Chapter 76: Two Complementary Scenes

"Wait, wait, let me flip the fish over..."

A scholar, seeing that one side of the steamed fish on the platter had been completely eaten, hastily moved to flip it over. However, the words he used greatly displeased the boatman and his son.

"What nonsense! You should say 'straighten' the fish! It's 'straighten,' young scholar. That word you used is unlucky for those of us who make a living on the water!"

The old boatman's explanation was clearly displeased, but the scholar immediately understood the implications and quickly apologized.

"Oh, oh, forgive my slip of the tongue! Boatman, please don't be offended, I'm not familiar with the language of the water. I'll drink a penalty cup!"

"Haha, you scholar, you just want to drink! I'll remove the fish backbone for you. No need to move it, just eat it as is."

Inside the cabin, there was continuous noisy banter and laughter, mixed with the clear "giggles" of a child. Occasionally, someone would eat fish too quickly and get a bone stuck, and the old boatman would readily retrieve it with his chopsticks.

The fishermen's rice wine was low in alcohol content and tasted good. Furthermore, with plenty of fish dishes to accompany the wine and it being their first gathering, the meal lasted for over half an hour, and they were still not ready to stop.

"Dad, I need to relieve myself!"

At this moment, the young boatman felt his lower abdomen tighten, needing to urinate.

"Go on, go on, and make sure to do it far away, alright?"

"Alright!"

The young boatman acknowledged, put down his chopsticks, and got up to leave the cabin.

Although he had drunk a good amount of rice wine, its alcohol content was low, and the young man's work on the boat had built him a strong physique, so he certainly wasn't unsteady on his feet.

He stopped steadily by the mast, near the gunwale. After unfastening his waistband, his body relaxed, and a stream of water shot into the river.

"Phew..."

He felt extremely relieved after finishing. However, as he was fastening his waistband, the young boatman suddenly heard splashing from the other side of the boat in the river. He turned his head to look, only to see ripples spreading across the water surface on one side.

"Splish-splash..."

The sound of water came again, this time from the bow.

The boatman nervously approached the bow, standing on tiptoes to peer out. He still only saw ripples and nothing else, which made his heart race. He quickly ran back to the cabin.

Inside, people were still eating and drinking. A few who saw the young boatman return with a troubled expression were puzzled.

"Dad... it seems there's a 'Water Lord'..."

The young boatman whispered this to the old boatman. While relieving himself, he had felt the splashing under the boat was unusually strange, very much like the situations described in legends.

Hearing this, the old boatman's expression immediately turned serious. He glanced at the others without speaking, grabbed a wine cup, and walked out of the cabin.

The others were somewhat confused about what was happening, but only the old man with his grandson seemed to realize something, pulling his grandson back to prevent him from going out to watch.

In this world, there are martial artists at the pinnacle searching for opportunities to break through, and obsessed individuals seeking immortal encounters. However, very few people actually meet gods or immortals. Strange and terrifying occurrences involving evil spirits and monsters are, in fact, not uncommon among the populace.

Some people even encounter them unknowingly, while others maintain sufficient reverence through oral traditions. Still others perish mysteriously, their fates unknown.

To put it plainly, it's about different desires. Demonic spirits and monsters crave human souls, flesh, and vital energy, and ordinary people greatly fear them. Mortals, however, seek immortals and gods primarily out of selfish desires, reversing the direction of entanglement. Even cultivators have desires, but those being sought generally do not wish to become entangled.

Even city gods, besides being busy, hear countless tales of greed, selfish desires, and sordid affairs in their temples year after year. They grow utterly weary and annoyed, and unless absolutely necessary, they pay no attention to anyone.

Moreover, the differences in time dimensions among various entities are vast. Not to mention cultivators and deities, even malevolent spirits often train for many years. Coupled with poor communication, few truly understand the vastness of the world. Not many incidents become widely known, and even fewer people can trace their origins afterward. Instead, local people rely on orally transmitted anecdotes and folk remedies.

In the area around Xiaoshun River and Chunmu River, those who travel by boat year-round often know about or have even encountered strange water-related incidents. The term "Water Lord" is a respectful address for a water ghost.

