The demon-sealing array of Bei Hai stretched nearly a thousand miles, making it the most powerful sealing formation in the cultivation world. Above the sea, eighteen orthodox Dao lineages suppressed and sealed demons, while below, eighteen demonic Dao lineages used evil to counter evil. The great demons of the ancient beastkin country below couldn’t break through upwards and were slowly eroded by the formation below. This foolproof design was Dao Sheng Tian’s greatest masterpiece in array formations.
Ji Yang observed the demon-sealing array for a long time, touching the strings of his Drunken Illness zither several times but only plucking them thrice in two hours.
“How is it?” someone asked.
“…This array isn’t flawless, but its weaknesses are likely unbreakable by anyone in this era. Logically, when Nan Yi was punished, he should have been placed at the array’s core. For our music to reach him, it must pass through eighteen layers of formations,” Ji Yang explained, putting away his zither. “It’s too early to say if we can make contact. We’ll need another day. If he hears us, he’ll respond with zither language.”
As they spoke, several Core Formation cultivators approached on flying swords.
“They’re Bei Hai patrol cultivators from Yin Zhou.”
The four decided to hide behind nearby rocks, concealing their auras. Soon, a group of red-robed, Core Formation cultivators arrived, looking quite proud.
Yin Zhou favored red, but only cultivators from Chi Di’s Yao Palace and its subordinate sects could wear it. The patrol stopped where Nan Yan’s group had just been.
“…We’ll be off duty tomorrow. This year has been tough, with the mixed demonic and spiritual energy. I miss the spiritual energy of Xi Huang Mountain.”
They waited, and soon a palm-width crack appeared in space, releasing a paper crane.
The lifelike crane flapped its wings, emitting a warm but tired voice: “Thank you for your efforts.”
The red-robed cultivators bowed. When the crack closed, one grabbed the crane.
Another asked, “We’re changing shifts tomorrow. After a year, shouldn’t we send him a message?”
“The Imperial Consort forbade it. He’s a criminal, and we’re not to pass on any messages, especially about Lady Nan Fang. Don’t cause trouble now that we’re almost done.”
As they prepared to leave, one said, “Lady Nan Fang is too heartless. Even if they’re not blood-related, she should at least inquire about him. It’s been twenty years, and she’s just secluding herself. It’s not right.”
“Who knows if she’s really in seclusion? Maybe she’s found someone new.”
“Haha, if Lady Nan Fang took a liking to me, I’d gladly be her servant.”
As the patrol left laughing, Yin Qie and Mu Zhanting restrained Nan Yan, who was angrily pulling at her prayer beads, ready to fight for her mother’s honor.
“Little sister, let it go…”
“Yes, control your anger! Remember your precepts!”
Nan Yan said emotionlessly, “I’m not breaking the precept against anger. I just want to reason with them.”
Unable to persuade her, they looked to Ji Yang, who said:
“Stay calm. We’ve learned that your uncle has been trying to contact your mother for twenty years but has been blocked by Imperial Consort Yun. Considering this, Yan, isn’t it more important to tell Nan Yi the truth first?”
Nan Yan cooled down and asked, “But why is Imperial Consort Yun blocking the messages?”
“Perhaps to maintain power, or to prevent Nan Yi from resisting his punishment if he knew.”
Ultimately, Nan Yi’s crime of massacring a city was severe. His survival was already an act of extreme mercy. If he guarded the demon-sealing array for a hundred years, he might regain his freedom with some maneuvering.
Nan Yan hesitated, “Should I tell him about my mother’s death?”
“Your mother’s last request was for you to find your uncle, suggesting she had important matters to discuss. You should meet him. Based on what we saw in the Yellow Springs Mirror, Master Yi Gu seems pure-hearted. The more he knows, the less likely he is to be manipulated.”
Reassured, Nan Yan agreed. They flew down from the cliff, attempting to enter the demon-sealing array’s range. They managed to enter but couldn’t touch the seawater.
