Chapter 253: The Ship Sailing North

Xue Youniang ordered the ship to set sail.

The steamship leaving the dock quickly picked up speed, leaving the pursuing Hong Kong police far behind. The marine police boats didn’t catch up either, and soon they were out on the South China Sea. By dawn, they reached international waters, then turned north.

Once in international waters, they raised the British flag. It seemed the ship was registered in Britain. The vessel was neither too big nor too small, moving swiftly as it sailed across the boundless ocean, heading north, presumably toward Japan.

During the northbound journey, Xue Youniang assigned each person a cabin stocked with ample clothing and necessities. By noon the next day, she invited everyone to dine together.

The meal was lavish. As the hostess, Xue Youniang addressed the group, “The invitations came from us. Fortunately, everyone made it aboard—otherwise, it wouldn’t have been any fun. Without all seven corpses, the mystery wouldn’t be solvable. Rest assured, this ship is stocked with plenty of fresh human blood.” By now, Xue Youniang’s attire had changed to a Japanese kimono, with a large bag strapped to her back and wooden geta on her feet.

Hua Changsheng and I exchanged glances. There were still many unresolved mysteries about what had happened at Famen Temple. I had followed a figure in black—who could that have been?

If Xue Youniang was Japanese, it was highly possible that the abbot’s daughter, born from his worldly affairs, had already died. Xue Youniang was merely impersonating her.

Gu Xiulian asked, “Where exactly are we going?”

Xue Youniang replied, “Seven corpses emerge, eternal life is granted. That phrase must be true. As for where we’re headed, I don’t know. But it’s definitely a small island in the Pacific. And this black cat has surely been there.” The kitten meowed uneasily.

Earlier, the black cat had emerged from an ancient tomb—could it have come from an island? Could He Qingling’s secret be tied to the sea?

Mo Bai had mentioned that Hua and Guo, along with their master, had entered a tomb and encountered an extremely powerful blood corpse. A black cat had escaped from within—what was that all about?

He Xiaomao couldn’t speak, but it was very alert.

I slammed the table. “Stop looking at me like that. Let me tell you, my cat’s life is more valuable than any of yours. Don’t even think about harming it.”

Xue Youniang laughed. “Master Xiao, still so protective of animals, I see.”

Hua Chongyang, lacking enthusiasm, shouted, “Are we eating lunch or not? No dog meat, no deal. I’d rather jump into the sea and swim back.” Xue Youniang smiled. “There is. There is.”

And sure enough, there was a damn dog meat hotpot.

I ate a simple meal, eyeing Guo Qiqi, Guo Jue, and Gu Xiulian, making sure they wouldn’t slip any bugs into the food before I ate. Hua Changsheng had clearly abandoned his monkhood, drinking wine and eating meat, growing slightly tipsy from the French red wine.

Chui Ye, who had never met Xue Youniang before, was quickly enchanted by her. Xue Youniang was unfathomable, impossible to grasp.

After a few more words, Xue Youniang politely excused herself. I suspected she wasn’t the ship’s owner—someone else must be behind this. Given the circumstances, Xue Youniang was undoubtedly Japanese.

A chill ran down my spine. This ship likely belonged to the Abe family. Now that I thought about it, the Abe clan’s sinister ambitions hadn’t died—they were seeking revenge against the Ghost Sect. There had to be another scheme at play.

Dai Hao wasn’t actually from the Daoist tradition. Being on a ship with so many zombies unnerved him.

Guo Furong and Guo Jue remained relatively calm. It didn’t matter what they ate—poison or bugs wouldn’t faze them.

The ship sailed for two days before I learned that Xue Youniang’s real name was Abe Keiko, indeed a member of the Abe family who had infiltrated the mainland.

During the voyage, two fights broke out.

The first occurred when Gu Xiulian’s stone coffin opened, revealing a zombie dressed as a Taoist priest. It was incredibly powerful—Gu Rechang had turned himself into a zombie before death and had been resting in the back mountains of Sanqing Mountain, guarded by a giant python. Later, Gu Xiulian excavated the coffin and smuggled it to Hong Kong. Gu Rechang emerged and fought Guo Furong’s indestructible skeleton three times, wreaking havoc. It took great effort to stop them, but they remained evenly matched, seemingly ready to go at it again.

