When it came to money, without comparison there was no hurt.
At this thought, the boatman merman could barely catch his breath, feeling suffocated, but finally sighed, “This is not about money.”
This was equivalent to politely declining the other’s goodwill.
Long Xingyun’s eyes widened upon hearing this, his tone becoming sharper, “One million is still too little? Do not tell me those three gave more than me?”
The boatman merman repeated similar words for the third time, “I said, this is not about money.”
“You…” Long Xingyun was about to advise the other not to be ungrateful, when Yin Shanhe beside him reached out to stop him, “Forget it. The sea clan that ferries has its rules, reputation comes first. It is not wrong for it to uphold its reputation. There is no need to force it.”
“But…” Long Xingyun was somewhat anxious. He could not just wait here doing nothing, could he? The vast Nether Sea was so large. What if they took a detour? However, Yin Shanhe tugging his sleeve interrupted the words at his mouth. He realised Yin Shanhe had other intentions, so he shut up.
“Sorry to bother you.” Yin Shanhe said politely, then pulled Long Xingyun away.
As the boatman merman watched them leave, he suddenly raised his hand to cover his heart, feeling a piercing pain. The gap between the two sides’ offers was truly too large. One was three thousand taels for waiting one hour, the other was directly one million taels. It was simply a world of difference.
This gap, anyone would find unbearable. But no matter what, he had withstood the temptation of money, and still upheld the rules of the merman clan ferrying in the Nether Sea.
Long Xingyun, who was rushing across the sea surface following Yin Shanhe, was unwilling to accept this, and said with dissatisfaction in his tone, “Uncle Yin, did you not say we needed to watch that ferry?”
This was just his personality. From childhood to adulthood, as long as something did not go his way he was unhappy. And as long as he was unhappy, usually those around him had to go along with his wishes and flatter him.
There was no helping it. He was the only son of the Chilan Pavilion master. He lost his father from a young age, and his family background was right there. No matter how strictly his mother managed him, he was still an existence doted on by all.
And Yin Shanhe was one of the few people within Chilan Pavilion who had the qualification to not go along with his wishes. It was precisely because of this that the pavilion master had sent him out to accompany and manage Long Xingyun.
Yin Shanhe temporarily ignored him, only focused on rushing with him. Before long, they reached the reef near Purple Wave Island, and also found Qing Ya and the others leisurely waiting on the reef.
“Oh, what is this?” Qing Ya, stretching out one leg, stood up on one leg, somewhat puzzled, asking, “Did that sound just now mean that Tanhua has already been dealt with?”
He thought they had finished and were going back. For this he was quite expectant and happy, wanting to know how miserably Yu Qing had died, otherwise it would not be worth his broken leg.
Yin Shanhe said, “No, that fellow does not know where he ran off to. Nor do we know what they came here for.”
Qing Ya exclaimed, “That should not be. Coming here they should be going to the island. Besides, even if they were leaving…” He looked towards the ferry direction, shaking his head. “The boat lamp is not lit. He cannot possibly dare to run around the Nether Sea without the ferry, can he? Or could it be that the ferry has quietly left with passengers?”
The merman beside him immediately said, “Impossible.”
Yin Shanhe did not waste words here either. “Just went to check. That ferry is still there. You two ferries move to another spot. Stop over there, stop together with that ferry.”
Upon hearing these words, Long Xingyun instantly understood, finally grasping Uncle Yin’s meaning. Since that ferry was not obedient, having the ferries here stop over there would achieve the same effect. The corner of his mouth immediately showed a smile, realising that an old hand was indeed an old hand.
The few people here quickly understood what it meant, and could not easily refuse. The two boatman mermen also could not find a reason to refuse their employer’s request, so they had to obey and go.
As for Yin Shanhe and Long Xingyun, they did not follow. They could not have everyone sitting there waiting, that would be a bit foolish. They still needed to go to the island to stake out or search. They had to walk on two legs to be steady.
It also had to be them who went. Qing Ya’s side had made their attitude clear. They had already done their utmost and would not participate excessively anymore.
