Chapter 45: The Yang Siblings
Over the next few days, Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng cultivated while also seriously studying the language and script of this world, wanting to master them completely as soon as possible.
As they drew closer to Jiu Li City, the Sui River’s surface grew even wider, like a flat lake, with passenger multi-story ships, painted pleasure boats, and massive warships… passing like a thousand sails crossing.
After nightfall, every ship hung bone lamps or lanterns painted with beauty figures, their lights reflecting on the water, the sky dome dotted with stars, and the water surface filled with singing and dancing, presenting a scene of prosperity and peace.
The entire Sui River ran through the north and south of Lingxiao Life Realm, with its main channel flowing through Seven States Land. Due to its numerous tributaries and lakes, it was rich in aquatic products, convenient for transportation, and its influence reached over a dozen prefectures.
Thus, the colossus-like Sui Sect emerged, clearing out fiend demons, departed spirits, river bandits, and other dangers in the Sui River basin to make shipping smoother and more developed, while also controlling the discourse on all kinds of waterborne transportation and trade, earning vast amounts of silver coins.
Over hundreds of years, Sui Sect rose from being a mere trade transportation handler under the Jiu Li Tribe to a tycoon great sect in Lingxiao Life Realm, with influence and momentum even faintly suppressing the Jiu Li Tribe.
At this moment, Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng stood by the railing at the bow deck, looking out to see many ships’ wind flags bearing the character for “Sui.” Their own passenger multi-story ship was no exception.
Li Weiyi said, “What is Senior Disciple Brother thinking about?”
“The great river flows east, washing away countless heroes in its waves; all the famous figures of the ages—now it’s our turn to shine.” Zhao Meng said with boundless heroic spirit.
Li Weiyi laughed, “Is that a ci poem?”
“More or less that meaning! Weiyi, as men we must rise above the rest. In this world, we have to accomplish something great. Otherwise, let’s make Chan Sect prosper, bigger than even Sui Sect. Then when Senior Disciple Sister hears the name of Chan Sect, she might even come find us on her own.” Zhao Meng said.
Li Weiyi said, “That makes sense, but we need to first stand firm in this world.”
“Rumble!”
“Splash!”
…
The broad river surface churned violently, waves surging.
A fiend demon like a giant python or green flood dragon rapidly swam on the surface, sometimes raising its head, sometimes whipping its tail. Its body was locked with dense iron chains, scriptures floating on the chains, the other end connected to a brightly lit, ornately decorated ship.
Soon, it caught up, keeping pace with the passenger multi-story ship where Li Weiyi and the others were, just two or three zhang apart.
Up close, the serpent-dragon-like fiend demon in the water was over twenty meters long, thick as a water bucket, with broad green dorsal fins, exuding a majestic aura. On the opposite ship, attendants and servants crowded, the maids’ clothes vibrant and exquisitely embroidered.
“Is that a flood dragon?” Zhao Meng showed no fear, instead looking very interested.
Flood dragon blood—he was very short on it.
“It’s a green chi; the flood dragon blood in its body is very thin.”
Li Ling walked over along the corridor, her injuries mostly healed, changed into new clothes with a jade hairpin in her hair. In the eyes of the passengers on the ship, she was like a fairy descending to earth, all gazing from afar.
On the luxurious ship three zhang away, a man and a woman walked onto the deck and waved to her.
“Li Ling little sister… it’s me, Yang Yun!”
“Splash!”
Magic energy surged from the young man as he leaped into the air, stepping on the void, crossing the three-zhang distance to land steadily on the ship with Li Weiyi and the others.
Yang Yun was only a year older than Li Ling, wearing brocade robes that looked frighteningly expensive at a glance, but he was no dandy—the magic energy he had just released was far stronger than Yan Qingqing’s or Fang Tong’s.
His eyes full of joy, he made no effort to hide his delight, excitedly saying, “Qingxi sis and I heard in Yao Guan that you were injured, so we drove the green chi day and night to catch up—finally we have. Thank heavens, seeing your fine complexion now, your injuries must be no big deal.”
Li Weiyi ignored the greetings and reunion over there, his gaze drawn to the pure immortal body woman on the opposite ship.
She was a bit older than Yang Yun and Li Ling, taller too, without the immaturity of youths, her outfit intricately embroidered with scriptures, outer layer a water-blue ruqun, inner a light green inner garment.
What attracted Li Weiyi, of course, was not her beauty or demeanor, but her unfathomably profound cultivation.
He saw her finger beckon, and wisps of white magic energy cloud mist formed a cloud bridge between the two ships. Then, in the river breeze, she crossed lightly and slowly, elegantly captivating, stunning countless people on nearby ships—no doubt they would all have sweet dreams tonight.
Yang Qingxi stepped before Li Ling, her millennia-old ice-mountain-like stunning features finally softening as she said, “You’re injured—why still out here in the cool wind? How do your family’s servants take care of their mistress?”
Her gaze turned somewhat sternly toward Zhao Meng and Li Weiyi.
Though Zhao Meng’s build was huge, in this world full of deformed humanoid race, all kinds of living beings existed, so the Yang siblings showed no surprise at all.
Just like that twenty-plus-meter green chi, which only served to pull their ship.
