Ch. 95 – Longqiu

Unlike the flat plains, this vast and lush mountain forest occupied uneven terrain. Undulating mountains and ancient trees of various heights stood side by side, their crowns forming winding, rippling waves. Though there were no turbulent waves like on the coast, the forest itself was a sea of trees, swaying in the wind.

Due to the rugged terrain and inconvenient roads, few people lived in these parts.

At the highest point of this mountain forest, one couldn’t see any signs of human habitation for many li around.

But today, something was different. On a forest path frequented by herb gatherers, four people were walking in pairs.

Hao Chen unfolded his fan, using it to shield his eyes as he peered up at the scorching sun, which was so bright that a moment’s glance was enough to blur one’s sight. After only a couple of seconds, he lowered his head and blinked his eyes.

Once the spots in his eyes subsided a bit, he couldn’t help but ask Feng Ye beside him: “How much longer do we have to walk?”

Hearing this, Feng Ye looked at the map in his hand and thought for a moment. The map was hand-drawn, with messy and primitive lines, lacking any aesthetic appeal. Its only redeeming quality was the clarity of the markings, which allowed one to roughly determine the route.

Feng Ye had gone to great lengths to obtain it, emptying his already meager savings to get an illiterate villager to painstakingly produce it for him.

This was an absolute necessity, for only upon truly entering the territory of Longqiu did they realize just how desolate the place was. So desolate, in fact, that aside from their small group, there wasn’t another living soul in sight.

And with nobody around, there was naturally no one to ask for directions. Without this map, they would be like headless flies, wandering aimlessly through the forest.

The four of them had set off from Lingxiao Sword Sect and headed to the nearest dock to take a ship to Longqiu. Given how desolate Longqiu was, there were obviously no direct routes running through it. 

They disembarked at another dock and then traveled by various means of transportation, including horse-drawn carriages, oxcarts, and even donkey carts, not missing a single mode of travel.

As members of a cultivation sect, by all rights, they shouldn’t have fallen so low as to travel by donkey cart. It was completely beneath the dignity of immortals.

But of the four, two appeared to be low in power and incapable of flight, and of the other two, one was a novice prone to crashing when flying on his own, so carrying someone else as well would be quite the gamble. The remaining one had extensive flight experience, but was still recovering from serious injuries and should avoid using spiritual power casually.

Thus, the four of them had no choice but to keep company with various livestock and hitch rides with traveling merchants or farmers heading to the market.

After three days of such travel, they finally arrived in Longqiu today.

They had passed through the last village at dawn, travelling deep into the heart of Longqiu. The sun was currently high in the sky, and it was the hottest part of the day.

Feng Ye studied the map for a long time, but he really couldn’t estimate how far they were from their destination on this hand-drawn map with arbitrary proportions.

But how far could it be? At most, they would traverse the entirety of Longqiu in two or three days. 

Two or three days of walking was nothing to a cultivator.

Although traveling beneath such a scorching sun was indeed somewhat grueling, cultivators had their own methods for regulating their temperature. Fang Yang and Cao Zirui, who were walking ahead, were full of energy. They were chatting and laughing, walking with a skip in their step, without a drop of sweat on their foreheads. They would occasionally leave Feng Ye and Hao Chen behind and rush off together to look at the scenery along the roadside.

Feng Ye himself also felt fine, but he had only been walking for half a day and wasn’t in need of rest.

Hao Chen was the only one with a listless look about him. In just one morning, he had asked “how much farther?” more than five times.

And the intervals between these questions were becoming shorter and shorter.

Feng Ye thought that this fish was just being lazy again, so he simply folded the map and put it in his sleeve, giving a perfunctory reply: “Almost there, almost there.”

Before Hao Chen’s eyes could completely light up, Feng Ye added: “We’ll definitely arrive within two more days.”

The look in Hao Chen’s eyes instantly turned to resentment, and he stared at Feng Ye so intently that Feng Ye couldn’t help but shiver even under the sun.

Feng Ye felt that Hao Chen was being unreasonable. They had only walked for half a day, so how could he be tired? This fish wasn’t some pampered young lady who had never left home.

Although he didn’t express his true feelings, his expression betrayed him.

Hao Chen couldn’t help but justify himself: “It’s too dry here…..”

