Wind Rises Beyond the Seas

From a distance, Han Li glanced at the colossal fish, several zhang in length, then flew above the sea vessel. After circling twice, he looked down toward the ship.

The people on board had clearly noticed his arrival. Amid a few loud shouts, a large crowd—at least two or three hundred—poured out of the cabin, packing the bow. When they saw Han Li hovering in mid-air, their faces showed a mix of awe and reverence, and they bowed in unison.

Just as Han Li was feeling somewhat taken aback, a middle-aged man in the most ornate clothes stepped forward, said a few tense words with a nervous expression, then stood at attention with his hands folded, as if awaiting orders.

Han Li rubbed his nose and smiled wryly. He could not understand a single word the man said. If they could not communicate, how could he exchange information? This was going to be a headache.

Seeing that Han Li did not speak immediately, the middle-aged man grew more flustered and spoke again, more urgently. Though he did not understand the meaning, Han Li could tell the man was trying to explain something.

Frowning, Han Li thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke in ordinary Tian Nan:

“Does anyone here understand what I’m saying? If so, come forward and translate for me.”

As the words left his mouth, he swept his gaze across the crowd below. The middle-aged man’s expression was blank, clearly having no idea what Han Li had said. The others looked equally bewildered.

Letting out a helpless sigh, Han Li switched to several ancient languages he knew, speaking the same sentence each time. He had learned these tongues back when he was forced to master those tongue-twisting incantations.

When he reached one of them, an old man with gray hair among the crowd finally showed a flicker of recognition.

Seeing this, Han Li felt a surge of delight and immediately pointed at him.

“Old sir, do you understand what I’m saying?” Han Li spoke slowly in that ancient language, as he rarely used it and was far from fluent.

Hearing this, the old man hesitated for a moment, then stepped up beside the middle-aged man and replied respectfully in the ancient tongue:

“This old one, Wang Changqing, did study the immortal language in my youth. May I ask what the Immortal Master commands?”

Han Li’s face lit up with a faint smile. With a flicker of movement, he appeared directly in front of the old man, startling both Wang Changqing and the middle-aged man.

“You must have already realized that I don’t speak the local language. Please tell them that I am simply passing through and wish to inquire about a few things—there is no need for such alarm,” Han Li said gently.

He had already thoroughly scanned the giant ship with his spiritual sense; all aboard were mortals, with no cultivators present. Only then had he felt at ease.

Having said that, Han Li ignored how the old man whispered the translation to the middle-aged man. Instead, he waved his hand toward the Divine Wind Boat in the sky. The white magic tool slowly descended to the bow, carrying Qu Hun.

Following Han Li’s command, Qu Hun stepped off, while the boat rapidly shrank into a streak of white light that flew into Han Li’s hand, where he stored it in his storage pouch.

After finishing these tasks, Han Li glanced sideways.

He noticed that although the mortals on board still maintained a reverent demeanor, none of them seemed shocked. This meant that they must have regularly seen the methods of cultivators—otherwise they would not have been so accustomed.

Either the people on this ship are not ordinary folk, or cultivators are so common in this region that they do not bother to hide their existence from mortals. Han Li ruminated.

By then, the old man had relayed Han Li’s words to the middle-aged man. The man was momentarily stunned, but immediately a look of delighted surprise broke out on his face. He chattered a long stream of words at Han Li, overflowing with excitement.

Surprised by the man’s reaction, Han Li turned his gaze to the old man.

The old man understood and quickly explained:

“Immortal Master, this Mr. Gu is the owner of this vessel. He wishes to invite you to reside on his home island, Guiding Star Island. He is willing to supply all the expenses and resources for your cultivation.”

“Guiding Star Island?” Han Li stroked his chin, noncommittal.

Seeing Han Li’s indifferent expression, the middle-aged man’s eyes grew even more eager, and another torrent of words poured out. From his apologetic tone, Han Li did not need a translation to guess that he was once again trying to persuade him to go to Guiding Star Island.

