Chapter 21: This Was the Second Time Master Had Given Her a Gift! p1
Although Mu Tao had closed the door, there were far more people on this ship than at Chaoxi Pond.
For some peace of mind, Li Yu got up and bolted the door.
As soon as the door was locked, she collapsed onto the bed.
The bed wasn’t as comfortable as the one at Chaoxi Pond, but it was clean and tidy, so there wasn’t much difference.
Lying there, Li Yu’s mind was filled with that 75% compatibility.
It had been over 90% just yesterday afternoon. In less than a day, it had plummeted back to the precarious levels of when she first arrived.
It had to be the work of Weisheng Xuanzhu and Mo Yichu, that master and disciple duo!
Fortunately, after leaving Mount Chao Yao, the only people who could deduct her compatibility points were the two protagonists.
She had already mastered the art of fooling the little protagonist. Now, she just needed the male protagonist to get used to her new persona, and she wouldn’t have to worry about this number anymore!
—At least not until they returned to Mount Chao Yao.
Li Yu looked at the two strings of bells in her hand.
In the novel, if the Harmony Bells were worn by two people, no matter how far apart they were, as long as one person activated the bells with their spiritual power, the other person could sense their location.
Basically, a GPS tracking system.
In the early stages of the original story, the little protagonist, with her gloomy personality and weak cultivation, was almost injured by demons several times after arriving in the human realm. Fortunately, the male protagonist always appeared in time.
But even protagonists couldn’t be together every second of every day.
The weak protagonist ended up separated from the male protagonist in the notoriously difficult haunted city.
Li Yu couldn’t remember the details of that arc.
She only remembered being exhausted from work every day during that time, losing patience with the novel, wanting to skip to the satisfying parts where the protagonist blackened and went on a killing spree, yet also compelled to know what happened earlier.
She did finish the novel, but she had skimmed through the early chapters, mainly focusing on the dialogue, so it was almost like she hadn’t read it at all.
While everyone in the comments section was raving about the angst, her mind remained a blank slate, in a state of detached bewilderment.
—Huh? Weren’t they just in the imperial city? Why is the setting suddenly so creepy?
—Who just died? Why are they fighting? It seems intense, but I’m lost, better keep reading.
—Huh? The arc is over? They’re going back to the mountain already?
Did she read it? Yes, she read it.
Li Yu stared at the Harmony Bells, trying to recall the details, but only a vague outline came to mind.
The current imperial family in the human realm seemed to have the surname Qin. They had traveled a thousand miles to seek immortal aid in cleansing the resentment from a haunted city.
The haunted city was the former capital of a small kingdom that had been destroyed over three hundred years ago.
Before his kingdom’s demise, the ruler, desperate to avoid his fate, listened to a wicked cultivator and conducted a grand blood sacrifice, hoping to gain the mercy of the “Moon God.”
But such a simple exchange—sacrificing some unlucky souls for a god’s favor—was wishful thinking.
The wicked cultivator’s true motive was to gather resentment and strengthen his evil cultivation.
He seemed to have died later, but she couldn’t remember how.
But even after his death, the consequences of the blood sacrifice remained, a problem no human cultivator could solve.
It trapped all the souls of the city, and the overwhelming resentment, unable to dissipate, became a breeding ground for evil spirits.
The protagonists suffered greatly, both physically and mentally, to fulfill their mission.
But adversity reveals true feelings, and it was after this incident that the male protagonist personally tied the Harmony Bells on the female protagonist.
Incidentally, this arc was deeply connected to the male protagonist.
Although she had skimmed through the novel, she still remembered that Mo Yichu was the former young lord of that small kingdom and had been chosen by the wicked cultivator as the core sacrifice for the blood ritual.
That kingdom was destroyed over three hundred years ago, and Mo Yichu had joined Mount Chao Yao around the same time.
The reason was simple.
Weisheng Xuanzhu happened to be visiting his hometown and, on his way back to Mount Chao Yao, passed by that blood-soaked land.
Matters of the human realm were often trivial in the eyes of immortals.
Natural disasters, man-made calamities, the rise and fall of dynasties, were all part of the natural order. They might witness them, but after a few hundred or thousand years, they would forget.
He was just passing by, but he noticed a child with exceptional talent on the sacrificial altar. After some consideration, he took a risk and brought the child back to Mount Chao Yao.
This guy also strictly adhered to the laws of heaven.
Such a grand blood sacrifice in the city, with an invading army at the gates, clearly a recipe for disaster.
Yet, he merely took one sacrificial offering and did nothing else.
It was clear that the laws of heaven were not to be trifled with.
Li Yu sighed.
The calamity the elder had ignored had now fallen upon the younger generation.
And not only that, but she, an outsider, was also dragged into it…
The future was uncertain; better sleep.
Li Yu rolled over, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.
She didn’t sleep long.
Perhaps because the “immortals” arrived early, the ship, originally scheduled to depart at noon, set sail earlier.
The commotion on deck made it difficult to sleep.
Li Yu wasn’t sleepy anyway; she had only gone to bed out of boredom. Now, unable to sleep, she got up.
The ship was large, but the conditions were still basic. Most cabins had bunk beds, six people crammed into a small room.
