Chapter 564

“Lin… Lin Zhenren? Might I ask if you are the legendary Lin Zhenren?” A merchant sailor approached, asking cautiously.

Lin Jue looked at them but did not answer; instead, he asked:

“Where are you from?”

This was, in itself, an indirect acknowledgment.

Instantly, everyone surged forward in a crowd.

“We were originally from the coastal regions of Dayu’s Cangzhou and Langzhou, sailing for trade, when we were accidentally swept here by this demon king… this monster, forced to work as craftsmen building a palace just like those in heaven.”

The many sailors had long held back a flood of fear and grievance; now that they saw a deity speaking their own tongue—likely the very Lin Zhenren they had heard of since childhood—and that the monster tormenting them had been slain, they all unleashed their pent-up emotions:

“Oh dear, we’re just merchants—how could we build palaces? We could only pretend to comply, dragging out the time, hoping it would notice something was wrong… but even then, we’d likely still be killed.”

“How many of you were there originally?”

“Several groups, scattered, totaling about forty.”

“How many are left now?”

“About twenty remain.”

“How did the others die?”

“Some refused to build its palace and were eaten alive; some died of fright; some fell ill from poor food, inadequate clothing, and unsuitable climate, and died as soon as they got sick; sometimes, when our construction failed to satisfy it, or when it sensed we were delaying, or thought we were slacking, it would just eat two of us.”

As the merchant-craftsmen spoke, they all covered their faces and wept.

Someone else quickly knelt and prostrated himself:

“Lin Zhenren! After we were captured, we prayed to you, begging you to bring us home!”

“I am no deity; I do not consume incense or hear human prayers.”

Lin Jue had been about to tell them they should pray to Yu Jian Emperor and Zi Emperor instead, but then he thought better of it—they were southerners, whose primary deities were Yu Jian Emperor; Zi Emperor was the Heavenly Emperor, and for those in utter despair, they had surely prayed to every deity they could think of.

Lin Jue was about to say they ought to pray to Jade Mirror Emperor and Purple Emperor instead, but he thought better of it—they were southerners, whose patron deities were Jade Mirror Emperor, and Purple Emperor was the Heavenly Emperor; anyone in despair would have already prayed to every deity they could think of.

For instance, this place was too far from land; Yu Jian Emperor might not have cared enough, and Zi Emperor certainly cared—but he was even farther away, and right now his attention was fully on the Jiazi Pacifying Demons campaign, where the demons being cleansed were all from within Dayu’s mainland; though there were Dayu civilians here, there were only dozens, so it was only natural he couldn’t reach them.

For instance, this place is too far from land; Jade Mirror Emperor may not care enough, and Purple Emperor certainly does—but he is even farther away, and right now all their attention is on the Jiazi Pacifying Demon, whose demons purged here are all from within Dayu’s mainland; though there are Dayu civilians here, there are only dozens, so it’s only natural they can’t be reached.

So Lin Jue simply asked, “Is your boat still here?”

“The monster destroyed and sank all our ships after dragging us here, to crush any hope of escape.”

“It did say that once the palace was built, it would send us home and give us gold and silver, but not only could we never build such a palace, just from how many people it has eaten—including many of the giants on this island—it would never let us go.”

“Even if we had a ship, this vast ocean has no direction, no sense of how far from land—we could never sail back…”

“Please, Zhenren, use your divine art to send us home!”

“We vow to serve you with our entire lives!”

Everyone looked at Lin Jue, then glanced behind him at his third senior brother and little sister.

“Don’t look at me—I don’t have that kind of power,” said the third senior brother. “Ask Lin Zhenren.”

“Rest easy. You’ll sleep, and when you wake, you’ll be back on shore,” Lin Jue said. “I only asked if your ships were still here so I could return them too.”

They burst into ecstatic joy, almost unable to believe it, as if dreaming.

“Thank you, Zhenren!”

“Thank you, Zhenren!”

“Are there any others?”

“Everyone is here.”

“Good.” Lin Jue waved toward the distance, adding, “Remember—once you return, do not worship me.”

The giant crab, over a zhang tall, the shrimp warriors over a zhang tall, and the various fish and sea demons were still locked in fierce combat, evenly matched, struggling in a tangled brawl.

Six of the seven foxes watched, entranced; only one turned its head toward them.

That fox leapt lightly, its form graceful and elegant, slicing through the sky as it landed before them.

But before it could touch ground, the colorful badger beside the little sister leapt forward first and suddenly spat out:

But before it could land, the colorful lynx beside Little Sister jumped forward and suddenly spat.

A wisp of smoke drifted out.

The moment anyone breathed it in, they instantly fell into deep sleep.

“I’ll handle it.”

The little sister feared her brother’s thundercloud might move too fast and fling them off into the sea, so she reached out and split off a small cloud from her own.

With her other hand, she gestured, and the sailors rose into the air, settling gently onto the cloud.

“Chen Niu, Chen Niu.”

“My name is Chen Niu!”

A small ghost appeared out of thin air.

“Take this cloud and deliver them to the coastal city of Cangzhou.”

