Chapter 95: The Black-and-White Elders

At Taiping Sect, mist billowed outward and hardened into a wall, dividing Clear Source River from Lost Soul Bay. In order to better cultivate Cold Star Shells and make it easier for the sect’s disciples to come and go, Jiang Chen had used the Fog-Chasing Banner to reshape the bay’s environment.

On this very day, a river barge descended the current and drew near Lost Soul Bay.

“So this is Taiping Sect’s stronghold. The mist gathers into a wall, concealing hidden mysteries within. Even I cannot see through it.”

At the prow, an old man with white hair, black robes, a lean frame, sharp features, and a blade-like air spoke.

Beside him stood another elder, who smiled at once upon hearing this. He was short and stout, with a hunched back, a hunchbacked figure in black hair and white robes. Unlike the white-haired elder, he was always smiling, his temper gentle to the extreme, very much like a kindly man.

“Isn’t that only natural? Compared with us martial artists, cultivators borrow the power of heaven, and their methods are far more profound. Besides, isn’t that a good thing?”

Still smiling broadly, the stout elder replied with a question of his own.

The tall, thin elder gave a slight nod. That was indeed what they wanted; if Taiping Sect were truly ordinary, with nothing remarkable about it, they would not have rushed here.

“Do you think our trip will go smoothly? The cultivator from Taiping Sect who can slay an early-stage Qi Refiner in direct combat is already extraordinary among cultivators. He may not truly care about martial artists, and what we want is no ordinary thing.”

Glancing sideways at the stout elder, the tall, thin man voiced the worry in his heart.

The smile on the stout elder’s face faded somewhat, though he still remained composed.

“Hard to say, but the chance is still there. Didn’t that one deliberately send word through the Quicksand Bandits for the very purpose of drawing in martial grandmasters like us? Surely you don’t think he really meant to recruit only a few third- and second-rate fighters? Perhaps he is already waiting for us.”

His voice was low, but by the end he had even made a jest.

Hearing this, the tall, thin elder also smiled rare and briefly. His old friend seemed carefree on the surface, but in truth he understood everything clearly; more often than not, it was he who made the decisions for both of them.

It was then that, sensing the barge’s approach, disciples from Taiping Sect came out to meet them.

“Who goes there?”

Clad in Daoist robes, with faint traces of fish scales showing on their bodies, two Taiping Sect disciples walked across the water and emerged from the mist wall.

Seeing this, a glint flashed in the eyes of the two elders. With their level of skill, they could tell at once that these two disciples were merely third-rate martial artists, not cultivators. Their ability to walk on water came entirely from the beast hides they wore.

And that was indeed the case. These two disciples came from prominent families in Clear River County, families that had close ties to Taiping Sect. Precisely because of this, they had been able to obtain two beast hides with ease and secure a pleasant posting: guarding the sect’s gate while also feeding the spiritual shells.

Yes, a pleasant posting. Though gatekeeping might not sound glorious, it depended very much on whose gate one was guarding, not to mention that the sect’s contribution rewards for the task were not low.

“The Black-and-White Elders have come to pay a visit. We ask that you kindly pass on our request.”

Crossing the span of a hundred paces, the two elders sent a visiting card and a money pouch drifting lightly to the disciples before them. Even as martial grandmasters, they did not slight these two Taiping Sect disciples.

Seeing this, the two disciples’ expressions changed slightly.

Those chosen to serve as gatekeepers were naturally sharp-eyed. From that single move alone, they could tell these two elders were no simple figures.

“Please wait a moment. I shall report at once.”

Giving the other disciple a look, one Taiping Sect disciple took the visiting card and the money pouch and entered the dense fog. Both items had to be handed over; it was not something he could decide on his own.

Meanwhile, on Lost Soul Bay, a small boat drifted upon the water. Jiang Chen was fishing. The taste of that white dragon from before had stirred his cravings, so today he had come to try again. Unfortunately, he had caught nothing so far.

Though the Dragon-Fishing Rod could imitate the power of lunar radiance to lure spirit fish, there was still a limit to the distance. If he wanted to improve his chances, he would first have to find a fish nest.

“Young Master, shall we change places? There may truly be no white dragons here.”

Seeing that Jiang Chen had not caught anything for a long while, Red Jade, who was brewing tea nearby, spoke up.

At this, Jiang Chen gave no answer. Instead, his gaze turned toward the waters outside Lost Soul Bay.

“After baiting the waters for so long, it seems the fish have finally taken the hook.”

Lifting the fishing rod, Jiang Chen smiled.

Hearing this and looking at the empty hook, Red Jade was quite puzzled.

Jiang Chen said nothing more. He only lifted the overflowing fish basket, steered the small boat back to Wooden Fish Island, and though he had not caught a white dragon, he had caught quite a few ordinary fish.

Not long after, under Jiang Chen’s instruction, the Black and White Elders were led into Lost Soul Bay by the Taiping Sect disciples.

The moment the barge crashed through the mist wall, the scenery inside Lost Soul Bay was laid bare before them. The Black-and-White Elders were stunned for a moment. They had interacted with some cultivation powers before, but never had they seen one with the bearing of Taiping Sect.

“Separated by a single wall, yet it is as though two worlds lie on either side—mortal and immortal alike.”

Birdsong, shrimp at play, fish leaping in the water. Looking toward Wooden Fish Island, the tall and thin black elder could not help but sigh, and at that moment the stout white elder silently nodded as well.

“I only hope we gain something this time. After all, the time left to us is already running short.”

Although he had long since imagined many possibilities, now that the moment had truly come, the white elder still felt a trace of tension rising in his heart. It had been a very long time since he last felt this way.

He and the black elder came from different backgrounds. He had risen from humble roots, while the black elder had come from a martial family. In their youth, both were fiery and proud, neither willing to yield to the other. They had fought more times than either could count, and through those contests, they gradually forged a friendship and came to regard one another as confidants. Later, the two of them both broke through to become martial grandmasters, and their story became a celebrated tale in the martial world.

With the strength of grandmasters came power and wealth. They had grasped both, and then let them go. In pursuit of the distant, elusive immortal path, they chose seclusion and studied the Dao of cultivation together, hoping to find a way for martial artists to step onto the road of cultivation.

Along the way, they also joined Quicksand, an organization devoted to seeking immortality, hoping to draw some help from it. Unfortunately, even so, after more than ten years of futile effort, they still had not gained anything truly substantial.

It was then that news related to Taiping Sect reached their ears and drew their attention. After further investigation, the two of them jointly decided to make this journey to Taiping Sect. Though the art of skin-wearing could not truly allow a martial artist to enter the path of cultivation, they still wanted to try it.

Martial artists were different from cultivators; even after attaining the realm of martial grandmaster, their lifespan did not lengthen. The time left to them was already running short.