Chapter 408: Gathering of Malevolent Spirits! The Boastful Young Daoist!

At that moment, the lantern at the prow suddenly blazed to life. Its flame was no ordinary fire, but a pale-green ghost light, warding back the man-eating water-rats.

Yet, under the burning glow of the Heaven-Illuminating Seal, that ghostly flame sputtered and swiftly went out.

The ferryman stiffened, momentarily stunned. Then, the ferryman cast a resentful glance at Li Yanchu.

That thing’s too bright!

He was long accustomed to ferrying in darkness, relying on a soul-guiding lantern fueled with corpse oil to slip past certain taboos of the dead. The dazzling seal-light made him feel strangely exposed and uneasy.

This passage... seemed different from usual.

And then, Li Yanchu shocked him further. With unhurried calm, he drew the sharp saber at his waist.

With a gentle sweep...

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

One after another, the corpse-fed water-rats, monstrous things swollen with evil, were split cleanly in two. Their carcasses floated silently upon the water, inky blood spreading out with a rancid stench.

“This...” The ferryman’s eyes widened.

So fast!

The cuts looked casual, effortless, yet the razor aura of his saber sliced through those thick-skinned vermin as though they were paper, hardly raising a disturbance at all.

The old ferryman’s face grew solemn.

This young Daoist... is terrifyingly fierce!

“What exquisite saber skills!” Zuo Qian breathed in admiration.

As a martial adept himself brimming with overbearing, firm yang inner energy, and a master of the saber, he could tell at a glance that these strikes were effortless, yet absolute. He had already reached the realm of a Grandmaster, a level of mastery where skill transcends the ordinary!

Li Yanchu smiled faintly.

He had gained eight hundred merit points in a single breath. Perhaps it was not much, but it was decent enough, after all, the journey had only just begun.

Ahead, the cavern split into three paths. The ferryman did not hesitate and guided the boat into the leftmost channel.

After about five minutes, another three-way split appeared. Not long after entering, they ran into a five-way junction.

The maze of tunnels... was more tangled than a miner’s warren.

“This is a natural maze,” Li Yanchu murmured, his gaze flickering.

These branching tunnels had formed naturally from the mountain itself, yet their effect resembled an illusion formation. Like ghost walls, they trapped the unwary. Without a map, one could be led in circles until death claimed them.

His eyes shifted toward the gaunt, shriveled old ferryman. The man seemed to feel the weight of that glance, and his heart clenched involuntarily.

“The ferrymen lineage,” he explained hastily, “is skilled in navigating waterways and dealing with the dead beneath them. This craft was handed down from our ancestors. I’ve worked in this trade for more than half my life. Naturally, I know the routes well. I am no informant for those river bandits.”

Li Yanchu fell silent.

What’s wrong with this fellow?

No one had accused him of anything, yet here he was blurting denials.

Zuo Qian chuckled. “Elder Chen has long been registered with the Investigations Bureau. He often aids them in cases. Naturally, he’s trustworthy.”

Hearing this, Li Yanchu allowed a faint smile.

Relieved, the ferryman’s tense expression loosened, but inwardly he still held his breath as this young Daoist acted beyond all convention. Heaven forbid a misunderstanding arose and he ended up hacked down in an instant.

“To serve the court is to earn merit for future generations, and to secure one’s own place in the world. Such duty cannot be shirked!” Elder Chen’s words rang firm and righteous.

Zuo Qian was taken aback.

Since when does this ferryman talk like this?

Normally, the man carried himself with cold aloofness, pride high as the heavens. Today, he was almost... groveling, declaring loyalty at every turn. Where was the dignity of the ferrymen, a mysterious line of recluses, once spoken of as uncanny figures?

In the pitch-black cavern, the Heaven-Illuminating Seal gleamed with divine light, illuminating wet stone and rippling water.

The fishing boat drifted onward, rocking with the current.

Roooar!

From the cavern depths came a dreadful, bestial roar.

At this time, the ferryman’s heart sank. This young Daoist’s killing had been too ruthless; he had slaughtered every fiend they encountered, filling the cave with blood-reek.

Now... it had finally drawn out the big one. Without a sound, the old man edged a step back.

Splash, splash!

The water’s sound grew urgent.

“There’s something in the water!” Zuo Qian cried.

Thanks to the Heaven-Illuminating Seal’s radiance, it was easy to see a massive black shadow stirring beneath the surface. It was roughly five or six meters long.

Gasp!

Ferryman Elder Chen’s heart clenched, and he drew in a sharp breath.

“That’s a muddy dragon[1]!”

For a beast to grow to such size and radiate such dense baleful qi was nothing short of despair itself.

