Chapter 753: A Promise Outweighs Ten Thousand Ages
How many years had it been?
Qin Mu wasn't entirely sure either. The Chiming Era had been destroyed three hundred and fifty thousand years ago, and the Chiming Era itself had lasted seventy thousand years. Four hundred and twenty thousand years ago, the Longhan Era had come to an end.
And how long had the Longhan Era lasted?
That was impossible to infer.
Endless time, countless days and months—had that masked, withdrawn youth truly been waiting in Youdu all this time for Qin Mu's arrival?
Had he truly remained there all along, guarding the coffin of the Imperial Lord Yu?
Qin Mu couldn't imagine it. That You Heavenly Lord who idly tossed Youdu divine abilities into the water to blast fish from the floating bridge at Yaochi, that youth who would curl up and tremble when overcome by sorrow and self-blame—could he really have stayed in the dark Youdu because of a single promise, waiting all this time?
Back then, he had been a youth with a somewhat pale complexion. Now, he was an old man. Only someone as withdrawn as he could have cultivated so many clones and avatars, spending every day in various worlds guiding the souls of the dead to Youdu.
Only someone as withdrawn as he could talk to himself, could remain for hundreds of thousands or even a million years beside Tubo, that stern and unsmiling ancient god.
All for a single promise.
Countless ages ago, Qin Mu hadn't even made that promise to him in person—he had entrusted Ling Heavenly Lord to deliver it.
*I understand. I've come back.*
For those words, he had gone to Youdu, guarding the coffin of the Imperial Lord Yu, transforming from a youth into an old man.
And he had no blood relation to the Imperial Lord Yu whatsoever. It was only because when his mother was gravely ill, the Imperial Lord Yu had come to visit him, had been kind to him, had looked after him well.
That single kindness was enough for the withdrawn youth to devote his entire life.
Qin Mu leaped from the bridge, landing on the paper boat. Seeing this, Old Ox hurriedly jumped off the bridge as well, but landed with a *dong* into the Nai River where water and fire merged. The boat had already carried the grim-faced old ferryman and Qin Mu into Youdu, and hadn't caught him.
"Little rascal, you don't recognize me anymore?"
Old Ox stamped about in fury, gnashing his teeth: "Back in the day when I raised havoc in the Heavenly Court..."
Lu Li, Yuhuang, Xuanming, and Hanlei—the four Youdu Military Governors—exchanged glances. The grim-faced old ferryman had attacked Fengdu with such overwhelming momentum, so terrifyingly, and now he had suddenly sailed off in a small boat, leaving them here!
If the King of Darkness and the grim-faced old ferryman hadn't said they would attack Fengdu, they would never have dared to recklessly charge into Fengdu.
It was precisely because the King of Darkness had gone to Youdu, persuading Tubo in the name of the Heavenly Court, and the King of Darkness had promised to personally break through Fengdu's world barrier, that Tubo had ordered the grim-faced old ferryman to settle old grudges. Only then had Lu Li and the others made their decision and boldly marched their troops into Fengdu.
And now, the King of Darkness had been scared off by Di Yiyue, and the grim-faced old ferryman had inexplicably run off after receiving a mask, leaving them here to face the remnants of the Kaihuang Era. How were they supposed to fight this battle?
The four Youdu Military Governors exchanged glances, made their decision on the spot, and soared into the air. With four *plop plop* sounds, they dove into the Nai River.
Seeing this, the other Youdu demon gods hurriedly surged toward the Nai River as well.
The King of Hell raised his sword and said coldly: "Kill!"
"Seal off the Nai River! Slaughter them all!"
The sounds of battle erupted instantly. On both banks of the Nai River, countless heads fell every moment. The Nai River of water and fire was stained red, blood flowing so thick that shields floated upon it.
Tian Shu, Di Yiyue, and the others were also bewildered, but they had no time to think further and joined in the encirclement and slaughter.
"Tianqi Rensheng Wang is such a ferocious and terrifying existence—why would he lay down his arms upon seeing that mask?"
Di Yiyue destroyed a group of Youdu demon gods, thinking to herself: "How did Brother Mu manage that? What did those words mean?"
Tian Shu thought to himself: "The Youdu Prefect is vicious by nature, the most unreasonable person in all of Youdu. How many worlds have been destroyed at his hands? If I'd known he would retreat upon seeing a mask, I should have given him a whole basketful of masks!"
There were too many legends about this Prefect.
Both Tian Shu and Di Yiyue were Heavenly Kings of the Kaihuang Era, so they naturally knew many anecdotes and rumors.