Just as the two sides had separated, and the two had not yet reached the island, another “boom” sounded from somewhere beside the island.
The several people on the ferry looked back. Qing Ya, sitting on the boat, could not help muttering, “What on earth is going on?”
Honestly, he was also very curious about what Yu Qing and the others had come to Purple Wave Island for, because he did not know either.
Yin Shanhe and Long Xingyun, who were walking on waves, immediately rushed over urgently.
However, upon reaching the area where the incident occurred, again there was no sound and no shadow, no traces of anyone anywhere.
Although the reason was unclear, they still found the incident location. The still churning seawater proved that this was the source of the disturbance.
The two dove into the seawater one after another, releasing fluorescent stones to search quickly underwater, but still found nothing.
After the two surfaced, they expanded the search range and looked around. Apart from the brightly lit Purple Wave Island, there was only the dimly lit gloomy sea.
The two, whose hearts were full of doubts, were about to head to the island when they suddenly heard another “boom”, the disturbance coming from the other side of the island.
The two did not hesitate, immediately rushing over at high speed.
After the two figures flew away over the island, Yu Qing, who had been crouching on the ground, immediately popped his head up, watching the direction the two figures went.
Confirming the two had left, he immediately stopped hiding, and boldly hurried to the place he had previously not dared to step past, which was the higher ground where Long Xingyun had previously hidden.
Upon arriving and looking, there were only a few rugged large rocks that could provide cover. This was really not an excellent hiding place. If he hid here, Long Xingyun could easily see him upon arrival.
This place could avoid distant prying eyes, but could not avoid close ones.
Unexpectedly the terrain here was so simple. Yu Qing quickly looked around, and immediately became somewhat anxious.
Although he was not afraid to fight Long Xingyun one-on-one, he had never fought Long Xingyun after all. The reputation of Chilan Pavilion was right there, and he also worried that there were no false experts under a great name. He could not be certain whether he could take down Long Xingyun in an extremely short time.
The consequences of not being able to take him down quickly were obvious. Once that expert was alarmed and rushed over, he could not withstand it.
As he anxiously looked around, his gaze suddenly paused, fixing on the nearby patch of purple thatch grass.
His eyes flickered slightly, his brows moved slightly. He quickly looked around again, sensed the movements, then leaped to a nearby purple thatch grass plant.
He had already learned about the properties of purple thatch grass from Hu Youli, and did not easily touch those glowing hanging tendrils.
He quickly and carefully sidestepped to avoid those tendrils, circled to the back of the purple thatch grass, then suddenly drew his sword, cleaving a large opening in the purple thatch grass with one strike.
The sword also touched those tendrils, and the tendrils immediately curled towards him. Yu Qing cut down a patch with a few sword strikes, walked to the front of the purple thatch grass, stuck his sword in the ground, freed both hands to pull open the opening in the purple thatch grass, and began to laboriously dig out the contents inside the purple thatch grass body.
The main body of the purple thatch grass actually looked like the main body of thatch taro, and also like a giant banana tree. The trunk was layered tightly wrapped inside and out.
Yu Qing did not care what this tree-like plant looked like. Using both hands and sword, he rapidly hollowed out a large section inside.
The tendrils at the front of that purple thatch grass wanted to curl around to the damaged area at the back, but were cut off by Yu Qing with a few sword strikes. The tendrils had limited length, so they could not reach him.
He was not afraid that this would leave traces. The purple hazy light here was dazzlingly bright. It was difficult for anyone to notice that one tree’s tendrils were shorter.
After hollowing out enough space inside the purple thatch grass, he quickly cleaned up the scene, carrying the messy stuff far away to throw it.
By the time he ran back, another “boom” sounded from the other side.
Hearing the sound, he quickly ran to the back of that purple thatch grass, used both hands to open the opening, and actually squeezed his whole body inside. Then he reached a hand out from the crack to pick up the debris that had accidentally fallen on the ground when he pried open the crack.
Soon, another two figures urgently flew past Purple Wave Island, rushing towards the source of the sound.