Everyone sensed something watching them from the depths.
“Let’s walk along the shore.”
The sea breeze was strong, but the waves were unnaturally still under the overcast sky, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Rounding a bay, they surprisingly spotted fishing boats on the sea.
“Eh? Mortals are fishing here, with the demon country sealed below?”
Indeed, mortals were casting nets, catching dozens of foot-long fish in each haul. Lucky ones might catch a first or second-grade demon fish, which they could sell to cultivators for years’ worth of income.
As Nan Yan’s group approached, a local noticed their qiankun bags and greeted them, “Immortal masters, you must be new here. Would you like some Bei Hai demon fish? We just caught two first-grade ones today, 600 spirit stones each, much cheaper than inland.”
Nan Yan found it strange at first but realized the demon-sealing array weakened even ancient demon beasts, let alone demon fish. These fish likely had the cultivation level of first or second-grade demons but no offensive power, allowing mortals to catch them.
She felt sympathy for Yin Qie, realizing his kin in the array must be suffering.
Ji Yang stepped forward, “Sir, we’d like information about the silver merfolk. Even rumors will do, and we’ll pay well.”
The old man grinned, “Of course, most immortal masters come here for silver merfolk information. They’re quite the treasure.”
Remembering her uncle’s lost merperson, Nan Yan asked uneasily, “Are there many cultivators hunting silver merfolk?”
“Listen to our local nursery rhyme,” the old man recited. “‘Skin for calming drums, oil for eternal lamps, scales for divine armor, blood to nourish the soul, and the mermaid’s heart pearl, granting freedom to come and go.'” He watched their reactions but saw no greed. Disappointed, he continued, “Twenty years ago, many cultivators came to hunt silver merfolk, but they’re rarely seen, maybe once a century. Most left empty-handed. If you want to hunt them, stay near the shore. As long as you pay the patrolling immortal masters enough, you can listen for them, but don’t go to the deep sea.”
“Why?”
“In the past twenty years, no cultivator who ventured into the deep waters of Bei Hai to hunt merfolk has returned alive.”
Nan Yan and her companions immediately thought of Nan Yi. Putting themselves in his shoes, they realized that after witnessing a loved one being publicly tortured and dismembered, no one would tolerate other cultivators hunting merfolk under their watch.
“Have you seen a merperson, sir?” Nan Yan asked.
“I’m not that fortunate. However, there’s a mad old woman in the east of the village. Years ago, cultivators questioned her about merfolk. Now she tells everyone she has a mermaid daughter. If you’re interested, you could seek her out.”
After the old man finished speaking, Ji Yang gave him three spirit stones and dismissed him. After a brief contemplation, Ji Yang suggested:
“We don’t know when we’ll get a response from the demon-sealing array. Let’s split up. The villager mentioned that this area is profitable for cultivators, so there’s likely a market nearby. We should look for an entrance. Meanwhile, we need to gather more information about the merfolk, just in case.”
Nan Yan agreed, “Alright, I’ll go with you to inquire about the merfolk.”
The group decided to separate. As Nan Yan and Ji Yang reached the east side of the village, they saw some women drying fish. Before they could ask anything, a fisherman came running, stumbling as he approached.
“It’s terrible! Our children are missing! And one of the boats by the shore is gone!”
“What? Could those mischievous kids have untied the mooring rope?”
The villagers immediately abandoned their tasks and gathered in a noisy crowd. Nan Yan noticed a disheveled old woman who had been turning over dried goods. As the villagers rushed past her, her cloudy eyes suddenly filled with panic.
“Jiao’er?” The old woman went back to her house, seemingly unable to find someone. She hurriedly ran out, following the crowd. “Jiao’er? Has anyone seen my Jiao’er?”
Her voice was quickly drowned out by the clamoring villagers. Some looked at her with disgust, pushing her to the ground.
