The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 659 Enemies meet
"Come on board."

After demonstrating his skills, Zhang Yan casually withdrew his black robe and smiled faintly. He then strode forward and stepped onto the ship's deck.

Wow, that's impressive... It seems the principle is similar to Gongshu Tianyuan's "cannon"? Tianyuan's cannon was also miniaturized and portable, but not this small... The Celestial Master's Mansion's thousand-year heritage is not to be underestimated...

Zhao Du'an was surprised. He bent his knees and leaped, drawing an arc in the air before landing firmly on the deck with a "thud".

Tuoba Weizhi and Jin Jian followed closely behind.

Ji Yue glanced at the wooden sailboat, then at the ice beneath her feet, and lowered her head in shame. With a stomp of her embroidered shoes, the ice cracked and collapsed, and the sorceress landed on the boat on the wind.

"This ship is embedded with magical crystals, so there is no need to worry about power until it runs out; you only need to control the rudder."

Zhang Yan raised his hand and pointed to the "steering wheel" at the stern of the ship.

Upon hearing this, Ji Yue volunteered to go to the stern, stretched out her wet, pale hands, carefully grasped the rudder, and slowly turned it.

"Squeak-"

Zhao Du'an heard the sounds of machinery moving inside the ship, the hull slowly adjusting, and the sails cooperating on their own.

"Wow..."

Soon, the boat beneath their feet began to cut through the waves and head south.

"Yawn, I'm sleepy, I'm going to take a nap."

Jin Jian yawned, then picked up his staff and headed straight for the cramped cabin.

He casually crawled inside, stuck his butt out, and soon began to snore softly.

Tuoba Weizhi vigilantly observed his surroundings, acting as a competent bodyguard.

Zhao Du'an and Zhang Yan stood side by side at the bow of the boat, smelling the salty sea breeze, and said:
"It looks like we won't be able to get there anytime soon."

The old Celestial Master stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:

"The Thousand Islands in the East China Sea are much larger than DJI. Since we didn't appear directly in the archipelago, but rather on the periphery, it would naturally take more time to get there."

You don't need to think about it; you'll be back in a day like you did with DJI. Time is tight, but it's not that urgent.

Zhao Du'an sighed softly and said with a wry smile:
"Is this some kind of consolation? But speaking of which, we still need to find out where the key is first."

He unfolded the nautical chart with both hands. The scattered islands on the chart pieced together to form a "ring," like a ring in the sea.

In the central area of ​​the archipelago, the two characters "寂海" (Ji Hai, meaning "Silent Sea") are written in ink.

Zhang Yan glanced at him: "You have a guess?"

Zhao Du'an said:
"Since the key to the Southwest Xinjiang region is hidden in Layuan, which is also the nest of Da Laba."

Based on the same logic, I guess that the key to the East Sea is most likely hidden in the place where the sea god resides.

This refers to the small sea area surrounded by the archipelago on the map, called the 'Silent Sea'.

He paused, then looked up at the old man beside him:

"Does the Celestial Master know the depths of the East Sea Eye? Hehe, this is my first time at sea, I'm just a greenhorn, not as experienced as the Celestial Master."

Zhang Yan, after receiving a light but not overt compliment, slightly puffed out his chest and smiled:

"As for this Silent Sea, I have naturally ventured deep into it."

Zhao Du'an asked in surprise, "The Celestial Master has been to the depths of the Silent Sea?"

Zhang Yan seemed to see through his thoughts and explained:

"The Sea God is somewhat different from the Great Laba. The Great Laba has been entrenched in the Laba Garden for many years. If I want to go deep into it, I will inevitably have to fight it. And after I was suppressed, although I am unwilling to admit it, I really can't do anything to that Laba."

But the sea god is different. He sleeps for most of the year, and during the month when he sleeps the deepest, the East Sea is calm and still.

Whether cultivators or mortals, they can take this opportunity to enter the Silent Sea, or even sink to the bottom to search for treasures…

"Treasure? There's treasure in the Silent Sea?"

Zhao Du'an interrupted the question, as it touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge.

Zhang Yan glanced at him:
"Of course there are. Otherwise, why would the imperial court send people to pick them?"
The Silent Sea is the "eye of the sea" of the entire East China Sea, a place with extremely abundant spiritual energy. As a result, many rare and precious materials are born there. Not only the imperial court, but also the Celestial Master's Mansion and Buddhist sects will seek these treasures.

For example, a kind of 'Dragon God Grass' grows in the Silent Sea, an excellent healing elixir, extremely rare. Whenever some of it gets out, it's usually ground into powder and refined into pills, priceless indeed.

Zhao Du'an, channeling his inner argumentative troll, asked curiously:
"Why is it called Dragon God Grass and not Sea God Grass?"

Zhang Yan said calmly:
"Because the Dragon God Grass grows on the remains of a thousand-year-old dragon at the bottom of the sea. Yes, it is said that it was a dragon that died a thousand years ago, and it is the only known dragon in the world today. Even though it has been dead for too many years, only a skeleton buried at the bottom of the sea remains."

Zhao Du'an was not very surprised.

