Chapter 3: Huang Zhong tells time, asks the world about the Spring and Autumn Period

The scholars behind Qiu Shuijing felt a chill.

Although the young man named Su Yun’s smile was full of sunshine, in this gloomy ghost market, it appeared even more eerie and terrifying.

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, and a blind one at that, was actually mingling with a group of fox demons, following an old fox to school!

Following fox demons to school was one thing, but how did he manage to break into the Heaven’s Gate and end up in the ghost market?

One must know that the Heaven’s Gate ghost market stood high in the sky, and ordinary people couldn’t even see the path to the Heaven’s Gate, let alone enter the ghost market after passing through the gate.

How did a little blind boy ascend into the sky and arrive here?

If he entered the ghost market through the Heaven’s Gate, he surely couldn’t have escaped the notice of Qiu Shuijing and the others. If he didn’t enter through the Heaven’s Gate, was there another way into the ghost market?

Even more bizarre was that he, like the ghosts and gods in the ghost market, also set up a stall there!

Could it be that he wasn’t a living person at all?

If he were alive, how could the ghosts and gods in the ghost market tolerate him setting up a stall in this place?

However, if he were dead, how could he appear so vividly in front of everyone?

The scholars wished they could grab that little fellow with the harmless smile and thoroughly study him!

Just then, a scholar suddenly had a realization and blurted out, “I know! He’s a human demon!”

At these words, even Qiu Shuijing’s body trembled.

Human demon!

A spiritual essence attached to a human body, transforming into a demon that extinguishes humanity!

This young man named Su Yun first studied with fox demons, and now appeared in the ghost market. Neither ghosts and gods nor fox demons treated him as an anomaly. Could he truly be an utterly evil human demon?

Qiu Shuijing suddenly lowered his voice, “The Heaven’s Gate ghost market has a fourth rule: mind your own business, and never ask too many questions about other things! Sometimes, asking too many questions can lead to death.”

The scholars felt a chill in their hearts. The Heaven’s Gate ghost market probably didn’t have a fourth rule; Qiu Shuijing was worried about their safety, which was why he warned them not to meddle.

“Are you a teacher from the city?” the blind young man asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Qiu Shuijing said, giving the young man named Su Yun a deep look.

He paused, then suddenly felt a sense of relief: “He’s not a human demon.”

He saw Su Yun’s spiritual ability.

Su Yun’s spiritual ability was very light and faint; the scholars’ heavenly eyes couldn’t detect it, and Qiu Shuijing had to look very carefully to see it.

Su Yun’s ability was very peculiar, like a large, continuously rotating yellow bell.

This yellow bell was unique, as if its interior was composed of different rings linked together, with gears seemingly connecting the rings.

The gears of the upper ring were large, and those of the lower ring were small, which caused the lower ring to rotate much faster than the upper ring.

This yellow bell had seven layers of rings.

The first layer was almost motionless, the second rotated extremely slowly, the third layer’s rotation speed was more than ten times faster than the second, but still very slow.

The fourth layer of the yellow bell was more than ten times faster than the third, but its rotation speed was still not fast.

By the fifth layer, the rotation speed could be easily perceived.

The sixth layer’s speed was three to four hundred times that of the fifth, and the seventh layer’s rotation speed was three to four hundred times that of the sixth, capable of dozens of rotations in the blink of an eye!

“This is…”

Qiu Shuijing was astonished and immediately guessed the function of Su Yun’s spiritual ability: “His yellow bell is used for timing. The first layer is years, the second is months, the third is days, the fourth is hours, the fifth is minutes, the sixth is seconds, and the seventh is ‘hu’ (a very short unit of time).”,

He showed a thoughtful expression: “I understand his purpose; he uses the layers of the yellow bell’s scale to calculate where he has walked. It’s just that ordinary people would never use ‘hu’ to time things; using seconds is already enough.”

People who cannot see walk with difficulty, needing someone to lead them or using a cane to explore ahead. However, this young man named Su Yun didn’t use a cane, nor did anyone guide him.

The reason he could move freely was that he was intimately familiar with all the geography around him.

Simply being familiar with the geography wasn’t enough; he needed a time scale to judge his location based on time and his walking speed.

“His use of ‘hu’ for timing indicates that every one of his movements is incredibly precise! In places he is familiar with, he can never go wrong!”

Qiu Shuijing even thought more: if the yellow bell were used in combat, then every action of this young man named Su Yun would undoubtedly be incredibly accurate, wasting not a single bit of strength!

