The Old Dragon King led Chen Changsheng to a small town.

This frontier town felt rather poor, and the drinks were mostly strong liquor.

Chen Changsheng was a bit surprised. “I thought you didn’t like the wine of the Mortal World before, Dragon Lord?”

The Old Dragon King chuckled. “Times are different. After trying it, I find it rather special.”

Chen Changsheng took a sip of the strong liquor in his cup.

The sharp, burning taste hit his throat, and a sudden feeling of refreshment welled up in his heart.

“Splendid!” said Chen Changsheng.

He wished he could take some away.

Sadly, his Wine Gourd wasn’t with him.

Earlier, the Old Dragon King mentioned that both the Wine Gourd and the Taiqing Sword had been taken by Zhao Yuqing.

Chen Changsheng thought that once he reached the Cultivation World, he’d have to make a trip to get them back.

Chen Changsheng and the Old Dragon King drank large bowls of liquor right there in the small town. The Old Dragon King got the shop boy from the wine shop to bring over two big jars.

Under the night sky, the bowls of liquor in front of the two men never stayed empty.

“When will these two gentlemen stop drinking…”

The shop boy and the manager felt helpless, but who dared say no?

And so it went until late at night.

Even when the shop boy and the manager were exhausted and slumped over asleep, Chen Changsheng and the Old Dragon King were still drinking.

…

Morning came with the crow of a rooster.

The wine shop manager woke to the sound and turned his head. No one was at the table anymore.

The shop boy was still fast asleep.

“Oh no, oh no!”

The manager uttered that and quickly shook the shop boy awake.

“Huh? Uh…”

The shop boy woke drowsily.

“How did we sleep?! Those two gentlemen are gone! They never even paid!”

The shop boy instantly became fully awake.

The shop boy and the manager rushed to the table, only to stop short.

A silver ingot sat on the table.

They both let out a sigh of relief.

“We met some kind gentlemen this time,” the manager mumbled to himself.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t tried to collect payment earlier.

They were afraid of offending anyone. Here in this frontier town, the gentlemen who drank were not people they could afford to upset. They were either soldiers, officials, or gangsters.

If it were someone else, seeing them asleep, they might have just left without paying. Then the wine would have been given away freely.

The shop boy secretly made a note to be more careful next time.

…

Late last night, the Old Dragon King had already returned to Tongtian River.

Chen Changsheng traveled south with him for a while, planning to search again for traces of Evil Spirits. He figured catching one was better than nothing.

He also inquired further with the Old Dragon King, but gained no clue. Chen Changsheng wasn’t just going to wait around, so he set his sights on the Cultivation World and the Desolate Sea.

His journey happened to take him along the Tongtian River into the Cultivation World.

“You weren’t planning on staying in Qingshan City?” asked the Old Dragon King.

“Taking a trip, stretching my limbs,” Chen Changsheng replied.

The Old Dragon King didn’t believe a word. He knew Chen Changsheng too well. If nothing was up, he’d never travel far.

Chen Changsheng suddenly went to the frontier pass, and now he was heading to the Cultivation World. It definitely looked like he was planning something big.

The Old Dragon King didn’t ask. He felt it best not to get involved in Chen Changsheng’s affairs. Though, of course, if Chen Changsheng asked, he’d certainly help.

Around noon the next day, the Old Dragon King saw Chen Changsheng off over the sea.

To get to the Cultivation World, there was a specific pier.

This pier was very far from the Mortal World, probably to keep Mortals away.

The pier was on a floating island, nine hundred lis from the Mortal World. Once the Old Dragon King delivered Chen Changsheng here, he prepared to turn back.

Nine hundred lis wasn’t actually that far. The real reason the island couldn’t be found was the thick fog surrounding it, likely due to formations laid down.

“Thank you, Dragon Lord, for seeing me off.”

“Spare me the politeness,” the Old Dragon King waved dismissively.

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly. There was nothing to be done about him.

“When you come back, Ying En and Yingyuan should have achieved their Dragon Ascension. Try not to miss it.”

“Definitely!”

After a few more pleasantries, Chen Changsheng and the Dragon Lord parted ways.

Chen Changsheng took a deep breath and turned his gaze towards the harbor in the distance.

No Sky Skiff was docked there. What’s more, there wasn’t another soul below. The place looked deserted, neglected for quite some time.

Over the centuries, only the rare person ever found this place, and cultivators from the Cultivation World rarely came to the Mortal World. This, Chen Changsheng assumed, was why it looked like this.

Chen Changsheng looked out and saw, beside the pier on the beach, a small wooden hut. Outside the hut stood a man dressed in rags, looking disheveled and unwashed.

Besides him, another person sat cross-legged on the sand, seemingly meditating and in Cultivation.

As Chen Changsheng approached, both men looked towards him.

The disheveled man didn’t say a word. He lowered his head to continue cooking his fish.

The cultivator, however, stood up. At first, he hadn’t realized Chen Changsheng was a cultivator. But noticing Chen Changsheng’s clothes were completely clean and unmarked, entirely free of seawater stains, he understood.

The cultivator cupped his hands respectfully. “Yi Zuqian of Lingyue Immortal Isle greets you, Daoist Friend.”

Chen Changsheng returned the gesture. “This Chen greets you, Daoist Friend.”

He sensed that the cultivation level of this cultivator before him didn’t seem particularly high.

“Is this place the Sky Skiff Harbor?” Chen Changsheng asked.

Yi Zuqian nodded. “Indeed.”

“Why has it fallen into such disrepair?” Chen Changsheng wondered aloud.

“You may not know, Daoist Friend…”

Yi Zuqian proceeded to explain.

This place was indeed a Sky Skiff Harbor. However, the Sky Skiff only stopped at this station once every ten years.

Because there simply wasn’t any business.

Almost no cultivators bothered coming to the Mortal World.

And Mortals could never find this harbor. So, the place quickly became neglected. Yet, this stop was never abandoned. One reason was to leave a pathway open to Mortals. The other reason was that occasionally, a cultivator passing through might use it to reach the Mortal World.

“Ten years…”

Chen Changsheng hesitated, then asked, “I believe the Sky Skiff operations are under your sect’s management? Why are you here…?”

Yi Zuqian smiled helplessly. “To be honest, friend, I ended up stranded here by accident.”

“It’s fine though. It’s quiet, and suitable for Cultivation.”

Chen Changsheng nodded, then looked towards the person tending the fire near the wooden hut.

“What about this gentleman? Why is he here?”

The man with messy hair and filthy clothes only glanced at Chen Changsheng and didn’t speak.

Yi Zuqian said, “He came from the Mortal World, seeking the path of immortality and the way.”

“Ah,” Chen Changsheng acknowledged. “I see.”

“Yes,” Yi Zuqian then turned his gaze back to Chen Changsheng. “Might I ask on which Immortal Mountain my friend cultivates? And why have you come from the Mortal World?”

“Chen Changsheng cultivates right in the Mortal World.”

“Huh?”

Yi Zuqian paused, half-thinking he had misheard.

Chen Changsheng, however, changed the subject. He looked at the empty harbor and asked, “Speaking of which, how long until the next Sky Skiff arrives?”

Yi Zuqian replied, “If there are no mishaps, it should be any day now. My friend timed it perfectly.”

“Fortuitous timing indeed.”

Chen Changsheng had been thinking that if the wait was long, he’d just leave. Sword Flight was an option. But since it wasn’t going to be too long, he could wait a while. No harm in that.