Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Hundred Sounds Become Yin[1]

Taking a fee for helping was something Xu Qing had done many times in the scavenger camp. Although the price he was asking for was exaggerated, he didn’t think that he was doing anything wrong. He wasn’t obligated to help in the first place, so it was very natural to ask for compensation. Since the other party’s attitude was also poor, increasing the price some more wasn’t unreasonable.

As soon as he spoke, a pondering expression appeared on Senior Sister Ding’s face. On the other hand, Zhao Zhongheng’s expression turned gloomy, and he seemed to want to say something but ultimately refrained from opening his mouth.

If it was in the past, Zhao Zhongheng would definitely have sneered and replied arrogantly. But seeing the situation at hand, he hesitated.

Xu Qing swept his gaze across these people and saw that they didn’t seem to have any intention of paying the fee. Without further ado, his magic boat turned to leave. At that moment Senior Sister Ding looked at Xu Qing’s side profile and suddenly spoke.

“Sure!”

As she spoke, she waved her hand and summoned her magic boat. As it splashed onto the sea, she jumped on to it and steered it towards Xu Qing.

Zhao Zhongheng was taken aback and immediately became a little anxious.

“Senior Sister, you…”

Senior Sister Ding didn’t even turn her head, completely ignoring Zhao Zhongheng. Her magic boat was like a willow leaf, beautiful and elegant but also filled with liveliness. As she approached Xu Qing’s magic boat, the vines in the surroundings immediately stretched over.

Xu Qing waved his hand and a Black Pill instantly fell in front of Senior Sister Ding’s magic boat. As it landed in the water, the vines immediately retreated, allowing the willow leaf magic boat to pass through smoothly. Once she reached Xu Qing’s magic boat, Senior Sister Ding quickly put away her own and jumped aboard.

However, Xu Qing didn’t let down the protective barrier. Senior Sister Ding could only stand on top of the barrier unsteadily.

Xu Qing frowned and looked at her.

“Thank you for helping me, Junior Brother. I’m Ding Xue. I’m probably older than you, so you can call me Senior Sister. My magic boat isn’t good at sailing in this region, so I’ll give you another 20 spirit stones if you let me stay on your boat with you until we leave this sea region.”

Senior Sister Ding seemed to faintly understand Xu Qing’s personality. Standing outside the protective barrier, she smiled sweetly and directly took out a spirit ticket from the Sixth Peak worth 40 spirit stones.

Xu Qing glanced at the spirit ticket and sensed Senior Sister Ding’s cultivation base. After glancing at her neck, he opened a gap in the barrier and allowed her to fall down onto the deck. Raising his hand, he grasped at the air and took the spirit ticket.

After confirming its authenticity, he didn’t say anything but carefully put it away and began to move the magic boat. He wasn’t afraid of this Senior Sister Ding suddenly malicious intentions once she entered his boat. The moment she entered, she had already been poisoned.

However, this poison was one that needed to be mixed with others before it broke out.

Beneath the light of the setting sun, Xu Qing’s tall and straight figure looked extremely handsome. Beside him, Senior Sister Ding had a graceful figure and a sweet smile. Her beautiful hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and her face seemed to light up with a stunning charm that wasn’t there previously when she had been with Zhao Zhongheng.

The blowing sea breeze spread the sound of Senior Sister Ding’s gentle voice into the surroundings.

“Little Junior Brother, how should I address you?”

“Little Junior Brother, this magic boat of yours is very special. I’ve never seen one like it before.”

“Little Junior Brother, which department are you in?”

Zhao Zhongheng became anxious as he watched this scene. The senior sister whom he’d gone to great pains to invite had actually boarded someone else’s boat. This made him extremely anxious. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a red talisman paper.

Impressively, this was a talisman treasure.

Seeing that Xu Qing and Senior Sister Ding were about to leave, Zhao Zhongheng endured his heartache and flung the talisman treasure out into the sea. Immediately, the talisman treasure began to burn and a shocking air wave was sent out in all directions.

