Zhang Shisan suddenly sprang into the air, stabilizing himself above the sea where wooden blocks swirled. With both hands forming arcane seals, he shouted, “Taiping Refinement, divine union within; celestial origins stabilize, Five Sacred Mountains conceal! Execute!”
As he slowly pressed his hands downward, the sea beneath him began to churn violently. Massive waves surged with deafening roars, rippling outward ceaselessly.
Zhang Shisan’s expression was solemn, tinged with confusion, as he gradually drew his hands inward, enclosing them in a circular motion. “Rise!” he commanded.
Under the immense pressure of Zhang Shisan’s spiritual energy, the sea water slowly parted, revealing a deep hollow beneath him. His hands moved as if lifting something incredibly heavy, inch by inch raising it upward.
Mei Qing had already released his spirit crane, seated calmly atop it, and extended his spiritual awareness, locking onto the depths of the sea below Zhang Shisan. Earlier, both had changed expressions simultaneously, sensing something strange deep beneath the ocean. Now, seeing Zhang Shisan’s movements so labored, Mei Qing couldn’t help but feel surprised. With Zhang Shisan’s cultivation level, ordinary objects would be easily retrieved with a mere flick of his sleeve. What could possibly be so burdensome?
In truth, Zhang Shisan wasn’t exerting his full strength. Besides parting the sea to retrieve the object, he was mostly focused on his surroundings. He knew their group was too conspicuous. Now, while manipulating objects at a distance, if there were any ambushers nearby, they would surely strike. Thus, Zhang Shisan feigned difficulty, partly to lure any hidden enemies into action.
However, the result was unexpected. He intentionally delayed for a moment, and as the object was about to emerge from the water, there was still no movement around.
Could it be that there really was no one here? Where had Xu Fu and Zhang Liusun gone? Puzzled, Zhang Shisan stopped pretending. With a swirl of his sleeves, the sea water abruptly parted, and a dark object shot up from the depths.
As soon as the object breached the surface, Zhang Shisan extended his sleeve, swiftly drawing it toward him, then released his technique. The sea beneath him suddenly lost its restraint, crashing back into place with a loud boom, sending waves surging high.
Looking at the object retrieved from the ocean floor, Zhang Shisan’s small eyes widened. He remained silent for a long time.
“Master? What’s wrong?” Seeing Zhang Shisan’s strange expression, Mei Qing guided his spirit crane closer to ask.
Examining the object in his hands, Zhang Shisan chuckled, then flicked his sleeve, tossing it toward Mei Qing.
Mei Qing noticed the object was only about the size of a pillow and wasn’t particularly concerned. He reached out casually, only to feel an immense weight pulling him downward, dragging both him and his spirit crane toward the sea surface.
Realizing his mistake, Mei Qing inwardly cursed his carelessness. He had already noticed Zhang Shisan’s struggle, yet he still acted so recklessly. Fortunately, his recent cultivation had progressed rapidly. Sensing danger, he immediately circulated his spiritual energy throughout his body. His spirit crane simultaneously spread its wings, several zhang wide, flapping furiously and creating a violent gale across the sea, barely stabilizing their descent.
“What kind of object is this, so incredibly heavy?” Mei Qing finally steadied himself and exclaimed in astonishment.
Examining the object closely, Mei Qing was stunned.
The object in his hands was a dark, heavy stone.
The stone was entirely black, seemingly unremarkable, with no distinguishing features or markings. Yet, its weight was extraordinary, easily exceeding a thousand jin when held.
Examining it from all angles, a sudden realization struck Mei Qing, and he exclaimed in disbelief, “No way… Could it be… this is…?”
Zhang Shisan sighed deeply and said, “Indeed. This is the last remaining trace of the sacred mountain’s Jieshi.”
Everyone was stunned, unable to believe their eyes. Gazing across the boundless sea, they reflected on the ancient legend of the sacred mountain, long sealed in this unknown location, destroyed for reasons unknown, leaving only this half-fragmented stone. The realization was both awe-inspiring and saddening.
After a long silence, Mei Qing sighed, then with a flick of his hand, stored the stone fragment within his personal spatial realm, shaking his head. “Since there’s nothing else, let’s depart.”
Zhang Shisan chuckled, “Who can say what the past holds? The ancients said even trees fall, and today, even the sacred Jieshi proves fragile. Hmph, nothing lasts forever.”
“I just can’t understand,” Mei Qing said to Bi Zhen. “How could such a mighty sacred mountain be reduced to just this small piece? And where have Xu Fu and Zhang Liusun gone? That day, I was clearly betrayed by Zhang Liusun. I thought I was doomed, yet somehow I emerged unharmed and was rescued by you all. There are so many unanswered questions.”
“If you can’t understand, don’t dwell on it,” Bi Zhen replied, playing with the monkey on her shoulder. “You promised to tell me the story of *Journey to the West*, with the monkey in it. Ever since you came back, you’ve just been spacing out—you haven’t kept your word.”
