Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 399 I'll teach you to talk nonsense

"The Five Sacred Mountains True Form Sect has the closest relationship with the demon race of the Eastern Continent. Because the demon kings want to divide their territories, but they are not good at calculations, disputes often arise over the boundaries. So the sect sends people to the Eastern Continent to draw river channels and build mountain ranges to create the boundaries of their territories. Over the years, several demon kings who are close to the Central Continent have become familiar with the sect."

As Zhou Xiang spoke, he was holding a Jade Blood Pill in his hand. He had been holding this pill for five or six days, but he still hadn't taken it.

Kong Youxin clutched the hem of her clothes tightly as she listened to him, but she didn't really absorb much of what he said. She still couldn't believe she was standing on the bow of a ship heading out of the parish.

The two were on the same kind of iron-hulled boat that belonged to the sect, and the boat was operated by a disciple of the sect. The boat had previously carried the two from Fengwu Ferry to the Eastern Continent, and they had obtained supplies on land while sailing along the coast. After nineteen days, they turned west.

Now, after nine days of sailing westward, we can see the distant coastline—we've returned to the mainland, but no longer within the diocese.

The boat required five men to maneuver, but now there were eleven men surrounding the two men. One of them, upon hearing Zhou Xiang's words, immediately said, "What the hall master said is correct; it's clear that he has already memorized everything. However, I still have to ask the hall master one more question: When was the Dangkou Mountain stronghold, where the Zhou family is located, established? And in what year did Old Master Zhou go to Dangkou Mountain?"

Without a second thought, Zhou Xiang said, "Emperor Ye achieved true immortality in the 96th year of Jianyuan. Forty-nine years later, the Great Emperors of the Six Departments achieved golden immortality, and that's when the war in the world began. My ancestor Zhou Fang arrived at Dangkou Mountain in the 145th year of Jianyuan—originally a military officer in Emperor Ye's army, he was ordered to garrison and build a fort on that mountain."

"At that time, the mountain had no name, so our ancestors named it Dangkou Mountain. But after the fortress was built, the True Form Emperor used his supernatural powers to build a moat in that area, and Dangkou Mountain was surrounded, and people could not go in or out. After our ancestors led people out of the mountain, they felt that Emperor Ye's power was gone, so they led people back. They gathered the refugees who had accidentally escaped to the mountain to recuperate and live, and that is how the Zhou family, which is now living in seclusion, came to be."

He smiled at the sea breeze: "Actually, it's not good to remember these things accurately. More than three thousand years have passed, who can say for sure about such things? It's more accurate to say that we can't remember them accurately, right?"

The man behind him said, “What the hall master said is absolutely right. It’s easy to talk about other things, but the Zhou family is indeed real. They came to our sect more than fifty years ago. The Zhou family’s genealogy has not been lost, and all of this matches up. In case we really encounter someone who knows their family well, we won’t expose any flaws.”

Zhou Xiang laughed again: "The Central Continent is so big, and there aren't many people outside the sect. If we can meet someone who knows this family, it's better than me meeting Li Wuxiang directly."

The man's expression changed slightly, and he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Master, please forgive my impertinence—after you've come ashore, you can't keep mentioning that person. That person is already a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Great Calamity Sword, possesses the fortune of a True Immortal, and was once possessed by the Taiyi True Spirit; he can no longer be considered a mortal. Mentioning such a person even once could involve karmic consequences. Furthermore, you shouldn't mention the current Taiyi Sect Leader, because, in truth, you yourself are also..."

Zhou Xiang waved his hand and patted his face: "Alright, it was my fault for being so talkative. Junior Brother Xu, you don't need to remind me anymore. I won't say it again."

The man retreated back into the crowd with a worried expression, and another immediately stepped forward: "Master, please allow me to give you a few more words of advice. The food customs vary from place to place outside the diocese. The Zhou family of Dangkou Mountain usually eats noodles as their staple food and rarely eats rice. But the place we're going to land on mainly eats rice and rarely eats noodles. After you arrive, Master..."

"...Usually, cloth shoes are kept in a bundle, and straw sandals are worn for everyday walking. Cloth shoes are only worn when going into town or visiting important people..."

"...I rarely have the habit of bathing. But precisely because of this, if the weather is warm, or if I see a hot spring or something similar in winter, I will definitely go and take a bath..."

