Chapter 1311: Please Be Sure to Bring Her Back

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

Before leaving the ghost ship, Haitang had heard what the mist said, knowing that Lu Ye had gained something from it. Now, hearing Lu Ye mention it again, she knew it was true. However, she wasn't someone who pried into everything, so she didn't ask further. She simply kept this favor silently in her heart, intending to repay it when the opportunity arose.

Changing the subject, she said, "But junior brother, your mind is truly sharp. How did you think of bringing me out?" If Lu Ye hadn't had that idea and actually succeeded, Haitang wouldn't have even considered it.

Lu Ye replied, "Actually, what you should truly be grateful for, senior sister, is that mist." Haitang was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"He gave me a hint," Lu Ye said with a smile. "When I entered the treasure vault, the mist said that I could take one item from everything on the ship. At the time, with countless treasures dazzling my eyes, I didn't think much and was indeed planning to choose one to take. But at the last moment, I suddenly realized there was something not quite right about its words."

Haitang pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood. "It said everything on the ship, not everything in the treasure vault."

"Exactly!" Lu Ye nodded. "Given that, Senior Sister Haitang must have been within the range of choices. Looking back, that was clearly its subtle guidance."

"So that's why you thanked him when you left."

When the ghost ship departed, Lu Ye had indeed said those words. At the time, Haitang didn't know what Lu Ye was thanking him for, but if it was truly as he said, the mist had indeed played a guiding role. Perhaps it was so, or perhaps it had no choice but to be so. Regardless, Lu Ye did indeed discern a loophole from that statement and changed his initial plan.

Overall, the experience on the ghost ship was like a peculiar game constrained by various rules within a specific environment. Not only did the intruders have to abide by them, but even the crew members on the ship and the final mist had to comply. These rules weren't fatal, but they were incredibly perilous, yet they still offered a glimmer of hope, making the situation quite mysterious. However, to play such a game, one had to be prepared to stake their very life.

In any case, Lu Ye didn't want to go through it again. Although he was now confident in controlling the Longlong battleship to counter three enemy ships, without a suitable method, even if he could destroy three enemy ships, he still couldn't defeat that Moon Realm cultivator.

"Senior Sister Haitang, where are you headed?" Lu Ye asked.

Haitang's expression grew dim. "I don't know."

"Where is Fangcun Mountain then? If it's not too far, I can escort you back," Lu Ye suggested.

Haitang was still in a weakened state, which wasn't suitable for navigating the starry sky. The two had formed a bond on the ghost ship, and Lu Ye felt that as long as the distance wasn't excessive, there would be no major issue in escorting her home. It would also be an opportunity to investigate Fangcun Mountain. Haitang's presence here implied that Fangcun Mountain wasn't too far from Kyushu. In the future, cultivators from the two realms would inevitably have some interactions, so establishing contact beforehand couldn't hurt.

Haitang shook her head. "I don't know where it is anymore."

Lu Ye was startled. How could she not know the location of her own home realm?

Haitang explained, "Fangcun Mountain is like the ghost ship; it's not fixed in one place in the starry sky. Instead, it drifts along a certain trajectory. Several months ago, Fangcun Mountain passed through this nearby starry region, and I came out to collect spirit jades. I accidentally discovered the ghost ship and became trapped within it. Now, months later, I don't know where Fangcun Mountain might have drifted to."

So that's how it was. From this perspective, Fangcun Mountain and the Blood Refinement Realm seemed to be of the same type: drifting realms. However, Fangcun Mountain was clearly on a much higher plane than the Blood Refinement Realm, as it could produce Star Constellation cultivators like Haitang. Therefore, while their realm drifted, cultivators within it could venture out to collect spirit jades. Such realms undoubtedly had an advantage: they never had to worry about spirit jade depletion in the airspace near their realm, as they were constantly moving and always had new areas to explore. But there were also drawbacks, just as Haitang was experiencing now. If one lost contact with their realm for too long, they might not be able to find their way home.

Lu Ye couldn't help but feel a bit troubled. Given Haitang's current situation, he couldn't simply ignore her, but taking her back to Kyushu wasn't entirely appropriate either. Outwardly, Kyushu cultivators had unified their stance, all referring to themselves as Nine Heavens cultivators, to avoid potentially drawing the attention of enemies provoked during the previous Kyushu era.

However, on the other hand, Haitang's character was quite good. When Lu Ye first boarded the ghost ship, he was completely bewildered, and she offered him timely warnings. Later, when he sought information from her, she provided it without reservation. And at the crucial moment, it was her determined strike that broke through the enemy ship's defenses.

Given all this... bringing her back to Kyushu didn't seem to be a problem.

With that thought, Lu Ye said, "Senior sister, if you have nowhere to go, why not come back to my realm with me?"

"Alright," Haitang replied with a smile, nodding. "But what is your realm called, junior brother? Our Fangcun Mountain small-folk are quite well-traveled due to our constant drifting. Perhaps your realm is even recorded in our Fangcun Mountain ancient texts. If so, I must have seen it before."

