When he arrived at the side of the boat, he saw seven men and women gathered there, consisting of maids, servants, and boatmen. They were all talking and pointing at something in the river.
He glanced over and saw something about fifteen meters away. There was a sparkling white object floating on the surface of the river. He focused his gaze on it and found that it was a sparkling crystal block of ice containing someone inside.
Wang Tieqiang wore an expression of surprise and couldn’t help but mutter, “How strange. Could it be that someone had fallen in the river and is now trapped in a block of ice?”
He heard footsteps from behind him and a hoarse voice asked, “Brother Wang, what’s the matter?”
“Brother Gao, you’ve come.” Without turning his head, Wang Tieqiang already knew that the owner of the voice was his partner of many years, Gao Dafeng. He cultivated a body hardening technique for many years and was somewhat famous for his boxing techniques.
The large man with a full beard casually walked to Wang Tieqiang’s side and clicked his tongue in wonder. “Oh! There really is someone in the ice. How rare.”
Wang Tieqiang coldly laughed and said, “It is only a single dead person. No matter how odd the circumstances, there isn’t much to say about it.”
Gao Dafeng stroked his beard and chuckled. “Definitely! At the very least, the corpse hasn’t come to rob us.”
A middle-aged man in Confucian robes walked towards them with a sullen expression and scolded the servants, “What are you making an uproar about? Didn’t you know the mistress had just gone to sleep?”
This person was Master Zhou, the person who was reportedly the trusted confidant of an important government official. He was currently employing Wang Tieqiang and his partner to guard the said official’s family.
“Master, in the river...” The young maid named Huang Ying shyly extended her finger and pointed in the river.
When Master Zhou saw Wang Tieqiang and Gao Dafeng, he felt somewhat baffled. Then when the young maid said something, he unconsciously glanced where she was pointing to find a block of ice with a person inside of it. He wore an odd expression on his face before he frowned and said, “It is only a dead person. There is no point in looking at it any further. Go back to your duties. Could it be that you want me to call over Steward Wang?” The man’s final words were spoken with a harsh tone.
When the servants heard the name “Steward Wang”, their expressions immediately changed and they immediately scattered. The three boatmen also made a discreet departure.
Wang Tieqiang and Gao Dafeng exchanged a glance and were about to leave as well, feeling that it would be unwise to remain there any longer. But after Gao Dafeng took a few steps, he glanced at the river and shouted out in alarm, “How is this possible?! That person is still alive!”
Wang Tieqiang and Master Zhou were both alarmed when they heard this and they looked at the block of ice to find that it remained completely still.
Master Zhou glared at the large man, but Gao Dafeng stood firm and said, “I am not mistaken. I saw the person in the water move his eyes.”
“Brother Gao wouldn’t fool us. It seems he is still alive.” Wang Tieqiang spoke with complete trust in his partner.
Master Zhou still felt a bit of doubt after he heard this, but after some thought, he shook his head and said, “It doesn’t concern us if that person is alive or dead. There is no need to attract any trouble to the Mistress and her daughter. And since other boats haven’t done anything with the ice, there is no need for us to mettle with it either.”
When Wang Tieqiang heard this, he didn’t feel any anger or injustice over the matter. It was odd for there to be someone inside the ice, but that didn’t give him any intention of allowing him on the boat. After all, as one who had tread in Jianghu for many years, he found these odd situations to be more difficult to guard against than ordinary people.
However, a trace of hesitation had appeared on Gao Dafeng’s face.
“Master Zhou, please wait!” A sweet voice suddenly sounded from across the boat. “The act of saving a life is greater than any mountain. And my mother has a merciful heart as well. Since this person is still alive, can we save him?” Then a young woman in embroidered robes soon approached them, followed by the maid Huang Ying who was walking with a dropped head. It appears that she was the one who told the young lady about the matter.
When Master Zhou saw this woman, he respectfully saluted her and hesitantly said, “Young Miss! This isn’t very wise. Having a stranger on the boat...”
