Chapter 48 A Trip to the South Island:

Ten years ago, that was so long ago.

At that time, Rong Xie was still in the inner sect, and Shen Bingsi had not yet been promoted to adjudicator. Their financial situation was only slightly better.

The gift prepared back then was probably not anything expensive, but ten years later, Shen Bingsi still wants to give it away. This gift must carry a lot of heartfelt sentiments.

“Alright,” Rong Xie agreed.

Anyway, we can go back to Huanxue Mountain Villa after going to one more place.

The weariness of the journey and the ups and downs of emotions can all be healed by going home. The thought of going home greatly increases Rong Xie's tolerance.

Moreover, he was also a little curious about what gift Shen Bingsi had prepared ten years ago. He heard that she hadn't given it to him because of some unforeseen circumstances. What exactly were those unforeseen circumstances? It seemed that nothing had happened between them in the past ten years.

No, there was also an unexpected event: Rong Xie failed to establish his foundation and left the inner sect.

But that has nothing to do with Shen Bingsi giving gifts.

...

Within just one day, Rong Xie regretted it.

He regretted agreeing to Shen Bingsi's request.

What do you mean by "far away"? This is practically the end of the world, a godforsaken place.

According to the "Map of Heaven and Earth" jointly drawn by the three major sects, the world as we know it is called the Five Continents. The Five Continents are surrounded by a vast ocean. For ease of location, it is divided into seven oceans, collectively known as the Five Continents and Seven Seas, which represent the entire world.

Haizhou belongs neither to the Five Continents nor the Seven Seas. To be precise, it is a collective name for a group of islands of varying sizes in the sea at the southern end of the Five Continents.

Nan Island is the largest island in Haizhou.

Shen Bingsi took Rong Xie to Haizhou South Island.

After flying in the air for three hours, Rong Xie could no longer bear it, but he endured it because he thought that if he landed to rest, he would have to experience that terrifying process of taking off and landing again.

As they flew for the fifth hour, night fell. The setting sun dipped below the clouds, creating a magnificent golden-red world above them, temporarily drawing Rong Xie's attention and easing his fatigue. However, the air soon turned dark and cold, and even the heat-preserving talisman couldn't withstand the impact of the night's low temperatures and strong winds.

They spent the night in a small county town on the border of Zhongzhou and Nanzhou. Rong Xie experienced the worst accommodation he had ever had since he started traveling: just as he was about to fall asleep, a black beetle the size of a fist fell down from the roof beam and landed right next to his pillow. He was so frightened that he almost fell out of bed. Later, he had Shen Bingsi add a protective barrier to him and his blanket so that he could barely fall asleep.

The next morning, Shen Bingsi vowed to reach the South Island that day, and Rong Xie reluctantly followed her. Because Shen Bingsi was in such a hurry, the ascent was a bit too fast, and Rong Xie felt dizzy for the first half hour. Fortunately, the scenery above the clouds in the morning was very beautiful, and his mood gradually improved, and the nausea was not as severe as it had been at first.

The midday sun became scorching. Even though Rong Xie was hiding inside the jade sword clasp, he still felt the sun burning his skin. Shen Bingsi lowered the flying sword a little, below the clouds. An unprecedented view appeared: a vast expanse of sea filled the field of vision, boundless and endless. People who had lived inland for a long time could not resist such a wide and pure sea. Rong Xie excitedly grabbed the edge of the jade sword clasp, leaned out half of his body, and stared in fascination at the boundless ocean below the flying sword.

His desire to become a Golden Core sword cultivator was stronger than ever before. Once he became a Golden Core sword cultivator, he could also fly on a sword. True sword flight could cover thousands of miles in an instant, much faster than flying on a sword with people. When Rong Xie wanted to see the sea, he could simply take out his flying sword.

Thinking of this, Rong Xie felt that the world was so big, and it would be foolish to be so fixated on petty love and affection, thus hindering his cultivation. He should seize the opportunity to cultivate with Shen Bing Si more often and establish his foundation as soon as possible.

"We're almost there," Shen Bingsi reminded her, her voice tinged with excitement.

Although Shen Bingsi had visited Nandao more than once, he was always amazed by the scenery. Moreover, this time he came with Rong Xie, which made it even more special.

He was more interested in Rong Xie's reaction than the scenery.

The outline of land appeared faintly where the sea met the sky. At first, it was just a small piece of land, but as the flying sword approached, the land grew larger and larger, and the coastline grew longer and longer, until half of the sea was covered by land. The land was covered with dense coconut groves that stretched as far as the eye could see, interspersed with volcanic-shaped ring hills, as well as rivers and lakes with well-developed water systems. If it were not mentioned beforehand that this was an island, Rong Xie might have thought that they had discovered a new continent in the sea south of the Five Continents.