Li Weiyi didn’t want to explain much and was about to leave with Zhao Meng. But Yang Yun was too enthusiastic; hearing they were Li Ling’s servants, he immediately pulled out spring coins and gave one to each.
This was equivalent to ten thousand copper coins!
With such generosity, the two naturally couldn’t refuse, accepted with thanks.
“What’s there to thank? Just two spring coins. Not long ago, I broke through Eighth Spring Feng Fu; the rewards from the sect, family, and governor’s mansion added up to fifty thousand silver coins. A bit little, but free is free—take it while you can.” Yang Yun laughed.
“That’s the reasoning.”
Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng naturally agreed loudly, quickly pocketed their spring coins, then hurried off the deck.
In the corridor, they ran into Zhao Zhizhuo.
“Why are you two so happy?” Zhao Zhizhuo asked curiously.
“Go pay respects to your family’s Fourth Miss quick—you’ll be happy too.”
Saying that, the two burst out laughing and left.
After laughing, they soon fell silent, no longer with their earlier heroic spirit.
Instead, they felt they were the funniest ones.
A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old young man had already opened eight springs, his cultivation far above theirs. In this world, there were too many geniuses and too many masters; no wonder others took them for house servants.
Perhaps others’ house servants were even stronger than them.
So-called high-grade talent was probably just the threshold for cultivating martial arts.
Zhao Meng said, “I hope one day we can toss spring coins to reward servants casually too. Only then will we truly have status and dignity.”
On the bow deck, Li Ling smiled faintly: “Your Sui Sect is really well-informed about news; I only appeared briefly in Yao Guan, and you already knew my exact whereabouts.”
Yang Yun said, “Little sister Ling injured—that’s a huge deal; of course the people below reported it to us.”
Yang Qingxi knew Li Ling’s words had layers and didn’t want to continue on this topic, asking, “I heard this time coffin scooping, you were attacked by Buddha Bandits—was your brother injured?”
“If Qingxi sis wants to be my sister-in-law, you’ll need to put in more effort lately—seems like bro has someone he likes.” Li Ling blinked and laughed.
They didn’t gather long before Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun bid farewell and left, returning to the green chi ship.
Yang Yun hadn’t wanted to leave and hoped to travel with Li Ling, but was forcibly taken away by Yang Qingxi.
The next morning.
Li Weiyi had just gotten up when Zhao Zhizhuo came to visit, telling him they would arrive at Jiu Li City by noon at the latest.
Standing by the railing looking out, on the river shore, a mountain range always stretched along the west bank of the Sui River, peaks clustered, clouds and mist shrouding, like a thousand-li wall propping up heaven and earth.
When the river channel was close to the mountains, they loomed darkly, as if about to press down.
When the river channel was far from the mountains, one could see the peaks layered one upon another, extremely precipitous and deep.
Zhao Zhizhuo said, “Mang Mountain Range is the western boundary of Li Zhou. It’s said that in the range, every mountain peak is the tomb of an ancient emperor. The saying of Mang Mountain Emperor Tombs comes from this.”
“Beyond Mang Mountain Range lies the endless Nether Realm of the Dead, a forbidden zone for life… at least for humans.”
Li Weiyi had some understanding of the Nether Realm of the Dead; legend said the nether realm had no bounds, so vast even Longevity Realm strong practitioners couldn’t reach its end.
“Doesn’t that mean Jiu Li City and the Nether Realm of the Dead are separated by just Mang Mountain Range?” Li Weiyi found it hard to understand why Jiu Li City was built in such a dangerous place.
“It wasn’t like this before! A thousand years ago, Jiu Li Tribe ruled Nine Provinces, and all of Lingxiao Life Realm spanned three hundred prefectures. Lingxiao’s number one person Zen Sea Observing Mist could deter the nether realm. It was that world-shattering calamity that caused ninety percent of Lingxiao’s life realm lands to be devoured by the Nether Realm of the Dead, leaving only twenty-eight prefectures now.” Zhao Zhizhuo sighed deeply, unwilling to say more.
Back in the cabin, Li Weiyi asked the stone coffin remains and spirit tablet senior.
After hearing, both fell into long silence.
They didn’t know the reason either; when they left, Lingxiao Life Realm was still fine. Clearly the current situation was beyond their expectations too.
Before the passenger ship reached the dock, martial cultivators riding exotic beasts or flying birds occasionally appeared from the shore and sky to scout, coming and going constantly.
Cang Li was already waiting at the dock.
The young talents accompanying him were mostly scion disciples of powerful clans, outstanding persons from Dao Academy, heavenly proud daughters from sects, all riding exotic beast treasure carriages, following Cang Li’s lead.
Cang Li Tribe’s number one genius in a millennium was no empty reputation; breaking nine springs with pure immortal body to enter Five Seas Realm—such talent, such cultivation speed, even in those ten million gateways and ten million sects, would absolutely be the “first successor” or “second successor” representing the gateway or sect to walk under heaven.
A rising star of the young generation like him naturally had countless followers in Jiu Li City.
The so-called ten million gateways and ten million sects referred to those with at least a millennium of inheritance, at least ten thousand high-grade talent martial arts cultivators, and ten million populace under direct influence— all three conditions met.
