Before boarding the ship, Wu Wang had thought the three years he was to spend on it would be particularly arduous, but unexpectedly... it was surprisingly comfortable.
He had imagined this kind of merchant ship would be very bumpy, its narrow cabins crammed with numerous shipworkers. Moreover, since it often went one or two months without docking, the entire vessel would be filled with the strong smell of sweaty feet.
But after he boarded and sat for a while, he discovered the ship rocked very little in the waves. Upon asking, he learned that this was a "Water Mansion," crafted with Human Domain formation techniques.
After getting familiar with the ship's captain, Wu Wang also learned some details he had previously overlooked.
The majority of merchant ships on the Four Seas originated from the Human Domain. They were usually this type of "fat ship," thirty zhang long and twenty zhang wide. They moved forward using two methods: sea sails and the Five Elements Formation arranged in the bottom cabin.
Even the sea sails were stitched with wind-inducing formations, allowing the merchant ship to steadily maintain a relatively high speed.
With the enhancements from these formations, such merchant ships could circumnavigate half of the Great Wilderness in three and a half years, traveling from the Northern Wilderness to the Human Domain with several stops along the way.
Because of this, there weren't too many shipworkers on board. Instead, there were two cultivators responsible for maintaining the formations. One of the elders was at the Solidifying Pill Realm. However, his aura was patchy and mixed, and his foundation wasn't solid; his cultivation path had halted before the Golden Core stage.
What surprised Wu Wang even more was that most of the space on the ship was allocated to various goods. Apart from the twenty-odd shipworkers and a few cultivators, there were only about a dozen passengers.
Overall, it was very quiet, with an excellent environment for cultivation.
Wu Wang grandly rented the three largest cabins on the top floor. He secretly meditated and cultivated daily. When idle, he played chess with Daoist Zuo Dong, joked with Lin Suqing, or chatted with the ship's cultivators and crew to learn interesting tales about the Human Domain.
"How delightful," he said.
In the lavishly decorated top-floor cabin, Wu Wang stretched languorously and then lay back in the hammock by the window, his body gently swaying with the rolling of the sea vessel.
Lin Suqing hummed a tune as she tidied the messy chessboard. She then deftly went to wash some fruit and sat at the table beside the hammock, beginning to peel them and remove the seeds.
"Suqing, how long has it been since we left the Northern Wilderness?"
"It's been one hundred and two days," Lin Suqing answered with a smile, "and there are more than three years to go, so take your time getting through them."
"Why do you seem to be in such a good mood lately?" Wu Wang wondered. "Were you that miserable in the Northern Wilderness?"
"Not at all. I'm the same as I was in the Northern Wilderness."
Lin Suqing's eyes darted, and she quickly said, "It's just, it's just that the sea is quiet, and there aren't many people. Um, it's pretty peaceful."
Wu Wang pondered for a moment, his gaze drifting to the azure sea. Just then, he saw a large fish, a zhang in length, leap from the water, its scales shimmering colorfully in the sunlight.
"Suqing, now that we've left the Northern Wilderness, our six-year agreement has also ended. You don't have to do these things for me anymore."
"It's fine, the next three years are a bonus," she replied cheerfully, her voice crisp. "Just think of it as the care of a senior cultivator for a junior. Or, how about you call me 'Senior' and see how it sounds?"
"Hm?"
"I meant, perhaps you, Young Master, could call me 'Senior.' It might help to conceal your identity."
Wu Wang's mouth twitched. "Say it, let's hear it."
"Senior..."
Lin Suqing tilted her head, looking dejected, the joy gradually fading from her eyes.
Wu Wang squinted and chuckled, picking up a book on the basics of formations he had borrowed from a cultivator on the ship and began to read quietly.
Unseen by him, Lin Suqing shook her delicate fist at the back of his head and made a few faces before lighting the illumination artifact.
Outside the cabin, True Person Zuo Dong watched this scene, unable to help but stroke his beard and hum softly. Eventually, he could only smile and shake his head as he returned to his own quarters.
Youth, it's quite a wonderful thing.
While sailing, they occasionally encountered large ships heading their way. The timing was unpredictable, but the frequency wasn't too low.
Clearly, the Human Domain already possessed fairly advanced sailing technology and established maritime routes.
Wu Wang would always close his cabin door tightly; being cautious generally prevented major mistakes.
Due to lacking Cultivation Methods beyond the Praying Star Technique, Wu Wang's cultivation was still at the Qi Gathering Realm. He didn't dare to comprehend recklessly, fearing he might create an entirely new Cultivation Technique.
Logically speaking, if one were to create a Cultivation Technique, it should be when one has reached the end of the cultivation path.
Creating a Cultivation Technique while one's own practice was still shallow meant facing the dual constraints of personal limits and inspirational limits.
If, while practicing, one realized they had no idea how to proceed, or discovered they had taken a wrong path that was now blocked, their life's cultivation journey would truly be wasted.
