TGPSAC – Chapter 169

Chi Wan finally caught up with Yu Xingchen. The latter had lost her way and had just managed to return to the place where Xia Qu had disappeared, running right into them as they arrived.

“Your Highness, what are you doing here?”

The mere mention of it made Chi Wan furious. “That boy just now deliberately pointed us in the wrong direction. I had to chop off one of his arms before he’d honestly lead us here. He said the robbers would hide out at Black Sand Beach and only come out after we’ve left Masi. If Xia Qu pursued them, she would have definitely gone to Black Sand Beach as well. The money isn’t important; we have to find Xia Qu first.”

Yu Xingchen nodded. “Alright, I’ll head into Black Sand Beach now.”

She took a few steps, then turned back. “Where is Black Sand Beach?”

Chi Wan said, “…There’s a map in the backpack. There’s a separate one for Masi.”

Once they remembered the map in the backpack, they left the boy behind, leaving a secret guard to take him back.

Yu Xingchen didn’t have a backpack, so she could only look at Chi Wan with pleading eyes.

Chi Wan snorted coldly. “Now you see the importance of a military backpack, don’t you? If anything happens, the things inside can save your life.”

If she had known, she would have definitely carried one. Even Xia Qu wasn’t carrying a backpack; only a few of the secret guards were.

Chi Wan’s backpack was being carried by a guard, which barely counted as her having one.

The group wasted no more time and continued their search for Xia Qu.

Masi wasn’t large, but Black Sand Beach was on the other side of the island, at its very edge. It would take a long time to walk there, and they had to keep an eye out for any sign of Xia Qu along the way.

However, they searched for a long time without finding any trace of her.

Night fell like a giant bolt of black silk, obscuring the sun and silently enveloping them. As they searched, the surrounding coconut trees grew sparser until a stone monument appeared in the distance.

On the monument, a skull was painted in blood-red pigment, with a knife stuck through it, warning passersby of the danger within.

“We’ve reached Black Sand Beach.”

Even in the dark, they could distinguish Black Sand Beach from a normal beach. Though it was pitch-black with no lights, the moon was full and bright, making the sea’s surface glitter. But the area of Black Sand Beach was as dark as a black hole, like the gaping maw of a giant beast waiting for food to walk right in.

There was not a single speck of light, and the sand itself was black. It was as if one side was level ground, and Black Sand Beach was an abyss that would swallow anyone who stepped into it.

Should they go in or not? If Xia Qu was inside, they would certainly have to. But what if she wasn’t?

From what Chi Wan knew of Xia Qu, the woman loathed evil, but she wouldn’t put herself in danger over some silver.

They hesitated before the stone monument for a moment. Chi Wan was the first to ask, “Do you think Xia Qu would have gone in?”

“No,” Yu Jiuzhou said.

“But what if?” Yu Xingchen was extremely anxious. If Chi Wan hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have charged in already.

“Xia Qu would have seen that Black Sand Beach is clearly dangerous. We were only robbed of silver. She has no reason to rush into Black Sand Beach for that.”

Chi Wan had originally thought Black Sand Beach was just named so because of the many stories circulating about it, but it was a genuinely strange and ominous place.

Xia Qu was bold but meticulous, not a fool. Why would she charge into such an obviously dangerous place? She wouldn’t be seeking her own death.

If Xia Qu hadn’t gone in, but they did, wouldn’t that be even worse? Legend had it that no one who entered Black Sand Beach ever came out alive. If those petty thieves went in to hide, they might have some way to survive, and they certainly wouldn’t venture deep inside.

As they were hesitating, Chi Wan suddenly saw a black shadow flash by. She flicked a silver needle, and the shadow vanished in the next second.

From her experience, the shadow must have been hit by the needle, but for it to still move so quickly, it was certainly no ordinary being.

Yu Jiuzhou immediately said, “Fire the signal flare.”

A signal flare could briefly illuminate the sky. Besides, Jiang Weiyang and the others must have already sent people over. It was just that Black Sand Beach had many entrances, and Jiang Weiyang might not know where they were.

Yu Xingchen quickly took out a flare gun and fired it into the sky. As the red firework lit up, they witnessed a bizarre scene. Inside Black Sand Beach stood dense rows of black shadows, which vanished the moment the firework bloomed, as if they had imagined it.

“Did you see that?” After the firework faded, the surroundings became terrifyingly quiet. Yu Xingchen couldn’t help but ask.

