NOVPUBXu Zimei arrived at the room at the very front.
Inside it was pitch-dark, but he noticed the room was arranged very neatly and clean.
It just seemed that the owner of the room was not home.
Xu Zimei didn’t think too much of it and, passing through the long corridor, found himself in front of many docked vessels.
They varied in size.
On the very front board of the dock, an old man sat fishing.
The old man leisurely sat on the board, holding a fishing rod, his body motionless.
Standing there, Xu Zimei could finally see the vast ocean in the distance.
The boundless sea was calm and serene, yet behind this tranquility lay a terrible dread that shocked the heart.
Humans harbored fear for the unknown depths of the ocean.
Xu Zimei looked at the marks on the Taiyang Zuzhao map; the Taiyang Zuzhao was hidden within an iceberg.
But Xu Zimei couldn’t predict the exact location of the iceberg, as the changes were too great.
He looked at the old angler, preparing to go up and ask him.
When Xu Zimei approached the old man, the latter’s originally closed eyes snapped open.
Without looking at Xu Zimei, he simply continued to watch his fishing rod and said indifferently,
"You’ve scared my fish away."
"Answer me one question, and I can compensate you with ten fish," Xu Zimei said.
"You don’t understand, I’m not after the fish, I just enjoy the joy of the catch after the long wait."
The old man shook his head in response.
"The Evil Dragon Jiao is causing chaos, everyone in Linhai City has retreated into the city, why are you the only one still living here?" Xu Zimei asked in confusion, "Aren’t you afraid?"
"Old and somewhat home-bound, I don’t wish to leave easily," the old man shook his head and replied.
"Then has the elder seen anything like an iceberg around here?" Xu Zimei inquired further.
"Here there’s nothing but the ocean," the old man said with a laugh and a shake of his head.
"Then I apologize for the disturbance," Xu Zimei glanced at the old man and took a step onto a small boat nearby.
The old man seemed very mysterious and Xu Zimei suspected that he was no ordinary person, but that had nothing to do with him.
He prepared to look around the Endless Heaven Sea to see if he could find the iceberg that contained the Taiyang Zuzhao.
......
The small boat slowly made its way into the depths of the sea, with blue waters gently flowing.
As far as the eye could see, there were the waters and the distant and unreachable horizon line.
The sea seemed to mirror the far-off sky.
The autumn waters share the color of the clear sky!
Xu Zimei sailed the small boat in search of the iceberg for several hours, but to no avail.
Growing impatient, he stepped into the air, each stride spanning miles, and off he went for hundreds of miles at a time.
Unfortunately, after several back-and-forths, Xu Zimei didn’t see anything.
Forget icebergs, he didn’t even see a single island.
The sky was already darkening, with gloomy weather becoming even more terrifying.
In the darkness, the sea also began to grow restless, the waves tossing up small patches of froth.
Xu Zimei rode the small boat slowly back to the dock.
The old man was still standing on the shore, holding a very large yellow sack and scattering something into the seabed.
Seeing Xu Zimei return, the old man paid him no mind, but continued to quietly scatter.
Xu Zimei didn’t bother him and took the opportunity of nightfall to return to Linhai City.
He wasn’t familiar with the Endless Heaven Sea, and it seemed that the dock’s old man wasn’t willing to talk more with him.
He thought about searching inside Linhai City for someone to ask, but the people of Linhai City were all afraid to venture into the Endless Heaven Sea.
It seemed he could only seek out the Hero Who Slew the Jiao Dragon, Li Zhizhong.
He often frequented the Endless Heaven Sea, so if there really were something, he would likely know about it.
.......
After returning to the inn he had stayed at before, Xu Zimei ordered a pot of warm wine and began chatting with the same young waiter again.
"You’re talking about that old man at the dock?" the shop’s young waiter suddenly realized, and said with a smile.
"I don’t know his name, but it seems all the residents in town call him Uncle Shang.
He’s a strange old man who has been living at the dock for a very long time.
Later, when the Evil Dragon Jiao caused havoc, everyone moved away from the dock back into town, but he continued to live there alone.
He wouldn’t listen to anyone’s advice.
Xu Zimei nodded, finished his dinner, and then left the inn, heading straight towards the north of the city.
After inquiring briefly, Xu Zimei arrived at Li Zhizhong’s home.
The courtyard wasn’t very spacious, and the house was one of those very old-fashioned mud-brick types.
As Xu Zimei walked through the black wooden gate, he saw many remnants scattered across the not-so-spacious courtyard.
There were those of the Evil Dragon Jiao, as well as those of the Linhai Wolf.
Li Zhizhong, wearing a white vest, was in the courtyard grinding something.
Upon closer inspection, Xu Zimei found out it was a mixture of countless Evil Dragon Jiao’s teeth and claws, crushed to pieces.
It seemed he was forging a weapon.
When Li Zhizhong saw Xu Zimei, he smiled, showing his teeth.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "Can I help you with something?"
"I want to ask you about the Endless Heaven Sea," said Xu Zimei.
"Sure," Li Zhizhong nodded his head.
He seemed to be friendly to everyone.
"You’re active in the Endless Heaven Sea all year round, have you ever seen a place resembling an iceberg?"
Xu Zimei asked.
Upon hearing Xu Zimei’s question, Li Zhizhong’s gaze became slightly focused, seeming to hesitate for a moment.
"This is a good sign," Xu Zimei breathed a sigh of relief. He most dreaded returning without any success, and without even a clue to start searching, that would be truly difficult.
Seeing that the other party was unwilling to answer for a long time, Xu Zimei hurriedly said.
"As long as you are willing to tell me, I can agree to any condition you propose."
Li Zhizhong’s eyes filled with hope, then quickly dimmed again.
He shook his head and replied, "There are some things that you can’t do just because you want to."
"How do you know I can’t do it if you don’t tell me," Xu Zimei replied.
"I want to eliminate all the Evil Dragon Jiaos and Linhai Wolves near Linhai City. Do you have that strength?" Li Zhizhong asked, shaking his head.
Xu Zimei chuckled lightly and asked, "Is that all?"
"I’m not joking," said Li Zhizhong seriously.
"Neither am I," Xu Zimei replied, his aura mighty around him.
Endless Spiritual Energy began to converge towards him, and he slowly stretched out his right hand.
His index finger, carrying endless Holy Power, pressed down directly towards Li Zhizhong.
Li Zhizhong’s face was stricken with shock, feeling as if that single finger was as heavy as tens of thousands of pounds.
It was much more powerful than any of the Evil Dragon Jiaos he had ever seen.
His right arm’s muscles bulged without any particular technique, he simply collided directly with Xu Zimei’s attack.
However, the moment the two touched, Li Zhizhong’s figure shattered as if he were merely a thin piece of paper.
He was sent flying backwards.
"I haven’t even used a tenth of my strength," Xu Zimei said, shaking his head.
"Lead me to the iceberg, and I’ll take care of those beasts for you."
"A deal is a deal," Li Zhizhong stood up, rubbing his sore arm, and said to Xu Zimei.
