The azure-clothed cultivator, named Ye Hong, was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage and an elder of the Ye family. When Ink Painting divined, the calculation was “person related to Ye Jin.” And the karma from the divination pointed to this person. Since he was related to Senior Sister Ye Jin and his appearance was somewhat similar to Senior Sister Ye Jin, he was probably her father.

The name “Ye Hong” was something Ink Painting had seen before at the Dao Court Division when he was looking through Ye Jin’s personal information.

Time was limited, so Ink Painting could only go directly to his door, state his identity, and straightforwardly explain his intention. As for thoughts of revenge, Ye Hong did indeed conceal them on the surface. But as a father, how could he not avenge the death of his son and daughter? Moreover, Ink Painting’s understanding of the soul path was a bit deeper now, and that kind of anger and hatred deeply embedded in the soul fundamentally couldn’t be hidden from him.

Ye Hong had hesitated before, but since he had opened his mouth and agreed, he had made a determination and would no longer regret it. With his ability, there were indeed many things he couldn’t do.

Ye Hong pondered for a moment, then said to Ink Painting: “This is a ship hired by the Gui Water Gate. Most of the people on board are sect disciples who rely on tokens to board. I don’t have this token, so if young master wants to board, I’m afraid you’ll have to humble yourself and pretend to be an accompanying attendant, serving tea and water.”

Ink Painting nodded, “No problem.” To enter Hundred Flowers Valley, he had even worn a Hundred Flowers Valley robe. Disguising himself as an attendant alone was naturally not a problem.

Ye Hong found some attendant clothing and gave it to Ink Painting to change into, then brought him towards the pleasure boat. When they arrived at the entrance, they were blocked by people from the Gui Water Gate. Ye Hong then said, “This is an attendant of my Ye family, following me to do some chores.”

The Gui Water Gate people hesitated for a moment, but thought that this ship was originally hired by Ye Hong, and it was normal for him to bring an attendant, so they no longer made things difficult. “Elder Ye, please go ahead.”

Ye Hong nodded, then brought Ink Painting aboard the ship. Once on the ship, Ye Hong didn’t wander around much but directly brought Ink Painting into his own room, closed the door and windows, cupped his hand to Ink Painting and said: “At this time, there are many people and mixed ears, it’s inconvenient to go out. Please be patient and wait here until You hour.”

“Okay.” Ink Painting nodded. He didn’t plan to go out now either. Going out now wouldn’t reveal anything. He would wait until after sunset when the ship sailed to its destination; the good show would probably only begin then.

Seeing Ink Painting agree, Ye Hong slightly relaxed and invited Ink Painting to sit, personally brewing tea to entertain him. Ink Painting sat steadily, drinking tea properly, looking like just a handsome and amiable young man with elegant manners, completely without the earlier sharpness. The more Ye Hong looked, the more unfathomable he felt, and his heart was secretly alarmed. He didn’t know Ink Painting’s exact identity or background. On the surface, Ink Painting was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, not very strong. But that sharp gaze like a sword earlier was deeply etched in Ye Hong’s memory, and thinking of it made his heart chill. Moreover, this young master said he would help him get revenge. Regardless of whether it was true or false, Ye Hong dared not be negligent.

Ink Painting drank a few sips of tea and, feeling curious, asked Ye Hong, “Is this ship yours?”

“Yes,” Ye Hong said.

“How come you rented it to the Gui Water Gate?”

Ye Hong pondered for a moment, sighed, then slowly opened his mouth to explain the cause: “This matter is a long story…”

“Xiu’er died on Smoke Water River. His death has always bothered me, but under family pressure, I didn’t dare to investigate too much, thinking that this ‘unfilial son’ was gone, and it saved me some worry. So I put all my hopes on Jin’er.”

“But I didn’t expect, now Jin’er also…”

Ye Hong’s expression was bitter, “At first, I just thought I had a life full of hardships and fate should be so, until later, I discovered a jade slip of Xiu’er’s…”

“Jade slip?” Ink Painting’s gaze slightly narrowed.

“Yes,” Ye Hong nodded, “It was something he usually recorded casually. It said that he found his sister, Jin’er, was much gloomier than before, spoke little, and occasionally when alone, had a painful expression, suspecting she was bullied by someone.”

“His brother was usually good for nothing, idle, and not attentive to cultivation matters, but he doted on his only sister since childhood.”

“He then went to investigate, and it seemed he investigated something, then… he just died on Smoke Water River…”

Ye Hong sighed deeply. Ink Painting’s gaze was also somewhat silent.

“After that?”

“After that…” Ye Hong relaxed a bit and continued, “After that, I felt both heartache and anger, so I also wanted to investigate clearly myself.”

