Chapter 904: Profound Origin Turtle

Chapter 904: Profound Origin Turtle

Time passed quickly. When the sun was setting toward the western mountains, and the Fury Wind River was dyed in red and orange, Ye Qing finally returned from his errand.

“Here you go.” Ye Qing waved his hand and caused a pile of sacks to appear on the ground. “It was surprisingly difficult trying to gather these things.”

He was understating it. For one, Fury Wind River wasn’t suitable for living or farming, so even the closest town was at least tens of kilometers away from the rivershore. Two, the towns were all small and filled with poor people who couldn’t even feed themselves satisfactorily, much less own a stock of surplus grain that was at least a year old. They couldn’t give him what he wanted even if he was the wealthiest man in the world.

In the end, he had to travel a long distance and visit over a dozen towns before he finally bought enough Five Grains from landlords and wealthy households to meet Feng Qingyou’s demands. It felt more tiring than fighting multiple powerful warriors to the death.

“Thank you for your hard work, Joyless.” Feng Qingyou smiled appreciatively.

“So, what do you need these for, Qingyou?” Ye Qing asked.

“To fish!” Feng Qingyou answered.

“Excuse me?” Ye Qing blinked dumbly for the second time of the day. Since when could grains be used for fishing? Was she making fun of the uneducated, or...?

“You’ll know in a moment.” Once again, Feng Qingyou kept him in suspense.

“Why can’t you just tell me now?” Ye Qing asked.

“Because the time isn’t right yet.” Feng Qingyou smiled patiently. “Go catch some rest. I’ll let you know when it’s time.”

Despite the itch gnawing inside his heart, Ye Qing sighed and said, “Fine. I look forward to it.”

It was night. When the moon rose to the center of the sky and illuminated the river with its silver radiance, Feng Qingyou finally got up to her feet and walked up to the rivershore. Then, she opened five sacks, grabbed a handful of grains, and tossed them into the river.

Ye Qing stopped meditating and opened his eyes then. Leaning against a tree, he watched as Feng Qingyou grabbed a handful of grains and tossed them into the river again and again. He chuckled. “You call this fishing, Qingyou? This is more like feeding, isn’t it?”

“It makes no difference so long as the fish takes the bait,” Feng Qingyou answered without stopping.

“Makes sense.” Ye Qing crossed his arms and waited. He was curious to know what kind of “fish” would take Feng Qingyou’s bait.

“From this folklore, we can deduce that the Stranger who saved them is friendly toward humans and possesses the power to calm the waters. They all fit the characteristics of a Profound Origin Turtle. On top of that, Fury Wind River is exactly the kind of uninhabited river that a Profound Origin Turtle would like to live in. That is why I guessed that one might exist in Fury Wind River, and as it turned out, I was right.”

“Your foresight is incredible as always,” Ye Qing praised from the bottom of his heart.

About half a teatime later, when the five large sacks of Five Grains had all entered the Profound Origin Turtle’s stomach, the Stranger slowly surfaced into view.

It was after the Profound Origin Turtle had fully surfaced that Ye Qing realized that it was even bigger than he had imagined. It was almost as big as a small mountain.

“Why have you summoned this old one?” The Profound Origin Turtle asked in the human language.

Some intelligent Strangers could speak and even turn into humans, so Ye Qing wasn’t surprised by this at all.

“Well met, senior. There is something we would like to ask your help with.”

Feng Qingyou saluted the Profound Origin Turtle before asking, “Do you know if there exists an island in the Fury Wind River?”

“An island?” The Profound Origin Turtle fell silent for a moment before answering, “There are no islands in the Fury Wind River.”

“What? That can’t be!” Ye Qing frowned deeply when he heard this. Did the Annon Sutra screw up, or was the Profound Origin Turtle lying to them? Neither sounded possible.

It was at this moment the Profound Origin Turtle continued, “Although there are no islands in the Fury Wind River, there is a whale tomb. It might be what you are seeking.”

“A whale tomb?” Ye Qing looked puzzled. “Why is there a whale tomb in the Fury Wind River?”

A whale tomb was the site where a whale-type, large-sized Stranger had perished. Whale-type Strangers were overlords of the sea, massive and powerful. They did not rot even after they died, and their carcasses usually floated on the sea surface and, for all intents and purposes, functioned just like an island. That was why people called it whale tomb or whale island.

Most whale-type Strangers lived in the deep sea due to their sheer volume and size. Although Fury Wind River wasn’t small, Ye Qing doubted that a whale-type Stranger would choose to live in this location. Naturally, there shouldn’t be a whale tomb here.

“You do not know this, but sixty years ago, a grievously wounded Jade Dragon Whale swam into Fury Wind River through the estuary. Perhaps its injuries were too severe, but it perished not long after and turned into a whale tomb.”

The Profound Origin Turtle explained, “The whale tomb is anomalous and vanishes during the day. On top of that, it is constantly adrift. That is why few humans are aware of its existence.”