The vines around the phoenix boat were instantly enveloped in the air wave. Most of them were torn apart in an instant, and the surviving vines all retracted rapidly.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhao Zhongheng shouted loudly.

“Senior Sister, wait for me!”

As he spoke, he controlled the phoenix boat with all his might, not hesitating to burn through spirit stones in order to rush out with explosive speed. Behind him, his followers hurriedly shouted for help.

“You guys wait here. I’ve already informed my grandfather, so the sect will rescue you soon.” Zhao Zhongheng didn’t have the time to care about them and quickly rushed forward.

Unfortunately, there were too many vines in this sea region, and his boat was quickly entangled once more. In his anxiety, Zhao Zhongheng endured his heartache and continued to bombard the sea with his talisman treasure.

Just like that, he continued to pursue and gradually closed the distance as he fought his way through the vines.

The booms ringing out from behind finally diverted Senior Sister Ding’s attention away from Xu Qing. Frowning, she looked back and immediately saw Zhao Zhongheng and the phoenix boat.

Watching Zhao Zhongheng bombard the sea with his talisman treasure, Senior Sister Ding sneered.

“Zhao Zhongheng, I didn’t want to go with you form the very beginning. You were the one who insisted on sending me to the Western Reef Archipelago. I told you not to got this route but you just had to be brave, causing us to be trapped. Being trapped in the vines was originally fine. Although I was impatient, I could still understand that you were helpless in this matter. But you actually had a way to escape and just didn’t use it earlier!”

Zhao Zhongheng felt bitter. The proud and boisterous demeanor from when they had just started this voyage was long gone. He hastily opened his mouth to give an explanation.

“Senior Sister, you’ve misunderstood me, this… this is a life-saving treasure that my grandfather gave me. There aren’t many uses left…”

Senior Sister Ding snorted coldly. Turning her head, she stopped paying attention to him.

Zhao Zhongheng became even more anxious. He didn’t dare to blame Senior Sister Ding, so he could only look over at Xu Qing with an increasingly unpleasant expression.

But the other party was clearly not easy to deal with, so he had no choice but to suppress his anger and continue attacking the vines with his talisman treasure. Once the talisman treasure was used up and disintegrated, he finally broke free from the entanglement and quickly caught up to Xu Qing’s magic boat.

“Senior Sister, come back. I know I was wrong…”

Senior Sister Ding didn’t seem to hear him. She looked at Xu Qing’s side profile with a sweet smile and spoke softly.

“Little Junior Brother, are you hungry? I have some snacks here.” As she spoke, Senior Sister Ding took out a small box from her storage bag.

Xu Qing shook his head and looked at Senior Sister Ding expressionlessly.

“Senior Sister Ding, we’re already out of the vine region. Please leave.”

When he heard Xu Qing’s words, Zhao Zhongheng immediately livened up, thinking to himself that this kid was sensible after all. He looked at Senior Sister Ding expectantly.

“Little Junior Brother, where are you headed to? We might be going in the same direction.” Senior Sister Ding said with a sweet smile.

Zhao Zhongheng’s expression instantly turned ugly.

Xu Qing frowned.

Seeing Xu Qing frown, Senior Sister Ding’s bright eyes flickered slightly. After thinking for a bit, she opened her mouth to speak again.

“Little Junior Brother, the place I’m going to is the Western Reef Archipelago. From here, it’s only five days away. If you’re not going in that direction, I’ll leave right away. But if it’s on the way, I’m willing to pay another 200 spirit stones as a fee for you to take me there. Junior Brother, what do you think?”

As Senior Sister Ding spoke, she took out two spirit tickets and stared at Xu Qing with her beautiful eyes.

Xu Qing looked at the spirit tickets, extremely tempted.

He didn’t expect that earning spirit stones would be so easy after going out to sea.

The Sea Lizard Island he was heading for was located behind the Western Reef Archipelago, so he would naturally pass by. If the other party wanted to tag along for free, he definitely wouldn’t allow it, but since she was willing to pay 200 spirit stones…

After thinking about it, Xu Qing felt that it was very reasonable.

