How did I, a fake bodyguard, become a terrestrial immortal?

Torches lined up in a continuous line on the north city wall of the ferry crossing.

When Lu Yang and his group arrived, the city's garrison had already been alerted.

Rows of ballistae were pushed to the edge of the city wall, their large bolts aimed at the river.

Zhao Mingtang quickly climbed onto the city wall.

"What's the situation now?"

The garrison commander immediately came forward to greet them.

"After the black boat broke the iron chain, it came to a stop in the middle of the river."

"We fired three volleys of arrows, but those arrows..."

The captain paused for a moment.

"They all passed through the ship."

Lu Yang arrived at the edge of the city wall and looked down.

In the darkness of night, a large, entirely black ship floated silently on the river.

The ship was nearly thirty feet long, with three decks without a single window, and a tattered black sail hanging from the mast.

Two pale white lanterns were lit on either side of the bow of the ship.

From a distance, it looks like a pair of open eyes.

The strangest thing is that there wasn't a single ripple around the boat.

It was clearly floating on the river, yet it seemed as if it didn't exist in the river at all.

Fang Xuan looked at Shen Guanqi.

"Can you tell anything from this?"

Shen Guanqi looked at the black ship with his right eye, which had not yet fully recovered.

A grayish-white life line slowly rotated at the edge of the pupil.

A moment later, he groaned and a line of blood flowed from his right eye.

"Fate cannot be seen."

"Those things on the ship are not considered living people."

Bai Miyao leaned on Bai Yixin's shoulder and whispered:

"Uncle Lu, there are many hands under that boat."

Lu Yang glanced down at her.

"What hand?"

Bai Miyao raised her small hand and pointed to the bottom of the black ship.

"Many black hands are supporting the boat in the water."

Everyone looked at the river again.

There was nothing but complete darkness.

Just then, the two white lights at the bow of the ship suddenly began to sway.

A deep, hoarse voice came from the river.

"Qinglian boarded the boat."

"The whole city is alive."

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

The torches on the city wall went out at the same time.

The soldiers guarding the city gripped their weapons tightly, their expressions tense.

Lu Yang lay prone on the crenellations of the city wall and shouted towards the black ship:

"Who sent you?"

The river remained quiet for a moment.

"Hand over Qinglian."

"I'm asking who sent you."

"Hand over Qinglian."

Lu Yang turned to look at Zhao Mingtang.

"Are the people on this ship mentally challenged?"

Zhao Mingtang remained expressionless.

"It might not even be a human being."

"That makes sense."

Lu Yang nodded.

"If you can't even understand human speech, you're really not human."

The white lanterns on the black ship began to shake violently.

A figure slowly rose from the bow of the ship.

The man was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat.

There are no facial features on its face.

There was only a mouth sewn shut with black thread.

The black threads sewn onto his mouth broke off one by one.

"After half an incense stick's time."

"If Qinglian does not board the ship, all the living people at the ferry will become slaves of the black ship."

As soon as he finished speaking, the river water beneath the boat suddenly boiled.

One after another, pitch-black hands emerged from the water.

Densely packed, stretching as far as the eye can see.

They clung to the riverbank and began to climb toward the city wall.

The soldiers on the city wall simultaneously took a half step back.

Zhao Mingtang drew his sword.

"Release the arrows!"

Dozens of ballistae vibrated simultaneously.

The thick crossbow bolts tore through the air and shot towards the black ship in an instant.

The crossbow bolt pierced through the hull and disappeared into the darkness behind.

A few breaths later, the sound of something cutting through the air came from behind them.

Lu Yang turned around and raised his hand.

He caught the crossbow bolt that had been fired back.

The crossbow bolt spun violently in his palm, sparking a shower of fire.

The soldiers on the city wall were all dumbfounded.

Lu Yang looked at the crossbow bolt in his hand.

"This ship is quite reasonable."

"It gives back whatever others give it."

Shen Guanqi wiped away the blood flowing from his right eye.

"The Black Ships are not a reality."

"Normal attacks can't even touch it."

"Then how did it break the iron chain?"

"It can touch us."

Shen Guanqi looked solemn.

"But we can't touch it."

Lu Yang frowned.

"Isn't this just cheating?"

Bai Miyao suddenly shook her head.

"You'll be able to run into them."

She leaned out of Bai Yixin's arms and pointed at the black ship.

"That fake flower is at the bottom of the boat."

"Once we expose it, the ship can no longer be hidden."

Fang Xuan immediately understood.

"The Azure Lotus Seed can break through the concealment of the black ship."

Bai Yixin hugged her daughter tightly.

"Yaoyao has already used up a lot of her strength."

"You don't need to activate all of them."

Fang Xuan took out a silver needle.

"All that's needed is a wisp of lotus scent."

Bai Miyao blinked.

How much do you want?

"a little."

"Just this little bit?"

She used two fingers to make a gap.

Fang Xuan remained silent for a moment.

"A little less."

Bai Miyao nodded seriously.

She closed her eyes, and a faint blue light emanated from her heart.

Fang Xuan flicked his finger.

The silver needle, carrying a bluish light, flew towards the river surface.

Just as they were about to approach the black ship, the silver needle suddenly stopped in mid-air.

The cyan light spread rapidly.

The once-illusory black ship began to shake violently.

Beneath the bottom of the ship, a huge six-petaled black lotus slowly appeared.

Countless jet-black arms were connected to the base of the lotus.

These are the things that support the entire ship.