"...Master, you must not show pity or give alms to passersby. Whatever you carry must not be given away easily, not even a bite to eat..."

"...Master, please identify these two flowers again. You mistook them last time, but the wandering swordsmen and rogue cultivators of the Central Continent would never mistake them, because one is a life-saving medicine, and the other can be used to..."

As they drew closer to the shore, the eleven people vied with each other, offering their advice, their noise hurting Kong Youxin's ears. Zhou Xiang, however, remained patient, calmly replying to each of them. Only when the iron-hulled boat came to a stop in the shallow water near the shore did they finally quiet down.

Zhou Xiang stepped onto the ship's railing, stood against the wind, and asked, "Do my fellow disciples have anything else to teach me?"

The eleven men fell silent, and the six boatmen who were manning the ship also went up to the deck. Without a word, they knelt down in unison and bowed three times to Zhou Xiang. The leader's voice was even slightly choked with emotion: "Hall Master, take care on your journey!"

Zhou Xiang extended his hand to Kong Youxin: "Come on, let's go."

Kong Youxin looked at the white sand beach with its waves crashing in the distance, took a deep breath, and extended her hand. The next moment, she felt a lightness in her body, the wind whistling past her ears, and when she came to her senses, the two of them were already on the beach.

The Xuanjiao disciples on the ship stood up, bowed to the two men from afar, and then the iron ship turned around and left.

While on the ship, Kong Youxin was only filled with trepidation. But now, seeing the iron ship turn around and leave, she suddenly realized that she had truly left the parish and was in a wild and terrifying place!

She turned and looked around. It was a beautiful autumn day, the sun high in the sky. The sand on the beach was white, untouched by human feet, and looked like an endless expanse of white jade. Looking further afield, a hundred paces from the beach, the grass gradually grew lush, followed by a tall, dense forest.

It was noon, but a light mist still hung over the forest, making it look very dark, as if it were hiding ruthless wandering knights, rogue cultivators, or even disciples of the Thirty-Six Sects and swordsmen of the Taiyi Sect!

Zhou Xiang walked back and forth on the beach a few times, stomped her feet, then sat down and cupped the sand in her hands, letting the fine sand flow through her fingers: "Look, this is the beach, isn't it interesting?"

Kong Youxin didn't dare to reply. She felt as if speaking would disturb something, because it was so quiet here.

"What, are you scared? It's not too late to be scared now, I can call them back."

She was scared. But it wasn't that she backed down at the last minute; she didn't want to come in the first place!
That day, Zhou Xiang asked her if she wanted to achieve immortality and if she wanted to find a way to break through the limits—the answer to the first question was "yes." But she hadn't thought about the second question at all.

But she knew that her master seemed to really like her "ambition" and "uniqueness," so she thought that her master was probably like those drunkards back home, always talking big and not really going to take her along. So she said "yes"—just to win some of her master's favor!

However, after answering "yes" to the first question and "yes" to the second question, she had no choice but to answer "yes" when her master asked her the next question. This was because each time he asked her the question, his eyes held a hint of appreciation, and he even said, "I never thought that after all these years, it would be you, my little Taoist disciple, who would be so compatible with me!"
That's how she and her master forced her to come. Even now, standing at the bow of the boat, she was still asking herself, as if in a dream: "Huh? Why am I here now?!"
"No, Master, I wasn't afraid. I was just thinking... the other disciples must have really admired you, that's why they acted that way..."

Zhou Xiang burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! They don't admire me, oh, they don't admire me as a person, but they admire the blood in my veins—I am the bloodline of the ancestor, which, according to the Ye Dynasty, is the Hidden Crown Prince. I willingly came here, so naturally they admire me. However, they only worship the ancestor and the Great Emperor."

He seemed to be in a very good mood. He jumped up, squinted at the distance, and pointed: "That's Dongdan. There should be a big city there."

Then he turned around and pointed to the other side: "Let's go that way. We need to avoid that area, since that person was in the Dapan Mountain area before. Let's walk along the coast first, then turn back north—we should both change into our boots first, otherwise our feet will be covered in sand when we walk on this sandy ground."

