Chapter 27

Unlike the eastern side of the Yangshu Desert, where there were countless large and small countries, there was only one country between the desert and the Lidan River: the Dayan Dynasty. Because of the desert’s barrier, Dayan’s culture was slightly different from that of the eastern countries. For example, in Dayan, far more people believed in the existence of cultivators than in the eastern nations.

Every year in October, when the fog over the Lidan River dispersed, ships would set off from the riverside cities, carrying those who wanted to cross to the other side of the Lidan River to seek immortality and pursue the Dao.

After discussing it with Old Li, Xu Yizhuo decided to go to Yecheng, the most prosperous city by the Lidan River, and board a ship heading west to seek the Dao.

There was still plenty of time. They hired a coachman and smoothly reached Yecheng by traveling along the official road. When Xu Yizhuo and Old Li had left Qingping Town, it had been the hottest time of the year. The blazing sun had scorched the earth, and as they traveled west by boat, they had passed countless lotus ponds where the flowers bloomed brilliantly. By the time they arrived in Yecheng, Xu Yizhuo stepped down from the carriage, and a fallen leaf spiraled down from above her head.

Xu Yizhuo looked at the withered yellow leaf in her palm and suddenly realized that autumn had already arrived.

Old Li got down from the carriage behind her, already wearing a thick outer garment. Its color was still a low-key, inconspicuous gray.

They arrived at noon. Along the way, they passed several inns, but none had vacant rooms. Only after Xu Yizhuo asked did she learn that most ships heading to the Western Continent departed from Yecheng, so the rooms in the city’s inns had already been fully booked a month ago. In the end, Xu Yizhuo rented a courtyard. After settling everything, it was only the hour of Shen, still a long time before sunset.

Old Li wanted to stay in the room and rest, so Xu Yizhuo decided to go scout out the ferry crossing first.

When she reached the ferry crossing, Xu Yizhuo was speechless for quite a while.

She climbed to the tallest restaurant by the shore and leaned against the railing to gaze into the distance. The white fog had already scattered quite a bit, revealing the vast river surface. She could not see the opposite bank at a glance. It seemed endless.

Although Xu Yizhuo had already guessed this in her heart, she was still so shocked that she murmured softly, “This is called a river? This is the sea!”

The Lidan River was no different from the sea she had seen. Even the ships moored at the ferry crossing did not look like ships meant for crossing a river.

What Lidan River? This was clearly the Lidan Sea!

When she had previously heard descriptions of the Lidan River, Xu Yizhuo had already felt something was wrong. What kind of river made people lose their direction and unable to leave? With an ordinary river, one could see the opposite bank while standing by the riverside, and after a short boat ride, one would reach the other side. Xu Yizhuo had asked Old Li roughly how long it took to cross the Lidan River, and Old Li’s answer had been: as little as seven days, as long as half a month.

That was no different from the sea.

Xu Yizhuo lay against the railing, her mood somewhat complicated. After a while, she shifted her attention to the conversations of the diners behind her. During this season, most people at the ferry crossing wanted to cross the river. The diners’ conversations were either about how to cross the river or how to cultivate immortality.

Someone said, “I heard that a few days ago, an immortal came to the city to recruit disciples.”

Hearing this, his companion sneered. “Dozens of ‘immortals’ [read the original at bailiantales.com]like that appear every year. In the end, they all end up in the government office’s prison.”

The first person was unconvinced. “That’s not necessarily true. This time, the one taken away was Official Fang’s second son!”

“You mean that concubine-born son? If it’s him… even if that immortal is a fraud, taking him away still counts as saving a life.”

The two sighed for a long time.

Xu Yizhuo thought boredly, Why hasn’t anyone gotten to the main point yet?

Fortunately, she did not have to wait long before one table of diners began talking about which shipyard’s boats were best for crossing the river.

“Brother Pei, this is your first time in Yecheng, so there are many twists and turns you haven’t heard about. That Yang Clan Shipyard and Hongyun Shipyard and the like are all unreliable. If you want to cross the river, you have to go to Pingzhou Shipyard!”