She had no doubt that if they went in, they would be devoured by those black shadows.

If it were daytime, they would have entered without hesitation. But it was night, and they had no idea what was inside. Coupled with the sight of those dense shadows just now, they were naturally hesitant.

Moreover, they still hadn’t confirmed if Xia Qu was even inside.

Suddenly, the faint sound of soft, shuffling footsteps came from behind them. As the one with the highest martial prowess, Chi Wan immediately drew her blade and lit a flint striker. She then saw a furtive figure, who shrieked upon seeing them, “A ghost!”

Xia Qu?

It was Xia Qu’s voice.

Chi Wan’s eyes lit up. “Xia Qu.”

It was indeed Xia Qu. Hearing her voice, Xia Qu ran over. “Thank goodness you didn’t go in.”

Chi Wan frowned. “Where have you been? Why did you chase them so far for some silver? Do you have any idea we almost went into Black Sand Beach to find you?”

She gave Xia Qu a thorough scolding, which made Xia Qu laugh sheepishly. “I didn’t chase them far before I turned back to find you. I ran into some trouble on the way and only just managed to get away. I happened to run into Marquis Jiang, who was looking for you. When I heard you had come to Black Sand Beach, I rushed over. They’re right behind me. It’s a good thing you used the flare gun, or I would have had to go into Black Sand Beach myself.”

Fortunately, none of them had gone in. They all breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Especially after that scene just now, it was hard to imagine what would have happened if they had entered.

“By the way, you said you ran into trouble. What kind of trouble?” Seeing that it was all a misunderstanding, Chi Wan didn’t press the matter further.

“Those men split up and ran. I couldn’t split myself to chase them all, so I was about to head back when I ran into someone. The person attacked me on sight. Of course, I had to fight back, so we started brawling. We ended up fighting farther and farther away. By the time I realized it was a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain, I quickly shook the person off and rushed back to find you.”

A ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain?

Yu Jiuzhou said coldly, “It seems someone wanted to lure us to Black Sand Beach.”

Chi Wan also realized it. The two groups of people were likely not working together. Someone had learned of the thieves’ plan and wanted to fish in troubled waters. Since Xia Qu had gone after the thieves, the other party simply lured Xia Qu away to ensure they would pursue her to Black Sand Beach.

As long as they couldn’t find Xia Qu, they would assume she had really chased the robbers to Black Sand Beach. There were only two possible outcomes: either they would abandon Xia Qu, or they would enter Black Sand Beach.

“Why would they want to lure us to Black Sand Beach?” Chi Wan posed the question.

Then she answered it herself. “It’s an acquaintance.”

It must be an acquaintance who wanted to lure them here. Why would a stranger do this? Was it just for the sake of killing?

Could it be an assassination attempt? No, not many people knew they were on this voyage. The new emperor of Great Zhou had already ascended the throne, and the transfer of power was complete. Killing them now would be pointless.

They were also in disguise. Unless it was someone familiar who spent a lot of time with them, it would be impossible to recognize them.

So was it an acquaintance or not?

It was Yu Jiuzhou who spoke. “It is an acquaintance, and yet it isn’t.”

She turned to Xia Qu. “Didn’t you say Jiang Weiyang and the others were behind you? Where is she?”

Logically, they should have arrived by now.

“This is bad. This person is after Jiang Weiyang.” Chi Wan grabbed Yu Jiuzhou’s hand and started moving.

Xia Qu quickly led the way. “I came ahead of them. Marquis Jiang should be just up ahead.”

They were most likely bait to draw out Jiang Weiyang. Jiang Weiyang’s travel routes were either on the ship or to the Masi royal palace; it was very difficult to see her in person. If the goal was to lure Jiang Weiyang out, and the person didn’t know them, what other purpose could there be?

But why would the other party think they could lure out Jiang Weiyang? Did they know something? That would mean the person must be an acquaintance, just not a particularly close one.

However, if the person wasn’t familiar with them, they must be very familiar with Jiang Weiyang.

Now that Jiang Weiyang had been lured out, the other party would definitely make their move. Jiang Weiyang was in danger.

The group hurried in the direction where Jiang Weiyang was. She was probably in trouble right now.

As they ran, Chi Wan asked, “How many people did Jiang Weiyang bring?”

“Not many, only a hundred.”

If it was a hundred elite soldiers, then the situation wasn’t too bad. They should be able to hold their own unless it was something particularly serious.

