Chapter 322: Not Disgusted, Not Disgusted

“Hah… hah… hah… The wind, the storm, is it over?”

Panting, Captain Lao Zhang collapsed onto the helm. The immense fatigue, like the recently passed storm, washed over him.

Many people stared blankly at the sea and sky, some even weeping with joy.

“God has shown mercy! God has shown mercy…” “God saved us!”

“Or perhaps the Dragon King of the sea has shown us mercy!”

“We’re still alive! Hahahaha, we’re still alive—”

The people on board gradually came to their senses, excitedly cheering and shouting. The captain began counting heads, while others scanned the horizon for other ships.

“Hey—over there, are you missing anyone? Have you seen the other boats?”

Someone on a nearby fishing boat shouted, and Lao Zhang quickly yelled back.

“Yes… I see three to my left, but one is still missing!”

With the sea surface now almost windless, the surviving fishermen went below deck to tidy up. They found their oars, then extended the long sculling oars through the oar holes and secured them for rowing.

The boats slowly drew closer. Fortunately, none of the six boats were missing; one had simply been carried too far by the waves but eventually drifted back.

However, the full count of people on the six boats was not there; three individuals were still missing. Minor injuries like scrapes and bruises were considered small problems in comparison.

Though the fate of the three was unknown and they had most likely perished at sea, compared to the previous crisis where all could have been lost, this was a fortunate outcome amidst misfortune.

The survivors from the six boats consulted with each other, then set up an altar on one of the central vessels, placing offerings and an incense burner. All the fishermen then knelt on the boat, bowing to both heaven and sea.

Ji Yuan watched the six fishing boats from the distant island’s peak. While he couldn’t visually discern their activities, his perception of qi revealed rising incense smoke and the power of their collective wishes, indicating they were most likely offering sacrifices and giving thanks to the divine being who had helped them overcome the crisis.

Ji Yuan could even perceive some of this power of wishes drifting towards him, but he merely glanced at it with his spiritual eye and waved it away, having no intention of engaging with such a path.

The boats lingered and searched the vicinity for a while but found no trace of the three missing individuals. They spent the night near the island and began their return journey towards the mainland the following day.

In the sky, the two previous decrees had not entirely dispersed.

Ji Yuan settled back into tranquility. He extended his hand, and the enormous, misty characters, which had expanded to cover a hundred zhang, seemed to be pulled back, flying towards him. These invisible words, as if corporeal, crashed onto the island with a rumbling sound, causing the trees in the mountains to sway before they finally vanished without a trace. Only then did Ji Yuan re-enter his meditative state.

By now, Ji Yuan truly understood the meaning of the ‘Five Qi Revolving Around the Origin’ state. This was a concept previously described ambiguously in both *The Tome of Illumination* and *The Records of Heretics*, possibly because the authors themselves had not experienced such profound mysteries.

Within Ji Yuan, the Five Elemental Energies flowed abundantly, forming a circulation both internally and externally. The connection between his microcosm and the macrocosm became tighter, as if another golden bridge between heaven and earth had been erected. He became more sensitive and attuned to the external transformations of the Five Elements.

The rocks, trees, soil, and surrounding seawater on the island formed a unique resonance with the Five Elemental auras within him.

Simply put, for any spell or divine ability that did not transcend the Five Elements, Ji Yuan could now deepen his understanding and wield them with greater ease. Likewise, he could more clearly perceive subtle environmental changes caused by others’ magical exertions.

Ji Yuan was unsure if the cultivators of today, who claimed to have reached the ‘Revolving Around the Origin’ state by mastering just one of the Five Qis, could experience something similar.

But he could now confidently say that mastering one or a few of the Five Elements did not signify completion, for the cycle of mutual generation was incomplete. A slight deviation could lead to a vast difference, and thus, they would likely not experience the profound subtleties Ji Yuan now felt.

Although *The Tome of Illumination* had mocked the contemporary trend of cultivators claiming to have reached the ‘Revolving Around the Origin’ state by mastering a single element, it hadn’t delved into much detail. Now, Ji Yuan fully agreed with that assessment; one could only say that what the cultivation world called ‘Revolving Around the Origin’ was an entirely different state from the true ‘Five Qi Revolving Around the Origin’.

Before this, Ji Yuan’s own Five Elemental Qi was already active, but it hadn’t truly matured. While the true essence of *Wandering Dream in the Clouds* was carefree roaming through the world, everything observed and experienced within it contained transformations related to the Five Elements. This pushed Ji Yuan forward, allowing his ‘Revolving Around the Origin’ state to become complete, and also had a deeper, more profound impact on his spiritual understanding—a realization of the mind that no longer required quiet cultivation.

It wasn’t until the summer of the following year that Ji Yuan concluded his cultivation. He opened his eyes and gently exhaled, a faint white metallic glow traveling with his breath, strong enough to pierce a rainbow.

After five years, Ji Yuan finally rose from the peak of the island. For a brief moment, his eyes shone with divine light, sharply defined and almost square-like. His originally grayish-white eyes subtly revealed a jade-green hue in their irises. However, as Ji Yuan slightly narrowed his eyes, this change quickly receded.

“‘Emerald eyes and square pupils’?” Ji Yuan murmured, recalling some ancient descriptions of immortals he had stumbled upon online in his previous life. Unlike the common immortal imagery pervasive in film and literature, early ancient immortals were often described as having ‘emerald eyes and square pupils’.

