White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 87 Fishing for Jiao
Spring waters flow through streams, over mountains and across rivers, heading south.

When the peach blossoms bloom, the fine rain falls softly like oil, and the cold wind travels southward.

In February, the rivers swelled, and the waterways, whether vast and mighty or winding and meandering, allowed Ling to travel eight hundred li a day with the help of the water vapor. In just three days, he crossed several prefectures and stood before an ancient city.

On the reddish-brown ancient city wall hangs a plaque inscribed with the three characters "Guanghui Prefecture".

In front of the city gate, pedestrians and vendors were all dressed in short shirts and shorts, and some rough butchers even carried meat racks with their chests exposed, without any restraint.

Seeing that the guards at the city gate did not check travel permits or household registrations, and that the people entering and leaving the city were used to it, he simply swaggered into the city.

The stone paths in the city were full of shallow pits and puddles, filled with rainwater. Pedestrians passed by in an endless stream. The sky was overcast and gloomy, and everywhere was filled with a damp feeling.

Ling walked down the street in a light blue long gown, listening to the locals speaking in their accents. Although he didn't understand much of what they said, he knew what they meant.

It's because he can hear the thoughts in these people's hearts.

After walking for only half an hour, Ling found the information he wanted in the city.

"Boom~"

Spring thunder rumbled, and a light drizzle fell from the sky.

Pedestrians mostly wore raincoats or carried umbrellas.

Ling retrieved an umbrella from afar, opened the light yellow oil-paper umbrella, and had a line of small characters engraved on the handle: "Listening to the Rain Pavilion".

He did recall that Black Stone Village had once robbed a caravan, which seemed to be called Listening to Rain Pavilion.

It appears to be a large merchant whose trade spans several states.

He held up an umbrella, and raindrops rolled down from the edge of the umbrella. The fine raindrops looked like a string connecting the sky and the earth.

On the gray-brown stone brick road, the splashed water looked like a thin layer of mist. Ling stood in front of the Yao Mansion, holding an umbrella.

Two stone lion statues, each about half a meter tall, stood on either side. The gate was vermilion, and the walls were made of blue stone bricks and tiles. He tilted his umbrella and saw the five stone ridge beasts on the left side of the main gate, thinking to himself:
"It seems that the Yao family of Guanghui Prefecture is not a small family; their gate is quite impressive."

There were two gatekeepers dressed in gray shirts standing at the gate. Seeing someone stop there, they asked, "Where do you come from, distinguished guest? Are you here to visit our residence?"

Ling raised the umbrella, revealing a handsome face beneath it, with a pair of bright, clear eyes. "I've come to return something to an old friend. Please inform the owner."

The doorman didn't make things difficult for him, but asked, "Then could you please tell me which of your family's old friends this is? So I can pass on your message."

"Brother Yao, Yao Zhengze."

Ling uttered those three words without batting an eye. The two gatekeepers were surprised at first, then their eyes lit up with joy. One hurriedly turned to announce their arrival, while the other bowed and smiled as he led the way:
"It turns out he was an old friend of the second young master. The second young master left home after leaving a letter, saying he was going north to the capital. It has been several years since then."

Now that there's finally news, the master can finally rest easy.

Ling remained expressionless, silently following behind him. Seeing his expression, the gatekeeper felt a sense of unease. He was a clever man to have become a gatekeeper, and if the second young master were well, he wouldn't be acting like this.

After passing through the courtyard and entering the corridor, the gatekeeper led him into the reception hall, where two maids were summoned to serve him tea and food, saying, "Honored guest, please wait a moment; the master will be here shortly."

He said that, and then turned and left.

On the tea table sat a purple clay teapot, and the light mist of tea was poured into a celadon cup. The black and red cedar wood table and chairs, the small pond in the courtyard, and the servants coming and going all disrespectfully displayed the wealth of the master of the house.

After waiting for less than a quarter of an hour, a series of noisy and hurried footsteps came from the corridor. A somewhat plump old man and a well-maintained woman, accompanied by several servants, strode into the hall.

Ling stood up, about to speak, when she was interrupted by the portly old man, "Is there any news of my son? Please speak quickly, esteemed guest."

Seeing his expectant expression and the woman staring at him with concern, Lingye had no choice but to take out a wooden box from his sleeve, cup his hands and hand it over, saying, "This is the ashes of Brother Zhengze. Please accept my condolences."

"What? What did you say? How could my son be like this!" The portly Master Yao exclaimed in shock. Madam Yao's face also turned pale, and she fainted because she couldn't stand up. Fortunately, the servants helped her up and placed her on a seat nearby.

"My son... how could this be? He was perfectly fine and just died..." Master Yao couldn't help but cry out in grief, and Madam Yao also cried out in despair, causing chaos in the entire hall.

