Chapter 598: Ashore

In the darkness, rustling sounds arose, and black shadows kept drawing closer.

Pan Yun and six others crouched on the ground, looking up.

The approaching black shadow quietly reported a number: "Twelve."

Zhang Weiyi said softly, "Stand on the left side and wait quietly for the order."

Miao He shifted her legs, squeezed next to Pan Yun, and asked in a small voice, "Little Martial Uncle, why are we numbered in the eighties?"

Pan Yun shook her head: "I don't know, but I do know it definitely isn't ranked by Wu Gong."

Xue Shao said with a smile, "It definitely isn't by age either."

The few of them were considered the youngest.

The sea wind hit their bodies—damp yet refreshing. More and more black shadows arrived. Zhang Ning ran through the numbers reported in his mind and, nodding, said, "Everyone's here. Let's go."

Pan Yun and the others were crouching not far from his feet. Hearing this, they immediately rose and walked toward the ship, the few of them squeezing together to take the best spot.

In the darkness, Pan Yun saw Song Xuan and her senior brother Gao Zhiming.

She raised an eyebrow slightly. Seeing that Song Xuan hadn't noticed her, she stretched out a finger and poked her.

Song Xuan immediately pulled Gao Zhiming over as she squeezed through: "This number might be based on swimming ability. We're the first batch to come out—we need to be familiar with the water. Those left behind will later have to borrow the navy division's big ships to go out. But fighting at sea isn't like fighting on land. If you can trap people on the island, that's fine, but if you can't and someone falls into the water, eight or nine out of ten will lose their life."

Pan Yun was stunned and immediately turned to ask Xue Shao, "Your swimming isn't good either?"

Xue Shao said cautiously, "Average. I can swim in a river."

A river and the sea are still very different. In the open sea, even a gentle wave passing by can flip a person over in the water. Someone who isn't a strong swimmer simply can't control their own body.

Control?

Pan Yun lowered her head to look at the waves, feeling the ship beneath her sway gently with them, lost in thought.

Sometimes going against the current is not as good as going with it.

Pan Yun's consciousness sank into the rise and fall of the waves.

Xue Shao, seeing her suddenly fall silent, couldn't help but turn to look at her curiously—and then saw a familiar cat poke its head out from her chest.

He silently met its gaze. Man and cat said nothing; after looking at each other for a long while, they quietly turned their eyes away.

The ship left the shore, but the voices on board didn't stop. Many were meeting for the first time, having only heard each other's names and deeds; some, they hadn't even heard the names of.

Zhang Ning and Zhang Weiyi did not stop them from talking. Only when the ship had gone farther and farther out, after about a quarter-hour had passed, did Zhang Ning tell everyone to be silent.

The sky was still dark, but in the black night they saw a faint lamp-light, pale as moss-rice.

They knew—this was where they were going.

The ship quietly pulled in on the back side of the island. There were many reefs here, only jagged, hard-to-climb, dry reefs. Even though their ship was small, it was hard to approach, so it could only stop far away.

And on the shore was a cliff seven or eight meters high. They needed to disembark, step on the reefs exposed above the sea surface to fly toward the shore, and once close, climb up the seven-or-eight-meter cliff. Only then would they have safely landed.

Because of this, people were stationed to guard three sides of the island; only this one spot had no one watching.

For the sea bandits hiding on the island, this side was the island's natural barrier.

Seeing the jumbled reefs and sea cliff, Xue Shao's heart sank, and he looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun was brimming with confidence: "I'll lead you in a bit."

Xue Shao: "Help me lead Xijin instead."

Before Pan Yun could nod, Zhang Weiyi had already called her name.

Besides her, there were six others—and as luck would have it, Gao Zhiming was among them.

Pan Yun slowly stood up. The tiny figure looked even smaller in front of the six men.

Zhang Weiyi tossed down seven bundles of rope with a snap and said in a low voice, "Your objective is to throw the ropes down from the top of the cliff, find suitable tying points and secure them. Any problems?"

She herself had no problems. Pan Yun looked at the other six.

The six indicated they had no problems, so Pan Yun nodded and said, "I have no problems either."

"Good. Off you go."

The poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts. Wu Zhiren eat a lot, and they must eat well. Wu Zhiren who reach a certain realm have only good things in their stomachs, so they rarely suffer night blindness. The sea waves slapped against the reefs, the stone tips appearing and disappearing. The few of them swept a glance and all memorized the positions.

Each person took a bundle of rope. Gao Zhiming was about to go first when Zhang Weiyi stopped him.

He looked at Pan Yun and said in a deep voice, "Junior Martial Sister Pan, you go first."

Pan Yun knew he wanted her to scout the path for them. She didn't decline, yanked out Xijin in one hand, took the rope in the other, and flew out.

The people on the ship cried out in surprise: "Why is she still bringing a person?"

Xijin, meanwhile, was so startled he let out a wail. He had prepared beforehand, but he had thought that since Pan Yun was going to tie the rope, she wouldn't be able to bring him.

He had just been worrying, afraid he would be a drag on the young master.

The person who had assigned them numbers had privately sought them out and told them not to board the first batch of ships—or rather, he shouldn't board.

But he insisted on going, and Xue Shao also insisted on taking the first batch of ships.

The person who assigned the numbers said: life and death are one's own responsibility.

!

In Pan Yun's hand, the wind whooshed past his ears. He widened his eyes, watched the cliff drawing closer, and let out a wail.

"Ahhhh—I swear I'll never slack off in my training again—"

Pan Yun had already, gripping him, stepped off the cliff wall and flown upward.

She only borrowed three points on the cliff before she flew up onto it. She gently tossed Xijin onto the grass, and Pan Yun turned to look back at the sea.

The people on the ship only came to their senses after a long while. Their hearts pounding, their eyes were filled with excitement and admiration.

"What marvelous lightness skill—what lightness skill is that?"

"Never seen it, but being able to fly across the sea and then up the cliff—what she Rely heavily on is internal force, isn't it?"

"Right. So young and yet with such skill."

"Who is her master?"

"Mount Sanqing!"

"Long Hushan"

Miao Zhen and Zhang Weiyi spoke at the same time, but from different mouths.

The two secretly sparred for a round, and in the end Zhang Weiyi had no choice but to yield. "Junior Sister Pan is a disciple of Mount Sanqing; she's currently studying at the Long Hushan Academy."

The crowd suddenly understood, and the looks they cast at the remaining Daoist-robed figures grew even more fervent.

The jianghu had long held a rumor: the highest martial artists, in the end, still had to take refuge in Buddhism or enter the Dao, only then could they advance further.

If it was the highest, then where did "advancing further" lead?

The jianghu had never been able to explain it clearly, but everyone vaguely knew that the place one advanced further to—at the very least, one's lifespan would be vastly different from ordinary people.

That was something even emperors pursued yet could not obtain.

Therefore, many people crowded into Buddhist and Daoist gates.

Unfortunately, the Daoist gate was not something just anyone who wished to enter could enter; Long Hushan and the Celestial Master Manor had always been strict in accepting disciples.

As for the other Daoist gates…

Since disciples of other Daoist gates could come to the Long Hushan Academy to study the arts…

The crowd exchanged glances on the quiet.

Heh heh heh, they want to leave home and become Daoist priests.

Gao Zhiming and the other five exchanged a look, no longer dawdling. They shouldered the rope and flew out, every foothold one Pan Yun had already tested for them.

None of their martial arts were weak, and their lightness skills were even more superb—they still had that much memory.

The six flew down one after another to a large reef below the cliff, and looked up at the precipice.

(End of chapter)