Su Yun's Divine Power was truly bizarre. Its form resembled a massive Yellow Bell, inside of which seven gears of different sizes were all connected from top to bottom. However, because the gears placed above were larger than the ones below, the lower the gear, the faster it spun.
The first gear at the very top seemed almost motionless, and the second gear also spun very slowly. The third gear's speed was ten times faster than the second, and the fourth was ten times faster than the third. However, since the first gear was barely moving, the third gear wasn't actually spinning that fast, either.
It was only at the fifth gear that one could sense some speed. The sixth gear spun three or four hundred times faster than the fifth, and the final seventh gear spun three or four hundred times faster than the sixth. This last gear spun so rapidly that it completed ten rotations in the blink of an eye.
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"This is..."
Qiu Shuijing was startled by this never-before-seen Divine Power, but he soon collected his thoughts and attempted to deduce how Su Yun's power operated.
'Ah, could it be representing time...? The first gear at the top represents the Year, the second the Month, the third the Day, the fourth the Hour, the fifth the Minute, the sixth the Second, and the seventh represents the Hu (a value one-tenth of a Si/Thread).'
The more Qiu Shuijing thought about it, the more convinced he became of his deduction.
'I see. Su Yun was able to calculate his location using this Yellow Bell-shaped Divine Power. To an ordinary person, a Hu would be an imperceptibly short moment, but Su Yun could calculate the time of a Hu and his movement speed using the gears, allowing him to find his path with precision.'
A person who has lost their sight usually requires someone's help or a cane to move around. To travel freely without a helper or a cane, one would need to know the geography of their destination inside out. They would also need to know exactly where they currently were.
Su Yun knew the geography of his current location and his destination thoroughly, and he could also calculate the exact time. Because he could calculate even the Hu—a unit of time ordinary people could barely sense—he was able to move freely anywhere.
Qiu Shuijing's thoughts continued to flow.
'To have already achieved a Divine Power and reached the Spirit Harboring realm at such a young age... Although his aptitude is extraordinary, the restriction of being blind means he must suffer several times more than others to cultivate.'
Qiu Shuijing let out a deep sigh. In his eyes, Su Yun was a child of outstanding potential. He possessed an aptitude far superior to any of his own disciples. However, no matter how excellent one's potential, if one cannot see, there is a limit to the realm one can reach.
'But calculating exact time to measure distance is an incredibly precise and complex task; how could a mere blind child achieve a Divine Power and display such ability...?'
Qiu Shuijing's questions about Su Yun continued to mount.
'Su Yun, from Tianshi Town in the Tianshi Enclosure, age thirteen. He lost his sight in an accident at age seven, which was six years ago, and six years ago in Tianshi Town...'
As if recalling something, Qiu Shuijing's expression changed slightly.
Qiu Shuijing put aside the riddle that was Su Yun for the moment and took his disciples deeper into the Ghost City.
The scale of the Ghost City was quite large. Many people had attempted to reach the end of the Ghost City, but until now, no one had managed to reach the end in a single night.
Originally, Qiu Shuijing had intended to wander the Ghost City and investigate various places. However, after meeting Su Yun, that desire had completely vanished.
First, Qiu Shuijing located the place where he sensed the soul of the person he had mentioned to his disciples earlier. He had his disciples ask what the soul's desire was, while he stood to the side and listened.
Long ago, Qiu Shuijing and this man had been quite close friends. They shared a friendship deep enough to call each other true companions. However, they later realized their ideologies did not align, and they gradually drifted apart.
Both men had resolved to walk the path of saving the country, but their methods of realization were vastly different. Because their ideologies and methods differed, they ultimately had to walk different paths. Yet, Qiu Shuijing had always respected him. That was why he had brought his disciples here—to fulfill the man's unfulfilled wish.
"I have only one desire. To dedicate my life to loyalty for the country. If you swear an oath to be loyal to the country, I will give you my burial goods."
Hearing his dead friend's wish, Qiu Shuijing wore a smile on his face, but his heart was in agony. The dead friend's burning heart for the country, which persisted even after death, was conveyed entirely to him.
Once, he too possessed a burning heart for the country, but that had long since vanished. That was why he had left the Eastern Capital and had been living in hiding in the north until now.
Suddenly, hearing human voices from behind, he turned to see dozens of people approaching one after another. They were clearly people dispatched from the Northern Martial World (Jianghu) to seek treasures.
Since the first watch (Chugeng: 7 PM to 9 PM) had already passed, and thinking his disciples had broadened their horizons sufficiently, Qiu Shuijing ordered them to leave the Ghost City first.
"You all go to the Tianshi Enclosure relay station first. I will stay here a little longer and follow you."
Qiu Shuijing watched his disciples until they faded into the distance, and once they were dim figures, he turned back toward Su Yun.