“What’s unwise about it? Since he has survived catastrophe and encountered us, it will be considered a display of our clan’s virtue to save him. We even had an empty room on the boat. Could it be with so many of us that we have something to fear from a dying man?” The young woman spoke with a soft voice, but her expression clearly displayed that she wouldn’t change her mind.
After a moment of thought, he could only agree with a salute. “Very well. Since the Young Miss had given the command, I will send out men to rescue this person.” The young woman responded with a smile and then walked back with her maid in tow.
Master Zhou tightly frowned as he glanced in the direction of the ship’s hold and then he wryly smiled, saying, “You heard her. Since this person must be saved and is trapped in a huge chunk of ice, I fear I will have to trouble you two to go make the trip.
“Its no problem. We have little else to do and have the strength to break this person out.” Gao Dafeng said with a casual tone. Wang Tieqiang then examined the huge block of ice and slowly nodded, raising no objections.
...
After spending an unknown amount of time in the darkness, Han Li woke up to a splitting headache. Before he even opened his eyes, he heard a young woman’s voice sounding out, “Old scholar, when will this person awaken? It’s already been two days. Has nothing truly happened to him? The Young Miss is waiting for my reply!”
A snort sounded out and an old man’s voice sullenly said, “What does a servant like you know? I only have a cursory understanding of the medicinal arts. How can I know when he will awaken? However, this person’s disease is truly strange. His complexion is clearly pale and he shows signs of great loss in blood and Qi. However, his blood vessels and meridians appear to be far stronger than an ordinary person. This is truly beyond my understanding!”
The woman chuckled and teasingly said, “It seems the old scholar most likely read the blood vessels wrong!”
“Nonsense. Have I ever been wrong when I was looking after you all when you were sick? Perhaps this person encountered a strange sickness that hadn’t been seen before. Since I am no great doctor, I am baffled by this.” The old man seemed embarrassed but he spoke boldly nonetheless.
As Han Li heard this, he realized that he was lying down on a very comfortable bed. There was a smooth blanket on top of him and a thick mattress beneath him.
Han Li felt somewhat at ease when he heard the two speaking in the language of the Great Jin. It seems not only had mortals rescued him, but that he was also inside the borders of the Great Jin. However, his current situation was far from good.
In the instant he awoke, he used his spiritual sense to look deep into his body. As a result, he felt his blood run cold.
After he escaped from the Endless Sky Saintess’ pursuit and put thousands of kilometers between them, the Soullock Seal had gone back into effect. At the time, he had fallen into the river and used the technique for feigning death that Monarch Soul Divergence had taught him, sealing himself in a block of ice and allowing him to escape pursuit from the Soaring Tribes as he floated down the river current.
However, his body’s present conditions were as worse as could be. The excessive use of the Bloodshadow Evasion had caused a massive loss of blood essence and immensely weakened his body. Additionally, his severe loss of True Essence had caused his cultivation to violently drop to Qi Condensation stage. Under such circumstances, he would need to properly
recover for five to six years if he had any chance to recovering his original cultivation.
Han Li gloomily sighed in his heart and suddenly thought of something before examining the flying swords inside of his body. He then found the primal soul of a greatly weakened and unconscious Silvermoon, much to his relief.
However, he felt quite a headache over the fact that his second Nascent Soul had yet to return. Although he was too far away to know its true location, he was still able to feel an extremely faint connection to it, affirming that his second Nascent Soul had exceed his expectations and managed to survive. If he couldn’t call back the Nascent Soul after a certain amount of time, it would not only become independent but it would likely attempt to dominate him.
The only good point was once he restored his original cultivation, his second Nascent Soul wouldn’t stand a chance against him. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to retrieve it at that point.
With that thought, he spoke through his spiritual sense to the bamboo container he was carrying, “Senior, how long was I unconscious since I’ve arrived at the Great Jin? Are there any Great Jin cultivators nearby?”
