Chapter 619
Chapter 619
Budosan was a place that didn’t even give a second thought to someone as formidable as the Sword King, Li Qianqiu. Wu Jue had said that Li Qianqiu was beneath their notice, and they had no need to explain the fact that they had indirectly caused his wife's death. The implication was that someone like Li Qianqiu's wife could die and it wouldn't matter in the slightest. Therefore, if Budosan wanted to kill Shen Lang, Li Qianqiu truly couldn't protect him. Even if he risked his life, the outcome would be the same.
The ferryman was first taken aback.
‘So there really is a fool in this world who doesn't fear death. Daring to forge a Budosan token? You won't even have a grave to be buried in. No matter your status or background, you'll surely be killed!’
However, upon receiving the token, the Budosan ferryman noticed something astonishing. This token was real. The material, weight, color, and pattern were all identical. When he held it up to the sunlight, the two characters for 'Budo' appeared, and from another angle, a majestic statue of Budo emerged. Everyone knew that Budosan tokens had a secret mechanism hidden within, making them impossible to replicate.
‘He has a real token, so does that mean this man before me is truly Wu Daozi's disciple? Is that even possible? That solitary star of death took a disciple? Besides, she's never taken a single step off Budosan in her life, so how could she have taken a disciple from the outside world?’
"Are you certain you are Elder Wu Daozi's disciple?"
"Absolutely."
‘Wu Daozi was an elder of Budosan? Her status is higher than I thought.’
The ferryman was incredibly curious and found it impossible to believe that Shen Lang was Wu Daozi's disciple. But as long as the token was real, he had a responsibility to let Shen Lang in. In the end, the ferryman nodded and said.
"Very well. Get on the boat. But you alone."
Upon hearing this, Li Qianqiu grew anxious. Even if he were there to protect Shen Lang, he couldn't guarantee his survival on Budosan. But Shen Lang was going in alone? He didn't even have the strength to wring a chicken's neck. He had forged a token to look exactly like the real thing—a complete death wish.
But Shen Lang gave Li Qianqiu a resolute nod before boarding the small boat. Soon, another person and a small boat emerged from the water, docking quietly at the pier. This new ferryman was also dozing in his boat. Shen Lang was startled.
‘Just how many people and boats are hidden in these waters?’
After he boarded, the ferryman silently began to row, heading north. Li Qianqiu sighed inwardly.
‘All I can do is leave it to fate! I can only hope he pulls off another miracle.’
It was a truly helpless situation. Rescuing or taking someone from Budosan was truly beyond Li Qianqiu's capabilities.
* * *
The ferryman's martial skill was profound, and the small boat moved with great speed. The Floating Sea was truly vast, stretching out endlessly. The water was so clear you could see the bottom, and it was the color of jade. The small boat sailed steadily toward the center of the Floating Sea, and the two of them, Shen Lang and the ferryman, remained silent. Shen Lang had originally planned to come to Budosan, but Jin Mulan's situation had forced him to advance his journey.
Shen Lang had two objectives for coming to Budosan this time. To borrow the *Blood Scripture* to save Mulan, and to use every means possible to make Wu Daozi his master. Her status on Budosan was extremely high, but her personality was notoriously eccentric. Such a person would likely treat the entire world as an enemy and care for no one.
However, if he could move her heart and get her on his side, this type of person would be fiercely protective of her own. With Wu Daozi as his backer, Shen Lang's research on bloodlines and his personal safety would be greatly secured. In the secular world, Shen Lang had King Ning Yuanxian of Yue as his backer. In the transcendent world of martial arts, he just needed Wu Daozi, and everything would fall into place. Then he could act as he pleased. The key issue was that moving Wu Daozi's heart to become her disciple was incredibly difficult. Especially to become her final, most cherished disciple.
The woman's nickname was the Stone Witch. It was hard enough to open her body, but opening her heart to accept someone into her destiny would be even harder. Of course, the destiny mentioned here was not that of a man and a woman, but that of a master and disciple. The time Shen Lang had was extremely short; he could stay for a few days at most. He had to handle everything properly within that time.
* * *
The small boat traveled for a full ten hours or more. As beautiful as the scenery of the Floating Sea was, it had become completely tiresome. Budosan was truly a place cut off from the world. Finally, as they neared their destination, a cluster of islands came into Shen Lang's view. Yes, a cluster. There were numerous islands, and on the largest one at the center stood an incredibly tall mountain. Perhaps this was the origin of Budosan's name?
The ferryman didn't take Shen Lang to the large central island but to another, smaller one. On this small island, there was only a single house; the rest was dense shrubbery and many flowerbeds. But the shrubs and flowerbeds looked extremely unnatural. Their colors were so vivid that they looked poisonous at a glance.
"We've arrived. Go in by yourself!"
The ferryman docked the boat at a small pier, and the moment Shen Lang's feet left the boat, he prepared to leave as swiftly as if the island were haunted. Or perhaps he thought of Wu Daozi as a terrifying demon.