"This is South Island," Shen Bingsi proudly introduced. It was unclear what he was so proud of, but Rong Xie's surprised expression greatly satisfied his desire to show off, as if South Island were his own territory.

“This is the South Island…” Rong Xie murmured.

The lines on the map have become vast, boundless islands, and the written records have become volcanoes, coastlines, and dense coconut groves. What I read in the study has now become the real world.

So...so wonderful, it's hard to describe in words.

"That's wonderful," Rong Xie exclaimed.

“Right? This is the first time I’ve seen such scenery, and I wanted to bring you here.” Shen Bingsi turned around and spoke to Rong Xie while maneuvering her flying sword along the eastern coastline. “In a little while, we’ll arrive at our destination. We’re going to the southernmost tip of the Southern Island. It’s said that couples who have been there can stay together forever. The fact that we’ve traveled so far together and haven’t broken up shows that we have a high level of tolerance for each other…”

Rong Xie thought Shen Bingsi would tell some romantic legend, but he didn't expect this. He was really overthinking it. It was already jaw-dropping that Shen Bingsi could say that couples who went to a certain place together could stay together forever. He used to disdain to say such things. If going to a certain tourist attraction could cause people to break up, he might have proudly told people about it.

“I reckon this blessing will also work for us,” Shen Bingsi then said, surprising Rong Xie. Rong Xie’s heart skipped a beat, until he changed the subject, “because we are even more precious friends than Daoist partners, and we deserve this blessing more.”

Rong Xie's heart sank back to its original place, but he wasn't too surprised. Oh well, let him say whatever he wants. As long as they're still together, what does it matter what the reason is?

...

As the midday sun began to wane, the flying sword finally reached its destination, landing at the southernmost tip of the South Island.

The sand here is incredibly fine, a pure, unblemished white, like snow. It's warm to the touch, and walking barefoot on it must be very comfortable.

However, the fine sand was too difficult to clean. Rong Xie stood on the shore and watched Shen Bingsi take off her shoes and run wildly for a while, but never tried it himself.

The pure white sand beach stretches all the way to the breathtakingly blue sea. Standing on the high ground of the shore, you can see the fish, reefs and corals swimming in the water. The beach is very wide and extends far into the distance. Beyond that, the sea turns into a fearsome dark blue.

"Where are we staying tonight?" Rong Xie finally managed to catch the scattering Shen Bing Si and asked him.

“A fishing village,” Shen Bingsi answered confidently. “I know the people in the village well; I can just ask them to arrange an empty room for me.”

"Let's go now," Rong Xie said, feeling uneasy about doing anything without a place to stay.

“Okay. Make a flying talisman and I’ll be right there,” Shen Bingsi said.

Shen Bingsi quickly cleaned the sand off her feet, put on her shoes and socks, and went to a high place covered with bushes to meet up with Rong Xie. The two of them then used a flying talisman to head to the fishing village.

The terrain of Nandao is high in the middle and low around the edges. The mountain range in the middle extends its reach all the way into the sea. The flat bay between the two mountain ranges is washed into white crescent-shaped beaches by the sea. Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie climbed up a mountain ridge and soon saw a fishing village in the bay on the other side of the mountain.

The fishing village was larger than Rong Xie had imagined. Half of it was built on the water, with rows of fishing boats firmly moored together to form a platform at sea, on which fishermen's huts were built using bamboo and tarpaulins.

The other half is built on the mountain. The stilted bamboo houses are like beehives set up by beekeepers, densely scattered among the lush trees on the hillside. The bamboo houses are not big, but they are very exquisite. The windows are large and open for ventilation, so you can imagine that it must be very cool inside.

"There's actually a fishing village of this size here." Rong Xie was surprised. It was astonishing that such a remote place had people, and to have such a prosperous village was truly amazing.

“They’ve lived here for a long time, at least several hundred years, maybe even a thousand years.” Shen Bingsi retracted her flying talisman, and the two walked down a path that was clearly made by the villagers. As they walked, Shen Bingsi introduced the village to Rong Xie. Don’t be fooled by the remoteness of the South Island; it’s actually a very comfortable place. The mountains here aren’t high, there are no large wild beasts, and the resources are plentiful. The water resources are abundant, and the climate is the same all year round. If you want to fish, you don’t have to go too far. Just cast your net near the shore, and you’ll have more fish and shrimp than you can eat. Even if you don’t want to fish, you can lie on the beach, and coconuts that are both edible and drinkable will fall from the trees and automatically roll to the islanders. It’s really easy to survive here. The only threat is probably the storms.

The two came down the hillside and walked to the village entrance, where Shen Bingsi had almost finished her introduction.