After waiting a while, another boom came from the other side of Purple Wave Island. The two figures quickly turned back, rushing in another direction to see what was happening.
At sea, the three ferries had gathered together. Yu Qing’s three-person ferry was already sandwiched between the other two ferries.
The Nether Sea was indeed very quiet. The faint booms coming from over there could also be heard very clearly here.
“Every now and then a boom. Have you heard of similar situations around Purple Wave Island?”
Qing Ya, feeling baffled, could not help asking Pang Chengqiu.
Pang Chengqiu shook his head. “I do not know, have not heard. I came here once before, there was no such situation.”
Qing Ya slowly put a peanut in his mouth, muttering, “Could this Purple Wave Island be hiding some secret we do not know? Not impossible. Otherwise why did those three fellows come and then disappear without a trace?”
Pang Chengqiu neither confirmed nor denied, thinking to himself, you even knew their movements coming here. If even you do not know, how could I possibly know.
The three mermen sitting at the bow did not care what the situation was. Even though they knew the employers of the three boats were going to do life-or-death things, they still faced it calmly with detachment. Truly indifferent, they followed principles and maintained neutrality.
The booming sounds still came intermittently.
Long Xingyun, who had rushed back and forth several times only to see churning water, finally became somewhat impatient, calling out, “Uncle Yin.”
So the two rushing figures paused, landing on the island.
Yin Shanhe looked at him puzzled.
Long Xingyun said somewhat irritably, “Uncle Yin, have you not noticed? We are always just a bit short. We are always just one step too slow to see what is happening. It does not matter if I cannot see. Your cultivation is high, your speed is fast. Just go and take a look, do not worry about me. Just tell me what happened afterwards.”
Regarding this, Yin Shanhe did not argue. Having been one step too slow these several back-and-forth trips, he was also somewhat frustrated. He also felt that he was being dragged down in speed by Long Xingyun this burden. He could completely use a faster speed to rush over and see what was happening.
But, leaving this young pavilion master alone in this unfamiliar place, he still had some misgivings.
Long Xingyun saw this and completely understood, persuading, “Uncle Yin, I am not a three-year-old child. What could happen if we separate temporarily? Apart from those three fellows, others have no enmity with us. Even if we meet those three, they are hardly my match. Upon seeing me, they would probably flee in terror. Besides, those three suddenly coming here must have a reason. Now their figures are nowhere to be seen. Those occasional booms might very well be related to the reason they came.”
Yin Shanhe thought about it and agreed. In terms of skill, the target that came here was indeed not necessarily the young pavilion master’s match. But he still looked around and said, “Then I will go take a look. You find a suitable place to hide. After all, they say there is also a strange monster on this island. Whether it is friend or foe is still uncertain. Do not be rash.”
Long Xingyun also looked around, not knowing for a moment where to temporarily hide. His gaze fell on the highest ground, which was familiar, so he immediately pointed.
Yin Shanhe followed his gaze, nodded understandingly, and the two flew over together.
Not long after the two landed in the place where they had previously hidden, a “boom” sounded again from another slightly offset location.
Although each booming sound was on either side of Purple Wave Island, it was not in a fixed location.
Yin Shanhe’s figure had already whooshed away from the spot. This time his speed was indeed much faster, flying like an arrow.
After watching him leave, Long Xingyun also pricked up his ears, hoping to catch some sound of what happened after Yin Shanhe rushed over quickly.
Suddenly, his nostrils flared. He seemed to smell a scorched odour, and also seemed to hear some movement. He quickly turned his head to look. His gaze fell on the nearby purple thatch grass. He saw a small hole had appeared on its trunk, and a bug crawled out from inside.
The bug’s body glowed with crack-like red light. Everywhere it passed, it burned scorch marks.
The bug, which had crawled around the hole twice, drilled back into the hole.
What kind of bug was this? Long Xingyun curiously walked over, carefully sidestepping to avoid the hanging tendrils. He approached the main trunk of the purple thatch grass, slowly bringing one eye close to the scorched hole, carefully trying to peer inside.