“To be able to cultivate spiritual abilities at such a young age, and to reach the ‘Yun Ling’ realm, his talent is extraordinary. It’s a pity he’s blind. It’s many times harder for a blind person to learn things than for others.”

Qiu Shuijing sighed inwardly. In his heart, Su Yun was a promising talent, even better than the scholars behind him. But being blind meant that no matter how good Su Yun’s talent was, he couldn’t achieve anything significant.

“How did he cultivate such a precise spiritual ability as this yellow bell?” Qiu Shuijing was also quite curious.

Such a complex yellow bell, extremely precise, allowing no room for error. Even officials in charge of calendrical calculations in the imperial court might not be able to cultivate such a spiritual ability, let alone a child?

He grew more and more curious about this young man named Su Yun.

“Su Yun, Tianshi Yuan Heaven’s Gate Town, thirteen years old. His family had an incident when he was seven. Seven years old, that is, six years ago. Six years ago, Heaven’s Gate Town…”

Qiu Shuijing’s expression changed slightly. He looked at Su Yun again, then led the scholars deeper into the ghost market.

The ghost market was enormous. Many people had tried to find its end, but no one had ever been able to explore it completely in a single night.

Qiu Shuijing also intended to explore the ghost market this time, but after seeing Su Yun, he lost that inclination.

He found the spiritual essence of that important figure and had the scholars each go to inquire about the great figure’s last wishes.

Qiu Shuijing listened silently as the great figure’s spiritual essence recounted his last wishes, feeling a myriad of emotions.

He knew this great figure, not only knew him but had a deep friendship with him back then, even considering him a close friend.

Later, the two slowly drifted apart after a minor incident revealed their differing philosophies.

Although their philosophies differed, he held no resentment towards this great figure, only respect in his heart. That was why he brought the scholars to fulfill the great figure’s unfulfilled wishes.

“…This treasure of mine is called the Floating World Lead Brush, refined throughout my life. There is only one condition to take this treasure: swear to die for the country.”

Qiu Shuijing smiled when he heard the great figure’s spiritual essence say this, but felt a pang of sadness.

His dear friend, even after death, could not let go of this country.

Both of them had chosen the path of saving the country. Although their goals were the same, their methods of achieving them differed, leading to a divergence in their philosophies, which caused their paths to separate.

However, when it came to this heartfelt devotion to serving and saving the country, Qiu Shuijing felt that his dear friend was purer.

In contrast, he himself had lost all ambition in his middle age, leaving the Eastern Capital in disgrace and hiding in Shuofang.

Sounds of people came from behind. Qiu Shuijing composed himself and turned to see that other people had arrived at the ghost market, dozens of them, in succession.

It must be that with the opening of Heaven’s Gate, the powerful families of Shuofang also sent people to try their luck. As for Tianshi Yuan, due to that incident, there were no powerful aristocratic families left.

By the latter half of the night, the scholars had all gained something. Qiu Shuijing then ordered them to leave the ghost market first, instructing them: “You are to go to the Tianshi Yuan Post Station (relay station) and return to Shuofang City ahead of me. I may stay here for a while.”

The scholars departed.

Qiu Shuijing watched them walk away, then returned to the Heaven’s Gate and back to the ghost market.

He stood at a distance, watching the young man named Su Yun.

Su Yun was completely unaware. The artifacts he sold were all grave goods from tombs, but compared to the treasures of ghosts and gods, his items were ordinary things, not treasures, and of little use.

People who came to the ghost market to seek treasures would merely glance at his stall and then leave.

As the night deepened, the ghost market gradually emptied of people.

Su Yun began to pack up, rolling up his stall, putting it in a basket, and carrying it on his back, walking deeper into the ghost market.

Qiu Shuijing silently followed the young man.

Unbeknownst to them, they had already reached the depths of the ghost market.

Looking up from the ground, the ghost market was a magnificent divine city, vast and without end. Walking deeper into the ghost market, the surrounding buildings became increasingly dim and colorless.

The ground beneath their feet also grew softer, as if they were walking on clouds and mist.

Even Qiu Shuijing hesitated. The ghost market was too large. If he continued to follow this young man, and there wasn’t enough time to return, wouldn’t he be buried in the ghost market?

Just as he thought this, Su Yun suddenly stopped.

The little blind boy didn’t continue along the street but turned into an alley on the left.

Qiu Shuijing raised an eyebrow. Alleys were the most dangerous places in the ghost market!