Kong Youxin put down the large bundle on her back. Just as she was about to untie it, she paused, "Master, the senior brothers on the boat said that we wandering knights should wear straw sandals when we are traveling."

Zhou Xiang smiled and said, "That's their idea. I think that since I'm a descendant of the Zhou family, I should naturally wear boots since I've been raised in luxury. Stop talking nonsense, take them out and put them on yourself."

Kong Youxin could only untie the bundle and take out two pairs of boots, one large and one small. She helped Zhou Xiang put on the large one, and put the small one on herself, then put the bundle back on her back. Zhou Xiang walked forward, and she followed silently behind, walking slightly to the side. After walking about ten steps, she couldn't help but look back, feeling as if something was following her.

Zhou Xiang walked for a quarter of an hour, her mood seemingly becoming increasingly cheerful. She loosened her hair, shook her head, and suddenly began to sing loudly. After singing for a while, she turned to look at Kong Youxin, only to see that her brows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes were filled with tears, as if she was about to cry.

He stopped singing, took a step back and walked alongside Kong Youxin, asking her with a smile, "Oh, are you really scared?"

"Master, I didn't..." But she only managed to utter four words before the tightness in her chest forced her to stop. She let out a soft hiccup, and tears streamed down her face. As soon as the tears started, she knew something was wrong and made a move to kneel down.

Zhou Xiang pulled her up: "It doesn't matter if you're scared. I not only know you're scared, but I also know you probably didn't want to come."

Kong Youxin was taken aback: "Master..."

“It’s a shame that a little girl like you dares to come outside the sect. But the reason I’m bringing you along isn’t to tease or harm you. It’s because you don’t know what kind of person you are, but I can see it. If you survive this trip, you’ll have to thank me later.”

Kong Youxin said, "Yes, of course I must thank my master."

Zhou Xiang shook his head: "You little Taoist, you're just saying things you don't mean. Let me tell you, do you think that if you stay on Mount Immovable, you can only cultivate to the Refinement of Spirit like me for the rest of your life, and then just wait for your lifespan to end and you to die, that's not a very good life?"

"Didn't Qiao Yi say this when he was lecturing you? You're stuck at the Qi Refining stage, you don't need to wait until your lifespan is exhausted. It's just that your youth and lifespan are about to run out, then you'll have to go to your coffin."

Kong Youxin's eyes widened: "Huh!?"

"He didn't tell you? He'll tell you if you stay on the mountain for another year. Or, even if you have some extraordinary encounters later, and you cultivate to the level of Refining the Spirit, Returning to Emptiness, or even Merging with the Dao, do you think ascending to the wondrous realm is a good thing?"

Kong Youxin's heart pounded wildly, and she wished she could plug her ears. These past few days, Zhou Xiang had privately said many things to her that could be described as "treasonous," and she could only comfort herself with the thought that "out of the diocese, the Emperor might not hear." But now her master had brought up the Mystic Realm again—now, besides feeling like someone was following her, she also felt like the Emperor was watching from heaven!
"Yes...it's a good thing, Master."

Zhou Xiang fell silent, his smile fading. He let out a long breath and continued walking slowly. Kong Youxin wondered if her words had upset him, but she couldn't understand why.

After walking for a while, Zhou Xiang said, "Do you know why I can only cultivate to the Refining Spirit Realm? The Refining Spirit Realm is equivalent to the Golden Core here—many people outside the sect can cultivate to the Golden Core by tempering their own bones and muscles. I have the Coffin Mountain at Immovable Mountain, do you know why I can only cultivate to the Refining Spirit Realm?"

This is something that everyone has actually discussed privately.

Not only were they discussing this, but they were also discussing why, since the time of Emperor Zhou Er, the descendants of the emperor seemed to have extremely poor aptitude—in three thousand years, only five people had reached the Void Returning Realm, and the rest were almost all Spirit Refining Realm, and there were even quite a few Qi Refining Realm!
The Taoists' view was—

"You mean that when the Great Emperor attained enlightenment, he exhausted the Zhou family's bloodline's fortune, so that no one with good aptitude could emerge again, right?"

Master knows what's being said behind her back. Kong Youxin couldn't say anything more, so she could only remain silent.