“We’re busy searching! Don’t cause trouble, you mad woman!”
Nan Yan exchanged a glance with Ji Yang, who nodded slightly. She lowered her veil and vanished, reappearing at the seaside in an instant. She extended her divine sense to survey the surrounding half-mile. Soon, she spotted a small boat with two young children, a boy, and a girl, both around four or five years old. The boat was rocking precariously, but the children found it amusing, giggling at the edge.
The children were too young to understand the trouble they had caused.
Nan Yan shook her head silently, hearing Ji Yang’s voice from afar:
“Use the Zhen Dui He Xu technique. Float three zhang and five chi above the water to avoid the array’s influence.”
Trusting Ji Yang implicitly, Nan Yan moved swiftly. The onlookers on the shore saw a white rainbow streaking toward the heart of the sea, exclaiming in surprise.
“An immortal master is intervening!”
“Are they coming to save our children?”
In Shang Zhou, although mortals revered cultivators, they knew cultivators rarely acted without self-interest. Encountering one willing to help caused excitement.
The white rainbow flashed past the drifting boat. Nan Yan scooped up the children, one in each arm. As she was about to return, she heard a deep zither note behind her.
Glancing back, Nan Yan saw a crack in space several zhang away. Through the fissure, she glimpsed a deep, dark blue void. An extremely cold and eerie aura seeped out.
In that instant, Nan Yan felt her presence locked onto by someone’s divine sense. This sense was terrifyingly powerful; compared to it, the divine sense of the Hai Xiao City Lord she had encountered upon entering Chen Zhou was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Suddenly, the sea breeze intensified, blowing off her veil. Nan Yan felt the divine sense locking onto her falter for a moment. In that pause, the invisible demon-sealing array in the void changed, forcibly erasing the crack.
…Had that been zither music from the fissure? Could it be that her uncle had truly heard the Drunken Illness zither?
Nan Yan hovered for a moment, feeling the demon-sealing array’s aura closing in on her. She quickly tapped her toes and glided towards the shore.
“I’ve brought the children… Eh?”
Before Nan Yan could land, she saw the villagers suddenly prostrate themselves. They knelt with hands clasped, not seeming grateful to her, but rather…
The next moment, the mother of the missing children looked up at Nan Yan as she gently set the children down, her eyes brimming with excitement. “Guanyin Bodhisattva!”
Nan Yan: “???”
At this moment, Nan Yan’s veil had blown off, revealing her snow-white Buddhist robe. Still wary of the demon-sealing array, her spiritual energy was fully charged, making her appear to onlookers as the Guanyin Bodhisattva herself – radiant with Buddhist light, holding the golden boy and jade girl, with features as ethereal as an immortal.
Unsure what to do, Nan Yan didn’t dare land. She used her spiritual power to lift the villagers, trying to explain: “Everyone, I’m not…”
The villagers weren’t listening to her explanation. “We’ve seen many immortal masters before, but none were willing to help, let alone as beautiful as the Bodhisattva. It must be Guanyin manifesting!”
“That’s right! Li’s wife, Zheng’s son, your boy and girl were held by Guanyin Bodhisattva. They’ll be the golden boy and jade girl from now on!”
Hearing this, villagers immediately grabbed their children. “Guanyin Bodhisattva, please bless our children too!”
A woman pushed through from the back, saying, “Guanyin Bodhisattva, I’ve been childless for years. Please bless me with a child. I’ll burn incense for you all my life!”
The Blood-Handed Guanyin was forced to become the child-granting Guanyin. Nan Yan found the situation surreal. She looked to Ji Yang for help, only to see him seemingly holding back laughter, his eyes widening… frantically hinting at something.
Having had his fill of amusement, Ji Yang vanished and reappeared beside Nan Yan. He pulled her away from the crowd of devotees, saying loudly enough for everyone to hear:
“Heretic demon, seeking enlightenment? I’ll borrow your Bodhisattva for now.”