Taichu Yandao: Starting from the Villain

At dusk, on the terracotta beach, waves rose and fell, rolling up layers of foam and washing the old fishing boats.

In the fishing village, lights are lit one after another, as if guiding people returning home late.

Zhao Rui and his party came to the entrance of the fishing village like wanderers. After asking around, they found Liu Bo'er's home.

"Excuse me, is this Liu Bo'er's home?" Zhao Rui asked loudly.

A moment later, a woman came out of the house holding a lantern.

The woman wore a golden hairpin, a crimson purple top, and a gray skirt. Although her appearance was far different from Shen Chenqing's, she was also considered a pretty girl from a small family.

The woman pushed open the wooden door and said, "My master is not here. What do you want from him?"

Zhao Rui clasped his fists and said, "We are looking for him because we want to rent his boat to go out to sea. I wonder where he has gone?"

The woman returned the greeting and said, "The master went out to sea three days ago and has not returned yet, but I think he should be back soon."

"Hasn't come back yet?" Zhao Rui was full of doubts, but then he realized that they were riding a flying boat, so its speed was naturally not comparable to that of a fishing boat. He said, "I forgot. When I saw him yesterday, he was still in the deep sea."

The woman looked puzzled and was about to ask something when she suddenly saw Zhao Rui make a gesture and a sword flew out from behind him.

"I'll go and take a look. If it's still in the deep sea, we'll have waited in vain!" Zhao Rui stepped on the flying sword, turned into a stream of light, and disappeared into the night sky.

The woman was shocked and quickly knelt on the ground, saying, "I am sorry for the rudeness. I wonder which gods have arrived."

Qian Xiaoyi stroked his beard and said, "No need to be so polite. I guess we'll have to wait a while. Can you let us in and sit down?"

"Please come in!" the woman looked panicked.

Just as Shen and Qian sat down, Zhao Rui had already returned on his sword and landed in the yard. He said, "They will be back in half an hour at most. Let's wait for a while."

Inside the house, the woman’s face was filled with joy, and she kept saying, “Then their ship should be entering the bay soon. Thank you, Bodhisattva! Thank you, Bodhisattva!”

Zhao Rui sat down at the square table and said with a smile, "You must be Yingzi, right? They have indeed arrived at the bay. You can go cook first. The captain asked you to prepare the ingredients for steaming fish."

Yingzi quickly agreed and went downstairs to prepare the ingredients.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, why don't we take this opportunity to check the information in the talisman in case the small boat fails?" Qian Xiaoyi said.

Zhao Rui nodded, took out the talisman folded into a triangle, chanted a spell, and placed it on his forehead.

A piece of information poured into Zhao Rui's sea of ​​consciousness, drawing a map. The map was very simple, only a rough direction was drawn, and the end pointed to the depths of the Red and Black Trench.

Apart from this, there is only a simple paragraph describing a cave hidden among corals and water plants, and a secret place after passing through the cave.

"This... is too easy!" Zhao Rui opened his eyes and frowned.

"Fellow Daoist, what's the situation?" Qian Xiaoyi asked hurriedly.

Zhao Rui handed the talisman to Qian Xiaoyi and said, "Look for yourself!"

However, as soon as he stretched out his hand, the talisman immediately ignited without wind and turned into ashes in the blink of an eye.

Qian Xiaoyi's hand was already in the air, but he caught it with nothing. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Daoyou Zhao, you have to explain it yourself."

Zhao Rui said: "Inside, there is a map pointing to a cave deep in the Chihei Trench. If it is a cave that we pass through, there is a relatively secret place."

Just as he finished speaking, he added: "There is something I need to tell you in advance. This information was given to you by someone else, so this secret place should be viewed with a question mark. You may not gain anything if you go there."

Qian Xiaoyi pondered for a moment and said, "I think we can give it a try. If it doesn't work, we can make a few more trips. We can always pay back the spiritual stones we owe."

Shen Chenqing nodded and said, "We are unfamiliar with the place, so we can only try this stupid method."

"Okay, then let's go and try it first. Even if we don't have the purple gold beads, picking some golden pearls will also be a gain." Zhao Rui said.

The flickering candlelight in the room illuminated the disappointed faces of the three people, and the air fell into silence for a moment.

After a while.

Yingzi came in with two large plates and said with a smile, "My fellow immortals, this is a small place and we don't have much to offer. The main course will take some time. Let's try these two dishes first."

Two dishes were placed in the middle of the table, one of them was boiled peanuts, and the other was something black and cut into strips. They were arranged neatly, but no one knew what they were.

Zhao Rui is never picky about food. He just picks up the chopsticks and starts eating.

Shen Chenqing, who was standing by, curled her lips. After Yingzi left, she immediately asked, "What is this? How dare you eat something so black?"

"Try it, it tastes pretty good."

Shen Chenqing was half-believing and half-doubting. He sniffed it and immediately started to vomit. He said, "Master, how dare you eat shit? Let's just be brother and sister. Otherwise, how can... Hey!"