The greatest benefit of existing cultivation systems is that they reduce the cost of trial and error for those who follow.
And Wu Wang was happy to sit under the Great Tree, on the shoulders of giants.
「So, another half year later.」
Brother Ji and Fairy Ling should have already returned to the Human Domain by now.
While meditating, Wu Wang suddenly thought of these two. Drifting at sea had gradually become monotonous. Wu Wang, who previously hadn't planned to disembark, now went ashore to stroll around whenever the merchant ship docked at ports along the way.
Lin Suqing remained in good spirits, often found near Wu Wang. She had even deliberately learned some musical scores and songs, hoping to alleviate his boredom.
Wu Wang considered this carefully. Was this 'auntie' hinting at a raise?
When leaving the Northern Wilderness, the treasures and Beast Cores he had given Lin Suqing were enough to sustain her and the entire Clear Wind and Moon Sect for several hundred years!
On this day, the merchant ship was about to dock again. Just as the edge of the land came into sight, Wu Wang stood up and tidied himself.
He changed into a common long robe typical of the Human Domain. Beneath it, he wore soft fabric underclothes and long pants, complemented by a jade-studded belt. A long ribbon was tied to his topknot circlet...
A true veteran Human Domain cultivator.
Wu Wang had long grown accustomed to completely concealing the fluctuations of his Praying Star Technique. Now, deliberately revealing a Qi Gathering Realm cultivation level similar to that of the crew, he appeared to be just a 'small fry' from the Human Domain out for a stroll.
"Su—"
"Suqing, this isn't a solution either."
Wu Wang was in front of Lin Suqing's cabin, his hand raised to knock, when he heard an old, familiar voice from within and paused.
If his guess was correct, Elder Zuo Dong must have sensed his approach in advance. These words, seemingly for Lin Suqing, were actually meant for him.
He heard Zuo Dong lament, "As your teacher, I have already seen that your heart is set on young friend Wu Wang.
"If you truly wish to become his cultivation partner, you should speak to him and seek a resolution. What's the point of acting like his handmaiden every day?"
Lin Suqing let out a deep sigh…
Wu Wang silently pondered for a moment, thinking Lin Suqing's confession would follow, and turned to slip away quietly.
Listening or not didn't make much difference; it would only add to his troubles.
But just as he was about to step away, he heard Lin Suqing chuckle softly.
"Master, don't add to the confusion," Lin Suqing laughed. "The Young Master isn't supposed to have a cultivation partner."
"Why not?"
True Person Zuo Dong wondered, "Doesn't Wu Wang's family want him to produce more offspring? Why can't he have a cultivation partner? Could it be that his body..."
"The Young Master's body is fine. Well, I can't say it's completely fine, but it's not the kind of problem you're thinking of, Master."
Lin Suqing hummed thoughtfully, a trace of light flickering in her eyes as she came up with a brilliant excuse.
"The Young Master shuns the company of women."
True Person Zuo Dong's eyes widened. His old face first showed shock, then dawning realization as he mumbled, "No wonder Young Master Wu Wang declined a perfectly good position as heir apparent and instead came with us to the Human Domain to cultivate."
Wu Wang's eyes bulged.
The situation seemed to be taking a strange turn.
This weird affliction of his was temporary; there would definitely be a cure later on! He liked women! And he particularly liked them!
—Though, he had to differentiate himself from Brother Ji here; after all, Brother Ji was on a slightly higher level, beyond the reach of an ordinary man.
Then he heard Lin Suqing say, "Moreover, the Young Master isn't like... like an ordinary member of the Human race. He's very unique and very strange. But whether unique or strange, it's all strangely captivating.
"I, your disciple, actually harbor no improper thoughts towards him. I only think about how to repay his life-saving kindness. Sometimes, I even see him as a younger brother."
Brother!
Wu Wang's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He clasped his hands behind his back and walked away quickly, lest he become angrier the more he listened.
True Person Zuo Dong glanced subconsciously at the cabin door, sighed softly, and said, "If that's the case, then your teacher won't ask any further."
Lin Suqing patted her chest, sighing in relief, utterly unaware of how bleak her future path would be.
"The boat's coming into dock! We'll rest here for three hours, no unloading cargo! All guests are welcome to disembark and walk around; right next to us is the local market!"
At the boat captain's call, more than a dozen figures emerged from various cabins, most of them looking energetic.
—Thanks to the convenience of formations, the merchant ship could dock and undock without having to wait for the tide. Attention was only needed for any reefs in shallow waters; if any were present, the crew would simply dive in with Talismans to blast them apart.
Wu Wang didn't seek company. As soon as the ship docked, he leaped from the side and landed steadily on the ground.
He carried a folding fan, hummed a little tune, and wore a slight smile he'd learned from Ji Mo, his pace leisurely. The salty sea breeze gently lifted his long hair, as if reflecting his high spirits.