200 spirit stones might seem like a huge amount, but she was boarding his boat, after all. According to the sect’s tradition, he would be responsible for her safety, so it could be regarded as a temporary mission.

Moreover, the sea was so dangerous, and she had said before that she was in a hurry. Thus, it was only reasonable that she would fork over some more spirit stones. At this thought, Xu Qing nodded his head.

Senior Sister Ding’s smile became even sweeter as she placed the spirit tickets in Xu Qing’s hands. On the other hand, Zhao Zhongheng’s expression now revealed bitterness. When he looked at Xu Qing, although he knew that the other party was strong, he still couldn’t hold himself back from giving him a furious glare.

Xu Qing directly ignored Zhao Zhongheng’s gaze and controlled the magic boat to advance rapidly.

As the boat coasted forwards, Xu Qing was in a good mood. In his opinion, earning 200 spirit stones just for bringing someone along with him was a very good deal. The only thing that made him feel a little troubled was that this Senior Sister Ding talked a lot. She seemed to have endless questions, most of which were about him.

Moreover, her gaze was always fixed on his face. This made Xu Qing very uncomfortable, so he just kept silent.

However, the more silent he was, the more enthusiastic Senior Sister Ding became. In the face of her constant chatter, Xu Qing couldn’t help but increase the speed of the magic boat, wanting to complete this voyage as soon as possible.

As Zhao Zhongheng followed them, he felt like his mind was about to explode. The flames in his eyes fused with the fire in his heart and seemed to turn solid. He thought about how much effort he had put in this time, even convincing his grandfather to step forward and have a talk with Senior Sister Ding’s relatives in order for him to have this chance with her. Unexpectedly… the fruit of his efforts was being reaped by a mere mountain-foot disciple.

This made him feel like he was going crazy. His entire body trembled, and it seemed like all his grievances were about to explode out of his chest at any moment.

“This b\*tch! She could board my boat for free, but she doesn’t want to. No, she must insist on paying money to board that gigolo’s boat instead. She clearly has her eyes on him. Is she blind? I, Zhao Zhongheng, am countless times better than that kid!”

“In terms of spirit stones, my value is immeasurable. In terms of status, I’m a core disciple. In terms of background, my grandfather is an elder of the Seventh Peak. How can this kid compare to me? He can’t even compare to a single hair on my body!”

“What does he have? Besides the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale, there’s nothing to speak of. He’s just a pauper of the mountain foot. Isn’t it just that he’s handsome? Handsomeness, can you eat it?!”

As intense waves of jealousy surged in Zhao Zhongheng’s heart, the sun began to set and dusk arrived.

When night fell, the sea gave off an even stronger sense of mystery. As the setting sun fell in the distant horizon, its red glow was cast on the undulating waves. It was as if flames were spreading, flickering and rolling, each fiery wave higher than the last.

But soon, the sun dipped below the horizon, extinguishing the flames on the sea and allowing the world to gradually turn pitch black.

Looking from a distance, the dim surface of the sea was covered with gently swaying criss-crossing waves, and the sea breeze also seemed to weaken a little. It was as if the entire world was gradually coming down.

However, nobody dared to sail at night. The dangers at night were far greater than during the day, so Xu Qing could only choose to anchor the boat. Senior Sister Ding sat down beside him and took out some food. Smiling sweetly, she passed it to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing didn’t accept it. After declining, he returned to the cabin and activated the inner protective barrier to enter seclusion.

“Little Junior Brother, are you going to cultivate? I’ll stand guard as your Dharma protector[2].” Senior Sister Ding didn’t mind Xu Qing’s coldness at all. After speaking with a smile, she really sat down cross-legged outside the cabin.

This scene caused Zhao Zhongheng, who was following on the phoenix boat, to go crazy again. But looking at Senior Sister Ding’s beautiful face, he endured his anger and called out in a low voice.

“Senior Sister, I have some sea fish here. We…”

“Not interested,” Senior Sister Ding said lightly.

“Senior Sister, I…”

“No need.”