"Then Senior Sister definitely hasn't seen it," Lu Ye chuckled. "Because the Nine Heavens Realm I come from only recently ascended to a large realm, and even I only advanced to the Star Constellation stage about half a year ago."

"Ah, I see..." Haitang understood. If it was indeed a newly ascended large realm, Fangcun Mountain certainly wouldn't have a record of it. There were so many realms in the starry sky; even with all their knowledge, Fangcun Mountain couldn't possibly record every single one. Typically, only large realms at the very least would be recorded.

She was secretly astonished again, because if Lu Ye hadn't mentioned it, she truly wouldn't have realized he had only reached the Star Constellation stage half a year ago. She could tell Lu Ye was at the early Star Constellation cultivation level, but the profound condensation of his spiritual power was not something a newly ascended Star Constellation cultivator could possess. That would require at least fifteen to twenty years of accumulation. It seemed that this junior brother Lu Ye possessed extraordinary talent, and his various actions on the ghost ship were somewhat inscrutable. To this day, Haitang still hadn't figured out how he managed to solve his spiritual power replenishment issues.

Indeed, one should never underestimate any cultivator in the starry sky. For the Nine Heavens Realm, as a newly ascended large realm, to produce such a figure, it would surely become remarkable in due time.

They continued flying forward at a moderate pace, primarily because Lu Ye was also responsible for exploration, so he had to record the celestial bodies he observed. The originally monotonous journey through the starry sky became less so with Haitang's presence. The two occasionally chatted casually, which helped pass the time. However, Haitang often needed to recuperate, so Lu Ye remained mostly quiet.

Approximately half a month later, there was suddenly a movement from his battle imprint. Lu Ye concentrated and investigated, discovering it was a message from Xiao Jiu. "Lu Ye, you're still alive?"

Lu Ye's face darkened. He replied, "Of course I'm still alive." This Xiao Jiu was becoming increasingly impudent.

"You're really brave! None of the cultivators exploring the starry sky dare to venture too far, usually staying within half a year's journey. You're the one who ran the farthest."

Beyond half a year's journey, it was no longer possible to maintain timely contact with Kyushu. As Kyushu's Heavenly Mechanism, Xiao Jiu could sense the imprints of Kyushu cultivators at any time, naturally allowing it to ascertain the approximate locations of those who had left their home realm. Lu Ye's situation was different; he had left its sensing range over two months ago. But truthfully, it wasn't his intention. He had already planned to return earlier, but then he encountered Feng Rumao, who took him on a rapid flight. After that, he sought out the ghost ship, and it also carried him along for a while, resulting in him drifting further and further away.

"It's good you're alive, it's good you're alive. Come home soon!" Xiao Jiu urged.

Lu Ye suddenly felt an odd sensation, like a mischievous child playing outside, forgetting the time to go home, and being urged by a parent... But then again, wandering through the vast, boundless, and endless starry sky, if one had no worries in their heart, it would indeed feel incredibly empty.

No sooner had he finished communicating with Xiao Jiu than Jian Guhong's message arrived, inquiring about his recent situation. Evidently, Jian Guhong had been monitoring the status of his battle imprint. Previously, Lu Ye had traveled too far for Jian Guhong to contact him, but now that he was back within range, Jian Guhong had sensed it.

Lu Ye took some time to recount his various experiences from this journey, instructing Jian Guhong to record them. Both Feng Rumao and the ghost ship were phenomena that Kyushu cultivators had never encountered, and there was no guarantee they wouldn't encounter them in the future. Naturally, Lu Ye wouldn't withhold such important information. As for his previous encounter with the lantern fish, Lu Ye had already informed Jian Guhong about it via message. Presumably, future Kyushu cultivators entering the starry sky would now be more vigilant.

Immediately after, Lu Ye brought up Haitang and asked for Jian Guhong's opinion. Jian Guhong naturally didn't know about the Fangcun Mountain small-folk, but as Kyushu's first garrison commander, he noticed something else that piqued his interest.

"You're saying this Fellow Daoist Haitang, from Fangcun Mountain, is particularly knowledgeable and well-traveled?"

"Roughly so. According to her, Fangcun Mountain, like the ghost ship, drifts everywhere. Cultivators from Fangcun Mountain expand their horizons as their realm moves, naturally gaining extraordinary experience."

"Then we must invite Fellow Daoist Haitang back!"

Lu Ye immediately understood his intention. "Senior brother wants to invite her to educate us Kyushu cultivators on various common knowledge about the starry sky?"

"This is a rare opportunity. Compared to our own exploration, the information Fangcun Mountain possesses is far more comprehensive. We won't pry into any secrets, only ask about things that everyone knows but we don't, so she won't feel awkward."

"Alright then. I've already invited her. Senior Sister Haitang currently has nowhere to go and has agreed to return to Kyushu with me."