But when they arrived at the scene, they found countless nine-eyed snakes. No, why were there black-skinned fierce snakes everywhere they went?

Only a few of the hundred elite soldiers had died. Because the area was open, it was difficult for them to escape after being surrounded by the snakes.

Chi Wan smelled the scent of gunpowder in the air, which meant the enemy had already used explosives. Such a strong smell indicated it was definitely more than one or two bombs.

The main problem was the darkness. They couldn’t see anything. The nine-eyed snakes were hidden in the night, and they didn’t know when one might get close. Fighting snakes at night meant the snakes could see them, but they couldn’t see the snakes. It was a good thing they had arrived quickly, or the losses would have been severe.

Fortunately, some medicinal powder was temporarily holding back the snakes’ attack, but if this continued, Jiang Weiyang would surely be bitten.

“Protect Her Highness and retreat. I’ll go save Jiang Weiyang.”

At this moment, only she could rescue Jiang Weiyang from the siege of so many snakes.

Evidently, the swarm of snakes had also noticed their arrival, but they had no time for them. The one they wanted was Jiang Weiyang. From this, it was clear that the snakes were being controlled by someone.

Chi Wan leaped into the air, threw a small dagger, and lightly tapped her foot on its hilt, reaching the encirclement at top speed.

“I’ll get you out of here first.”

She knew that as long as she took Jiang Weiyang away, the besieged soldiers would be automatically saved. The snakes’ target was Jiang Weiyang.

Just as she expected, she led Jiang Weiyang away from the swarm. But she didn’t head toward Yu Jiuzhou; instead, she chose a different direction. Not only that, she deliberately stopped to wait for the snakes.

The snakes truly did abandon the remaining soldiers and charged toward them.

“Run!”

Chi Wan had to lead the snakes away with Jiang Weiyang so that the others could be saved and escape.

The moment the snakes left, Yu Jiuzhou immediately ordered, “Everyone, leave this place.”

With Chi Wan’s speed, the nine-eyed snakes couldn’t catch her. If they stayed, they would only be a burden to Chi Wan. It was better for them to leave first and then find a way to provide support.

“Is there any realgar on the ship?” Yu Jiuzhou asked.

“Yes.”

“Go back now and sprinkle realgar all over the ship. Then bring some back to support them. Dong Ying, you follow Chi Wan from a distance. Don’t lose her, and send signals whenever necessary.”

Yu Jiuzhou quickly arranged everything. She didn’t follow them. For the first time, she ran without any regard for her image. She possessed internal energy, and even if she didn’t know how to use it specifically, she could run very fast, on par with Dong Ying.

Seeing her liege like this, Dong Ying was stunned. It was the first time she had seen her this way. She had heard rumors that Her Highness was cultivating internal energy, but she never expected it to be so strong that she could run as fast as her. If Her Highness knew how to use her internal energy, wouldn’t she be even more formidable?

She wanted to call out to her liege but worried her identity would be revealed, so she could only say, “You go back first. I’ll follow on my own.”

Yu Jiuzhou didn’t say a word. She took out a flare gun, but instead of aiming it at the sky, she aimed it at the swarm of snakes and fired directly. The firework slammed into the snakes’ faces, sending many of them flying.

Chi Wan had been keeping an eye on Yu Jiuzhou. The moment she moved, Chi Wan knew what she was going to do. As the flare gun fired, she took out a bomb. Seeing the snakes momentarily frozen by the bright light, she threw the bomb right into their midst, sending snakes flying everywhere.

Dong Ying discreetly moved to the side, nearly getting hit on the head by a nine-eyed snake. If it hadn’t died, it would have bitten her.

Fortunately, she dodged it. Just as she did, she saw her liege and Her Highness the Prince exchange a smile, pleased with their perfect coordination.

Dong Ying: “?” Are you going to consider the snake that almost fell on my head?

Of course, no one did. Chi Wan flew through the air and said, “Weiyang, call Honglin out.”

She had thought Honglin was dead. Now that she saw the nine-eyed snakes, and they were after Jiang Weiyang, it seemed the person wasn’t dead but hiding somewhere. In that case, it was best to call her out. She had no idea how Honglin had followed them to Masi.

Jiang Weiyang nodded. “She Qi, come out. I know what you want. I already have the map. If you don’t come out, I’ll have no choice but to destroy it.”

