The two majestic bronze doors were decorated with reliefs depicting two completely different moods. On the left door, the scene of “myriad household lights” brought to mind a real ancient city alive with the warmth and bustle of mortal life.
Just a brief glance was enough for Li Weiyi to feel as if his very soul was being drawn into it. It was like walking down a street under the veil of night, surrounded by the cries of vendors and the constant flow of bustling traffic. In contrast, the right door’s “River of Underworld Stars” exuded an overwhelming grandeur.
It showed a river formed by countless clustered stars, reminiscent of the Milky Way in the night sky—except that, instead of silver, this river shone with a dim yellow light.
“This is where the master of the Bronze Ship resides? Has he truly long since passed away?”
Li Weiyi wondered. In his mind, he pictured that within this garden, the hint of immortal radiance and the swirling mists might point to the presence of spring water and mysterious treasures. On the ship, however, water was in extremely short supply.
Drinking the blood of the Golden Crow or that of the Black Flood Dragon was clearly not something one could do casually—it was far too dangerous and was not the key to solving the problem.
“Swish, swish!”
As soon as he stepped onto the stone steps, a gust of wind came out of nowhere. With the extraordinary strength he possessed and his unyielding courage, Li Weiyi continued upward. When he reached the top of the steps, he first peered through the narrow gap in the two doors.
The gap was about two fingers wide. Beyond that, his sight revealed a vast space behind the doors. Beneath a shadow wall built of black stone, a black-and-white yin-yang lake spread out.
In the center of the lake stood an awe-inspiring giant sword, its blade forged from two completely contrasting materials—one as dark as a deep forest and the other as crimson as blood. Li Weiyi reached out both hands and gathered the scorching energy flowing up from the soles of his right foot in an attempt to push open the door.
“Boom!”
Before his hands could even get half a foot closer to the bronze door, a force as mighty as a landslide surged toward him, sending him flying like a drifting leaf. He landed lightly on the ground at the foot of the stone steps.
“The new master of the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish. This door is not meant for you to enter now. You are meant to bear the consequences, not to create them. Be gone…”
A voice, faint yet clear, rang out. It seemed to speak directly in Li Weiyi’s mind, or perhaps it came from the bronze door right before his eyes.
“Who are you? What is meant by these consequences you speak of?”
Li Weiyi asked. There was no reply.
“Woosh!”
The air shook as a semi-transparent light curtain rose along the walls of the courtyard, eventually enveloping the entire garden in its radiance. After a long while, the light dissipated. It was a signal for expulsion.
Li Weiyi immediately stepped back and fixed his gaze on the enormous bronze door, feeling that the earlier voice did not belong to this time and space—it was as if it were a conversation between ancient beings of a thousand years past and the present. It was such an odd sensation.
There was no doubt that the launch of the Bronze Ship, their involvement in this descent into the abyss, and the mysterious Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish were all inextricably linked.
My master…
Master, you must know something. To become the head of Chan Sect, one must bear consequences so dreadful—what sort of fate awaits?
“Li Weiyi!”
The voice of Cai Yutong came from behind him.
“Senior…,” Li Weiyi exhaled deeply and quickly drove aside the clutter of thoughts in his mind.
He turned around, only to have the smile that had just appeared on his face freeze instantly into an expression of utter disbelief as he looked up and down at Cai Yutong. Was this really Senior Cai? Cai Yutong was dressed in the white physician’s jacket of Qi Shanshan.
The jacket, falling just half a foot below the waist, barely concealed her two long, perfectly straight jade-like legs, which were almost entirely exposed. More importantly, her skin was even whiter than the white fabric of the jacket—refined and dewy, as if carved from celestial jade, sparkling and translucent with a faint inner glow.
Her long black hair cascaded naturally, a striking contrast against her alabaster skin. Her eyes shone as if washed in a divine spring, far brighter than before and filled with a bewitching luster. Her lips, though untouched by any lipstick, were moist and rosy red, like exquisitely carved rubies.
Her appearance had always been breathtakingly beautiful, but now it was as if beauty were no longer a mere mortal concept—it seemed she had transcended it altogether. Not a flaw marred her form; she embodied all that was lovely in the world.
Just by standing there, the surroundings could transform into an ethereal paradise, even if outside lay the grim and terrifying Sea of Souls. Li Weiyi considered himself almost immune to the allure of female beauty, having always focused on martial practice. Yet, at this very moment, Cai Yutong stirred something deep within him that was impossible to ignore.
This was no longer the senior he once knew—she was transformed into the Feathered Fairy!
“If you keep staring at Yu Yun, you won’t tell me that she isn’t wearing anything underneath?”
With Cai Yutong present, Qi Shanshan’s initial fear of Li Weiyi began to subside just a little. Li Weiyi hastily averted his gaze, silently invoking the Jade Void Breathing Technique to steady his racing heart. Then he removed his overcoat and handed it over: “Here, wear mine first.
P-pants… do you need some pants?” Cai Yutong replied, “If I wear your clothes and pants back to the research team, what will they think of you?” Li Weiyi thought carefully and realized she had a point.
So he cast his eyes toward Qi Shanshan. Qi Shanshan said, “I could take mine off as well, but then I’d be left with only…” Li Weiyi interjected, “What I mean is, Doctor Qi, you can go back to the forward cabin at the ship’s bow and fetch some clothes.”
