Towering Ship

Two months later, south of Great Qi, Zhao Province, by the Hunlong River outside Kaiyang City.

The sky had just begun to lighten, a thin white mist rising all around. At a ferry crossing that should have been empty, people were gathering in twos and threes—some in flowing finery drifting in on foot, others in coarse old clothes arriving on horseback or by carriage from afar.

Among every group were youths and maidens who seemed not yet of age. The elders mostly wore solemn, grave expressions, while the young ones were brimming with excitement.

In the span of just a quarter-hour, over forty people had gathered at the ferry crossing, with the youths and maidens numbering fifteen or sixteen.

What was striking was that no matter how many arrived, aside from the occasional low murmur among those who came together, most stood in utter stillness.

Even stranger, apart from the acre-sized patch of ground at the ferry crossing, the mist over the surrounding area grew thicker and thicker, to the point where one could not see their hand before their face.

By this time, fewer and fewer latecomers appeared, until finally no one else showed up.

After another meal's worth of time, anxious expressions crept onto more than a few faces.

Just then, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the river not far off. The thick mist churned and rolled, as if some enormous creature was bursting forth from within.

The crowd at the ferry crossing perked up at once, all eyes wide open as they stared.

The mist parted, and a massive ship emerged—five or six zhang high and over thirty zhang long—heading straight for the ferry crossing at a leisurely pace.

A stir ran through the crowd, and many faces lit up with excitement.

The ship finally stopped in deep water, seven or eight zhang from the ferry crossing. Someone then drifted down from the vessel, lightly touched the water's surface with the tip of a toe, and with a "whoosh," flickered several times before landing on the shore.

The crowd surged forward, surrounding him, and several voices called out at once:

"May we ask, are you the welcoming envoy from the Black Tortoise Sect?"

"May we know your honored name, envoy? My grandfather was once a disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect."

"Envoy, have you brought the token of reception?"

"All of you, shut up! Since you're all here at this time and place, why would I need to show you any token? The sect opening its gates wide is your fortune. If you don't want to board the ship, stay here." The man who had leaped ashore was a blue-clad, thirty-something burly man. Seeing the chaos, he glared and bellowed.

At these words, though many on the shore still looked disgruntled, they all fell silent.

"That's right. Those who can appear here have naturally had their qualifications checked by the sect's traveling envoys. You're at least qualified to join the sect's lower courtyard. Whether you're fit to ascend directly to the upper courtyard or even the inner sect will require further testing at the sect. Alright, qualified disciples, bring your tokens and come forward. No dawdling. The rest of you, don't try to cozy up to me—I've got other places to be." The blue-clad man spoke bluntly and loudly.

The crowd on the shore exchanged glances at this.

But after a seemingly frail youth stepped forward first, the other youths and maidens, after a few words with their elders, followed suit one after another.

The burly man flipped his hand and produced an ancient bronze mirror. He shone it on each person who approached, and a faint white light flickered from somewhere on their bodies. Though the size and brightness varied, the man didn't bother to examine them closely.

In the blink of an eye, the fifteen or sixteen youths and maidens were checked and now stood behind the blue-clad man.

"Looks like this reception point has only this many. In that case—"

The blue-clad man swept his gaze over the others and was about to say more when suddenly, faint footsteps sounded from the mist not far off. Another figure emerged along a small path and entered the ferry crossing.

Everyone turned to look in surprise.

The newcomer was also a youth of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in blue, with slightly dark skin but an unusually tall and sturdy frame, nearly matching an adult. He carried a large bow case on his back and a single-bladed saber hung at his waist.

The tall youth froze, taken aback by the crowd at the ferry crossing.

Without a word, the blue-clad man aimed his bronze mirror at the youth. With a "puff," a white light flickered from the youth's chest.

"Why so late? You're the only one missing," the blue-clad man snorted, beckoning to the youth.

The youth seemed a bit confused. After glancing at the others and the group behind the blue-clad man, he asked hesitantly:

"Are you, sir, an elder of the Black Tortoise Sect?"

"Nonsense. If I weren't from the Black Tortoise Sect, what would you be doing here?" The blue-clad man grew impatient. With a sudden movement, he flickered and appeared beside the youth in a few flashes, reaching out to grab him.

Startled, the youth's hand immediately went to the hilt of his saber, but then, as if remembering something, he hesitated and ultimately didn't draw.

"Thud."

The blue-clad man seized the youth's shoulder. With a shift of his body, he carried him back, and after a few bounds, returned to his original spot. He then grabbed another girl who looked only twelve or thirteen.

With both arms exerting force, he hurled the two of them toward the ship from such a distance.

"Ah!"

The tall youth managed to keep his composure, but the younger girl screamed in fright. Moments later, with two "thuds," both landed steadily on the ship's deck.

The young girl's face was deathly pale, her legs trembling slightly.

The tall youth drew a sharp breath.

Though the blue-clad man's throw had been simple, the precision of his strength was remarkable. It seemed coming to the Black Tortoise Sect had been the right decision.

The tall youth was, of course, Shi Mu, who had traveled all the way from Quanzhou.

Back then, after Ye Hongyao of the Mystic Sound Sect had given him the letter and talisman, she had taken Zhong Xiu away without allowing her to say more, even shattering the ice sculpture of Fifth Master Jin before leaving.

Shi Mu hadn't dared linger. After leaving the Cloud Glow Mountain Range, he found a place to nurse his wounds for over half a month before rushing here overnight, arriving at the ferry crossing today.

But before he could even light the reception talisman, he had seen so many people and the blue-clad man claiming to be from the Black Tortoise Sect. A vague unease stirred in his heart.

Before he could figure out what was going on, the impatient man had tossed him onto the ship. Startled, he could only feel a wave of speechlessness.

Just then, the blue-clad man, like tossing sandbags, hurled the remaining youths and maidens onto the deck in pairs. Then, with a single leap, he touched the water's surface with one foot and returned to the ship.

"Set sail."

The blue-clad man gave the order to no one in particular.

The ship shuddered, then slowly left the ferry crossing, heading into the distant mist.

"Alright, now state your origins and the name of your receiving envoy. I'll start counting and recording you in the register." The blue-clad man pulled a thick ledger from his sleeve and addressed everyone expressionlessly.

(Reminded by a book friend, Wang Yu realized that due to a moment of carelessness, the sect's name was somewhat problematic. Hence, "Heavenly Sound Sect" has been changed to "Mystic Sound Sect." If there are any other issues in the book, feel free to leave comments in the review section or on WeChat. Wang Yu hopes to work with everyone to make this book a classic.)