Chapter 219 - 247: Psychological Kill, Strange Tales, Valiant Spearwoman, Ink-Black Ship
The moment he heard this.
The Celestial Net Swordsmaster’s eyes flew wide open in utter disbelief!
His face twisted into a ferocious snarl, and he was just about to roar.
BZZT!
But Su Bai suddenly withdrew that wisp of True Qi.
The Celestial Net Swordsmaster’s state plummeted instantly!
Ultimately, a boundless rage simmering in his chest, he could only hang his head in bitter resentment.
His vision blurred, and he passed out once more.
Having fulfilled his earlier promise, Su Bai was in a rather good mood.
After saying his farewells to Zhang Wei and the others,
he set off under the gentle rays of the dawning sun,
heading toward Canglan City in Cangzhou.
...
"Sir! How much for a trip to Canglan City?"
At a wide, bright, and bustling ancient ferry port, Su Bai stood before a red boat, addressing an old boatman wearing a straw raincoat.
This old man possessed the Cultivation of the Qi Sea Realm. Though nearly eighty, his body was still hale and hearty. Puffing on a long-stemmed pipe, he spoke with a cheerful laugh.
His voice was like a great bell.
"Sir, a trip to Canglan City will be five taels of silver!"
After paying, Su Bai boarded the boat.
This red boat was clearly much larger than the small one he had taken last time.
There were already a few people on board: seven innocent, wide-eyed children, several women, and three young men.
There was also a white-haired old man.
And finally, a young female spear master, dressed in a Red Robe, with unparalleled beauty and her hair tied back in a single ponytail, exuding a valiant and heroic air.
Su Bai glanced at her and noticed that the tip of the silver longspear she gripped tightly was stained with a faint, hard-to-detect trace of Demon Qi and Demonic Qi.
His Heart Spirit stirred, and he took a spot at the bow of the boat.
"Everyone’s here, let’s go!"
The old boatman shouted out in a clear voice, then pushed off from the riverbank with his bamboo pole, slowly moving away.
The bow of the boat met the river’s surface, creating a series of azure ripples.
Before long, the group of children on the boat had gathered around the white-haired old man, pestering him to tell them stories about gods, demons, and ghosts.
The old man was soft-hearted and doted on them, so he began to tell his tales in a gentle voice.
It was said that ten years ago, the Bi River flooded, submerging many places. A stone bridge that stood in the river was broken in the middle by something pushing up from below. At first, everyone thought the river’s current was to blame.
Later, it was said that someone passing by the bridge that day saw a black shadow under the river’s surface, at least seventy or eighty feet long, with antlers like a deer—closely resembling a Dragon of legend...
After finishing this story, he moved on to the mass grave outside the city, which was often said to be haunted...
Of course, the old man’s stories weren’t all true.
Some were things he had seen with his own eyes, some were hearsay, and others were just complete fabrications.
But at least the children listened with great relish.
They stared with wide, frightened eyes, both scared and excited, but unwilling to leave.
However, the old man’s supply of stories was limited. After telling a few, he was just about wrung dry and couldn’t come up with any more.
But these little ones were terribly persistent in their pestering.
With no other choice, the old man’s gaze shifted, landing on the spear-wielding woman beside him.
"Stop pestering me, go bother this great warrior here!"
A few of the children peeked at her furtively, but didn’t dare to approach.
"Don’t be afraid. This heroine has been listening for so long; she must be someone who loves stories too."
"People of the Jianghu travel far and wide. They see much and know much. Their experiences are wondrous. Who knows, she might have even met Demon Fiends and Devils herself!"
"Just go over and say something nice, I guarantee it’ll work!"
The old man encouraged, whispering in the children’s ears.
Finally, a brave little boy looked at her with wide, timid eyes.
"Great Warrior, have you ever met any ghosts?"
"Of course I have."
The young woman spoke. Her voice was cool and clear, but her gaze toward the children was quite gentle.
"Huh?"
As soon as she said this, all the children crowded around her in surprise.
The children’s eyes lit up, full of expectation.
"Really?"
"Should I tell you a story?"
"Yes!"
Looking at the group of children with their innocent smiles, the young woman smiled beautifully, the defenses around her heart relaxing considerably.
Then, she slowly began to speak.
"It happened last year."
"Once, on my way back to my sect in Canglan City, I took a wrong turn and was delayed for many hours. I had also eaten all the rations I was carrying."
"I was starving."
"I walked for a long time and happened to see cooking smoke rising in the distance. When I got closer, I saw it was a village."
At this point, the young woman stuck out her tongue, a little embarrassed.
"Heh... I thought to myself, ’I’ve gotta go up there and get myself a great meal, right?’"
"It’s not like I’d be eating for free. Though I was out of rations, I still had some broken silver in my pack."
"And if all else failed, I could just kowtow to them. That would have to be enough, right?"
"And so, I went to eat."
Seeing the group of children listening with rapt attention, the corners of the young woman’s mouth lifted slightly. She flicked her ponytail and continued.
"The meal itself went very smoothly."
"There was a feast of fish and meat, they had everything."
"After I’d eaten and drunk my fill, night fell. I found a thick tree vine and prepared to sleep."
"But who would have thought that when I woke in the middle of the night, things had gotten creepy!"
"The villagers from the daytime had suddenly transformed in the night—they had all turned into skeletons!"
Hearing this, a few of the more timid children immediately turned pale.
But one or two of the braver ones only grew more excited for what would happen next.
The young woman continued.
"I went into the village and discovered several Demon Fiends with eight arms and nine legs!"
"They had all sorts of bizarre appearances, every kind you can imagine."
"After I slayed these Demon Fiends,
I investigated further and found a hidden cave in the mountain behind the village."
"I ducked down and entered the cavern."
"I walked all the way to the bottom, and only then did I discover an old man on the verge of death, sitting in the deepest part of the cave."
"This old man was strange, too. He had deliberately created this whole scene just to lure someone over, so that his legacy would not be cut short."
"And later..."
The young woman smiled faintly. "So I took the old man’s legacy. My Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and I guess you could say I became his disciple."
"Wow!"
After hearing the story, the children all cried out in amazement.
Then they all started clamoring for the young woman to tell another one.
"Alright, alright! I’ll tell one more then."
The young woman said with a faint smile.
Su Bai stood at the bow, together with the old boatman.
He was also listening to the young woman’s story.
The old boatman at his side took a drag from his pipe.
Smoke drifted past his slightly cloudy eyes.
He glanced at the young woman and the children, then looked back at Su Bai and said cheerfully,
"Sometimes, I just love listening to these things."
"After so many years of rowing this boat, getting to hear such interesting things... it really lifts your spirits."
"It’s nice,"
Su Bai said with a smile.
Then, he looked at the scenery on either bank.
Under the brilliant sunlight,
the boat parted layers of jade-green waves, gliding between the reflections of mountains and water.
It moved onward at a leisurely pace.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.
The sunlight on the horizon gradually softened, turning a dusky yellow.
At the bow of the boat,
Su Bai suddenly fixed his gaze in a certain direction.
And there, a massive, ink-black boat...
kicked up a turbulent wake...
as it came tearing through the waves!