Chapter 85: Lone Boat On The Sea Of Fog
Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish Creek
As they continued to head up the river, only thirty miles was left until the source of Surging River. However, stranger things were happening.
Qin Mu saw bright lights in front that was illuminating the darkness. There was a village and the lights were very eye-catching in the darkness.
In the village, there was an elder pasting and binding paper ship. Each time a paper boat was finished, it would automatically fly out of the village and berth and the riverside. In the river, men and women who were dripping wet would board the boat and the paper boat would float towards the heart of the river where the dense fog was and disappear into the dense fog.
"Those are the messengers of death."
Village Chief whispered, "They appear at night to extradite the people that died in the river. Do not alarm them."
"Messengers of death?"
Qin Mu was curious and gave a few more looks at the elder. The elder's face was blurry as if there was a veil covering his face, Qin Mu was unable to see his looks.
The elder in the village seemed to notice as he raised his head to look at Qin Mu. Qin Mu's blood ran cold and felt his soul wavering, it was as if it was trying to fly out of his body. However, at this moment, a booming Buddha voice came from the heart of his brows. The Rulai imprint the Old Ma placed in the heart of his brow shone brightly and blocked the gaze of the elder.
"Living being goes no further." an indistinct voice traveled over as the elder lowered his head and continued to paste his paper ship.
Village Chief said prudently, "Mu'er, don't meddle with the world after death."
"The world after death?"
Qin Mu was stunned and asked, "We are clearly in Great Ruins and this isn't the world after death, why does Village Chief say so…"
"There are many peculiar places in Great Ruins that are linked to different worlds. That little village is the place link the world after death and our real world."
Village Chief replied, "Not only Great Ruins have this kind of places, there are also similar places outside of Great Ruins. If you leave Great Ruins and meet such a village and such an elder, do not get involved with them. If you don't provoke them, they will not meddle with the real world. However, they are very knowledgeable and you can ask them for directions. Brother, may I ask how to go to Carefree Village?"
The elder raised a finger and pointed towards the darkness, "You can't go to the real Carefree Village."
Village Chief gave his thanks and they continued to move forward. Not knowing how far they had walked, the jade pendant on Qin Mu's chest suddenly floated up and pointed forward.
Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly, "Village Chief!"
Village Chief turned back and saw this scene before nodding his head gently. Qin Mu took down the jade pendant and hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he let go of his hand.
The jade pendant floated upwards and flew forward. Village Chief immediately brought Qin Mu along to follow the pendant. The floating speed of the jade pendant grew faster and faster as if it was a shooting star that was piercing through the darkness.
Qin Mu and Village Chief quickly caught up and suddenly heard a "plop" sound. It sounded like a little ball dropping into the river when the jade pendant had collided with an invisible membrane and created ripples in the air.
In front of Qin Mu and Village Chief, there seemed to be a strange world that was slowly opening up with those ripples. In front of them was a vast land shrouded by fog which had towering mountains. The land was hidden deep in the darkness, overlapping with the darkness that was not exactly darkness.
"There's really another world in the darkness!"
Village Chief brought Qin Mu along to catch up as he stretched his arm to grab the jade pendant, unable to concentrate, "Is this where Carefree Village is? Will my parents be here?"
The jade pendant was still trembling in his hand as if it wanted to fly to its owner's location.
Qin Mu wore the jade pendant back on his neck and use the jade pendant to lead the way. Village Chief immediately blocked him and said calmly, "Mu'er since we are already here, there's no need to rush. We should take things step by step. There is something weird…"
Qin Mu calmed himself down and walked forward. The mountain range here was elegant but they were covered by gray fog, making them look blurry. Is this really Carefree Village?
Didn't the messenger of death said they wouldn't find Carefree Village?
The gray fog in front made the mountains faintly discernible. Suddenly a crisp crack sounded below Qin Mu's feet and a voice came out, "Ow, you hurt me…"
Qin Mu jumped in shock and immediately looked down. He saw a skeleton hand pulling itself out below his feet and a skull popped out from the fog, 'looking' at him with its empty eye sockets.
"Human!"
The skeleton gave a piercing scream which reverberated in this hazy gray world.
Qin Mu immediately moved back one step and another crack sounded beneath his feet. Only now did he see the countless skeletons on the ground. There were innumerable bones accumulated and piled up together, unaware of how deep it was!
The nine heavens in his eyes revolved as he looked towards the mountains and shivered uncontrollably.
The mountains in the fog were built by countless of bones. These bones formed piles and piles of mountains while being hidden in the fog!
