Chapter 70 Blackwater Swamp and the "Enthusiastic" Ferryman
Blackwater Swamp and the "Enthusiastic" Ferryman
In the Lost Forest, the atmosphere of social death has almost become tangible.
Jiang Xuelan's fleeing figure exuded a low pressure that could freeze flying insects to death. Li Jiuyou cursed but kept chasing after him. Anger and embarrassment were intertwined in his red-gold eyes. Through the Heart-killing Contract, his violent heartbeat and burning emotions hit Jiang Xuelan's back without reservation, making him walk a few steps faster.
"King! Jiang Xianjun! Wait for us!" Man Gu, carrying the bone stick, chased and shouted anxiously, and did not forget to glare at Xingtong who was laughing so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.
A Che's face flushed red as he rushed forward holding the Jianmu fragments, as if this would help him forget the words "I love you the most" that he had just blurted out.
Xuan Jia was tossed around on Man Gu's shoulders, still muttering, "It's great to be young, it's great to express your true feelings... but it's a bit shameful..."
Xingtong had laughed enough, wiping the non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, and followed gracefully, her voice still filled with laughter: "Oh my~ Don't run so fast~ It's hard for me to lead the way~ Besides, there are 'surprises' waiting for us after we get out of the Lost Forest~"
This sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, causing the two people who were about to stage a "he runs away, he chases, he can't escape even with wings" scene to suddenly stop.
"More?!" Li Jiuyou turned his head and roared, almost biting his tongue, "How many 'surprises' do you, woman, have that I don't know about?!"
Jiang Xuelan also turned around, his icy blue eyes looking sharply at Xingtong. Although the blush on his ears had not completely faded, his tone had returned to its stern state: "Speak clearly."
Xingtong blinked innocently and pointed ahead: "No, look for yourself~"
The edge of the Lost Forest was already in sight. The trees were gradually becoming sparse, but in their place was a seemingly endless black swamp shrouded in gray-purple miasma!
The swamp's surface was thick as ink, bubbling and bubbling, with the occasional pale bone or rotting branch floating in and out. The air was filled with a strong stench of decay and a dizzyingly sweet aroma, clearly highly poisonous. Above the swamp, a low, gray-purple miasma slowly shifted like a living curtain, obscuring vision and severely interfering with spiritual perception.
This is exactly what Xingtong mentioned before - the Black Water Swamp.
"Look, by crossing this swamp, we can get to the side of the Immortal Sect Punishment Hall's tracking area, saving several days of travel~" Xingtong said with a smile, as if introducing a tourist attraction, "It's just that the miasma in this swamp is a bit poisonous, the things in the water are a bit dangerous, and the way is a bit difficult to find~"
"..." Everyone looked at the dead and dangerous swamp in silence, and their souls, which had just experienced social death, suffered another severe blow.
How can this be considered "a little" difficult? This is clearly a Jedi!
"Is there no... more normal way?" Ah Che muttered softly, tightening his grip on the Jianmu fragment. The green light from the fragment seemed to be dimmed here, clearly indicating the extremely foul air here.
Xingtong spread her hands, a look of "I can't help it" on her face: "Return the same way? The masters of the Punishment Hall should be almost at the entrance of the Lost Forest. Take a detour? I guess we'll have to play hide-and-seek with the elite of the Punishment Hall for several days~"
No choice again!
Li Jiuyou grabbed a handful of hair in annoyance and looked at Jiang Xuelan: "Hey, Ice Face, can your ice freeze this damn swamp?"
Jiang Xuelan glanced at the vast swamp expressionlessly: "It's too large, and the miasma will corrode my soul. I can't afford the consumption." What's more, his internal injuries have not healed yet.
Just when everyone was at their wit's end—
"Ding-ling~Ding-ling~"
A clear and melodious **bell sound** suddenly came from the depths of the swamp, penetrating the dull miasma.
Everyone immediately became alert!
A swirling gray-purple miasma appeared, and a narrow, slender wooden boat glided out silently, like a ghost ship. A lantern, emitting a dim glow, hung on the bow, its cover engraved with strange runes. The person rowing was a figure draped in a loose straw raincoat and a bamboo hat. His face was completely invisible, only his hands, pale and bloodless, were visible.
The bell sound came from a string of small black bells hanging on the bow of the ship.
"Ferry...across the swamp? The price is fair." A hoarse, slow voice, as if it hadn't spoken for a long time, came from under the bamboo hat. It was impossible to tell the age or emotion.
A ferryman suddenly appeared in a place like this? It was so strange no matter how you looked at it!
Li Jiuyou's red-gold eyes narrowed, and his demonic power secretly gathered: "Who are you?"
The ferryman kept moving, the wooden boat slowly approaching the shore, his voice still flat: "Ferryman. I only ferry those who are destined to... and those who can pay the price."
"Price? What do you want?" Jiang Xuelan asked calmly, icy air quietly flowing through his fingertips.
The bamboo hat was slightly raised, as if "looking" at Jiang Xuelan and Li Jiuyou. That gaze seemed to carry substantial weight, making both of them feel a little uncomfortable.
"Hmm... the two guests have a unique aura... and their entanglement is quite deep..." The ferryman said slowly, as if evaluating. "Forget about the ordinary gold, silver and spirit stones. How about... using the wisp of **qi** that escaped when you two were 'of one mind' to pay for the fare?"
Concentricity? Qi?
Li Jiuyou's forehead veins were throbbing: "Bullshit! Who agrees with him?! I don't have that kind of thing!"
Jiang Xuelan's face turned even colder: "Absurd."
Through the Heart-Killing Contract, the two people's synchronized and strong emotions of denial were once again clearly conveyed.
The ferryman chuckled, his voice dry as the grinding of bones. "Whether it exists or not, you will know for yourself... I only need a wisp of Qi. It will not harm you two, but it will help me refine this soul-guiding lamp... Otherwise, please find a way to cross this thousand-mile swamp on your own. A warning: the 'natives' of the swamp are not very friendly."
As soon as he finished speaking, as if to confirm his words, a huge bubble suddenly bulged out from the black water swamp not far away, exploded with a pop, revealing a slimy black tentacle covered with suction cups, and then quickly sank, bringing with it an even stronger smell of fishy and dangerous smell.
Everyone: “…”
The ferryman is unpredictable, but the swamp is clearly more dangerous.
"Senior Brother, Brother Li, what should we do?" Ache asked nervously in a low voice.
Man Gu tightened his grip on the bone stick and whispered, "King, be careful, there's a trap."
Xuanjia's green eyes rolled around. "A wisp of Qi... sounds like something that only occurs between Taoist couples? This old fellow has a pretty sharp eye!"
Xingtong was watching the show with great interest, and silently mouthed: See~ I told you there would be a surprise~
Li Jiuyou and Jiang Xuelan were once again in a dilemma. Agree? Wouldn't that be a disguised admission of that damned "unity"? Refuse? Were they really going to force their way into this seemingly hopeless swamp?
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