After a long while, Master Yao finally recovered from his grief. He seemed to have aged a lot in an instant and asked, "Please tell me, esteemed guest, how exactly did my son end up in this situation?"
Do you have any keepsakes of my son?

Ling opened the wooden box, and inside the ashes was a jade pendant, Yao Zhengze's personal possession. In ancient times, people often used accessories as personal tokens, a means of verifying identity and ensuring the credibility of their words.

When Master Yao looked at the jade pendant, his eyes reddened.

Ling then spoke up, saying, "In truth, I also bear some responsibility for what happened to Brother Yao."

At my invitation, he went into the mountains to paint and created a masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages.

However, he was betrayed by someone with malicious intent, who stole the painting and caused his death.

"Steal the painting? Who killed him?" Upon hearing that he had been murdered, Master Yao immediately demanded an answer in a harsh voice.

"This person is named Zhou Zhenlei. You may have heard of him. He is the leader of the martial arts alliance."

I have avenged Brother Yao's blood feud, but things have come to this point and there is no going back. All I can do is send Brother Yao's remains back to his hometown for burial. Please accept my condolences." Ling finished speaking, stood up, and bowed.

"Please accept my condolences... How can I accept my condolences?" Master Yao said sadly, "More than twenty years of father-son relationship, just like that, it's all gone."

My son, I don't ask you to be outstanding, I only hope that you can live a peaceful and stable life.

Your father taught you to study hard and take on great responsibilities, which made you too ambitious, leading you to leave and never return!

Ling cupped his hands and said, "I have returned Brother Yao's bones, so I will take my leave now."

"Wait a minute, young man. I hope you can tell us more about my son's past experiences, so that we two old folks can learn something from him," Master Yao said, trying to persuade him to stay.

“Brother Yao is truly gifted. He has created this masterpiece that will be passed down for thousands of generations and his name will be known to the world.”

"I wonder what the name of the painting my son made is?"

"The Formless Crossing of Ten Thousand Bones Diagram".

"What? You...you could you be Wuxiang?" Master Yao's expression suddenly changed, as if he had remembered something, and he asked in alarm.

Ling sighed softly, and with a flick of her sleeve, the rain in the courtyard seemed to stop, and everyone in the Yao mansion seemed to be frozen in place.

His figure transformed into flowing water and landed in front of the main hall. Inside, hanging in the center was a magnificent painting of immortal mountains, clouds, and cranes, depicting celestial waterfalls, rivers, and mist, creating an ethereal scene.

Ling reached out and touched the picture. The flowing water in the picture was endless, and the waterfall was surging, as if it had come alive. This water symbolized the feng shui energy of the entire Yao family mansion, gathering the floating clouds and human energy above the Yao family into mist, which covered the house.

He transmitted his voice to Master Yao, saying, "Placing the spirit painting in the central hall here will ensure the wealth and prosperity of your Yao family for ten generations, and protect it from evil spirits and demons."

After saying this, Ling turned and left the Yao residence. Only then did everyone in the house resume their actions and speech, as if they had no idea what had just happened.

Only Master Yao showed mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. Although he had a deep bond with his son, as the head of the family, how could he not consider the interests of the entire clan?

Sacrificing the life of one son in exchange for the wealth and honor of ten generations of the family is undoubtedly an unparalleled opportunity for the family, but for Yao Zhengze's closest relatives, the outcome is uncertain.

Fortunately, the Yao family had more than one son, Yao Zhengze, so the lineage wouldn't end there.

Ling stood outside the door, looking at the Yao residence, and said softly, "Perhaps in a few decades, Brother Yao's death will no longer be a tragedy for the Yao family."

It's understandable that Master Yao knew about Wu Xiang.

After all, the chaos caused by the Wuxiang Demon in Fuyun City had already spread far and wide, and the martial arts alliance leader had died mysteriously because of a painting. These news might not be known to ordinary people, but wealthy families like the Yao family must have had extensive access to information.

He hadn't hidden anything from himself; as long as Master Yao wasn't stupid, he would be able to figure out the gist of the matter.

Ling stood in the city, returned the umbrella she had borrowed from Tingyu Pavilion, and then fled the city.

He had already sensed that Xiao Qianli was catching up. Keeping this precious mirror in his hands would eventually be a disaster. If he didn't take it out, it would lead this woman to Wanxiang Mountain.

Instead of luring this formidable enemy into the cave, it would be better to keep him out there for peace of mind.

As for destroying this precious mirror, I have tested the magical restrictions within it, and if I'm not careful, it might attract the attention of those powerful figures.

Although the formless one is difficult to kill and destroy, it would be extremely easy for those powerful figures to suppress him.