The other passengers in the covered boat cabin, though initially perplexed, vaguely understood what was happening. They watched as the old boatman carried the wine to the side of the boat and poured it into the river.

"If you don't bother me, I won't bother you. This cup of wine shows my respect. Water Lord, Water Lord, quickly retreat!"

As the cup of wine was poured and a few more words were recited, although nothing was visible to the naked eye, it seemed as if ripples receded from the spot.

"Alright, let's continue eating. As long as we don't go into the water, nothing will happen. Afterwards, everyone can go to the Chunmu River God Temple to offer prayers."

Although no one had actually seen anything, the incident gave some people goosebumps. They all sat back inside the cabin, while Ji Yuan remained standing at the entrance of the covered canopy, squinting at the river surface.

A man like Li Da Niu, with his strong vitality and life force, could probably swim even if a real "Water Lord" were present, and ordinary water ghosts wouldn't be able to harm him much. However, if he couldn't swim, encountering a water ghost would make it highly likely he would drown at the bottom of the river, even if he could have been saved.

But Ji Yuan knew very well that what was under the water was not a "Water Lord" but a large, wine-loving carp.

"Heh heh, everyone else was relieving themselves by the gunwale, and you still came here to beg for wine?"

Ji Yuan said with a chuckle. The water surface rippled again, and the large carp underwater darted away.

'If only all spirits and monsters were this amiable!'

***

Early morning, the passengers awoke to the occasional slight rocking of the boat, finding that it was already broad daylight. Ji Yuan had been sitting in silent meditation at the bow for a while, while the old boatman had woken up before dawn to navigate the boat, waiting to eat breakfast and then let his son take over so he could catch up on sleep.

Ji Yuan was not holding a book at the moment; instead, he was holding another white jade slip in his sleeve—the fragmentary "Spirit Binding Chapter" gifted by Qiu Feng.

The so-called "Spirit Binding Art" had two layers of meaning. One was for the practitioner themselves, allowing them to concentrate their mind and aid in cultivation. The other layer, in Ji Yuan's view, was even more profound: it could actually "bind spirits."

In his previous life, when he read Journey to the West, with Sun Wukong's simple call, "Where is the Earth God?", an Earth God would appear. The other aspect of the "Spirit Binding Art" held a similar meaning.

However, such an act was extremely taboo. Even those with such ability had to use it considering the actual circumstances and occasion. To put it simply, if Ji Yuan had truly mastered the "Spirit Binding Art" at that moment and stood on the boat intending to summon the River God of Chunmu River...

Yes, he would have successfully courted death. The River God's body would likely be unaffected, but it would probably unleash an angry wave to drown Ji Yuan instead.

So, what were the truly appropriate occasions to use it?

For instance, certain mountains, vast marshes, or spiritual places often nurtured wondrous beings that, through natural talent or acquired effort, had varying degrees of connection with earth and water veins. These might be considered minor gods not yet officially recognized, or local earth deities worshipped by villagers in small, informal shrines...

"Mr. Ji~~~ time for some rice porridge!"

The young boatman's call from inside the cabin interrupted Ji Yuan's thoughts.

"Coming!"

After responding, Ji Yuan also patted his backside, stood up, and went to join them for breakfast.

With a bowl of plain porridge, topped with a small handful of preserved vegetables, Ji Yuan carried his bowl and chopsticks and walked out of the cabin again. He stood there, letting the cool breeze help cool down the porridge, while blowing on the surface of the porridge and scraping it with his chopsticks. Even when the boat occasionally lurched, causing him to sway, he remained steady.

Aided by the southeast wind, Ji Yuan's small boat, benefiting from its lightweight hull, was slowly overtaking the large multistory boat. At this moment, the two vessels were only a few dozen feet apart.

Many people on the multistory boat looked towards the small vessel, noticing the passengers holding bowls and eating porridge. Meanwhile, the people on the smaller boat were also observing the large one.

A young man in white robes was leaning on the rail of the multistory boat, gazing idly at the small vessel on the river. He saw the gray-robed gentleman standing against the wind, looking towards them. If not for the bowl in his hands, he would have formed a naturally harmonious scene with the boat and the river.