Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Zhao Xiaoyu looked at the river in front of her, it flowed into the steep valley.
The mountain was very high, as high as the clouds.
The flowing stream of water was so deep that a dragon could hide inside.
Within a brief period of time, Shen Lian and herself had traveled an impressive distance to reach the area near the Xuantian Sect. She had never been to the Xuantian Sect, but she could recognize the geographics of the area. After passing through the Tianmen Straits, that would be Xuantian Sect’s territory.
A lonely boat sailed out of Tianmen Straits.
In the fast flowing river, the lonely boat looked stable a rock.
The boat docked in front of Shen Lian and Zhao Xiaoyu and the realized there was no base to the boat and the fast flowing river water could be seen under the boat. The boat was poled a bony old boatman.
With a hoarse voice steeled by the wind, the boatman said, “Come on, young man.”
Shen Lian held on to Zhao Xiaoyu’s hands and his transfused his origins of the five elements into her body to prevent her condition from worsening too quickly.
They smiled at each other and hopped on to the boat.
The base of the boat was in fact not hollow but was a layer of transparent Qi shield that was extremely sturdy.
The elderly boatman was very old and looked like his lifespan could end anytime soon.
Zhao Xiaoyu looked at the boatman and with a gentle voice, she asked, “How old are you, uncle?”
The elderly boatman laughed, “I have lived for too long, I can’t remember no more.”
His outlook may seem old but he had a mouthful of teeth that was neatly arranged against each other, eighteen on each side. Compared to his dry skin, his teeth looked like shiny jades.
Zhao Xiaoyu asked, “I’m sure you’ve transported many people to the Xuantian Sect?”
The elderly boatman answered, “That’s right! I’ve transported so many people with this very boat. But very few of them came back.”
‘Very few came back’ could be interpreted as they did not want to come back, or they could not come back.
If they could not come back, it would pretty much mean that they were dead.
“But in the last five hundred years, this boat has only transported about ten people including the two of you. So don’t worry. The eight people before you went back safely,” the elderly boatman said in his deep hoarse voice.
It was as if something came through Shen Lian’s mind as he asked, “The eight before us, did they manage to meet Zhenren Xiangshan?”
The elderly boatman let out a mysterious smile and said, “They didn’t get to see Zhenren Xiangshan and that was exactly why they made it out safely. And, the background of the eight people could definitely match the two of you.”
Shen Lian kept a calm expression and said, “Looks like you’ve already known who we are.”
The elderly boatman was skilled with rowing the boat as the boat moved swiftly in a straight motion like an arrow. The boatman responded, “It was because I knew your identity and that’s why I came to pick the two of you. Not anyone could go on this boat.”
Shen Lian stared at the elderly boatman and sighed, “I heard that Zhenren Xiangshan once went to the Shen Luo Hall of the Underworld Demon Sect with the intention of taking a scripture. Because of that, an intense fight broke out between him and the path master of the Path of Hell, Daoist Wujian. Do you know anything about it?”
The elderly boatman answered, “What if I knew about it? And what if I don’t?”
Shen Lian responded, “I knew that Zhenren Xiangshan did not manage to take the script as he intended to but he took someone out and that person was the junior apprentice-brother of Daoist Youjian, the Ferryman of the Underworld.”
The elderly boatman was finally moved and said, “I’m impressed that you’ve heard about this. But you had one part wrong.”
Shen Lian was able to confirm his deduction. The elderly man was indeed the Ferryman of the Underworld. No wonder he oozed the scent similar to the water from the River of Spirits. Back then when the sect master of the Underworld Demon Sect was still around, he looked highly to the Ferryman of the Underworld and taught him the basics of the Nether Aid Scripture. The Nether aid Scripture was the ultimate method of the Underworld Demon Sect and only the sect master could cultivate it.
Ever since the Underworld Demon Sect’s sect master went missing, he became the well-deserved candidate of the next sect master. But the sect master did not leave any will behind after all and he only knew the basics of the Nether Aid Scripture. Other demon sects and the three path masters then collaborated to hold him in captive to prevent him from being the next sect master.
They then assigned his senior-apprentice brother, Daoist Youjian, to watch him at the Shen Luo Hall.
Shen Lian asked, “At which part did I get it wrong?”
The elderly boatman sighed, “I wasn’t being taken away, it was my senior apprentice-brother who let me go.”
Shen Lian could not help but stay silent. There must be a story behind this incident and he did not want to pry into other people’s personal affairs.
The elderly boatman said, “After so many years, you’re the first person who knew of my background. Lu Xiangshan said if anyone was able to tell my story, I shouldn’t stay here any longer. I will leave after sending the two of you over.”
Shen Lian felt guilty and said, ” I am sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
The elderly boatman shook his head and said, “You just wanted to find out about something else. I don’t blame you because I won’t tell you what you want to know.”
Soon, they arrived at the shore and Shen Lian helped Zhao Xiaoyu to get ashore.
The elderly boatman took the lonely boat and disappeared into the Tianmen Straits. Perhaps they would never see each other again.
Zhao Xiaoyu curiously asked, “What was it that you wanted to ask him?”
Shen Lian answered, “A classified issue involving Qing Xuan.”
Zhao Xiaoyu did not probe further as she was a person who had a sense of propriety.
She said, “Look, there’s a hut ahead.”
They walked towards the hut and realized that it possessed some kind of strange energy that could affect their judgment.
The hut was independent of the secluded land. It leaned against the mountains with flowers and grasses that swayed in the breeze. It looked like the residents of a celestial being that was not one bit tainted by the mortal world.
This was a Daoist temple named Contentment.
It was obvious that the name was inspired by the saying, ‘He who is contented will not suffer disgrace. He who knows his true nature will not incur danger. It is in this way that one can long endure.’
As they walked, they noticed that the Temple of Contentment was entirely a different world. It had an air of abstruse and righteousness and with every breath, people would be able to feel a sense of understanding towards the Dao of nature. No matter how foolish a person was, he would be able to gain some Qi of Dao by just staying at this place.
The temple’s gate opened silently and a voice could be heard, “Friends, please come in.”
The voice was mellow like the resonance of heaven and earth. It was as if the voice combined with the musical notes in the void, just like snowfall that melted in the Qi of Dao.
Shen Lian laughed while Zhao Xiaoyu was doubtful as the both of them walked into the temple.
As the walked in, Zhao Xiaoyu could not help but feel impressed. This was the masterpiece of ‘storing a mountain in a seed’. One would only realize the magnitude of the temple when one entered it. It was extremely spacious, comparable to a human city.
Beneath the temple, they saw ten or more people sitting together in a circle. Some of them were more experienced than the other but they were at least at the seventh level of Huandan.
Among them, there were four people whose spirit were as deep as the ocean, so vast that she could not read them at all.
Among the four, a man who looked like he was in his thirties came to them and said, “My name is Wang Shidao, please excuse me for taking the liberty to invite the two of you here.”
Judging from his voice, they knew that it was him who invited them in.
Apparently, this person was Lu Jiuyuan’s most senior disciple, Wang Shidao and he was indeed deep and unmeasurable. If the disciple was so unfathomable, one could only imagine how powerful Lu Jiuyuan could be.
