Fairy Yu

The relief scenes on the two grand bronze doors presented two entirely different artistic moods.

The "Myriad Homes' Lanterns" on the left door seemed to depict a real, ancient city brimming with the warmth of human life.

Just by staring for a moment, Li Weiyi felt as if his soul was being pulled inside. He walked down a street under the night sky, surrounded by hawking cries and the bustling, lively atmosphere of a market.

The "River of the Underworld Stars" on the right door exuded a grand and majestic aura, a river formed by densely packed stars. It resembled the Milky Way in the night sky, but this river was not silver—it was a murky yellow.

"Is this where the owner of the Bronze Ship lived? Has He truly passed away?"

Li Weiyi thought that if the garden could emit Immortal Radiance and water mist, there might be springs and mysterious treasures inside.

On the ship, water was in short supply.

Golden Crow Blood and Black Flood Dragon Blood were clearly not drinkable casually; they were extremely dangerous and not a fundamental solution to the problem.

"Rustle, rustle!"

As soon as he stepped onto the Stone Steps, a gust of Wind Force came from somewhere unknown.

With extraordinary power backing him, Li Weiyi was full of courage and continued upward.

He reached the top of the Stone Steps.

First, he peered through the gap between the two doors.

The gap was a full two fingers wide.

In his field of vision, the space behind the doors was very open. Below a shadow wall built of black stone lay a black-and-white Taiji Lake.

At the center of the lake, a Giant Sword was thrust in, exuding a soul-shaking presence. The blade was forged from two completely different materials: pitch black and blood red.

Li Weiyi extended both hands, channeling the scorching airflow surging from the sole of his right foot, and tried to push the doors.

"Boom!"

His hands were still half a foot away from the bronze doors when a Mountain-Toppling, Sea-Overturning Power surged forth, blasting him back like a falling leaf. He landed lightly on the ground at the bottom of the Stone Steps.

"The new master of the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish, this door is not for you to enter now. You are one who bears the karma, not the one who created it. Go, then..."

A faint, indistinct voice came through, as if directly echoing in Li Weiyi's mind, or as if emerging from the bronze doors before him.

"Who are you? What karma are you talking about?" Li Weiyi asked.

There was no response.

"Whoosh!"

The air trembled, and a translucent barrier rose along the courtyard wall, enveloping the entire garden.

It lingered for a long time before dissipating.

An order to leave!

Li Weiyi immediately stepped back, staring at the massive bronze doors. He felt that the voice just now did not seem to exist in this time and space, more like a conversation between an ancient person from a thousand years ago and someone of the present.

A very strange feeling.

Without a doubt, the Bronze Ship setting sail, including their crash landing, was inextricably linked to the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish.

Master, oh Master, you must know something.

What kind of terrifying karma does becoming the master of the Chan Sect entail?

"Li Weiyi!"

Cai Yutong's voice came from behind him.

"Senior Sister Cai..."

Li Weiyi let out a long breath, quickly suppressing the myriad thoughts in his mind, and turned around... The smile that had just formed on his face froze instantly as he stared at Cai Yutong in utter disbelief.

Was this Senior Sister Cai?

Cai Yutong was wearing Qi Shanshan's white physician's coat as an outer layer. The coat hung only half a foot below her waist, leaving her two straight, impossibly long jade legs almost completely exposed.

More importantly.

Her skin was even whiter than the physician's coat she wore—delicate, lustrous, like a fairy carved from jade, crystal clear and glowing faintly.

Her jet-black hair fell naturally, contrasting sharply with her jade-white skin.

Her eyes, as if washed by a divine spring, were far brighter than before, brimming with spiritual essence.

Her lips bore no lipstick, yet they were moist and rosy red, like carved rubies.

Her appearance had already been extremely beautiful, but now...

It was no longer a matter of appearance; she seemed to have become a celestial being.

There was no longer any flaw on her body. She seemed to embody all the beauty in the world. Just standing there, she could transform her surroundings into a fairyland, even if the outside was the eerie and terrifying Sea of Souls.

Li Weiyi considered himself to have strong resistance to female beauty, focusing more on martial arts. But Cai Yutong at this moment struck him with immense shock deep inside.

This was no longer Senior Sister Cai!

This was Fairy Yu!

If he stripped the red robe from the White Bone Demon in the Ice Coffin of the tomb and put it on her, wouldn't she be a celestial descending to the mortal world?

"Staring at Yutong like that—you wouldn't happen to know she's not wearing anything underneath, would you?" With Cai Yutong present, the fear Qi Shanshan felt toward Li Weiyi lessened somewhat.

Li Weiyi quickly averted his gaze, secretly circulating the Jade Void Breathing Technique to steady his heartbeat, then took off his outer coat and handed it over. "Wear mine for now. Pants... do you need pants too?"

Cai Yutong said, "If I go back wearing your coat and pants, what will the Research Team Members think?"

Li Weiyi thought it over. That made sense.

So he turned his gaze to Qi Shanshan.

