Chapter 206: New Mount, Tun Mengzi
Lu Jing was evidently also very familiar with this subordinate of his former brother, with whom he had fallen out.
It was just their first formal meeting today.
However, Lu Jing held little hope for whether Chen Shun’an could tame the porpoise.
Skill does not lie in quantity, but in refinement.
Chen Shun’an is a late bloomer, having only awakened his Martial Dao Talent a few months ago after falling into the water, and he has likely devoted all his efforts to mounting horses and practicing punches, with no spare energy to delve into side paths like beast language or monster arts.
Moreover, this person had not shown even a hint of related abilities before.
Even when Lu Jing learned that Chen Shun’an had passed the initial check and become a Tongming Envoy, he was somewhat surprised, wondering if the Banner Officer in charge had gone easy!
Similar thoughts to Lu Jing’s were shared by many others present.
Watching Chen Shun’an’s back as he rowed toward the porpoise, several disheveled Tongming Envoys who had been spat on by the porpoise couldn’t help but discuss,
“Shopkeeper Chen fell into the water by accident that day and only gradually awakened his Martial Dao Talent. It’s impossible that he also conveniently possesses Tongming arts, right?”
“How could that be? Does he really think he’s the son of heaven, with everything going his way?”
“He’s probably eyeing that Purple Iron Cattail Milk. Heh, all the benefits have been hogged by their Water Station!”
Most of the people present held an unfavorable view of Chen Shun’an.
Their words were laced with mockery and disdain.
They didn’t dare say these things when Chen Shun’an was around.
Only after he left did they dare badmouth him behind his back…
Quietly.
Lu Jing’s face was expressionless as he silently watched Chen Shun’an’s figure.
Neither much expectant nor dismissive.
Strictly business, calm and composed.
At the other end of the deck, Chen Shun’an was completely unaware of the discussion behind him.
He paddled with the wooden oar, the small boat cutting through the ice, leaving a shallow mark, startling the fish below into scattering.
From start to finish, Chen Shun’an remained calm and composed, even seeming confident of success.
When the boat reached the iceberg, Chen Shun’an leisurely moored it and, under the porpoise’s slightly curious gaze, lifted a dozen oiled paper boxes from the boat.
He opened them up and offered the dried fish, dried meat, Precious Fish jerky, and Alcohol and Meat Preserves inside.
Chen Shun’an cupped his hands politely and uttered just one word,
“Eat!”
Why spout so much nonsense!
So flowery and pedantic, utterly bookish and stuffy!
As if this porpoise could understand!
Sure enough, the porpoise was quite satisfied with Chen Shun’an’s tribute, especially the Alcohol and Meat Preserves, with their rich aroma and overflowing wine scent.
The porpoise stopped spitting water and swam over like a streak, peering around like a street urchin before Chen Shun’an, then accepting all the dried fish and swallowing them into its belly.
On the tower ship, the crowd watched the porpoise approach Chen Shun’an, even showing a hint of affection, and their expressions changed one after another.
“This guy cheated, it pisses me off!”
“It’s the fish meal from Wan Ji River Goods Shop, originally for True Intent Masters… I didn’t think to use it to feed the porpoise!”
In an instant, gazes of surprise or indignation fell on Chen Shun’an.
What ungentlemanly behavior!
Hateful and shameful… why didn’t anyone tell me beforehand?!
No one said anything ridiculous about it being unfair.
Finding loopholes and cheating is also a skill.
They wanted to do it too!
So, many quietly glanced at Song Qinghe.
They vaguely guessed that it was probably this military officer from Five Rivers River Affairs who had leaked key information to Chen Shun’an.
And on the floating ice.
Having taken Chen Shun’an’s benefits, the porpoise noticed the saddle at his feet, a sly glint flashing in its eyes as it opened its mouth in a ‘squeak squeak squeak’ strange laugh, seemingly mocking him.
Then, without hesitation, it dove into the water to swim away.
The porpoise clan would never be enslaved!
“Hmph, stubborn and unyielding!”
Chen Shun’an had anticipated the porpoise’s move, his eyes flashing with cold intent.
Courtesy first, then force; since polite treatment didn’t work.
Chen Mou could only rely on his identity and use Divine Might to suppress it!
A wisp of Grass Head God divinity suddenly appeared, descending directly over the porpoise.
The water flow under the ice subtly echoed it, seeming to slow down.
Bloodline instinct sang an ancient primal call, as if the ancient ancestors were offering heavenly sacrifices, kneeling before the Divine Palace to a formless existence without discernible features, offering devout faith.
The porpoise’s round eyes instantly filled with horror.
This two-legged beast is so terrifying!
Can’t be tamed!
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an didn’t hesitate, grabbing the specially made saddle with one hand and leaping into the water, swiftly fitting the saddle onto the porpoise’s smooth back.
The saddle’s leather straps perfectly caught at the base of the porpoise’s chest fins, crossing over like a form-fitting exotic armor.
In the water, Chen Shun’an vaulted onto the saddle, gripped the front leather reins with both hands, and yanked hard!
Only then did the porpoise react fiercely; under intense awe and its instinct against enslavement, it let out a clear, bell-like cry, its massive body twisting powerfully to shatter the several-feet-thick ice ahead.
