As the ketch carrying Liu Xing, Yu Heng, and Mi Lian—which was fused with a whale made from a cauldron—crossed the sea, moving sometimes with and sometimes against the current, Liu Xing told the story of a boy named Qing Yuan. He began with the tale of a blade of grass that turned golden and detailed the love story engineered by the alchemist Jin Wuyi. He ended with Qing Yuan's demise. Truthfully, Liu Xing didn't need to tell Yu Heng the story in such detail. However, he felt that the story of Qing Yuan needed to be spread and brought to life. He did not want the story to remain unknown. The memory of Qing Yuan needed to live on.

  At first, Yu Heng sounded as if he did not care one bit about Qing Yuan. Several times, he even urged Liu Xing to hurry and skip some parts, but Liu Xing insisted. And after half of the story, Yu Heng was silent, intently listening to the tale, though it was partially because the story touched upon his, Fang Ruxue's, and his other friends' arrival on the island.

  By the time Liu Xing had finished his story, the ketch was moving with the current, the wind was blowing, and the sky was turning a fiery orange.

  Yu Heng was silent, likely digesting Qing Yuan's story. After all, while Liu Xing had told it wholeheartedly, there were enough clues in the narrative about why the Nether Lotus Sect wanted to kidnap the thirty women that Liu Xing and Yu Heng had saved from three elders of the sect.

  The wind blew against the sail, and Liu Xing stroked Tide Walker, who, in the middle of the story, had decided to lie on his lap. All around him, the water currents were quite chaotic, creating big waves that crashed into each other seemingly at random. While Liu Xing saw only the sea around them, he was sure they were already close to the island that was Yu Heng's destination.

  "Nether Lotus Sect," Yu Heng suddenly said. The way he said it was as if he was thinking deeply about the sect and could not help but utter its name.

  "Nether Lotus Sect," Liu Xing parroted him. "Specifically, Ye Xuanming. All of this is because of him."

  "And you said that he is currently undergoing a breakthrough somewhere?"

  Liu Xing gritted his teeth and clenched his hands before answering Yu Heng's question. "Yes. The moment he consumed Qing Yuan, his innate talent increased, probably significantly. And the fact that he is the Patriarch of the Nether Lotus Sect gives him all the resources he needs to perhaps break through to the Sun Refining realm, even to the Black Sun realm."

  "Yeah," Yu Heng said. "Not only that, we know that a demonic cultivator's growth is faster than a normal cultivator's."

  Liu Xing's stomach swirled with many emotions, mainly anger, and it made his stomach hurt and his body tremble with rage. However, Liu Xing reined in his emotion as he inhaled deeply.

  "You still didn't answer my question," Yu Heng said. His voice had lost its edge, and Liu Xing knew that while they were not friends, Yu Heng understood that he needed every bit of help he could get, including from Liu Xing.

  "Yes, all of that was merely a prologue. Though I'm sure that you already have a guess about it."

  "Heaven Severing Pill," Yu Heng said, and Liu Xing nodded, even though Yu Heng could not see him.

  "There are some things that I actually still don't know, but it seems likely that his true target was indeed another Heaven Severing Pill. But not like Qing Yuan. He wanted a Heaven Severing Pill that's different. Perhaps stronger or more potent."

  "And Ye Xuanming's means to create another Heaven Severing Pill is thirty women, including my sister," Yu Heng added.

  "That is correct," Liu Xing said. "But here's where things become more complicated. Instead of consuming this pill, Ye Xuanming likely wants to use it as a lure for a noble beast. Do you know what a noble beast is, Yu Heng?" Liu Xing asked.

  "A little bit," he answered.

  "It's the same case for me," Liu Xing said. "I thought they were mere legends. But the fact that Ye Xuanming, as well as many people from the great sects, actually wanted him to succeed in luring this beast makes me think that they exist."

  Liu Xing knew very little about noble beasts. Mainly because if creatures like that existed, the impact of their presence would be felt throughout the world. And even if they had existed, it was probably a long time ago, and the traces of their existence had either already vanished or were barely there. In simple terms, noble beasts were creatures that were wise, smart, strong, and worshipped as deities. The Phoenix was one example of a noble beast, as well as the Azure Dragon and several other mythical creatures. In shape, they were like spirit beasts, but lumping them in with spirit beasts was simply wrong. It was akin to comparing a clump of dirt to a diamond.

  There were myths about each of the noble beasts, and their existence was debated. After all, if they existed, then the five Immortals who controlled the world would need to contend with them too, since they were also said to be immortal.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Now, Liu Xing knew of creatures called Ancient Beasts. It made sense that they were the noble beasts from myth and legend. That would also explain why there are no records of them. After all, they have the ability to erase memories of themselves. Even now, thinking about them was difficult. However, the more he thought about it, the more his instincts told him he was wrong. Ancient Beasts and noble beasts were different—it was an irrefutable conclusion, though he had no evidence for it. It was merely an overwhelming feeling, as if the world itself were trying to tell him directly that the two were different.

