Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 45 - 43: The Iron Ship Calms the River Waves, The Golden Rope Binds the Demon

Gu Zhichang, Chen Xianyong, and Li Mingtai, the trio, had only planned to stroll around Seeking Immortal County, but somehow they ended up in a muddle helping a bookstore owner close his shop before following him into the crowd.

Amidst the deafening drumbeats and gong clashes, they arrived at the Seeking Immortal Pier together.

By now, there were already a great many boats at the dock—some selling books, others "flowers," some delivering vegetables, and there were those transporting salt and iron; there were also steam iron ships resembling sea monsters that had come from the Western Barbarians, capable of spouting black flames.

But none of these counted as a grand spectacle, for the people of Seeking Immortal County had grown accustomed to such sights.

So the four men blended into the crowd, watching as the citizens clicked their tongues in disdain, occasionally standing on tiptoes to peer at the broad expanse of Seeking Immortal River.

Hushed murmurs occasionally gave way to a few rebellious mutterings.

"Have they arrived yet? Is there a warship that legends say can battle through the Tianhe Ocean?"

"No, just two black-smoke-belching chunks of iron, and a group of charming girls in Jingwan, all with captivating figures."

"Tsk, what a disgrace."

"I think, the county government is just blowing its own trumpet. Were there really demons, neither a constable nor a soldier would be seen anywhere. Just like that day on this dock when Hong Heihu, usually such a good man, turned into an ogre, not a single person dared to approach. That terrifying incident still haunts my nightmares..."

A chatterbox of an old man was saying this.

Suddenly, he fell silent.

With a clang, his walking stick dropped to the ground.

The noisy crowd abruptly went quiet at this moment, everyone silenced by the sight that struck awe.

Soon after, all eyes widened, and the sound of sharp intakes of breath hissed through the air.

Tao Qian and his companions, all of tall stature, didn't need to stand on tiptoes; they merely looked up and in the next second, they too beheld the sight.

It was unclear whether the dock had received early notice, but the fishing and cargo vessels that usually traversed the wide river had been cleared away, leaving a vast channel where the sky merged with the water in the far distance.

But at that moment, that junction was violently occupied by a colossus of a ship beyond imagination.

The ship, forged entirely of cold steel, appeared so massive it seemed to weigh as much as a mountain. And yet, it eerily floated on the surface, swiftly cleaving through the water toward Seeking Immortal Pier.

Its exterior was decidedly different from ordinary iron ships. Aside from its ferocious and majestic figurehead resembling a lion or a tiger, the ship also sported bizarre iron wings on both sides.

Additionally, the massive ship was outfitted with a plethora of cannons engraved with strange runes, as well as a chillingly effective mechanical spear that seemed designed to hunt Jiao Dragons.

Boom!

Such was the sound emanating from the giant ship as it plowed through the river.

The initially broad and placid surface of Seeking Immortal River became filled with this thunderous noise, with large waves scattered into mist, dispersing in all directions.

On the pier, silence reigned.

As a county town built along a major river and a port of foreign trade,

the residents of Seeking Immortal County were no strangers to large ships. Yet at that moment, tens of thousands of residents were stunned.

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Their eyes were wide with shock, greedily fixed on the approaching "Demon Suppression."

For the first time, everyone accepted that the ship was aptly named.

Such a colossus not only subdued demons but, in the eyes of the masses, was also capable of slaughtering them convincingly.

Tens of thousands thought that this was sufficiently astonishing and that it was an apt conclusion.

However, it was only the beginning.

Bang bang bang!

Just behind the "Demon Suppression," at the spot where the sky touched the river surface, a series of explosive sounds, like air bursting, suddenly reverberated.

The result was a scene that left Seeking Immortal County's tens of thousands of residents agape:

As if the auroras from the legends of the Extreme North had manifested here, around a dozen rainbow beams with long, trailing luminous tails shot forth.

A moment later, these beams fanned out above the Demon Suppression.

A dozen or so youthful silhouettes then revealed themselves to the tens of thousands of onlookers.

Among these dozen, there were men, women, and children, all young, wearing fabrics rarely seen, some resplendent, some refined, others strange.

More astonishingly, each of them stood suspended in the air as though they were Immortals or experts.

No, compared to the tens of thousands of common folk below, these dozen truly resembled Immortal Gods or exalted beings.

They didn't just stand in the air; they were surrounded by various mists, with aurora light forming around them. Each one was transcendental, making one feel the urge to kneel and pray for protection.

The most eye-catching were the five in the front.

Two were men, and two were women, plus an entity resembling a big baby.

The two male cultivators were both tall and heroic, with looks unattainable by mortal standards.

One had dark skin, high cheekbones and deep-set eyes; his full head of black hair cascaded like a waterfall down to his ankles. What was more striking were the wings resembling those of an eagle that grew under his ribs. The feathers were sleek and hard, shimmering faintly. At the base of the wings, two vortexes gathered, emitting occasional peals of thunder.

The other man was fair-skinned, clad in a snow-white Daoist robe, his hair secured with a jade hairpin. A Flying Sword that appeared made of ice and jade seemed to have a life of its own as it danced around him, shedding icy jade fragments, making him look carefree as an Immortal.

As for the two women, one was a green-haired girl stepping on a Flying Carpet, with dainty features accentuated by a beauty spot on her nose, exuding a pure and spirituous aura that made her impossible to dislike.

The slightly older woman looked more heroic, with piercing eyes seemingly capable of seeing through people's hearts, using some method to float in the sky, and holding a bizarre Stone Cover with holes, its interior flickering with a firelight.

But the big baby captured the most attention.

