Chapter 779: The Difference Between Water and Land

Thinking of Jingcheng, Fang Yue gazed into the distance…

"Captain Wu, An Dong'er, and… her corpse…"

No matter what the You Family's stance, Fang Yue wanted… at least to pay respects at You Sisi's spirit tablet.

Gently stroking the silk scarf wrapped around his right hand, Fang Yue drifted into thought until Jing Yan called out, snapping him back.

"Ye Ge, the convoy is moving—let's go."

Looking ahead, a vast, winding line of people marched toward the city gate.

Traveling with so many people together was truly inappropriate.

The wilderness was dangerous; Fang Yue could protect only a limited number, and he simply couldn't guarantee these people's safety.

Fortunately, he had already spoken of this beforehand—most would follow the convoy only to the next major city before leaving, with only a small group intending to accompany him all the way to Jingcheng.

"Ye Ge!"

"Xiao Ye!"

"Ye Daren!"

Mounted on horseback and catching up to the convoy, Jing Yan and the others all greeted him.

Fang Yue glanced at Lin Ling's arm, bound in bandages, and asked after his condition.

"No problem, Xiao Ye—don't worry about me. To be honest, I'm not the same as before. My strength may still lag behind yours, but given time, you won't be my match. When Lord Han revives, he'll look at me with new respect!"

Since transplanting Lord Han's eyes, Lin Ling had grown increasingly confident; though his strength hadn't yet caught up to his ambition, he didn't care—he was utterly certain he'd surpass himself.

Fang Yue shrugged, not caring much, until Qingchen spoke up.

"Ye Ge, don't think Lin Captain is boasting—I checked him this morning. After yesterday's battle, his strength surged another notch; he's close to breaking through, and his progress is astonishing. More importantly, with Lin Captain's increased strength, Lord Han's eyes have become significantly more active—they're one step closer to awakening!"

"Really?!"

Fang Yue's face lit up with joy, his heart stirred.

Whether Lin Ling would surpass him, Fang Yue didn't care much.

After all, they weren't rivals—they were friends. The stronger Lin Ling became, the easier things were for Fang Yue.

Not to mention… Lin Ling was growing stronger, but Fang Yue himself had become an unparalleled genius!

And more than that, what truly thrilled Fang Yue was that Lord Han was about to awaken—this was the best news he'd heard in ages!

In an instant, Fang Yue stared fixedly at Lin Ling, his lips almost forming the words…

【Change! Turn it on now!】

Fang Yue:???

What do you have to do with this? Why did you suddenly appear?

【So mean! The great and noble Parchment Lord doesn't even have the right to take a stroll! Waaahhh!】

【Is this how you treat the Parchment Lord who's saved you from fire and water thousands and tens of thousands of times? I'm mad!】

…Fine, stop whining. Go stroll however you like—I won't stop you.

【Yay!】

Fang Yue sighed—he was at a loss with the Parchment Lord.

"Xiao Ye, just wait—you'll soon need me to protect you!"

Lin Ling tossed out those words, dragging his bandaged, severed hand as he swaggered ahead of the convoy—among the few in the group with command ability, he now led the entire expedition.

As for Fang Yue, he had no interest in such things; he'd only step forward as leader if absolutely forced.

Of course, if real trouble arose on the road, Fang Yue would still have to act.

Watching Lin Ling stride with arrogant, unbothered confidence, Fang Yue covered his face, wanting to pretend he didn't know this person.

But this also proved Lin Ling was in excellent spirits—last night's battle had truly boosted his strength.

"How wonderful…"

Fang Yue felt a pang of envy—he'd labored all night and still remained at Mid-Level Human Realm, not even a hint of progress.

Still, absorbing Tian Ruichi's Sword Dao knowledge had been worthwhile.

"Ye Daren, after this parting, we may never meet again—take these. I've already written the report to Qingsi; your merits won't be overlooked."

As the convoy departed beyond the city gate, Dou Hongyi hurried over to Fang Yue, handing him a bundle—so close he nearly brushed against Fang Yue's black ring above his head, which dripped Night Rain onto him, making him freeze in terror and scramble backward.

In a certain sense, Fang Yue was a presence others needed to avoid.

Opening the bundle, he peered inside—it held vials and jars.

Some enhanced cultivation, others healed wounds; the variety was thorough, showing Dou Hongyi had put real thought into it.