“If it were before, with many scruples, I still wouldn’t dare to investigate. But now I am alone without family, with nothing to fear.”

“This investigation then led to…”

Ye Hong’s tone paused slightly, seemingly reluctant to say those words. Ink Painting then continued, “Rouge Boat?”

Ye Hong was startled, then believed Ink Painting truly knew the inside story. He nodded, then his brows furrowed tightly: “I had occasionally heard about the Rouge Boat before, but I only thought they were some groundless rumors on Smoke Water River and didn’t take them seriously.”

“But I didn’t expect, it was real… and the forces behind it are deep and unfathomable, fundamentally not something a small elder from a third-grade family like me can contact.”

“I then thought, whether or not I could find some way to connect…”

“So you just rented the ship?” Ink Painting said.

“Yes,” Ye Hong said deeply, “I used my lifetime savings to buy this spirit boat and started a rental business on Smoke Water River, at a lower price than others. I did this for several months, but there was still no progress.”

“Just in the past few days, someone came to my door, saying they wanted to rent a ship to entertain some ‘noble guests.’ My heart was shocked then, and I seized this clue…”

Ye Hong told Ink Painting everything, one by one. Ink Painting nodded and asked again, “As for Senior Sister Ye Jin’s death, do you know who harmed her?”

Ye Hong was startled, “Senior sister?”

Ink Painting nodded and did not conceal, “I have some friendship with Senior Sister Ye Jin. According to seniority, I should call her senior sister.” Although this friendship was only on one side. Ink Painting had only called her “senior sister” once—and he only had time to call her once.

Ye Hong’s heart trembled, and his gaze became much gentler. Looking at Ink Painting’s gaze, some trust was also added. “Jin’er, this child of bitter fate, there are also people who remember her…”

Ye Hong murmured in his heart, then he no longer concealed, his expression grave, and said: “I investigated, according to reports, someone saw Jin’er appearing near Smoke Water River, accompanied by a man.”

“I later went through Jin’er’s belongings and also found fragmented clues about this man.”

“I don’t know who this person is, but I only know he has a fair face, a handsome appearance, but occasionally a sinister gaze and likes to torture others.”

Ink Painting’s expression was slightly startled. Fair, handsome, sinister, likes to torture others… Water Yan Luo’s face naturally appeared in his mind. Water Yan Luo. So it was you again… Ink Painting’s gaze was ice cold, and he again recorded a “death method” for Water Yan Luo in his heart.

Ye Hong spoke to here, his heart somewhat sorrowful, and he sighed: “As a father, I am incompetent, I… I couldn’t protect my own children…” He knew clearly in his heart that the Ye family people were selfish and wouldn’t seek justice for him. Even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if he knew who the murderer was, he might not necessarily have the strength to take revenge. Moreover, the murderer’s identity was very likely someone he fundamentally couldn’t provoke. Thinking of this, besides sadness, Ye Hong also felt some despair.

Ink Painting looked at Ye Hong with a face full of pity and gently sighed: “Rest assured, those who should die, will die…”

After that, Ink Painting just waited in the ship cabin for a long half a day. He waited until the sun gradually set, the sky gradually darkened, and the outside became noisy. It seemed many cultivators were celebrating something. Flower lamps were released into the Smoke Water River one by one. The sky was dim, the river water was hazy, but there was a little bit of gorgeous light illuminating the water surface, drifting with the water waves. In the quiet, there was a kind of beauty. But in the beauty, decay was hidden…

At You hour, the ship set sail. Ink Painting still didn’t go out, just opened a window, remembering the ship’s direction and the location of the pleasure boat where Cheng Mo and the others were. He had specifically fixed the position during the day, so even though the sky was dark now, he could vaguely see the position of Cheng Mo’s pleasure boat. Cheng Mo’s pleasure boat and the spirit boat Ink Painting was on were indeed in the same direction, sailing towards an unknown area of Smoke Water River. Ink Painting silently breathed a sigh of relief. The direction was right. Although there was some deviation, he had finally gotten mixed in. After that, as long as these seemingly ordinary pleasure boats rowed to the midway, changed their course, gathered together, and turned into the “Rouge Boat,” he would also be able to follow and reach the destination.

Ink Painting lay by the window, paying attention to the ship’s direction, and at the same time, looking at the night scene of Smoke Water River. At this time, night had fallen, and countless flower lamps floated on the water surface. These flower lamps were of various shapes and colors. Spirit boats, in groups, lit up with colorful lights, like a tide of colorful fish schools, swimming in the river paved with flower lamps, extremely gorgeous and spectacular. Ink Painting just looked silently, some lost in thought.

