Chapter 246 : Passerby
Many cultivators had recently rushed to Xianyuan Town, as legend claimed this was where the ghost ship would most likely arrive next. With so many arriving in succession, the modest town gradually became overcrowded. Yet apart from normal rentals, few people caused trouble, and there were no incidents of forcibly occupying townspeople's homes.
The reason was simple: the first people who tried had been taught a lesson. Latecomers had heard rumors and suspected powerful experts might be living in seclusion in Xianyuan Town, so even these arrogant cultivators had to humble themselves before ordinary people.
That night, Jiang Mo lay in her rented courtyard gazing at the stars, casually chatting with System.
System lay as listlessly in its database as its host and asked, "Host, you seemed to get along well with those Liuxian Island people. I thought you might keep them around, so why did you send them to live in mountain caves outside town?"
Jiang Mo stared at the starry sky above, indifferently replying, "Don't be ridiculous. There was nothing special about them—they were just tools to complete a task."
Hearing this, System reflected and realized it was actually true, leaving it speechless.
Speaking of tools, Jiang Mo recalled the prerequisite mission—honestly, 100 points meant so little to her now that after hearing the task reward, she had completely lost interest. She had initially wanted to have Yu Sheng repeat the legends, but in the end, she hadn't even listened to System's recording, so she still didn't know which legend had triggered the mission.
Taking advantage of the quiet night with nothing to do, Jiang Mo finally showed some interest and asked System, "By the way, System, which legend was that task targeting? Didn't you record it? Play it for me."
System remained silent as the night breeze brushed through Jiang Mo's hanging hair, and the young man's voice from earlier that day sounded in her ears again.
It was a story about the deep sea, featuring legendary merpeople as the protagonists. Merpeople were originally demonic beings, born with human bodies and fish tails, and like most demonic races, they possessed natural beauty. Unlike other demonic races that roamed the skies and earth, merpeople inherently belonged to the ocean, where they could command winds, summon rain, and split waves. But once they left the seawater, merpeople would lose their power and even die of thirst.
Legend said merpeople could cry tears that turned to pearls, and the satin they wove was extraordinarily beautiful. Countless people had ventured into the deep sea because of this, and countless people had perished in the waters. Yet occasionally, a lucky few returned with mermaid pearls or mermaid satin, becoming rich overnight...
It was an ordinary and common legend, delivered in dry, brief phrases, far less engaging than the stories Jiang Mo had previously seen or heard. Most of the legends from Yu Sheng's mouth were like this—listening for three days had nearly made her sick.
Now with a clear target, listening to the young man's dry narration in the recording, Jiang Mo found some interest.
She propped her chin on her hand, her eyes reflecting the night sky above, and asked System, "System, doesn't this story sound familiar?"
System had far more patience than Jiang Mo. This legend about merpeople was the second time it had heard it, and because the task completion prompt had appeared promptly that day, it had immediately locked onto this story. Without thinking, it replied, "Yes, it's very familiar. In those story and fairy tale collections from before your transmigration, there were countless similar legends about merpeople or mermaids."
Jiang Mo shook her head: "No, not that kind of familiar. I mean this current scenario... In the legend, people rush to the sea in search of merpeople. Aren't these cultivators in Xianyuan Town also here to venture into the sea?"
As she said this, Jiang Mo rolled over, her gaze sweeping across the ordinary town shrouded in moonlight: "System, do you think these people's purpose in boarding the ghost ship might also be to find merpeople?"
System had transmigrated with its host over eighty years ago. While the host had been busy cultivating and leveling up, System had spent these eighty years quite bored. Taking advantage of the host's special status and Xuanqing Sect's extensive collection of books, it had gradually copied all of the sect's archives. Although it hadn't read everything, searching and inquiring wasn't difficult.
After a brief silence, System completed its search and replied: "Host, that's unlikely. According to records, demonic races disappeared tens of thousands of years ago. Merpeople haven't appeared before humans for ten thousand years—they might even be extinct."
Jiang Mo remained unconcerned: "System, haven't you heard of ruins? Even when a powerful race disappears, they always leave something behind, and humans are the most skilled at excavation."
System thought of the treasure-hunting stories in its database. Though they were clearly fabricated, it had to admit the host had a point. They were already here, so they might as well wait for Senior Sister while observing the situation—at least the trip wouldn't be wasted.
Host and System chatted idly, speculating about future possibilities, the atmosphere so pleasant that Jiang Mo nearly fell asleep in the night breeze.
Given Jiang Mo's current cultivation level, taking a nap in the courtyard was unremarkable. The reason she didn't fall asleep was because just as she was about to drift off, System suddenly issued an alert: "Host, someone is entering the town."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo jolted awake, instantly alert.
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The world of cultivators, like the world of wandering heroes, often defied reason.