In his previous life, Ji Yuan naturally had no such experience, but now he understood the reason. The eyes, it was said, were an external manifestation of the liver, and the liver belonged to the Wood element, connected to the pupils. When the Five Elements’ Green Wood energy was complete and divine light abundant, the eyes naturally exhibited a quality akin to ‘emerald eyes and square pupils.’ To ordinary people, this might even appear somewhat eerie or demonic, but in truth, it was one of the hallmarks of advanced immortal cultivation.

Ji Yuan calculated the time and realized that the Ren Chen year was almost over. Yet, he felt not that too much time had passed, but too little. An ordinary cultivator would need countless years of arduous practice to reach his current realm, enduring potential calamities, tribulations, and bottlenecks. Ji Yuan, by contrast, had only been cultivating for less than twenty years in total.

‘*Wandering Dream in the Clouds* helped me immensely. If I ever meet Zhong Pingxiu in the future, I must certainly repay him!’

True Immortals, of course, were not necessarily immortal, but the possibility of them still being alive was quite high.

With that thought, Ji Yuan glanced at the outer sea. Then, turning around, he stepped into the air, riding the clear wind as he flew westward.

Qian Gang Village and Pian Wan Village were among the many fishing villages along the East Sea coast. Being close to each other, intermarriage was common, making them relatively close-knit communities.

As the saying goes, ‘rely on the mountain, eat from the mountain; rely on the sea, eat from the sea.’ Typically, fishermen made their living by fishing in the nearshore waters.

However, over the past year or two, fish catches in the nearshore waters had become exceedingly scarce. To sustain their livelihoods, the people of both villages, and indeed other nearby coastal fishing villages, were forced to venture into more distant waters frequently.

Because the outer sea routes were long, taking much time for a round trip and being prone to danger, the fishing fleets from Qian Gang Village and Pian Wan Village had once encountered a storm and nearly perished along with their boats.

But that time, the six large fishing boats from the two villages miraculously escaped danger. Gradually, ships from nearby areas venturing into the outer sea learned about a mysterious island.

Regardless of the weather, the winds and rain around that island were significantly milder. Even if a storm suddenly struck, taking shelter near the island greatly increased the chances of survival.

The fishermen believed that a divine being offered protection on the island, calling it ‘Calm Wind Island.’ Whenever a fishing boat that knew of the island approached it, they would set up an altar on board and offer sacrifices and prayers.

However, even with ‘Calm Wind Island’ serving as a blessed refuge for fishing boats, all the coastal vessels rushed there when they went to sea. The fish around the island would eventually be depleted, forcing them back into more dangerous waters.

No one could sustain this indefinitely. The most crucial reason was that fish could no longer be caught in the vast nearshore areas. Consequently, as the old year gave way to the new, several surrounding fishing villages collectively decided to make a significant investment.

It was on this very day that Ji Yuan returned to the mainland, riding the wind.

As he flew through the sky, Ji Yuan habitually scanned the nearby villages. He happened to notice lively drumming and clamor in a village below. A large crowd had gathered, far more than a single village could account for, and people continued to arrive from outside the village.

‘Is this an unfamiliar New Year’s custom?’

With that thought, Ji Yuan descended from the sky. He hadn’t joined such a lively gathering in a long time, and he thought it would be good to witness it. Perhaps he could even get a celebratory meal—he used to do that often.

Dressed in a gray robe, Ji Yuan landed behind a hill. Spotting a young fisherman passing by, rubbing his hands in a cotton coat, Ji Yuan emerged as if he were simply passing through.

“Excuse me, young man, could you spare a moment?”

At this call, the young man, whose face still looked somewhat immature, indeed stopped. In Ji Yuan’s experience, such youths in the countryside were usually pure-hearted, less wary, and sometimes more impulsive, but also more willing to help when politely asked.

The young man observed Ji Yuan’s wide-sleeved, long robe, noting his learned appearance and polite manner of speaking.

“Excuse me, venerable sir, did you call for me?”

“Ah, yes, yes, young man. My name is Ji Yuan, and I’ve been wandering from quite far away. I seem to have lost my bearings nearby. I see many people heading towards that village over there, and it sounds very lively with all the drumming. May I ask if this is an important New Year’s custom here?”

Ji Yuan cupped his hands in a polite greeting, asking genially, and naturally walked closer to the young man.

The young man hastily returned a somewhat clumsy cupped-hand salute.

“Oh, that’s not exactly a New Year’s custom. It’s New Year’s Eve in a few days, a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Several villages have pooled their money to invite a great master to help exorcise evil, so that there will be fish along the coast next year. These are all the great master’s requirements; he said a lively crowd is necessary. Many people from the surrounding fishing villages have come, and tomorrow there will be a feast for a thousand people and a torch formation!”

“Oh, oh, oh… that’s quite unusual…” Ji Yuan responded with a series of understanding sounds, the latter part uttered in a low, thoughtful tone. Looking towards the village, he gleaned much information from a few words, such as the scarcity of fish along the coast.

However, his thoughtful expression lasted only a moment before Ji Yuan quickly put on a distressed look.

“I had thought it was a New Year’s celebration and shamelessly hoped to join the festivities, but I never expected it to be an exorcism. Alas, they surely wouldn’t allow an outsider like me to participate. I’ve been separated from my friends and wandering alone in the countryside for quite some time, hungry and exhausted…”

The young man scratched his head, then spoke with hesitation.

“Actually, actually, the more people for the exorcism, the better. If you don’t mind possibly being tainted, sir, there should be no problem joining the feast for a thousand people…”

Ji Yuan’s face lit up with surprise, and he took a few steps closer.

“No mind at all, no mind at all! I haven’t eaten in so long, I can’t afford to be particular! Let’s go, young man, I’ll join you. If anyone asks, please do me the favor of covering for me!”