According to legend, the most terrifying thing in Youdu was not Tubo, but the Youdu Prefect known as Tianqi Rensheng Wang. When this Prefect had come to Youdu was impossible to verify. Some said he had originally been a mortal, later invited by Tubo to serve as the Prefect of Youdu. Others said he was Tubo's younger brother, also a naturally born divine being.
Tubo strictly enforced the rules of Youdu. As long as one didn't violate Youdu's rules, he rarely interfered in any affairs of the mortal world. Moreover, even if one violated Youdu's rules, as long as one escaped back to the mortal world, Tubo wouldn't pursue the matter—he would only record it in the books and deal with it after death.
However, the Youdu Prefect rarely enforced the rule of non-interference in the mortal world as strictly as Tubo did.
In countless rumors, the Youdu Prefect was described as a being with incomparably terrifying combat power, so powerful as to be inhuman. His avatars numbered in the hundreds of millions, sailing small boats through various worlds, guiding the dead to Youdu.
If he encountered obstruction from the friends and family of the dead, it would bring about tremendous catastrophe!
Throughout history, many worlds had experienced horrifying extinction events precisely because the grim-faced old ferryman had been obstructed by the gods and demons of those places when he went to collect souls.
When gods and demons went to war with the grim-faced ferryman, the consequences were also terrifying beyond measure.
The strength of a single grim-faced old ferryman was not invincible—many gods and demons could defeat him. But when hundreds of millions of grim-faced ferrymen came sailing from Youdu on paper boats, that was a world-destroying calamity!
This was also the main reason why Heavenly King Tian Shu had trembled and dared not move when he accompanied Qin Mu to Youdu last time.
He had cut off Tubo's horn, and Tubo had personally pursued him. The moment he escaped into the mortal world, Tubo had seized his body—but because he had already reached the mortal world, Tubo hadn't killed him.
If it had been the Youdu Prefect pursuing him instead, the situation would have been completely different. The Youdu Prefect would absolutely have killed him, no matter where he fled!
After killing him, the Youdu Prefect would also seize his soul and bring it to Youdu for judgment. There was absolutely no second outcome!
"I'm afraid only Qin Mu isn't afraid of the Youdu Prefect. Where does this kid get such a big face?"
Heavenly King Tian Shu's expression was strange. Last time when they escaped from the Dique Divine Blade, the grim-faced old ferryman had shown him no courtesy, but had been quite polite to Qin Mu, and the two had chatted pleasantly.
It was also Qin Mu who had spoken up for them before Tubo, allowing them to escape from Youdu.
Qin Mu, however, was completely unaware of how terrifying the Youdu Prefect was. He had never seen the terrifying side of the Youdu Prefect.
On the small boat, the grim-faced old ferryman wore the mask on the back of his head, hanging the horse lantern at the bow. Suddenly, more small boats split off from this one, flying in all directions.
The old man sat down, took off the mask, and examined it over and over. After a moment, he put it back on the back of his head.
"I'm old."
His face suddenly became clear, allowing Qin Mu to see his features. This face had deeply furrowed brows, the wrinkles forming the character for "river."
From his face, one could no longer see any trace of the You Heavenly Lord who had once blasted fish from the water. All one could see were the marks left by the passage of time.
"Qin Heavenly Lord, it's been a long time. I'm old, no longer suited to wearing such a mask. And yet a million years have passed, while you remain young."
A flicker of emotion stirred in his aged eyes, but it was quickly hidden away.
Qin Mu bowed deeply: "Thank you for your long-standing care."
The grim-faced old ferryman shook his head: "I didn't recognize you at first. It wasn't until the willow leaf seal appeared on your brow that I thought it might be you. But the form of your willow leaf was different from his. Later, when the Heavenly Duke's seal appeared, I could be certain. But I couldn't interfere with you—if I interfered, you might not be you anymore."
Qin Mu nodded.
His words were obscure and hard to understand, but Qin Mu understood.
"Qin Heavenly Lord, let us go see the Imperial Lord Yu."
After recognizing each other, he seemed less familiar than before, as if he had once again become the eccentric You Heavenly Lord of old. His expression calm, he said: "I have waited a million years for this day."
Qin Mu fell silent.
A million years, keeping a single promise—who could do that?
He had done it. From the favored son of heaven admired by all, from the youthful and promising You Heavenly Lord, to the grim-faced old ferryman feared by all—so much had happened in that million years, with no one to confide in, only able to speak to himself.
And so, the grim-faced old ferrymen had grown more and more numerous.
Each grim-faced ferryman carried his burdens, yet none of them could open their hearts to outsiders.
