Cultivating immortality in the seas, I created an immortal island of eternal life.

As evening approached, the tide receded far, revealing large areas of wet mudflats.

The man with the missing ear and the skinny fisherman squatted on a rock sheltered from the wind, neither of them speaking.

The sea breeze blowing in from the east carried moisture, causing their coarse cloth jackets, which were constantly wet and then dried, to stick uncomfortably to their skin.

The man with the missing ear was named Chen Mang, and he was originally from the fishing area in the north.

Having been abducted for several years, he had been intermittently recalling many things recently, which led to his encounter with Zhang Ma.

Chen Mang took out a piece of flatbread, broke it in half, and handed one half to the person next to him.

The skinny fisherman was named Zhang Jiu, but everyone called him Xi Jiu. He lived in the same village as Zhang Ma before he was captured.

Xi Jiu took the pancake but didn't eat it. He held it in his hand, his eyes fixed on the scattered fishing lights on the distant sea.

"We can't wait any longer!"

Chen Mang spoke first, his voice low and subtly tinged with emotion.

Xi Jiu didn't reply, but her Adam's apple bobbed.

It's been three days.

Ever since that night someone died on the mudflats, Old Man Ma has been like a ghost, spending all his time holed up in his little island shack, either spacing out or spouting nonsense like "check it out again" or "don't rush."

Explore?

What are you looking for?

If they continue exploring, they'll be the next ones to die.

"Uncle Ma is old," Xi Jiu finally spoke, her voice shrill. "His leg is broken, and his gallbladder is ruptured."

Chen Mang scoffed, it was unclear whether he was laughing at Old Man Ma or at himself.

If they hadn't escaped quickly that night, they would be dragged away like those corpses lying on the ground, and who knows what kind of ghosts they would have become.

"Tell me, who leaked the information about what happened that night?" Xi Jiu suddenly asked again.

Chen Mang stopped stuffing the biscuit into his mouth.

The wind passed between the two, making the few withered grasses in the crevices of the rocks tremble.

"Who else could it be?" Chen Mang's voice suddenly hardened. "You should know that we're only targeting a few people. The dead are dead, and the only ones left alive are the three of us."

"Zhang Ma wouldn't do it, and neither would either of us, so who else could it be?"

Xi Jiu's eyes darted around, bloodshot veins creeping across the cloudy whites of her eyes: "Only that one... surnamed Gao?"

Chen Mang neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply scoffed again.

"Think about it, how long has that kid been here? Two or three months, I guess?" He counted on his fingers. "When he first arrived, he was like a stray dog, doing odd jobs and keeping accounts at the fish market, bowing and scraping to everyone he met."

"Look at yourself now? Level 5 Qi Refining! And it hasn't even been that long!"

Xi Jiu lowered her head, making a hoarse sound in her throat, as if she wanted to laugh, or perhaps she was crying.

"Who can even talk to Wang Yao? Who can even give Steward Chen a second glance? And then there's leatherworking and talisman-making—what good thing can't he get?" Chen Mang got more and more excited as he spoke, his voice growing louder and louder. "He's just a dog kept by the sect, who else could it be but him?"

Xi Jiu quieted down and remained silent for a long time.

In the distance, from the direction of the dock, came faint shouts and people were busy unloading goods, with wooden barrels rolling over the gangplank with a gurgling sound.

"About the time that night, only a few of us know. Uncle Ma wouldn't tell him, and neither would we. So how did he find out?"

Chen Mang shook his head: "He guessed it himself, and then went to play the innocent."

That's a really hurtful thing to say.

Xi Jiu recalled that evening when she saw Gao Yao outside the fish market. Gao Yao seemed to be looking for them, but then lowered his head and quickly left.

It's like they're hiding from something.

I didn't pay attention at the time, but now that I think about it, it wasn't hiding, it was feeling guilty.

"Uncle Ma is still protecting him." Xi Jiu spat, "Saying it wasn't him, saying that the kid is a coward and wouldn't do such a thing."

"Cowardly?" Chen Mang sneered. "Cowardly enough to dare go out to sea to fish alone? Cowardly enough to make the sect take notice? I think he's incredibly bold!"

The two remained silent for a while.

The tide came in, washing over the rocks not far away, making a rushing sound, like countless people whispering.

"Someone has contacted me," Xi Jiu suddenly said.

Chen Mang turned his head and stared at him.

"Who?"

"I don't know him. He's a complete stranger, and he speaks in a very refined manner, unlike us roughnecks." Xi Jiu licked his dry, chapped lips, paused, and then said, "But he said that his master knows about our situation and is willing to lend a hand."

Chen Mang frowned deeply: "What's your background?"

He couldn't imagine who else, besides their group, would oppose the sect.

"They didn't go into details, only saying that they were at odds with the Yunxiang Sect," Xi Jiu said in a low voice. "They gave them this."

He pulled out a bag wrapped in gray cloth from his pocket.

Inside was a stack of talismans and two daggers, their blades gleaming with a bluish light as if they were coated with poison.

Chen Mang picked up a talisman and examined it from all angles.

He didn't recognize its value, but the dense patterns on the talisman, though its spiritual power was restrained, still gave off a faint sense of danger.

It is at least a mid-stage first-order talisman, equivalent to the power of a spell cast by a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"What are the conditions?"

"To test someone," Xi Jiu said, "Gao Yao."

Chen Mang paused, then put the talisman back and wrapped it up again.

"That man said they've been watching Gao Yao for a while and they feel something's off about him. A kidnapped fisherman whose cultivation has increased so quickly must be suspicious," Xi Jiu repeated the man's words. "But they can't directly take action, so they want us to help them test the waters."

