Chapter 321: Calm Winds, Scattered Clouds
Strictly speaking, this was Ji Yuan’s first glimpse of the ocean in this life.
The coastline drew nearer, Ji Yuan simply glanced over the coastal landscape and villages, before flying ceaselessly into the boundless ocean.
Even though he was no longer the ordinary man he had been in his previous life, he still felt a sense of his own insignificance rise within him as he stood between the sea and the sky, amidst the vastness of the universe.
At this moment, Ji Yuan deliberately lowered his altitude, placing himself beneath the clouds. Below him lay the surging azure sea; above him, clouds unfurled and dispersed. As he rapidly soared through the air, he even felt as though he were traveling between two oceans.
However, the deeper this sense of comfort became, the more the essence of his Tao began to surge, becoming difficult to suppress. Yet, Ji Yuan continued flying eastward, his path unwavering despite the vast expanse of stretching before his eyes.
Before long, a suitable island came into view. With his supernatural eyes wide open, he surveyed it from the sky: apart from some vegetation, small beasts, and birds, the entire island was devoid of human habitation or large animals. It was the perfect place.
Calling it a “small island” was only in comparison to the mainland. In truth, it wasn’t actually all that small. It was at least large enough to accommodate a mountain range or perhaps a dozen peaks. Some were towering and steep, reaching heights of hundreds of zhang, their sharp, craggy peaks appearing almost like celestial creations.
Ji Yuan himself was still approaching on his cloud, his gaze sweeping over the island’s many peaks until he finally settled on one.
“Buzz…”
A soft hum sounded from the Green Vine Sword as it shot forth ahead of him, reaching the sky above the small island in the blink of an eye. “Shiiing-“
The immortal sword flashed out of its sheath, its light glinting across one of the island’s many rocky peaks. A sharp section of the rock was directly sliced off of the summit of the highest peak. Immediately after, the sword whirled, the motion pulverizing the falling stone and turning it to dust, leaving only fine fragments to scatter with the wind.
Atop that stone peak, a flat, smooth surface was all that remained, about the size of a cushion. A few breaths later, Ji Yuan’s two feet landed squarely on top of it.
Ji Yuan glanced around; he was extremely satisfied with this location. After a brief moment of consideration, he changed out of his white robe and donned his gray robes. Then, he sat cross-legged right on the spot.
With eyes slightly closed, he concentrated his mind, inhaling and exhaling and circulating his energy within and without his body, and he began to cultivate and gain enlightenment.
The sun rose and set, the tides ebbed and flowed, winds and clouds shifted, the weather warmed and cooled…
Ji Yuan was not unaware of external events; on the contrary, he was acutely aware of the changes in the outside world. Whether it was lightning or thunder or a raging storm and rain, he perceived every shift. At night, when the sky was covered in a canopy of stars, he would even lift his head to look at them.
However, Ji Yuan seemed remarkably indifferent, showing no reaction to any changes. Whether wind or rain lashed at him or lightning shrouded him, he remained perfectly still. He was completely absorbed, his mind lost in thought, his spirit in a daze.
Gradually, the sensations from “A Dream of Wandering in the Clouds” faded from his mind but expanded throughout his body. The Five Qi within Ji Yuan surged and churned, resembling the changes in the weather he had observed — tempestuous clouds or gentle breezes and sunshine — the Five Qi circulated, mutually regenerating themselves and flourishing.
And when the energy of the Five Qi reached its peak, Ji Yuan gradually shifted from being influenced by the winds and clouds of the seasons, to instead influencing his surroundings. A sense of tranquility, like a gentle breeze and faint clouds, emanated from the mountain peak where Ji Yuan sat.
…
Although the country of Zuyue was at odds with the country of Dazhen, they generally used the same calendar system. This was a legacy dating back several dynasties, a remnant from the era of the Dazhou Dynasty, before it had fractured into many states.
Seasons shifted. By autumn of the year of Renchen,1 marking the fourth year of Ji Yuan’s secluded meditation on the island, a storm was brewing offshore.
This world had no weather forecasts, no global communication, and no one to issue storm warnings for ships at sea. Thus, vessels that ventured far out to sea sometimes faced unexpected severe weather, a test for both the ships and their crews.
Generally, fishing boats did not venture too far into the open ocean, partially due to inadequate preservation techniques for fish, partially due to the lack of live storage space,2 and also partially due to the sheer danger.
However, there were always exceptions. Many times, when there weren’t many fish to be caught near the coast, some large fishing vessels would bring a large crew of fishermen and head out to the distant seas together. Precious fish were kept in barrels and tanks, while those that couldn’t be kept alive were directly salted and stored.
Risk was proportional to reward, and a trip to the open ocean often yielded a bountiful harvest.
Since the beginning of summer this year, many areas near the coast of Qiangang3 Village and Pianwan4 Village had failed to yield many fish. Left with no choice, the two villages organized large fleets of boats, heading out to sea together to fish.
But this time, luck was not on their side, as the six large fishing vessels from Qiangang Village and Pianwan Village were caught in a sudden storm before they even had the chance to fill their holds with fish.