There wasn't much to see in this market, mostly filled with local products from the Northwestern Region, generally not much different from the markets in the Northern Wilderness.
However, the quality of the treasure ores was a notch lower, while the prices were thirty percent higher.
After careful analysis, Wu Wang strongly suspected that the Innate God who ruled the Northwestern Region... wasn't exactly overthinking its development.
He checked out the slave trade in the corners and visited local teahouses for a change of pace. Wu Wang whimsically whiled away the three-hour 'break,' yet the Jade Coins he had prepared remained largely unspent.
Incidentally, he'd heard that in the Human Domain, large transactions were conducted directly with Spirit Stones. Before leaving, Wu Wang had filled a Storage Bag with top-grade pure Spirit Stone ore from the Northern Wilderness.
Such currency was of no use in this kind of market.
Calculating the time, Wu Wang began his return journey a little early, his feet filled with a longing for land.
Suddenly, from a street corner, he heard a voice:
"Stop when it is time to stop, move when it is time to move. When action and stillness do not lose their opportune moment, one's path is luminous."
Wu Wang followed the sound and saw an old man in a straw raincoat sitting behind a stone table at the street corner. Behind him hung a worn banner emblazoned with a Bagua diagram, and at his feet rested a faded floral cloth bag.
The black robe the old man wore was rather fine, and the patches on it had been carefully chosen from fabric of a similar color.
Upon closer inspection, the man had a ruddy complexion and a calm demeanor. From time to time, he would stroke his beard, nod his head, and utter a profound phrase or two. After speaking, he would savor the words, appearing thoroughly content.
At first glance, he seemed to be an ordinary Divination Master, but on further thought…
This is the Northwestern Region, far from the Human Domain. The various tribes here all have their own gods to worship. Who would come here for a divination?
Faintly, he sensed an aura coiling around him.
Wu Wang instantly became alert.
Had he been exposed?
Was it as Brother Ji and that middle-aged scholar had discussed—that the scholar had reported the matter of the Northern Wilderness's Bear Hug Clan's Young Master to "those above," and now "those above" had come knocking?
Wu Wang kept his expression normal, retracted his gaze, and continued towards the large ship docked at the harbor.
The fortune-telling elder frowned slightly and immediately recited loudly, "The Dao moves between Heaven and Earth; some call it tangible, some intangible. It may manifest as all things in nature or congeal as the principles of Heaven and Earth."
Wu Wang glanced at the old man again, but only cursorily, then walked out of the street without looking back.
The fortune-telling elder's eyes widened, and he immediately shouted, "Hey! Young man!"
Wu Wang acted as if he hadn't heard.
The elder jumped up and quickly chased after Wu Wang, somewhat breathlessly spreading his arms to block Wu Wang's path. "Young man, did you not hear this old Daoist calling you?"
"Young man? Are you talking to me?"
Wu Wang blinked and smiled. "It's been many years since I was called that; I'm not quite used to it... Sir, what can I do for you?"
"This old Daoist sees darkness on your Yintang point and redness between your brows. I'm afraid this is an omen of bloodshed..."
THUMP!
A bag of Jade Coins landed in the old Daoist's hand. He instinctively caught it, finding it surprisingly heavy.
Wu Wang cupped his hands and said seriously, "I'm busy and in a rush. This is the consultation fee and the payment for averting the disaster. Whether I can escape this calamity is all up to you, Daoist Master!"
With that, he lightly sidestepped and, fanning himself, drifted away.
The old Daoist was momentarily stunned. He looked at the Jade Coins in his hand, then at Wu Wang's retreating figure, and nearly fainted from exasperation.
This youngster, why is he so difficult?
The old Daoist called out loudly, "Young friend, this concerns your fate! You mustn't take it lightly!"
Wu Wang, without turning his head, waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, my fate is my own, not for Heaven to decide."
My fate!
The old Daoist was visibly startled. He muttered the words to himself, his eyes gleaming with a bright light.
What a "my fate is not for Heaven to decide"! Such lofty aspirations, no reverence for gods in his eyes!
I never expected to find such talent in this remote corner of the Great Wilderness's Northwestern Region! What a great find!
The old Daoist's face lit up with joy. He hurried back to his stall, shouldered his divination banner, grabbed his bundle, and dashed towards the harbor as if carried by the wind.
However, before the old Daoist could catch up to Wu Wang, a voice transmission entered his ear. He stopped instantly, looking around nervously.
Upon spotting a figure in the distance wearing a straw coat and walking barefoot with a staff, the old Daoist quickly bowed his head, retreated several steps, and then slowly backed away towards his divination stall.
Unconsciously, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His expression was uneasy, and his eyes were filled with panic.
What he had just heard was indeed His Reverence's voice, and he had said...
"Step back. I shall attend to this child myself."