There were incredible, unexplainable things left over from ancient times there. More importantly, the alleys were winding and complex, like a labyrinth, and no one had ever managed to walk out of them!

Qiu Shuijing hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and stepped into the alley, following the little blind boy.

The houses on both sides of the road gradually ceased to resemble houses, instead looking more and more like tombs.

Coupled with the night, the tombs merged with the darkness, only their faint outlines visible.

A cold wind howled, accompanied by the wailing of ghosts and gods, making the surroundings increasingly terrifying.

Ahead, the little blind boy Su Yun couldn’t see his surroundings. He relied only on his footsteps and the rotation of the yellow bell to identify his position and path.

He had clearly been here before, and more than once, walking forward with practiced ease, without any hesitation.

“Only a blind person like Su Yun, who has cultivated the yellow bell, could remember such a complex terrain!” Qiu Shuijing was secretly astonished.

The paths within the ghost market were incredibly complex, filled with countless forks, and each fork looked almost identical, making it easy for the eyes to be deceived.

Only Su Yun could navigate a path through the ghost market!

Suddenly, Su Yun stopped under a large willow tree in front of a desolate grave.

Qiu Shuijing’s heart stirred. He saw the blind young man grab a “willow branch,” swing down, and slide down along the “willow branch,” quickly disappearing without a trace!

“It’s not a willow branch! It’s an immortal rope!”

Qiu Shuijing was startled and hurried forward, looking down. He saw that under the willow tree was actually an opening, two feet square, pitch black, with a cold wind blowing from the hole.

And the “willow branch” that Su Yun had just grabbed actually grew longer against the wind, allowing the young man to pull himself deep into the hole with the “willow branch.”

Looking closely, the “willow branch” was a hemp rope as thick as an egg, precisely what Qiu Shuijing called the “immortal rope.”

Qiu Shuijing hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and also reached for the hemp rope, sliding into the hole.

After sliding only six or seven feet, he suddenly found himself in empty space below!

Qiu Shuijing gripped the rope tightly and looked down, seeing himself hanging high in the air, holding the hemp rope, which swayed in the wind, causing him to sway unsteadily as well.

He looked up and saw the ghost market above him, with the hemp rope hanging down from that hole.

“This immortal rope is the spiritual ability of a powerful individual…”

He relaxed, sliding down along the willow branch, feeling a little curious: “The immortal rope was clearly prepared for this young man, Su Yun. So who prepared it for him?”

He was quite puzzled: “And that yellow bell, Mr. Wild Fox couldn’t have taught him that. There must be some secret about Su Yun!”

Qiu Shuijing slid down from high in the sky. After a long time, his feet finally touched solid ground.

He looked up and was startled. He saw himself standing under a crooked-necked willow tree, the tree no more than two zhang tall, with a rope hanging from its crooked trunk.

And beneath the tree was a desolate grave.

Just now, he had slid down from high in the sky by holding this rope!

“This hemp rope is that immortal rope, and this willow tree is the grave-mound willow tree to which the immortal rope was tied! I clearly slid down several miles, so why am I only two zhang above ground after landing…”

Qiu Shuijing’s forehead pulsed with veins. Su Yun was blind and couldn’t see this bizarre situation, so he never thought about such strange problems.

But he could see, and he was disturbed by these strange occurrences, his mind in turmoil.

“Perhaps not being able to see is not a weakness; it could also be an advantage.”

Qiu Shuijing examined the desolate grave under the tree and saw that the tombstone had fallen, clearly untended for many years.

“The person buried in this desolate grave must be an important figure! The immortal rope must be his spirit weapon. Why does he take care of this little blind boy, Su Yun?”

The east was gradually turning pale; night was about to pass.

The young man named Su Yun walked ahead with his basket on his back. In front, a mist rose, and within the mist stood a huge archway with five gates, carved with dragons and phoenixes, very ornate.

However, this archway was dilapidated and had fallen into disrepair, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Qiu Shuijing followed the young man and walked closer, looking up. In the faint light before dawn, three ancient red characters on the archway came into his view.

Heaven’s Gate Town.

“This is the famous Heaven’s Gate, rumored to be crafted by skilled artisans in imitation of the Heaven’s Gate of the ghost market.”

Just as Qiu Shuijing thought this, suddenly, a cool sea breeze dispersed the mist behind the Heaven’s Gate. Heaven’s Gate Town, built on the cliffs of the North Sea coast, appeared before him like a city on the sea!