Ling headed south at a moderate pace, but was eventually overtaken by Xiao Qianli three days later.

This time, it was on the banks of a great river.

The mighty river flowed eastward, with strong winds and waves, causing the two men's clothes to flutter in the wind.

Xiao Qianli stared at the person in front of him whose appearance was not quite the same, and said coldly, "Formless Demon, no matter how many transformations you have, my Treasure Mirror has always been with you. Don't even think about hiding it from me!"

"Hand over the treasure mirror immediately! Otherwise, I'll truly fight you to the death!"

Ling chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "It's rare to see someone so loyal to their sect."

"But, have you forgotten what I said earlier, Fellow Daoist Xiao?"

"I will not believe a single word of what demons say!" Xiao Qianli remained unmoved, raising his sword and a crimson light gradually flashing in his eyes.

Knowing that he was no match for the demonized opponent, Ling did not hesitate to sink down and plunge into the surging river.

After being corrupted by demonic energy, Xiao Qianli grinned maliciously and slashed his sword straight down into the river.

A terrifying wave surged up, and a scarlet sword light pierced into the riverbed, searching for the aura that had fueled her hatred.

Ling's body merged with the river water, but with the treasure mirror on her body, it was being activated by Xiao Qianli at this moment to sense his location, making it impossible for her to hide for the time being.

Amidst the raging torrent of the river, Ling suddenly noticed an old man still fishing on the distant bank.

He darted into the body of a panicked grass carp, then took the bait and began to struggle and pull on the line.

The old man noticed the fish struggling, smiled, reeled in the line, and lifted the rod. A pale blue-white grass carp was pulled ashore, struggling and wagging its tail at the old man's feet.

"Oh my, I've caught a big fish!" The old man smiled happily as he put the fish into the wooden basin beside him, and then continued casting his line into the river.

"Whoosh~"

A beam of red light descended from the sky, and Xiao Qianli caught up with it and arrived at the bamboo house by the river.

In front of the bamboo house hung copper coins strung together with red thread, and beside the roadside were a pile of firewood and a teapot with its bottom blackened from burning.

Hearing the noise, the old man said without turning his head, "If the guest wishes to drink tea, he can light a fire himself."

Xiao Qianli stared at the old man in front of her. Under the wooden chair behind the old man, an orange cat was squatting and licking its fur. It looked up at her and then lowered its head to continue licking its fur.

Her intuition told her that this old man was no ordinary person; otherwise, when the waves surged on the riverbank, ordinary people would have been terrified and run away long ago.

And this cat, it was completely unafraid of the demonic energy emanating from it.

She looked at the fish in the wooden basin beside the old man and still asked:

"May I ask who this master is? I am a disciple of Sanqing Mountain, ordered to capture the evil spirit."

“Sanqing Mountain? I think I’ve heard of it. But little girl, you’re all covered in black, you don’t look like a disciple of the Xuanmen at all.” The old man turned around and glanced at her with a smile. “Well, I’ve finally caught a good fish today. Don’t spoil my good mood. Go back to where you came from.”

A red light flashed in Xiao Qianli's eyes, and he couldn't help but urge the demonic sword to stab at the opponent.

The ferocious demonic energy rushed forward, but the moment it entered the small bamboo house by the river, the demonic sword clattered to the ground, as if it had turned into an ordinary sword.

Her own demonic energy was instantly suppressed, as if she had stepped into some kind of array or barrier.

"What's going on? Even the sect leader and the elders couldn't have sealed my demonic energy so easily!"

Only a few semi-ascended elders remained!

Xiao Qianli was suddenly forced to revert from her demonized body back to her original form. She stared at the old man in shock, thinking that there were probably very few people in the world with such a level of skill!
The old man smiled without saying a word, then suddenly his fishing rod sank, and a smile appeared on his face: "Hey, I've caught a big one!"

The orange cat behind the wooden chair suddenly stood up, its round eyes wide open as it gazed at the river.

But then the old man lifted his fishing rod, and suddenly a huge wave, hundreds of feet high, surged up on the river surface, which had been much calmer, like a waterfall suddenly flowing from the heavens. The head of a huge dragon flew out of the water!
"Fishing for a dragon!"

Xiao Qianli stared in astonishment at the scene before him. The old man's fishing rod, with only a single line, had hooked a giant dragon!
This is a real giant dragon! Unlike the evil dragon that emerged from Yunze Mountain, this is a dragon that has cultivated its own water magic and endured hundreds of years of arduous training to become one!
Unexpectedly, the old man's face showed no joy upon seeing the dragon; he flicked his hook and knocked the dragon into the water.

"I thought I'd caught a big fish, but I didn't expect you, Beichen-jun, to be playing tricks on me again!"

(End of this chapter)