Chapter 80: Riding the Fish to Roam

Although somewhat surprised by Zhou Shuo's situation, Chan Yinsha did not doubt it, because his situation was not without precedent; this world never lacks those who bear the protagonist's fortune, whether Hong Yi's father Hong Xuanji, the Supreme Dao Sect Patriarch Meng Shenji, the Heaven Emperor Yang Pan, and so on—these people all enjoyed heaven's aid when the times were favorable, but when their luck waned, heroes were not free.

"Why don't you cooperate with the Jade Pool Sect?" Chan Yinsha fairly accepted Zhou Shuo's origins, yet she couldn't help but wonder: since your future dao partner is a member of the Jade Pool Sect, why not join forces with them instead of seeking someone like me, an overseas demon immortal?

"The Jade Pool Sect, aside from Yue Ting and Yue Ru, are all wolves to me; dancing with them ends in being devoured." Zhou Shuo tossed aside the empty shrimp shells, then raised his cup of fragrant wine. Although Chan Yinsha is a demon immortal and a princess of a state, her usable manpower is pitifully few; the Divine Heaven Dao currently has only her alone, and even if they turn hostile, they are much easier to deal with than the Jade Pool Sect.

"It seems that, having been overseas for so long, this demon immortal's reputation is no longer worth mentioning!" Chan Yinsha raised her cup in a distant toast to Zhou Shuo, her eyes holding a different light—was this man acknowledging her character, or underestimating her ability?

"Miss Sha, you're joking," said Zhou Shuo. "The title of the Eight Great Demon Immortals is universally recognized, yet the saying 'those who know beauty as beauty, this is evil'—whether demon or immortal, they are merely vulgar names." Zhou Shuo understood Chan Yinsha's meaning, but he truly was not belittling her, nor endorsing her character; he simply did not trust the Jade Pool Sect nor Chan Yinsha, opting for the lesser of two evils.

"Hmm, 'those who know beauty as beauty, this is evil'—these words are quite profound." Chan Yinsha, hearing Zhou Shuo's words, couldn't help but chew over the newly heard saying.

"Hehe." Zhou Shuo, seeing Chan Yinsha pondering the saying, was not impressed either; Laozi's wisdom is naturally profound and unsurpassed.

"Zhou Shuo, what are your plans for the future?" Chan Yinsha, after chewing on the words twice, lifted her gaze to Zhou Shuo, who had stopped eating and was only sipping wine in small mouthfuls.

"Seek some opportunities, roam the mountains and rivers, otherwise leave everything to fate—how about it, Miss Sha, do you have any fun activity to invite me to?" Zhou Shuo looked at the woman gazing at him with her lovely eyes; this girl seemed to have some intention.

"With your fortune, why not achieve something great?" Chan Yinsha, hearing his "leave everything to fate" remark, couldn't help but twitch her mouth; she could now see that Zhou Shuo's interest in the Heaven and Earth Pouch was not high—he'd grab it if he could, otherwise drop it; cooperating with him was merely a passing whim. Among all those blessed with fortune since ancient times, who has been as lazy as this?

"What I aspire to is merely this: everyone wishes for career success, whether wise or foolish, they all become ministers and generals, their coffers full of gold and silver—just like our cultivation, it's also a case of 'making do with Shu while gazing toward Long'; life is like a farce, we are merely actors in it, unable to step out, so we might as well take it in stride, waiting to perform our own act, letting others judge its good or bad, bearing its joys and sorrows ourselves." Zhou Shuo gave a slight shrug; he didn't want to be a salted fish either, but what could he do?

"What should I call you!" Chan Yinsha looked at the shrugging fellow, feeling both amused and exasperated; to say he's just a salted fish isn't quite right—he has some ambition, yet he is so lethargic—how could someone like him ever reach great heights in life?

"However you want to put it, just say it—I feel I'm doing fine; perhaps someday I'll go farther and higher than any of you." Zhou Shuo indicated indifference; his life doesn't need others' commentary.

"That's really boastful—advancing in martial arts is the hardest; a human immortal at most lives two hundred years, how can you compare to me?" Chan Yinsha was somewhat unconvinced; a ghost immortal who undergoes corpse-liberation rebirth only sees his soul slightly damaged after five hundred years.

"Who told you I only cultivate martial arts? My dao cultivation is now just shy of the life‑death barrier!" Zhou Shuo looked at the disbelieving girl, glanced askance, and asked, "Am I really the sort of salted fish who cultivates only dao arts and martial techniques?"

"……How did you manage to have your soul exit the body?" Chan Yinsha, hearing Zhou Shuo's words, slightly opened her mouth; it took her a while to regain composure before asking. People who cultivate both martial arts and the dao are not few; she herself is one, but she merely strengthens her body to a certain standard, making it difficult to fuse body and spirit into a refined fist intent, whereas those who cultivate martial arts, especially those who have achieved body‑spirit unity, find their souls unable to exit when practicing dao arts—body‑spirit unity and soul unity are hard to achieve together.

"That's just another hurdle, but when shall we go ride the shark?" Zhou Shuo looked at the girl whose face showed surprise, then gave a restrained smile and gazed out at the blue sea and sky.

"Let's go!" Chan Yinsha, seeing his composed expression and his pause in eating, could roughly guess it was some secret technique, and didn't want to press further; she led Zhou Shuo out of the cabin and onto the deck.