He didn’t know how long the spirit boat had been rowing. Just when Ink Painting was getting a little tired of looking, the pleasure boats in front suddenly had movement. Ink Painting’s divine sense moved, and he discovered that some pleasure boats had quietly changed course. Cheng Mo and the others in that pleasure boat also changed direction. “As expected…” Ink Painting’s spirit lifted, and his divine consciousness became more concentrated, but after a moment, his expression changed.

“Not right.” Cheng Mo’s ship changed direction, but the spirit boat he was on didn’t change, but like other pleasure boats, continued sailing along the original course. Ink Painting’s heart tightened, and he turned his head to ask Ye Hong, “Did the Gui Water Gate people really rent your ship?”

Ye Hong at this time was also not too clear about the situation, only nodded: “It should be, they were holding the sect token of the Gui Water Gate.”

“Then why? The course is not right… Did they discover the trick?” Ink Painting frowned. He turned his head again, looked towards the vast Smoke Water River, and watched Cheng Mo’s ship diverge from his, getting farther and farther away. Ink Painting’s heart sank involuntarily. What to do? By now, it was not good for him to jump into the river and chase them. Although he had learned some water system body methods and had water driving and demon avoiding incantations, he had grown up in the Great Black Mountain since childhood, had little contact with water, and the incantations he learned halfway through were not too good at water nature. Ink Painting pondered for a moment, silently sighed. By this time, Cheng Mo’s ship had completely gone onto another river path and disappeared under the cover of the night. He could only wait for the ship to dock, then think of another way. Ink Painting was a little anxious in his heart, but he still forced himself to calm down and consider what to do after docking to find Cheng Mo and the others…

The spirit boat continued to sail. The surrounding scenery constantly moved backward. The accompanying pleasure boats were also decreasing. Ink Painting kept looking, and suddenly his heart trembled. “Not right…” This river path looked very unfamiliar. The course of the spirit boat was also a bit strange, and the accompanying pleasure boats were increasingly few. Ink Painting’s gaze trembled, and he suddenly understood. It wasn’t that Cheng Mo and the others had changed course; they hadn’t changed. It was his spirit boat that had changed course. In other words, the ship that Cheng Mo and the others boarded was only an ordinary pleasure boat, while the one he was on was the real “Rouge Boat”! Ink Painting slowly breathed a sigh of relief, but his gaze also became somewhat grave.

After sailing for a while longer, there were no other pleasure boats around. Smoke Water River was vast, the night was dim, and only his spirit boat was sailing alone. Ink Painting didn’t even know where he had arrived. After a moment, the transmission order trembled slightly. Ink Painting took it out and saw it was sent by Gu Changhuai: “Fell into a trap, we boarded the wrong ship.” Ink Painting silently transmitted: “It doesn’t matter, I boarded the right one…”

Gu Changhuai was silent for a moment, seemingly a little hard to understand, “Why is your ship right?” Ink Painting was also a bit hard to explain for a while, only saying: “By chance…” Gu Changhuai no longer tangled, time was urgent, and now was indeed not the time to say these things. “Do you know the river domain you are currently in?” The surroundings were dark and vast. Ink Painting pondered slightly and sighed: “I don’t know.”

Troublesome… Gu Changhuai frowned. Ink Painting recalled a bit, then transmitted to Gu Changhuai: “I only remember the first half of the route and the direction of the change of course. You can go find Cheng Mo and Hao Xuan and compare the routes. You should know the approximate direction.” Gu Changhuai’s spirit lifted, “Good.” Ink Painting then told Gu Changhuai the details of the spirit boat’s route one by one, hoping he could deduce the mooring position of the Rouge Boat based on these details.

“I will speed up the verification. You are alone, don’t act rashly.” Gu Changhuai admonished. But he knew in his heart that unless he tied Ink Painting up and prevented him from moving, it would be impossible for him to be obedient. Gu Changhuai was also just making a routine admonition. Ink Painting also symbolically replied, “Okay.”

Then Ink Painting transmitted to Situ Jian and the others, telling them the approximate situation and asking them to cooperate with Gu Changhuai to verify the route. Furthermore, Situ Jian and the others should be safe. Although they couldn’t board the Rouge Boat and see the novelty, they also didn’t need to bear the temptation and risk of the Rouge Boat.

“Right,” Ink Painting remembered one thing and transmitted: “When you go back, remember to find Wang Chen’s senior brother, beat him once, and get back the ten thousand spirit stones for the ticket.” Ten thousand spirit stones was not a small amount. Although they were not his spirit stones, his junior brothers’ spirit stones were also spirit stones, and they couldn’t be given away cheaply to others.

“Okay…” Situ Jian sighed. Little senior brother really never loses. Then he also admonished: “Little senior brother, you are alone, you must be careful.”

“Um um, don’t worry.”

