Li Yanchu and Ding Rou eventually managed to board the ferry. The ferryman stood expressionless as he gently pushed the boat away from the shore. “Wait!” A lean, gloomy-looking Daoist came flying over, a yellow talisman stuck to his body. It was a Wind-Riding Talisman! His voice sounded like a broken windmill, and it sounded raspy and low. But by now, the ferryman had already left the shore completely, showing no sign of stopping. A flash of cold light appeared in the Daoist’s eyes, and with a powerful leap, he landed steadily at the front of the boat. “I am Qingmuzi from Mount Zhongnan. Are you deaf, ferryman?” the man said coldly. His aura was brimming with sinister qi, and he was clearly a demonic Daoist who cultivated with spirits, yet he had the nerve to claim he was from the revered Mount Zhongnan Sect. Li Yanchu shot him a glance. This guy? No way he's a disciple of Quanzhen Daoism. The Daoist’s sharp eyes swept toward Ding Rou, and he gave a sinister, lecherous smile. Ding Rou instinctively frowned. Suddenly, the ferryman, with a vicious face, exhaled a puff of black wind, blasting the demonic Daoist off the boat. The Daoist fell into the river! Despite his earlier Wind-Riding Talisman speed, he couldn’t dodge it at all. “You bastard, how dare you...” His curse was still forming when his face twisted in horror. From beneath the water, invisible hands seemed to seize him, dragging him downwards! This man, clearly someone with powerful cultivation and tricks, was now filled with fear. He couldn’t break free; instead, he was pulled deeper and deeper into the cold, dark river right before their eyes. At this time, Li Yanchu and Ding Rou exchanged a glance. Both of them looked surprised. Li Yanchu placed his hand on the hilt of his saber, watching the ferryman cautiously. But, the ferryman, with his fierce appearance like a river bandit, made no further moves. Instead, he remained expressionless, and continued to pole the boat forward. Creepy... Li Yanchu finally understood why no one dared mess with the ferryman. Ding Rou’s expression turned grave. She was clearly shaken by what the ferryman had just done. Li Yanchu, standing calmly on the boat, couldn’t help but use his Qi Sight to observe the river! What he saw made his heart lurch: the surface of the river was blood-red. It was thick and turbid, completely different from what he saw earlier from the shore. “Gasp...” Li Yanchu couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet Such dense malevolent qi... How many living beings had to die to stain the river ? “Where on earth does this river come from?” His expression grew strange. Thankfully, he had played it safe earlier and didn’t use a Water-Repelling Talisman to cross by force. Otherwise, the sinister power within the river might’ve dragged him under too. He looked toward the ferryman, and after a moment of thought, said, “Sir, I have a question, where did that mysterious man go earlier?” Ding Rou looked over in surprise. “You’re not supposed to ask where people came from or where they’re going. That’s the rule for ferrymen,” she said quietly. Her master had warned her about this before she descended the mountain. When crossing by ferry, never speak to the ferryman. The ferryman remained expressionless, his eyes lifeless. He gave no response whatsoever to Li Yanchu’s question. Li Yanchu tried again, “Sir, can you hear me?” Ding Rou couldn’t help but say, “Fellow Daoist, when you're on the ferry, the ferryman won’t speak to anyone.” Li Yanchu nodded slightly. However, he was very interested in what had happened back then in the Blissful Land. And that mysterious man might very well have been someone from the original Daoist sect of Mount Jinting. He wanted to find some kind of clue from that mysterious figure! After a moment’s thought, and under Ding Rou’s disbelieving gaze, Li Yanchu pulled out yet another sacred Daoist temple artifact. It was a stone bead. Worn down by the passage of a thousand years, it was already damaged, but it still radiated divinity and carried the unique divine light of the Blissful Land in Mount Jinting. “Sir,” Li Yanchu said, “I’m very curious about this matter. If you tell me, I’ll give you this artifact, how about it?” The ferryman remained unmoved, expressionless. Ding Rou was stunned. This wasn’t some business transaction! She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and was about to stop Li Yanchu, but then remembered that she was literally riding the boat for free using his artifact and held back the urge to interfere. Li Yanchu pulled out another Daoist temple artifact, and it was a stone token. The ferryman still didn’t respond. So he pulled out another one. This time, it was a belt, incredibly tough and of unknown material. The ferryman remained expressionless, but there was a faint ripple in his gaze. Gotcha... Li Yanchu’s eyes lit up. He learned to read one’s microexpressions. He proceeded to pull out three more Daoist temple artifacts one after another, like performing a magic trick. Ding Rou looked on in shock. Never mind the Telekinetic Retrieval technique, just how many Daoist temple artifacts did this guy have?! The still-expressionless ferryman looked at Li Yanchu again, and he responded by pulling out two more artifacts. “Sir,” Li Yanchu said with a smile in his eyes, “how about it? This trade's a pretty good deal, right?” Ding Rou finally couldn’t hold back anymore. “Fellow Daoist Master Li, ferrymen never speak to passengers. You’re wasting your effort!” She couldn’t bear to see how disappointed Li Yanchu might be in a moment. “I ate that Daoist,” the ferryman suddenly said. Ding Rou was stunned, while Li Yanchu furrowed his brows. “You ate him!?” The ferryman put away the seven Daoist temple artifacts Li Yanchu had handed over, and, shockingly, a smile appeared on his once-expressionless face. “That’s right. He wasn’t alive, he was just a spirit.” “Exactly. All things have spirit, even mountains, rivers, plants, trees. Basically everything. It’s just that most spirits are too weak to manifest. That man was the spirit of this paper boat!” At this moment, the ferryman was nothing like his former cold, silent self; he was now practically a friendly, talkative boatman. Ding Rou couldn’t help but roll her eyes again. Was this guy even a real ferryman!? The ferryman continued, “But that man’s case was special. He had his own consciousness, he was just badly damaged.” “Damaged...” That lined up perfectly with the events of the old battle in the Blissful Land... So this spirit of the paper boat was indeed tied to what had happened back then. Li Yanchu’s eyes gleamed with contemplation. But a sudden pang of regret struck him. Seven Daoist temple artifacts... And all he got was this one piece of information!? “Sir,” Li Yanchu said helplessly, “you’ve got quite the appetite. That was a spirit, wasn’t it? You just... ate him?” The ferryman smiled faintly. “How else do you think I got so many divine artifacts?” Li Yanchu cupped his hands in respect. He was convinced by his answer. Also, what the hell was up with that smile!? So that expressionless act earlier was just him pretending to be aloof? The ferryman added, “However, that spirit left behind some fragments of memory. Would you like to know what they are?” Good grief! This is basically bundled pricing! Li Yanchu asked warily, “Can you guarantee this information is legit?” The ferryman smiled and said, “Surely, you jest. I specialize in ferrying, and my business relies on rules and trust. With a whole boat this big in front of you, do you think I’d lie with my eyes wide open?” Thank the heavens you’re not selling watermelons[1]... Li Yanchu gave a slight nod. “Let’s talk about the price. We don’t know each other that well.” The ferryman held up three fingers and said plainly, “Three Daoist temple artifacts.” This ferryman who had just now seemed so lofty and enigmatic now looked more like a slick wheeler-dealer. Li Yanchu, wealthy and generous, actually pulled out three more Daoist temple artifacts without hesitation. 1. This sarcastic remark implies the opposite: if the ferryman were a watermelon seller, he could lie while looking you dead in the eye. This references a Chinese idiom, “卖瓜的说自己的瓜甜”, which means “The watermelon seller says his own melons are sweet.” Meaning: People praise their own goods (or actions) no matter what, even if it's not true. ☜