Chapter 674: Head Bashed In Several Times
"Are you that eager for me to leave?"
"No, that’s not it. The main thing is, when I go into seclusion this time, I won’t be out for several years. You’ll be all alone and miserable on the island, with no one to cook for you or make you pastries."
’Look at him, acting like he’s doing all this for my sake.’
"You’re already skinny enough. If you don’t eat well, you’ll waste away to nothing. The mainland has plenty of inns and all kinds of food. Once you’re back, you’ll be able to put some weight on in no time. Besides, don’t you have several fathers? A whole family is waiting for you, so you should head back sooner rather than later."
’Right, the old Taoist actually sounds like he’s heartbroken for me!’
"Look, I’m going into seclusion in three days. How about I send you off the day after tomorrow? Is that alright?" the old Taoist asked, his tone a little tentative.
Ye Qianning propped her head on her hand, looking nonchalant. "I guess it’s about time I went back, but..." She paused, then asked casually, "You can bear to see me go?"
"Of course."
"Alright then, the day after tomorrow it is."
"Great, it’s a deal then. I did some divinations a couple of days ago, and it turns out the eye of the storm will be calm the day after tomorrow." The old Taoist was in obviously high spirits. "You wait here. This old man will go make some pastries for you to take on your journey."
"You only have a day. Don’t go to all that trouble."
"No, no, no, I have to. It’ll take you two months to reach the shore, even at the fastest speed."
Upon hearing this, the previously nonchalant Ye Qianning’s elbow slipped, and her chin nearly slammed into the table. "Two months?"
This was the first time she had heard the old Taoist mention it.
"Two months is the fastest. If you run into storms or lose your bearings, four or five months, or even half a year, is pretty common."
Ye Qianning grew distressed. She had been unconscious when she first arrived. By the time she awoke within her spiritual space, nearly a year had already passed, so the journey hadn’t felt long to her.
But to have to sail a boat by herself on the endless ocean for two months... ’That would be torture!’
"But rest assured, the boat I’ve arranged for you won’t lose its way. You’ll definitely reach the coast in two months," the old Taoist vowed.
"Grandpa."
The old Taoist shuddered and eyed her with extreme caution.
’Intuition told him this little brat was up to no good.’
Ye Qianning beamed. "Why don’t you escort me all the way to the shore, Grandpa?"
"I already told you, I’m going into seclusion in three days."
"But... I’m scared to go out to sea alone. You know full well those creatures from the Sea of Yama have attacked me many times. I’m afraid of them."
"Afraid?"
"Mhm." Ye Qianning nodded emphatically.
The old Taoist let out a cold laugh and tried to compose himself. "For the past three years, a new, large bump has appeared on the head of the Overlord of the Sea of Yama every so often. You wouldn’t happen to know why, would you?"
"It probably lost a turf war with some other creature."
"A turf war with what?"
"I don’t know."
"You don’t know?" The old Taoist could no longer contain himself. He snarled through gritted teeth, "You might not know, but *I* do! Afraid of the Sea of Yama? Hmph! The Sea of Yama is afraid of *you*, more like!"
’She’s trained the creatures in the Sea of Yama to be like her pet dogs. She’s cracked that overlord’s skull open several times. It’s a good thing those things are so resilient, or they’d have died a hundred times over by now.’
"Is that so? I had no idea."
"You little brat, stop trying to pull the wool over my eyes! Cut the crap, pack your things, and be ready to leave the day after tomorrow." The old Taoist waved his hand in frustration. ’If she stays any longer, this place I’ve called home my whole life will be completely ruined.’
Ye Qianning’s gaze followed the old Taoist’s retreating figure, then shifted to the room around her. Ten years. She had been here for ten years.
She had first awoken within her spiritual space in that first year. It wasn’t until the end of the second year that her consciousness returned to her physical body. Because her injuries had been so severe, she had been bedridden in this room for almost another full year before she could finally get out of bed and walk.