Although Lingxiao Sword Sect was not located by the sea, it was situated near the coastal plains, so the air was humid. In spring and autumn, even without rain, it was difficult to keep quilts dry all year round.

Longqiu, however, was located in the northwest inland. As they ventured further into it, they subsequently moved farther away from the coast, and the air became increasingly dry.

Ordinary fish could not survive without water. And although a big fish like Hao Chen could move freely on the shore, at heart, he was still a water-loving creature.

He hated the dry air and scorching sunlight.

The sun wasn’t visible for most of the year in the North Sea, and when it was, its rays were gentle and warm, inducing someone to sleep while basking in it.

Hao Chen felt no discomfort in the early morning when the sun had not yet fully risen, but as it moved across the sky, he felt the moisture leaving him at an accelerating rate. If he stayed in the sun for too much longer, he might very well become a dried fish.

Although it may sound like an exaggeration, his desire to never again toil under such intense sunlight was genuine.

Instead of allowing himself to become a dried and salted fish on the shore, he should sink into the deep sea, quietly waiting amongst the cool currents for the hottest part of the day to pass.

When he heard Hao Chen’s reasoning, Feng Ye didn’t understand. So what if it was dry?

But then his eyes lit up in sudden realization.

This fish was struggling to acclimatize.

It seemed Hao Chen wasn’t being deliberately lazy. It was simply his nature as a fish to hate being active in such sweltering heat.

Although Feng Ye himself could be considered a seafood product, and he was fond of water, he wasn’t as dependent upon it as Hao Chen.

Seeing Hao Chen’s expression, as if he wanted nothing more than to lie down and do nothing, it seemed that only a timely rain would be able to alleviate his situation.

But such thinking was useless. Even as a dragon, Feng Ye was unable to call down rain.

In most myths and legends, summoning clouds and rain was one of the abilities of the dragon race.

This wasn’t entirely untrue; the dragon residing in the Eastern Sea of the heavenly realm could indeed control the clouds and rain. However, Feng Ye was a yinglong cultivated from a jiao, which was somewhat different from a naturally-born dragon.

His power was derived primarily from resentful energy. Specifically, the black mist he had brought back from the Emberless Horizon. While he did possess the ability to manipulate water, it was by no means his strong suit.

He could manipulate the water currents in the deep sea, but conjuring rain out of thin air in such a dry environment was beyond his abilities.

Since the power of a dragon was unable to bring rain, Feng Ye was out of ideas. He asked Hao Chen: “What do you suggest we do?”

Hao Chen took on a pensive look. Inwardly, he was delighted. At last, Feng Ye had fallen into his trap.

His listless expression was half genuine and half for show as he waited for Feng Ye to ask and let him reveal his long-held scheme.

“Carry me on your back,” was Hao Chen’s answer after feigning deep consideration.

If he was unable to ride Yinglong in his original form, riding his human form as a compromise would still be a satisfying experience.

Feng Ye’s resulting expression was one of complete disdain, as if to say, “keep dreaming.”

“Ai.” Hao Chen sighed, taking the hint. With no further unreasonable demands, he walked in laborious silence under the scorching sun.

Walking beside Hao Chen, Feng Ye was initially firm that carrying the fish was pure fantasy.

But seeing how Hao Chen was swaying unsteadily, like a drunkard unable to maintain his balance, Feng Ye’s resolve wavered.

After walking a few more steps, Hao Chen’s complexion grew increasingly weak, almost to the point that it made one think he was terminally ill and on the verge of death.

Feng Ye’s resolve wavered even more.

Hao Chen stumbled, nearly hitting his head on a rock. But he regained his balance at the last second and managed to stand up, giving Feng Ye a brave smile that said, “I’m fine.”

Feng Ye: …..

The two youths leading the way finally realized they were moving too fast, leaving their companions, who walked slower than the elderly, far behind.

They retraced their steps, only to find Feng Ye moving slowly forward with Hao Chen on his back.

With his plan a success, Hao Chen’s listless expression instantly vanished. He chattered incessantly in Feng Ye’s ear, admiring the scenery from the dragon’s back while complaining about the way Feng Ye was carrying him.

One moment, he would complain that Feng Ye was holding his knees too tightly, making them itchy, and the next he complained that Feng Ye wasn’t holding them tightly enough and he was about to slide off his back.

The “ # ” on Feng Ye’s forehead grew larger and larger, covering it almost completely.

