Chapter Seventy-Four: Cloud Island

The Hundred-Mile Sword instantly entered dormancy and flew back into the Universe Pouch. Dragging his battered body, Shi Qi used his Windwalking Technique to find the nearest small island and landed. The Heaven-Mending Technique began to circulate automatically within him, slowly repairing his damaged body.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Shi Qi had restored himself. He took out his Universe Pouch, changed into a clean Daoist robe, and retrieved a Jade Ruyi from within.

He wanted to contact Bai Qiu and Sun Fanbai to see if they were aware of his situation. For more than two months, unable to use his true essence, Shi Qi had been unable to connect with the Universe Pouch.

Yet the Jade Ruyi was entirely gray, and even after channeling his essence into it, nothing happened.

Shi Qi thought, perhaps the distance is simply too great.

After all, he had no idea how long he’d drifted at sea before washing up on this deserted island. And just now, when he’d used the Hundred-Mile Sword’s “Lightning Flash,” he had no idea how far he’d flown.

Looking around at the small island, Shi Qi gave a wry smile. It seemed fate truly tied him to islands.

He rose into the sky, intending to make his way back to the Twelve Provinces, but to his dismay, he realized he was completely disoriented.

The sky above this sea was thick with clouds and fog, making it impossible to tell direction by the sun.

Helpless, Shi Qi could only wait on the island until a clear day, when the sun might guide him.

With nothing else to do, Shi Qi began to wander the island.

“Hm?”

He had barely taken two steps inward when a massive barrier appeared before him—a mountain-guarding array used by many sects.

“Is there really a sect on this deserted island outside the provinces?” Shi Qi murmured.

He crossed the formation, then paused and waited.

Sure enough, soon two young women flew out from the mountain and landed before him. At a glance, both seemed quite young.

“Who dares trespass on Lingyun Island!” one demanded, drawing her sword and adopting a defensive stance.

Shi Qi cupped his fists. “I am a rogue cultivator from the Twelve Provinces, named Shi Qi. I was pursued by enemies and fell into the Eastern Sea, becoming lost. My arrival on your island is pure accident—please forgive this intrusion, fellow Daoists.”

The two exchanged a glance and whispered together.

“Senior sister,” one said, “he seems upright, not like someone from an evil sect. What should we do?”

“Junior sister, we mustn’t trust a polite face. Villains are often masters of disguise.”

“But senior sister, what should we do? No one has ever come to Lingyun Island in all these years. How did he get through the outer fog formation?”

“Exactly! If he was truly lost, he’d be trapped in the outer fog array. How could he have passed through and come to Lingyun Island? I think he’s here with a purpose!”

The two women immediately raised their swords, pointing them at Shi Qi. “Speak! What is your intent?”

Shi Qi was dumbfounded. What fog formation? He had no idea there was any fog formation.

He slapped his forehead. Could it be that the Hundred-Mile Sword’s “Lightning Flash” was so fast that he’d unknowingly pierced straight through the so-called fog array?

He quickly raised a hand. “Fellow Daoists, I truly entered by accident. I know nothing of any fog array…”

“You’re lying!” one snapped.

Shi Qi scratched his head. How could he explain that his flying sword was simply too fast to control? Who would believe that…

Before he could say more, the two women attacked from either side.

Shi Qi leapt aside, dodging onto a tree branch.

They reversed direction, pressing the attack.

Shi Qi frowned and reached for his Universe Pouch, intending to draw the Azure Cloud Parasol—but found it broken in half.

He thought back to the day of the assault, gritting his teeth, and in that instant recalled Su Xiaomu, who had perished saving him.

He had no time for sentiment. The women came at him with deadly intent, but Shi Qi did not wish to harm them. He threw out the Thousandfold Shield in defense.

The points of their swords struck the shield and were instantly bounced away by its counterforce, sending both women tumbling.

Shi Qi quickly conjured two slender water vortices, which wrapped around their waists and gently set them down, sparing them from harm.

“Ladies, I have no wish to fight. If Lingyun Island does not welcome outsiders, I will depart at once.”

After a single exchange, the women realized they were no match for him. He had only defended, not attacked—in fact, he had even protected them.

They exchanged another look. “Very well—please leave at once. Lingyun Island will not pursue this matter.”

Shi Qi chuckled ruefully. “Then might I trouble you to point me in the right direction?”

The women were about to reply when they suddenly froze.

Shi Qi watched, unsure what had happened.

