to jack up the price on the spot. What I mean is, we’ll take action as planned for the same fee we agreed on. However, after we kill the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, its carcass must be handed over for us to divide amongst ourselves.”

”This…”

Hearing this, Zhou Yonglu was so furious he nearly started cursing.

’The fee he’d offered these five was already higher than what it would cost to hire five grandmasters of Transforming Force for a simple duel.’

’Even after selling the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel’s carcass, he might not break even.’

’And now? With a single sentence, they wanted to carve up the entire carcass for themselves, not leaving him even the scraps.’

’Wang Han and Qi Yan jacking up their price had already left Zhou Yonglu feeling utterly humiliated.’

’But the terms this old bastard Ruan Jinzhong laid out were like carving out his flesh and sucking the marrow from his bones. So much for their old friendship!’

Zhou Yonglu’s face was now flushed red with stifled rage, and his breathing grew ragged.

But he still couldn’t refuse.

’After all, within the entire territory of Zhao City, these five were the only ones who could handle this job.’

’If he dared to refuse—or even just to haggle—they would walk away without a second thought, leaving the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel to continue wreaking havoc in the core waters of Zhou’s Fishing Village.’

’No matter what he chose, he was going to suffer a huge loss.’

’Might as well get the pain over with quickly…’

He could only grit his teeth and force himself to swallow his humiliation.

”We’ll do it as Elder Ruan says.”

At his words, looks of delight spread across the faces of all five.

Wang Han grinned, strode to the boat’s edge, and shot a look back at Qi Yan. He flipped over the side and into the water with a minimal splash, like a great fish disappearing silently into the depths.

Qi Yan followed right after. With one hand on the gunwale, she pushed off lightly with her toes and slipped into the water without a sound, not even raising a splash.

The brothers Cai Xiong and Cai Bao, in contrast, leaped high into the air and crashed into the water like depth charges, causing a huge commotion and sending up waves.

Lastly,

Ruan Jinzhong leisurely ambled to the boat’s edge. His wiry body suddenly went taut. He took half a step forward and plunged straight down like a steel needle, vanishing without a sound.

Chen Cheng’s expression flickered as he shot a sideways glance at Wu Ziyu.

Wu Ziyu met his gaze and instantly understood that he wanted to know more about Ruan Jinzhong.

She deliberately led him to a corner of the boat, away from the others, before she began to speak.