Chapter 819 — The Star River Ghost Ship

Yuyuan Chuyu said, "This ship—Academician Su and I and others have seen it several times, always when the sky was dark, but never went aboard to investigate. Ever since the Surging River grew wide, many demigods have appeared; the people of Lizhou Prefecture are displaced and homeless, their lives unbearable, and attending to the affairs of government has already left me frantic."

Lord Huanlong wore a look of dread, and said with a trembling voice, "The Prefect had no time to investigate, but I live here, and I have encountered this ghost ship far more often than the Prefect. After the Surging River grew wide, this ship appeared. I did not dare go near it, but quite a few demigods in the water went to probe it. Their strength exceeded mine by I know not how many times, yet once aboard they never came back. I have heard that some saw them, once aboard, turn into white bones... My lord, after the Surging River became the Star River, eerie things have come forth one after another. This Dragon Lord of the Star River business..."

Shen Mu gazed far off into the river depths. The ancient warship was swimming along the bottom, its decks shadowed and thronged, as though a thousand troops and ten thousand horses were garrisoning the ship; only their faces could not be seen.

"The Star River connects to the Desolate Ruins. Its history is too ancient; it has buried too many things."

He had no intention of going to explore the truth of it. After all, this ghost ship was but one of the Star River's strangenesses; he need not hazard himself.

Just then he saw the ship's banner cut across the river surface. Water came splashing down from the tattered flag; once the water had fallen away, the river wind blew upon that flag rusty with blood, and it actually fluttered up.

In the sky the moon was like a flower dried in the sun, crinkled, yet still it shed moonlight down.

Shen Mu raised his head and studied the uncanny moon, frowning. By the moonlight he looked, and on the ship's banner he could dimly make out the characters 'Yulin'.

"This ship is called Yulin."

Shen Mu laughed. "A ship with a name should be of no small origin..."

Suddenly he froze. He hastened to examine the two characters 'Yulin', and the more he looked the more suspicious he grew.

The writing on the banner was very familiar. He quickly took out the tally of his Eldest Senior Brother Wei Suifeng. On the tally too were the two characters 'Yulin'!

The characters on the banner were embroidered; those on the tally were incised. Yet the handwriting was the same!

Shen Mu studied the banner, then studied the tally, and the suspicion on his face deepened.

"First Ancestor, Headman, you stay here. I will go aboard and take a look!"

He suddenly leapt into the air, trod the river surface, and sped toward the ghost ship, crying, "Lord Huanlong, you are a good swimmer—come with me!"

The Headman hesitated a moment, then said to the First Ancestor, "First Ancestor, you keep watch over these Human Emperors, don't let them make mischief. I will go keep watch over that boy Shen!"

The First Ancestor frowned and said in a muffled, sullen voice, "Why is it always me being ordered about..."

Lord Huanlong hesitated, unwilling to go forward. The Headman shot him a glance, and Lord Huanlong had no choice but to steel himself and follow. He thought, "If my lord dies aboard the ghost ship, then perhaps my Earth Lord's pact and my Lesser Earth Lord's pact can be written off at one stroke?"

Scarcely had the thought crossed his mind when suddenly all before his eyes went dark, and a great-headed demon god appeared before him.

"No licking," came a heavy voice out of the darkness, seemingly the voice of the Earth Lord.

"I won't lick. I'll just take a look at the food first." The great-headed demon god smiled a sinister smile and faded gradually into the dark.

Lord Huanlong's vision returned as before. He could not help shivering several times, and groaned inwardly: "This is the Lesser Earth Lord? And the other voice is the Great Earth Lord? More uncanny even than the ghost ship..."

Shen Mu drew near the ghost ship. The ship sailed beneath the river; only its banner showed above the water, and the banner plowed across the river surface like so many great white blades cleaving the current.

Shen Mu halted at a distance, then suddenly flicked his hand and thrust out a sword. At once a red sun appeared upon the river, like the setting sun half-sunk in the water; the sword light turned to red radiance and lit the river surface.

"The Setting Sun Swordplay of my Yuyuan family!"

On the riverbank, Yuyuan Chuyu said joyfully, "Little Brother Shen has not forgotten the Setting Sun Swordplay after all!"

When the sword light of the Setting Sun Swordplay reached the edge of the ghost ship in the river, it dimmed at once, erased by the black chains coiled about the ghost ship, without a shred of power.

Shen Mu frowned. Shadows shifted; the Headman and Lord Huanlong arrived.

"Grandpa Headman, why have you come?"

Shen Mu frowned and shook his head. "I cannot look after you."

The Headman was furious and dealt him a heavy knock on the head: "Look after us? It is I who have come to look after you. You brat—a few years kicking about out there and your tongue has grown bold!"

Shen Mu clutched his head, nearly knocked into the river by that one blow.

The Headman looked at the ghost ship in the river and mused, "The chains outside the ship are formed of black vapor; they are formidable indeed. Follow me, all of you, and do not go blundering about!"

Shen Mu patted Lord Huanlong; Lord Huanlong transformed into a giant dragon, and Shen Mu stood upon the dragon's head. Lord Huanlong was the first to plunge into the water.

The Headman hurried after him, flying and swimming, and came to the dragon's head, crying, "Shen, boy, I told you to follow me, not me to follow you. You wretch, your gall grows bigger and bigger..."

Suddenly he landed on Shen Mu's hand, and saw that in Shen Mu's hand a jade pendant was growing bright, its radiance dispersing the chains of black vapor that ringed the ghost ship.

"The Yulin Guard of the Heavenly Court of old, just as I thought!"

Shen Mu said in a low voice, "Can it be that this ship is the Yulin Guard crossing-over incident that the Great Sun Star Lord spoke of? Strange—how did the Yulin Guard's warship come here? Were they not the Yulin Guard of the Longhan Heavenly Court of a million years ago? Why does my Eldest Senior Brother have the Yulin Guard's tally of the Longhan Heavenly Court? Then might my Eldest Senior Brother be aboard this ghost ship..."

Here he suddenly took another knock on the head, and saw the Headman staring at him with bright, piercing eyes.

"Shen, boy, what is it that you know?"

The Headman's face was grave; then all at once he put on another face altogether, unable to hide his curiosity, and said with a smile, "And what is this jade pendant in your hand? What is this Yulin Guard crossing-over incident?"

Shen Mu was about to speak when suddenly the water churned with hidden currents, and a great kun came swimming through the river, with many oddly shaped demigods standing upon its back.