Of Mountains and Rivers 70

 

The bow made only a slight turn, and thereafter remained motionless. The mysterious figure that had been following them quietly disappeared once again.

Yuan Ping delicately pressed his fingertips against the bowstring, casting a fleeting glance at Chu Huan, signaling him with his eyes—is it friend or foe?

Chu Huan wiped his face and shook his head.

This act of guidance could be considered as pointing the way, or enticement.

But whether it was guidance or enticement, it was the same for them. The vast expanse of the sea stretched in all directions, and they couldn’t determine how long it would take to navigate through this maze. The trap might even be the destination.

The fishing boat moved forward for half a day, but the exact distance was impossible to verify. With inexperienced sailors at the helm, the boat zigzagged, meandering through the sea, creating a pitiful and chaotic route.

Initially, there were small waves on the water, but at some point, the sea lost its normal undulation. The surface appeared vast and rigid.

A calm lake in autumn is a beautiful sight; a calm sea in autumn… is perhaps haunted.

The legendary Sunken Star Island was still nowhere to be found, but Chu Huan and his companions encountered a large fleet of ships first.

These were all sizable vessels, weathered by the elements. They should have long been worn down, but they maintained a strange form of preservation. Most of the ships had damage, some were half-broken, others completely overturned, and some were even upside down… according to logic, they should have sunk, but at this moment, they all floated on the surface.

After observing for a while, Chu Huan took the binoculars off and handed them to Nanshan, saying, "Some of those ships have seaweed on them, and there's mud and sand in the cabins, like sunken ships."

Nanshan, not very accustomed to binoculars and feeling a bit dizzy with them, handed them to Yuan Ping, as he could see well without the tool. "Can sunken ships float up from underwater?"

From Chu Huan’s point of view, a ship that had already filled its belly with mud at the seabed, dilapidated and broken, looked as if it hadn't floated up by itself but had been lifted by something else.

"Didn't we hear that there are various hidden reefs near Sunken Star Island? Could these be the fishing boats that sank here?" Yuan Ping expressed concern. "By the way, with our boat in this condition, what if we hit a reef?"

Chu Huan replied with an expressionless face, "At this ‘leopard speed,' hitting one is no problem. Don't worry. These ships wouldn't float up for no reason. Come on, let's prepare for a tough battle."

Despite their words, neither of them made a move to control the small boat. The fishing boat remained still on the sea, quieter than a swimming pool.

Nanshan looked at one thing and then another, unsure why neither of them was taking any action. Just as he was about to reach for the oars, Chu Huan seemed to be startled by his movements and snapped back to his senses.

“I’ll take care of it,” Chu Huan spoke in a hushed voice, “I think I’ve become somewhat proficient at it.”

Yuan Ping sat down on the side, lowering his head and engaging in a staring contest with the Little Green. He probably understood the reason why Luger cherished this snake. It was said to have grown up drinking from the Sacred Spring, and its round, gleaming eyes lacked the typical wildness of animals. It exuded a spiritual quality that was genuinely endearing.

Yuan Ping gently touched its head and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, “What if there’s no Sacred Text on the Sunken Star Island?”

No one answered.

He continued, "What if the so-called Sacred Text is just a deception? If we eventually find the Sacred Text but realize we still can't accomplish anything, what then…"

Chu Huan interrupted, “Shut up.”

Ignoring him, Yuan Ping continued, "What if we find 'its' true form but discover there's no way to defeat it?"

Chu Huan took a deep breath, slightly softening his tone, "Listen to me. So far, every stage of the assault we've encountered has a certain commonality…"

Yuan Ping persisted, "What if, even if we manage to kill 'it,' those who were consumed can never return?"

Chu Huan spoke to himself, "For example, the large fire in the seaside fishing village. I suspect it was the manifestation of the consciousness of 'anger.'"

"And even if the consumed people are still there… but we can't do anything in time… what then?" Yuan Ping asked.

"Another example…" Chu Huan gripped the oar and finally stopped beating around the bush. He sighed and glanced at Yuan Ping, "I've asked myself these questions too."

Yuan Ping slowly showed some reaction to Chu Huan’s words.

