EFB Chapter 1691: The Strange Island
Chapter 1691: The Strange Island
Chapter 1691: The Strange Island
He Lingchuan and others certainly don’t have such things, but fortunately gold and silver are still hard currency locally.
The innkeeper had a head full of white hair and looked to be in his seventies, but he was in good spirits. Seeing that there were still people peeking at the window, he raised his hand to drive them away, then walked back to pour water for everyone:
"Are the guests from outside the city?"
"Yes, we encountered a storm at sea and suddenly came in." He Lingchuan smiled and said, "It's not marked on the nautical chart. What is this place called?"
"We call this place Silver Pearl Island, and we also have another name, Storm Island. This is because our place is always engulfed by the wind wall." The shopkeeper gave us bamboo cups, which were made of young bamboos of medium diameter, cut into sections and trimmed. After drying for a few days, they became simple, shatterproof cups. "The wind wall is wandering on the ocean, and wherever it goes, Silver Pearl Island is there."
Silver Pearl Island always follows the storm.
"You don't usually see many foreigners, do you?"
"They are very rare! Even rarer than three-legged toads." The shopkeeper said frankly, "Most of the time, this storm opens a channel in the middle of the vast ocean. There is not even a ghost around. Where did these outsiders come from?"
He Lingchuan asked: "You don't seem surprised to see us?"
At least they were not as surprised as the people from Silver Pearl Island outside, who were just about to come up and take action.
The shopkeeper laughed: "Yes, yes, not only have I seen foreigners, I have also been to your land ports!"
"Oh? How did you see it?" He Lingchuan handed over an ingot of silver.
The shopkeeper took it with a more enthusiastic attitude.
"It happened sixty years ago. At that time, the storm happened to blow near a certain bay. After it disappeared, we saw the lights and the dock on the shore. I was still young at that time, and I was curious, so I found a boat and rowed over. There were four or five other companions who went to the shore with me, but I returned before the deadline, and three of them did not make it and were left on the coast." The shopkeeper sighed, "Until now, I have never seen them again."
"Time limit?" Dong Rui asked, "How long is the time limit?"
"Ten days." The shopkeeper pointed into the distance, "The calm you see will only last ten days. Once the time limit is up, the storm will rise again, and Silver Pearl Island will be isolated from the world."
Silver Pearl Island is an archipelago surrounded by storms. As long as the storms continue, they cannot connect to the outside world.
"This isolation will last another five years until the next passage opens."
He Lingchuan asked him, "What are the scorpion pots on the street and the evil-repelling talismans on your shop door used for?"
"Beware of evil spirits, also called Yakshas, some with green skins, some with black skins!" The shopkeeper sighed, "In the few days since the storm disappeared, there may be Yakshas invading, so we must be on high alert. Just five years ago, I saw a Yaksha eat a human with my own eyes. It was a child from my neighbor's family! With just a click, half of his head was bitten off."
Dong Rui was curious: "Silver Pearl Island follows the storm, where do these Yakshas come from?"
"The God of Wind said that this island is usually protected by storms, and it is difficult for evil spirits to approach. But within these ten days, the storms that serve as a barrier will dissipate, and the evil demons and yakshas in the seabed will pass through unhindered, and they will come to the island to eat people." The shopkeeper pointed to the south, "Most of these yakshas come from Upside Down Lake."
"Upside-down Lake?" Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. "What does that have to do with Upside-down Sea?"
"The Upside-Down Sea is the sea where the Silver Pearl Island is located. There is also a lake on the island called Upside-Down Lake."
The lake is also named "Upside Down"? "Where is it?"
The shopkeeper pointed and said, "Go east along the coastline for eight miles from here, and you will see a large round lake. It is connected to the sea. We call it the 'Upside-Down Lake'."
Just one word makes a huge difference in meaning. Dong Rui was curious: "Why is it called Upside Down Lake?"
"It's just a place name. There's a monument in the lake that says so. We have another lake here called Yaozi Lake, which looks like a pig kidney." The shopkeeper said with a smile, "You'll know when you go there and take a look."
Dong Rui continued to ask: "Have you been to that lake?"
"Yes, of course I have. I always swam in that lake when I was a kid. Adults wouldn't let us go in the water, saying there were demons in the water that ate people, but kids definitely wouldn't listen. But a few kids did go missing in those years, and someone caught a few big crocodiles from the lake, so everyone got even more scared. If kids dared to swim secretly again, we would beat them up every time we went in."
“Is anyone going down to the lake now?”
"Yes, there are a lot of fish in the lake, and there are always people rowing boats to fish." The shopkeeper pointed at the clerk who just passed by, "Ayi and his brother also often go swimming in the lake."
He Lingchuan and Dong Rui looked at each other. Could it be that the legendary Upside-Down Sea was so approachable that it allowed ordinary people to jump in and splash around?
Even more curious.
"Oh, my great-great-grandmother seemed to have told me that her neighbor's child had a strange disease that could not be cured. One time, his mother carried him on her back as she passed by Upside Down Lake. She sat on a large rock by the lake to rest her feet. Thinking of the child's disease, she started crying, and her tears fell into the lake. Suddenly, a big white fish jumped out of the lake and hit the child. The mother was frightened awake, and when she opened her eyes, she realized it was a dream. However, the child in her arms was no longer sick and was crying with full energy."