The sea churned with wind and rain, and the rumble of thunder made it impossible to hear shouts between the boats.
“Boom… crash-sh-shhh-shhh…”
Enormous waves slammed against the side of a fishing boat, jerking the fishermen aboard to and fro as they stumbled. The captain, clinging desperately to the rudder to steer the ship, was nearly swept away himself.
“What do we do? Are we going to die!?”
A young fisherman frantically shouted to the others around him. They looked around: some of the other boats were bobbing precariously, while others couldn’t be seen at all, perhaps having already sunk. One boat hadn’t even managed to lower its sails, and was in an extremely precarious situation.
“Shut up! Hold on tight!”
“Boom…”
“Aaah…”
A massive wave struck, sending the entire fishing careening to the side. One man was directly flung overboard, but those who had made it into the cabin clung desperately to the mast, railings, and other structures, with no strength left to save him.
“Hold on! Everyone hold on tight! Another big wave is coming–“
One man roared with all his might, but his voice was far too faint against the howling wind and rain and the surging waves of the sea.
“Boom… crash-sh-shhh-shhh…”
The boat lurched wildly, swaying from side to side, and only barely avoided capsizing entirely. All the items inside the cabin rolled and tumbled like dice rattling in a cup. Those hiding in the cabin not only got bruises all over their heads but also had to dodge various falling objects.
Humans were so insignificant in the face of such heavenly might, powerless as duckweed. Falling into the water offered almost no chance of survival.
The captains on the various vessels were the ones who bore the greatest pressure and faced the most danger. They had to preserve not only their own lives but also the lives of everyone on board.
A man who had tied himself to the railing repeatedly wiped the seawater from his face, when suddenly, he spotted an island. He immediately shouted frantically towards the captain of his ship.
“Captain Zhang— Captain Zhang—there’s an island over there!”
The captain, an elderly man with a grizzled beard and a sturdy build, trembled as he meticulously controlled the rudder. His eyes scanned in all directions as he strove to adjust the boat’s course before the next colossal wave arrived to avoid being capsized.
He had also seen the island in the distance, of course, but it had too few gentle slopes and too many steep cliff faces. If they tried to approach it now, the wind would blow them against the cliffs, crushing everyone to pieces. Moreover, even if they avoided the cliffs, in a place like this, the boats were extremely vulnerable to damage from hidden reefs, making survival equally difficult.
“Captain Zhang— let’s head for the island!”
Another fisherman roared. In such a crisis at sea, seeing a patch of land was like grasping at a lifeline.
“No—! Approaching it would be—it would just be seeking death! And besides, we can’t even get close…”
Atop the summit of one of the island’s peaks, Ji Yuan suddenly opened his eyes. A storm was raging, and the sky was dark. However, with his supernatural vision, he caught sight of multiple ships in the distance bobbing amidst the wind and rain, all visibly in imminent danger.
In recent years, Ji Yuan had rarely seen boats venture this far into the sea. After all, due to technological limitations, fishing boats couldn’t go far, and while cargo ships existed, most sailed along the coast or on specific routes.
Ji Yuan’s years of secluded meditation and enlightenment had yielded rich rewards. Though he had not yet finished, and ideally should not have been interrupted, it was not his way to stand by seeing so many ships in mortal danger before his eyes.
With a flick of his right sleeve, Ji Yuan drew in large amounts of the surrounding rainwater, gathering it all into a massive sphere of water in his palm. Then, Ji Yuan extended both hands into the water sphere, gently twisting and sliding them.
Ji Yuan mobilized his entire body’s spiritual energy with alongside his movements. His wind and water control techniques transformed the elements according to his will, and an edict lingered unspoken upon his tongue.
This was a great storm of the sea. Ji Yuan wanted to disperse it quickly, but even using wind and water control techniques to combat this vast expanse would consume a great deal of spiritual energy. Fortunately, this was not a celestial phenomenon, nor was it artificially driven by immortals or demons, so he could handle it with relative ease.
As Ji Yuan’s palms moved further and further apart, the sphere of water instantly expanded, expanding along with the space between his hands to form several massive, rippling characters made of water.
“Calm winds, scattered clouds!”
In the next moment, Ji Yuan sharply flicked his sleeve, sweeping the four large characters towards the sky.
Whoosh…
It was as if an invisible wave of spiritual essence had spread, and the surrounding storm gradually lost its momentum. The thick dark clouds in the sky began to slowly dissipate.
The large ships continued to sway left and right as the waves had not yet subsided, but those on board could clearly feel the instantaneous changes.
The waves grew smaller, and, most importantly, both the wind and rain had stopped.
Before long, the previous gloom gradually receded, and the clouds overhead slowly dispersed. Afternoon sunlight spilled down, warming the bewildered people on the boats.
- Year 29 of the 60 year cycle
- To keep fish fresh, fishermen can catch them alive and store them in barrels or tanks until they get to the fish market
- 前 (qián): front/ahead/first, 港 (gǎng): harbor/port
- 偏 (piān): to lean/to slant/to deviate, 湾 (wān): bay/gulf