After a pause, Chu Huan, with a calm expression, said, "Counting you, eighteen brothers died when we fought the ghosts. At that time, I was in Southeast Asia, where it was hot every night, and too hot to sleep. I kept thinking, with such a high cost, what if we don't succeed? What if those damn dogs manage to escape in the end? If we can't wipe them all out, what should we do if they continue to harm society in the future?"

How would he face the parents, wives, and children of his brothers if he survived and returned?

Chu Huan skipped the last sentence, and patted Yuan Ping's shoulder with a broad smile, "Later, I figured it all out. Regardless of the reasons and consequences, this is the reality. With only me left, I have to face it. That way, I can be at peace—only by believing that things will always move in a positive direction can that possibility become a reality."

As Chu Huan spoke, he even revealed a smile, as if his nonchalant attitude was truly sincere.

Yet, even though he spoke more eloquently than he sang, it couldn't change the fact that he boasted without preparation. Only Chu Huan himself knew that at that time, he was far from being as handsome and dashing as he claimed. In reality, he was just an embittered and downtrodden young man filled with resentment.

"The Elder also gave me a sacred object and a cryptic phrase," Chu Huan said. "'When the sacred fire burns, all those who were lost can be reborn.' That's what the old goat said. I believe it. Do you?"

Yuan Ping was silent for a moment before nodding unconsciously. When a person is on the verge of despair, giving them a belief is remarkably easy; they cling to it like a lifebuoy.

Chu Huan flawlessly pushed the small fishing boat forward, thinking, "Just believe it. It's just a deception anyway."

He might have fooled Yuan Ping, but he couldn't deceive Nanshan.

For reasons Nanshan couldn't clearly explain, perhaps having been fed too many casual lies, he had developed a keen intuition. With some of Chu Huan's words, he could sense the degree of deceit within just a couple of sentences.

After pondering for a long time, Nanshan realized he would never grasp Chu Huan's art of speaking, which was mixed with half-truths and half-lies. Frustrated, he resorted to a more straightforward approach, feigning casual conversation, "Have you ever thought about what you'll do if I'm not around one day?"

Chu Huan, with a mischievous smile, looked at him and said cheerfully, "Then I'll dig up your grave and make a pot of soup with your bones."

Nanshan was speechless.

They slowly approached the area littered with sunken ships. Yuan Ping completely failed to notice any hidden meaning in their "casual banter," holding onto the lifeline Chu Huan threw at him and struggling to regain his composure, "What did you say just now? What is the manifestation of anger?"

Chu Huan replied, "Oh, I feel that after 'it' devours these people, it expresses its own emotions and desires through them. The consciousness here can be manifested, so if the effect of sorrow is making people unable to breathe, I suspect the manifestation of 'anger' is the big fire near the fishing village."

Nanshan, gazing at the silent area filled with sunken ships, asked in a deep voice, "Are you saying we might be burned again?"

No matter how much Chu Huan did not want to admit it, he nodded reluctantly.

Yuan Ping: "What should we do?"

Chu Huan once again stopped the boat, "We'll use fire too."

He turned and glanced at the only remaining short section of the Patriarch’s staff, "When we were surrounded by the burning seawater, I thought about it, but at that time, besides our own boat, we had nothing around us, so it wasn't feasible. Now, they have so many sunken ships. I'm thinking, maybe we can take the initiative later, ignite their sunken ships first, and use our fire to counter theirs."

“But I suspect we can’t even make a mark,” Yuan Ping’s gaze also fell on the short Patriarch’s staff. After considering for a moment, he suggested with some helplessness, “You’ve forgotten, we’ve been using fire arrows all this while, but as soon as the fire leaves the staff, it goes out in an instant—the distance is just right. Otherwise, how about we conduct a more reliable experiment?”

After speaking, Yuan Ping took out an arrow, dipped it in the fire from the chief's scepter, and after a long whistle, the flaming arrow went straight into the hull of a sunken ship. There was a "crackle" sound as a shadow on the ship's surface suddenly dispersed, revealing the true mottled and old hull. Yuan Ping had burned a hole in it with the arrow.

However, the results were extremely disappointing. The fire indeed didn't ignite. The flickering flames near the hole in the hull struggled for a moment but were soon swallowed back by the dispersing shadow. Not even a spark remained visible.