Once they knew what Honglin wanted, things became much simpler. The map was in their hands. If Honglin still wanted to use the nine-eyed snakes against her, she didn’t mind destroying the map.

As soon as she finished speaking, the nine-eyed snakes stopped their attack, and a figure in a red robe emerged from the shadows. The person was completely hidden within the robe, their appearance and even their figure concealed.

Seeing the person emerge, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Chi Wan was curious. With her skills, she should have been able to locate someone so close. The fact that she hadn’t sensed them meant the person must have a turtle-breathing technique, which was why she hadn’t felt their presence.

Moreover, she was inclined to believe that Honglin had followed their fleet. There were so many ships, likely merchant vessels rather than official ones.

Chi Wan had told Jiang Weiyang to have people search every corner of the ships, but they hadn’t found Honglin anywhere. Many cargo holds were opened and inspected, but nothing was amiss. That meant Honglin must have been on a merchant ship. With her abilities and so many nine-eyed snakes, controlling a single ship wouldn’t be difficult.

“Give me the map.” Honglin’s voice was hoarse, like a snake speaking while flicking its tongue. Deep within her voice was the sound of scraping rust, enough to give anyone goosebumps.

Jiang Weiyang stepped forward. “Giving you the map is no problem. But you killed so many of my brothers and sisters and nearly took my life at the Heigelie Temple. How should we settle this score?”

Most importantly, she had nearly harmed Her Highness and the Prince. If that had happened, she would deserve a thousand deaths.

Honglin tilted her head stiffly. The wind blew off her hood, revealing a face that was half-covered in scales, looking both demonic and terrifying. As if angered by her face being exposed, her eyes glinted with a murderous light.

“Hand it over, or die.”

Die? It was not yet certain who would be the one to die.

Jiang Weiyang’s brows furrowed into a deep “川” character. “Your Highness, if we kill Honglin, the swarm of nine-eyed snakes will be without a master.”

But without a master, the snakes would scatter and run rampant, and the people of Masi would suffer.

However, after several encounters, not many of the nine-eyed snakes were left.

Just as Chi Wan was about to say something, she looked at Yu Jiuzhou, who was gesturing to her in sign language.

The kerosene had arrived, along with the realgar. Realgar could repel snakes, but to eliminate them, fire was needed. With so many of them, they just needed to douse them in kerosene and light it up. Even if a few escaped, the damage would be limited.

Having received the message, she flicked out several silver needles, each one pinning a nine-eyed snake. The pinned snakes writhed as she flew toward Honglin, her blade already drawn.

Another ten meters, and her pistol would be in range of Honglin.

Honglin was very cautious. Even after coming out, she kept a great distance from them. The pistol’s range wasn’t far, so they needed to close the distance.

But the moment Chi Wan moved, Honglin quickly retreated. She had witnessed Chi Wan’s performance on two separate occasions. This person was extremely skilled; she absolutely could not let her get close.

That was why she had chosen a position farther away when she emerged, to ensure she wouldn’t be killed while caught off guard.

Chi Wan frowned and quickened her pace, chasing after Honglin. However, Honglin was not slow either, and the two of them were evenly matched in speed.

But while running, Honglin had no opportunity to control the snakes, which gave Yu Jiuzhou’s side a chance. They poured a circle of kerosene around the swarm and lit it. In an instant, flames shot into the sky, illuminating the dark beach.

They weren’t far from Black Sand Beach. Honglin was running in the opposite direction, but as she ran, she ducked into a residential house and vanished. It seemed she was using the turtle-breathing technique again, making it impossible to find her.

Chi Wan stopped in her tracks, searching for the other’s figure. Suddenly, a serpentine shadow lunged at her. She quickly retreated and swung her blade, slicing the nine-eyed snake into several pieces that fell to the ground. From her first encounter with these snakes, she knew that simply cutting them wasn’t enough to kill them; they had to be chopped into multiple pieces.

“Honglin, you can’t have many of your black-skinned fierce snakes left, can you?”

Snakes, especially venomous ones, appearing in large swarms would frighten anyone, or at the very least cause a physiological sense of unease.

She was quite curious if snake people truly existed in this world, and why they came to be. Logically, snakes and humans couldn’t reproduce. This wasn’t a myth. At least, in all her time in this world, she hadn’t discovered anything out of the ordinary, though she had certainly heard all sorts of stories.

Tales of fox spirits seeking official titles, weasel spirits taking revenge, willow spirits wiping out villages—all kinds of stories existed, their truth and falsehood blurred.