Qian Xiaoyi picked up a piece and said with a smile: "Stinky dried tofu smells bad but tastes delicious. Try a bite too. You still have a chance."

Shen Chenqing shook his head repeatedly, looking like he would never eat it even if he was beaten to death.

Zhao Rui and the other two ate while waiting. When they were halfway through the two dishes, a voice came from outside and asked, "Yingzi, has the Immortal Master prepared everything?"

The man who came had a face like a scholar, a muscular body, and was holding a fish basket in his right hand. If it wasn’t Liu Boer, who else could it be?

When Yingzi heard her man coming back, she immediately ran out from the kitchen and gave him a big hug.

In front of everyone, Liu Boer felt a little embarrassed. He gently pushed Yingzi away, handed over the fish basket and said, "Here are some fresh seafood. Let's make a few dishes to entertain the Immortal Master."

After he finished speaking, he hurried to the door of the main hall, half-knelt and said, "Liu Bo'er greets several immortal masters, but if you have any orders, I will follow your lead."

He was a person who had practiced cultivation and understood what awe was. The people in front of him, especially the cultivator who could control a flying sword, represented countless things that he could not reach.

"Come and sit together! What do you think about what I told you on the boat before?" Zhao Rui ordered.

Liu Boer trotted to the table and clasped his fists, saying, "Being able to sail for you immortal masters is a blessing from my previous life. I don't know where we are going. I have been making a living on the water for many years, so I can roughly estimate it."

"Red-Black Trench." Zhao Rui said directly.

Liu Bo'er's pupils shrank, and he said, "The red-black trench is extremely long and narrow, running through several towns and ports. The end points are different, and the starting points change accordingly, but I don't know where we are going specifically?"

"It seems like I've found the right person!" Zhao Rui was secretly delighted, and immediately picked up the stinky tofu on the plate and placed it on the table.

Soon, the shape of the red and black trench was pieced together.

"This is probably the place." Zhao Rui pointed to the end.

Liu Boer stroked his chin and said, "This place is not far from us. My boat is small, so it can barely make it, but if we want to be safe, it's better to find a big boat."

"We are acting in secret this time. How confident are you that you can take down your ship?" Zhao Rui asked.

"Actually, it's mainly the black wind from the Red and Black Trench. As long as we don't hit it, there won't be any problem. But if we do, my fishing boat may not be able to withstand it."

Zhao Rui smiled and said, "If we really encounter a black wind, no matter how good the boat is, it will be useless. Let's use your boat and set off as soon as possible."

"No problem!" Liu Boer agreed, and then said: "Masters, I still need a helper. As for the time, we can set off early tomorrow morning."

After the two finished their discussion, Yingzi served several dishes, all of which were seafood, including cold kelp shreds, stir-fried clams, sea cucumber with green onions, and four boiled lobsters.

Just like before, Zhao Rui ate everything, whether it was meat or vegetables, while Shen Chenqing only tasted a little.

Soon, the meal was over. Seeing that it was almost time, Liu Boer said, "Three immortal masters, my humble abode has exactly three rooms. I'll ask Yingzi to change the bedding. How about you three staying here for one night?"

"Then where do you and your wife live?" Zhao Rui asked.

"We can just stay at our neighbor's house for one night."

"How can that be possible? Wouldn't that make us like a cuckoo taking over... Well, at our level, we basically just sit in meditation. Just find two cushions for me and Daoist Fellow Qian."

Liu Boer looked conflicted and said, "Well, Immortal Master, this isn't a good idea, how about..."

"It's settled." Zhao Rui did not allow for any argument.

That night.

Knowing that he was practicing the wrong technique, Shen Chenqing did not sit in meditation to practice, but instead lay in bed to sleep.

I was about to fall asleep in a daze when I suddenly heard "hmm...hmm...ah...ah" sounds coming from next door.

At first, he tried to restrain his voice, but gradually it became louder and louder.

At first, Shen Chenqing thought it was a cat's meow, but he soon came to his senses.

She covered her ears, but the sound continued, and she was so angry that she sat up on the bed.

"I am so annoyed. What are you doing now, Immortal Master?" Shen Chenqing took out a talisman and said, "Immortal Master, can you sleep? Or..."

In another room, Zhao Rui also heard the seductive music, but he just smiled and shook his head, then continued to meditate.

After a while, a paper crane emitting yellow light came in from the window and flew directly to Zhao Rui's hand.

"Who is looking for me in the middle of the night?" Zhao Rui picked up the paper crane, put it to his ear and listened. He immediately took out a talisman and replied, "Go to bed early! If this little noise can affect you, how will you face the inner demons in the future?"

A blue swallow flew into Shen Chenqing's room. When she saw it, her face was full of smiles, and she hurriedly took it to her ear to listen.

Just a moment later, she looked mad: "I just asked you to watch the stars, and you told me about your inner demons."