A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

A lone boat on the river, appearing and disappearing amidst the wind and waves.

Chen Yu rowed his boat to a deserted ferry crossing, went ashore, tied the boat rope, and returned to his fishing boat.

The girl, her clothes soaked through, stood at the bow of the boat, twisting her clothes with both hands, tears welling in her eyes, looking utterly pitiful.

"My name is Chen Yu, a disciple of the Emei Sect. What's yours?"

"Zhou Zhiruo".

"Is no one home?"

"Yes, I lived on a boat with my father. In the morning, my father caught a few fish, sold them at the fish market, and then bought some rice. Who knew..." Zhou Zhiruo shrugged and sobbed, her voice filled with sorrow.

Chen Yu could see that the young Zhou Zhiruo in front of her was extremely sensible and was afraid of affecting her own emotions. Although she was heartbroken, she tried her best to control herself.

"Thank you, Young Hero Chen, for saving my life and avenging my father."

"Don't be shy, can you swim?"

"Um."

Chen Yu drew his dagger and said, "I'm going to gather some information in case we run into enemies, so I won't take you with me. Don't overthink it."

"I understand," Zhou Zhiruo said weakly.

"With this dagger, if any strangers are walking around the ferry, cut the ropes and row the boat onto the river."

"Understood." Zhou Zhiruo took the dagger and gripped it tightly in her hand. Chen Yu leaped onto the riverbank and quickly left.

……

The soy milk shop shed was put back up, the depressions in the street were filled with blood and rainwater, and all sorts of debris were scattered everywhere. A Mongolian military officer was directing dockworkers to move corpses.

When Chen Yu escaped, he saw Bai Guishou and could tell that the other person was not among the corpses. They were all Tibetan monks, martial arts practitioners, disciples of the Maitreya Sect, and a few corpses were members of the Five Poisons Sect.

He waited for a long time until the porters dispersed after carrying the body. He lowered his straw hat and followed a man. The thin man made a few turns and went to a shed not far from the dock, where he disappeared inside.

Chen Yu knocked on the door.

"Who?"

With a creak, the door opened, and a sallow, emaciated face came into Chen Yu's view.

Upon seeing Chen Yu's disguise, the porter hurriedly said, "Sir, I was just moving corpses; the Tartars got all the profits."

"Don't be nervous." Chen Yu took out a small silver ingot. "Tell me everything you've seen."

The porter let out a long sigh, his gaze lingering on the silver ingot for a moment before an expression of disbelief crossed his face. "Sir, you really gave it to me?"

"This is genuine, take it." Chen Yu tossed the silver ingot over.

The man received the silver with both hands, clutching it tightly as if afraid of losing it again. "Sir, may I ask what it is?"

"Did everyone see the fight outside the restaurant?"

"Yes, sir, I saw it."

"Where are the Tartar monks?"

"They were driven back by those heroes."

"And then?"

"The heroes started fighting each other again, and a girl in green threw a lot of needles." The porter explained, "I heard some of the men say that the needles were poisoned, so many of them retreated. Later, the girl in green captured a strong and fierce man who had been fighting and then left. By the way, someone called that man Bai Guishou."

Although the man spoke simply, the scene was not complicated. Chen Yu already knew the outcome. Several disciples of the Maitreya Sect, the Five Poisons Sect, and the Kongtong Sect first killed the Tibetan monks and Mongolian military officers, and then fought for Bai Guishou. However, they all fell victim to the poison needle scheme, and Bai Guishou fell into the hands of the Five Poisons Sect.

The scene of the Immortal Crossing was truly beyond Chen Yu's expectations, but upon closer reflection, Chang Yuchun might still encounter Zhang Sanfeng and Zhang Wuji. Bai Guishou being captured by the Five Poisons Sect was a variable, but it was a good thing.

Perhaps disciples from sects such as the Eagle Sect, Shaolin, Kongtong, and Kunlun will be drawn to Sichuan and Hunan, which will help unveil the secrets of the Five Poisons Sect.

Chen Yu's thoughts returned to normal. "Thank you."

"How dare I?" the porter hurriedly replied.

"Have you seen groups of about ten people, mainly consisting of nuns, women, and several men, during this period?"

"No, the Immortal Crossing is not large. Such a procession is eye-catching and not easy to forget. As long as we pass through, we will definitely remember it."

"Thank you for telling me." Chen Yu turned and walked out of the shed. The man's legs went weak and he sat down on the ground with a thud. His fingers, which were holding the silver ingot, turned blue. He could finally get through the next six months.

Chen Yu, wearing a bamboo hat, walked along the street, found a restaurant, bought some food and a jar of wine, and headed straight for the wild ferry.