Chi Wan was skeptical about the authenticity of these stories. Perhaps someone had misseen something, or perhaps someone had fabricated a tale that grew more outrageous with each retelling. She was of two minds about these things—twenty percent belief, eighty percent disbelief.

But the world was vast, and it was normal for strange things to happen. Many stories might have arisen from reverence, fabrication, or real events. There were always some things that science couldn’t explain.

As for Honglin, their guess was that when she was still She Qi, she had a decent relationship with Jiang Weiyang. She was likely injured in a fight over the map and, after being saved by Jiang Weiyang, hid the map in her scabbard.

Jiang Weiyang didn’t know about this, or she would have taken it out long ago. But she was from Great Zhou and hadn’t been to sea for several years, making it difficult for Honglin to retrieve the map. Now that she had finally set sail, Honglin was naturally trying to get the scabbard from her.

But it had resulted in the deaths of so many of their people. If they had just discussed it from the beginning, Jiang Weiyang was not an unreasonable person and would have returned the map. Yet now, the situation had escalated to one of hostility.

Chi Wan called out loudly, “Honglin, if you had explained the situation from the start, knowing Jiang Weiyang as you do, do you think she wouldn’t have given you the map? Logically speaking, she saved you multiple times, didn’t she? Your actions are a betrayal of her kindness.”

She knew Honglin could hear her. She wasn’t trying to persuade Honglin to repent. If one could attain enlightenment just by laying down their weapon, what would be the point of laws? Killing so many people had to have consequences. What she wanted was to break Honglin’s turtle-breathing technique.

As long as Honglin’s emotions fluctuated, even the most profound turtle-breathing technique would fail. This world had internal energy, but not magical powers. The technique was amazing, but not that amazing.

“How many times did Marquis Jiang save you back then? She gave you food and drink, new clothes, and even took you in. It was one thing for you to leave without a word, but when you appeared again, Marquis Jiang still saved you, finding someone to treat your injuries…”

Seeing that Honglin showed no reaction even after all this, Chi Wan’s tongue turned venomous. “She wasn’t disgusted by you being a monster.”

Sure enough, as soon as the word “monster” was uttered, she sensed the other’s location.

Honglin had probably been called a monster since she was a child. Jiang Weiyang was likely one of the very few who didn’t find her repulsive. Yet she had repaid kindness with cruelty, killing so many people and nearly killing her own benefactor. If even her benefactor started to think of her as a cold-blooded monster… No, so what if she was a monster? Who would dare call her a monster now? She would kill anyone who did.

Hearing the word “monster,” Honglin could no longer conceal her killing intent. But in that single moment, her position was exposed.

Chi Wan snorted coldly and walked over. “So you’ve come out.”

She raised her pistol and aimed it at Honglin’s location. If anything seemed amiss, she would fire without giving the other any chance to counterattack.

In the next second, three snakes lunged at her. She flicked out three silver needles, bursting their heads, and then fired three shots at Honglin’s position. She wanted to capture Honglin alive, but it didn’t matter if she couldn’t.

Honglin fell to the ground, her serpentine eyes staring coldly at her.

Just then, Jiang Weiyang arrived with her men. “Are you alright?”

With so many people around, she couldn’t address her as “Your Highness.”

“I’m fine. Take her back. Be careful of the snakes on her.”

Jiang Weiyang had soldiers in heavy armor step forward. The heavy armor soldiers were protected from head to toe, their helmets sealed tight. They wore masks, with a mesh guard over the masks, and the best leather gloves on their hands. As an extra precaution, they had also wrapped a layer of soft silk around the outside.

Two heavy armor soldiers dragged Honglin up, with two more standing guard in front and behind, cautiously watching her in case she released any snakes.

Many had witnessed the prowess of the nine-eyed snakes. They weren’t afraid of a few, but who could handle hundreds at a time?

Fortunately, Honglin was captured. With three gunshots in her, she should have been dead as dead could be. But when they examined her back on the ship, she was somehow still alive. Honglin’s injuries were severe, but she could be saved.

A godlike person who could survive three gunshots. It was likely the scales on her body had cushioned the bullets, which was why she was still alive.

Chi Wan had someone treat her, wash her, and change her clothes, just in case she had any other tricks up her sleeve.

After some thought, Jiang Weiyang decided to lock Honglin in an iron cage to prevent her from escaping.