Fang Yang ran back to their side with Cao Zirui, asking Feng Ye: “What’s wrong with Hao-dage?”

They thought that Hao Chen must be injured. What other reason would Feng Ye have for carrying him on his back? 

Before Hao Chen could explain, Feng Ye spoke up in a dark tone: “His legs are broken.”

Although this was clear mockery, Hao Chen didn’t speak up in his defense. He knew he had become a little too complacent, and that if he pushed his luck any further, the dragon might just throw him off his back.

So Hao Chen remained silent and tacitly accepted Feng Ye’s slander, wrapping his arms tightly around the other’s neck to prevent him from throwing him off. 

“How did he suddenly break his legs?” Fang Yang muttered, somewhat baffled.

But neither Feng Ye nor Hao Chen seemed inclined to answer, leaving Fang Yang with his doubts.

Meanwhile, Cao Zirui inspected Hao Chen’s legs and realized that they weren’t broken at all. He thought about why Feng Ye would carry Hao Chen on his back, and why he would say such a thing.

He even came up with a reasonable explanation: the two of them were flirting.

He still hadn’t forgotten the scene in the Floating Island Secret Realm where, upon waking up, he seemed to have seen the two of them kissing.

After the initial shock, he had gradually accepted it as fact.

The two of them being men didn’t seem to matter much. The path of cultivation was destined to be long and lonely, and whether one’s chosen companion was male or female was irrelevant.

Out of everyone in the group, only Fang Yang was oblivious to what was going on.

But oblivious as he may be, he still realized that carrying someone on his back must be exhausting for Useless Shixiong. So he suggested to Feng Ye: “Shixiong, we spotted smoke rising from the woods when we were walking ahead. There seem to be people nearby. Shall we go over and rest our feet for a while?”

Rest their feet…..although Hao Chen lived up to the “heavy” character in his name, Feng Ye felt that he could still go on.

He didn’t need to rest, but he did need to ask for directions.

“Living Soil is hidden in the mountains and marshes of Longqiu” was just a general statement, but in fact, there were more detailed accounts in the records.

There was a human saying that went: ‘Circumstances change as time passes, and even seas can transform into fields.’ Time could render the same land entirely unrecognizable.

Longqiu had not always been so rugged and sparsely-populated.

Legend had it that this place was once the site of the royal city of an ancient kingdom. However, as a new dynasty arose, Longqiu was struck by an earthquake that completely destroyed the old site of the royal city.

Plains were compressed by the seismic activity, causing mountains to rise up. Buildings that were originally distributed across the earth sank beneath it, with only a few scattered places still exposed above the ground.

Ling Yun had discovered the Living Soil near one of these ruins.

Therefore, the ruins were Feng Ye’s destination.

During the untold centuries these ruins lay submerged beneath the earth, the exposed sections had become largely overgrown with vegetation and blended seamlessly into their surroundings. A cursory glance from above would reveal nothing. Only by actually traversing the terrain would one realize that there was actually an ancient city buried beneath.

For this reason, Feng Ye didn’t let Fang Yang fly ahead on his sword to find the way, as it would be a waste of effort and Fang Yang might even get lost.

Compared to searching blindly on their own, asking the local residents for directions was clearly the wiser choice.

Feng Ye had previously inquired with a farmer who frequently went to the mountains to collect herbs, and he did indeed know where these ruins were.

Feng Ye had studied the map repeatedly, and although it was fairly accurate at first, the deeper they went into Longqiu, the more the map deviated from the actual route. He felt that if he continued to follow this map, he might end up straying far from his destination.

For this reason, he needed to find another person to correct his course. If there were indeed people ahead, those who lived in these mountains and forests would certainly be more familiar with the situation in Longqiu than that herb gatherer.

With this in mind, Feng Ye said: “Lead the way.”

Fang Yang readily accepted, and walked ahead with Cao Zirui.

Their destination seemed close, but it was actually quite a ways away, and it took the four of them another half a shichen before they finally arrived at the source of the smoke.

Young people possessed abundant energy, and both Fang Yang and Cao Zirui looked at ease. Hao Chen was also relaxed, and was even at leisure to take out a fan and wave it for Feng Ye while lying on his back.

Feng Ye had already realized that the fish was putting on an act, but he was also aware that the dry environment did have some effect on Hao Chen.

So in the end, he didn’t abandon Hao Chen, but carried him on his back for a short distance out of the goodness of his heart.