"Elder Wu Daozi, your disciple has arrived."
After shouting this, the ferryman rowed toward the large central island. He was clearly going to report to the Budosan headquarters. He didn't know Shen Lang, but since Shen Lang had a token, this situation had to be reported. Thus, Shen Lang had little time. The token was definitely a forgery, and forging a token was a capital crime in Budosan's eyes, punishable by death. Because of this, Budosan's warriors would surely rush over to execute him, so he had to resolve everything in a short amount of time. If he became Wu Daozi's disciple, it would become a fact that he was a disciple of Budosan. Then, the lie would become the truth.
* * *
Shen Lang stood outside a house built with exquisite craftsmanship. The person who built this clearly had a serious obsessive-compulsive disorder. The house was not only incredibly intricate but also perfectly symmetrical. The carvings on the house were symmetrical, and all the shrubs and flowerbeds outside were symmetrical as well. Even every branch on the trees had been pruned for symmetry. Just looking at it was enough to make one feel suffocated.
The Old Demon of the Snowy Mountains, Lin Shang, was a fake solitary star of death. She secretly craved recognition from others, enjoyed being calm in noisy situations, and liked being surrounded by people. But the obsessive-compulsive Wu Daozi before him was a true solitary star of death. She couldn't stand even the shadow of another person nearby, acting as if she'd regret not killing them instantly to use as fertilizer. That's why the ferryman just now hadn't dared to set foot on this island.
"Who is it?"
An incredibly chilling voice came from inside.
"Your disciple, Shen Lang, pays his respects to Master..."
Before Shen Lang could finish, the door opened, and a demon appeared before him. She truly looked like a female ghost. Her skin was deathly pale, without a trace of color, and even her lips looked white. She was dressed in extremely clean but simple clothes, her hair undone. Dressed entirely in white, she was exceedingly beautiful, but almost to the point of looking transparent. She looked so pale that she seemed to radiate a cold aura. This was her—the female scientist with supreme martial arts, the true solitary star of death, Wu Daozi. It was unknown how profound her martial arts were, but they were at least superior to those of the Divine Maiden, Xue Yin. She was a Virgo with an unparalleled obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"Are you that Shen Lang? The one who flirted with me in that letter? The Shen Lang who sent me a portrait?"
The female ghost asked, and Shen Lang nodded.
"It is I, your disciple! Revered Master, your disciple has traveled a long and arduous journey to finally meet you. Now, I can die with no regrets."
Wu Daozi quickly went back into the house and came out just as swiftly. When she reappeared, she was holding two extremely sharp knives.
‘Th-this... damn it! Is she going to castrate me, or kill me?’
"Revered Master, your disciple brings great news! An opportunity has come for Budosan to triumph over the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. Have you not discovered an ancient ruin? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Whoever finds the entrance to that ancient ruin will be the victor who obtains it! Your disciple has crucial information that can help you and Budosan decipher the important clues to that ancient ruin."
This was not a lie at all. The nations of the world fought over territory, but the transcendent factions fought over ancient ruins. Unearthing an ancient ruin meant gaining control of a powerful ancient civilization. The faction that obtained it could advance by leaps and bounds, far surpassing their rivals. Therefore, the transcendent factions engaged in all sorts of covert struggles to claim ancient ruins. The ancient ruin was not just the lifeline of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, but also that of Budosan. That was why Shen Lang had first visited the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion to scout them out before coming to Budosan.
Shen Lang feared that even after dangling such a huge bait, he might not be able to move the hearts of Budosan and the eccentric female scientist, Wu Daozi. However, her reaction was not much different from what he had planned. The female scientist stared at Shen Lang with a fiery gaze, like a Siberian Husky looking at a stuffed toy it wanted to bite, tear apart, and bark at.
"You've come at the perfect time! My experiment has just reached a crucial point, but all my test animals have died! I was just about to start experimenting on a living person, and you've arrived just in time! Don't worry. It'll be quick! In half a quarter-hour, these things will devour your entire body and turn you into a pile of pus."
Soon, Shen Lang was dragged inside by the ghostly Wu Daozi and, in the next moment, found himself tied to a bed. Then, she pierced a small hole over his heart and immediately injected a terrifying, surging green liquid from a glass tube directly into it. The liquid in that glass tube was more terrifying than any of the parasitic worms Shen Lang had ever seen. Soon, tens of billions of these parasitic worms had all entered his heart.
‘Th-this is insane!’
In an instant, a light burst from Shen Lang's eyes, and the blood in his entire body began to boil.
But was this situation unfolding before him truly part of Shen Lang's plan? To be honest, it was. Before coming to Budosan, Shen Lang had considered various approaches. Whether the millennium-level mathematical problem was a crucial clue to opening the ancient ruin or not. If it was, it would be a very attractive proposition for Budosan. However, Shen Lang believed that the most attractive thing to Wu Daozi would be his own body. Of course, he didn't mean climbing into her bed after washing up, but rather, his special constitution.