Qi Shanshan said, "I could strip again, it's not impossible, but then I'd only be left with—"

Li Weiyi said, "What I meant was, Doctor Qi could first go back to the cabin near the Ship Bow and grab some clothes."

"Fine."

Qi Shanshan dared not complain and walked toward the Ship Tower passage.

Seeing Cai Yutong drink the Golden Crow Blood, shed her Mortal Shell, and emerge like a butterfly from a cocoon with an Immortal Spirit's flawless body, she—always one to love beauty—was naturally envious.

But remembering she could drink the Golden Crow Blood too, that jealousy faded.

As long as Zhao Meng recovered, the future was still promising.

Li Weiyi, don't act tough now. Who knows who'll come out on top later.

Cai Yutong seemed indifferent to whether she was wearing anything underneath, without any forced coyness. "She told me everything just now! She actually... sensed the crisis of life and death coming early, felt insecure, and wanted to carve out a way to survive."

"Senior Sister is pleading for her?"

"She saved me."

Li Weiyi said, "Does Senior Sister know what happened on the ship? Hearing it from someone and seeing it with your own eyes might be two very different feelings. And I don't think Senior Sister necessarily knows Doctor Qi that well."

"She saved you too," Cai Yutong said.

Wind blew in from the sea, lifting large swaths of the white doctor's coat.

Li Weiyi quickly looked away and sighed. "It's precisely because she saved me that I found it harder than ever to decide just now... Senior Sister, could you please put on my coat first? I'd even suggest you wear a hat and face mask. If you go back to the research team like this, I'm afraid chaos will break out again soon."

He felt that Cai Yutong's current beauty was something few could resist—too tempting, enough to drive many to take risks.

A femme fatale, nothing less.

"Fine. Everyone should take responsibility for their own mistakes. You decide for yourself."

Cai Yutong looked up at the sky. "It seems like dawn is breaking. The light is coming from... the direction of the Ship Bow."

Calculating the time, it should indeed be dawn.

But one had to know that on the Sea of Souls, there was no night or day—only the Starry Sky.

How could light appear in the sky?

Not only did light appear, but clouds appeared too.

"Dawn?"

Li Weiyi found it hard to believe.

In the direction the Bronze Ship was heading, light indeed appeared ahead.

The stars were rapidly thinning and dimming, the darkness receding.

Like morning arriving.

Looking again at the sea beyond the Bulwark, the pitch-black water was now covered in ripples of shattered gold. No more souls in the sea, and clouds had appeared in the sky.

But the clouds were massive and low-hanging, and golden.

"Great, those grim and terrifying swarms of souls are finally gone. I have a feeling there must be land in this world." Li Weiyi's mood lifted, his face beaming with a bright, sunny smile.

Lately, whether it was the external environment or the internal turmoil, everything had been too oppressive.

After waiting nearly an hour, the darkness and Starry Sky had long since vanished completely.

The sea and sky were both bathed in golden rays.

The view was wide open, refreshing the spirit.

But Qi Shanshan still hadn't returned with clothes.

"Something's wrong. We can't wait any longer."

Cai Yutong tied Li Weiyi's coat around her waist and walked ahead toward the Ship Tower passage.

Li Weiyi agreed with Cai Yutong's judgment—Qi Shanshan must be in trouble. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken this long. But what danger could still be on the ship?

Li Weiyi and Cai Yutong walked all the way to the Ship Bow without encountering Qi Shanshan.

Outside the Medical Tent, they ran into Qin Ke.

Qin Ke said happily, "Brother Weiyi, where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you. Hurry, go to the Ship Bow beyond the Nether Mist and see—a miracle, a miracle has appeared!"

"Brother Weiyi?"

Cai Yutong looked at Li Weiyi.

She distinctly remembered that Professor Xu's students were all still in graduate school, several years older than Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi asked, "Sister Qin, have you seen Doctor Qi?"

Hearing the address "Sister Qin," Qin Ke was momentarily taken aback before replying, "No. Everyone thought she was with you last night."

Li Weiyi and Cai Yutong exchanged glances.

Qi Shanshan couldn't have fled out of guilt, could she? Where would she even run to?

Besides, Li Weiyi believed he had made it clear enough—he wouldn't expose her, would give her a chance to reform.

Qin Ke's gaze shifted from Li Weiyi and then locked onto Cai Yutong, unable to look away.

More importantly, Dr. Cai's waist was still tied with Li Weiyi's clothes.

So they had been together last night.

"Dr. Cai... you..."

Even Qin Ke, a woman, was stunned speechless by Cai Yutong's beauty. She lowered her head, sinking into self-mockery and inferiority, wanting only to flee the scene immediately.

"I'll go look in the mirror first and change clothes."

Cai Yutong felt her looks might really be getting out of hand. What use was being good-looking for someone in research? Could it win her the Priestley Medal?

Li Weiyi stepped out of the Nether Mist and arrived at the bow.

He finally saw the miracle Qin Ke had mentioned. His scalp instantly went numb, and he was so shocked he held his breath.