Thus, without waiting for the old man to translate, Han Li raised his hand to cut him off.

“First, tell this gentleman that I have just arrived in this land and am unfamiliar with the situation. I will not agree to anything rashly. After I understand more, I will decide whether or not to go to his Guiding Star Island. For now, since I cannot speak your language, I hope he can permit me to travel on this vessel for a few days, and let the old sir teach me the local tongue and customs.”

Hearing this, the old man did not dare to neglect and immediately translated faithfully to the middle-aged man.

After listening, the middle-aged man showed obvious disappointment, but still bowed respectfully to Han Li. Then he shouted a few orders to the people behind him, and everyone immediately retreated into the cabin. He said a few words to the old man before backing away himself.

Now only the old man and Han Li remained on the deck.

Seeing this, the old man smiled and said:

“Immortal Master, Mr. Gu has agreed to your request. He has even prepared a fine room for you. This old one can lead you there.”

Han Li nodded lightly in agreement.

Thus, with Wang Changqing leading the way, Han Li and Qu Hun followed him into the cabin.

It’s really spacious! That was Han Li’s first impression after entering.

The interior of the cabin was a labyrinth of corridors and passageways, with countless rooms.

Along the way, several mortals they encountered stepped aside in awe of Han Li.

After turning several corners, Han Li and Qu Hun arrived at a large wooden door.

Without hesitation, Wang Changqing pushed it open, then stepped aside to let Han Li enter first.

Han Li did not stand on ceremony; he and Qu Hun walked in one after the other and looked around.

The room was quite good—not only was it spacious, but it also did not feel stuffy. What caught Han Li’s curiosity most was a strange little potted tree in one corner.

The tree had a single straight trunk with no branches, covered in triangular leaves the size of a palm. The entire tree shimmered with a silver light, as if forged from pure silver.

Looking at the tree, Han Li showed an interested expression.

“It seems the Immortal Master has never seen a Silver Horn Tree before. Indeed, it is not a common sight. Not only is it aesthetically striking, but when placed in an airless place, it can keep the air fresh and clean. Truly a rare treasure for those who go to sea. Even our wealthy Mr. Gu has only obtained three or four of them,” the old man explained respectfully, noticing Han Li’s surprise.

Han Li smiled faintly but said nothing. He could hardly miss the flattering intention behind Wang Changqing’s words on behalf of his master.

Han Li had Qu Hun guard the door, then sat down on a chair in the room.

Wang Changqing stood nervously in front of Han Li, not daring to sit without permission.

Seeing the old man’s restraint, Han Li smiled kindly and said:

“Mr. Wang, there is no need to stand on ceremony. Please sit down so we can talk. I have some matters on which I wish to seek your advice.”

Hearing this, Wang Changqing repeated, “I dare not,” looking thoroughly apprehensive.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly but did not press him.

After a brief thought, he went straight to the point:

“I am a cultivator newly arrived from another land. May I trouble you, Mr. Wang, to first introduce the geography of this area and the local customs? If you can also tell me more about the cultivators here, that would be even better. I will surely reward you handsomely.”

Han Li’s voice was calm and composed.

Wang Changqing pondered for a moment, then began to speak slowly:

“Since the Immortal Master has come from outside, you should know that this is the Chaotic Star Sea, and we are at its southwestern corner. Nearby, there are three large islands: Tail Star Island, Guiding Star Island, and Mulberry Star Island, along with several dozen medium and small islands. Both cultivators and mortals live on them.”

“The customs here are the same as in other sea regions: each island has a single most powerful cultivator who serves as the Island Lord and is responsible for protecting the island. Other cultivators who are willing to settle on the island and take up a post will receive a yearly supply of spirit stones from the Island Lord to support their cultivation, but in return they must follow the Island Lord’s orders. Those who wish to live on an island without taking up a post receive no spirit stones; instead, they must pay a certain number of spirit stones to the Island Lord each year to be allowed to stay.”

Having said this, Wang Changqing paused, a trace of envy in his face, as if he yearned deeply for the life of a cultivator.