Abe Keiko showed no intention of stopping them. The battles always took place at night since sunlight weakened the zombies. As a result, no one could sleep at night, only catching up during the day. On the deck at night, Gu Rechang and the indestructible skeleton clashed in a spectacle never seen before or since.

The ship even provided sunflower seeds, so I snacked while watching the zombie brawl. Little Rascal, prone to motion sickness, was completely out of it on the ship. I quickly got him drunk to knock him out.

Gu Xiulian shouted, “Kill it!”

Guo Furong, holding a grudge over Zhou Liangliang’s death, sneered coldly at Gu Xiulian.

The first night was somewhat entertaining. The next two, I didn’t bother watching. The ship had books, including *The Last Feng Shui Master*. I spent the night reading it, reaching the ending.

The book told the story of a young man traveling the world, feeling lonely amidst the bustling cities. Strangely, he had a romance with a female ghost, but she vanished, leaving him unsure if she’d ever return.

I couldn’t help but think—if that were true, the meaning of all that waiting lay in the moment of reunion. But if the ghost never returned, what would become of the young man? The ending would be like that of a stray dog.

Wandering through life, all the years and stories would amount to nothing.

The long years would pass in quiet loneliness. Just as I reached the final page, a furious roar from the indestructible skeleton outside nearly made me fall off the bed. I cursed seven times, threw the book down, stomped on it, then picked it up and reread the ending. Unconsciously, tears rolled down my cheeks.

The second fight was between the Silver-Armored Corpse and the Earth-Nurtured Corpse. It started over nothing—just Dai Hao and Guo Jue taking a dislike to each other. The Silver-Armored Corpse lunged first. Dai Hao called Dai Zhong for backup, and chaos ensued. The Silver-Armored Corpse was stronger, but the Earth-Nurtured Corpse had incredible endurance. As long as it had solid footing on the deck, it could hold its own.

So, two powerful zombies brawled all night. Again, daytime was for sleeping. Being stuck on a ship with these people was utterly tedious. Why couldn’t they just play mahjong peacefully instead of making the zombies fight?

Late that night, Little Rascal, sobered up, licked my neck a few times. I opened my eyes to see him whimper softly.

It was nearly dawn. His behavior was strange. I followed him to the deck and saw, in the distance, a tattered sailboat rocking on the waves. From afar, it seemed there were figures aboard.

Sailors returning from the sea often told tales of ghost ships and mermaids. Spirits wandered the ocean, and ghost ships appeared and vanished without a trace—legends about them were countless.

Too far to see clearly, but it was undoubtedly a vessel of the dead, drifting for centuries.

The ghost ship sailed toward where the dawn faded.

And then the sun rose.

By morning, the ship stopped. According to Abe Keiko, this was where they would disembark. I looked around—no island in sight. Were they supposed to jump into the sea and drown?

Nearby, a blue whale breached, sending a massive spout of water into the air before it cascaded back down.

Abe Keiko said, “That whale’s name is Xiao Long. Once, someone leaped onto its back during a storm and tamed it, naming it Xiao Long.”

Gu Xiulian laughed. “You’re joking. If such a person really existed, I’d chop off my head and use it as a stool.”

Standing on the deck, I shouted, “Xiao Long!” The distant whale responded with a call. I called again, and it answered once more. It seemed true—whoever tamed that whale must have been extraordinary. Jin Yong once wrote about Zhou Botong raising a small whale, but a blue whale was far larger.

I turned to Gu Xiulian. “So, are you going to chop off your head and sit on it?”

Gu Xiulian gazed at the morning sky and said, “What a beautiful dawn. Perfect for discussing life’s ideals.”

Looking at the sunrise, I felt uneasy. There’s an old saying: “Red sky at morning, sailor’s warning.” A colorful sunrise often meant rain was coming.

A storm at sea was no small matter.

Before the vast ocean, everything felt fragile.

Abe Keiko pointed at the calm waters. “This is the place!” The coordinates confirmed it.

I took out the golden compass.

The needle spun uncontrollably.

Indeed, beneath the serene surface, there must be hidden secrets.