Once that was done, Jiang Weiyang personally led a search of every ship for snakes. They did indeed find a few on the merchant ships, but thankfully not many.

The snakes that had besieged them earlier had been burned to death with kerosene. Without the nine-eyed snakes at her command, Honglin was no longer a threat.

However, Honglin’s recovery ability was remarkably strong. She woke up in just two days, and her wounds were healing quickly. Those were gunshot wounds. No one who had been shot three times could wake up so fast.

Since she was awake, Jiang Weiyang decided to begin the interrogation.

Chi Wan, dressed in a white Daoist robe, stood by. Yu Jiuzhou and the others were on the upper deck and had no intention of joining the commotion. The fleet’s trade with Masi was almost over, and they would soon be heading to the next stop, so they needed to prepare.

Upon seeing Jiang Weiyang, Honglin showed no emotional fluctuation. But the moment she saw Chi Wan, her face filled with killing intent.

Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. “You recognize me?”

She wasn’t wearing makeup or a disguise; this was her original appearance. Her attire was also completely different. Dressed in white, she looked like a banished immortal from the heavens, a world apart from her ordinary disguised self. Could it be an animal’s keen sense of smell?

Honglin’s grating, metallic voice was filled with hatred. “You… deserve to die.”

“Tsk, stubborn.” Chi Wan snorted disdainfully and sat down in a rocking chair that had been prepared nearby. As she rocked, the celestial air around her instantly vanished, but she became even more infuriating.

Honglin was so angry she was grinding her teeth, but there was nothing she could do. Her clothes had been changed, and everything on her was gone. She couldn’t very well pluck the scales from her body to kill someone, and she would have to get out of the cage first.

It was only when Jiang Weiyang spoke that Honglin retracted her hate-filled gaze.

“Xiao Qi, long time no see.”

Honglin’s memory was pulled back to that time. She had said her name was She Qi, and Jiang Weiyang had called her Xiao Qi. She still remembered the joy she had felt back then. But Jiang Weiyang had lied to her.

“You said you would take me to Great Zhou. You said you would come back for me.”

Jiang Weiyang had indeed said such things back then, and she had truly meant it.

“But didn’t you leave on your own? I took you to Mugu, and you disappeared. After we returned to Nanyue, you disappeared again. If you wanted to return to Great Zhou with me, why did you keep disappearing?”

Jiang Weiyang had sailed the seas for many years. If she weren’t ruthless, how could she have opened up new sea routes? But at her core, she was kind, otherwise she wouldn’t have felt compassion time and again. Her kindness toward Honglin had been trampled on. What more did she want? Saving Honglin again when they met later was already her limit.

Perhaps her words stung Honglin. Honglin slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her serpentine eyes were filled with coldness. “That was your own choice.”

“Then my not taking you with me was your own doing.”

So we’re comparing ruthlessness? She, Jiang Weiyang, had braved the seas for years. Could she not be more ruthless than Honglin?

Their ruthlessness was different. Jiang Weiyang had to be ruthless but was also reasonable. Honglin was cold-blooded. It didn’t matter if it was an enemy, a stranger, or a benefactor—she would kill without hesitation.

Chi Wan tapped the chair with her folding fan. “Time to get down to business.”

Jiang Weiyang nodded and took out the map. The moment Honglin saw it, she lunged forward excitedly, but her severe injuries caused her to fall heavily to the ground. Enduring the pain, she crawled quickly to the edge of the cage and reached her hand through the bars. “Give it to me! Give it back to me!”

Now that things had come to this, any past affection was meaningless, especially since she had offered sincerity only to be met with a murder attempt.

Under Honglin’s tense gaze, Jiang Weiyang lit a flint striker. “Talk. What is this map for?”

There was no point in wasting words. It was better to get to the point.

She didn’t expect Honglin to answer obediently. And so, she lit the flint striker, the threat obvious. You won’t talk? The paper will turn to ash, and when a person dies, the lamp goes out.

Honglin gripped the iron bars tightly. She wanted to bet that Jiang Weiyang wouldn’t burn it, but from what she knew of her, she definitely would.

She hesitated for only a breath before Jiang Weiyang held the map to the flame.

“I’ll talk!”

The map was made of high-quality material and didn’t catch fire even after being held to the flame for a moment. If it were ordinary paper, not even half of it would have been left.

Hmm?