Once the fire left the Patriarch’s staff, it would lose its vitality.

Yuan Ping turned around and shrugged at Chu Huan, “Experiment failed.”

Chu Huan’s gaze gradually became serious, “No… it seems like it’s more than a failure.”

He wore binoculars and could see clearly what happened after the arrow hit the ship.

Through the broken hole, Chu Huan saw that there was a person inside the ship. The person floated on the water, and countless dark shadows surged out from their body. Then, he heard an earth-shattering roar, and the water surface that had just been a “calm autumn moon” suddenly boiled.

Gigantic shadows flipped and flew in the seawater, soaring through the clouds as if cooking dumplings.

Following the shadows were familiar and deadly flames that enveloped them in a blink of an eye.

Yuan Ping stared in shock, “Did… did I provoke ‘it’?”

Chu Huan remained silent. He looked at the Patriarch’s staff and quickly confirmed his thoughts—there was a smooth circle around the staff, and the fire on the shadows dared not approach the domain of the staff’s flame.

The question was how to make use of it.

In the vast expanse of water and the confined space surrounded by intense flames, Nanshan skillfully steered the small fishing boat like a released arrow, attempting to break through.

But who knew how large the area of the sunken ships was?

The fishing boat swiftly entered the sunken ship area. Chu Huan, who had been contemplating something, suddenly picked up an arrow. When passing by a large ship, he ignited the arrow and shot it toward a bunch of seaweed on the ship.

Yuan Ping exclaimed, “What are you…”

His words suddenly came to a halt because a bunch of seaweed was instantly ignited. The fire, initially faint on the arrowhead, roared to life like a resurrection, leaping high into the air. With a “whoosh”, the shadows and the fire around them retreated, significantly reducing the pressure of the flames on Chu Huan’s side.

It turned out the fire wasn’t incapable of burning it; it could only burn living things.

Seeing this approach was effective, Chu Huan immediately used the binoculars as a scope.

Swiftly, he ignited all the seaweed within the range of his vision. The once formidable shadows and flames instantly weakened, creating a path for their small fishing boat.

Nanshan’s pressure suddenly eased. He glanced sideways at Chu Huan, feeling that this man was like a beacon in desperate times.

Yuan Ping and the venomous snake Little Green, who was perched on his shoulder, watched in astonishment. Yuan Ping didn't need to be told; he quickly began rowing the oars, coordinating with Nanshan. The fishing boat raced forward like an unbridled wild horse—they all understood that the seaweed hanging on the boat was limited and wouldn't burn for long.

Just as they were about to pass through the sunken ship area, "it" seemed to realize it too. The waves in the sea suddenly became ferocious, surging towards them. It not only significantly affected the speed of the boat but also repeatedly washed the sunken ships, bringing down the clumps of seaweed attached to them.

Chu Huan’s eyes darkened.

With the flow of water, the seaweed seemed to gather a layer of darkness, making it nonignitable.

What… to do?

When Chu Huan lifted the bow and arrow, the arrowhead involuntarily tilted slightly, aiming at a person behind a broken ship. There was someone who seemed to be peering at them from the inside out.

Humans are living beings too.

Yuan Ping was startled and quickly grabbed Chu Huan's wrist, "What are you doing?"

Chu Huan's cheeks tightened, and Yuan Ping could feel that the hand holding the arrow was as firm as a rock.

Yuan Ping anxiously examined his stern profile, "Chu… Chu Huan."

Chu Huan finally relaxed his arm muscles slowly. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he was laughing at himself, “It’s okay, I got a bit carried away.”

After he was done speaking, Chu Huan slowly lowered the bow and arrow, and took a deep breath. Feeling like he might appear ferocious, he turned his face away and avoided the gaze of others.

Through the binoculars, he could already see the sea behind the sunken ships. It seemed like they were about to shake off the pursuers behind them, but what awaited them ahead?

How long would the fire be able to chase after them?

Chu Huan had no idea.

A person might be infinitely powerful, creating a string of astonishing miracles, but Chu Huan now realized that no matter how powerful someone was, at a certain moment in their life, they could only stand somewhere, helplessly waiting for fate or the gentle or cruel hands of destiny.