After explaining, Ink Painting put away the transmission order and concentrated on looking at the night scene outside the window, waiting for this spirit boat to reach its destination and turn into the true “Rouge Boat.” He wanted to see what kind of business the rumored “Rouge Boat” did and what kind of scene was inside.

Ye Hong sat beside Ink Painting, also looking at the dim night color outside, his expression somewhat grave.

At the same time, in a luxurious tavern in Smoke Water City. Two people were drinking and talking secretly. The room was very dark, with only a single lamp lit, vaguely making it impossible to see the faces of the two people clearly.

“Has the ship sailed out?”

“Sailed out.”

“How is the situation?”

“It’s still going smoothly.”

“Good,” one of them nodded, then coldly laughed, “Do you really think my Gui Water Gate is blind? One Dao Court Division, one Tai Xu Gate, and that Gu family, do you think a little disguise can get them mixed onto the ship?”

The other person echoed: “Yes, this time, all ships related to the Dao Court Division, Tai Xu Gate, and the Gu family have been told to go ashore.”

“For confidentiality, the Gui Water Gate’s ships are also not used. The only ones that can truly reach the place are some spirit boats we hired from outside.”

“And also, the ship prepared for the young masters.”

“Um, very good!”

“But, Elder, the wind direction seems a bit off now, right…”

The cultivator called “Elder” raised his eyebrows, “How do you say that?”

“The Dao Court seems to be investigating…”

“You heard something?”

“Yes…”

The “Elder” was silent for a moment, then said: “No harm, others are eating meat, we can’t not eat, just watch.”

“Then if…”

The Elder put down his wine cup without speaking. The other person was very perceptive and immediately picked up the wine pot and poured a cup of wine for the Elder. The Elder was still considering, seemingly satisfied, then said deeply: “Gui Water Gate is a ship. We are all on this ship.”

“But Gui Water Gate is also just a ship. If this ship sails smoothly, we will follow along; if this ship sinks, those who have no ability and no sense of crisis will sink with it; but those who have ability and foresight will find another ship and jump on before the ship sinks…”

The other person pondered for a moment, his expression shocked, “Elder, you perhaps…”

The Elder gave him a solemn gaze, and he immediately swallowed the words he was about to say. “It’s just, jumping ship isn’t that easy, right…”

“I said,” the Elder drank a mouthful of wine, indifferently said, “Those who have ability and foresight will have the ability to jump ship, while others can only sink with the ship and die together.”

“This world has plenty of opportunities, plenty of chances, it just depends on whether you understand schemes and have ‘eyes’.”

The Elder put down his wine cup. The other person immediately understood and, with a more respectful expression, poured a cup of wine for the Elder: “After this, I will rely on Elder’s promotion, and I am willing to go through fire and water for Elder.”

The Elder’s attitude was arrogant, and he nodded slightly. Then he thought of something and confirmed again: “Have all the sect disciples on the list boarded?”

“Strictly following Elder’s instructions, they have all been invited to board.”

“Um.”

“It’s just…” The other person was still a little puzzled, “Some of the arrangements this time are very strange. That place… leaving it unguarded, is it really okay?”

The Elder’s expression was stern, and he solemnly said: “Is this something you should consider?”

“Yes.” The other person quickly lowered his head and cupped his hand. The Elder paused slightly, his expression eased a bit, and he pointed upwards with his hand: “The arrangements above have their own meaning. The water inside is very deep, and ordinary cultivators will drown even if they touch it a little. Not letting you ask is for your own good.”

“Elder teaches correctly…”

The Elder nodded slightly, then said nothing more, silently drinking a cup of wine. After a moment, he turned his head and looked towards the Smoke Water River, which was dark and gloomy despite the lights illuminating it. Some things, he truly didn’t understand, but he also didn’t need to understand. As a pawn, he needed to have the awareness of a pawn. The big forces above, and those old monsters who were stirring up trouble in the dark, how they wanted to change the pattern of Qian Xue Province, what they wanted to layout and kill, was not something he was qualified to know. He only needed to obey orders. Obedient pawns were good pawns.

In the surging undercurrent, on the other side, on Smoke Water River. He didn’t know how long had passed, but the spirit boat Ink Painting was on finally stopped. Ink Painting didn’t know the situation, so he held his breath and remained motionless. After a moment, there were sounds of water rising around, as if other spirit boats were sailing over and gathering together. Mixed with the sound of iron chains, it was as if someone was using iron cables to link these ships tail to head. After that, the sounds of water became sparse, and the spirit boat moved again. All the nearby spirit boats were linked by iron cables, like a long dragon, swimming in Smoke Water River, and not long after, they swam into the dark, thick fog. The moment the spirit boat entered the thick fog, Ink Painting perceived the qi inside the thick fog, and his pupils couldn’t help but shrink.

“So strong… evil god aura.”