"Later, the child recovered without any medicine and lived to be eighty years old. People said he had great luck and met the wind god who cured him when he was a child by the lake."
Wanqi Feng suddenly asked: "Why did you settle in the center of the storm?"
"We were born and raised here, and we don't have much chance to go out. My ancestors and their ancestors were all from Storm Island." The shopkeeper coughed, "I've heard a lot of absurd legends, but there are two more reliable ones. One says that our ancestors were fishermen and merchants on the sea, who were swept here by a storm and settled here ever since."
"Another way of saying it is that we have been residents of Silver Pearl Island for generations, from ancient times to the present. But a long time ago, the sky collapsed and the earth broke apart, and Silver Pearl Island was about to be destroyed. It was the Storm God who used his supreme magical power to drag the island in here, so that people and the island were able to be preserved for a long time."
"The God of Storms is the God of Wind? What's his Taoist name?"
"Yes, yes, the name of the Wind God is Tianshou Wuliang Fuwei Du'e Huaxu Rushi Qianhuan Zhenren!" The shopkeeper pointed eastward, "There is a temple in the center of Yinzhu City, dedicated to the Wind God."
Everyone immediately became alert, and Dong Rui asked:
"There are statues? What do they look like?"
"She has kind eyes, a wide-sleeved robe, and a bun on her head!" said the shopkeeper. "The nobles in the city also like to dress like this."
This outfit is totally unsuitable for work, isn't it? Only nobles can wear it, right?
He Lingchuan smiled: "Has this immortal ever shown his power?"
The gods of Bega also like to make statues in human form, some with kind eyes, some beautiful and noble, and of course there are also ferocious ones, but generally they still have human faces; some of the wild gods worshipped on the Shining Golden Plains have human bodies with animal heads, or human bodies with animal heads.
This is related to the local traditional aesthetics and beliefs. When gods come, they have to be down-to-earth, and immortals are no exception.
"Yes, of course!" the shopkeeper said solemnly, "Not only the Wind God appears, but the immortals under his command also often appear on Silver Pearl Island."
He Lingchuan smiled and said, "It seems that I have to go to the city to pay my respects when I have time."
"You must go!" The shopkeeper was kind-hearted. "Since you are lucky enough to come to Silver Pearl Island, you should pay your respects to the God of Wind so that you can sail smoothly in the future."
Before the dishes were served, everyone performed a few cleaning spells to get rid of the sour smell in the cabin and the fishy smell in the fish market, so as to prevent the strong smell from affecting their appetite.
More than a month ago, the Emperor's Flowing Sap was extremely prosperous, and the spiritual energy of the world surged. Everyone was more generous in using their true power, and no longer as stingy as before. He Lingchuan also taught everyone the new magical powers of Panlong City, among which there were several very practical small magical powers, and this cleaning technique for removing dirt was one of them.
Otherwise, everyone would have to go to the bathhouse to wash up, which would not be appropriate on this dangerous island.
As for eating——
Everyone had eaten dry food on the boat, so this meal was not a must, but He Lingchuan believed that many details could help judge the truth.
As the chief medical officer, Lingguang jumped down and tested the poison of each dish.
It's okay.
The group came from the Yangshan Islands and had been eating island-style food for many years. However, Yinzhu Island is isolated from the outside world, so the food there is very different from that in the outside world. The people of Yangshan are used to eating pickled fish, but here they debone the freshly caught hamachi, cut it into small pieces, mix it with mint, plums, sour berries and pi ya zi, and eat it with a dipping sauce.
It is very sour and fresh, and it whets your appetite.
Then there is the shallow pit roasted meat and crispy duck with taro paste.
Before today, He Lingchuan had no idea that taro paste and duck were such a good match.
The salty and fragrant duck fat seeps into the taro paste, oh my!
Everyone was eating with smiles on their faces. The food must be real. The heavy feeling of fullness couldn't lie.
Of course, such a meal is very expensive. When local guests come in, most of them just want a bowl of red oil soursop noodles, eat it up and leave.
He Lingchuan originally thought that the red oil was red chili oil, but it turned out to taste sour and spicy. After eating a few more mouthfuls, his tear ducts became clear.
Dong Rui took a bite of the duck and subconsciously asked him: "Let's wait..."
He Lingchuan hushed softly, "We agreed not to discuss the details of the plan here."
In Master Qianhuan's territory, who knows how many ears and eyes people have for eavesdropping?
Everyone ate quietly, occasionally telling jokes and laughing. They were all very carefree, like tourists who had strayed into a paradise instead of a dangerous place.
Wanqi Feng even asked the shopkeeper who served the dishes himself: "What's going on with the Longxiang Restaurant on the street? Why is it surrounded and cursed?"
"It just opened the day before yesterday and it was a big hit. I went to see it and it was packed." The shopkeeper answered every question and pointed to the waiter next to him, "His cousin Ayang is a waiter at Longxiang Restaurant. I heard that they were very short of staff that day."
"But the diners got diarrhea when they got home, and dozens of them went to see doctors. Doctors all over the city were very busy that night. Unfortunately, one of the diners died."
Everyone just said "oh", if a restaurant is running and people are dying from eating out, how can it continue to operate?
It’s the last day of the National Day holiday.
Eat quickly and play quickly!
(End of this chapter)