The leaf in the turbid water of the Forgotten River and the boat swaying on the river gave people an erratic and mysterious beauty, which made Xu Huaigu feel in a trance.
The small boat was also a wonderful object. When Xu Huaigu saw it at first glance, it was still far away, but it only took him two or three steps to get close to the shore.
After the boat got closer, Xu Huaigu could clearly see the scene on the boat.
There was a rickety old man standing on the boat, about a head shorter than Xu Huaigu. His whole body was huddled in the thick raincoat, wearing a black bamboo hat, and holding a long black wormwood in his hand.
The boat arrived at the shore and stopped, but the old man on the boat did not get off. Instead, he continued to stand on the boat.
The two of them just looked at each other across a foot of Wangchuan water.
No matter how carefully Xu Huaigu looked, he could never see the old man's face. He could only see his black bamboo hat and coir raincoat, which was very mysterious.
The old man put away the long black wormwood in his hand and said slowly: "What are you doing here?"
Xu Huaigu knew that this was the ferryman. He was very nervous and said solemnly: "My friend was poisoned by the red Bianhua flower. He will not live long. I can only take the risk and come to Wangchuan to find the antidote, but he can't." I broke into this cave carefully, if I have disturbed senior, I am willing to apologize."
The old man's words were extremely cold, as if he were just a walking corpse without any emotions: "That's true, I'm not lying."
Then there was no more.
When Xu Huaigu saw that the old man did not ask, he was afraid that the old man would just leave him, so he hurriedly asked: "Old senior, can you spare my life so that I can leave here and rescue my friend?"
The old man was indifferent: "How much do you want to save her? Are you willing to die for her?"
Xu Huaigu was stunned for only a moment, then said firmly: "Yes!"
The old man's tone remained unchanged: "That's true, and I'm not lying."
Xu Huaigu said: "How dare the juniors lie in front of the seniors? Everything is true, and I hope the seniors can fulfill their adult wishes!"
The old man said indifferently: "No, there is no way out when you come to the Wangchuan River. You have only one choice, which is to die. But I think your soul is indeed pure and your mind is kind. Such souls are indeed becoming rarer and rarer now. See you. I can promise you one thing. After your friend dies, I will fish her soul out of the Wangchuan River so that she can return directly to her original body and continue to live without entering reincarnation. But as The price is that your soul cannot enter reincarnation and you must stay in Wangchuan and follow me, okay?"
Xu Huaigu said helplessly: "Do I have a choice?"
The old man said: "Of course, I won't force you. If you don't want to, you can be reincarnated after death, and I will never stop you. But your friend will also die, and if you do this, it seems to be different from what you did before. His words about being willing to die for her conflict."
No matter which choice he makes, there is no way for him to survive. Xu Huaigu threw the sword to the ground in despair and fell silent.
For a long time, the old man was still watching him from the boat.
Xu Huaigu asked sadly: "Is human life so worthless in the eyes of seniors? Is human life just a tool of trade?"
The old man said calmly: "Look at the Wangchuan water under my feet. I have been drifting on the Wangchuan River for more than 3,700 years and have seen billions of souls. One or two of them are really nothing to mention to me."
Xu Huaigu said sadly: "But those two souls, to themselves, are the whole world! I want to live, can't senior give me a chance?"
The old man said indifferently: "There is no chance. The reincarnation of heaven is impermanent. Whether it is death or life, it is all the same. I only look at it from my own point of view. I never care about others, and no one is qualified for me to take care of it."
Xu Huaigu sat down on the ground dejectedly, fidgeting with the sword in his hand twice, lifeless.
He doesn't want to die. There are many things in this world that he has never seen. He wants to continue living and meet more people. He is not ready to die yet.
When he said he was willing to die for Yu Qin before, he was indeed willing to die for her in his mind, so the old man said he was not lying. But when this choice actually came before him, he suddenly felt overwhelming fear.
He hesitated.
The old man saw it and said, "I don't blame you, but I will give you a time limit for your choice, just one stick of incense. After one stick of incense, you make your choice."
Xu Huaigu said decadently: "Do I really have no choice but to die? Is there really no other option?"
The old man didn't answer.
Xu Huaigu could see that the old man was a little annoyed.
But yes, how could such a mysterious figure who could control other people's lives and deaths at will be interested in such an inconspicuous life as his own? Being willing to talk so much to yourself is already a great honor.
Xu Huaigu thought about it for a long time, and the scene of Yu Qin finally drawing his sword and committing suicide reappeared in his eyes, and he couldn't help but be moved.
Before the time of burning the incense had passed, Xu Huaigu suddenly clenched his fists and said angrily: "Senior, if the only way to die is death, I am willing not to enter reincarnation, but to live in exchange for my friend!"