“I…”

“Please be quiet. Don’t disturb Little Junior Brother’s cultivation.” Senior Sister Ding raised her head and glanced at Zhao Zhongheng impatiently.

Zhao Zhongheng’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and glared fixedly at Xu Qing’s cabin, going crazy internally but helpless to do anything but sit down to meditate and stew in his anger.

Just like that, time passed slowly, and the night continued to deepen.

While Xu Qing and the other two were meditating, deep down in the dark seawater, an unusual change quietly and unnoticeably began to arise.

In the depths of the sea, specks of starlight gathered and gradually transformed into shadows that slowly floated to the surface… These shadows were like a mysterious dream that the pitch-black Forbidden Sea weaved for its voyagers.

As the shadows rose into the air, they continuously changed into various sinister forms, transforming into malicious ghosts that took the forms of drowned humans or dead, rotting beasts. In the next instant, the originally calm sea breeze turned into a raging gale. The various shadows began to release piercing, soul-shaking shrieks that echoed in all directions.

These shrieks were so tragic that it would make one’s scalp tingle.

Suddenly, the dream… turned into a nightmare!

Xu Qing’s trio instantly opened their eyes. Zhao Zhongheng’s pupils contracted, and Senior Sister Ding’s expression turned solemn. Her right hand immediately found its way over to her storage bag.

As Xu Qing walked out of the cabin, his gaze froze.

As far as the eye could sea, countless malicious ghosts rose into the air and flew crazily into the pitch-black sky as though they had received a summons.

They flocked together, then split into groups.

It was a bizarre and eerie sight.

This was… the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade.

Xu Qing raised his head and stared. Watching the ghosts rise into the air and releasing piercing shrieks, he recalled the sea records’ description of the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade.

“There is wondrous music in the Endless Sea, inaudible to the mortal ear. Golden Crow Chiyang’s attendants gather to relieve his wear. Hundred sounds form a tune – Heavenly Music Welcomes the Moon.”

“God in His delight looks over, narrowing His eyes and then – the Endless Sea becomes Forbidden, the hundred sounds become Yin.”

“If my sect’s disciples encounter it, do not move, do not touch, do not disturb…”

The words in the sea records described a story.

This story told all the Seven Blood Pupils disciples who were going out to sea about this Forbidden Sea that surrounded the South Phoenix continent. In fact, it was originally called the Endless Sea.

Long ago, before the fragmented face of God arrived, there would occasionally be strange music echoing in the Endless Sea. This wondrous music was inaudible to mortals even if they headed out to sea.

Only cultivators could hear the music occasionally when they were at sea.

And the sea records also mentioned the origins of this music.

In fact, the sun in the sky wasn’t a star but a huge Golden Crow, a divine bird. Its name was Chiyang, and every morning, it would fly out from its resting chambers deep within the Endless Sea before returning when night fell. When the next morning came, it would depart again, and return again, repeating the cycle ceaselessly as if it carried a mission.

Every time it returned to its resting chambers at night, its attendants would gather to play a song for it. This song contained a hundred notes and carried the meaning of dreams. As for this wondrous tune’s name, it was called Heavenly Music Welcomes the Moon.

Every time the music was played, the bright moon would rise into the sky and replace Chiyang to patrol the world.

But one day, the fragmented face of God arrived. Floating outside the sky, He was delighted upon hearing this music and narrowed His eyes to look over.

The moment his gaze landed, the whole Endless Sea boiled over instantly. Heterogeneity beyond imagination exploded forth, turning the Endless Sea into a Forbidden Sea filled with rich heterogeneity.

And the hundred notes that formed the song were also invaded by heterogeneity. The sounds turned to Yin, and as if they had died, gave rise to ghosts.

Thus, the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade.

[1] – “Sounds” (音) and “Yin” (阴) here have the exact same pronunciation in Chinese

[2] A Dharma protector is a person who guards you temporarily while you’re in seclusion or breaking through or something. Not to be confused with Dao Protector, which is a person whose job it is to guard you (usually given if you’re the young master of some clan, like the merfolk youth Xu Qing killed).

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