Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

Chapter 181 - 132: Xiaoyu’s Hint (2)

"For some reasons, my master shared a bit of his opportunity with me. My entry into Jade Ring Pool is also to seek my own chance."

Mr. Yu nodded. Although he didn’t understand matters of the Immortal Family, he didn’t seem to find this kind of opportunity-sharing behavior surprising.

He exchanged a glance with the small fish that looked at him, took a puff of his dry cigarette, and said:

"I will have to enter the lake at dawn tomorrow to fish. I could give you a lift, but it won’t be free."

"Feel free to name your price, sir." You Su, having Mr. Ling’s inheritance, felt quite confident.

"A hundred Spirit Stones, no bargaining. Whether you can actually enter or not, you have to pay." Mr. Yu said solemnly.

You Su felt a twinge of pain. The Spirit Stones left by Mr. Ling were only close to two hundred pieces, and just taking a boat ride would cost more than half. It felt a bit too extortionate. But since he was the only ferryman on Jade Ring Lake, there seemed to be no other way but to hand over the money with gritted teeth.

"Alright, deal."

You Su was afraid Mr. Yu might sense he still had more wealth and raise the price further, so he pretended to hesitate before agreeing.

He was quite curious about why this grandfather-granddaughter pair, clearly ordinary people, needed so many Immortal Family items. Keeping so many Spirit Stones around as a mortal didn’t have much use besides sharpening one’s senses, and it might even attract the covetousness of some ruthless cultivators.

Seeing You Su agree, Mr. Yu seemed in a better mood. A slight hint of pleasure appeared on his withered face. He took another puff of his dry cigarette and said:

"Although fish is delicious, it doesn’t compare to tofu and noodles. Mr. Xu, you should try more of them."

As per his suggestion, You Su carefully picked up tofu from the pot and tasted several mouthfuls. Indeed, it was extremely tender, and he praised it as delicious. Mr. Yu, now more affable, enthusiastically explained to him how the spiritual fish paired with other ingredients could make a delicacy.

Seeing Mr. Yu’s attitude shift, You Su prepared to ask more about the Jade Ring Pool.

"Sir, do you know why the Jade Ring Pool suddenly closed to visitors fifty-four years ago?"

"If you people in the immortal way don’t know, how could an ordinary person such as myself know?"

You Su fell silent for a moment, but he didn’t give up and asked, "Then, could you tell me about Jade Ring Lake? I’m new here and don’t really understand it."

Saying this, he quietly took out a Spirit Stone and pushed it over.

Mr. Yu glanced at You Su, discreetly tucked the Spirit Stone into his pocket, and asked:

"What do you want to know?"

"To begin with, tell me about its origin."

"Origin? This lake has lived longer than my great-great-grandfather, what origin could it have? However, there’s a legend."

"I would love to hear it."

The small fish quietly sat beside him, not interrupting, also waiting for Mr. Yu to continue speaking.

Mr. Yu exhaled a puff of turbid smoke and began his tale:

"According to legend, long, long ago, there was a pair of sibling deities among the ancient gods. The brother was the deity of waters, and the sister was the deity of mountains and stones. They had a very close relationship, supporting each other through countless ages. But in a battle with other deities, the brother was left dying to protect his sister. Being the water deity, when the brother died, he was to transform into streams and flow into rivers and lakes. But the sister, unwilling to let her brother truly die, sacrificed herself and turned into these jade-ring-like mountains, collecting the waters her brother became, forming Jade Ring Pool. And Jade Ring Lake is formed from the tears the brother sheds day and night for his sister as Jade Ring Pool."

You Su nodded, silently remembering this story, rich with the colorful imagination of ordinary people, in his heart.

Such mythical legends have become scarce in today’s Five Continents, mostly buried under the dusts of history.

Before the emergence of the Five Immortal Ancestors, people living in dire conditions could only pray to the imagined gods, but the appearance of immortals truly changed the world. Compared to these unrealistic gods from legends, immortals with supreme power who showed compassion to common people became the revered and worshiped figures of humanity. And so, mythology was gradually forgotten by the public.

After finishing his story, Mr. Yu tapped out the ashes and called back the contemplative You Su and small fish.

"Didn’t expect Jade Ring Pool to have such a touching story of origin." As You Su came to, he remarked.

"It’s just a legend, not to be taken as truth."

"Have you ever seen what Jade Ring Pool looks like, sir?" You Su asked again.

"I’ve only seen it from the shore; I don’t even have the qualification to set foot on it." Mr. Yu took a drag, sipped his wine, felt his throat burn, then drank fish soup to ease it, and asked, "Did you hear some wild rumors on the road?"

It would indeed be strange if there were no rumors. Fifty-four years ago, the immortals of Jade Ring Pool were amiable and often came out of the lake to heal the sick and rescue the disaster-stricken citizens of the surrounding cities, earning the people’s deep respect. However, this wasn’t the responsibility of the immortals of Jade Ring Pool. The cities of Zhongyuan Continent were uniformly managed by the clans of Henggao Divine Mountain, and problems were typically handled by the city lord sent by the Divine Mountain and the local Immortal Family within the city.

Since Jade Ring Pool closed its doors, not only has the efficiency in solving the people’s problems greatly decreased, but Jade Ring Lake, once a scenic attraction, also became desolate due to mysterious disappearances. Naturally, the people began to harbor complaints about these immortals dwelling in secluded pools, leading to some malicious speculation about Jade Ring Pool circulating inevitably.

The most popular rumor says that Jade Ring Pool is nearing exhaustion, its interior is dilapidated, and that the generations of immortals living off the pool water have retreated from the world, declining outside visitors to maintain their image.