For instance, both would resort to violence at the slightest disagreement. The latter was somewhat better, at worst breaking furniture or damaging houses—just a matter of losing money to avoid disaster. The former was more troublesome—with a wave of their hands, towns and villages could be instantly obliterated, claiming countless lives.
Perhaps because she had been an ordinary person in her previous life, Jiang Mo didn't view cultivators with the same hierarchical perspective, nor did she enjoy needless killing. So when she arrived at Xianyuan Town and saw this ordinary mortal settlement disturbed by cultivators, she had naturally stepped in to maintain its tranquility. She had taught a lesson to every cultivator who attempted to bully mortals with their power.
The night in the small town was peaceful. With every household closed and locked, only cultivators would enter at this hour.
Upon hearing that a cultivator had entered the town, Jiang Mo immediately rose and stretched, then asked System: "System, who's coming? In the middle of the night like this—those people from outside town aren't coming to cause trouble, are they?"
Cultivators who couldn't find lodging in town mostly stayed outside.
System suddenly grew excited, bouncing out of Jiang Mo as a ball of light, jumping up and down: "Host, host, you'll never guess who's coming." Without waiting for Jiang Mo to guess, it provided the answer: "Senior Sister! It's Senior Sister! She's here! Host, hurry, don't let her get away again!"
Jiang Mo, who had been stretching after lying down for so long, froze mid-motion at these words, nearly twisting her waist: "Sys-System, what did you say?"
System continued bouncing in front of her: "Host, Senior Sister! It's Senior Sister..."
Before it could finish, Jiang Mo's expression of disbelief vanished, and she disappeared from her spot in a flash—at her current level, without relying on System's scanning, she could quickly extend her divine sense across the town, taking in everything.
In an instant, Jiang Mo appeared above a small courtyard.
The courtyard below was no different from Jiang Mo's previous one—simple, even crude, just an ordinary mortal dwelling. Half a month ago, it had been rented at a high price, and after a struggle a few days ago, it had changed hands. Jiang Mo knew all this clearly, and because the courtyard now housed Nine Abyss Sect members, she had been paying extra attention to it.
But tonight under the moonlight, gazing at the figure hovering in midair before her, she could no longer spare any thought for the courtyard below.
It was a familiar silhouette, still in the same cyan robes, with the same appearance. The cool moonlight fell upon her, illuminating her beautiful profile, showing no difference from years past... For a moment, Jiang Mo even felt the previous eighty years had been nothing but a fleeting dream. After waking from the dream, Senior Sister was still by her side—the separation, the fruitless pursuit, none of it had happened.
Until that person sensed something and turned, regarding her with unfamiliar eyes, body slightly angled in a defensive posture. Only then did Jiang Mo feel as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, bringing her back from the dream to reality.
The word "Senior Sister" caught in her throat, and though her lips moved, no sound emerged.
Yun Qingyue watched her warily. She didn't recognize her, and decades of solitary wandering had made her more cautious around strangers. Especially here, at a Nine Abyss Sect foothold, especially when she had caused the Nine Abyss Sect no small amount of trouble over the years.
Jiang Mo didn't realize that across from her, Senior Sister had already taken her for a high-ranking expert planted by the Nine Abyss Sect. System clamored in her mind: "Host, Senior Sister! Your living, breathing Senior Sister is right in front of you! Don't just stand there excited—speak up and identify yourself! You haven't seen each other for many years, and she hasn't seen what you look like grown up. If you don't speak, she might not recognize you..."
System, having followed along, was even more excited than Jiang Mo, bouncing up and down with none of its usual laziness.
Jiang Mo's attention was quickly drawn to the light ball only she could see. Though her excitement at seeing Senior Sister hadn't diminished, her overheated brain gradually cooled, and she listened to System's words.
That's right—Senior Sister had never seen her human form and probably didn't recognize her at all.
This was... perfect!
Jiang Mo still remembered how they had interacted before. The tiger cub had been picked up by Senior Sister right after birth, developing the habit of being carried everywhere. Later, Senior Sister had even entered her innate space and seen her childlike form.
From that time on, Jiang Mo had always felt Senior Sister's attitude toward her was strange, as if raising a child. And in truth, that was exactly what she had been doing—half raising a child, half keeping a pet. Under those circumstances, getting Senior Sister to develop romantic feelings for her would have been impossible unless the other had some peculiar preferences!
Though time had passed, once a relationship dynamic was established, breaking it became extremely difficult. For instance, if you've defined someone as your junior, you simply couldn't develop romantic feelings for them.
Thinking this far, Jiang Mo's gaze flickered, and suddenly she no longer wanted to immediately reveal her identity.
Meanwhile, in the darkness, Yun Qingyue couldn't discern the changing emotions in Jiang Mo's eyes. Seeing that the person across from her remained silent and motionless, she finally spoke: "Who are you?"
Jiang Mo tilted her head thoughtfully, then answered: "A passerby who wishes to know you."