“Alright!”
Qi Shanshan dared not protest further and moved off toward the passage leading to the Ship Tower. She remembered how after drinking Golden Crow blood, Cai Yutong had shed her mortal shell and, emerging like a eclosed butterfly, revealed a flawless, celestial body. As someone who always adored beauty, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.
Yet, at the same time, she knew that someday she too might drink Golden Crow blood. With that thought, the envy in her heart quickly dissipated. As long as Zhao Meng recovered soon, the future would still be bright.
Li Weiyi, however fierce you may be now, who knows who might eventually rise above. … Cai Yutong seemed entirely unconcerned about whether something was worn underneath. Gone was any trace of feigned modesty or coy embarrassment.
“She told me everything earlier! In truth… she felt the crisis of life and death coming and, lacking a sense of security, sought a way to survive.”
“Senior, were you interceding on her behalf?”
“She saved me.”
Li Weiyi said, “Senior, do you truly understand what happened on the ship? Hearing reports and witnessing things firsthand are two completely different experiences. And I believe you might not know everything about Doctor Qi!”
“She saved you, too,” replied Cai Yutong softly.
A gust of wind blew over the sea, lifting large portions of her white physician’s jacket. Li Weiyi quickly averted his eyes and sighed, “It was precisely because she saved me that I found it so hard to decide just a little while ago… Senior, please, do put on my clothes first.
I’d even suggest that you wear a hat and veil. If you show up in front of the research team like this, I’m afraid there’s bound to be trouble again.” He felt that with Cai Yutong’s beauty at present, few could resist, and such allure could drive many to desperate measures.
Beauty can truly be a source of calamity.
“Fine, everyone must face the consequences of their own mistakes. You decide for yourself.”
Cai Yutong lifted her head and gazed at the sky.
“It looks like dawn—it’s coming solely from the direction of the ship’s bow.”
Counting the time, it was indeed nearly daybreak. But one must remember that above the Sea of Souls there is neither day nor night, only starlight. So how could there be light?
Not only was light appearing, but there were clouds as well.
“Dawn already?”
Li Weiyi felt incredulous. In the direction that the Bronze Ship was heading, a light was truly appearing ahead. The stars were rapidly vanishing into darkness as the dark receded, much like the coming of morning.
Looking out at the sea beyond the ship’s railings—a sea that had been as black as ink—he now noticed countless fragments of golden ripples. In the sea were no signs of lost souls, and the sky had inexplicably formed massive, low-hanging golden clouds.
“Wonderful! Those eerie, terrifying groups of lost souls have finally disappeared. I have a premonition that there’s land somewhere in this world.”
Li Weiyi was overjoyed, his face beaming with bright sunlight. After a long time, both the oppressive external environment and inner turmoil had weighed heavily on him. After waiting for nearly an hour, the darkness and the starry sky had completely vanished.
The entire vista, sea and sky alike, was tinged with golden glow, creating an open, invigorating scene. Yet Qi Shanshan still hadn’t returned with any clothes.
“Something’s wrong. We can’t wait any longer.”
Cai Yutong fastened Li Weiyi’s overcoat around her waist and strode ahead toward the passage of the Ship Tower. Li Weiyi agreed with her judgment—surely, something had happened to Qi Shanshan if she hadn’t come back after so long. But what further danger could be lurking on the ship?
Li Weiyi and Cai Yutong proceeded together toward the bow, and still Qi Shanshan was nowhere to be seen. Outside the medical tent, they ran into Qin Ke. Qin Ke’s face lit up in delight: “Brother Weiyi, where have you been?
Everyone’s been looking for you. Hurry, go to the forward part of the ship outside the Nether Fog—the divine sign has appeared!”
“Brother Weiyi?”
Cai Yutong looked at Li Weiyi. She clearly remembered that all of Professor Xu’s students were in graduate school and were all several years older than Li Weiyi. Li Weiyi then asked, “Sister Qin, have you seen Doctor Qi?”
At the sound of “Sister Qin,” Qin Ke paused in mild surprise before replying, “No, everyone thought she was with you last night.” Li Weiyi and Cai Yutong exchanged glances. Qi Shanshan could not possibly simply vanish to escape guilt, could she?
And besides, Li Weiyi believed he had already made himself very clear that he wouldn’t expose her—he would give her a chance to mend her ways. After Qin Ke’s gaze shifted from Li Weiyi to Cai Yutong, it would not leave her sight. More importantly, Doctor Cai still had Li Weiyi’s overcoat tied around her waist.
So it turned out that they had been together last night.
“Doctor Cai… you…”
Qin Ke, a woman herself, was utterly astounded by Cai Yutong’s transformation—she stood there, dumbfounded. Then, lowering her head, she sank into self-mockery and self-abasement, desperate to leave the scene immediately.
“I need to check myself in the mirror and change my clothes,” Cai Yutong said.
She couldn’t help but think that perhaps her looks had really gotten out of hand. After all, as a researcher, what use was being stunningly beautiful? Would it help win a Pristiri Award or anything like that?
Li Weiyi stepped out of the Nether Fog and headed toward the bow. Suddenly, he finally beheld the divine sign that Qin Ke had mentioned—his scalp prickled, and he was left breathless with shock.
(The End of This Chapter)