“Oh! You’re finally awake. You’ve been floating in the river for a year already. Once your magic power ran out, the block of ice began to flow on the surface of the water. But I must say Youngster Han, your current situation is far from good.” Monarch Soul Divergence responded with a lazy tone.
Han Li smiled and contently said, “How could I not know how terrible my body’s condition is in? However, my fortunate survival could be said to be a great escape from calamity. There isn’t much to complain about. After all, few could’ve escaped from the hands of several late-Nascent Soul cultivators in that situation.”
Monarch Soul Divergence snorted and gloomily said, “Well, aren’t you carefree? However, I must ask you why you’ve never mentioned your Divine Spirit Treasure to me. It was no wonder why you placed me outside your room while you were in seclusion. I’ve always wanted to personally investigate a Divine Spirit Treasure. Forget the excuses, when you are able to take out the cauldron again, hand it over to me for examination.
[1] Jianghu is the world of mortal martial artists operating beyond the reach of the government.
Chapter 902: Cao Mengrong
“Of course I have no objections in letting Senior examine the Heavenvoid Cauldron once I recover.” Han Li calmly replied.
“Good!” Monarch Soul Divergence said with a relaxed tone, “Since you’ve agreed, the matter is done. As for any nearby cultivators, there is only one on board this ship, a girl at the third layer of Qi Condensation. You don’t need to pay her much mind.”
‘The third layer of Qi Condensation?’ Han Li felt somewhat surprised and then he opened his eyes.
Han Li looked to the side of the bed and saw a girl of only fifteen years of age. When she saw Han Li open his eyes, she joyfully shouted out, “Yi! Old scholar, he’s awake!” The girl was quite adorable with wide bright eyes and fair skin.
“Yes, I can clearly see.” Sitting in a chair at the girl’s side sat a grey-robed old man. He appeared around the age of sixty and had a kind face. He was examining Han Li with a calm expression.
“Old scholar, look after him. I will go and inform the Young Miss!” Before Han Li could say anything, the girl quickly chattered to the old man and quickly ran off.
Han Li was stunned by the sight of this, but the old man simply chuckled as he shook his head. He kindly smiled at Han Li and said, “I hope you don’t take offense at the girl’s temperament.”
Han Li returned the smile and sat up, slowly saying, “I don’t dare to. Are you the two who saved me? Where is this place? I...”
“We’re on a boat in the Mystic River. While your life laid uncertain inside the river, my clan’s Second Young Miss gave the order to save you. As for me, I am He Wen, a scholar that the Clan's Mistress hired.”
Han Li cupped his fist and said, “So it was like that. My surname is Han and I will have to thank this Young Miss for saving my life.”
With a smile on his face, the old man curiously asked, “Our Young Miss certainly does have a compassionate heart, but it is hard to say whether or not she will see you. Will Mister Han say how he was sealed inside a block of ice and still lived? I am quite curious.”
“This...” Han Li hesitated for a moment before saying, “I don’t wish to deceive you sir, but it is inconvenient for me to say.”
“That’s fine. Everyone has their own difficulties.” The old man waved his hend in a kindly manner and let the matter go.
At that moment, the girl rushed back with a spring in her step and said, “Scholar, the Young Miss will have this man rest for the time being. She’ll leave the rest for later.” The girl then curiously examined Han Li.
When Han Li saw this, he smiled at her. As a result, the girl slightly blushed and lowered her head, thinking, ‘This person is a bit unremarkable. He is a bit lesser than the Young Miss’ past friends. Why is she treating him with such consideration?'
“Since its the Young Miss’ command, how about Sir Han rest for now? I'll be taking my leave.” The old man stood up and then walked out of the room.
Han Li naturally uttered another word of thanks before the old man left the room with the girl. Now that Han Li was alone, he looked up to the ceiling for a short while before letting out a sigh.
In the following two days, no one had disturbed him apart from a maid bringing three meals a day. This was to Han Li’s satisfaction as it gave him more time to take medicine pills and meditate.
