Chapter 311: The Man in the Tree (Third Update!)
"Not a single word from that surname Qin can be trusted!"
Ban Gongcuo was furious, throwing open a random door and charging through it, shouting harshly: "Where's the talk of sharing weal and woe and working together? Where's the talk of being friends aboard the ship and saving the killing for after we disembark? No integrity! The moment there's a benefit to be had, he scurries off on his own like a happy little dog, and even shuts the door to hog it all! Hope you choke on it, you bastard!"
He had been following right behind Qin Mu and saw clearly—Qin Mu had walked into that mysterious room and casually shut the door behind him!
It wasn't the door closing on its own; Qin Mu had deliberately closed it, using the ship's spatial alignment technique to keep him out!
That brat clearly intended to keep everything for himself!
Soon, Ban Gongcuo calmed down and began to meticulously calculate the spatial alignment method for the second layer of this treasure ship, saying coldly: "Since I already know there's a second layer of space, then I can calculate where that long corridor is. Don't think you can keep all the benefits for yourself!"
As he calculated, he opened room after room, searching for his subordinates. This ship had an enormous number of rooms, and his men had long since gotten lost, wandering in circles within various chambers, trying to find a way out but only sinking deeper in.
Ban Gongcuo had already figured out a way to break the alignment technique on the ship's outer layer, but finding these people still cost him considerable time. Along the way, he also ran into two white bats and Long Qilin—that dragon-qilin was also calculating how to break the spatial alignment, and had nearly found the location of the bridge.
The two sides fought a great battle. Ban Gongcuo and his men were thoroughly routed, and it was only thanks to a witch king bursting into the room that Ban Gongcuo and the others were rescued.
By the time he found the other witch kings, he still hadn't managed to calculate the location of that corridor, and a deep sense of frustration welled up in his heart.
"Even if I can't find that place, it doesn't matter. That brat surnamed Qin is bound to show up eventually. When he does, I'll take him down, force him to hand over the silver helm, and spill all his secrets!"
In the room at the end of the corridor, Qin Mu blinked his eyes. Ban Gongcuo being shut out had been entirely deliberate on his part. Throughout the journey, it had been the old man in the painting guiding him to uncover the ship's secrets. Since they were about to find the secret, there was no need for Ban Gongcuo to be tagging along and getting in the way.
His original purpose in agreeing to ally with Ban Gongcuo was to push him forward as a shield whenever danger arose. Now that there was no danger, of course he would kick Ban Gongcuo out.
"Great Lord, I imagine you had the same idea, right? But I'm still one step ahead."
He turned around and surveyed his surroundings. This was an incredibly vast room, somewhat similar to the Qushan Divine Temple he had seen at the bottom of the sea—so vast it defied belief, nearly ten li in both length and width, like a small world hidden within the ship, though a bit smaller than the Qushan Divine Temple.
But this room was many times larger than the treasure ship itself. Hiding such a huge space inside the ship was truly beyond comprehension.
Qin Mu looked up. The ceiling of the room was constructed from long wooden beams, whereas the Qushan Divine Temple had been built from the bones of a taotie divine beast. The two were different.
The taotie divine beast naturally contained vast space within its body, so one only needed to build a temple around the bones, and the interior would naturally be spacious.
But this room had been created by distorting space with immense magical power and divine abilities—far more difficult to construct in comparison.
In the center of this magnificent and grand room, a colossal wooden pillar descended from the ceiling, connecting to the ground, where tree roots coiled like flood dragons winding and twisting, full of ancient charm.
Light flowed continuously across the surface of the massive tree trunk, streaming from the roots up to the ceiling, an unending radiance that illuminated this empty chamber.
Within those streams of light, runic imprints seemed to flow, traveling along the long beams of the ceiling toward the walls of the room, pouring into the ship's hull.
After a moment, a heartbeat sound came from within the tree trunk—a thunderous boom that shook the ears.
Qin Mu examined it and a look of confusion crossed his face. This ship seemed to have been built upon an inconceivably massive ancient tree. The long beams on the ceiling should be the branches of this ancient tree.
Moreover, judging from the flowing light on the trunk and the heartbeat, the ancient tree was still alive, and had become the core of this treasure ship—one could even say it was the ship's source of power!
But how many years would it take for such a massive tree to grow?
Why did the ancient tree possess such immense power that it could serve as the ship's motive force and support its long voyages?
"So, the ship's wheel and the silver helm on the bridge aren't what control this ship. This place is."
Qin Mu's gaze fell to the ground before him. The floor here was as smooth as a mirror, and the old man in the painting was pressed against the ground, waving at him, then ran forward.
Qin Mu quickly hurried after him, curiosity burning in his heart: "Is this old man in the painting actually painted? This painting technique seems even more impressive than Deaf Grandpa's. Although Deaf Grandpa's paintings can imbue a spark of spirit into them, if the figures he paints come to life, they don't last long before turning back into ink. But this old man in the painting truly seems like a living being. Aside from only being able to walk on floors and walls, he's no different from a normal living creature. In this world, is there really someone whose painting dao surpasses Deaf Grandpa's... impossible!"
He suddenly thought of the key point. Perhaps the person who painted this old man wasn't superior to Deaf Grandpa in painting dao, but rather surpassed him in the dao of creation.
This person had painted this old man, used the dao of creation to grant him life, making the painted old man come alive as a guardian and guide of secrets!