"Actually, his aptitude was quite good. Our ancestor had such good aptitude, and he married a woman with even better aptitude. How could it not be good? It's just that every generation of the Zhou family has to waste their cultivation at least three times after birth, until they can no longer cultivate to the Void Realm. I was just too good at aptitude, so I wasted it five times, but I still managed to cultivate to the Spirit Refinement stage and almost reached the Void Realm."

Hearing these words in the past would have filled Kong Youxin with dread. But these past few days, she had already heard Zhou Xiang say many disrespectful things about the Great Emperor, so hearing these now, she wasn't particularly alarmed. The thought that popped into her mind was—internal strife within the sect! The elders of the main altar didn't want the Great Emperor's bloodline to continue ruling the sect, which was why they were forcing her like this!
"You think it's an internal power struggle within the sect, don't you?" Zhou Xiang asked.

Kong Youxin dared not think about it anymore.

"It has nothing to do with the sect. The people at the main altar are hoping that someone with the Zhou family bloodline will become the sect leader—the other five branches are all led by someone with the bloodline of an emperor, but our sect is not, which makes us look a little different. So, it's not good for someone with the bloodline of an emperor to be subordinate to our sect leader, which is why the Quiet Hall of Immovable Mountain was established, and only then can you and I be considered disciples of the Ancient Taiyi Sect."

Zhou Xiang turned to look at her as he said this: "We did it ourselves. We destroyed our own cultivation. Our ancestors left us instructions—first, that the bloodline of the Great Emperor must never cultivate to the Dao Integration Realm, then it became the Void Returning Realm, and then a few hundred years ago, it became the Spirit Refining Realm."

Kong Youxin couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Zhou Xiang smiled and said, "How would I know? It's just an ancestral precept. Perhaps they don't want our sect to become the private property of the Zhou family."

"That's why I said if you survive, you'll thank me later. At your age, you know there's a threshold in your life, but you're still far from it. When you reach my age and realize that you've reached the Refinement of Spirit stage and there's no chance of crossing that threshold, you'll really get anxious."

"Such an opportunity is once in a lifetime—you're neither expelled from the church nor a traitor, but have come to the outside world with a legitimate reason to seek a way to break through the boundaries. If I hadn't brought you out, when would you have gone?"

Kong Youxin didn't know what to say, but she couldn't remain silent. She could only ask, "Master, why did you choose me?"

“Didn’t I tell you already? I can tell you’re ambitious because I see you going to Jingyuetan so often. Let’s go.” Zhou Xiang pulled the bundle off her back. “There are many dangers outside the diocese, but also many opportunities. As long as you can survive, you’ll always find a way.”

“Those…the remains of our ancestors…”

"We're not in a hurry. We need to take it slow. If we rush, we'll run into the remaining five leaders of the Ancient Taiyi Church. Didn't we say when we left that we'd leave together once the six of us met and the business was done? The leaders of the remaining five churches are all at the Void Refining and Dao Integration levels. If they insist on taking us away, can we force them to stay? Let's take it slow."

Kong Youxin was less terrified. However, she wasn't sure if she was truly less terrified, or if a greater fear had overwhelmed her—her master didn't seem very interested in serving the sect wholeheartedly...

The two then walked along the coast for the entire afternoon. The sky remained clear the whole time, which gradually improved Kong Youxin's mood. Besides liking the sunshine, it was also because it had tanned both her and her master. For the past few days, the two had spent most of their time on the deck of the iron ship, except when sleeping, so that their pale skin wouldn't stand out outside the parish.

But she still had some worries. She was a bit darker now, and her lips were indeed chapped from the sea breeze for days. But if she really encountered a savage from outside the faith, would he still be able to tell the difference at a glance?
What they feared most came to pass. After dark, the two wanted to find a place to camp. Still on the coast, Zhou Xiang led her into the woods, chose a spacious spot under a tree, swept away the fallen leaves, and built a small fire pit. This way, they could see the coast but wouldn't be able to spot the light from those on the shore.

But just as they sat down and started a fire, they heard a rustling sound coming from deep within the dense forest. The sound stopped, and a young man's voice came from the darkness: "Fellow Daoist over there, my name is Li Xiao. I was passing by and accidentally disturbed you; I meant no harm. I've been traveling for several days without food, but I have some pills with me. Could I exchange some pills for some food with you?"

(End of this chapter)