Chapter 3: The Great River Voyage

Human World

Unlike what Qin Sang had imagined, the man in white looked very young, appearing to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. His face was as flawless as jade, with sharp eyebrows and bright, piercing eyes. Despite having many blades of grass stuck to his face, he still retained his remarkable elegance. He was the most handsome and graceful young man Qin Sang had ever seen in both his lives.

The young man's eyes were wide open, as if he were questioning the heavens.

Qin Sang gently closed the young man's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he began searching through his clothes as well.

The young man's body was even cleaner than the demon's. Qin Sang searched everywhere, even his undergarments, but only found a colorful brocade pouch.

The pouch was palm-sized, adorned with exquisite cloud patterns. Its material was exceptionally fine, feeling even more delicate than the best silk Qin Sang had encountered in his previous life. A silken ribbon sealed its opening, and it hung at the young man's waist. Qin Sang initially thought it was a sachet but then realized it wasn't; it seemed to be empty.

Qin Sang tried to open the pouch but couldn't; the ribbon was surprisingly strong.

Qin Sang felt a pang of disappointment. There were no legendary treasures, not even gold or silver.

What about the flying sword?

The thought of the flying sword ignited a fervent excitement in Qin Sang. In both his past and present lives, legends of sword immortals were prevalent, each one incredibly captivating and inspiring.

Yet, Qin Sang looked left and right, but there was no sign of the flying sword.

Qin Sang picked up the man in white's hands and frowned, noticing they were tightly clenched, as if holding something. He quickly pried them open with great effort. In the left hand were some pale stone fragments, and from the right hand dropped a small wooden sword.

Qin Sang picked up the sword. Its surface seemed to have a dark luster, like ebony. The sword body was intricately carved with some patterns, likely the wood grain itself. Unfortunately, there was no inscription.

This ebony sword was only as long as a little finger and felt surprisingly heavy in his hand. However, it had no blade, and its tip couldn't even pierce a finger, making it seem like a toy.

Qin Sang frowned, recalling the moment he saw the flying sword. He realized that the flying sword looked exactly like the ebony sword but was much larger, the size of a normal precious sword.

Could these terrifying ravines have been caused by this small sword?

Qin Sang wrapped all the items in deerskin and, mimicking the man in black, hid them in his chest. Suddenly, he heard continuous crackling sounds. He propped himself up to look and saw that the flames from the tree had spread to the grassy bank at some point. A gentle breeze was blowing, and the riverbank was covered in dry yellow grass, which ignited easily. It was clear that the fire was about to escalate.

Careless!

Qin Sang cursed under his breath. There was no time to retrieve the bodies, so he bowed to the young man in white and softly said, "I do not know your name or origin, benefactor. I will keep this brocade pouch as a token. Should I ever have the chance to find your family, I will return it to its rightful owner!"

After speaking, Qin Sang gazed at the young man for a moment, committing his appearance to memory. He then used his knife to cut the clothing on both bodies. Although the fabric was fine, it was of ordinary material and tore easily with one cut. Qin Sang no longer lingered and skillfully crawled towards the river.

Seeing the fire approaching at a visible speed, Qin Sang grew very anxious. He hurriedly patted down the bandits' bodies, found two money bags, and fumbled to tie the raft securely before pushing it into the river. He then climbed onto it, clutching a knife. The next moment, the flames engulfed the riverbank.

*Whoosh...*

Fierce flames blazed, and thick smoke billowed.

The raft drifted with the current. Qin Sang felt the water and, finding it indeed calm, relaxed. He turned his head to gaze at the sea of fire.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of lives were lost, their bodies utterly consumed, including the two mysterious immortal masters. Surprisingly, Qin Sang felt no great emotional turmoil, only extreme exhaustion.

He forced himself to rally, picked up a few dry biscuits he'd found on the bandits, and wolfed them down with river water. Then, remembering the possessions he had risked his life for, he quickly took them all out to sort through them.

The two money bags contained mostly gold, worth nearly a hundred taels of silver—enough for him to live lavishly for a while. However, Qin Sang merely glanced at the amount before putting them away.

He wrapped both the book and the brocade pouch in deerskin and hid them close to his chest. Qin Sang then pulled a few cotton threads from his clothes to tie the small sword, hanging it around his neck and tucking it into his collar.

The small sword was unremarkable in appearance. Even if an outsider saw it, they would only mistake it for a wooden amulet, certainly never suspecting it was an immortal's flying sword.

He had originally intended to go ashore and seek help upon seeing a village or town, but unexpectedly, he traveled for a long time without encountering any signs of human habitation. Qin Sang cut a branch to splint his lower leg, lay down on the raft, and toyed with the small sword in his fingers. He gazed into the distance behind him, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, as faint wisps of smoke and dust were still visible on the horizon.

Another accident!

That terrifying dark vortex appeared again and again. This time it lasted particularly long and spun faster and faster.

Qin Sang felt a chilling coldness spread through his body, on the verge of suffocating. He suddenly sat up with a start, realizing he was still on the raft and that it had only been a nightmare. After escaping danger, his mind had relaxed, and in his exhaustion, he had fallen into a deep sleep on the raft.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but it was now night. The sky was starry and moonless, with a few specks of starlight scattered on the water, broken into shimmering fragments by the rippling waves.

*Splash!*

Suddenly, a wave crashed over him. Qin Sang shivered, waking up completely, and was startled to find himself soaked. The river here was rapid, with continuous waves, far from the calm of daytime.

The raft bobbed up and down amidst the waves. Qin Sang looked down and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Ahead, a massive whirlpool swirled on the water's surface, and the raft was drifting directly towards its center. No wonder he had been dreaming about that scene.

Qin Sang knew the terrifying power of whirlpools and turned pale with alarm. Only then did he realize that the raft had, at some unknown point, drifted into a wide river where the currents roared, the wind was fierce, and the waves were perilous.

Alone on his raft in the middle of the river, with no one to rely on, he could only desperately paddle with his knife, but it had little effect.

Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Boy on the raft, stop paddling! Grab the rope!"

Qin Sang turned his head and saw a large boat stopped on the river. In the darkness, he could only discern a dark silhouette and faint points of light. A lamp hung from the boat, and then that lamp described an arc before landing in the river. Only then did Qin Sang clearly see that it was being held in someone's hand.

This person held the lamp in one hand and pulled a rope with the other. The moment they touched the water's surface, they sprang back up with a mere tip of their toe, thus staying afloat and walking on the waves as if on solid ground.

Another immortal master?

Qin Sang's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Aim carefully!"

Halfway to him, the person shouted again, giving a powerful swing of their arm that sent the rope arcing through the air. It flew towards Qin Sang with startling speed, but as it neared him, much of its force dissipated. Qin Sang hastily dropped his knife, struggled to his feet, and without delay, grabbed the end of the rope, wrapped it once around his waist, and held on tightly.

Seeing Qin Sang's quick thinking, the person praised him, then swung the lamp and called back, "Pull the rope!"

Upon hearing a shout from the boat, the rope instantly tautened. A tremendous force lifted Qin Sang directly into the air, and seeing that he was about to crash head-first into the ship's side, Qin Sang closed his eyes tightly in fright.

The person kicked the water forcefully, rising into the air, grabbed Qin Sang by the collar, stepped onto the side of the boat, and in a few strides, leaped onto the deck.