CH 103

Travelers talk about the mythical Elysium, where the misty waves make it hard to find any reliable signs. This time setting out to sea, the odds were more against Ren Shuhan than in his favor.

Ren Shuhan still didn’t fully trust the system’s navigation, so after leaving the city, he left his horse at the relay station and took the old road that human cultivators often said could lead to the immortal realm, known as the Zhongnan Road.

This road had been expanded after Dengfeng was renamed to Dengcheng, with a section added from Dengcheng to the imperial capital, extending north to the Dragon Gate Pass. It was a road specialized for sword cultivation, allowing cultivators to fly on their swords. It remained narrow and dilapidated, with no maintenance over the years. When Ren Shuhan followed his master from the south down the Dragon Gate Pass, they traveled along this road.

There were many cultivators on the road, as they sought livelihoods and generally had some money. Jian Ci was one of them. Along the road, a considerable number of ordinary people gathered, but Jian Ci dressed himself like a beggar at that time, even smudging his face black when Ren Shuhan touched it, and followed the refugees, occasionally begging for food from the cultivators resting by the sword road. It was quite cunning.

Due to the danger of flying swords, this road was one-way northbound, only allowing stops to exit but not to turn back. Some refugees took advantage of this, targeting wealthy cultivators flying towards them for food when they were hungry. If the loss wasn’t significant and the cultivators found the refugees dirty, they wouldn’t bother reclaiming the food. However, this method was dangerous, often resulting in refugees being injured by flying swords, with blood and flesh scattered.

Sometimes, they encountered a large group of robbers who directly attacked cultivators with lower cultivation levels, killing them for money, and then cutting them up for meat. If there was a dispute over the distribution of the spoils, they would fight, with limbs flying everywhere for a while.

Therefore, this road left a deep shadow on young Ren Shuhan.

“This is the mortal world. Do you see it?” Jian Ci pointed to the people on the road, educating him quietly. “Do you understand how important it is to cultivate diligently now? Will you still be lazy in the future?”

Ren Shuhan: “…”

Absolutely not.

Nowadays, when he flew on the sword road again, he directly rose tens of feet high, overlooking the approximate direction of the Zhongnan Road, shaking off the crowd below like tiny ants, and flew towards the Dragon Gate Pass.

Ordinary cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage could only fly a few dozen feet high and travel a dozen miles at most, needing to rest several times. But Ren Shuhan could rise to hundreds of feet, travel thousands of miles a day, and was completely unafraid of heights. It wasn’t until he first took Jiang Qingyue flying on a sword that he realized he was the only one capable of this. Ordinary people couldn’t do it.

At that time, Jiang Qingyue was extremely scared, holding onto him tightly without letting go.

“Don’t be afraid,” Ren Shuhan held his buttocks with one hand and covered his eyes with the other, slowly opening a small gap, chuckling, “Look.”

Looking down from a height at the night of Dengcheng, the red lights were scattered like stars, with the most incense burning on Jade Mountain, surrounded by jade belts, like a fairyland, unlike the mortal world.

Jiang Qingyue gradually opened his eyes wide, silently looking down, then buried his face in Ren Shuhan’s neck.

“Is it beautiful?” Ren Shuhan asked him, “In the future, I can often take you to see it.”

“It’s beautiful.” But he shook his head, not wanting to look anymore.

No, Ren Shuhan thought, in the future, he would let his Qingyue see it whenever he wanted by flying on his sword himself.

He would find a way for Jiang Qingyue to cultivate.

The system pointed him to the nearest road, which led straight to the sky… Ren Shuhan still felt unreliable, so after a few days, he arrived at the Dragon Gate Pass, where the system modified the nearest route and pointed to a nearby location.

“Young Immortal, are you going to sea to seek immortality?”

The boat sellers outside the pass looked him over, persuading him repeatedly.

“With such outstanding talents and profound immortal techniques, staying in the mortal world would bring endless wealth and glory. Why bother going to the immortal realm?”

Ren Shuhan smiled and didn’t answer.

When he left the Jiang Mansion, the people in the mansion and the teachers from Jade Mountain also advised him to stay because going to the immortal realm was basically a one-way trip. In a hundred years, if there was one immortal who descended into the mortal world, it would be celebrated with gongs and drums. But he understood that he would definitely have the ability to come back, because he would never get lost in the water.

He wasn’t human; he had known since he was a child. But he hadn’t told anyone, fearing it would scare Jiang Qingyue, so he didn’t even tell Jiang Qingyue.

If he didn’t hide his aura, aquatic creatures would go crazy trying to run away from him. Even in his juvenile stage, no one dared to touch him. So, he feared nothing.

“Which is the cheapest boat?”

Ren Shuhan asked, and the boat seller pointed to a small boat, then began to persuade him again.

“Since you’re going to sea, don’t save money on this. If you encounter strong winds and waves, you’ll need to turn back.”

“What about the most expensive boat?” Ren Shuhan asked again. “How much?”

The seller mentioned a high figure and brought him to a mid-priced boat. “This one isn’t necessary. The boat is too big, and one person can’t handle it. This one is good enough.”

Ren Shuhan took out the money to buy the most expensive boat and handed it to the merchant, then he carried the cheapest boat and left.

“Thank you!”

The merchant: “Huh? Fair winds to you, Immortal!”

Ren Shuhan was now completely affluent and appreciated the merchant’s sentiment, deciding to give himself a little reward.

After all, he would abandon the boat once he reached the sea.

Although he carried a valuable Qiankun bag1So it’s basically a “magical” bag? While it looks ordinary, it can holds a lot more than what it looks like, it was unnecessary for him to bring a boat. He didn’t want to waste it, nor did he want to give others a handle to use against him, so he chose this method.

