Chapter 45: Yang Family Siblings

Over the next few days, Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng practiced cultivation while also diligently studying the language and script of this world, aiming to master them as quickly as possible.

As they drew closer to Jiuli City, the Sui River widened into a vast expanse, resembling a placid lake. Passenger ships, ornate pleasure boats, and mighty warships, one after another, made it seem as though thousands of sails were passing by.

After nightfall, every ship hung bone lanterns or lanterns adorned with images of ladies. The lights reflected on the water, while the sky above was dotted with countless stars. On the river, singing and dancing filled the air, presenting a scene of prosperity and tranquility.

The entire Sui River flowed through the Lingxiao Habitat from north to south, its main channel passing through seven states. Due to its numerous tributaries and lakes, it was rich in aquatic resources and offered convenient transportation, extending its influence to more than a dozen states.

Consequently, the colossal Sui Sect emerged. It cleared the dangers within the Sui River basin, such as malevolent fiends, lingering spirits, and water bandits, thereby making shipping smoother and more developed. It also held significant sway over various forms of waterborne transport and trade, earning immense wealth.

Centuries later, the Sui Sect transformed from a mere assistant responsible for trade and transport under the Jiuli Tribe into a colossal power in the Lingxiao Habitat. Its influence and prominence even subtly overshadowed the Jiuli Tribe.

At that moment, Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng stood by the railings on the bow deck. Looking out, they saw that many ships bore the character "Sui" on their pennants. The passenger ship they were on was no exception.

Li Weiyi asked, "What are you thinking about, Senior Brother?"

"The great river flows east, washing away countless heroes of old; true glory belongs to the present day," Zhao Meng declared with boundless ambition.

Li Weiyi chuckled, "Is that a poem?"

"Roughly! Weiyi, as men, we must make a name for ourselves. In this world, we need to achieve great things. Why don't we expand the Chan Gate, making it even larger than the Sui Sect? Then, when Senior Sister hears the name of the Chan Gate, she might even come looking for us," Zhao Meng said.

Li Weiyi replied, "That makes sense, but we need to establish ourselves in this world first."

"Rumble!"

"Splash!"

The wide river surface churned violently, waves surging.

A malevolent fiend, resembling both a giant python and a green flood dragon, moved swiftly across the river, occasionally surfacing its head or flicking its tail. Its body was bound by numerous iron chains, inscribed with floating scriptures, the other end of which was connected to a brightly lit, luxuriously adorned ship.

Soon, it caught up, moving alongside Li Weiyi's passenger ship, only about two or three zhang away.

Upon closer inspection, the fiend in the water, resembling a python and a flood dragon, was over twenty meters long and as thick as a bucket, with wide green fins on its back, exuding a powerful aura. On the opposite ship, groups of attendants and servants were present, and the maidservants wore vividly colored, finely embroidered clothes.

"Is that a flood dragon?" Zhao Meng asked, showing no fear, but rather keen interest.

He was in desperate need of flood dragon blood.

"It's a Green Chi, with very thin flood dragon blood," said Li Ling.

Li Ling walked along the corridor. Her injuries were mostly healed, and she had changed into new clothes, wearing a jade hairpin in her hair. To the other passengers on the ship, she appeared like a fairy descended to the mortal world, and they all gazed at her from a distance.

On the luxurious ship about three zhang away, a man and a woman stepped onto the deck and waved to her.

"Sister Li Ling... it's me, Yang Yun!"

"Whoosh!"

The young man surged with spiritual energy, leaped, and stepped on air, crossing the three-zhang distance to land steadily on the ship where Li Weiyi and the others were.

Yang Yun was only a year older than Li Ling. He wore brocade robes that were clearly incredibly expensive, but he was certainly not a fop. The spiritual energy he had just released was far more potent than that of Yan Qingqing or Fang Tong.

His eyes full of joy, he made no attempt to hide his excitement. "Sister Qingxi and I heard you were injured in Yao Pass, so we drove the Green Chi day and night to catch up with you. Thank goodness we finally did! Seeing how well you look now, your injuries must not be serious."

Li Weiyi ignored the greetings and reunion on the other side, his gaze drawn to the woman of pure immortal essence on the opposite ship.

She was older and taller than Yang Yun and Li Ling, lacking the immaturity of younger teenagers. Her attire was exquisitely embroidered, imprinted with scriptures, an outer water-blue ruqun over a light-green inner garment.

What truly attracted Li Weiyi, however, was not her beauty or demeanor, but her unfathomably profound cultivation.

Then he saw.

With a gesture of her finger, wisps of white spiritual energy formed a cloud bridge between the two ships. Then, amidst the river breeze, she crossed the bridge with light, slow, and graceful movements, captivating countless onlookers on the surrounding ships. They would surely have pleasant dreams that night.

Yang Qingxi approached Li Ling. Her perfectly beautiful face, usually as cold as a thousand-year-old glacier, finally softened. "You're injured, why are you still out here in the cool wind? How do your servants look after their master?"

Her gaze, somewhat stern, fell upon Zhao Meng and Li Weiyi.

Although Zhao Meng was of immense build, in this world teeming with diverse sentient beings, the Yang siblings showed no surprise at all.

Just like the twenty-meter-long Green Chi, it was only fit to pull their boat.