As for the girl at the third layer of Qi Condensation that Monarch Soul Divergence had mentioned, Han Li had examined her a bit with his spiritual sense. The girl was beautiful and behaved in a humble manner. She was the “Second Young Miss” that gave the order to save him. She should’ve seen through his identity as a cultivator.
And from the idle chats of the others on board, Han Li found the general circumstances on the boat.
The people on the boat belonged to the clan of a military officer surnamed Cao of the Liao Province. He was rushed to be mobilized in order to replace his predecessor and his clan slowly followed after him. There were only a few members of his clan: His original wife, two concubines, and three children.
The “Second Young Miss” was born from the original wife and was said to have a weak and sickly body when she was young. She was fostered by another woman during her childhood and had only recently returned to the clan. The other two children were born from the concubines. The eldest daughter was already married away to a suitable clan. As for the son, he was the youngest of the children at twelve years old.
The other noteworthy individuals included Scholar He, Master Zhou, and an icy-eyed Steward Wang who was in charge of the other servants. There were also two guards on board, Wang Tieqiang and Gao Dashen.
When Han Li paid close attention to these individuals, Han Li felt a strong circulation of true Qi from the body of Steward Wang, far deeper than the superficial martial arts of the two guards.
Although Han Li found this somewhat odd, he withdrew his spiritual sense once he figured out the circumstances on the boat and focused his attention on cultivation.
Two days later, the Second Young Miss sent a young maid to invite Han Li over. Of course, Han Li didn’t refuse and he was led to one of the larger rooms on the boat.
When the Second Young Miss saw Han Li, she sent away the others in the room and smiled at him.
“Brother Han must also be someone from a Daoist sect! My name is Cao Mengrong, a disciple of the Profound Jade Sect. Might I know which sect Brother Han is from?” The girl spoke with a polite tone. It seemed she concluded that Han Li originated from a Daoist sect since she wasn’t able to detect any devilish Qi, Buddhist light, or the strict Qi of Confucian sects.
“The Profound Jade Sect?” Han Li frowned. He hadn’t heard of this name before, but it didn’t come as a surprise. There were innumerable smaller sects in the Great Jin.
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When Cao Mengrong saw that Han Li was hesitant, she smiled and said, “My sect is merely a small obscure sect in the Liao Province. It is natural for you to not know of it.”
“Fellow Daoist Cao is quite modest. I am but an unaffiliated cultivator. I’ve only recently entered the cultivation world of the Great Jin and I am not familiar with the sects here. I’m afraid I’ve made a fool of myself.” Han Li cupped his fist and assumed an embarrassed appearance.
“So it turned out Brother Han had recently come back to society,” Cao Mengrong sweetly smiled with bright eyes and said, “I’ve also only left my apprenticeship recently, but my sect is truly a small one. However, Brother Han is so young and possesses a particularly profound cultivation. This is truly worthy of congratulations!”
“It’s nothing much,” Han Li casually replied, “I’ve only managed to reach this stage through luck.”
When she saw that Han Li didn’t go into detail, she wore an understanding smile and dropped the matter. She instead changed the subject, asking, “Why was Brother Han floating in the river inside a block of ice? Could it be that you were attacked?”
“That is mostly the case. And I must thank you for saving me!” Han Li bitterly laughed, unwilling to go further into detail.
With a firm expression, the woman said, “It was only a trivial affair. In truth, I saw that Brother Han would’ve escaped from the ice sooner or later, with or without my help. However, it is quite startling to the mortals for you to float in the river like that so I decided to meddle. In addition, it is only natural for unaffiliated cultivators and small sect cultivators to assist one another.”
When Han Li heard this, he felt somewhat surprised and gave the girl an appraising glance. He then silently nodded his head and said nothing more.
“Ah yes, how is Brother Han recovering? If Fellow Daoist would like, you may stay on the boat for a few more days. I also hope you’d be willing to provide me with some cultivation guidance.”
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 488