Dongting Immortal Clan

There is a river to the north of Meng County called "Chenjian River".

The river is wide and the current is rapid. Reeds rustle on both banks as the river flows northwest and eventually empties into Dongting Lake.

Guan Chengfu pointed to the river and casually said:

"The older generation says that an immortal once left a sword in this river, hence the name 'Sinking Sword River'. I don't know if it's true or not, but no one has ever retrieved it in all these years."

Chen Changhe looked at the river without saying a word.

The ferry crossing was small, with a few boats moored there.

A small boat was moored at the far end, and an old man was standing at the bow, untying the mooring rope.

The ship was jet black, over two zhang long, with runes engraved on both sides, faintly glowing with a bluish light.

"Seventh Uncle".

Guan Chengfu shouted.

The old man raised his head, his face lined with wrinkles, his white hair disheveled by the river wind.

He grunted in agreement, and without stopping, deftly coiled up the cable.

There were already six people on the airship.

The person sitting furthest inside was a middle-aged woman, dressed in an indigo blouse, with a peach wood talisman hanging from her waist, who was resting with her eyes closed.

Beside her was a tall, thin man, around thirty years old, with sunken cheeks, who seemed to be dozing off.

There was another round-faced boy, about seventeen or eighteen years old, who grinned and revealed two tiger teeth as soon as he saw Guan Chengfu.

"Chengfu-ge!"

"Xiaoman" (Grain Buds).

Guan Chengfu patted him on the shoulder and stepped aside to let Chen Changhe pass.

"This is Chen Changhe, the second master of the Chen family in Bishui."

"Come with us to the market."

The round-faced boy immediately cupped his hands in greeting, his voice clear and crisp:

"Greetings, Second Master Chen!"

"I am Guan Xiaoman from the Guan family of Heming Peak. Just call me Xiaoman."

The middle-aged woman opened her eyes upon hearing the sound and nodded slightly to Chen Changhe.

The tall, thin man kept his eyes closed and didn't move.

Guan Chengfu didn't take it seriously, and led Chen Changhe to sit down in an empty seat, whispering:

"Those who can board this ship are all people we know well and have frequent dealings with."

"That Lady Yu married a wandering Taoist priest in her early years, and unexpectedly had her mind opened, embarking on the path of cultivation."

"The skinny one is called Ma Deguang. He's a shrewd guy. He's been doing buying and selling in the market for the past few years and he knows the ropes."

As for the others, Guan Chengfu did not say anything more.

Chen Changhe glanced at it silently and found the aura to be weak, but he didn't take it seriously since the cultivator was only at the first or second level of the Spirit Realm.

At this moment, the old man at the stern, Guan Shuiqing, had finished untying the mooring ropes. He walked to a wooden rudder at the stern that was covered with runes, pressed his hands on it, and muttered incantations.

The dim runes on the ship's hull lit up one by one, the blue light gradually intensifying, casting a mysterious glow over the dark hull.

Before long, the boat shuddered slightly, slowly lifted off the water, and floated upwards.

A breeze from the river suddenly rushed into the cabin, carrying a slight chill.

The scenery on both sides of the river began to shrink gradually.

……

"Seventh Uncle's Cloud Crossing Boat is a real treasure."

Guan Xiaoman moved closer to the two of them, her eyes filled with envy.

"It is said that it was bestowed by the Immortal Sect. His lineage has ancestors who were Qi Refiners, and the Immortal Sect specially forged this Cloud Crossing Boat for him."

"In the entire Yunmeng region, you can count the number of ships that can fly on your fingers."

Chen Changhe looked toward Guan Shuiqing at the stern of the boat.

The old man held the rudder with one hand, and with the other hand he pulled out an old pipe. He squinted, took a puff, and looked relaxed, as if piloting this flying artifact was no different from ordinary boating.

"How long will it take to get to Deer Horn Mountain?"

Chen Changhe asked.

"About two hours."

Guan Chengfu sat down beside him and pointed to the hills outside the boat, saying softly:

"We'll fly through the air, follow the river, and then turn southwest when we reach Baling. This will help us avoid some unnecessary trouble."

As the airship gradually stabilized, apart from a few people who were riding for the first time and whose faces were pale as they clung tightly to the gunwale, the rest of them remained calm.