At this moment on the sea surface, the merchant ship of Chu Yun Guo had already left Tao Shen Gang; on the ship's starboard side, a surface higher than the gunwale, a silver‑gray substance like a sail extended from below the water—it was a fish fin, as large as a hill, protruding from the water. Zhou Shuo gazed at the sail‑like huge fin, involuntarily opening his mouth, for even though the fin had not fully broken the surface it was already that large—just how huge must the shark lurking beneath be?

"Jump on up!" Chan Yinsha, seeing Zhou Shuo's slightly open mouth, couldn't help but curl the corner of her mouth into a smile.

"All right." Seeing Chan Yinsha speak, Zhou Shuo did not refuse; he leapt straight onto the fin, grabbed its edge— the fin had no fish‑slime, nor did it prickle; its feel was smooth yet extremely tough, easily supporting a person.

"Let's go!" Seeing Zhou Shuo jump without hesitation, Chan Yinsha also leapt onto the fin, grasping its edge just as he did, and with a clear shout the fin bearing the two of them instantly broke the surface and surged forward.

After they had swum beyond the merchant ship's range, the fin rose rapidly until its base and the broad back of the fish were exposed. Chan Yinsha waved from afar at the ship, then called to Zhou Shuo to jump onto the fish's back and walk forward along its wide spine; Zhou Shuo followed suit.

The fish's spine barely showed above the sea, adjusting as the two advanced until half a shark's head emerged from the water, providing a platform for Zhou Shuo and Chan Yinsha to stand on; the two stood upon the silver‑gray shark's head, as if they were two fish perched on an elephant's back.

"How is it?" Chan Yinsha gazed out at the blue sea and sky, then turned her head to look at Zhou Shuo, who was examining the silver shark beneath his feet.

"Formerly, I never imagined I could have such a life." Zhou Shuo looked at the shark's head beneath his feet, resembling a triangular rock, lifted his eyes to the blue sea and sky, then glanced back at the receding ship silhouette, spread his arms, closed his eyes, and savored the moment of riding the shark across the four seas.

"You're enjoying it now, right? Bai Yi, go!" Chan Yinsha, hearing Zhou Shuo's words, couldn't help but smile, and at the same time issued a clear shout; the enormous silver shark beneath their feet, almost human‑like, lifted its head to the water's surface to support them, its massive tail and waist swayed, and with a splash a wave shot far away.

"It's called Bai Yi?" Zhou Shuo felt the wind's force on his body and the spray behind him, glanced at the great shark beneath him, then looked at Chan Yinsha.

"Yes, it is the strongest of our Silver Shark Clan; it once ate a sea ginseng, giving it extraordinary longevity, and now it has comprehended dao arts and cultivated to the point of shedding its shell—though it cannot roam at night; the name 'Bai Yi' is one I gave it." Chan Yinsha nodded with a smiling expression.

"Train well, and someday you'll have your time to roam freely." Zhou Shuo sat down, lightly patted the great shark beneath him; in response to his patting, the silver shark's two eyes shifted slightly, its head tilting a bit, the motion resembling a kitten rubbing against someone affectionately, which made Zhou Shuo smile.

"Don't pat it like that; it will feel uncomfortable." Chan Yinsha looked at the carelessly seated fellow on Bai Yi's head, smiled while reminding him, and sat down beside him.

"Not cute anymore." Zhou Shuo looked at the girl sitting beside him and her reminder; his smile stalled, then he reached out and patted the great shark beneath him with varying force, but the huge creature remained motionless, merely plodding ahead, leaving Zhou Shuo feeling quite vexed.

"Don't treat her as a pet; she really will get angry." Chan Yinsha, observing Zhou Shuo's actions, laughed and explained: the shark Bai Yi has cultivated dao arts to the point of shedding its shell; its intelligence is like a child's, but it is not the sort of pet cat or dog that casually gets close to people.

"All right, I know." Seeing Chan Yinsha speak, Zhou Shuo felt it was no use trying to amuse the big fellow further; if he really got him into the water, he'd surely end up in a sorry state.

"Well then, let's talk about cultivation—I'll tell you the crucial points of human body and soul." Unable to tease the shark, Zhou Shuo changed the subject; riding the fish across the seas may look carefree, but after the novelty wears off one must find something to do.

"Why are you bringing this up again?" Chan Yinsha closed her eyes, enjoying the sea breeze's caress; hearing Zhou Shuo's words, she couldn't help but open her lovely eyes—just moments ago she hadn't been prepared to speak of this.

"Just now there were too many people on the ship; this sort of secret cannot be casually told to others…" Zhou Shuo shook his head, then began to expound the mystery of the soul and spirit.

When born innately, the primordial spirit is muddled; as the body grows, the liver produces a soul, the lungs a spirit, the kidneys essence, the spleen thought, and the heart gives rise to a consciousness—this consciousness is the postnatal mind and thinking ability. As a person ages and matures, the primordial spirit retreats, the consciousness takes charge, governing one's life.

In the Yang Spirit World, the so‑called soul‑exit is essentially refining the subtle essence among the three souls in the liver, using hypnotic illusions to draw the primordial spirit and refined intent out of the body, then gradually bringing the soul and spirit forth; after enduring bit by bit the tempering of heaven and earth's yin and yang qi, they condense into a single entity, achieving an exterior embodiment.

When a martial artist cultivates, he must fuse blood‑spirit and bodily will into one, forging it into yang‑hard fist intent; whereas dao cultivation requires bringing the soul and spirit out of the body to temper them, after which they become inseparable—since the two paths diverge, it is exceedingly difficult to master both martial and dao ways unless one attains the state of no law, no thought, and the key to that state lies in the corpse‑dog among the seven spirits.