I Can Use Myriad Divine Abilities-Chapter 58: Nighttime Tales of the Strange

As night fell, the merchant ship dropped anchor and docked at the riverbank.

Not sailing at night is a rule among the ship men.

On one hand, it lets the sailors rest and recover their physical strength after a long day’s work, and on the other hand, it ensures safety.

After dinner, Zhang Yuan went up to the deck.

By now, the moon had risen, its clear light illuminating the great ship and casting a glow on the shimmering Celestial Horse River.

The riverbanks were vast wildernesses without human presence, their profound solitude imparting a desolate feeling.

Due to the presence of strange entities, most people congregate inside the city and its surrounding areas.

It’s quite normal not to see households on fertile lands.

Zhang Yuan withdrew his gaze.

Suddenly, he saw a large shadow in the river nearby.

It seemed like a giant beast was swiftly approaching the merchant ship underwater!

Zhang Yuan was instantly startled.

But before he could see clearly, the dense shadow disappeared again without a sound.

Its appearance and disappearance were so sudden that Zhang Yuan doubted if he had seen it wrong.

Perhaps it was just the refraction of light and shadows on the water surface?

"Junior Brother Zhang?"

At that moment, a voice full of curiosity called from behind Zhang Yuan!

Zhang Yuan turned around with a smile: "Senior Brother Feng!"

The visitor was indeed Feng Ming.

This Outer Hall disciple hesitated for a moment and then said, "Junior Brother Zhang, you should avoid staring at the water like this, especially at night."

Zhang Yuan was puzzled: "Why?"

Feng Ming lowered his voice: "The river has strange entities that can easily wrench one’s soul!"

Stories of water ghosts have been circulating among the ship men for hundreds of years, giving rise to countless true and false tales.

And thus, many rules have been formed.

Here, "ship men" do not refer to any specific gang but collectively denote all those who make a living on the water, including fishermen, sailors, boat owners, water bandits, and even members of the Furious Whale Gang.

It is said that a type of water ghost quietly approaches parked ships at night.

If someone on board sees it, they will fall under its spell, unconsciously leaping into the river.

Their bones will never be found!

There are also tales of illusions where a woman’s voice cries for help from the water, but once rescued, it brings disaster to the entire ship!

Some water ghosts tug on the fishing lines of anglers, pulling people into the river alive.

Others wrap around divers and drag them into the depths.

Feng Ming, who has been sailing for nearly twenty years, has witnessed dozens of strange incidents firsthand, often narrowly escaping death!

It is said that the older one becomes in the world of martial arts, the more cautious they are, which is profoundly true for him.

Zhang Yuan is neither an impulsive hot-blooded youth nor ignorant.

He naturally took to heart and remembered the advice and warnings from this seasoned martial artist.

These are invaluable experiences after all!

And after hearing Feng Ming’s account, he couldn’t help but ask: "Senior Brother Feng, what measures can martial artists like us at the Entering Force level take if we encounter these strange entities?"

"Difficult!"

Feng Ming replied with a bitter smile: "The best thing to do is run, run as fast and as far as possible!"

Ordinary cultivation techniques and martial arts are essentially ineffective against strangeness.

No matter how powerful or fierce the punches, kicks, sabers, or swords are, they cannot harm the entity in the slightest!

And there has long been talk among the people of using items like black dog blood, virgin urine, and glutinous rice powder against strange entities.

This belief is not entirely unfounded.

If the strange entity is the weakest type, items like black dog blood do have a certain repelling effect.

But against a slightly stronger entity, they are entirely ineffective.

Thus, ordinary people can only rely on the protection of ancestral halls and City God Temples to avoid attacks and harassment by these entities.

Just as fishermen and the Furious Whale Gang worship the Dragon God, incense and Belief Power are the greatest means of protection against strangeness!

As for martial artists of the Entering Force level facing strange entities, unless they have cultivated techniques for burning Qi and Blood or carry talismans drawn by Daoist Temple Masters, there is no chance of defeating them.

Compared to them, martial artists at the Qi Entry realm are much stronger.

Because True Fire condensing from True Qi can effectively injure or even kill strange entities!

"Our Linhai Sub-Branch has cultivation techniques for burning Qi and Blood!"

Feng Ming easily saw through Zhang Yuan’s current thoughts and patted his shoulder, saying: "You can consider it, as long as you have two minor achievements to exchange."

"As for Mage’s talismans..."

He shook his head: "They are truly too expensive; let’s not even think about it."

Daoist Temple Masters are exalted figures, constantly pursued and praised by the powers that be.

The value of talismans drawn by Mages can be imagined!

In fact, the talismans that come out of temples are monopolized by Noble Families, Government Offices, and elite houses.

Ordinary people should not even dream of getting one, and even spending a fortune might not guarantee the real thing!

Zhang Yuan asked: "Senior Brother Feng, have you cultivated the technique for burning Qi and Blood?"

He was quite interested in this.

"Of course."

Feng Ming answered without hesitation: "This technique is called the Blood Burning Technique. If I hadn’t been cultivating it for years and reached minor achievement, I might have died at the hands of strange entities long ago."

"But don’t expect me to teach it to you; privately transmitting cultivation techniques is a serious crime!"

Zhang Yuan naturally knew this rule among the gang.

He sincerely said: "Senior Brother Feng, I’m very grateful for all you’ve shared with me!"

Feng Ming laughed heartily: "I just don’t want you to take the wrong path."

This Outer Hall disciple was completely honest.

If Zhang Yuan acted recklessly and got himself killed.

But if it implicated him,

That would be really bad!

Frankly, Feng Ming was also thinking of himself, which is why he went on talking to Zhang Yuan tirelessly.

In short, two expressions—don’t act impulsively, avoid strange entities!

After finishing the conversation with Feng Ming, Zhang Yuan returned to his cabin.

He carefully recalled everything the other said earlier from start to finish.

He discarded the useless information and retained the valuable content in his mind.

One never knows when this martial arts wisdom might save his life!

Then Zhang Yuan opened the bag he carried with him, taking out a thick book.

This book had no title; it was the Martial Arts Notes given to him by Dong Yuanwei.

Zhang Yuan flipped through it page by page, gradually immersing himself in it.

The conditions on the ship were limited, preventing him from practicing martial arts and saber techniques freely.

So this notebook became the best tool for killing time.

Zhang Yuan seemed to return to a few years ago, when he was learning literature and literacy from Elder Master Chen.

During that time, he gradually awakened memories of his past life.

Relearning as a student, his progress and efficiency were unmatched by the village lads.

At that time, Elder Master Chen treated Zhang Yuan as his final disciple, doing his best to teach him all the knowledge he possessed.

Even though Zhang Yuan’s life back then was impoverished and tough.

He learned a great deal along the way.

Although this valuable knowledge couldn’t directly enhance Zhang Yuan’s fighting prowess, it would certainly help him grow steadily in the years to come.

A while later, he definitely has to visit and clean Master Chen’s grave!

Zhang Yuan secretly thought to himself.