After all, even gods exist in this world, so the existence of dragons in the East Sea isn't an unacceptable premise.

"Aren't you surprised? Have you heard about this before?"

Upon seeing his calm demeanor, Zhang Yan couldn't help but ask.

Old Deng was still hoping to scare the kid and show him what it meant to have "more experience than you have," but he was disappointed.

Zhao Du'an's indifferent attitude:
"A dragon? What's the big deal? I've even ridden one."

Zhang Yanyi: "..."

Tuoba Weizhi turned his head to the side, revealing an admiring look in his eyes:
Master is amazing!
Zhao Du'an coughed lightly, bringing the topic back on track, and frowned as he said:
"So, the Silent Sea has already been explored by many people?"

Zhang Yan shook his head:

"No. The treasure hunt I'm talking about is limited to the outer perimeter. You can probably understand it as anyone being able to sneak into the La Garden while the Great La Ba is asleep, but no one can go deep into the temple."

So the core area hasn't been set foot in yet... Zhao Du'an wondered.
"So where is the core area of ​​the Silent Sea?"

"do not know."

"what?!"

The old master gave him a look that said, "What are you making such a fuss about?" and explained:

"The Sea God has no physical form, and so does the core of the Silent Sea. When I was young, I came to the East Sea many times to train and tried to find the so-called core, but I found nothing."

According to the deductions of the successive priests of my Celestial Master's Mansion, the so-called core should only appear when the Sea God is awake, and hide once the Sea God falls asleep. Therefore, we are very fortunate that the Sea God is not asleep at this time of year.

...No, I don't think this can be considered "lucky"... Zhao Du'an muttered to himself.

Zhang Yan suddenly stroked his beard and said:
"Speaking of which, my third disciple sent a letter back to the capital last time, saying that she was in the East Sea. I wonder if we can run into her this time. If we can find her, it may make our journey much smoother."

Old Zhang's third disciple?

Zhao Du'an paused for a moment before remembering that he had met Zhong Pan, Yu Xiu, Han Zhao, Gongshu Tianyuan, and Jin Jian among the "Red-Dotted Boys" of all dynasties, but he had never met the third one.

Considering that each generation of Zhu Dian Tongzi is a pair of one boy and one girl, the third one should be a girl...

Now, Zhao Du'an was starting to look forward to it.

People looked at Old Zhang with more respect. Although Old Zhang had few disciples, he truly had "students all over the world."

……

The sky was azure, and the sea breeze caressed their faces, ruffling the hems of their clothes and strands of hair.

Under Jiyue's skillful control, the ship sailed steadily and swiftly toward the archipelago at an astonishing speed.

Several hours passed, and the morning mist had long since dissipated, but by the afternoon, the sky had become overcast.

"Boom!" The thunder in the sky startled the people in the cabin. Zhao Du'an walked to the deck, looked up and saw that the sky was covered with dark clouds and lightning flashed.

The sea turned dark gray, like mud, and surged violently, causing ships to rock violently.

"Batt..."

A raindrop drifted down from the sky, landing on the dry deck and quickly spreading out.

An unsettling atmosphere permeated both the sky and the sea.

"Is the climate changing at sea this fast?" Zhao Du'an asked, puzzled.

The old Celestial Master's face was solemn as he said in a deep voice:
"It's not a change in the weather, but rather that we've entered a dangerous sea area. Can you feel it? The pressure has increased."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Du'an hurriedly tried to move the Qi, but the familiar sticky feeling surged back into his mind, and the efficiency of the Qi's operation was greatly reduced.

His heart sank, and he said, "Is it the Sea God?"

At this moment, Jin Jian, who had been fast asleep inside the cabin, let out a soft moan, kicked her legs, leaned on her staff, rubbed her eyes, and came out. The young priestess took out her glasses from her pocket, put them on her nose, and looked uneasy.
"Master, my magical power has decreased again..."

It's not just her.

Everyone present was suppressed and weakened.

This means they are very close to the sea god.

"Something's not right, this shouldn't be happening..."

The native Jiyue walked over from the stern of the ship. Her pure white eyes gazed blankly at the turbulent sea, and she said:
“Even if the Sea God isn’t in the Sleeping Moon, he should only act like this when he steps into the Silent Sea. But we’re still far from the nearest island… Why is the Sea God’s divine power spreading so widely? Could it be that the Wrathful Moon has arrived ahead of schedule?”

Zhao Du'an suddenly looked at her:

"The Angry Moon arrives early?"

Ji Yue nodded obediently and explained:
“Every summer, the sea god will have a period of extreme clarity and rage, which we call the ‘Wrathful Moon.’ It doesn’t necessarily last a month; it can be longer or shorter.”

During the wrathful moon, the waters surrounding the Thousand Islands are shrouded in the anger of the sea god, and all activities on the surface become dangerous.

Zhao Du'an and Zhang Yan exchanged a glance, sensing something amiss in each other's eyes.

"Continue forward," Zhao Du'an ordered after a moment's thought.

Time waits for no one; he can't wait here for months.