Seeing that Chen Changhe was observing him curiously but showed no fear, Guan Chengfu asked:

"Has Fellow Daoist Chen previously traveled by flying boat?"

"No."

Chen Changhe shook his head.

"Just a month ago, a celestial master from Zilu Mountain came by sword and stayed at my house for a day, so I am not entirely unfamiliar with this kind of flight."

Upon hearing this, Guan Chengfu nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

……

As they talked, the atmosphere on the boat became lively.

Madam Yu was chatting with Guan Xiaoman, saying that her son had learned a "Minor Cloud and Rain Technique" at the Taoist academy in the county and was now able to help take care of two plots of spiritual fields. Her tone was filled with undisguised joy.

Guan Xiaoman listened attentively, occasionally asking questions about cultivation.

Ma Deguang woke up at some point and was talking to Guan Chengfu about the market prices of spiritual materials.

"The price of spirit grain dropped by 20% last month, I heard it's because the Zhang family in Baling had a bumper harvest."

Ma Deguang's voice was a little hoarse, and his eyes were full of envy.

"The Zhang family has had a bountiful harvest every year."

Guan Chengfu didn't take it to heart.

"The price of spirit pearls has gone up; now you have to pay an extra one to exchange for spirit stones."

The two chatted about market conditions and news from various places, while Chen Changhe listened quietly without interrupting.

He secretly observed that the cultivation levels of the people on the boat were not high. Madam Yu was only at the Heart Fire Realm, Ma Deguang was only at the early stage of the Wood Embryo Realm, and Guan Xiaoman was more talented, having already reached the threshold of the Wood Embryo Realm at the age of ten.

This progress reminded him of the lake at home.

They mostly talked about the profits and losses of the spiritual valley, the rudimentary application of magic, and trivial matters from various schools of thought.

For Chen Changhe, there was nothing new about it.

After listening for a while, he got bored and leaned against the gunwale, closing his eyes to rest.

Guan Chengfu had been watching him closely. He wanted to say a few more words to get closer to Chen Changhe, but seeing that Chen Changhe had no such intention, he sat quietly by himself and stopped talking.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Two hours later, a mountain appeared ahead.

The mountain is not very high, but it is quite peculiar.

At the top of the mountain are two huge rocks, one on the left and one on the right, pointing upwards in the shape of deer antlers.

At the foot of the mountain is a small river with murky, yellowish-brown water.

There is a stone bridge over the river. The bridge is very narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

A lone blue stone tablet stands at the bridgehead, with four characters engraved on it.

"Deer Horn Fairy City".

The handwriting is faded and looks quite old.

Chen Changhe's gaze moved up the mountainside, where buildings were built against the mountain, layer upon layer.

At the very bottom were some thatched huts and wooden houses, haphazardly built, like beggars' shacks.

A little further up, the houses gradually become more orderly, with blue bricks and gray tiles, looking no different from ordinary mountain towns.

Further up, shrouded in mist, one can glimpse the upturned eaves of several pavilions, their faint glow suggesting an extraordinary presence.

"This market area is divided into three levels."

Guan Chengfu pointed to the mountains and introduced them in a low voice:

"The area at the very bottom is called the 'free market'. It's a mixed bag, with all sorts of things on display. You have to be able to spot the real from the fake, and it's also the place where trouble is most likely to break out."

"The middle area is where the legitimate shops are located. They have signs and backing, so it's safer to go there for larger transactions."

"Those buildings at the very top..."

He paused, then spoke even softer.

"It is an asset directly managed by the Taixu Sect and the Zhang family of Baling. Ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to even get close."

The cloud-crossing boat slowly landed on a flat open space at the foot of the mountain.

Several boats and rafts of various shapes and sizes were already moored on the open ground. There were awning flying boats like the Guan family's, as well as simple wooden rafts, and even a strange boat that seemed to be haphazardly pieced together from rotten wood.

We've arrived.

Guan Shui extinguished the runes on the boat, pulled out his pipe, squatted at the bow, and started puffing away, looking no different from any other old boatman.

The group disembarked one after another.

Guan Chengfu patted Chen Changhe on the shoulder, his face once again displaying that smiling expression:

"Fellow Daoist Chen, let's go, I'll show you around inside."