The blue light shone on the black lotus.

The ship's hull gradually shifted from a virtual shape to a solid one.

The river water suddenly parted to both sides, creating waves several meters high.

Lu Yang's eyes lit up.

"Is it possible to run into them now?"

Before Shen Guanqi could answer, Lu Yang had already scaled the city wall and landed on the riverbank.

One end of the broken iron chain sealing the river was still wrapped around the bow of the black boat.

He bent down and grabbed the iron chain.

It was wrapped around her right arm in circles.

The faceless boatman on the black boat suddenly turned his head.

"Xuanwu Host".

"No boarding!"

"rest assured."

Lu Yang gripped the iron chain tightly with both hands, his feet slowly sinking into the ground.

"I'm not boarding the ship."

"I'll have the boat come over."

The white lanterns on the black ship simultaneously turned towards Lu Yang.

The black arms at the bottom of the ship were swinging wildly.

The entire ship began to recede towards the center of the river.

The thick iron chain taut instantly.

clang!

The iron chains emitted a deafening roar.

The phantom of Xuanwu slowly emerged behind Lu Yang.

The massive four legs stomped down.

The entire riverbank suddenly sank.

"Give me--"

Lu Yang's arm muscles bulged slightly.

"Dock!"

boom!

The river water exploded instantly.

The black ship came to a sudden stop.

The next moment, it was dragged by iron chains and moved little by little towards the riverbank amidst the struggle of countless dark hands.

The hull of the boat cut across the river, creating two huge waves.

Everyone on the city wall was dumbfounded.

The garrison commander opened his mouth.

"General Zhao, what level of cultivation is he at?"

Zhao Mingtang thought for a moment.

"Strictly speaking, I've just entered the sixth rank."

The captain looked at the three-story black ship that Lu Yang had forcibly dragged.

"What if it's not strict?"

"have no idea."

Zhao Mingtang said expressionlessly:

"Anyway, don't compare him to an ordinary sixth-rank official."

All the faceless boatmen on the black boat rushed to the bow.

Black chains flew out from the ship and bound Lu Yang's limbs.

Countless pained faces appeared on the surface of the chain.

The whispers kept seeping into Lu Yang's mind.

"Get on the ship..."

"Becoming a ship slave..."

"Crossing the river forever..."

Lu Yang glanced at the chains binding him.

"They're letting me board the ship without even buying a ticket?"

He suddenly spread his arms wide.

All the chains snapped at the same time.

The head of the Black Tortoise snake emerged from the turtle's back and bit the mast of the black ship.

The black ship moved toward the riverbank again.

The six-petaled black lotus at the bottom of the boat spun wildly.

A large amount of black water gushed out from the lotus heart.

Fang Xuan immediately raised his hand.

Seven silver needles fell on the riverbank, their life lines intertwining to form a wall that blocked the surging black water.

"Lu Yang, hurry up!"

"This ship is shedding the aura of the blue lotus."

"understood."

Lu Yang took a step back.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed.

The black ship could no longer resist and its bow crashed directly into the riverbank.

boom!

The entire shoreline shook violently.

The bow of the black ship crashed onto the land, carving a long trench in the ground.

Countless black arms were pressed to the bottom of the ship, emitting shrill screams.

Lu Yang loosened the iron chains.

"Isn't this a way to reach the shore?"

The faceless boatman stood at the bow of the boat, his stitched mouth trembling incessantly.

"you……"

"You broke the ferry rules!"

Lu Yang raised his head.

"You threaten a child with an entire city, and you think you're following the rules?"

He bent his knees and leaped.

His figure instantly covered a distance of dozens of feet.

It crashed onto the deck with a loud thud.

The black ship suddenly sank downwards.

The surface of the ship's planks was covered with a dense network of cracks.

More than a dozen faceless boatmen rushed at the same time.

Lu Yang grabbed the nearest person and slammed him onto the deck.

boom!

The boatman's body exploded into countless black paper fragments.

Before the other boatmen could get close, the phantom of Xuanwu had already raised its forelegs.

A heavy force crashed down.

The entire black ship fell silent instantly.

All the faceless boatmen were simultaneously pinned down on the deck.

Deep inside the ship's deck, a dark wooden door slowly opened.

The voice of the pale-faced woman came from behind the door.

"You're finally on board."

Lu Yang stopped in his tracks.

"Didn't you want the Green Lotus?"

"Qinglian is just the fare for you to board the ship."

The woman chuckled softly.

"The person this ship was really meant to pick up was never that child."

"It's you."

Lu Yang stepped into the ship's deck.

There are no rooms inside.

There was only a long, dark corridor that seemed to have no end.

Black coffins were placed on both sides of the corridor.

Each coffin has a name engraved on it.

Deep inside, a coffin that has not yet been sealed sits quietly.

Two large, bright red characters were engraved on the coffin lid.

Lu Yang.

He stopped in his tracks.

A rotten wooden plaque was stuck next to the coffin.

There was a line of small print written on it.

"In the seventeenth year of Jinghe, the fare has been paid, and Lu Yang is being brought back to his hometown."

Lu Yang frowned.

The seventeenth year of Jinghe.

It was twenty years ago.

But he has only been in this world for less than a month.

Just as he saw the wooden sign clearly, the long-silent system notification suddenly sounded.

[An incomplete special escort mission has been detected.]

[Client: Lu Yang]

[Date of commission: Twenty years ago.]

[Target to escort: Lu Yang.]

Destination: Home.