Chi Wan noticed something was wrong. She stood up, took the map, and after heating it with the flame, several red dots appeared on it, marking Masi, Lesu Island, Jia Ci, Helan Mountain, Zhilu, Lideke, Huo’erlusi, Danding, Dansu, and Mugu in sequence.

But the final stop was at Dragon Head. Dragon Head was on the Ice Continent.

“First, tell me what each point on the map represents.”

Honglin: “Bring the map over here.”

Chi Wan sneered, “Will you talk, or not?”

Two choices. Don’t even think about bargaining. She didn’t want to waste the entire day.

Honglin took a deep breath, clearly furious but forced to speak. “Masi’s Black Sand Beach, Lesu Island’s dense forest, Jia Ci’s turtle body, the base of Helan Mountain, Zhilu’s ancient tree, Lideke’s shipwreck, Huo’erlusi’s pirate cove. Danding and Dansu each have a key, and Mugu has an Elixir of Immortality.”

An Elixir of Immortality? Could this map be some kind of treasure map? There were far too many legends about elixirs of immortality. If it were real, would so many ancestors have let it be?

Chi Wan was puzzled. “You already went to Mugu last time. Why do you still need this map?”

If there was something good, Honglin should have taken it already. Why go back?

At the thought of this, Honglin’s expression soured. Her already red scales turned an even deeper shade of red, as if on fire.

“There was something in Masi’s Black Sand Beach that I didn’t have, so I couldn’t get the item in Mugu. Along with the Elixir of Immortality, there is a jade disc. Only the jade disc can open the Void.”

In other words, the Void was on the Ice Continent.

Jiang Weiyang immediately asked, “That’s not right. You’ve already been through it all once. Why do you still need the map?”

“Without the map, it’s death.”

Honglin shot them a mocking glance. “The map can be copied, but there is only one true map. Without this map, even if you know the locations, you will die upon entering, because you only know where to go, not the specific route inside.”

As she spoke, she chuckled darkly. “You must have seen those vengeful souls that night, right? Legend has it that all the vengeful souls of the sea are drawn to Black Sand Beach and trapped there. Anyone who enters Black Sand Beach will be devoured by them.”

It sounded terrifying.

Black Sand Beach must be very dangerous. Chi Wan believed it was a dangerous place, but whether the black shadows that night were truly vengeful souls was another matter.

She knew of many mysterious places: Heaven Lake, Ailao Mountains, Black Bamboo Valley, the Dragon-Locking Well, Ghost City, the no-man’s-land, Shennongjia, and so on. All these places had numerous legends.

Some places had mysterious, eerie points of light; some had unidentified objects, vanished ruins, lost signals, and terrifying, unknown cries.

Since these places had such legends, was there truly something unknown within them, or was it nothing more than natural dangers, like snakes, insects, rats, ants, wild beasts, and various poisonous and deadly plants? Who could say for sure?

Black Sand Beach was one of those places. What was really inside?

Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying that apart from the item in Black Sand Beach, you’ve obtained everything from the other locations?”

Honglin didn’t want to speak. She only felt a sense of frustration. The work of several generations of the Honglin clan was about to be revealed to outsiders.

“Including me, nineteen generations of the Honglin clan have strived to reach the Void. It was finally in the fifteenth generation that we figured out the connection between the locations. Some places have medicinal herbs or insects that serve as the antidote for the next location. And you cannot skip any of them.”

Chi Wan understood. For example, if there were three locations, the first had the antidote for the second, and the second had the antidote for the third. You couldn’t skip any. Trying to go directly to the third location would only lead to a dead end. You had to obtain the item from the second location, and by the same logic, to enter the second, you needed the antidote from the first.

And since Honglin had reached Mugu, it meant she had cleared all the previous stages.

This was what frustrated Honglin. “I thought that once I got the keys, I could enter the Mugu Mist Forest. Unfortunately, the ghost pearl that my ancestors brought out of Black Sand Beach was lost, so I have to re-enter Black Sand Beach to get another one.”

Originally, each stage was the antidote for the next. Who would have known that an earlier stage was linked to the second-to-last one? The ghost pearl was not an easy thing to obtain.

“What about the Void?” What was inside the Void that had driven the Honglin family to search for it for nineteen generations? Even if their average lifespan was fifty years, that was nearly a thousand years.

Honglin shook her head. “I don’t know. Some say there’s something inside that can reverse time. Some say there are treasures that can make one an immortal on the spot. Others say it’s a passage to the immortal realm. Although I don’t know exactly what’s inside, there must be something powerful, at the very least something that can stop the Honglin family from continuing to be in this state of being neither human nor ghost.”