Deaf Grandpa's paintings relied not on cultivation, but on his own mastery of the painting dao!
Qin Mu followed the painted old man toward the ancient tree at the center of the room. As he neared the tree, his brow furrowed slightly. Ahead on the smooth floor were patches of green viscous slime, like traces left behind by something crawling across the surface.
The closer they got to the ancient tree, the more of this green slime there was.
The painted old man also became more cautious, skirting around the slime as he approached the tree.
Qin Mu warily scanned his surroundings. The area was very open—a single glance showed everything around, and there was nothing fearsome. But these patches of slime gave him an ominous feeling. He had seen this kind of slime on the deck of the ship before, when demonic qi had surged toward them, and within that demonic qi lurked a terrifying presence.
Also, the room he had entered through the corridor had been full of this slime too.
And it was here as well. Judging from the distribution of the slime, it surrounded the ancient tree, suggesting the tree was extremely important to the owner of the slime.
Qin Mu looked elsewhere, and his unease grew. The more he looked, the more this place seemed like a nest—the nest of the slime's owner!
Finally, Qin Mu followed the painted old man to the base of the tree. Just then, he froze slightly, seeing the white-robed man he had seen in his vision.
More precisely, he only saw the white-robed man's face.
The owner of this treasure ship, the white-robed man of the Qin surname from Wuyou Township, had already merged his body into this ancient tree, becoming one with it. Only his face remained exposed—and even that wasn't fully exposed.
His face was almost completely fused with the tree, and his eyes had lost their luster. The heartbeat of the tree should be his heart beating, very slowly.
Qin Mu was stunned. This white-robed man must have used a unique technique to prolong his life, connecting himself to this tree, linking his life force with the ancient tree. But this technique had severe drawbacks—it would cause him to become part of the tree, unable to move, and gradually turning into wood itself!
His injuries at the time must have been severe—severe enough that he could no longer sustain himself!
He had been pursued by enemies, fighting all the way here, finally killing his opponent, but he had no choice but to use a forbidden technique to merge himself with the tree to extend his life!
Qin Mu looked at him, and the eyes of the man within the tree turned with a dry, grating motion, like two eyeballs carved from wood, barely able to see a faint image, but not clearly.
"Was it you who had this painted old man lead me here?"
Qin Mu felt a strange familiarity with this man, as if there was some mysterious connection between them, causing his heart to stir. He asked: "Is your name Qin Fengqing? Are you from Wuyou Township?"
The man in the tree seemed to gradually make out his face, growing somewhat agitated. He struggled to open his mouth, but his tongue had already turned to wood, unable to make a sound.
Qin Mu was stunned. The backlash of this forbidden technique was too powerful. Although the white-robed man's life had been extended, his senses and bodily functions had essentially disappeared.
"Do you recognize this jade pendant?"
Qin Mu quickly took the jade pendant from around his neck and held it before him, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and asked: "Do you recognize it? It was in my swaddling clothes. I've worn it ever since. This Qin character—is it the Qin of Wuyou Township?"
Suddenly, the white-robed man in the tree became agitated. The ancient tree trembled slightly, as if the man within was struggling desperately, trying to break free from the tree's bonds to snatch the jade pendant!
Streams of light flowed across the tree's surface, suppressing his struggle.
He opened his mouth, seeming to have a thousand words he wanted to say to Qin Mu, but he couldn't utter a single one.
Qin Mu's expression darkened. It was as if he were speaking to the man in the tree, or perhaps talking to himself. He said in a low voice: "I heard from Granny that a woman's corpse carried a basket and brought me to the Crippled Elder Village in the Great Ruins at night. I never saw her. Later, I saw her beneath the river, but I could never see her clearly. All I have is this jade pendant. I've worn it since I was little, always hoping to find out where I came from, and whether I still have family there..."
He sat beneath the tree, hugging his knees with both arms, the jade pendant hanging from his fingertips, swaying back and forth.
"I think my parents might still be alive, still waiting for me to come back and see them. I've never met them..."
"Later, a little girl who became the Sun Guardian told me I might be from Wuyou Township, and I desperately wanted to return there. I sought news of Wuyou Township, searched for the road that leads there, but I failed again and again, and even nearly got Village Chief and the others killed because of me..."
"This time I came here without telling them. I was afraid of dragging them down again. Qin Fengqing—your name is Qin Fengqing, right? I found you, but I never expected you couldn't tell me anything. Is it really this hard to go home, to learn about my origins..."
He buried his face in his arms and said no more.
Plip.
A tear fell. Qin Mu looked up, wiped his eyes, and gazed upward. Tears were rolling down from the eyes of the man in the tree.
Suddenly, something on the tree began to writhe, slithering down the trunk like a great serpent, emitting a strange, hoarse sound: "Qin Hanzhen, you've already seen Qin Fengqing. Your wish should be fulfilled now, shouldn't it?"
—Third update has arrived, still past eleven o'clock. Zhai Zhu deeply apologizes!
Notice: Two chapters will be updated together tonight.
Notice: Two chapters will be updated together tonight.
Last night I worked too late and hurt myself—didn't rest well. Zhai Zhu was out running around for over ten days, and after coming back, I thought I could handle it. Yesterday I tried three updates, but when I got up today, I felt like my head was about to explode. This morning's chapter won't make it in time—I can't get into the right state. I'll update two chapters together tonight.