“I knew he was an Astral Refiner. He’s pretty strong too!” Ye Qing muttered under his breath while massaging his slightly sore shoulder. The mysterious man probably possessed some sort of Strange Artifact that allowed him to hide his aura or cultivation level, because he wasn’t able to tell until they bumped shoulders with one another.
He had only used fifty percent of his strength because it was one thing to teach someone a lesson, and another to hit them with a full-powered attack. Despite this, he could tell that the mysterious man was injured by his retaliation. It wasn’t a serious injury, but it certainly wasn’t something he could just ignore either.
“I wonder how he’s feeling right now, paying a hundred silvers for a single room and getting schooled by the very guy who screwed him over, hehe!”
“Esteemed guest? Did you say something?” Qian Yong asked curiously.
Ye Qing smiled. “It’s nothing. Please get me a standard room, Steward Qian. Of course, I’ll be reserving the whole thing!”
“As you wish, esteemed guest! Please, follow me!” Qian Yong smiled back. He was grateful that Ye Qing was willing to stand up for him, so he quickly led Ye Qing to his room and did his best to accommodate him.
After everything was ready, Qian Yong said, “I’ll be taking my leave now, esteemed guest. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay with us. In the meantime, do not hesitate to seek me out for anything!”
“I will. Thanks, Steward Qian!” Ye Qing said.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you, esteemed guest, not to mention that it is my duty to serve. See you later!” Qian Yong saluted him and left after that.
“Brother Frog, Wawa, Faceless, feel free to catch some rest. I’m going to train for a bit!” Ye Qing told his companions before he started practicing the Cloud Vaporization Style once more.
Training was very important. Without training, not even the most talented person in the world could become proficient in anything. This was especially true when it came to fist martial arts.
Since he had grasped the basics of applying the Cloud Vaporization Style in combat, it was time to master the little details such as weight, speed, movement, control, power and so on. Everything must be honed into perfection, and he must know his moves so well that it was practically second instinct. Only then could he unleash the Cloud Vaporization Style’s full potential all the time.
Right now, he was still a long, long way from reaching that ideal state. That was why he must train as often as he could. Besides that, practicing the Cloud Vaporization Style could temper his astral qi. Once he had fully mastered the Burning Wind, he would use the Blood Jade Lotus to refine his astral qi and enter the late stage of the Astral Refinement stage in one go.
Finally, he was training like his life depended on it because it did. He could not rest easy until Sunset Hill and Wang Luori were dealt with. Sure, the Luo Shui Pacification Bureau would keep him safe, but even they could not protect him forever. In the end, the only one he could truly rely on was himself.
The foghorn sounded, and the Cloud Mountain began cutting through the waves. Soon, it was speeding toward a foreign and unfamiliar land.
Ye Qing spent the entire morning practicing the Cloud Vaporization Style in his room. It was a fulfilling and peaceful experience.
He had just finished going through the motions for the nth time and was enjoying a cup of wine when Wawa caught his attention. He turned around and saw the Book Sprite lying on top of the window sill and shouting excitedly at something outside.
Ye Qing walked over to her and looked outside the window. He immediately saw a school of big fishes with translucent wings riding the waves kicked up by Cloud Mountain and jumping in and out of the water. Sometimes, they jumped so high and far that it almost looked like they were flying. The fact that their wings glittered like rainbows under the sunlight only made the scene even more picturesque.
“These fishes are so big and beautiful! Wawa loves them!” The young girl squealed with joy and clapped her hands.
Ye Qing leaned on top of the window sill with a smile as he explained, “This fish is called the Wavechaser. Despite being a Red-class Stranger, it is perfectly harmless and enjoys nothing more than to ride the waves.”
“We should go to the deck for a better view. It would look even more impressive if they formed a fish tide!” Ye Qing beckoned Wawa and started toward the exit.
Still clapping her hands in excitement, Wawa immediately leaped over to Ye Qing’s shoulder and cried, “Okay!” She was so happy that her eyes were curved like crescents.
There were a lot of people on the deck when they got there. Clearly, they had come to watch the Wavechasers as well. It was at this moment someone shouted, “Here they come!”
Ye Qing looked. Countless Wavechasers had come together to form a tidal wave behind Cloud Mountain, chasing after its waves. When they finally reached the ship’s sides, they leaped into the air, unfolded their wings, and cut through the air like living rainbows for several seconds before falling back into the river. They would repeat this feat again and again as if they were tireless. It was a colorful, picturesque scene straight out of a dream.
“I can’t believe this is real!”
The scenery was so fantastical that it almost felt insulting that the crowd could only muster simple words to describe it. But then again, did it really need to be fanciful? Sometimes, simple was the best.
Unfortunately, the good moment didn’t last. Out of seemingly nowhere, gaping maws with rows and rows of sharp teeth suddenly appeared on the river surface. Not only were they everywhere, they were at least thirty meters wide in diameter. Caught off guard, the tidal wave of Wavechasers had no choice but to fall right on top of them!
This wasn’t a kid-friendly show where certain details were fudged or cut out, or the camera would conveniently move out of the way right before a gruesome scene would take place. Everyone who was watching the scenery be it young, old, male or female was treated to the horrific sight of the maws chewing up the helpless fishes until this entire section of the river ran red. It was brutal and unbearable to look at.
“Aaaahhh!” Many timid people screamed at the sight. Some were even covering up their eyes. This was just the beginning, however.