But that was the end of it. When they reached the wooden house from which the smoke was rising, Feng Ye immediately released his grip.

Hao Chen took the opportunity to climb down from his back, deciding to quit while he was ahead.

The wooden house was neither large nor small, and had been divided into two rooms.

But apart from this one house, the landscape was just like everywhere else in Longqiu, a vast stretch of mountains and forests.

A trail of smoke drifted alone in the sky, seeming a little desolate so far from human civilization.

It was unknown what sort of person would choose to live alone deep in the mountains.

Just as Feng Ye was thinking, he saw the homeowner push open the house’s wooden door. He was a muscular, middle-aged man with a full beard, and sized up Feng Ye and his companions with an unfriendly expression.

The four of them had been making a bit of a racket as they walked, so it was only natural for the homeowner to notice.

There were also sounds coming from inside the house, indicating that there was someone else living there.

Sure enough, shortly after the bearded man came out, another man emerged. He was also tall and burly, with a scar on his face.

“Why are you here?” asked the first bearded man.

“Oh, we came to get directions, and also to see if it’s convenient for us to rest here,” Fang Yang responded politely.

“No –” the man’s refusal was cut short.

Feng Ye glanced down to where the scarred man had grabbed his companion’s hand behind his back, but kept silent.

“No problem!” The scarred man managed to smooth things over, displaying a level of enthusiasm that didn’t match his appearance as he greeted the four of them: “Come in and sit down, good timing matters more than being early. We’ve cooked a meal, all wild game from the mountains. Would you like to have some?”

“We couldn’t possibly…..” Fang Yang sounded a little embarrassed, but the way he stepped forward betrayed his true feelings.

He was indeed very tempted by the delicious aroma of food wafting out of the house.

When Fang Yang went inside, Cao Zirui naturally followed suit.

Only Feng Ye and Hao Chen remained standing at the door.

The scarred man glanced at them, saying with a smile: “Aren’t you coming in?”

Feng Ye finally stepped forward, Hao Chen following close on his heels.

Seeing this, the two men went inside to prepare the meal.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen walked slowly. The distance to the house was only ten meters, but it felt more like ten li as they whispered to each other on the way.

“Does Fellow Daoist Feng Ye think there is a problem with these two people?” Hao Chen asked in a low voice.

Although Feng Ye hadn’t said a word, Hao Chen keenly sensed his suspicion.

Feng Ye chuckled softly, saying in a similarly low voice: “Two middle-aged men living together in the middle of the mountains? It’s obvious that something is going on.”

Those who lived in the mountains were either hunters or hermits who wished to escape from the world.

And judging from their uneducated appearances, these two were definitely not hermits.

That left one possibility: hunters.

However, hunters didn’t usually set up permanent residences in the mountains, and would typically just set up a small hut to rest in if their hunting went too late to return home.

The two men seemed to have lived here for years, and the house was fully-furnished, indicating that it wasn’t just somewhere for them to rest.

Their intentions were highly questionable. Longqiu’s soil was fertile due to the presence of the Living Soil, and farmers here were wealthier than in other areas.

Even if they lacked farmland, these two men were strong and healthy, and working for a landowner would be more lucrative for them than hunting.

But these two men had done the opposite, hiding themselves in the mountains. Feng Ye didn’t believe that there was nothing wrong with them.

Hao Chen’s gut also told him that something was off about those two, but he still couldn’t keep himself from arguing for the sake of arguing: “Are you sure?”

Feng Ye glanced at him and asked: “If you had the choice, would you be willing to live in a deep, remote mountain forest with another man who’s unrelated to you?”

Humans were social creatures, and most would never choose to live on such a remote mountain.

It would be understandable if someone lived there with a wife, since they at least wouldn’t be too lonely. But staring at a man who wasn’t related to you by blood all day long…..wouldn’t you feel suffocated?

Upon hearing this, Hao Chen immediately envisioned himself and Feng Ye building a small log house together in the woods, living happily without only each other as company. A smile spread across his face, leaving Feng Ye baffled. Then he took on a serious expression, answering solemnly as if reciting a marriage vow: “I am willing.”

Feng Ye: “…..”

He felt deeply that communicating with Hao Chen was impossible. Thus, he stopped dawdling outside with Hao Chen and strode forward, heading inside on his own.

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