“…Pingzhou Shipyard isn’t far from here either. It’s in East Drum Alley. Keep walking all the way inside, and at the very end is Pingzhou Shipyard’s meeting hall. Tell the clerk on duty that you want to cross the river. He’ll tell you how much money to pay, when to depart, and what to bring. Once you’ve paid, you can go when the time comes.”

Pingzhou Shipyard?

Xu Yizhuo was thoughtful.

Xu Yizhuo suspected she had been tricked.

She asked for directions and made her way to East Drum Alley. The short, narrow alley could be seen through from one end to the other at a glance. The moment she saw the building at the end of the alley, Xu Yizhuo’s heart thumped.

That broken-down, badly aged, long-neglected building—the kind where standing inside would make one afraid the roof might collapse—was really Pingzhou Shipyard’s meeting hall?

Xu Yizhuo saw a door plaque hanging under the eaves, covered in mottled marks. After staring for a long time, she made out four characters: “Pingzhou Boat Earth.”

The gold paint on the characters had already peeled off until they were missing bits and pieces.

Far too unreliable. Xu Yizhuo wanted to turn around and go home.

However, before she could turn around, the shipyard’s door actually came crashing down right in front of her. Xu Yizhuo cried out in alarm and jumped to the side. The sound of the door panel hitting the ground was like a piece of wood that had been eaten hollow by insects.

A listless clerk walked out from inside. He looked at Xu Yizhuo without energy and said, “Sorry about that.”

Xu Yizhuo watched as he pulled out a basket of tools from beside the door and began skillfully repairing it.

Xu Yizhuo felt that her voice was trembling slightly from disbelief. “…Do you take business for crossing the river here?”

“We do.” The clerk pointed above his head. “Doesn’t it say shipyard up there?”

Xu Yizhuo only saw “Boat Earth.”

She was very suspicious. Would anyone really come here and still think of taking this shipyard’s boat across the river? Xu Yizhuo could already imagine Pingzhou Shipyard’s boat sinking into the water the moment it sailed out of the ferry crossing.

The clerk had no intention of attracting business, and Xu Yizhuo also wanted to leave.

Just then, more people came into East Drum Alley.

Before she saw them, she heard their voices first. Xu Yizhuo first heard a young boy shouting noisily. When she turned her head, she discovered that the shouting little boy was being carried in the hand of a mighty, powerful-looking woman.

Xu Yizhuo glanced at the firm, healthy muscles of the woman’s exposed arm, felt solemn respect rise in her heart, and instinctively took a step to the side.

The clerk repairing the door was blocking read the original at bailiantales.com the way. The woman stopped in front of the door and said, “River crossing. Two people.”

“Let go of me!” the boy shouted while struggling. “I’m not going! I want to go home and find my mother!”

The woman remained unmoved. The little boy was even thinner and weaker than Xu Yizhuo. The woman carried him like she was carrying a chick.

The clerk squatted there, hammering away at the door panel. Without raising his head, he said, “One gold per person.”

The woman tossed a bag over and asked, “When do we depart?”

Xu Yizhuo’s gaze sharpened. She sensed spiritual energy fluctuations from the bag!

The clerk caught the bag and opened it for a look. He answered, “Five days later, at the hour of Chen.”

Xu Yizhuo was right beside the clerk, and with sharp eyes, she saw that the bag actually contained spirit stones!

Spirit stones were currency used in the cultivation world. Why did this woman have spirit stones, and why would Pingzhou Shipyard accept spirit stones as payment?

Before Xu Yizhuo could form a clear answer [stolen content]in her mind, her gaze met the woman’s as she looked over.

The woman looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “A Qi Refining cultivator?”

Author’s Note: Cultivation

When Jun Yu first met Xu Yizhuo, she could not sense Xu Yizhuo’s cultivation, but she believed Xu Yizhuo was definitely not weak and merely had some special method that allowed her to hide her cultivation even from a Great Ascension cultivator like herself.

When Jun Yu met Xu Yizhuo again, she sensed that Xu Yizhuo was a genuine Qi Refining cultivator.

Jun Yu: “…”

The big shot’s heart was instantly filled with confusion.