The Honglin family? Chi Wan frowned. “Honglin isn’t just you, but a family?”

At this point, Honglin had nothing left to hide. “Yes, Honglin is a family. After we pass each stage, we move to a new place to live. We broke through the previous stages, and the next one is Mugu, so we moved to Mugu. Because we need the ghost pearl from Black Sand Beach, my family went to Nanyue to find the black-skinned fierce snakes that can enter Black Sand Beach. The black-skinned fierce snakes can devour the ghosts inside, and now, you’ve killed almost all of them.”

“If I hadn’t put the map in Jiang Weiyang’s scabbard to escape pursuit back then, I would have already obtained the ghost pearl, entered the Mugu Mist Forest to get the jade disc, and successfully entered the Void.”

A nice thought, but this was indeed a cycle of cause and effect.

Chi Wan shook the map in her hand. “You still haven’t told me the true purpose of the map.”

Honglin sneered. “Even if I told you, would you go to Black Sand Beach to get the ghost pearl and then to Mugu for the Elixir of Immortality?”

She didn’t believe anyone could resist the temptation of an Elixir of Immortality.

Chi Wan didn’t believe in the existence of an Elixir of Immortality at all. “Of course not. I’m just curious. It’s like listening to a story. The sea voyage is so long, and it’s rare to hear a good story. I plan to tell it to everyone later.”

Honglin: “…” What a despicable person.

“I don’t believe you.”

Chi Wan couldn’t be bothered to explain. “Believe it or not.”

Alright, she believed her.

Chi Wan truly looked like she didn’t believe in the existence of an Elixir of Immortality. What did she know?

Honglin gave her a disdainful look. Her ancestors would not deceive them. How could the pursuit of nineteen generations of the Honglin family be false? Perhaps there was something they didn’t know, but it absolutely could not be fake.

“I’ll tell you. Find a map of Black Sand Beach with the same scale as this one. Then connect the red dots, and that will be the route to follow after entering Black Sand Beach.”

There was a map of what Black Sand Beach looked like in the Masi royal palace.

Chi Wan smiled. “Thank you for satisfying our curiosity. However, you killed so many of our people, so we won’t let you go. We will probably kill you after we leave Masi.”

In consideration of Honglin having answered their questions, she told her their intentions.

Honglin smiled weakly, her unpleasant voice booming in their ears like thunder. “You won’t kill me.”

“Although we treated your injuries, it was only out of curiosity about the map. What makes you think we won’t kill you?”

Chi Wan took two steps closer, her eyes fixed on Honglin’s face.

Honglin turned her face away, showing her the other half that was without scales. “Those who have been cursed by the vengeful souls will surely want to go to the Void if they don’t want to die. And I am your best partner for cooperation.”

A curse? Chi Wan frowned, her gaze locking onto her. “What curse?”

“You’ll know if you reveal your own shoulder. A ghostly handprint will appear on it,” Honglin said with certainty. “Everyone who saw the vengeful souls in the light will be cursed. You, and your friends.”

Chi Wan grabbed the back of her clothes and yanked them down, exposing her shoulder and back. “Weiyang, take a look. Is there anything?”

Jiang Weiyang walked behind her and then shook her head. “No.”

“No? How is that possible!” Honglin didn’t believe it. She forced herself to stand up to look at Chi Wan’s back and shoulder. There was indeed nothing there.

It was impossible. There were no exceptions.

Chi Wan felt a sense of foreboding but kept her expression neutral. “You can just wait here to die.”

She strode onto the deck, grabbed Yu Jiuzhou who was reading a book, and pulled her away, not forgetting to tell Xia Qu, “Check Xingchen’s back and shoulder. See if there’s a handprint.”

When they reached their room, she pulled off Yu Jiuzhou’s clothes.

Yu Jiuzhou: “What are you doing?”

She didn’t think Chi Wan wanted to do anything in broad daylight. Seeing her anxious look, something must have happened.

However, when Chi Wan saw a black, palm-sized handprint on Yu Jiuzhou’s fair and delicate back, she slammed her fist into the wall, punching a hole through it.

Yu Jiuzhou walked to the mirror, turned sideways to look at her back, and also saw the black handprint.

“What is this?”

Chi Wan clenched her fists, a murderous urge rising in her heart. “A curse!”

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