The stranger’s face was almost obscured by tangled hair and beard, yet the twisted expression of agony was still visible.
"He didn’t obtain the immortal fate?" Li Xiu pursued the question.
"He did, but it wasn’t the immortality he desired. If he could do it all over again, he would rather face death than possess such a form of immortality," the stranger sighed, "If a person achieves eternal life yet must spend their days aboard a ship, isolated and alone, sailing in a world without end, without a beginning, without an endpoint, never able to disembark. Would you want such immortality?"
"I don’t know." Li Xiu shook his head slightly.
"Of course you don’t know, because you haven’t experienced such loneliness." The stranger abruptly took a swig of alcohol, then tossed the flask to Li Xiu, saying, "The young man has attained immortality, but now he desires only death, such a simple wish, a capability any ordinary person possesses, yet he can no longer fulfill it."
Li Xiu caught the flask but refrained from drinking, recalling the chairman’s words that nothing aboard the ship should be consud.
"You are Xu Fu, who set sail to seek the Elixir of Longevity. Who was the person you encountered?" Li Xiu stared at the stranger and asked.
"Who do you think it was?" The stranger countered with a half-smile.
"The chairman?" Li Xiu guessed.
"Did he tell you that nothing on the ship should be consud?" The stranger didn’t answer, instead spoke abruptly.
Li Xiu didn’t reply, just looked at the stranger.
"You don’t have to worry; he’s inside the guest room and can’t hear anything from outside," the stranger said.
"Whether he hears or not makes no difference to ," Li Xiu comnted.
"Really? If I told you not eating anything onboard ant you could never leave the ship, would you still think that?" The stranger said with a half-smile, looking at Li Xiu.
"Why?" Li Xiu frowned.
"Because you were sent to replace ; your fate will be the sa as mine: eternally ageless, living countless lonely years upon the Dead Sea..." The stranger’s voice was ghostly, making Li Xiu’s hairs stand on end.
"A contradiction! Since you possess an ageless body, why need a substitute?" Li Xiu naturally didn’t believe him.
"Because he can no longer obtain what he wants from , he needs a compliant person as my substitute to control the ship. He’s done this before, only without success. But you’re different; you have the capability to replace ," the stranger sneered, continuing, "Did you seriously believe he wants to take you to the Celestial Sea? There are many ways to reach it; why insist on this long voyage aboard this ship? It’s because only if you’ve been onboard long enough can you beco part of the ship, have your soul imprinted upon it, never to leave. This alcohol can resist the ship’s assimilation of you; only by drinking it can you avoid being combined with the ship, can you disembark. Think carefully, why would he prevent you from eating or drinking while desperately consuming at and alcohol himself?"
Li Xiu, reflecting, indeed found it strange; going to the Celestial Sea could directly use the Trial Gate, yet the chairman took the hard route—sailing aboard the Dead Sea for so many days—it truly seed illogical.
"What does he want from you?" Li Xiu, maintaining composure, watched the stranger and asked.
"What else? Naturally, the sacrifices," the stranger replied.
"You an Xiao Yue and the others?" Li Xiu hesitated slightly.
The stranger chuckled, "Why do you think he deceived into bringing young boys and girls aboard? He wants those young ones; they’re the finest of human lineage, what he truly needs."
"With his capabilities, he should be able to snatch them directly, without such hassle," Li Xiu said.
"Didn’t I just tell you, Xiao Yue and the others aren’t fully human anymore. Ordinary human lineage is of no use to him. The Eternal Life has been on the Dead Sea for thousands of years; Xiao Yue and the others have been transford, and it’s them he needs now," the stranger sneered wickedly, "The story is done; believe it or not is up to you. The wine is in your hand; drink or not, it’s your choice whether to leave the ship."
With that, the stranger turned towards the cabin, but at the door, he turned back, revealing his ghostly teeth as he said to Li Xiu, "If you don’t believe , wait until you’re asleep—if soone knocks, open to see."
"Who’s knocking?" Li Xiu frowned and asked.
"Those who sailed before and consud nothing," the stranger finished and entered the cabin.
Li Xiu frowned but said nothing. Though many of the stranger’s words bore flaws, they weren’t entirely implausible.
"Things are getting interesting; according to the stranger, he’s Xu Fu. So the one who granted him the opportunity must be that Daoist master... then the chairman..." Li Xiu watched the undulating sea, finding it increasingly intriguing.
After a while, seeing no reaction from the dragon head, no magic spirits approaching the ship, and the chairman still absent, Li Xiu returned to his room to rest.
Just after lying down, the door echoed with knocking.
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