I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 173 - 108: Three Perils of Linhe

In the waters surrounded by boats, Lu Ping exposed half of his body above the water’s surface, looking at Xu Qing, who had just followed him into the water, with a half-smile.

The latter also showed a harmless smile.

Several corpse collectors standing on the surrounding boats looked on, appearing accustomed to the scene.

"Young man, you still have time to regret this. Once you’re in the water, winning or losing is no longer up to you!" an old hand on one of the boats reminded.

Xu Qing seemed not to catch the implication in his words. He looked around and said, "You’re blocking me here just to get a share of the money I hid. If you really wanted to help me, why don’t you move your boats and give me a way out?"

"It’s hard to persuade someone courting death, Old Song, why bother trying?"

Lu Ping had never met such a bold young man, and today he finally encountered one.

Xu Qing chuckled. After all, these corpse collectors were in the same line of work, all in cahoots.

But if the other party was willing to play by the rules and take the gamble, he was happy to continue muddying the waters with them.

If they didn’t play by the rules...

He could still recover the bodies!

Diving into the water, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, looking relaxed, akin to a meditation master in a large temple, steady as an old dog.

Seeing that Xu Qing didn’t take a single breath before going underwater, Lu Ping felt even more contemptuous.

He was just a hotheaded kid, full of bravado but with no real experience.

With a cold snort, Lu Ping’s chest expanded like a bellows, inhaling deeply until his chest visibly swelled.

Holding his breath, he sank to the bottom and anchored himself by gripping the underwater grass, sitting opposite Xu Qing.

The water’s surface rippled, and several corpse collectors craned their necks to peer into the dark depths.

About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea passed, and one corpse collector exclaimed, "This kid’s got some lungs. Could it be that Lu Ye might actually lose?"

Old Song said, "This is just the beginning. Lu Ye learned a technique for holding his breath; he can stay underwater for at least as long as it takes an incense stick to burn. Just wait, this kid can’t hold out for that long." freёnovelkiss.com

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Old Song stared intently at the water’s surface, while the other corpse collectors exchanged puzzled glances.

This didn’t seem right, did it?

Underwater, Lu Ping’s face was tense, his fingers tightly clenched, looking like he had chronic constipation.

He stared at the young man sitting not far from him, his heart filled with confusion, a hint of panic setting in.

Expelling the last string of bubbles, the air in Lu Ping’s lungs was exhausted.

He looked at Xu Qing, who only had a smile at the corners of his mouth, without a single bubble escaping.

No wonder this kid wasn’t afraid to gamble; he also knew the breath-holding technique, and he was even better at it.

Lu Ping’s thoughts raced, his eyes narrowed, and he secretly untied the pig’s bladder from his waist, full of air.

Then, right in front of Xu Qing, he deflated the bladder into a pancake shape.

No dignity at all, huh?

Watching Lu Ping blatantly cheat, Xu Qing finally showed some emotion.

He untied his own pig’s bladder, wrapping a rock from the riverbed with its cord, and tossed it to Lu Ping.

The message was clear: even with two pig’s bladders, what could you do?

Lu Ping’s face turned red. He finally realized that Xu Qing never took him seriously!

Fuming with shame and anger, Lu Ping stomped on the pig’s bladder in front of him, releasing a stream of bubbles.

With a fierce look, he pulled out the corpse recovery rope from his waist and tried to loop it over Xu Qing’s head.

Facing the fierce underwater villain, Xu Qing extended his fingers in an orchid gesture, smiling as he met the attack.

Lu Ping didn’t know what the young man intended with such a dainty posture, surely he wasn’t trying to seduce him.

He moved forward, only to feel a sharp pain in his chest, neck, and forehead, just as Xu Qing flicked his fingers.

But it was too late; everything was already settled.

Xu Qing had not been making an ordinary gesture; he had flicked three Plum Blossom Needles laced with cold poison at Lu Ping.

Watching Lu Ping’s life end instantly, Xu Qing pulled the red silk thread that looped through his fingers and dragged the body, stopping it from drifting upward.

Pulling the body to him, Xu Qing saw a layer of frost like blooming plum blossoms form over where the needles had entered.

Retrieving his needles with a flick, as Lu Ping’s body floated up, Xu Qing surged to the surface.

The surrounding water churned violently.

Several corpse collectors, still watching the surface, were caught off guard and fell back.

Before they could react, seven or eight poisoned needles flew through the spray, striking their vital points.

When the water droplets settled, only a few twisted bodies were left on the boats.

Xu Qing landed on his black canopy boat, just as Lu Ping’s body floated to the surface.

Not wasting time while the corpses were still warm, Xu Qing activated the Returning to Origin Technique, draining the residual life force from each one.

Half a year of cultivation, a year of cultivation, two or three months of cultivation...

Not much, but there was quantity!

From these corpse collectors, Xu Qing gathered four or five years’ worth of cultivation, adding to the life and yin energy he absorbed from the Water Tiger’s body; this single trip earned him nearly ten years’ worth of cultivation.

Ten years of training couldn’t compare to a day of corpse collecting.

As night fell, Xu Qing put all the bodies into his Box Garden, intending to perform their last rites back at the Funeral Shop.

Paddling back to the dock, the steward responsible for registering corpse collectors’ information immediately came forward to inquire.