Chapter 419: The Swordsman
Originally, the old man’s grave was a simple cave whose entrance was blocked with a large round rock.
The surroundings were bare and there was no vegetation at least five metres around the cave.
However, after more than one hundred years, that had changed.
The originally bare surroundings were filled with oleander flowers and the cave could barely be seen.
"I don’t understand." Jiang Yue muttered, looking a little lost.
When old man Cang told them about his poisoning, he used his blood to draw an oleander flower.
Later, they discovered the oleander flower was related to the leader of the Death Flower Ascension Front.
"XiaoYue, don’t touch the flowers." Yu Nianzhen shouted, startling Jiang Yue from his thoughts.
"Sorry." Jiang Yue said when he saw his hand was about to touch a flower.
"Be careful."
"I know." Jiang Yue said and then continued.
"The old man’s grave is in the middle of the sea of flowers. How can we get there?"
Hearing that, Yu Nianzhen was also at a loss.
The old man was possibly the most powerful person they had encountered since they arrived in the Cangxing world.
However, such a person was poisoned to death by oleander poison!
Thinking of that, Yu Nianzhen didn’t dare to underestimate the oleander flowers surrounding the cave.
[There is no need to approach the cave, the old man is no longer there.] A voice resounded in their heads.
"Senior Niu, what do you mean?" Jiang Yue asked, sounding a little urgent.
[Old man Cang is no longer in the cave.] The bullock said and sighed.
"Was his body destroyed?" Yu Nianzhen asked, his hands clenched into fists.
Aside from powerful cultivators, ordinary cultivators in the Cangxing world were usually burned and not buried.
When they transmigrated, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue didn’t know this common sense so they buried the old man in the cave.
Unexpectedly, the old man’s body was destroyed during the hundred years they didn’t visit the grave.
"Either way, we must do what we should." Yu Nianzhen said.
Although he was angry, there was no use.
Exploring graves was common in their world and they couldn’t blame anyone for the fate that had befallen the old man’s body.
[You are good boys.] The bullock said in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.
"Old man Cang is our noble person. Although we failed to protect his body, we can still offer our filial piety." Jiang Yue said.
[Don’t worry, the old man is fine for the time being.] Senior Niu said and the two froze.
In shock, they looked at the bullock, not daring to question what it meant.
[The old man is not dead.] Senior Niu confirmed.
"How can that be? We watched him die." Jiang Yue argued.
Although it had been more than one hundred years, Jiang Yue remembered everything clearly.
No matter the perspective, he was sure the old man was dead.
"Senior Niu, we didn’t make a mistake." Yu Nianzhen agreed with Jiang Yue.
[You didn’t make a mistake.] The bullock said and sighed before it continued.
[However, the old man is alive.]
"Did he trick us?" Jiang Yue asked, confusion colouring his face.
[The matter is not so simple.]
Hearing that, Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen looked at each other.
Since the first time they inquired about Siwang, they knew old man Cang was not simple.
However, they seemed to still have underestimated the complexity of the situation.
"Senior Niu, what’s going on" How is the old man?" Yu Nianzhen questioned.
[The old man’s condition is not good. He can hold on for another ten thousand years but no longer.]
"This..." Jiang Yue couldn’t help but be shocked.
The lifespan of a nascent soul realm cultivator was five thousand years and that of a reincarnation realm cultivator was fifteen thousand years.
If old man Cang could live for another ten thousand years, it meant that his cultivation was higher than the nascent soul realm.
However, all ancient experts had disappeared!
Thinking of this, Jiang Yue looked at the bullock.
"Senior Niu, is the old man an ancient expert?" He asked.
[He is not.] The bullock answered.
However, this answer only served to confuse Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen more.
[Don’t doubt it. None of the ancient practitioners still remain in our Cangxing world.]
"In that case..., senior Niu, what are you?" Yu Nianzhen asked after a moment of hesitation.
[I am not an ancient expert.] Senior Niu stated without revealing anything about his origin.