Qin Mu watched as Tubo grew closer. The majestic Tubo was immensely vast, standing in the darkness, his horns so large and long they couldn't be measured. He suddenly said: "You came this time to retrieve Tubo's horn. Now you're going back empty-handed—how will you explain that?"
The grim-faced old ferryman's expression returned to calm, saying flatly: "I was blocked, delayed, and couldn't complete my task. Therefore, according to custom, I'll pin it on you."
Qin Mu's face darkened, and he snorted: "I've got plenty of shit-buckets on my head anyway."
The grim-faced old ferryman nodded: "Quite a few."
Qin Mu continued: "How did you become a grim-faced ferryman in Youdu? And how did you become the Prefect of Youdu?"
The grim-faced old ferryman spoke as if telling a story about someone else: "After you left, I brought the coffin to Youdu to see Tubo. Tubo said he could store Lan Yutian's body here, but I would have to work for him. So I stayed. Because staying here meant I could not only guard my elder brother, but also see my mother. That way, I could feel like I was still alive."
Qin Mu was stunned.
The paper boat arrived at Tubo's horn, flying past continent after continent of destruction. After a while, they finally arrived at the Tianqi Rensheng Wang Manor.
"Tubo is good. Actually, he's very much like me—we're both very withdrawn."
The grim-faced old ferryman rarely spoke so much, saying: "But I'm better off than him. He only has me to talk to, but I have many versions of myself, and my mother, and my elder brother lying in his coffin listening to me talk."
Qin Mu stood up, leaped off the boat, and landed on solid ground, saying: "Today, the Imperial Lord Yu can come back to life."
The grim-faced old ferryman docked the paper boat and led him into the Tianqi Rensheng Wang Manor. The first time Qin Mu had come here, he had only waited in the main hall for Tubo's judgment. This time, however, the grim-faced old ferryman led him to the back courtyard.
In the back courtyard, there was a middle-aged woman with a sickly complexion, laboriously carrying a bucket of water with blue flames to water the spider lilies in the garden.
The spider lilies were in bloom, their colors fiercer than fire, like blossoms of brilliant flame blooming throughout the garden.
"Mother."
The grim-faced old ferryman rarely showed a smile, walking forward to help the woman lift the bucket, saying: "Why aren't you resting? Why are you doing such heavy work again? Leave these tasks to me."
The woman wiped her brow and smiled: "I have to find something to do. Who is this young man?"
She looked at Qin Mu, and Qin Mu immediately saw that this woman had no physical body—she was merely a weak soul. And that bucket and water likely had no weight at all, which was why she could lift them.
"My friend."
The grim-faced old ferryman smiled: "He's come to visit us and elder brother."
The woman said joyfully: "You don't have many friends, and no one comes to visit you or take you out to play. It's rare to have a friend come by—I'll go make a few dishes! You two chat first, I'll have it done quickly."
She hurried off to busy herself.
Qin Mu bowed: "Thank you, Auntie."
The grim-faced old ferryman invited Qin Mu to sit in the inner room. Qin Mu looked around—the place was poor as could be—and said: "Why not capture some monsters to take care of Auntie? Or have the spirits of the dead help out. With your status, countless ghosts would be happy to help."
The grim-faced old ferryman shook his head: "Mother doesn't like monsters, and she doesn't like those spirits either. Tubo is good. After I agreed to his conditions, he reunited mother and son, allowing us to live here together."
After a moment, the woman finished making several dishes and brought them over. But these dishes were all illusory—just food for ghosts to eat, without any flavor.
Qin Mu stood up to give thanks and invited the woman to sit down. The woman shook her head and smiled: "I'll watch you two eat."
Qin Mu sat back down and ate as if savoring delicacies, finding it all quite sweet and delicious, praising it endlessly.
The woman was very happy. After they had eaten their fill, she cleared the dishes and went to wash them.
"Thank you." The grim-faced old ferryman said.
"You're welcome." Qin Mu replied.
"You're actually a very good person."
The grim-faced old ferryman stood up and walked toward the rear hall, saying: "Elder brother is here too. Tubo has used his own divine power to protect his physical body. Not long ago, I sensed changes in the great Dao of heaven and earth—Heavenly Lady Tianyin was revived—and I knew this day was not far off."
Qin Mu followed him, his heart surging with emotion, and finally saw the coffin he had forged with Buddhist essence and red chromium!
The Imperial Lord Yu's heartbeat came from within the coffin!
—Almost three thousand eight hundred characters, already quite long! You all keep saying I write short chapters—look, others write two thousand characters per chapter! This one's this long, won't you cast your votes?