“Well, *Journey to the West* is a long story. It begins with the goddess Nuwa forging stones to mend the sky…”
Seeing Bi Zhen feigning annoyance, Mei Qing quickly raised his hands in surrender and began recounting the tale of *Journey to the West* from memory.
“A monkey born from a stone?” Bi Zhen asked, puzzled by the monkey’s origin.
“Yes, exactly,” Mei Qing smiled. “Born of heaven and earth, possessing great supernatural powers.”
“No wonder you’ve been staring at that stone lately—waiting for a monkey to pop out, huh?” Bi Zhen teased. “My Wukong is better. He’s soft and cuddly, much better than a hard stone monkey.” The monkey on Bi Zhen’s shoulder nodded in agreement, rubbing its long white fur against her ear, making her giggle.
“Oh, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Bi Zhen suddenly recalled, her expression turning serious.
“What is it?” Mei Qing asked, puzzled by her sudden change in mood.
“Well, I snuck out this time. When I return, Father will definitely be angry. I want Grandma to plead for me, but she said…”
“What did she say?”
“She said she wants to meet you first. Only if she approves will she help us.”
“Ah…”
“Master, Master, help!”
“Silly disciple, what’s wrong now?”
“This time, we’re returning to the capital. You promised me something when I became your disciple. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”
“Disciple? What promise? I don’t remember anything like that. Definitely not.”
“No way! Are you saying you’ll let me die?”
“Die? What’s so scary about that? Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to help you reincarnate…”
Mei Qing gritted his teeth. Back then, his opportunistic master had competed fiercely to take him as a disciple, promising anything. Now, without competition, Zhang Shisan had the upper hand and conveniently forgot all prior commitments.
“You win,” Mei Qing muttered bitterly. “Just wait until your disciple gets beaten to death. See how you’ll face others then!”
“Silly disciple, if you get killed now, you must be marrying the daughter of Buddha himself,” his unscrupulous master replied, unfazed.
Mei Qing realized his mistake. He was no longer the inexperienced novice he once was. Now, having formed his Yuan Ying and reached the peak of Qi Cultivation, he was considered a formidable expert in the cultivation world.
Even facing Lu Bing directly, Mei Qing wasn’t certain of victory, but he was confident he wouldn’t be easily defeated.
Reflecting on this, Mei Qing felt a renewed sense of confidence. Clearing his throat, he quietly asked Bi Zhen, “Hey, how strong is your grandma?”
“My grandma?” Bi Zhen thought. “She’s very kind to me.”
“No, I mean, she’s also a cultivator, right? How does her cultivation compare to your father’s?” Mei Qing asked cautiously.
“Oh… Well,” Bi Zhen pondered. “I heard that when Father pursued Mother, he was terrified of Grandma. Once, he angered her, and she nearly beat him half to death. Only with Mother’s intervention did he survive.”
Mei Qing shuddered involuntarily.
Bi Zhen, clearly lacking respect for Lu Bing, continued cheerfully, “As long as Grandma likes you, everything will be fine. If Father dares to interfere, I’ll have Grandma beat him until he agrees!”
“But…” Mei Qing asked hesitantly, “what if… Grandma doesn’t like me? Will she beat me half to death too?”
Bi Zhen looked worried. “Grandma can be a bit temperamental… Don’t worry, if she tries to hit you, I’ll protect you.”
Regardless of Mei Qing’s concerns, the day to return to the capital eventually arrived.
After bidding farewell to Shi Mengzhu, Zhang Shisan, Mei Qing, Bi Zhen, and Hou Shen set off on their journey back.
This time, Zhang Shisan didn’t ask Mei Qing to use any techniques. Instead, they hired a large carriage and traveled slowly. Along the way, Zhang Shisan seized the opportunity to thoroughly explain the major sects of the cultivation world, key figures, taboos, and customs to Mei Qing.
Though Zhang Shisan spoke earnestly, Mei Qing couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding. Indeed, as the carriage approached Tongzhou and neared the capital, Zhang Shisan finally said, “Silly kid, I’ve taught you everything I can. I still need to return to our sect for a while. We’ll part ways here.”
“What? Master, you can’t be serious! I was counting on you to back me up!” Mei Qing exclaimed, close to tears.
“Don’t worry. If you get killed, I’ll come avenge you,” Zhang Shisan chuckled. Without looking back, he took a gourd of wine and walked down the side road, muttering, “Oh, and one more thing—Master Ku sent word recently. It seems your origins might be connected to the Boatmen Sect. Keep an eye out if you have the chance.”
Before Mei Qing could ask more, Zhang Shisan had already disappeared behind a grove of trees. Reflecting on his master’s cryptic words and worrying about meeting Bi Zhen’s grandmother, Mei Qing gently squeezed Bi Zhen’s hand, letting out a silent sigh.
(Volume Two ends)
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