Chapter 817: Something You Hold Dear
The boat was made of white bones and the boatman was a scarecrow. The entire vessel had been constructed from countless bones, seamlessly interlocked and stacked together. Large and small bones alike gleamed icy white, almost like jade, yet emanated a chilling, macabre aura. It was obvious at a glance that these were not ornamental, They had been stripped from real creatures and pieced together to form the shape of a boat.
Standing at the stern of this bone-crafted boat was the boatman, crudely assembled from straw. His limbs and joints were clearly made of human bones, while the rest of his body was stuffed with disordered straw, like the ugly patchwork of a mischievous kindergartener. His oversized head was entirely made of straw, with a mouth and nose roughly drawn in charcoal. The eye sockets were hollow, pitch black, and unsettling.
Upon closer inspection, faint blue flames flickered within the scarecrow’s empty sockets. They flickered briefly before vanishing.
“Are you all here to cross the river?” The scarecrow’s mouth did not move, yet an ancient, drawn-out voice rang out.
It was an eerie sound, like the death rattle of someone speaking with their last breath. It was low, raspy, and ominous.
Everyone shuddered involuntarily.
What kind of creature is this?
Chu Xiang, ever the bold one, called out, “You... who are you?”
“The Ferryman.”
“The Ferryman?”
“Yes. They all call me... the Youming Ferryman.”
“Youming Ferryman...” Chu Xiang chuckled. “That’s a pretty cool name.”