Chapter 1255: Underriver Wood, Overriver Mountain

Despite the strangeness that plagued Red Moon River, the people did not shy away from it. On the contrary, it was one of the most popular places of the

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. Every day, countless people came to the river either to admire its magnificence or to get lucky.

Besides that, Red Moon River was several hundred kilometers long and spanned three lands and five cities, meaning that it was an extremely important waterway and land transportation route. Various merchant ships and cargo ships crossed it every day and gave life to the great river.

Of course, unlike most rivers, the hustle and bustle of Red Moon River was reserved exclusively for the night.

This was why when nighttime came, and most places had plunged into silence and darkness, Red Moon River was just stirring awake. Fire and lamps lit the place until it looked like daytime, and human sounds were anywhere and everywhere.

This was the picture Ye Qing saw when he arrived at Red Moon River Wharf. The cargo stacked like hills, the traffic was ceaseless, and the noise was unending. On the river, vessels came and went tirelessly like birds, and melodious string and bamboo instruments soothed the ears.

In the sky, the moon hung bright and tall. In the water, it was red as blood and rippling like a dream, impressive and mysterious.

A bright moon and a bloody river should be eerie and anomalous, but the sheer amount of people, vessels, and human noise chased some of that feeling away and replaced it with liveliness. Strangely, this atmosphere did not feel out of place. In fact, it felt harmonious as if this was how Red Moon River should be.

The world boasts countless facades, but none are as good as smoke and fire.

“Greetings, customer. Do you want to tour the river, or do you want to cross it?”

Ye Qing had just set foot on the wharf when several boatmen looking for business went up to him.

Humans often depended on their environment to make a living. Those who worked in the mountains became hunters or foragers, and those who worked in the river became fishermen. Due to its unique characteristics, Red Moon River had no end of young masters and young ladies looking to sightsee or make merry,

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warriors searching for an opportunity or a treasure, merchants shipping their goods from one place to another, fishermen and more. Naturally, this gave birth to many needs and occupations such as flower boats and tour ships geared specifically toward entertainment purposes, laborers and porters who carried goods for others, merchants who sold goods or intelligence, boatmen who fetched people back and forth the rivershores and more.

These people had worked here for many years and interacted with all sorts of people. They might not all know martial arts, but they had all trained a pair of sharp eyes. It took them but one glance to know that Ye Qing, alone and looking both handsome and extraordinary, was either here to admire the sights, search for opportunities, or cross the river. One thing for certain, he was a man with a lot of money to spend. If they could convince him to do business with them, then they would surely make a handsome sum.

“I’m here to cross the river!”

Ye Qing tossed a silver into a strong, middle-aged boatman’s hands and said, “You’ll do. This is a tip. I’ll pay you more after I reach the other shore.”

“Thank you, scion!”

The boatman looked incredibly excited. “This way please, scion.”

Seeing how generous Ye Qing was, the other boatmen were envious as a matter of course. However, one boatman was enough to ferry someone across the river, so they had no choice but to take their leave.

“This way please, scion. Be careful about the slippery floor!”

The middle-aged man quickly led Ye Qing to a small gondola. Despite the designation, the “small gondola” was actually several times bigger than your average small gondola. It wasn’t built out of wood either. The material was dark red in color and seemingly metallic under the moonlight. Whatever it was, it gave off a sturdy, assuring feeling.

“This way please, scion.”

Ye Qing stepped into the cabin. The decor was hardly exquisite or luxurious, but it was pretty comfortable. A small furnace burned at the center of the cabin, and a hug of wine was cooking on top of it, filling the cabin with a sweet fragrance.

“This is a wine I made myself called the Mountain Bulrush Wine. You can give it a try if you don’t mind!” The boatman asked.

“Sure.”

Ye Qing did not try to play coy. He immediately lifted the jug of wine, poured himself a cup, and gave it a tentative sip.

The wine wasn’t strong. Sweet and rich, it boasted the fresh fragrance of bulrush. As the warm liquid flowed down his throat and into his stomach, he felt as if his whole body was brimming with warmth. It immediately chased away the chill of the night and made him feel like he was basking in the sun and wind of spring.

“Not bad...”

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Ye Qing praised after draining the wine to the last.

“I’m glad you like it.”

The boatman cracked a grin when he saw this. “There are chestnut cakes inside the basket next to the jug. My wife made it herself. It complements the Mountain Bulrush Wine pretty well, so you should give it a taste as well.”

“Thank you.” Ye Qing nodded. “Now, let us depart.”

“Kay. Setting off!”

The boatman yelled and slowly pushed the gondola away from the wharf. Then, he rowed the boat toward the center of the river.

“What kind of wood is your boat made of? Its not metal, but it’s sturdy like one. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ye Qing asked while grabbing a chestnut cake from the basket and taking a bite.

“It’s made of Red Moon Wood.”

The boatman answered, “Redmoon Wood is a kind of wood that grows at the bottom of Red Moon River. It has no branches or leaves, and it is as thick as a pillar. It’s also dark red in color. Although it is as tough as metal, it is far lighter than one. That is why it is perfect for making boats.”

“In fact, most of Redmoon River’s boats are made from Redmoon Wood.”

“Redmoon Wood, huh. How interesting...” said Ye Qing while he spread his demonic thought across Red Moon River. The river appeared to be bright red to the naked eye, but in reality its waters were clean and pure. It was also filled with all sorts of life such as fish, prawns, crabs, turtles and more.

His demonic thought spread lower, and Ye Qing immediately saw many dark red, branchless and leafless trees that looked like pillars. They were most likely the Red Moon Wood the boatman mentioned.

There was an entire forest of them at the bottom of the river. It looked rather impressive.

There was only murkiness and darkness further below the Red Moon Wood though. No, Ye Qing’s demonic thought had not reached their maximum range. This was just how the underground of the river looked. Not even his demonic thought could pierce through this darkness.

Ye Qing was going to probe some more when suddenly, the boatman cried out, “What is that?”

Ye Qing withdrew his demonic thought and chased the boatman’s gaze. He did not know when or how it appeared, but at some point, a mountain had appeared above the river. At the top of the mountain was a temple made from red bricks and green tiles.

The temple was shrouded by clouds and fog. It looked mundane, but it also looked profound and eerie.

“An Anomaly! An Anomaly has appeared!”

Someone shouted, and the already lively river grew even livelier. The next moment, every boat was speeding toward the mountain.

Normally, both ordinary people and

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warriors avoided Anomalies like the plague. Here at Red Moon River though, it was the opposite. They all wished to be the first to make contact with the Anomaly.

The reason was simple. Here at Red Moon River, an Anomaly represented both danger and opportunity.

THANG!

It was at this moment a bell chime rang from the temple. It sounded ephemeral, cold, and distant like it came from a completely different world. And yet, everyone heard the bell chime clearly.

As soon as the bell rang, the hasty and greedy people rushing toward it abruptly turned peaceful. It was as if their emotions and desires had suddenly evaporated into thin air.

The next moment, the clouds surrounding the mountain split apart to reveal a small, winding path. It began from the foot of the mountain and led all the way to the temple at the peak.