Chapter 440 - 6: The Missing Client
A quiet night passed, and as dawn approached, a milky white fog floated over the river’s surface.
The mist over Cloud River was highly humid, and standing in it for a moment felt like having washed one’s face, leaving it damp and wet.
After a night of sailing, the ship had now entered the Cloud River Ancient Road.
Chi Xi and Weiwei had already risen and after checking the direction of the rudder and the changes in the river water, Chi Xi reminded Yue Jinghua, "It is the rainy season now, just after the flood season, and the water level of Cloud River is much higher than usual. As we go deeper into Cloud River, the wind and waves become fierce and the water more turbulent. Although there are fewer Dark Beasts on the western side of the main flow of Cloud River, it is still essential to take precautions early."
Yue Jinghua nodded and headed to the bow of the ship, secretly summoning more than a dozen Giant Winged Mosquito Kings to fly on both the front and rear sides of the vessel.
Once settled down, Lady Qingyan also came out from the cabin. After everyone had some dry food, the sun was already high up.
As the mist dispersed, the ancient landscape alongside the ancient path gradually revealed itself.
During wartime, Cloud River Ancient Road served as a military stronghold. The river sand accumulated high river mud, creating thousands of acres of river farmlands on both banks, most of which are now abandoned, with only a few rented by farmers from nearby counties to grow peanuts, corn, and other river crops.
In the river fields, one could occasionally see brightly colored low-level Dark Birds fluttering out, skimming the river surface, and preying on river shrimps and fish.
After enduring a night of wind, Yue Jinghua first went back to the cabin to rest, leaving the watch temporarily to Weiwei and Chi Xi.
Before returning to the cabin, Yue Jinghua instructed Weiwei to ensure that Lady Qingyan was kept safe. After boarding the ship, Lady Qingyan was almost unbelievably quiet compared to her demeanor on land.
The sun of the autumn day turned into a white dot at noon, making it nearly impossible to keep one’s eyes open.
A seemingly simple boat progressed through the flowing water and soon reached the mouth of a rugged river valley; just ahead was the bifurcation of the main tributaries of Cloud River, the Cloud River Valley.
From this point onwards, Cloud River split into two: one was the West River Ancient Road, and the other was the East River Sea Route.
Just by hearing their names, one could understand the differences between the two; West River Ancient Road, also known as West River Battle Road, was a strategic passageway built by the Dragon Battle Navy in earlier years. Although abandoned for many years, the renovated West River Ancient Road had a smooth water channel, and the Water Element Dark Beasts inhabiting both sides were almost extinct due to early eradication.
Even if creatures proliferated in recent years in the old territories, they mostly haven’t formed any significant climates.
In contrast, the East River Sea Route was the exact opposite, with the turbulent waters of the eastern tributary of Cloud River leading directly to the unknown outer seas beyond the Xuan Beast Ridge.
The river current was complex and broken, with a whirlpool every hundred meters and a reef every thousand meters. Even iron-clad warships navigating here would be battered to pieces, let alone the shivering small boat of Yue Jinghua and others.
Decades ago, even the Dragon Battle Navy, which numbered in the tens of thousands of mercenaries, was rendered powerless when they reached there.
It is said that decades ago, a commander of the Imperial Navy met his downfall in the East River Sea Route.
Therefore, the safer route that Yue Jinghua had earlier explored using a Parrot Snail was the West River Battle Road. According to the plan, upon reaching the valley, Chi Xi and Weiwei needed to wake Yue Jinghua and then steer the ship into West River Valley.
Seeing that Yue Jinghua was still resting in the cabin, Chi Xi and Weiwei knew he had exerted a lot of mental power secretly these two days and needed good rest.
"When we reach the valley, the water flow is very rapid; we need to manually steer. Drop a heavy anchor at both the bow and stern to stabilize the ship. I’ll then adjust the ship towards the West River Valley direction," thought Chi Xi and Weiwei. Although their cultivation was ordinary, they were still Dark Practitioners and had much stronger physical endurance than ordinary people, so they decided not to wake Yue Jinghua.
One person steered while the other took out an anchor made from Xuantie, and they went to their respective tasks.
When Weiwei headed towards the stern, she also glanced at Lady Qingyan, only to see her standing at the bow, watching Chi Xi steer without any doubts in her mind, and she proceeded directly towards the stern.
After the boat entered the river valley, due to the opposing water levels on the east and west, the boat lost control and initially spun in place. Fortunately, Chi Xi’s steering skills were indeed remarkable, and with Weiwei’s cooperation, the boat slowly began to move into the West River Valley. Filled with joy, Chi Xi and Weiwei exchanged smiles.
What neither of them noticed was that Lady Qingyan, who had earlier been at the bow, had now vanished without a trace.
At the stern, dressed in a black skirt and with an indifferent expression, Lady Qingyan faced the river wind, fixating on the ancient road scenery that kept receding behind her.
Quietly, she slid off the ancient ring from her hand and murmured softly. The originally dull ancient ring suddenly flashed a blinding black light.
The black light enveloped Lady Qingyan, lifting her body which then rapidly moved towards the flowing river water.
At the stern, several Giant Winged Mosquito Kings flying up and down noticed this scene and immediately flapped their wings to fly over, attempting to stop Lady Qingyan’s actions.
With a gentle swipe of her emaciated hand, Lady Qingyan emitted several rays from the black light. The Giant Winged Mosquitoes enveloped in the black light felt as if their Dark Energy had been frozen, their bodies sank, and their wings could no longer sustain flight. They fell into the water like stones.
Immediately following, Lady Qingyan also jumped into the water.
"Plop---" A faint splash barely noticeable sounded, water splashed.
Just then, Yue Jinghua, who was meditating inside the cabin, opened her eyes.
She sensed that the several giant-winged mosquitoes patrolling near the stern, including one adult Mosquito King, had suddenly lost contact.
Could there be an enemy attack?
Sensing that the movement of the water beneath the boat was unusual, Yue Jinghua immediately stepped out of the cabin.
Her eyes sharp, she looked towards the bow as Weiwei and Chi Xi came up to her with joyful faces, "Captain, the boat has successfully entered the West River Valley."
"Where is Lady Qingyan?" Yue Jinghua’s Spiritual Sense swept over and a jolt hit her heart—Lady Qingyan was nowhere to be found.
Only then did Weiwei and Chi Xi realize that she was missing, hurriedly searching the bow and stern, indeed Lady Qingyan was nowhere to be seen.
After searching around the stern, a few strands of Lady Qingyan’s hair were found on the left side railing.
Looking at the increasingly turbulent water behind the stern, Chi Xi gasped, "Captain, I remember now where I’ve seen Lady Qingyan before."
When they first encountered Lady Qingyan, Chi Xi felt she looked familiar. Now, facing the rolling river water and connecting it with her sudden strange disappearance, Chi Xi’s memory came back to her.
"Lady Qingyan, she is the wife of General Mo Lin. General Mo Lin led the Dragon Battle Navy years ago to the East River Sea Route to open a new waterway. He and his team encountered a sea monster in the sea route, and the entire army perished in the East River Sea Route. Lady Qingyan, she did not come here to find some secret path into the mountain but to join her deceased husband," blurted out Chi Xi, the words barely leaving his mouth before the two on the boat were taken aback.