……

"Young Master Chen is back?" The river wind howled as Chen Yu arrived, and Zhou Zhiruo appeared at the bow of the boat, already dressed in clean clothes, with a dagger still clutched in her hand.

"I'm back." Chen Yu jumped onto the awning boat and took out food wrapped in oil paper, such as braised quail, stir-fried duck feet, and braised pork trotters with ginger and vinegar, from his backpack.

"Let's eat something to fill our stomachs, and then head to Immortal's Ferry after nightfall." With Bai Guishou captured by the Five Poisons Sect, Chen Yu no longer needs to go to Anhui. Since he cannot rule out the possibility that Miejue, Ji Xiaofu, and others might come upon hearing the news, he decides to wait for a few days. If nothing comes of it, he will return directly to Emei.

"Mm," Zhou Zhiruo replied softly without asking any further questions.

The two entered the boat awning, where Zhou Zhiruo brought over a yellowed, old square table, and Chen Yu unfolded the oil paper.

Eat more.

"understood."

Zhou Zhiruo obeyed Chen Yu's words without question. She picked up the duck feet with great elegance and ate them slowly and carefully, adapting to her current situation with cautious and meticulous movements, a cautious and uneasy mindset.

As dusk deepened, Chen Yu rowed the boat to the Xianren Ferry Wharf, took Zhou Zhiruo ashore, found an inn, and booked two rooms to stay in.

……

The newly cleared fields stretch out, free of any dust or grime. White waters reflect beyond the fields, while green peaks emerge from behind the mountains.

Clouds drifted across the sky, and sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, enveloping the town. The air was filled with the fresh scent of wheat straw.

Three days later.

During this period, Chen Yu went to the shed to find the porters to inquire about information many times. The rest of the time he stayed in the guest room to refresh himself and practice the "Emei Nine Yang Skill". He also became familiar with Zhou Zhiruo. During meals, he would talk about the scenery of Mount Emei and the fun stories of practicing martial arts with his senior and junior sisters in order to ease her inner sadness.

Zhou Zhiruo's words gradually slowed down and became more frequent. She would ask Chen Yu who his master was, and how hard and tiring it was to learn martial arts. This can be considered as a preliminary step out of her psychological shadow.

As the sun began to shine through the inn's windows, dust swirled in the air.

"Is the nun's martial arts very high?" Zhou Zhiruo, having finished her meal, held her teacup, her eyes clear and bright, dappled light and shadows floating on her face and coarse cloth clothes.

"Mm." Chen Yu nodded.

"How tall?" Zhou Zhiruo asked curiously.

Chen Yu shook the teapot in his hand, placed it on the table, and his gaze fell on a lush, towering tree in the direction of the dock.

"So high."

Zhou Zhiruo glanced at the big tree, then looked back at Chen Yu's height, and said very seriously, "He's really tall."

Chen Yu chuckled.

"I'll go get a pot of tea."

Zhou Zhiruo swiftly grabbed the empty pot, walked lightly across the room, opened and closed the door, and her footsteps faded into the distance.

……

"Master, there's a dock ahead." Ding Minjun's deep voice cut through the dust and rang in Miejue's ears. "Shall we take a boat south?"

Since Chen Yu fell off the cliff and the search has been fruitless, the usually taciturn Miejue has remained as cold as ice, and Ding Minjun and the others have been extremely careful with their words.

Just as Chen Yu guessed, after failing to find Wei Yixiao in the valley below the Broken Soul Cliff, Miejue deduced his identity and was determined to kill him for revenge. During this time, she learned from a group of martial arts practitioners that Bai Guishou was active in the Han River. Miejue thought that the Green Winged Bat King must also be there for Bai Guishou, so she went straight to the Han River.

Upon arriving at Xianrendu, we had lunch and overheard some gang members talking about the fight near the dock a few days ago. Upon inquiry, we learned that Bai Guishou had been captured by a woman and taken southwest.

As the group left the restaurant, Ding Minjun saw the dock and cautiously asked...

"Um."

Ding Minjun thought to herself, "My master will not rest until he kills the Demonic Sect's Dharma King in order to avenge his master. Chen Yu, your death was worthwhile."

"Master!"

A timid voice suddenly rang out from the side of the street.

Su Mengqing looked over and saw a beautiful girl standing under the eaves on the street, dressed in coarse cloth and holding a teapot.

"What a beauty in the making."

Su Mengqing stepped forward, "Little sister, what's wrong?"

"Are you from the Emei Sect?"

"Exactly."

Ding Minjun sighed. The Emei Sect was renowned far and wide, yet even in this remote and impoverished place, a girl knew of its prestige. With Chen Yu dead, she was destined to inherit his mantle and bring glory to the sect.

"Young Master Chen Yu is at the inn nearby."

Extinction's eyebrows stood up.