Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 510 - 281 Ferryman

"Young man, I quite like what you've said. Today, your boat rental will be on the house," the old man said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiong excitedly jumped onto the boat. He was born and raised in the mountains and had never been on a boat before, so he appeared particularly thrilled.

Lu Xun also cast a deep look at the old man before finally biting his teeth and boarding the boat. The boat wasn't large; with four people on it, it already felt a bit crowded. The elderly man at the bow gently rowed the oar, and the small boat parted the waves, moving forward smoothly.

Despite his age, the boat remained surprisingly steady, as if walking on flat ground. The old man's mouth was singing a folk song, the melodious voice carrying a unique charm that echoed over the Qinghe waters.

Chen Li listened carefully to the old man's song, a look of longing in her eyes, which puzzled Chen Xiong by her side. The old man's accent was strange, making it utterly incomprehensible to him.

Noticing Chen Xiong's confusion, Lu Xun spoke up to explain, "The gentleman must be singing a song from the south. It roughly tells the story of a lovelorn girl waiting for her sweetheart, pouring out her melancholy by the riverside. It seems that the gentleman is not a local."

Turning his head, the old man gave Lu Xun a profound glance before sighing and saying, "I'm from Wan City in the south. I left home when I was young and ended up settling here. Many years have flashed by in an instant."

"Does the gentleman still have family over there? If there is a chance, this junior could carry a letter or something for you," Lu Xun offered with a smile.

"Alas! My relatives over there are long gone - dead or dispersed. There's nothing left to miss."

Lu Xun's gaze drifted over the river's undercurrents as he softly uttered an "oh."

Instead, a sudden smile appeared on the old man's face as he said, "Do you know why there are no boats on the river today?"

Chen Xiong immediately perked up his ears, and even Lu Xun's face showed curiosity. He had been puzzled by this fact earlier. As far as he knew, the Qinghe should be bustling with boats, ferrying people to and fro between the banks, yet today not a single boat was in sight.

"The Green Forest Army across the bank is at war with Governor Kong, and all nearby boats have been requisitioned," the old man said softly.

"But Governor Kong isn't an official from this area. How can his reach be so long?" The Chen siblings didn't know, but Lu Xun was well aware that Governor Kong was the spokesman for the illustrious Kong Family, whose influence had always been to the south. Why would he come here?

"It is said that the Crown Prince was trapped within the Green Forest Army. Governor Kong, as a loyal and filial subject, naturally wants to rescue the Crown Prince and remake the world," the old man said, a hint of irony on his face.

"It is unexpected that there are still loyal and faithful men in Great Chu," Lu Xun commented, seemingly offhand.

The old man's face bore an inscrutable smile, just looking at Lu Xun for a while, then no longer spoke, concentrating on rowing the oar instead.

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Even though Chen Xiong was slow to react, by this point, he realized something was off between Lu Xun and the old man. Their conversation seemed to be laced with some sort of underlying tension. But with his limited understanding, he couldn't make sense of it. Out of caution, his body involuntarily tensed up, thinking about what he should do in case something went wrong and how he would take his sister and Lu Xun to safety.

Fortunately, they arrived safely on the other side, and after the previous conversation, Lu Xun and the old man maintained a strange balance, not speaking another word to each other, and eventually, the boat reached the far bank without incident. All three people on board quietly sighed in relief.

There was something eerie about the old boatman; he seemed to be coming straight for their group, but at that point, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and wait. Thankfully, nothing untoward happened along the way.

Only when Chen Xiong felt solid ground beneath his feet did he slowly exhale. The sensation of being suspended over water had left him feeling out of sorts, as if his body no longer belonged to him. The normally brave and reckless youth now felt somewhat afraid and secretly vowed never to take a boat again.

He said with a laugh, "We're finally on land, I've been scared out of my wits during this whole trip."

After he spoke, he realized that Lu Xun and Chen Li weren't listening to him but instead were staring fixedly behind him, their faces filled with disbelief.

Chen Xiong quickly turned around, only to see nothing but empty space where the old man and the boat should have been. There wasn't a bird in sight on the river, and the three fell into an eerie calm.

Chen Xiong rubbed his eyes and muttered, "In broad daylight, how could we have seen a ghost?"

Lu Xun also looked seriously at the river, where the water flowed endlessly, but there was no sign of the boat. The extraordinary old man and his boat seemed like nothing more than a fleeting dream. However, having encountered the Guardian God and Old Apricot, he was no longer the naive young man who disbelieved in Ghost Deities, so his first thought was of ghostly occurrences.

Considering their recent conversation, Lu Xun had a guess but did not voice it, instead continuing forward. They needed to find shelter before nightfall, as the world was in chaos, and sleeping outside could be dangerous.

Dusk fell gradually, and a silver moon rose, casting its glow to push back the darkness. The quiet wilderness was filled with the sounds of insects, lending voices to the otherwise silent world.

Following the road, the trio of Lu Xun saw a glimmer of light in the darkness and couldn't help but feel joyous. That faint light brought them warmth, dispelling the loneliness and solitude in their hearts.

They ran excitedly toward the light, truly acting like young boys at that moment, giving in to their nature. It was only upon drawing closer that they discovered the light was emanating from an old temple.

The temple was somewhat decrepit, its earthen walls partially collapsed and overgrown with wild grass. A slightly worn red flag fluttered from atop the wall with the wind.

The three walked slowly into the courtyard of the temple, hearing a creaking sound as an extremely elderly person stepped out from inside the temple. His body was as thin as kindling, looking like a gust of wind might blow him over, and his clothes were patched all over. His face was covered in age spots, indicating that he was nearing the end of his life.

The old man glanced at Lu Xun and his companions, and a feeble, hoarse voice emerged from his throat as if speaking was a great effort.

"You must be the travelers from afar. Please come in; I've prepared some food for you," the old man said gently.

The trio were surprised, having just arrived, they wondered how the old man could have known they were coming or why he would have prepared food in advance for them.

"It was Duke Chu who came to me in a dream, telling me three distinguished guests would pass by this way, and instructed me to prepare a meal to welcome you."