Why is he always being sent on errands?

Chen Niu suppressed his inner joy, keeping his face solemn, and immediately turned toward the cloud:

Chen Niu suppressed his inner joy, keeping his face stern, and immediately turned to look at Caiyun.

The cloud slowly rose into the sky, drifting toward the distance.

Lin Jue turned his gaze to the still-battling sea demons.

The thundercloud immediately floated above them.

Thunderclouds immediately drifted above them.

A forked lightning bolt descended, nearly purple-red, each branch striking the ground and connecting to one sea demon.

In an instant, all the sea demons stiffened and collapsed.

In a flash, the fox turned its head toward Lin Jue.

“Don’t toy with others, and never take pleasure in it—even if they’re utterly wicked,” Lin Jue patted its head. “Change back.”

“Don’t toy with others, let alone for amusement—even if they’re utterly wicked.” Lin Jue patted its head. “Change back now.”

“Too noisy.”

“You’re the noisy one!”

All seven foxes turned their heads at once, speaking in unison.

Though they spoke thus, the fox leapt toward the center.

Six of the foxes slipped into the body of one.

Lin Jue had assumed the fox that had come to him was the original—but to his surprise, it was another fox, utterly indistinguishable, that was the true body.

This demonstrated Fuyao’s mastery of the body-splitting technique—

It seemed even better suited to this art than Dong Wangmu, naturally more gifted at disguise and impersonation; its clones were nearly identical in power and utterly indistinguishable in appearance—even Lin Jue, who spent every day with the fox, could not tell original from clone after hours of conversation.

At that moment, the third senior brother’s voice came from beside them:

“You two are truly formidable! Watching you makes this elder brother feel envious, jealous, and ashamed.”

“If you focused on cultivation, you’d have such power too—your heart and life are just elsewhere,” Lin Jue replied, then feigned confusion and countered, “Why haven’t I seen Princess Hua? Hasn’t your promise to her from decades ago been fulfilled? Have you two parted ways, and are you now living freely alone, Elder Brother?”

“If Brother focused solely on cultivation, he’d have such abilities too—only his heart and life lie elsewhere,” Lin Jue said, then feigned confusion and shot back, “Why haven’t I seen Princess Hua? Hasn’t Brother fulfilled the promise he made to Princess Hua all those decades ago? Have you parted ways? Is Third Brother now free and unburdened?”

Such a powerful attack!

“Here.”

The third senior brother awkwardly reached into his robe and pulled out the Soul-Nourishing Pearl.

“Why keep Princess Hua in your bosom? Even if you don’t care about propriety between men and women, don’t you worry about suffocating her?” Lin Jue frowned.

The little sister held her breath, listening intently.

A wisp of white smoke drifted out, landed on the ground, and transformed into a woman in red robes.

The woman in red smiled faintly and bowed to them.

Both senior brother and sister returned the bow; even the colorful badger beside them, though still in beast form, mimicked the gesture—though without human shape, it looked comical.

“So Princess Hua is still here. Clearly, the world is vast—especially beyond the seas. Even after all these years, you haven’t explored it all,” Lin Jue nodded repeatedly. “Good. My elder brother is a wanderer—he needs someone to tie him down, or one day he’ll die somewhere and no one will know.”

The third senior brother opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again.

“So Princess Hua is still alive. It seems the world truly is vast, especially beyond the seas—after all these years, you still haven’t explored it all.” Lin Jue nodded repeatedly. “That’s good. My brother is a wild one—he needs someone to tie him down, or one day he’ll die somewhere and no one will know.”

“This man’s skin is sometimes thick, sometimes thin—don’t tease him further.”

“Hah!” Lin Jue finally laughed, then reached into his bag and pulled out two Yuanqiu fruits. “These are Yuanqiu fruits—I grew them myself. This is the first time they’ve borne fruit, and these are the first ripe ones. Because of their unique flavor and longevity-enhancing properties, I brought them specially for you, Elder Brother and Princess Hua, to taste.”

“The Tree of Immortality? Yuanqiu fruits?”

“Hah!” Lin Jue finally smiled, reached into his bag, and pulled out two Yuanqiu fruits. “These are Yuanqiu fruits—I grew them myself. This is their first harvest, the very first batch to ripen. Because of their unique flavor and longevity-enhancing properties, I brought them specially for you and Princess Hua to taste.”

Both accepted the fruits without ceremony.

The third senior brother inhaled deeply and murmured:

“I’ve heard of these during my travels, but never found any—never imagined you’d grown them! I always said you should’ve been the abbott!”

“You’d better shut up,” Princess Hua said. “Or you’ll blush again.”

“How dare you speak so disrespectfully?”

“You’d better keep quiet,” Princess Hua said. “Or you’ll make your face turn red again.”

Their interactions were amusing.

Lin Jue and the little sister exchanged a glance.

The way these two interacted was interesting.

Lin Jue and the junior sister exchanged a glance.

Looking back, whether it was their first meeting on the wasteland or the time when Third Master first brought Princess Hua back, both were already many years ago.