As the real dragon entered the sea, even a distance of ten thousand miles seemed like nothing. After many years, Ren Shuhan transformed back to his original form and realized that he had grown significantly in size, now as big as a small mountain.

Finally, he saw the silver he had accumulated over the years!

The first immortal island Ren Shuhan arrived at was not much larger than his original form.

After landing on the island, the system provided a lot of information about the island, but Ren Shuhan didn’t pay much attention to it. Instead, he went to check the items in the system’s shop. In the “cultivation” category, there was a mirror listed with the function of long-distance communication.

Having been out for a while, he hadn’t sent a letter to Jiang Qingyue yet.

After entering the immortal realm, everywhere was shrouded in white mist, making it impossible for carrier pigeons to navigate. He tried the mirror and actually saw Jiang Qingyue at that moment, but Jiang Qingyue looked nervous, completely unaware that he was being spied on, while talking to the person next to him, Ah Lu.

“Isn’t this against the rules?” Jiang Qingyue shook Ah Lu’s shoulder, “Let’s call her down!”

“Oh my, you worry too much,” Ah Lu was just watching the excitement, “In this kind of competition, it’s fine until it’s not. She said she’s fine herself. If she can’t handle it, she can always come down, right?”

Ren Shuhan slid his finger on the mirror’s surface, and his perspective moved to the arena in front of Jiang Qingyue.

Wen Xin was by Jiang Qingyue’s side, wielding a long knife, while a white-robed Daoist stood opposite, wielding a sword. Surprisingly, it was Jian Ci!

Ren Shuhan: “???”

I came to find you, and you’re going home?

Are you kidding me, you rotten Daoist? You’re not the most conscientious master!

Wait, why hasn’t Jian Ci aged in these years? Did he form his golden core in the immortal realm?

But he had inferior spiritual roots, four mediocre roots. The likelihood of him reaching the golden core stage was very low. His previous life motto was to make do with whatever he had and keep a low profile. Having more spiritual roots was good for performing tricks and making money…

How could a person like him spend four years exploring the immortal path at sea, then come back after forming his golden core?

Ren Shuhan didn’t think he came back for himself.

At this moment, the system suddenly reminded him of something it had said before: “Friendly reminder: Jian Ci has appeared. Detected that the host’s body lacks a firewall, which is extremely dangerous. It is recommended to activate the exclusive shielding function for the protagonist.”

He understood every single word…

But why didn’t he understand when they were together?

The system popped up Jian Ci’s introduction: “The noble and elegant Jian Ci, the protagonist’s master, who crossed over four years ago and is about to sever Wen Xin’s arm.”

The system added: “Wen Xin, the future indispensable assistant to the protagonist. It is advisable to take protective measures.”

Ren Shuhan’s temples throbbed.

… Noble and elegant?

Are you talking about the one who picks his nose and ears in public, Jian Ci???

He remained silent for a long time, only activating the protagonist’s protective halo shield just before the match on the arena began.

Ren Shuhan knew Jian Ci’s strength. Although Jian Ci had urged him to practice martial arts since he was a child, he had been soft and lazy, only moving when necessary. Wen Xin could easily knock him down with one hand.

Even if he had formed his golden core now, Wen Xin, with both hands, could easily beat him to the point of crying for his mother.

But as soon as the match began, Jian Ci adopted a posture and gaze that Ren Shuhan had never seen before. His eyes became icy, and he wielded his sword like a dagger, aiming directly at Wen Xin’s face!

Wen Xin calmly responded, managing to fend off the attacks, although it was somewhat challenging. However, each time she avoided getting injured critically, and she also gave Jian Ci a sense of pressure.

Jian Ci immediately became flustered.

Wen Xin seized the opportunity, pressing on relentlessly. Jian Ci instantly fell into a disadvantageous position, his eyes showing a fierce look, as he desperately fought back, gambling that Wen Xin wouldn’t continue to charge forward, disregarding his own life, and attempting to sever the tendons in Wen Xin’s right hand!

Using a knife or a sword, everyone had a dominant hand, and if it was disabled, they would have to start over. This move was indeed vicious.

Ren Shuhan became more and more alarmed as he watched.

Is this Jian Ci?

Wen Xin’s gaze was firm, showing no sign of retreat. She faced this strike head-on, the long knife grazing Jian Ci’s temple to his eye corner, intending to exchange her own right hand for both of Jian Ci’s eyes!

If it were Ren Shuhan facing this situation, he estimated that he would adopt the same strategy as Wen Xin because he could tell from Jian Ci’s actions that Jian Ci couldn’t afford to lose.

Sure enough, Jian Ci stopped. The two of them retreated a few steps, creating some distance between them.

There was a bloody scar on Jian Ci’s face, running from his temple to the corner of his eye, and his left eye was closed shut by blood, his face disfigured.

Wen Xin, on the other hand, appeared to have the upper hand. There was only a shallow blood mark on her right wrist, without injuring the tendons.

The scene at the trial sword meeting fell into silence, and the disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect and the Jiang Mansion were on the verge of drawing their swords. From then on, the enmity between the Cold Mountain Sect and the Jiang Mansion, even if it wasn’t already, was definitely formed!

What’s going on?

Ren Shuhan furrowed his brows, watching the fierce Jian Ci in the mirror, feeling suspicious.

Just as he was about to ask the system, he suddenly sensed a faint sound from the nearby forest.

“Who?!”

“Oh, my,” a coquettish woman in blue walked out from behind the tree, throwing him a flirtatious glance. “Young master, you’ve trespassed into the territory of our He Huan2It can also mean be happy together, you’ll understand what kind of happiness it is in later chapters… Sect, and yet you’re asking me who I am? So fierce, I’m so scared~”

I was scared for Wen Wen :’))))

Thank you for reading