After a moment, one of them looked up and said, “Our island master invites you inside. This way, please.”

“Your island master?” Shi Qi asked in surprise. “Who is your master?”

“Our master means you no harm. Please follow us into the mountain—you’ll understand everything soon.”

Shi Qi nodded. With the Hundred-Mile Sword still in dormancy, he had little chance of escaping the so-called fog array on his own. For now, he could only follow the two women up the mountain.

They gestured for him to follow.

Lingyun Island seemed small from the outside, but within the protective array, it was a world unto itself.

Shi Qi observed the surroundings. Spiritual energy was abundant, and once inside, he was greeted by waves of floral fragrance. A clear lake appeared before him, covered in blooming white lotuses, with a faint mist drifting in the air. It felt like a celestial paradise.

Shi Qi thought, I wonder who the master of this place is. Whoever it is, they must have a refined and elegant nature.

Just then, the sound of a zither drifted to his ears, its gentle, intricate notes soothing him at once.

Before long, the two women led him to a small pavilion at the center of the lake.

Shi Qi saw a woman in white seated within, playing a guqin before her. The melody he’d just heard must have come from her fingers.

“Master!”

The two women bowed deeply to the woman in white.

“You may withdraw,” the woman said softly. Her voice was clear and melodious, as gentle as water and as lovely as song.

Yet her hands did not pause; her fingers danced across the strings, sending wondrous music rippling over the lake.

“Yes, Master.”

The two women responded and then withdrew, heads bowed, not sparing Shi Qi a glance.

He stood quietly, saying nothing, simply listening to the music.

The woman in white continued to play, lost in her art.

After an incense stick’s time, the music ceased. She slowly withdrew her hands from the guqin.

Shi Qi stepped forward, cupping his fists. “I am Shi Qi, a rogue cultivator, forced to flee from enemies. My arrival on Lingyun Island was entirely by accident—I beg your pardon, Island Master.”

He spoke as he looked at her. She wore white, her posture graceful and willowy, but a white veil covered her face, concealing her features.

She gave no reply, only asked quietly, “What do you think of this melody?”

Shi Qi replied, “In music, I hear only the clarity of spring water; in tea, I find the comfort of old friends from Mount Meng. Though I am no master of music, I can sense the beauty in your playing. But what is music without tea? Might I ask, Island Master, do you also enjoy tea?”

The woman in white smiled faintly. “Do you have good tea, young friend?”

Shi Qi nodded. “But of course.”

He retrieved a small box from his Universe Pouch, the very tea leaves he had once pilfered from his master, White Egret.

Opening the lid, a rich fragrance drifted out, mingling with the scent of the lake’s flowers. Shi Qi breathed it in, feeling instantly refreshed.

“Island Master, please sample this tea.”

Unexpectedly, as the scent reached her, the woman in white shivered ever so slightly, a delicate frown flickering beneath her veil—but this vanished almost instantly.

She said, “It is indeed fine tea. May I ask where it came from?”

Shi Qi failed to notice her subtle reaction. “I stumbled upon it in an old teahouse by chance. I do not know its proper name.”

He was careful not to mention White Egret’s name.

She nodded and raised her hand gracefully. Several tea leaves floated from Shi Qi’s box, danced in the air, and settled into the teapot before her.

Shi Qi’s brow furrowed. From her control of true essence, she was at least a peak Nascent Soul cultivator—perhaps even higher.

Though he sensed no malice, to sit facing such a powerful figure on a desolate island in the Eastern Sea made Shi Qi all the more cautious.

She noticed his expression and smiled. “Young friend, I will not hold your trespass against you. However, you must answer me one question. Do so, and you may leave freely—I will have someone guide you through the fog array.”

“Please ask, Island Master,” Shi Qi replied.

She asked, “How did you pass through my fog array?”

Shi Qi considered a moment, then said slowly, “I wandered in by accident, lost my way, and lingered for quite some time. Suddenly, I found myself out of the mist and saw this island—your Lingyun Island—before me.”

The woman in white lifted her gaze to him. Shi Qi felt a chill on his back; his protective energy rose instinctively.

She smiled. “That is not truthful, young friend. I will give you one more chance. Think carefully—how did you pass through my fog array?”

Shi Qi swallowed, realizing she could likely see through him with her level of cultivation. He might as well be honest.

He scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. “To tell the truth, I simply couldn’t control my flying sword—it was too fast. By the time I stopped, I was already above Lingyun Island. So I truly don’t know how I got through your fog array.”