A cabin with a separate bed and table was already the best they could get.
But even the best cabin was still small and windowless, feeling stuffy after a while.
Li Yu sat in the room, staring blankly at the wall. Finally, realizing she couldn’t stand the confinement, she decided—she needed some fresh air on the deck and a glimpse of the sea!
As she opened her door, the wooden door of the next room also creaked open slightly.
A pair of puppy-like eyes peeked out, blinking at Li Yu, who had just woken up and hadn’t yet figured out where she was going.
Their eyes met.
Mu Tao, seeing she had been spotted, opened the door wider, poked her head out, and asked softly, “Is Master hungry?”
Li Yu: “Just a bit stuffy, I need some fresh air.”
Mu Tao bit her lip and didn’t speak.
Li Yu thought that if even she, a homebody, felt stuffy, Mu Tao probably needed some fresh air too.
So, she asked, “Want to come along?”
As casual as asking a classmate if they wanted to go to the restroom together.
“Mm!” Mu Tao nodded vigorously, slipped out of the room, and happily followed Li Yu.
The deck was bustling with people, some busy, some leisurely.
As Li Yu and Mu Tao stepped onto the deck, they saw the last vestiges of Mount Chao Yao in the distance, like a thin morning mist, being blown away by the sea breeze.
Only the bright sun hung in the eastern sky, illuminating the vast ocean.
The human envoy, Lord Zhao, and Mo Yichu were standing at the stern, gazing at the receding shoreline of the immortal mountain.
Now that the mountain had disappeared, Lord Zhao sighed. “When we arrived the other day, the immortal mountain suddenly appeared just like it vanished now, without any warning. If I hadn’t set foot on it myself, I wouldn’t have believed that such a hidden immortal mountain existed in this vast ocean.”
The person beside him didn’t respond, making him feel slightly awkward.
He cleared his throat and asked curiously, “Why did the immortal mountain suddenly disappear? Can you still see it, Young Immortal?”
Mo Yichu: “Once you leave the mountain gate, you can no longer see it.”
Lord Zhao: “Mountain gate?”
Mo Yichu: “Mm.”
Lord Zhao pondered.
He hadn’t seen anything resembling a “gate” when entering or leaving the mountain.
But those extraordinary immortal disciples had repeatedly mentioned things like, “How could outsiders arrive when the mountain gate isn’t open?”
He thought about it, still puzzled, and finally asked, “There’s something I don’t understand. After entering the mountain, people kept mentioning the mountain gate, but what exactly is it, Young Immortal? Can you enlighten me?”
“The mountain gate isn’t a physical object; it’s a protective barrier created by the three revered ones of the mountain.” Mo Yichu, seeing the envoy’s continued confusion, explained further, “Normally, when the mountain gate is closed, outsiders cannot enter. However, the spiritual flower Lord Zhao brought happened to carry the aura of one of the revered ones, so the mountain gate didn’t block it, allowing you to enter.”
“I see.” Lord Zhao nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.
Noticing Li Yu and Mu Tao approaching, he turned to greet them with a fawning smile.
“Immortal, Young Immortal, are you here for some fresh air as well?”
“Mm,” Li Yu replied casually.
Mu Tao, following her master’s example, also hummed in agreement.
Lord Zhao wanted to say more, but seeing that the immortal had no intention of engaging in conversation, he tactfully excused himself.
With the socially inept person gone, Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
The sea breeze was strong, carrying a salty scent, making it hard to keep her eyes open.
She looked out at the vast expanse of blue, shimmering under the sun, unable to see the shore they had left behind.
Li Yu had never been to the sea, not even to the beach.
Her first time on a ship, waking up in the middle of the ocean, felt surreal.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but just looking at the sea made her head spin and her chest feel tight.
But surely an immortal wouldn’t get seasick?
She told herself it was just her first time seeing the ocean; she wasn’t used to it.
Li Yu instinctively took two steps back, afraid of being blown overboard by the strong wind.
Mu Tao, beside her, was completely different.
Despite also being at sea for the first time, she showed no signs of discomfort.
She gripped the railing, her face alight with excitement.
The sea breeze ruffled her long hair, her red ribbon dancing amidst the dark strands.
“Master, we’re outside the mountain gate!!”
She couldn’t help but shout with joy, like a bird freed from its cage.
Mu Tao: “We can’t even see Mount Chao Yao anymore!”
Li Yu: “Mm.”
Mu Tao: “We’re surrounded by the sea!”
Li Yu: “Mm.”
Mu Tao: “The wind is so strong!”
Li Yu: “Mm.”
Mu Tao seemed to love being at sea, or perhaps just being away from Mount Chao Yao. Even her voice was louder than usual.
But she didn’t know that her master, feeling dizzy and apprehensive, wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying, only giving perfunctory replies.
Seemingly aware of her master’s lack of engagement, Mu Tao pouted slightly, glanced at Mo Yichu, and then quietly moved towards him.
Mo Yichu turned to see Mu Tao looking at him expectantly. “Senior Brother, how long until we reach the human realm?”
He thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Lord Zhao said it will take at least half a month.”
Mu Tao: “So far!”
Mo Yichu: “Mm.”