The items Su Yun was selling were not as rare as the items sold by the ghosts. In fact, they were all useless trifles that couldn't even be called treasures. Because of this, the people who came to the Ghost City to find treasure merely glanced over Su Yun's wares without showing much interest.
The night in the Ghost City deepened.
As the number of people passing by on the streets dwindled, Su Yun began to pack up his things. He shouldered the bundle containing his goods and walked toward the center of the Ghost City.
Qiu Shuijing quietly followed him.
From the outside, the Ghost City looked like a brilliant and glamorous metropolis, but once inside, one would be shocked by its completely different appearance. The deeper one went, the gloomier the atmosphere became and the drabber the scenery grew. Furthermore, the ground became increasingly soft, giving the sensation of walking on clouds.
Qiu Shuijing continued to follow Su Yun toward the center. Then, a sudden anxiety struck him that if they kept walking like this, he wouldn't be able to return before daybreak.
While Qiu Shuijing hesitated due to his anxiety, Su Yun, who had been walking straight down the road, suddenly turned his body and entered an alley to the right. Seeing this, Qiu Shuijing's brow furrowed slightly. That alley was known as the most dangerous place in the Ghost City. It was complex like a maze, and not a single person who had entered it had ever come out.
Knowing this fact, Qiu Shuijing couldn't help but hesitate. However, deciding that since he had come this far, he would follow Su Yun to the end, he chased after him.
Upon entering the alley, the shapes of the houses situated on both sides gradually transformed into the likeness of tombs. Furthermore, the surroundings grew darker and darker until only the faint outlines of objects were visible. The wailing of ghosts could be heard from somewhere, causing goosebumps to rise.
Regardless of how the surroundings changed, Su Yun, unable to see anything, moved forward familiarly as if it were a path he traveled often. There were countless forks in the road, and the surrounding environments all looked similar; if one relied on sight to find the way, they would surely have gotten lost. But because Su Yun could not see, he advanced without the slightest hesitation. Qiu Shuijing could not help but admire him inwardly.
'Only that child could possibly remember such a complex path...'
Su Yun, who had been walking well, suddenly stopped beneath a large willow tree in front of a grave. He then selected one of the willow branches, grabbed it with both hands, and hung onto it. In an instant, he vanished somewhere.
Startled, Qiu Shuijing ran toward the willow tree. Upon arrival, he was surprised to find a hole about 2 chi (approx. 60cm) wide beneath the tree. A moment later, a hemp rope about the thickness of an egg rose from the hole, accompanied by a gloomy wind.
'This isn't a tree branch, it's a Fairy Rope!'
It was clear Su Yun had grabbed this Fairy Rope and descended into the hole.
Qiu Shuijing let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky. Then, as if making a decision, he clenched his teeth and grabbed the Fairy Rope. His body slid down into the hole along with the rope.
The inside of the hole was empty space. Looking up, he could see only the pitch-black sky of the Ghost City.
After descending about 6 or 7 chi, several questions resurfaced in Qiu Shuijing's mind.
'It seems someone prepared this Fairy Rope for Su Yun, but who on earth prepared it...? And from whom did Su Yun learn the method of finding his way by calculating time...?'
After descending for quite a while longer, he finally felt his feet touch the ground. Only then did Qiu Shuijing properly open his eyes and examine his surroundings. But something was strange. He had definitely held the rope and descended for a long time, yet the exact same willow tree he had seen before descending was right in front of his eyes. Furthermore, the grave he had seen from above was also there in the exact same spot.
Qiu Shuijing's brow hardened slightly. Su Yun would not have been able to see this bizarre occurrence, but Qiu Shuijing, witnessing this strange phenomenon with his own eyes, was dumbfounded.
'Not being able to see is not entirely a bad thing.'
Qiu Shuijing gathered his confused mind and decided to investigate the grave beneath the willow tree. Judging by its appearance, the owner of the tomb must have been a person of considerable status. However, perhaps because no one had maintained it for years, the tombstone had toppled over.
'The Fairy Rope appears to be this person's Spirit Weapon... Why is it helping Su Yun?'
Before he knew it, the day was breaking. Su Yun, with the bundle on his back, continued walking forward. A hazy mist was rising ahead, and through the mist, five massive gates were visible. The gates were carved with dragons and phoenixes, possessing a majestic appearance, yet they looked as if they might collapse at any moment due to a lack of maintenance over a long period.
A short while later, as the dawn light faintly brightened, three ancient red characters were revealed clearly.
Tianshi Town (天门镇).
'Ah, could this place be Tianshi Town...? Then are these gates the very ones said to be modeled after the Heavenly Gate of the Ghost City...?'
Just then, a cool sea breeze blew from behind the gates, scattering the mist. As the mist dispersed, the appearance of Tianshi Town began to emerge in the distance. Tianshi Town was built upon a sheer cliff on the coast of the North Sea, making it look like a city built upon the ocean.
Thus, without realizing it, Qiu Shuijing took his first step into Tianshi Town.
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