Qin Mu's hair stood on their ends as the bones on the ground stood up one by one. Skeletons swayed as they stood up in the hazy gray fog and all kinds of distorted voice reverberated in the fog, "Human? Where's the human?"
"It's been very long since a human came by! Which human could make his way here?"
"They have flesh, we have no flesh, steal their flesh—"
…
Village Chief frowned as he looked afar. The mountains far away were also tremoring and the mountains stood up and strode over like a monster formed by innumerable white bones. As the white bone mountains walked over, there were also countless of skeletons dancing around and climbing the mountain, making these white bones behemoths bigger and bigger.
These bones still had the might of gods and devils, which clearly meant that they were the bones of gods and devils!
The noisy voices of the skeletons were loud and chaotic as they kept shrieking to eat the humans who had made their way here.
"Where did so many dried bones come from?"
Village Chief also couldn't help but to rant and rave. A few small skeletons that were only three feet dashed out from the gray fog and grabbed onto Qin Mu's leg to bite. Qin Mu shattered them with a palm but even more skeletons clattered as they sprinted over. It was like a huge wave in the big sea. Very intimidating!
Village Chief's vital qi flowed out and transformed into sword lights but there were simply too many skeletons here. Even he was having a headache, especially towards the bones of gods and devils as they were even harder to deal with.
However at this moment, light blossomed from the heart of Qin Mu's brow and the apparition of a great Buddha appeared behind them to keep watch. Countless of skeletons instantly screamed and escaped in all directions.
Numerous skeletons gathered together while escaping and turned into sprinting giants. Some giants tripped and turned into countless of skeletons running away as they landed on the ground. As they ran and ran, they gathered together again and formed a skeletal giant.
Qin Mu sighed of relief. The apparition of the great Buddha left in the heart of his brows indeed had an effect on those strange skeletons, making them not dare to come near.
The skeleton mountains far away also halted and looked from afar. Seeing the great Buddha behind Qin Mu, they dared not come near.
The undulating billows of gray fog made the fog between the mountains looked like a sea of fog. Suddenly, there was light shining over and Qin Mu concentrated his attention on the light. He was slightly stunned when he saw a small boat made from a leaf floated between the two mountains of bones.
The small boat made from a leaf floated on the fog. At the bow of the small boat, a lantern hung on the lone mast. There were no sails and the lantern was giving off a weak glow.
At the aft of the boat, a boatman wearing a tattered woven rush raincoat and a bamboo hat on his head was rowing the oars. Under the lantern sat a man who was also wearing a bamboo hat, his face couldn't be seen clearly.
The small boat quickly reached in front of them and the man under the lantern stood up. Turning around, he bowed towards the boatman and took out a gold coin.
As the boatman stretched his hand out to take the gold coin, Qin Mu immediately saw that there was no flesh on the boatman's palm!
Under the bamboo hat and woven rush raincoat was actually a skeleton!
A skeleton rowing a boat!
The man under the lantern disembarked the boat and was slightly stunned when he saw Qin Mu and Village Chief. He bowed and greeted with an old voice, "Brother."
Qin Mu and Village Chief bowed and returned the greeting, "Brother."
The person pressed down on his bamboo hat and walked away.
Village Chief suddenly said, "Hold your steps, brother."
The person halted.
Village Chief asked, "Does brother have any spare coins?"
The person gave a hoarse laughter, "You didn't bring any money and you planned to make the ghost row the boat?"
Village Chief gave a smile, "That's why I would like to borrow some from brother."
Laughter came from under the bamboo hat, "Old Sword God, it's been awhile since I last saw you. There aren't many people left from our generation. It's also fate that we can meet here. Fine, I'll give you some Fengdu coins."
He stretched out his palm and the few gold coins floated in his palm.
With a grave expression, Village Chief's vital qi showed its form, growing arms and legs. He slowly stretched his hand out and grabbed towards the gold coins.
As both of their hands touched each other, their body swayed.
The man under the bamboo hat pulled back his hand and turned to leave while sighing, "You're old but you're still slightly stronger than me. But it's good that I'm younger than you and can live slightly longer than you."
Village Chief sent him off with his gaze, "You're stronger than before but you might not live longer than me."
"That's hard to say."
The man under the bamboo hat leaped and vanished. Village Chief opened his palm and four gold coins landed in Qin Mu's hand. The arms and legs that were formed by his vital qi gradually turned faint as he said, "Mu'er, let's board the boat."
Qin Mu board the small boat worriedly. Village Chief also floated up and leaned himself on the mast. The boatman at the aft of the boat adjusted the bow of the boat and rowed the boat unhurriedly as it stably sailed towards the dense fog in the depth of the skeleton mountain.