The sea vessel sailed steadily toward the Withered Breath Forest, stopping only during fierce gales to rest, without encountering a single sea demon beast along the way.
Jian Xiaolou, unscathed, didn't have to remain confined to the cargo hold and often strolled the corridors to enjoy the sea breeze.
Under the azure sky and across the blue ocean, the serene and carefree atmosphere offered a rare sense of leisure.
Unlike typical ships with submerged sealed lower decks, this magical vessel did not touch the water; its bottom hovered consistently half a zhang (approximately 1.5 meters) above the sea's surface.
She leaned on the railing, gazing at the waves, while Liuli stood quietly at the other end.
Though they had traveled together for almost six months, their relationship never exceeded a nodding acquaintance.
Jian Xiaolou had initially thought Liuli would be a chatterbox, but she was proven very wrong. Apart from a few occasional words of encouragement to Li Jianzhao, Liuli was usually quiet and composed, exuding an elegance akin to an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.
However, Jian Xiaolou felt something unusual about her aura. She had considered using the Red Lotus Sight-Breaking Technique to investigate but always recalled Jiao Er's past admonishment: it's inappropriate to pry into others' secrets unnecessarily, as everyone has their own privacy.
Besides, encountering someone capable of counter-scrying would be rather awkward.
When she first discovered Red Lotus's Sight-Breaking ability, she had been curious about everything and used it indiscriminately. Over time, unless it was truly necessary, she refrained from using it, as she wasn't inherently nosy.
As she lost herself in thought, Huai You's voice sounded from behind her.
"You haven't thought of escaping even once, have you?"
Jian Xiaolou stiffened. "Is senior feeling better now?"
Huai You approached the railing, standing beside her.
"We Ghostfolk don't have physical bodies. Healing the soul is all that matters."
"Then is your soul fully recovered?"
The wind picked up, blowing her multicolored hair into her eyes. She stepped aside to avoid it. After losing Huai You's tattered clothes, he had changed into a clean, simple robe, making his head and body seem like two different people.
"Did your master ever warn you to stay away from me?"
"He didn't," Jian Xiaolou replied indifferently. "Master doesn't seem to worry about me falling into your hands. I don't know where his confidence comes from..."
In truth, Chan Lingzi had warned her countless times about Huai You's volatile temper, urging her to avoid him whenever possible. If she couldn't, she was to follow his lead and say things he liked to hear.
Sure enough, Huai You's lips curled in satisfaction.
Then, as if remembering something, his smile faded.
"They all despised A'Ming and refused to save him. I don't blame them. I don't like him either. His personality is detestable—callous, indifferent, reckless, defying rules and authority. He holds no one in regard, including me. But what can I do? A'Ming is my younger brother. Anyone else can reject him, hate him, but I cannot."
Jian Xiaolou listened quietly.
Huai You continued, his tone tinged with melancholy.
"Over five thousand years ago, Yu Qinxin was gravely injured and went missing. A'Ming and I were hunted by Yi Ku, Yi Wen, and Yi Xiao. The three of them trapped us in a mountainous region and surrounded us with soul-collecting banners and a Slaying Evil Formation. Facing three Nascent Soul cultivators and the Immortal Calabash, we had no chance of winning.
"A'Ming said he had a way to escape and asked if I dared to bet with him. I asked him what the wager was, and he made me look like the ghostly figure you see today. If I lost, I would have to live with this appearance for five thousand years."
"And how did you escape, senior?"
"He said he'd scout ahead and join forces with me the next day to break out. But instead, he acted on his own—killing Yi Xiao, severely injuring Yi Ku and Yi Wen, and breaking the formation. But he was also captured by the Calabash. I don't know how he did it, but he succeeded…"
Huai You let out a bitter laugh.
"His method was to sacrifice one life to save another—his life in exchange for my survival. But he felt wronged and didn't want me to have it easy, so he came up with this to torment me. Tell me, isn't that infuriating?"
Jian Xiaolou began to understand the source of Huai You's deep obsession.
But she suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but ask,
"Senior, your Ghostfolk don't have physical bodies. How do you marry and have children?"
Without physical bodies, how could they have blood relations? What kind of "brothers" were they?
Huai You's face instantly darkened.
Jian Xiaolou's curiosity was genuine. In her past life as a urology and reproductive specialist intern, she had been intrigued ever since she learned from Wuchang that "ghost" was an actual race.
Soul cultivation to form a tangible body was incredibly difficult. Huai You was only semi-corporeal, practically a eunuch. Even if he reached the Heaven-Human Boundary and achieved a fully corporeal form, it would merely be an illusion of substance—eight-pack abs and all—but producing "seeds" was impossible.
"So do Ghostfolk couples possess humans or animals, using their bodies to reproduce? Or do you reproduce asexually, like plants, through soul fission?" Jian Xiaolou's imagination ran wild.
"You little girl, have you no shame saying such things?" Huai You's face twitched, his earlier sorrow utterly dispelled.
"I'm not that young," Jian Xiaolou retorted.
Adding the years from both her lives, she was nearly sixty. Though compared to Huai You's five-figure age, she was still a youngster.
A year later, the magical vessel reached the Withered Breath Forest.
Jian Xiaolou, glancing ahead, saw a floating island instead of the forest she had expected. It reminded her of Mad Demon Island, only this island was over ten times larger and lacked surrounding islets.
The ship ascended steadily and docked. The ship's owners disembarked first.
Jian Xiaolou realized the vessel belonged to the Yao Kingdom. From the third floor descended fifty or so Yao maidservants and guards, respectfully standing behind three Nascent Soul Yao cultivators.
Accompanying them was Huo Ying, who had brought more than a thousand servants and maids—most of them low-level cultivators with dull expressions, their purpose unclear.
Two Yao cultivators emerged from the fourth floor, one in resplendent attire with a high crown, the other in a simple blue robe, devoid of adornments.
The one in fine clothing addressed the one in blue as "Second Brother," though their appearances bore no resemblance. Both were strikingly handsome.