"Mm. Don't worry—I won't forget you if I rise in rank."

"Don't forget your old friends when you're rich and powerful"—that was exactly what Dou Hongyi meant.

As soon as Fang Yue spoke, Dou Hongyi beamed, nodding vigorously in agreement.

Seeing nothing else remained, Fang Yue rode to the rear of the convoy.

Looking back, the ruined walls of Chunuan City were already distant.

Recalling Chunuan City's former prosperity, Fang Yue sighed with deep emotion.

Just as he turned to leave completely, he noticed a figure—woman—standing faintly atop the wall.

After a moment's hesitation, Fang Yue waved toward the shadow, a final farewell—then turned fully, riding away with the convoy.

Behind them, Chunuan City shrank from a wall into a dark dot, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished.

…

On the walls of Chunuan City, Yang Hongxia slumped against the rampart, tears streaming, her gaze fixed beyond the wall—as if staring hard enough, she could still see the departing convoy, see… him.

"We may never meet again."

A sudden clarity rose in Yang Hongxia's heart—a heavy, sorrowful emotion, lingering long and unyielding.

……

The team set off, everything progressed smoothly, and Fang Yue quietly exited the game.

Soon after, the Alliance arranged for someone to send them back to the Qing Shui District.

Whether to let Sign Chairman and the others return, or to let Fang Yue leave for the neighboring Hai Yu City, remained uncertain.

Fang Yue didn't care much—as long as he wasn't stuck at the Alliance's headquarters.

He boarded a helicopter, took Yuan Jie with him, and left together with Qiu Dugu and Minister Jiang.

After flying only a short while, they returned to the Qing Shui District, went to his room, unpacked his luggage, and kept the tachi close at hand in case of unexpected events upon exiting the game.

Indeed, even a golden nest or a silver nest is no match for one's own doghole.

With this thought, Fang Yue entered the game.

After Fang Yue entered the game, his room quietly opened slightly, and a single eye peered inside for a moment before the door closed again silently.

In the entire Qing Shui District, the only person besides violent intruders who possessed a key to Fang Yue's room was one person.

Yuan Jie leaned against the door of Fang Yue's room, her eyes red, clutching her phone tightly, her right hand trembling slightly from excessive force.

The sound-sensitive lights dimmed quietly; the glow from Yuan Jie's phone flickered faintly.

On her phone was a photo—a woman whose face bore some resemblance to her.

In the photo, the woman's hands were pierced through by long, rusted iron nails, pinned to a cement floor resembling some kind of abandoned factory, her eyes filled with tears, terrified and Zhenjiu.

"Sister… what should I do…"

Yuan Jie slid down, slumping to the floor against Fang Yue's door, burying her head in her chest, whispering sobs—helpless and Zhenjiu.

……

In the game, Fang Yue logged in and immediately noticed the team had stopped.

"What's going on? What happened?"

Fang Yue rode his horse to the front of the group; Tian Ruichi, Jing Yan, and the others who had already gathered turned to look at him together.

"Ye Ge! You got here so fast this time!"

"Ye Ge, I think we've run into trouble."

What does that mean?

Fang Yue moved closer curiously and saw they were reading a letter.

"It's my master's Flying Pigeon Message—he told me to switch to the water route."

"Why?"

"I don't know. My master seems unable to say who's after me, but the situation must be extremely serious—otherwise he wouldn't have sent a Flying Pigeon Message."

The water route could reach Jingcheng faster than the land route, but its dangers were common knowledge.

Compared to the strangeness of the land, deep rivers and lakes were terrifying and eerie, especially at night, possessing a terrifying ability to swallow all light.

On fragile boats without illumination, only the faint moonlight barely revealed dense, indistinct black shadows beneath the water's surface.

In that lonely environment, just imagining this scene was suffocating.

The water route was avoided by everyone except those whose livelihoods depended on it, like fishermen.

Legends said an Immortal once sailed out to sea seeking a higher realm—and never returned.

Since then, countless others followed, all swallowed by the sea, none ever coming back.

The sea was a taboo—this was common knowledge.

As a result, even great rivers and lakes became dangerous and mysterious, avoided by all.

Ancient records mention that powerful Rain-level cultivators, traveling by boat across rivers, perished—and not just once.

What lurked within rivers and lakes was unknown, and no one dared investigate—everyone feared it deeply.