"How do I try?"

"Find an opportunity to teach him a lesson. If we can take him down, great. If not, we can at least see what tricks Gao Yao has up his sleeve."

Chen Mang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with ruthlessness.

"This deal is well done."

He didn't particularly trust those strangers, but the enemy of my enemy was someone I could always make do with.

Moreover, he couldn't swallow his anger in the first place.

Someone died that night, and they fled back like stray dogs. Old Man Ma even protected that guy surnamed Gao. Why?

"So what if that kid advanced quickly?" Chen Mang tucked the dagger into his waistband. "Isn't it all thanks to the pills he got by currying favor? His cultivation is weak and his foundation is shallow. If it really comes down to a fight, he might not have much real skill."

Xi Jiu nodded.

Over the years, they have made a living at sea and seen too many outer sect cultivators who are eager for quick success and rely on pills to force their way up. They have the realm, but when it comes to real fighting, they are not even as good as those at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining.

"We have talismans and weapons, we have everything we need, why should we be afraid of a kid who hasn't even grown up yet?" Chen Mang stood up, stretched his limbs, his joints cracking, "Find an opportunity to sneak onto his island and take him down."

"We'll see then whether it's a dragon or a worm."

"Uncle Ma's side..." Xi Jiu hesitated.

"Don't tell him," Chen Mang interrupted. "He's old, soft-hearted, and won't get things done."

The two looked at each other and then remained silent.

......

at the same time.

On the second floor of a restaurant east of the fish market, the window was half open.

"Is this the kid?"

"Um."

The one who answered was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, wearing a short jacket commonly seen on fishermen, but his voice didn't sound like that of a fisherman.

The young woman sitting opposite him wasn't wearing fisherman's clothes, but rather a worn-out gray cloth robe, made of ordinary material but tailored to fit her body.

"Any discoveries?"

"His cultivation level has increased too quickly, which is abnormal, and..." The middle-aged man paused, "The last place where the inner demon we were tracking disappeared was near his island."

The young woman raised an eyebrow: "You mean, that inner demon is related to him?"

"I'm not sure." The middle-aged man shook his head. "But it's too much of a coincidence. His inner demon disappeared near his island, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. These two things happening together should be investigated."

"What did His Highness say?"

"His Highness said to hold back and focus on gathering intelligence." The middle-aged man turned around. "But we can't just watch. I had two fishermen who have a grudge against him found, gave them some supplies, and sent them to try their luck."

The young woman laughed: "Can those two fishermen handle it?"

"Whether it works or not is not important." The middle-aged man put the jade slip into his sleeve. "It would be best if we could find out something, but it doesn't matter if we can't. Two small fry are dead, so be it. It has nothing to do with us."

"What if that kid really is something strange?"

"That's interesting." The middle-aged man walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea (which had gone cold, but he didn't care) and downed it in one gulp. "A fisherman kidnapped by the Yunxiang Sect carries a secret, and it's related to the disappearance of his inner demons..."

"If we could dig this out, it would be more useful than chasing down ten inner demons."

The young woman thought for a moment: "What did those two fishermen give us?"

"A few talismans and two low-grade, first-tier poisoned spiritual weapon daggers." The middle-aged man put down his teacup. "More than enough to deal with ordinary fishermen. If that kid can handle even this, then it means we guessed the right direction; he does indeed have something on him."

"What if we can't handle it?"

"If he couldn't handle it, he died." The middle-aged man said in a flat tone, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today. "If he died, it means he was just an ordinary fisherman who was a bit lucky. He's not worth paying attention to."

......

Two days later.

When Gao Yao came out of the fish market, it was already dark.

Most of the people had left the dock, leaving only a few empty boats bobbing in the shallow water.

He walked with his head down towards where he moored his boat, his mind still preoccupied with the talisman-making he had done during the day.

Ye Zi taught him a new type of rune today, which was much more complex than the wooden sword rune. He tried more than ten times before he could barely draw one, and his spiritual energy was almost depleted.

"Tall boy."

A hoarse voice came from the right rear.

Gao Yao paused, then turned to look.

Old Ma stood behind a pile of cables, leaning on his cane. He wore a dirty short jacket, his face was ashen, and his eyes were sunken, as if he hadn't slept for days.

"Uncle Ma?" Gao Yao was somewhat surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Old Ma didn't answer, but just waved to him, signaling him to come over.

Gao Yao hesitated for a moment, but still went over.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that Old Man Ma looked even worse than he had imagined. He reeked of herbs mixed with body odor, making his throat tight.

"Someone wants to make a move on you," Old Ma said bluntly, his voice extremely low. "They should be making their move within three days."

Gao Yao was stunned.

"Who?"

"Don't ask who," Old Man Ma shook his head. "Just know that they're watching you, that they think you advanced too quickly, that you took the sect's reward, and that you betrayed them."

Gao Yao opened his mouth, roughly understood, and wanted to explain something, but Old Man Ma raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Don't explain to me, whether I believe you or not is not important." He took a breath and tapped his cane on the stone slab. "The important thing is that you have to leave, leave Turtle Reef Island, and find a safe place to hide for a while."

"Or, go find Wang Yao and ask her to protect you."

Gao Yao fell silent.

Old Ma stared at him, his eyes filled with anxiety, helplessness, and an indescribable weariness.

"I owe you," he suddenly said, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "The old man remembers those two spirit eggs, so I must pass these words on to you."

Whether you listen or not is up to you.

After saying that, Zhang Ma said no more, turned around and left, leaning on his cane.

The limping figure quickly disappeared into the dimly lit alleyway, as if it had never existed.

......