Thus, Du Chengfeng naturally took over Songzhou City.

However, rather than saying he took over, it would be better to say he was put in that position. After the battle, the people of Songzhou City genuinely began to worship him as a deity. It was clear that the original ceremony was meant for Wu Zhao himself. After defeating various formidable foes, those who witnessed it would regard him as a divine being, which was perhaps Wu Zhao’s most familiar, or rather, the ruling style most familiar to the Yin people.

But Du Chengfeng wasn’t used to it; he just thought these people were a bit too obsessed.

"I am human too. I am no different from everyone else. What I can do, everyone else can do as well."

Du Chengfeng explained earnestly.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"We understand, Master Priest."

Faced with Du Chengfeng’s explanation, the onlookers from Songzhou City nodded one after another.

Of course, they understood because the previous Master Priest said the same thing—if your skills are sufficient, you can ascend this divine ladder and become a deity. If not, then you just watch and learn from those who have become deities. Following the ancient path, they would become more and more like their ancestors, the Yin people who lived on this land in ancient times, getting closer to the gods.

And the one closest to the gods would naturally become the new Master Priest.

As for now, who is closer to the gods? There’s no need to ask.

"I... forget it."

Du Chengfeng slapped his head, realizing he wasn’t good at this kind of verbal persuasion.

It would have been better if Liu Bolun were here—he’s the one with the gift of gab. Even a cripple could be coaxed by that drunkard Liu Bolun to throw away his crutch and stand up. He’s truly the right person for this kind of situation; Du Chengfeng knew he wasn’t good at it.

But what Du Chengfeng didn’t expect was that Liu Bolun was indeed in Songzhou City.

"How did you get here?"

Upon seeing Liu Bolun, Du Chengfeng’s mind hadn’t even caught up.

He clearly remembered that Liu Bolun was supposed to be in Yizhou, so how did he end up in Songzhou?

"Got caught and brought here."

Liu Bolun briefly explained his situation. He also didn’t expect to see Du Chengfeng here.

"But since you’re here, that means... defeated him?"

"No, he managed to escape."

Taking out the bag of bronze fragments and placing them on the table, Du Chengfeng sighed.

Winning this battle had already been relatively strenuous; it was thanks to meticulous planning and the hubris of that Yin man Wu Zhao that gave him the opportunity to prevail—though strategy and tactics are also part of one’s strength, so the victory was genuine. What Du Chengfeng hadn’t anticipated was that the Yin man Wu Zhao had already prepared another method to deal with him.

And that was, consciousness transfer.

Before he arrived, the Yin man Wu Zhao had already learned how to forge weapons from steel. After mastering the use of new materials, the Yin man Wu Zhao transferred his consciousness to a new vessel without hesitation—although it was just a small hairpin, not even a real weapon, it wasn’t about having a weapon that could kill for Wu Zhao.

As a weapon, bigger might be better, but when it comes to the vessel for consciousness, smaller is better, easier to hide.

Just like in the previous battle, even Du Chengfeng didn’t notice that the moment the Li family’s eldest son let his hair loose, it was when Wu Zhao chose to escape.

"Really... sigh."

Thinking about it, Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but sigh. He had been smug about defeating Wu Zhao with a sleight of hand, only to fall for a trick himself in return.

Fighting against an enemy whose strength even surpassed his own—naturally, they were no fools.

Here he was talking about how Wu Zhao underestimated him due to his strength, but wasn’t he doing the same now?

"In the end, it was a lesson learned."

Rubbing his face, Du Chengfeng adjusted his mindset.

Temporary setbacks are nothing. Just like how Wu Zhao would retreat and regroup if he couldn’t win initially, Du Chengfeng was not someone who couldn’t handle defeat—besides, technically, he did win this time, so why be discouraged?

Perhaps winning or losing isn’t that important; both are experiences, and these valuable experiences can definitely be applied the next time.

"You’ve... changed."

Liu Bolun observed Du Chengfeng up and down, as if meeting him for the first time. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Indeed, he had changed. This wasn’t about height or build, but the sensation when interacting with others.

Even though they hadn’t been apart for long, Liu Bolun could clearly feel that Du Chengfeng had become steadier and more grounded—if the old Du Chengfeng was like a blazing fire, the current Du Chengfeng was more like flowing water.

Fire burns out, but water doesn’t.

Even if it freezes in the winter chill, once the warmth of spring’s sun returns, the hard ice would melt into a flowing stream once more.

"So what have you experienced lately?"

Liu Bolun couldn’t help being curious, given his interest in metaphysics, about Du Chengfeng’s enlightenment-like change.

With someone familiar, Du Chengfeng had nothing to hide and recounted his recent experiences.

Liu Bolun listened with a frown.

"Your life really is... watery."

After pondering, Liu Bolun opted for this description. Mainly because he didn’t know how to describe Du Chengfeng’s monotonous recounting—essentially, "I arrived at this place, chopped someone, chased the enemy to another place, then started farming." Could such uneventful days really lead to such a significant change?

"I think it’s fine. After all, as the saying goes, rolling stones gather no moss, and a frequently moved door does not rot."

Du Chengfeng wasn’t particularly bothered by it.

"Simple and plain is life, and that’s how it should be. For water to flow, life must continue... But you’ve reminded me of something."

Saying this, inspiration struck Du Chengfeng, and he tried to manipulate the Evil Qi.

Indeed, after Liu Bolun’s reminder, he finally realized what Evil Qi resembled the most.

This power flowing through his body, rather than resembling air, was certainly more akin to water.

So, can water be converted into power?

Yes, it definitely can.

Perhaps for the people of this world, the power of water is vaguely understood; comprehending its power as waves and whirlpools might be their limit.

But for Du Chengfeng, he knew another way to use water, or rather, liquids.