It then dove into the cold river water, fleeing into the distance, leaving only a rapidly spreading wave surge.
“Oh no!”
“The porpoise is spooked and running!”
On the tower ship, the crowd was shocked and immediately in uproar.
Several figures shot out like arrows from strings, chasing swiftly over the floating ice.
Lu Jing reacted first, appearing atop the iceberg in the blink of an eye, then leaping into the water.
No time to care, he channeled anger into his right palm, swirling like gathering clouds and wind with thick intent, striking out fiercely.
The palm force hit the water, stirring up ten-feet-high ice mist; the splashing water froze into ice particles mid-air, but only grazed the porpoise’s tail fin, dodged by its twist.
On the small boat, martial artists cast nets to scoop, blew whistles with piercing sounds to disrupt the porpoise’s senses.
Yet this porpoise was exceptionally skilled in water.
Once in the water, it was like Dragon Returns to the Sea.
It didn’t charge straight ahead but twisted its body, stirring a powerful undercurrent to dissipate the palm force, swimming onward even faster.
Long poles thrust, fishing nets came; it flicked its tail lightly, its form already dozens of feet away, leaving only a blurry azure shadow.
The pursuers dashed across the last few floating ice blocks but ultimately exhausted their strength, landing on the final ice floe.
They could only watch helplessly as the porpoise’s figure vanished completely into the vast River Heart.
Lu Jing leaped from the water onto a small boat, clenching his empty fist, staring grimly at the direction where the man and porpoise disappeared,
“Chase, keep chasing!”
Seeing this, Luo Kun and the other Tongming Envoys exchanged glances and shook their heads inwardly, feeling Chen Shun’an was as good as dead.
In this icy snowscape, a veritable human forbidden zone.
Without the protection of a ship, probably only a Martial Dao Grandmaster could treat the vast ocean as flat ground, impervious to water, and return alive?
People die for wealth, birds for food—why go this far?
“Monster! Monster, don’t eat me!”
On the tower ship deck, Xiao Changping jolted awake as if from a dream, sitting up abruptly.
He saw the deck empty, everyone else gone.
He faintly heard urgent shouts from the river surface.
“Huh? Did I… faint from fear?”
Xiao Changping realized immediately, his face paling and flushing; if there were a crack in the deck, he’d want to crawl into it.
So embarrassing!
He hunched over, timidly standing, and looked toward the river.
He saw Luo Kun and others returning to the tower ship with complicated expressions.
After a quick inquiry, learning that Chen Shun’an had been carried off into the river by the porpoise and vanished.
His back straightened instantly, his face flushed with vigor, his tone full of energy.
Xiao Mou wasn’t the most embarrassing after all.
Someone was even worse off!
……
The porpoise’s tail fin shattered the ice, Chen Shun’an gripped the leather straps tightly, his body pressed to the porpoise’s smooth back, wind whistling past his ears, scenery flashing by on both sides.
Unlike Luo Kun and others’ expectation that Chen Shun’an was doomed.
Chen Shun’an showed no distress, even exuding the thrill of an old man unleashing youthful vigor, riding a Precious Porpoise to gallop the river.
This was a mount!
Far more impressive than Chen Shun’an’s previous pathetic solo swim.
After its initial panic, the porpoise gradually calmed.
Sensing the vast ancient divinity on Chen Shun’an, its instinct against enslavement was slowly overridden by another instinct etched deep in its bones.
That was submission and worship of the ancient water god, river lord dragon official!
With Chen Shun’an’s Grass Head Talisman nearing perfection, gradually reclaiming the full authority of the Grass Head God, it was nearly invincible against these Water Spirits not yet fully intelligent or on the cultivation path.
Quite like the aura of a king or overlord causing all to kneel.
“So the world really has deities? A water god?!”
The porpoise sensed the man’s aura and thought silently.
“What’s your name?”
Suddenly, a thought arose in its mind.
The porpoise was startled, eyes widening, and only after a while tentatively replied,
“Replying to the immortal, I have no name.”
“I’m no immortal, you can call me High God. In that case, I’ll give you a name…”
Chen Shun’an thought briefly and said, “You’ll be called Tun Mengzi.”
This porpoise loves alcohol, just a drunken fool.
The name is straightforward and apt.
Tun Mengzi was overjoyed at the High God’s bestowed name, shooting out of the water like an arrow, arcing with shimmering water light before plunging back in.
“Ahead of you are two elder brothers: one called Silver Scholar, one Jin Lin Mei; you’re the third.”
Chen Shun’an then realized he’d been too focused on exploiting the two fish and hadn’t even named the Golden Scaled Perch.
What a sin…
Chen Shun’an felt no guilt whatsoever.
“Silver Scholar, Jin Lin Mei.”
Tun Mengzi nodded silently, committing the two names to memory.
“How’s your clan’s situation?” Chen Shun’an asked.
Porpoises are like humans, viviparous, gestating twelve months, usually birthing only one per pregnancy, with very high infant mortality.
Due to excessive curiosity and innate goodwill toward humans, plus being full of treasures as raw materials for many Great Medicines.