  "What is Ye Xuanming going to do after he successfully lures one of the noble beasts?" Yu Heng asked.

  Liu Xing counted this question as the fourth.

  "From what I gathered, it seems Ye Xuanming intends to control it."

  At his words, Yu Heng instantly said, "That's foolish! If they truly exist, how could someone control one?"

  "That's the same thing that I thought when I heard about it," Liu Xing said. "However, it seems Ye Xuanming is serious about it. Hence, why we cannot let him have Mi Lian. However, there's a chance that the information I have is actually wrong or misleading. I got this information from one of the elders of the Nether Lotus Sect, and it's not complete. I'm sure there's something I'm missing, and I actually wanted to find out more when I came across information about you and your sister."

  "I see," Yu Heng said. "This information you've given me is really valuable. Thank you."

  "You still have one free question that you can ask me," Liu Xing said.

  "I think I want to save it for later," Yu Heng said, then he continued. "You can ask me a question, if you want, and while I don't promise that I will tell you everything, I will answer it as best I can."

  Liu Xing stroked the head of Tide Walker. Yu Heng's words indicated that Yu Heng accepted his sincerity. This was good. If they cooperated with each other, everything would be easier.

  Yu Heng gave him a chance to ask a question and Liu Xing could have asked how Mi Lian could fuse with the whale or how he created Whaley or Tide Walker. He could have also asked about his main goal and destination. However, he decided on something more personal. After all, the purpose of this conversation was for them to get to know each other.

  "If you don't feel comfortable answering this question, then you don't need to, but I wonder about your sister. I'm sure she is valuable to you, but in what way? After all, I saw the two of you kissing."

  "Of all the questions you could have asked, you chose that one?" Yu Heng sounded surprised.

  "Well, I'm curious," Liu Xing said. He wanted to say that he still felt disgusted by it. Even though they were stepsiblings, they were still siblings after all, but he could not say something like that to Yu Heng out loud, lest the neutral relationship that had just formed would collapse.

  "She... Well, I love her as a man, even though I was adopted into her family," he said slowly. His voice softened slightly, as if he were embarrassed. "The moment I saw her, I instantly fell in love with her. We spent our time together, and as time passed, I knew that she developed the same feelings for me. Our love is, of course, forbidden. While I was adopted into her family, it was not by their own will, but because her father had a blood debt to my father. The moment my father died, they were obligated to either betroth me to Mi Lian or adopt me as a son. They chose the latter, since I was a nobody, but love still bloomed between us." Yu Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "Does that answer your question?"

  "Yes," Liu Xing said.

  "Then, it's my turn to ask you a question."

  "Didn't you say that you wanted to save it for later?" Liu Xing asked.

  Yu Heng chuckled. "Yes, that's why I decided to skip my question. You can ask your question again, Liu Xing."

  Liu Xing obliged, and since he felt that Yu Heng enjoyed telling him about his love for his sister, Liu Xing latched onto that topic. He asked how exactly he fell in love at first sight with his sister, when he realized it, and more.

  Yu Heng happily told him the story as the ketch sailed through a darkening sea.

  They had met when both of them were seven. When he was adopted into her family, people were cold to him, and the only one to smile and extend her hand was his sister. Yu Heng told him how, one day, Mi Lian decided that they needed to explore the back of their hill, and that resulted in both of them getting lost. It was usually Mi Lian who consoled Yu Heng, but at that moment, the situation was reversed.

  Yu Heng fondly recalled their childhood stories, when he suddenly remembered one important moment.

  "I think it was when we were nine. My sister suddenly fell ill. It happened so suddenly. One day she was running around and climbing trees with me, and the next day she was so weak she couldn't lift her finger. She was so pale that I thought she was going to die. I cried at the time. She was sick for a whole week, and then my adoptive father took her somewhere alone. No one knew where he took her. Three days after he left, however, he returned with my sister, who was healthy and happy again. When I asked her about it, she said she didn't remember. But that week, she could not sleep peacefully. She said she had nightmares about someone cutting open her torso and switching her organs with someone else's."

  Liu Xing leaned forward from his position. "That's quite weird."

  "Yes," said Yu Heng. "But I never thought too deeply about it. After all, she didn't have any more nightmares like that after a week, and things returned to how they were before she fell ill. Do you think it actually happened?"

  "I don't know," Liu Xing shook his head after thinking for a while. "However, we know that she and my friends are special and important to the Nether Lotus Sect. I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually true."

  Liu Xing rubbed his chin. If this was true, then similar things must have happened to the others too.

  "It seems we have arrived," Yu Heng suddenly said.

  At his words, Liu Xing looked around the area. The sky had turned dark, with not a single ray of sunlight remaining, not even the fiery orange that lingered a moment after the sun dipped below the horizon. There was no land around him; however, to the side of the ketch, he could see a dark, still, and vast silhouette under the water.

  "Let's continue our talk later," Yu Heng said. "It's time for me to separate Whaley from my sister."

  Liu Xing stood up and nodded.

  3 4 patrons? If you enjoy the daily chapters, please consider joining them to .