After the maws had eaten every Wavechaser around the ship, the river suddenly exploded and kicked up a massive wave that was at least tens of meters tall. It was as if a giant had suddenly burst through the water surface.
The wave crashed against the Cloud Mountain’s hull and shook it heavily, causing some people to fall over their feet. The good news was that the ship’s defenses came alive and blocked the wave. The bad news was that everyone was staring in a certain direction with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Something had captured their attention fully, and that something was, of course, a Stranger.
The Stranger resembled a giant worm. Its body was as thick as a millstone, and the part suspended above the waters alone was over fifty meters long. It was also covered in colorful, bowl-sized scales that glittered ominously under the sun and formed mysterious patterns that looked like the huge maws that devoured the Wavechasers.
A loud, unspeakable noise resounded from inside the worm Stranger’s body. It sounded like an angry roar. The next second, the mysterious patterns abruptly spread open into big, toothy maws. The Stranger roared again, and this time the maws joined in as well. It was loud enough to deafen the ears, and its breath smelled so bad it was a surprise no one fainted from it.
“I-It’s a S-S-Stranger! RUN!” Someone finally shouted and jolted the stupefied crowd from their daze. Panicked screams filled the air as everyone started running in every direction. It was utter chaos.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared on the deck. He looked thin but healthy. He yelled, “Calm down, people! Calm down! This Stranger is not strong enough to break through Cloud Mountain’s defenses!”
At the same time, an invisible energy spread throughout the deck and separated the people from one another. It was just in time to prevent the people from causing a stampede and injuring one another. Moreover, the middle-aged man’s voice was gentle, kind, and seemingly infused with some sort of calming power. Slowly but surely, the crowd calmed down somewhat.
It was at this moment the worm Stranger swooped down from above in an attempt to strike Cloud Mountain’s side like a battering ram. The cloud engravings covering the ship immediately lit up and conjured what looked like a sea of clouds around the ship. For a moment, it looked as if Cloud Mountain was riding the clouds.
The worm Stranger managed to sink a few meters deep when it struck the clouds, but a tremendous force sent its whole body flying through the air. It caused a gigantic splash when it finally crashed back into the river.
“I am the chief steward of Cloud Mountain, Jiang Yuzhen. You have my word that this Stranger won't be able to hurt us!”
Jiang Yuzhen relaxed after the worm Stranger was bounced away and added, “Cloud Mountain is protected by one hundred and eight Profound Cloud Restrictions, a restriction that is excellent for defense. At full strength, it can block a full-powered attack from any Stranger below the Soulstealer-class, so please, be at ease!”
Some of the passengers looked convinced by Jiang Yuzhen’s assurance, but Ye Qing only shook his head. “Is he joking?”
As if on cue, the tower ship started shaking violently as the worm Stranger reappeared from the waters and crossed over the ship to the other side. It would repeat this another three times like a python that was wrapping around its prey. Once it was ready, it began squeezing the ship while releasing filthy, most likely corrosive breath from its many maws. Slowly but surely, the surrounding clouds began straining under the pressure.
Jiang Yuzhen’s expression immediately turned ugly. As the one controlling the ship, he could clearly feel how much pressure the Profound Cloud Restrictions were under. The corrosive breath especially had corrupted the restrictions and made them far less potent than they would be otherwise.
I just told everyone that they would be safe!
Before Jiang Yuzhen could muster a response, the worm Stranger abruptly exerted its full strength and destroyed many Profound Cloud Restrictions.
“Dammit!” Jiang Yuzhen cursed. Knowing he had no time to waste, he immediately flew into the sky and summoned a whip to his hand. The whip looked firm, flexible, and completely useless in this situation. But when the chief steward swung the weapon, it conjured countless transparent whips and water threads that wrapped around the worm Strangers like chains.
The worm Stranger roared furiously and struggled with all its might, but it was unable to break free for a time.
“That’s the inferior-grade astral qi, Soft Water!” Ye Qing exclaimed in recognition. The ship was shaking violently from the clash of powers, but his feet were firmly rooted to the floor.
Soft Water was an inferior-grade astral qi and the embodiment of the softness of water. Out of all the types of water astral qi out there, it was the softest and most flexible of them all. Its flexibility could defeat brute strength if applied properly, and it could transform into a million things depending on the warrior’s skill and imagination.
Although Soft Water was unsuited for offense, it was extraordinarily capable in terms of defense and control. It was why the worm Stranger couldn’t break free even though the watery chains keeping it pinned might look as thin as threads.
“It’s not enough though!” Ye Qing sighed. Jiang Yuzhen’s skill in water manipulation was incredibly impressive, but he was only an early-stage Astral Refiner.
The worm Stranger was a Hatred-class Stranger called the Hundred Mouth Dragon. Despite its name, it was really a kind of earthworm that was usually born in rivers. As massive as it was strong, its body was covered in huge maws filled with rows and rows of sharp teeth. Obviously, it was carnivorous.
The Hundred Mouth Dragon was also as tenacious as an earthworm. It would live even if it was cut into two or more parts.
The Hundred Mouth Dragon was one of the stronger Hatred-class Strangers among its peers. Not only that, it was twenty to thirty percent stronger in water than it was on land. Jiang Yuzhen wasn’t weak, but there was little chance he would be able to defeat the Stranger by himself.