Thus, under most circumstances, people preferred to detour and waste time rather than take the water route.

Fang Yue frowned slightly.

He had never seen rivers or lakes in the game; his knowledge of their dangers came only from others—he didn't know the specifics.

But from everyone else's reactions, taking the water route meant almost certain death.

And… Fang Yue glanced around at the large group and shook his head slightly.

"If we take the water route, we won't be able to bring them along—what should we do with them? Leave them to die?"

The others heard Fang Yue's words and turned pale, begging desperately to be taken along.

Tian Ruichi looked troubled: "But my master never lies—he told me to take the water route because the land route is deadly."

Fang Yue thought for a moment—if even the Sword Saint of Jingcheng deemed it dangerous, they had virtually no chance of surviving the land path.

If that's the case…

"Then let's head to the nearest city first, drop them off, then head straight for Hanjiang Wharf."

Qing Shui shook his head.

"No, for safety's sake, we should head straight for Hanjiang Wharf now and leave by water immediately. Remember, Flying Pigeon Messages take time—meaning, by the time Tian Ruichi's master learned of the threat and sent the message, the enemy was already on the move. They might even be nearly upon us now."

Qing Shui was always calm—and his analysis made sense.

But Fang Yue sharply caught the key detail.

"We? Isn't the enemy targeting Tian Ruichi alone?"

"Hard to say. Tian Ruichi's master only told him to run—perhaps the Sword Saint only cared about his disciple's safety. But the enemy's true goal remains unknown. Someone who dares kill the Special Envoy probably won't mind killing us all along the way."

Hearing Qing Shui's words, everyone drew a sharp breath.

Fang Yue's expression turned grim—he realized the gravity of the situation.

What was Tian Ruichi's role? A messenger!

If killing the messenger was merely incidental, then the true target was almost obvious.

"He wants to kill me?!"

【Who dares kill Zhi Zhi's people!】

……Precognition!

【Precognition!】

【I am Fang Yue, I am leading my team, obeying the imperial decree, leaving Chunuan City for Jingcheng.】

【On the road, the Special Envoy received a Flying Pigeon Message; I seem to be in danger.】

【I've decided to lead the team to the nearby Danyuan City, settle everyone down first, then head to Hanjiang Wharf.】

【The team set out; everything went smoothly.】

【I arrived at Danyuan City, dropped off the people, and set off for Hanjiang Wharf.】

【I reached Hanjiang Wharf and arrived safely in Jingcheng.】

【Too smooth—no danger at all; I was just worrying needlessly.】

The parchment's tone in Fang Yue's mind shifted from its usual playful liveliness to calm, cold indifference.

Fang Yue didn't think much of it; he felt a bit relieved.

Since there's no danger, then why wait…

Splash!!

The moment Fang Yue thought this, a vision suddenly flashed into his mind.

It was a city wall, surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood; the bodies of Tian Ruichi, Jing Yan, Qingchen, and others lay nearby.

Looking inside the city gate, the corpses of civilians filled the entire city—as if rewinding the scene slightly would reveal the one who slaughtered the whole city.

"It ends here."

A strange voice echoed in his ear; Fang Yue felt his body torn to shreds, and as his consciousness soared upward, he clearly saw the three characters on the city wall—Danyuan City!

Ssshh—

Fang Yue snapped back to reality, gasping for breath; his clothes were soaked in cold sweat he hadn't noticed.

"Just now—what was that?! Parchment!"

【I am Fang Yue, I am safe; I'm going to Danyuan City…】

【No! Get out! You damn thing! Get out!!】

A shrill scream, as if a girl had torn her throat, rang in his ear; blood trickled from Fang Yue's ears.

"Ye Ge?!" Several people nearby cried out, but Fang Yue waved them off, even smiling at the corner of his mouth.

Because the parchment's tone had returned to its usual self.

"Are you okay?"

【How could the great and noble Parchment Master possibly be harmed!】

【But it's strange—now that I've grown stronger, I'm still being disturbed this badly, and that familiar feeling—it's just like being back under the old witch's control!】

【Something's wrong, Fang Yue, very wrong—we need to run fast, forget about everyone else!】

【The old witch's avatar can't still be in Qing Guo, so that person… must be holding some fragment of the old witch's relics, which is why they can interfere with me so strongly!】

(End of Chapter)