Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

Chapter 15 Sun 2 Escapes

early morning.

Fang He got up early and packed her things.

Today I need to report to the Zhou family office to officially participate in the sea monster cleanup mission.

He stuffed several talismans, a bottle of hemostatic pills, and a dozen spirit stones into his pocket, checked them over, and made sure nothing was missing.

Fang He pushed open the door of the thatched hut and walked along the path towards the market.

After walking for a while, he paused slightly.

Not far ahead is Sun Er's residence.

Fang He recalled the various suspicious points he had observed before.

Going out late at night, having secret talks with strangers, gathering intelligence on the movements of sea monsters and weaknesses in the defenses...

He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, so he changed direction and headed towards Sun Er's thatched hut.

Upon closer inspection, Fang He frowned slightly.

The doors and windows of the thatched hut were tightly closed, and the weeds outside had grown quite tall.

"Fang He, are you looking for Sun Er?"

A voice came from the side.

Fang He turned his head and saw that it was his neighbor, Old Han.

Old Han is in his forties, a warm-hearted man who talks a lot. He lives next door to Sun Er.

"Uncle Han".

Fang He greeted, "Isn't Sun Er home?"

"They're gone. They left two or three days ago."

Old Han shook his head. "He left in a hurry, only taking his personal belongings with him, and didn't say where he was going."

"So rushed?"

"you do not say."

Old Han sighed, "These days, people's hearts are unpredictable. He seems honest on the surface, but who knows what's really going on?"

Fang He felt a sense of unease.

Sun Er was indeed suspicious.

"Thanks, Uncle Han."

Old Han waved his hand and turned back to tend to his sacred field.

Fang He stood in front of Sun Er's thatched hut, examining the tightly closed doors and windows.

The area outside was overgrown with weeds, clearly indicating that it hadn't been tended to for some time.

He hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open and entering.

Sun Er is a man of few words, and there must be someone behind him.

Entering rashly might leave traces and expose you.

Moreover, the Zhou family's investigation is already underway, and it wouldn't be a good thing for a low-level rogue cultivator like myself to get too deeply involved.

Fang He stood at the door for a while, memorizing the location of Sun Er's residence.

I'll come again another time.

The most urgent task now is to report for duty.

He turned and left, continuing along the path towards the market.

……

Fangshi.

Fang He had just reached the entrance of the market when he heard a familiar voice.

"Fang He!"

He turned his head and saw Zhao Haisheng standing not far away, waving at him.

"Brother Zhao."

Zhao Haisheng strode over with a smile on his face: "You're here at the market too? Perfect, let me introduce you to someone."

He pulled Fang He into the market, and after passing through several streets and alleys, they arrived at a stall.

The stall is located near the entrance of the market, a good location.

The stall owner was a burly man in his thirties with dark skin, clearly someone who made a living at sea year-round.

"Old Chen, let me introduce you to a friend."

Zhao Haisheng greeted him, "This is Fang He, my neighbor, Lingzhi Fu, a promising young man."

The dark-skinned man raised his head and laughed heartily: "Just call me Old Chen."

Fang He cupped his hands in greeting: "Hello, Captain Chen."

Chen Tonghai, a captain of a seagoing vessel, travels between various islands and is well-informed.

"This young man looks unfamiliar."

Captain Chen chuckled, "New here?"

"I've been on Qing'ao Island for a while now."

Fang He nodded, "I've been busy cultivating and rarely come to the market."

"Young people should get out and about more."

Captain Chen nodded, "Staying cooped up in cultivation all day, how would they know about the outside world?"

He pointed to the goods on the stall: "Look, these are all collected from various islands. They are not commonly found on Qing'ao Island."

Fang He looked at the items on the stall.

Materials from distant sea beasts, ores from outer islands, talismans from other places...

These are all rare items.

His gaze fell on a scale in the corner.

The scales are about the size of a palm, with a faint blue sheen and fine lines on the surface.

"This scale..."

Fang He picked up the scale and examined it carefully.

"Those are scales from a sea monster from the far seas."

Captain Chen explained, "It drifted from the deep sea, and it's of good quality. If you know your stuff, take it for two spirit stones."

Two spirit stones, the price isn't too expensive.

Fang He concentrated on probing the scales.

[Retrievable historical traces detected]

[Item: Ocean Scales]

[Historical Imprint: Fishermen's Experience in Wind and Waves (Gray)]

There is a mark.

It's just gray, but it might be useful for him as he's about to participate in the sea monster mission.

"make a deal."

Fang He handed over two spirit stones.

Captain Chen readily accepted it: "Young man, you have good taste."

Fang He tucked the scale into his pocket and took the opportunity to ask, "Captain Chen, have sea monsters been very active lately?"

Captain Chen's expression changed slightly, and he sighed.

"It's not just frequent, it's downright bizarre."

He lowered his voice and said, "I've been sailing all these years and I've never seen anything like this. There are unusually large gatherings of sea creatures on various islands; it doesn't seem like a natural migration."

Fang He's heart skipped a beat: "It doesn't seem like a natural migration?"

"Um."

Captain Chen nodded. "At this time of year, marine mammals usually stay in the deep sea and rarely come near the shore. But this year is different; these creatures are running towards the shore like madmen."

He paused, his expression grave: "It seems... like someone is driving us from behind."

Fang He felt a chill run down her spine.

Is someone driving them away from behind?

This seems to have some connection to Sun Er's matter.

"Captain Chen, what do you mean by that?"

"I'm just guessing."

Captain Chen shook his head. "But you Qing'ao Island should be careful. Qing Shi Island and Tie Gu Island have both suffered, with many rogue cultivators killed or injured. When I passed by Qing Shi Island this time, I saw a complete mess there."

He sighed and added, "I've been sailing for over a decade, and this has happened a few times before. Each time it's a harbinger of a major catastrophe."

Fang He remained silent.

Captain Chen's words confirmed his earlier suspicions.

The unusual behavior of the marine mammals is not accidental.

"Thank you for the reminder, Captain Chen."

"Don't mention it."

Captain Chen waved his hand, "If you need anything in the future, just come to me. I have connections on all the islands, and my information network is pretty good."

Fang He nodded and noted it down.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Captain Chen had to pack up his stall, so Fang He said goodbye and left.

……

A quiet corner of the market.

Fang He took out the distant sea scale and concentrated his mind.

【Whether to extract? 】

"Yes."

An image flashed through my mind.

On the turbulent sea, a small boat bobs in the waves.

A dark-skinned fisherman stood at the bow of the boat, his hands steadying the hull with practiced and powerful movements.

Wind, waves, currents, the rocking of the ship...

These experiences flashed through my mind; they were the culmination of decades of working at sea.