"What about old man Cang? If he is not an ancient expert, what is he?" Jiang Yue asked.
[You don’t have to rush to find answers. Some things will become clear with time.] The bullock said.
"Senior Niu, where is the old man?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
[I can’t tell you that.] The bullock refused.
"If you can’t tell us where he is, can you tell us what’s wrong with him?" Jiang Yue persisted.
[The old man is poisoned.]
"Poisoned? Oleander poison? Is it Siwang?"
[Indeed.] The bullock answered with a solemn look in his eyes.
"Is there no way to detoxify the old man?"
[There are two ways. Do you want to hear them?]
"Please tell us." Yu Nianzhen answered without hesitation.
[The first way is to kill Siwang. As long as she is dead, her poison in the old man will dissipate.]
"Kill Siwang..." Jiang Yue muttered and frowned.
He and Yu Nianzhen were prepared to deal with Siwang.
However, the leader of the Death Flower Ascension Front was nowhere to be found.
If their speculations were true and Siwang was not in the Cangxing world, finding her was a difficult task.
Although ten thousand years was a long time, Jiang Yue didn’t know how long they would be in Treasure Island.
Unless Siwang was also on Treasure Island, it was too dangerous to place their hopes for detoxifying the old man on killing Siwang.
"What about the second way?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
[The second way is to become an immortal. As long as the two of you become immortals, there will be a way to save the old man’s life.]
"Immortal..." Yu Nianzhen couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged.
At the moment, he and Jiang Yue were in the mid-stage of the nascent soul realm.
With their talent, it was not impossible to become immortals within ten thousand years.
However, the cultivation path in the Cangxing world was blocked.
If they couldn’t even break through to the reincarnation realm, how could they break through to the immortal realm?
’We just learned that the old man did not die but we may have to watch him die in the future.’ Yu Nianzhen thought, feeling a little helpless.
"What about the Tree of Life, can it save the old man?" Jiang Yue suddenly asked and Yu Nianzhen couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful.
[There is no third way to save the old man’s life.] Senior Niu indirectly answered Jiang Yue’s question.
"Is that so..." Jiang Yue couldn’t help but feel discouraged.
[Don’t worry too much.] Senior Niu said but the two were not reassured.
[If you obey the general trend, you will find a way to create a better future for yourselves and our Cangxing world.] The bullock continued and Yu Nianzhen startled.
"Senior Niu, are you talking about the Treasure Island? Will there be an opportunity for our world to turnover?"
[Only the two of you can find that answer.]
After that, Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen fell silent.
For a while now, they felt their purpose for coming to the Cangxing world was tied to the Treasure Island.
However, everything was just their speculation until senior Niu insinuated it.
"Senior Niu, we know old man Cang is your good friend. Don’t worry, if there is an opportunity, we will definitely do our best to help him recover."
[You are good boys.] Senior Niu repeated and suddenly blew into the sea of oleander flowers.
Soon after, a path cleared and the two saw the old cave.
However, the entrance was no longer barred by an old rock but by a stone monument.
The grey monument was about one metre tall and half a metre wide.
"This..." Jiang Yue gasped in shock as soon as he saw the monument.
"How is it possible?" Yu Nianzhen was also shocked.
Other than themselves, no one knew they were transmigrators from another world.
However, on the monument, four lines of characters were engraved.
The characters were different from the script of the Cangxing world but the two recognised them right away because they were written in the traditional script of their original world.
"It’s a poem from the Tang dynasty. If I remember correctly, it’s Ji Dao’s ’The Swordsman’." Yu Nianzhen said.
"I am amazed at the things you keep in your mind." Jiang Yue said and then read aloud.
"For ten long years, a sword I whetted,
Its frosty blade, as yet, untried.
Today, I hold it unsheathed before you;
Of you, to whom was justice denied?"
"What does it mean?" Jiang Yue asked but before Yu Nianzhen could say anything, day turned to night.