Li Weiyi did not want to offer further explanations and was about to leave with Zhao Meng. But Yang Yun was too enthusiastic. Hearing they were Li Ling's servants, he immediately pulled out Wellspring Coins and gave one to each of them.

This was equivalent to ten thousand copper coins!

Given such generosity, they naturally couldn't refuse. After accepting the coins, they thanked him repeatedly.

"What's there to thank me for? It's just two Wellspring Coins. A while ago, when I broke through to the Eighth Wellspring, the rewards from my sect, family, and the Prefecture Governor's manor totaled fifty thousand silver. While it might be a small amount, it's free money, so why not take it?" Yang Yun said with a smile.

"That's true."

Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng readily agreed, quickly pocketed their Wellspring Coins, and then swiftly left the deck.

In the corridor, they encountered Zhao Zhizhuo.

"Why are you two so happy?" Zhao Zhizhuo asked curiously.

"Go visit your Fourth Young Lady quickly; I guarantee you'll be happy too."

With that, the two burst into laughter and walked away.

After their laughter, they quickly fell silent, their previous high spirits gone.

Instead, they felt that they were the most ridiculous ones.

A mere sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth had already opened eight wellsprings, with cultivation far surpassing theirs. In this world, there were too many geniuses and too many masters; it was no wonder others treated them as household servants.

Perhaps other people's servants were even stronger than them.

What they considered top-tier talent might just be the baseline for cultivating martial arts.

Zhao Meng said, "I hope that one day, we can also casually use Wellspring Coins to tip others. Only then will we truly have status and dignity."

On the bow deck, Li Ling smiled faintly. "Your Sui Sect is truly well-informed. I only appeared briefly in Yao Pass, yet you managed to find out my exact whereabouts."

Yang Yun said, "Sister Ling's injury is a significant matter; of course, our subordinates would report it to us."

Yang Qingxi understood Li Ling's unspoken meaning and, wishing to change the subject, asked, "I heard your coffin salvage operation was attacked by the Buddhist Bandit. Was your brother injured?"

"Sister Qingxi, if you want to be my sister-in-law, you might need to put in more effort recently. It seems my brother has someone he fancies," Li Ling said with a playful wink.

They did not stay long before Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun bid farewell and returned to the Green Chi ship.

Yang Yun originally did not want to leave, wishing to travel with Li Ling, but Yang Qingxi forcibly took him away.

The next morning.

Soon after Li Weiyi woke up, Zhao Zhizhuo came to visit, informing him that they would reach Jiuli City by noon at the latest.

Standing by the railing and looking out, a mountain range perpetually stretched along the western bank of the Sui River. Its numerous peaks, shrouded in clouds and mist, resembled a thousand-mile wall supporting the heavens.

When the river course neared the mountains, they appeared dark and imposing, as if about to topple over.

Only when the river course moved away from the mountains could one clearly see the peaks layered one upon another, appearing very steep and profound.

Zhao Zhizhuo explained, "The Mangshan Mountain Range forms the western border of Lizhou. It's said that every peak within the range is the tomb of an ancient emperor. The notion of the Mangshan Imperial Tombs originates from this belief."

"Beyond the Mangshan Mountain Range lies the endless Abyssal Realm of the Deceased, a forbidden zone for life... or at least for humans."

Li Weiyi knew about the Abyssal Realm of the Deceased; legend held that the realm had no boundaries, so vast that even cultivators of the Longevity Realm could not reach its end.

"Doesn't that mean Jiuli City and the Abyssal Realm of the Deceased are separated only by the Mangshan Mountain Range?" Li Weiyi found it hard to understand why Jiuli City would be built in such a dangerous location.

"It wasn't like this before! A thousand years ago, the Jiuli Tribe governed the Nine States, and the entire Lingxiao Habitat spanned three hundred states. Zenhai Guanwu, the foremost figure in Lingxiao, was capable of deterring the Abyssal Realm. It was that world-destroying catastrophe that caused ninety percent of the Lingxiao Habitat's lands to be engulfed by the Abyssal Realm of the Deceased, leaving only twenty-eight states now," Zhao Zhizhuo sighed, unwilling to elaborate further.

Back in their cabin, Li Weiyi consulted with the remnants in the stone coffin and the senior spirit tablet.

After listening, both fell into a prolonged silence.

They also did not know the reason; when they left previously, the Lingxiao Habitat had been intact. Clearly, the current situation was something they had not anticipated.

Even before the passenger ship reached the dock, martial cultivators on exotic beasts or flying mounts frequently appeared from the shore and sky, investigating and constantly moving back and forth.

Cang Li was already waiting at the dock.

Most of the young talents accompanying him were scions of influential families, outstanding figures from Daoist academies, and proud daughters of sects. Each drove precious carriages pulled by exotic beasts, following Cang Li's lead.

Cang Li, the foremost genius of the Cang Li Tribe in a thousand years, was certainly not renowned for nothing. With a pure immortal body, breaking through nine wellsprings and entering the Fifth Sea Realm, such talent and cultivation speed would undoubtedly qualify him as a "First Successor" or "Second Successor" representing their respective factions, even among the million-gate establishments and million-sect schools.

As a prominent figure among the younger generation, he naturally commanded countless followers in Jiuli City.

The so-called "million-gate establishments" and "million-sect schools" refer to those that have been passed down for at least a thousand years, possess at least ten thousand martial cultivators of top-tier talent, and command the direct influence over tens of millions of people. All three conditions must be met.