Chapter 526 - The Winds Carry a Song (II) (Patreon)

This was Xing Yahui's first time traversing the Heavenly Star Lake past its vast shores. Though the lake itself was vast, their destination was, all things considered, relatively close to the shore.

Per the common knowledge, there were exactly four ways to reach the Nirvana Frontier Island--a teleportation array that has to be personally linked my the Island Master, something that has seldom been used in the past few thousands of years; a ferry boat starting from the Heavenly Sword Sect, which only happens once a year; an airship from the Heavenly Retreat, reserved only for the most upper echelon of cultivators; and then there was the method Xing Yahui was currently taking: a weekly mid-sized boat ferrying twenty or so souls across the narrowest gap between the Nirvana Frontier Island and the rest of the continent, starting about four hundred miles east of the Nine Heavens Mountain, on a nameless little jut where an old fishing village still somehow survived.

There were in total about thirty people aboard the ship, crew included; some were like Xing Yahui herself, on the younger side likely seeking opportunities, and some on the older, like the man who had been bothering her ever since he boarded the ship.

"You have to be real careful about where you sleep on the island," he disguised his interest--barely, but at least tried--through sharing of 'helpful' tips. "The island is divided into three major areas--the Southern Song, the Eastern Tiger, and the Western Silence. There's the unofficial, fourth area where the other three mix and where the portal to the Infernal Realm is called the Great Tomb. Visitors like us are only allowed to meander about the Southern Song, but even that comes with the limits; kids in the Spirit Manifestation Realm can't even leave the southernmost tip and have to be vouched for by an island's native if they want to enter the Infernal Realm."

Xing Yahui passively took in all the information, but she didn't particularly care about any of it; after all, she wasn't going to the island to seek opportunities or to participate in the Infernal Wars. She was going there because her Master wouldn't stop badgering her about seeking out that strange, middle-aged man.

Doubly so because they were yet to actually find any information on the item the man told her to seek: Distilling Moon Jade. Even after going back to the sect and listing through every book she had access to, there wasn't even a mention of it, let alone a description of what it was or where to find it. It wasn't that much of a shock; after all, not even her Master--a former Empress--had ever heard of it, so it was unlikely that her sect had any knowledge of it either.

Yet, the man was very explicit, and her Master insisted she seek him for at least the knowledge of item if nothing else.

"Although I'm not a native," the man continued. "I do have a friend who is; if you'd like, I can probably get you in." she glanced over and met his gaze; it wasn't unfamiliar one as she'd seen it quite a few times before.

An oddity, overall, as she hardly considered herself some sort of a beauty. But, against common sense, she met men like this more frequently than some of her Senior Sisters who were far more beautiful.

... no, it made sense. Men like this wouldn't dare approach the 'beautiful' ones, so they approach her.

"We thank you, but we can take care of ourselves, Fellow Daoist," a voice that irked her even more than the man's spoke up behind them. For some unholy reason, Yu Bao insisted he come after she stupidly let it slip that she was going to the island.

No, perhaps without him to chart this damn boat, it would take her weeks if not months to figure out how to get there by her lonesome.

With Yu Bao's appearance, the man awkwardly stumbled over his words for a moment before disappearing away; despite everything, Yu Bao was fairly strong and had that air about him that made others not want to tangle up with him.

"Sister Yahui, why didn't you shout for me?" he asked, putting on a pained expression. "If any man bothers you, please, don't hold back."

"He wasn't bothering me," she said. No more than you, anyway, she thought to herself, but would never say it out loud.

"If you have any questions about the island, please ask me; before we left, I asked Seniors all about it." he positioned himself to her left, 'blocking' her from the view of the others. There was a time long while back she'd have thought it an accident.

While she could understand the man who approached her, she could not understand Yu Bao; he was handsome, charming, talented, and of golden blood. There was no shortage of girls in the sect who were willing to do anything to bed him and yet, for some reason, he continued pursuing her.

There were plenty of rumors of all the women he did bed, but none of him pursuing anyone but her. It caused her no small amount of grief as every girl seemed to think she put a spell on him.

"Just one."

"What is it?"

"Why did you come with me?" she asked outright, meeting his gaze. He seemed somewhat startled by the question, coughing awkwardly for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"I always wanted to go there myself and when you mentioned you were going, I simply thought I may as well join you." she grew a bit frustrated but kept it to herself.

Quite oddly, her Master never talked to her in moments like these; when she was younger, she used to advise Xing Yahui of these things any time a boy approached her--with the exception of the man in front of her. Perhaps, she, too, favored him and had hoped Yahui would eventually 'see the light'.

"Hm," she hummed, turning away and looking over at the calm waters of the lake. The teal-colored surface extended outward in every direction, the distances covered in fog that appeared about four miles out. That was the formation--the entire surface of the lake was covered in a natural formation that disallowed anyone, even those in the Imperial Realm, from seeing any further than four miles, be that with their eyes or Divine Sense.

They fell silent as her mind wandered back to all she had to do when she arrived on the island. First, she had to ditch this parasite that latched onto her, which likely won't be easy; then she had to find a way to survive there while looking for a man that will likely be in deep hiding himself. Luckily, she perfectly remembered the faces of all his Disciples, and would be on the lookout for one of them more so than him.

"Step back, Yahui," she felt a hand firmly grab her shoulder and pull her away from the railing. Just as she was about to complain, her Master's voice echoed out inside her mind.

"Fishmen are coming," she said. "Prepare to fight."

Hey everyone, hope you've had a fun weekend! Just wanna quickly chime in that the end of Volume 5 is coming, which is why these chapters will be a bit slow and sport different PoVs as I'm kinda wrapping up the volume & setting up the next one. If you loathe to read them in isolation, I'd recommend pausing for a couple of days & blazing through them once we go back to Lu Qi :D Anyway, thank you all so much for your support, & I hope you'll enjoy the next volume--Legend of the Island--just as much. See ya' tomorrow ^^