The carriage moved away from Changling, and gradually, the outline of Changling disappeared.
Wang Taixu lifted the window curtain to look back at Changling. There was not much emotion. He and Ding Ning had not even said goodbye.
To him, the goodbye was not important, the important part was whether they could reunite.
The carriage stopped at a ferry.
The carriage driving Wang Taixu started to move towards a carriage at the end of the caravan, preparing to rest. To the bewilderment of many in the caravan, it was almost time to board the ferry, but no one came to replace that carriage.
At this time, a black-robed man stepped off a large ship by the shore.
He walked directly towards Wang Taixu’s carriage, and an exceptionally steady pair of hands grabbed the reins.
He was very skilled at doing this because he was originally Wang Taixu’s driver.
Two men dressed like porters had been lingering in the shadows of a nearby storehouse, leaning and sitting against the wall.
They appeared tired and drowsy. The bamboo staff and robes used to carry things were casually set against the wall, yet they had always been observing the caravan Wang Taixu was in all this time.
Seeing the black-robed man who walked off the ship, their gazes focused unconsciously.
At this time, the two men sensed something and abruptly lifted their heads.
Wang Taixu’s caravan was starting to board the ship.
This was a metal-armored business ship able to travel overseas. There was a very young-looking man standing at the bow of the boat.
Youth was just a feeling. They felt that person was filled with vitality.
But that person was blind. His eyes were open but he would not blink. He did not respond at all to anything around him.
But this was likely the most terrifying blind man in the world. Because in the senses of these two men dressed at porters, the young blind man was like an enormous furnace.
The fierce fire seemed as though it would burn through the bow of the boat he was standing on.
One of the men hung his head deeply.
The man next to him also hung his head a breath later. He said softly, “General Cui, what should we do?”
The man he called General Cui said in a cool voice, “Of course we do nothing. Else, we are just going to die.”
“Someone from the Zhao Sword Furnace?”
The man next to him was not satisfied and said softly, “How about we tell the Astrology Bureau?”
“This is only General Liang’s private grievance. You should not forget why we were exiled out of Changling.” The man called General Cui sneered. “Since we cannot defeat them, the Zhao Sword Furnace has always been Zheng Xiu’s enemy. The stronger the enemy, the better. Also, he has already left Changling. What is the meaning in informing the Astrology Bureau?”
The man next to him seemed to not agree completely with him. He said after a moment of silence, “What are they going overseas for?”
“Boarding an overseas ship does not mean they are going overseas.” The man called General Cui said with slight scorn, “They can deboard the ship at any time. After they bypass many checkpoints, no one can find where they have gone. Also, what they are leaving Changling to do has nothing to do with us. We are going to a primitive place like the border of Nanyue. I fear we need to consider our problem more.”
“It should be two soldiers.”
Jing Mozong, who had disappeared from Changling from a long time, said to Wang Taixu, “Should we kill them?” He had driven Wang Taixu’s carriage onto the ship.
His voice was still filled with respect towards Wang Taixu, but compared to the past, there was an unspeakable determination and feeling of power. People did not have doubts about his abilities.
“Should be people of General Liang. I fear most people in Changling, including the empress, have underestimated him.” Wang Taixu stilled, and shook his head. “No need for extra matters.”
Jing Mozong bowed his head and stopped speaking as though nothing had happened.
The young blind man on the deck ignored the two cultivators disguised as porters. His eyes were empty as he looked around. He walked towards a middle-aged female cook who was dressed in ordinary robes and silently washing vegetables and killing fish at a corner of the deck.
“Can you get along peacefully?”
He walked next to this middle-aged cook who appeared to be responsible for the kitchen and said slowly in a soft voice, “Including not telling Min Mountain Sword Sect the connection between me and Wang Taixu? Otherwise, when the ship leaves, I will kill you.”
The middle-aged cook did not stop moving. She adeptly killed fish, took out their organs and threw them to a black cat laid out in a nearby shadow. She said simply, “Yes.”
The young blind man seemed to not sense her existence and walked without stopping towards the cabin. His voice still passed into the middle-aged cook’s ears, his tone turning from murderousness to a gentle request, “Could you save the swim bladders. I like to eat them.”
The middle-aged cook did not respond, but simply took out the white swim bladders from the organs she was going to throw away.
**
This river connected to the Wei River rippled constantly. The water in the Great Floating Water Prison of Changling also rippled, and had a great amount of white foam.
Hearing the subdued moaning coming from the cell ahead, Lin Zhujiu struggled to lift his head. Water dripped from his grass-like hair. He smiled unconcernedly. “My hope for life comes from the fact I know the Nine Death Silkworm has appeared in Changling. The Nine Death Silkworm exists. This means that my enemies will be terrified. No matter how powerful their enemies are, they will still be terrified. I am very happy. But you, where does your hope come from?”
A long time, the moaning from the other cell vanished and a muffled voice appeared. “I previously lived for death. Since someone saved me, then naturally I have to live well.”
Lin Zhujiu smiled. “These seemed to be insincere.”
The voice in the cell ahead disappeared and then reappeared. “They will appear in front of him. Even if I cannot be saved, they will die in front of me. I will wait.”
“An interesting reason.”
Lin Zhujiu laughed happily, and said seriously, “I will wait for you.”
On the dark cold stairs not far from these two cells, Shen Xuan listened silently to the two’s conversation like a shadow.
In the previous many years, Lin Zhujiu had been the only person whose mouth he could not pry open.
Yet now, this nameless young person had appeared.
**
The water in the ditch by Ye Celeng’s quiet courtyard was also rippling.
No more watery mist appeared in front of Bai Shanshui’s body.
A drop of glowing water flickered in and out of view in front of her. A feeling of heaviness increased.
Seeing this scene, Ye Celeng knew that Bai Shanshui had completely healed and she had taken a great step forward, growing more terrifying than at her peak. She could sense Bai Shanshui’s thoughts.
Even so, she still shook her head, and said, “There is a Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivator outside Ink Garden, he is no weaker than Yantai Guanjian. He guards Ink Garden like a gatekeeper.”
Bai Shanshui knew very well what it meant to be not any weaker than Yantai Guanjian. If he was inside Ink Garden, she might have a chance to conceal her presence and not be discovered by this cultivator. Yet, with this cultivator guarding Ink Garden from the outside, any person who wanted to enter Ink Garden could not escape his eyes and ears.
Her brow furrowed slightly. She thought for a moment and then asked Ye Celeng seriously, “Has he seen you?”
Ye Celeng glanced at her and said, “You want to pretend to be me?”
Bai Shanshui nodded and said, “If you help me, I can enter.”
“Do you not feel this is very cruel?”
Ye Celeng turned away from her. “If you go, I must hide here. Have you thought, I have waited here for so long. Going to look now… you can go, and I cannot?”
Bai Shanshui knew just how much emotion and danger was contained here.
Her expression grew stern and she bowed deeply to Ye Celeng. “Please, Bureau Chief Ye, fulfill this wish.”
“Help me act out this play well. Go at noon. You must return by dusk,” Ye Celeng said coldly, “I will use this time to kill someone.”
Translator Ramblings: I completely forgot about Jing Mozong’s existence and that there are other people hiding in Changling.