The muddy dragon suddenly surged forward, hurtling toward the tiny fishing boat. The waters split violently to either side.

As they watched, the ferryman and Zuo Qian’s faces drained of color. Li Yanchu, however, remained utterly calm. He drew the Jiaoslayer and gave it the faintest of swings.

In an instant, the five- or six-meter muddy dragon was cleaved neatly in two, its blood dyeing the waters crimson. Again, Li Yanchu made the kill with a single strike.

At this time, Zuo Qian and the ferryman’s eyes widened. They glanced at each other, disbelief etched in both faces. They couldn’t even tell how this strike differed from the ones before. There was no thunderous sonic boom, nor overwhelming display, just another clean cut, which was precise as if measured with a ruler.

“Daoist Master, you have great skills! I’m in awe!” The ferryman was first to recover, slipping in a light, fluttering compliment.

The air of aloof mystery he once held in Zuo Qian’s mind was long gone now.

Li Yanchu held the Jiaoslayer, gaze fixed in the distance. “There’s another one. It’s bigger.”

At these words, both men paled. Yet the cavern remained eerily silent. Instead, faint ripples of something swimming softly reached their ears.

“Trying to flee?” Li Yanchu let out a cold laugh.

He stepped forward directly onto the water’s surface and vanished into the depths of the cavern.

The ferryman and Zuo Qian stared at one another.

Did he just rush off to kill it?

Barely three seconds later, Li Yanchu returned. His figure flickered back onto the boat like a phantom. That ghostly, unpredictable movement sent shivers crawling down their scalps.

The ferryman quietly slipped a hand into his robes, dabbed his fingertip with a smear of translucent liquid, and rubbed it over his eyelids before he glanced again at Li Yanchu.

Seeing that it wasn’t some evil creature from the Duanlong Cave transformed into the guise of a young Daoist, he quietly let out a breath of relief.

In the

jianghu

, one had to live cautiously.

Still, the ferryman couldn’t help but wonder. If the Daoist had rushed off in bloodlust to chase the other muddy dragon... Why had he come back so quickly? Could it be he hadn’t found its trail, or worse, that the beast was too powerful, and he had quietly retreated?

But the ferryman was an old hand on the rivers. Such an awkward question, he naturally wouldn’t ask aloud.

Young men, though, were bolder.

Zuo Qian asked directly, “Daoist Master Li, didn’t you just go after that muddy dragon?”

Hearing this, Li Yanchu inclined his head slightly. “Mh. I already slaughtered it.”

Braggart!

The ferryman’s lips twitched.

So it’s true, young men really care about saving face

[2]

!

In such a short time, it would be impressive enough to even catch up to the thing, let alone kill it.

What, does he really take himself for an immortal?

Zuo Qian, however, had no doubts. He was only curious why there had been no sound of battle.

The three continued forward in the little boat. About ten minutes later...

Gasp!

The ferryman sucked in a sharp breath.

An eight-meter-long muddy dragon’s corpse stretched across the cavern, sliced cleanly in half. His neck stiffened as he slowly turned his head toward Li Yanchu.

Just who in heaven’s name is this young Daoist!?

His face was a picture of shock. Remembering how he had thought the man was just boasting, he couldn’t help but blush with shame. Who would have thought that he wasn’t bragging at all. He was the real thing!

Zuo Qian was just as stunned, though more simply so, as his thoughts pure with admiration.

If in this lifetime I could reach Li Yanchu’s level... it would all be worth it.

The waters grew swifter as the boat rounded a sharp bend. Suddenly the ferryman halted the craft.

Before them, an entire row of corpses hung suspended in the cavern, their faces ghostly pale. Seeing this, cold dread seeped into the bones.

“What the hell is this place!? Would a band of water bandits really hole up somewhere like this!?” The ferryman’s voice shook with terror.

1. The Chinese alligator, also known as the Yangtze alligator, China alligator, or historically the muddy dragon, is a crocodilian endemic to China. It and the American alligator are the only living species in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. Here is a reference

image

. ☜

2. In Chinese culture, “saving face” (保面子 or 给面子) refers to maintaining one’s dignity, social standing, and reputation in the eyes of others. It’s deeply tied to interpersonal harmony and the importance of how one is perceived within a group. Saving face can involve avoiding public embarrassment, not being criticized in front of others, and being treated with respect, even when correcting or refusing someone. It also means offering others opportunities to preserve their own dignity, such as giving polite explanations, softening direct refusals, or handling conflicts discreetly. Because relationships, hierarchy, and social balance are highly valued, “face” acts as a kind of social currency; protecting it helps keep interactions smooth, respectful, and cooperative. ☜