He clenched his fist, and slowly curled his fingers. He found himself bowing and pleading for a bit of luck.

The stern of the boat, in pursuit of the raging fire, had completely passed through the sunken ship area.

And at that moment—whether it was an unfortunate coincidence or if time had simply been too unkind, this time Chu Huan unexpectedly managed to get a bit of the luck he sought. The pursuing wall of fire behind them suddenly halted, as if blocked by something.

Nanshan suddenly sighed with relief, removed the airflow protection around the fishing boat, and stumbled a step before steadying himself. The fishing boat, still maintaining considerable speed due to its powerful inertia, continued to surge forward.

Chu Huan counted the remaining arrows while keeping his head down, and without lifting his head, he said to Yuan Ping, "Slow down, stop rowing."

"…" Yuan Ping remained silent for a while before calling out to Chu Huan, raising both of his hands in response.

No one was manipulating the boat, and it was moving automatically without wind.

Not only did the speed not decrease, but it seemed to be increasing!

Chu Huan leaned over the side of the boat for a moment before saying, "I suspect there's an undercurrent below."

Yuan Ping replied, "You just said that at our speed, hitting a reef wouldn't be a problem. What about now?"

Chu Huan glanced at him silently.

Wasn’t that freaking obvious?

The boat's speed continued to increase, racing like a speeding car. Chu Huan turned to their Patriarch, "Nanshan, the good news is we're really close to Sunken Star Island."

Nanshan asked, “And the bad news?”

Chu Huan sighed, "The bad news is, before reaching the destination, we may face a maritime accident, shipwreck, casualties, and all that."

Nanshan chuckled lightly, seemingly not to care much, "If we fall into the water, I can protect you all."

"No, listen to me," Chu Huan spoke faster as the boat's speed increased, "We're tied together with ropes. People don't matter; you don't have to worry. But in case we fall into the water, anyone here is unlikely to drown easily. The key is the staff."

Nanshan was puzzled.

Maybe it was because they were about to see the dawn of victory, Chu Huan became unusually excited about the abnormal speed. Without waiting for Nanshan's reaction, he continued rapidly, "Sunken Star Island is just an island. No matter how strange the terrain is, many ordinary fishermen have been there. As long as the staff doesn't extinguish, people will be fine. But if we need to float in the water for a long time, and you don't have the strength to deal with everything, please understand my…"

He didn't finish his words before being interrupted by Yuan Ping.

Without looking back, Yuan Ping grabbed Nanshan's arm and said with amazement, "I… damn…"

His words came to a sudden stop as a huge vortex appeared on the sea, with a diameter of at least a kilometer. The small fishing boats within it looked like ants.

The shadow covered the sky, so they couldn't observe, but they could imagine that if it were a clear night with a galaxy overhead, reflecting on the side of the vortex, it would be a spectacular sight… the sight of the Milky Way collapsing as well as the sinking stars.

It was Sunken Star Island! This must be Sunken Star Island!

Nanshan didn't have time to think as he was fully focusing on protecting the flickering staff within a bunch of air currents. Before he could react, he pulled Chu Huan to his side. The boat shook violently, and the small wooden boat almost irreversibly broke apart. People on the boat were mercilessly thrown out, scattered like leaves in the huge vortex.

Nanshan held the staff in one hand and tightly grasped Chu Huan's hand with the other, fully understanding Chu Huan's earlier words. In this situation, if he could preserve that tiny spark, it was already commendable. If he also had to consider protecting people, it would be impossible to manage both.

The three of them and a snake seemed to be thrown into a giant washing machine, spinning endlessly. Then a surge of enraged water suddenly pushed them in one direction.

It was only at this moment did Chu Huan manage to open his eyes. His glasses had flown somewhere, but it didn’t affect his clear vision.

He saw a mountain on the seabed. Initially, it looked familiar, but upon closer inspection, it was a shocking sight to see.

That mountain… was identical to the sacred mountain where the Mountain Keepers and Gatekeepers lived. Even the location and the shape of the Mountain Gate were exactly the same.

Author’s note: “Leopard’s speed, bear’s might” (豹的速度，熊的力量) might have come from an animation involving a bunch of animals. I don’t remember what it is now ╮╯▽╰╭