He was dressed in a red cloth, his right hand twined with a shiny golden rope, seemingly unashamed, his round eyes looking curiously at the tens of thousands below, his chubby face full of excitement.

The county government had arranged for constables to beat gongs and drums, leading the residents through streets and lanes to the dock. Of course, for such a grand spectacle, someone was arranged to set the rhythm.

Just as tens of thousands of people were becoming dumbfounded by the arrival of the Demon Suppression and those dozen or so "young immortals,"

someone in the crowd suddenly cried out as if waking from a deep dream:

"The Demon Suppression Giant Ship, the Forbidden Immortal Hall."

"I get it now, these are reinforcements requested by our county governor from above. With this giant ship and the disciples from the Immortal Sects, our Seeking Immortal County will definitely not fall like the other pitiful towns to that group of vicious devils who commit all manner of atrocities and feast on blood and flesh. Our properties and homes, our friends and families, can all be kept safe."

"The county governor is wise, long live the Governor,"

Someone took the lead, and the common people followed suit with a thunderous shout.

The scene was very harmonious.

Tao Qian also came to his senses at this time, and silently ridiculed in his mind, "The Demon Suppression Giant Ship, making a grand entrance before the public, such flamboyance, couldn't really just be to make it easier to find excuses to raise taxes, right?"

Just as he finished muttering in his heart, he suddenly twitched his ears, because he heard the middle-aged Daoist named Gu Zhichang next to him whispering an explanation to his two companions.

The surrounding was noisy, and the four stood apart. Gu Zhichang whispered, hoping that the bookstore owner would not hear him.

But who would have thought that Tao Qian, with his supernatural senses, would eavesdrop so clearly?

"That Demon Suppression must fundamentally be the work of the Western Barbarians, yet it has been modified by the Heterodox Sect of Heavenly Mechanism Building. Its cannons and mechanical spears possess the power to slay demons."

"These dozen young ones, many are from side branches of Heterodox Sects, it seems that the youth from both the Daoist and Buddhist Major Sects and from the old clans have been deployed to major cities."

"However, the leaders of the five have some significant backgrounds. That Big Baby surely comes from the Ten Thousand Infant Sect, the two young ladies from Fire God Temple and Lingxi Temple. Though they do not belong to the Twelve Major Sects, they are still renowned in the Daoist sects. The two male cultivators are from the Wind Thunder Cliff and the Wudang Sect, the former being a Great Heterodox Sect, and the latter also a renowned Daoist Sect."

With just a few words, Gu Zhichang had introduced the young cultivators thoroughly, giving away a lot of information.

While Tao Qian gained insight, he thought to himself, "Truly deserving of being a True Practitioner from Shenxiao, one of the Twelve Major Daoist Sects. His knowledge is probably even more broad than Daoist Xiao Hua."

That's right, just as Gu Zhichang perceived the origins of others, Tao Qian silently perceived Gu Zhichang's as well.

Very significant, so significant that Tao Qian began considering "clinging onto big thighs" again.

However, another aspect of Gu Zhichang's identity made Tao Qian hesitate.

Though he possessed memories of being both a Hero and a scholar, Tao Qian was still unsure of his own direction.

This world was too complicated, somewhat similar to his previous life in a certain dynasty, but there were too many differences. How could he see clearly after only a few days of residing and experiencing this world?

However, the ideals and aspirations he brought from his previous life were always clear and had never changed.

While Tao Qian pondered, an unforeseen event happened again at the tragic Seeking Immortal Pier.

The dozen or so high-standing young immortals seemed very pleased with the thunderous welcome from tens of thousands of commoners.

Especially the one in the front, the Big Baby, who was hopping excitedly on a cloud of mist.

Soon, he suddenly spoke in an adorable childlike voice:

"Not bad at all, I like it here."

"Everyone is so enthusiastic, it makes Tong Dudu itch to give a gift."

"Got it, while those guys are still peeping around, it's just right to catch them and present it as a small welcome gift for everyone."

No sooner had the baby finished speaking than he stretched out his chubby hands and pulled out a stack of wanted notices from the void.

Under the astonished gaze of all, this infant named "Tong Dudu" began to read out names.

But what he called out were all evil Magicians who were notorious criminals.

"Ruan Du'er!"

"Bang"

As the first name was uttered, the surface of the Seeking Immortal River erupted, and a water beast-like figure, small and sturdy, burst out in panic with a face full of ferocity and fear. It seemed as if he was forced to appear, and as soon as he did, he hurriedly rushed away across the water's surface.

Seeing him flee, the Big Baby appeared unconcerned and simply laughed, "Run a little farther, it's more fun when I catch you."

And then, he continued to recite names.

"Wang Hanshui!"

"Zheng Dabiao!"

"Dong Shang!"

"Selling Chestnut Woman!"

"Bang, bang, bang"

As each name was called out, different parts of Seeking Immortal County, one by one, saw evil Magicians popping up.

They seemed to have been summoned against their will, but being old hands in the worldly society, even in terror, they still fled in different directions, thinking that they might somehow escape this predicament.

But in the very next instant, they all realized that they were wrong.

After the Big Baby had finished calling the names, he started unwrapping the golden rope from his wrist while chuckling, "You've been caught by the adorable Tong Dudu's 'Infant Spirits Soul-searching Technique', there's no chance of escaping."

"Freeze!"

"Capture!"

As these two words were uttered, both the tens of thousands of people and the novice in the Cultivation World, Tao Qian, watched in amazement,

every Evil Cultivator paused in place. Then, the golden rope thrown by the baby inflated with the wind.

In an instant, it turned into a seemingly infinitely extending golden rope, swiftly binding all the evil cultivators tightly together, like a string of gourds, and were hauled back into the hands of the Big Baby.

ps: There will be another update tonight.