Moreover, given the combat strength of the crew on board, even if it were weakened, they would have no fear of any danger as long as they did not directly clash with the "Sea God".

The sails billowed, and the wooden boat sped faster and faster, like an arrow released from a bow.

For the rest of the journey, everyone remained silent.

Suddenly, the cloaked, dark-skinned priestess spoke:

"Master, there are people ahead!"

Zhao Du'an and the old Celestial Master both sensed the dangerous aura emanating from beneath the dark sea ahead.

Zhao Du'an's ears twitched slightly, and he could even catch the dull sound of a huge creature moving underwater, parting the water.

"Master, shall I go down and take a look?"

Tuoba Weizhi swayed his waist and strode his long legs to the side of the ship, his momentum spreading.

Zhao Du'an turned to look at Zhang Yanyi, whose pupils glowed with a faint blue light as he intently observed the sea.

The blue light in his pupils faded, and the old man gently shook his head. Zhao Du'an said:
"No need for now."

Just then, amidst the splashing sound of water, something suddenly rose from the seabed in front of the ship.

It was a huge "monster" with a body nearly ten feet long. As its back slowly emerged, the seawater gently slid down to the sides.

The "monster" has a flat and broad back covered with a layer of smooth, black scales. Where the scales extend to the sides of its waist, thick, whale-like fat is exposed.

This aquatic creature only showed its back, like an iceberg floating on the surface, with the larger part hidden underwater.

What surprised Zhao Du'an and the others was that there were more than a dozen people standing on the back of the "monster".

There were men and women, mostly middle-aged, all dressed in robes that the Yu Kingdom had traded to the East Sea, resembling the attire of Taoist priests, but with disheveled hair, and holding not swords or knives, but iron forks.

At this moment, the thin "membrane" surrounding these people broke, and they stared expressionlessly at the people on the boat.

The middle-aged man with deep nasolabial folds, who was in the lead, said in a deep voice:
"The East China Sea Thousand Islands are under a sea ban! We are the Thousand Islands Patrol Team. Outsiders must leave immediately. During the sea ban period, outsiders are not allowed to enter!"

A maritime ban?

Are these local sorcerers from the Thousand Islands?

Zhao Du'an was surprised.

Ji Yue walked over from the stern of the boat and explained in a low voice:
"During the Wrathful Moon, the Thousand Islands Association will send out experts to form patrol teams, riding 'bone whales' to seal off this sea area, so as to prevent outsiders from angering the sea god and causing disaster to the people on the island."

Oh, this is troublesome... Zhao Du'an frowned; he had no interest in fighting with these natives.

But it seems that if they try to force their way through, they'll likely encounter a lot of trouble along the way.

Just as he was pondering how to negotiate with these people, Ji Yue suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. She stared intently at the middle-aged man leading the group on the back of the bone whale, her breathing rapid, and uttered a name:
"Aoki!"

Meanwhile, aboard the bone whale, a woman in her early twenties at the rear of the group also spotted Jiyue on the ship. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she gasped in astonishment:

"Ji...Jiyue? Is that you?!"

Zhao Du'an turned his head in surprise:

"Do you know these people?"

Ji Yue clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her palms. Her pale pupils were fixed on the middle-aged man named "Qingmu," and she said hatefully:
"He is one of the top five elders in terms of strength on the Thousand Islands. Back then, I was chosen to sacrifice to the sea god, but I was unwilling. He led people to capture me. In the chaos of battle, he killed my parents and chased me all the way."

What a coincidence? Zhao Du'an was taken aback.

Zhang Yan said in a low voice:

"An elder-level sorcerer must undoubtedly be at the World Realm."

In any place, he would be considered a powerful figure. For Ji Yue back then, the elder was an even more formidable force that was difficult to contend with.

However, compared to the people on this ship, worldly affairs are as commonplace as a turtle in the water.

"Jiyue?! You dare to come back?!"

Elder Aoki, whose nasolabial folds were deep, also recognized Ji Yue, and his expression changed.

He then looked at Zhao Du'an and the others, his gaze lingering particularly on Zhang Yan's priestly robes. As if understanding something, his eyes sharpened, and he said coldly:
"Very well, back then you betrayed the island's traditions, angered the sea god, and barely escaped from my grasp. Today, you've become a complete traitor, leading the people of Yu to the Thousand Islands with treacherous intentions and harboring evil intentions!"

The dozen or so sorcerers behind him also started to riot.

Clearly, they had a deep impression of Jiyue, who had defected to the Thousand Islands several years earlier.

Elder Qingmu's gaze swept over the others, focusing only on Zhang Yanyi. He raised the iron fork high in his hand and said in a deep voice:

"Are those on the ship priests of the Celestial Master's Mansion? I have no intention of being enemies with the Celestial Master's Mansion. As long as you hand over this traitor and get out of here, I can represent the cultivators of the Thousand Islands and spare your lives!"
But if you remain stubborn and obstinate, hehe, even if you are registered officials of the Celestial Master's Mansion, I will not hesitate to kill you!

on board.

The expressions on everyone's faces immediately became quite interesting.

(End of this chapter)