Rong Xie realized that Shen Bingsi truly understood the village. For someone who didn't read many books, Shen Bingsi's knowledge of so many things clearly came from on-site investigation. Soon, as they entered the village, this idea was confirmed once again. Many fishermen who came towards them recognized Shen Bingsi almost immediately and greeted him warmly as if they had just met yesterday. The fishermen spoke in a dialect that Rong Xie couldn't understand. He could only recognize some written characters, and he didn't understand the local dialect that was only passed down orally.

Shen Bingsi knew a few words, and with his expressive gestures, he was able to communicate. He introduced Rong Xie to the fishermen, hooked his arm around Rong Xie's shoulder and patted him to show that the two had a good relationship. The fishermen then grinned at Rong Xie.

“We rarely have guests here, but they are very hospitable. You see, they will arrange the best room for us in a little while,” Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie was skeptical. Even if they were very hospitable, they couldn't possibly arrange the best house for them, could they? It wasn't until hand drums were beaten halfway up the mountain and shouts echoed through the forest that the islanders poured out of the bamboo houses. An old woman with colorful feathers in her hair parted the crowd and led four strong male islanders to the two of them. She gave them a traditional cupped-hand salute, which was common throughout the five continents, and invited them to go up the mountain. She led them to a two-story bamboo house that was obviously much larger than the other bamboo houses.

“This is…” Rong Xie walked into the bamboo house and looked around at the decorations on the first floor. He didn’t understand the local customs, but he could tell that the things laid out and hung on the floor were not things that ordinary villagers could afford. Every item on the table was a work of art carved by skillful hands. At the old woman’s command, some short islanders ran out, collected the used utensils, took out new ones from the bamboo baskets, and laid them out and arranged them properly.

Afterwards, the old woman led her people out of the two-story bamboo house.

Rong Xie stood in front of the large, transparent window, with the boundless blue sea stretching out before him. He still couldn't believe that the old woman had actually given up her house to them.

This isn't just ordinary hospitality; this is clearly—

They treated them like emperors on an imperial tour.

As soon as Shen Bingsi entered the bamboo house, she acted as if she were at home, casually sitting down on a rattan chair. She took a coconut from the bamboo basket next to her, cracked it open with her bare hands, and clear juice flowed out through the crack into a bowl made of coconut shell below.

"Want to try?" Shen Bingsi pushed the bowl toward Rong Xie, then poured herself a bowl as well.

Rong Xie hesitated before sitting down on the rattan chair opposite him. He picked up the bowl from the low table, took a small sip cautiously, and found it to be surprisingly fragrant and sweet, with a very unique aftertaste. After drinking it, his mouth was filled with a pleasant aroma.

"This is the kind of coconut that falls from the tree and can be eaten and drunk," Shen Bingsi explained. He filled a bowl with coconut water, and water still flowed out from the cracks in the coconut shell. He then placed the coconut shell on a small bamboo bucket and let the coconut water flow out on its own.

"Just how many times have you been here?" Rong Xie couldn't help but ask. "Did you lie and say you were on a mission every time, but actually came here to enjoy yourself?"

“How could that be?” Shen Bingsi took a big gulp of coconut water, making a satisfying sound, and leaned back in her wicker chair, pondering, “I came here once ten years ago and stayed for quite a while. At that time, it was to fight the sea monsters, and I wasn’t quite used to underwater combat… Later, I came twice more, once to thank them for helping me find the Lu Silver, and the other time was…”

"Luyin?" Rong Xie found the word somewhat familiar, but there were too many homophones or near-homophones, and he couldn't immediately figure out which "Luyin" Shen Bingsi was referring to.

“Yes, Lu Yin,” Shen Bingsi said with a mysterious smile, “It took me a lot of effort to find it. Look, it’s right there.”

As Shen Bingsi spoke, she stood up with her bowl in hand, walked to the window, and pointed to the dark blue deep sea in the distance. "The village chief told me that there was a huge earthquake here hundreds of years ago that broke the earth. The broken land sank to the bottom of the sea. There, there used to be an ancient village called Lu Village. The people there used silver to make jewelry, utensils, and everyday items. They even used the silver of poor quality to build walls and pave roads."

"The material of that silver is very special. It does not corrode when it comes into contact with water, and it is light, flexible and tough. If the quality is good, it will glow even in complete darkness. The sword-making master Ou Yezi wrote about it in his 'Illustrated Manual of Sword Making': 'On the shore of the South China Sea, there is Lu silver, which is light, flexible and tough, and its light is like lightning. It is a good material for making swords.'"

As she said this, Shen Bingsi looked at Rong Xie, and the gift he was going to give was already obvious.