The old man said: "Okay, the deal is established, you come forward and I will deprive you of your soul. Don't be afraid, this process is not painful at all."
Xu Huaigu thought to himself that it would be strange if he didn't feel pain. He didn't want to die yet! If there is really no way to survive, who would want to die?
Xu Huaigu's scalp was numb, but he bit his lips and took two steps forward to reach the old man. The old man was still standing on the boat. Xu Huaigu was a little confused. It seemed that the old man could not leave the area of the Wangchuan River.
This was the old man's weakness, and it might be a way out. He tried hard to think of countermeasures.
The old man's expression did not change, and he stretched out his hand to touch Xu Huaigu's forehead.
A cold touch hit Xu Huaigu, and he felt that the old man's hand was as cold as the ice of the twelfth lunar month, and it was biting ice. As the touch of ice approached, his consciousness gradually dissipated and he became drowsy. Although he knew that he would definitely die if he fell asleep like this, the irresistible feeling of sleep could not be resisted.
Or just die like this. Who knows that I am so unlucky that I have ended up in such a forbidden place. I must do it well in my next life.
By the way, he made a deal with the old man, and he has no next life.
Xu Huaigu was thinking this, and suddenly a slightly familiar voice came to his ears: "Old guy, let him go. It's just a favor for me, how about selling me a favor?"
Xu Huaigu's spirit was shaken, and he quickly took a few steps back, escaping from the old man's hand.
Xu Huaigu quickly followed the voice to see who said this, but saw another old man sitting by the river at some point. It was the old fishing man he had seen by the creek a few days ago.
The old fishing man said to the ferryman: "We have been neighbors for more than 1,200 years. Even if you are just a piece of iron, you have to melt away. I owe you a favor for letting this little guy go this time. I will definitely pay you back in the future.”
The ferryman's tone was calm: "As a monk who was only in the twelfth realm during your lifetime, what qualifications do you have to owe me a favor?"
Xu Huaigu's expression became very strange.
He wondered if he had heard it wrong. From the ferryman's mouth, he seemed to have heard the saying "there are only twelve realms"? This was the first time he heard this statement, and it was said so confidently.
The Twelve Realms... You must know that no one in the world has the Twelve Realms. Who is this ferryman who dares to say "only"?
The old man fishing took it for granted and continued to persuade: "Old guy, you said that you have been guarding the deserted Wangchuan River for more than 3,700 years, and there is still no news from there. Are you willing to do this? These boring things I can’t get enough of my days, don’t you want to leave Wangchuan?”
The ferryman said indifferently: "This is my sin, and I want to atone for it."
The old fishing man said angrily: "You are guilty and need to atone for it, but I am not guilty. Now I can't die or walk around, so I can only stay in this dark river of forgetfulness. Is that interesting? What nonsense are you talking about?" God, why are you setting up these messy tests? I can’t stand it anymore. If you give me another choice, I will never want to ascend, and it’s the same for you to choose, right?”
Xu Huaigu listened silently to the conversation between the two old men, unable to interrupt at all, and could only let the two of them decide his fate.
The ferryman was silent for a while and said, "Okay, let's make an exception."
The old fishing man smiled and said: "That's right. Let those bullshit gods see that the ferryman who has been working hard and without complaint also has a temper."
The ferryman stopped talking, acknowledging that Xu Huaigu could leave.
The ferryman knew the origin of the old fisherman and his thoughts.
The old man who fished was Shangguanchuan, a famous monk in the Twelve Realms. His name can be seen even in current literature records. After the old man ascended during his lifetime, he was tested by the heavens. After his failure, he was punished and suppressed into the River of Forgetfulness. It has been more than 1,200 years now.
What suppresses Shangguanchuan is the door of life and death, which requires the combined force of five Bianhua Tokens to open.
The ferryman knew the fishing old man's strategy very well. It was a small trick, but it was not brilliant at all, but it was very suitable for a young monk like Xu Huaigu.
When Xu Huaigu first entered Wangchuan, he first made a familiar face and gave him a small gift to gain favor. Then he gave him a lot of guidance, led him to the bottom of the cave, and got the white jade token from the dead man. Then he He had two tokens, and then he shamelessly begged himself to let Xu Huaigu live so that Xu Huaigu could hope to collect all the tokens.
Xu Huaigu accepted his life-saving grace and must repay him. Collecting all the tokens is his reward.
He could have kept Xu Huaigu away and let his plan die prematurely, but it has to be said that Shangguanchuan did grasp his weakness, and he did have a lot of complaints about that sky.
In addition, he felt that this little guy was indeed interesting, so he decided to make an exception and let Xu Huaigu go.
The ferryman carried two mugworts deep into the Wangchuan River and disappeared into the fog.
