That said, Zhang Xiaohua had already made up his mind to act as an ordinary person, quietly and safely infiltrating the Incense Spreading Sect. However, he had long grown accustomed to using his divine sense—how could he restrain himself? Feeling that traveling by this vessel was different from being on the sea, he unconsciously released his divine sense.

Yet the moment his divine sense touched the cabin, it was instantly rebounded. Could this cabin actually block divine sense? Zhang Xiaohua’s expression changed, and a thought flashed through his mind: Could this enormous wooden ship actually be an immortal dao magical treasure? If so, then the Incense Spreading Sect was truly wealthy and powerful. Their dominance over the martial world for tens of thousands of years was certainly not mere talk.

Just as he was thinking, the cabin door suddenly opened, and a disciple of the Incense Spreading Sect walked in. Looking at the crowd sitting obediently, he said expressionlessly: “Alright, we’ve arrived. All of you, come out.”

Zhang Xiaohua frowned and thought to himself, That was barely any time at all, and we’ve already arrived?

But when he looked at the other boys, they all wore the same astonished and confused expressions. Seeing this, the disciple grew somewhat impatient and said: “Hurry up and come out. The Dharma Boat still has to return to the dock—don’t delay things.”

With that, he ignored them and went straight out.

The boys looked at one another, unsure what to do, and finally turned their gazes toward Zhang Xiaohua. After a brief moment of thought, Zhang Xiaohua stood and walked toward the cabin exit. Since it was called a “Dharma Boat”, it naturally had its wondrous aspects. Sure enough, when he stepped out onto the deck, other disciples were already outside. Disciples from the Qiankun Hall were bringing the carriages and horses out from elsewhere and leading them ashore in orderly fashion.

So this is the Incense Spreading Sect? Zhang Xiaohua wondered. He then looked at the plain shoreline shrouded in faint moonlight, at the tall mountains hidden in darkness around them, and finally at the round moon already tilting westward. Everything looked no different from Dianchi Lake—almost as if they were still standing by its shores, as though they had never left at all!

So Zhang Xiaohua released his divine sense again, intending to investigate carefully. But the moment it extended barely a dozen or so zhang from his body, it could go no farther, just like when he had first cultivated divine sense.

It seems this truly is the Incense Spreading Sect. To actually be able to restrict divine sense—this is rather inconceivable, Zhang Xiaohua thought, frowning inwardly. This is not good. I originally assumed I could use divine sense. Once inside the sect, no matter how large it was, a single sweep would let me quickly find Second Brother. But now things are different from what I expected. I’ll have to adapt to circumstances as they arise. Still, no matter what, since I’ve already entered the Incense Spreading Sect, finding Second Brother will only be a matter of time. But if Second Brother…

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but grow a little anxious.

He stood on the deck, staring at the surrounding mountains. The nine boys behind him also stood quietly, evidently unable to tell whether they were still at Dianchi Lake or already inside the Incense Spreading Sect.

At that moment, a figure approached from the side. Seeing them standing still, he scolded: “Which hall are you disciples from? Why haven’t you gotten off the ship yet?”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua cupped his hands and said: “Sir, we are medicine boys from the Pill Expansion Hall. We’ve just come out of the cabin and haven’t yet found Steward Yang, so we don’t know what we should do.”

The man suddenly understood. “Oh, you’re medicine boys from Spring Rebirth Valley, are you? Yang Yao just followed the carriages off the ship. Go down and find him. Now that you’ve entered the Incense Spreading Sect, are you still afraid of getting lost?”

After speaking, he pointed in a direction. “Hurry and go down from there. If you linger any longer, you won’t even be able to get off this ship.”

Upon hearing this, the boys no longer waited for Zhang Xiaohua to lead them. They swarmed toward that direction all at once. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua secretly shook his head, cupped his hands once more to the man, and strode over.

The man paid him no further attention and continued forward, but after a few steps, he turned back to glance at Zhang Xiaohua’s retreating figure and thought, Why would Spring Rebirth Valley send a medicine boy this old?

He then shook his head again. That’s Pill Expansion Hall’s business. Why should I be thinking about it for no reason?

When Zhang Xiaohua reached the side of the ship, sure enough, the glow of the gangplank beneath the moonlight had already dimmed somewhat, presumably from excessive consumption. Not daring to delay, he hurried down from the ship.

At this time, the shore actually looked just like the shore of Dianchi Lake—it was filled with many tents, as if they were planning to spend the night. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed. It was already late, and midnight would arrive soon. If they had to hurry on through the night, he might well collapse from sleepiness halfway along. Being able to set out again at dawn was exactly what Zhang Xiaohua hoped for.

Sure enough, after walking not far, he saw Steward Yang and the convoy that had returned with him to the Incense Spreading Sect. Zhang Xiaohua stepped forward and asked: “Steward Yang, since we’ve already arrived at the Incense Spreading Sect, why don’t we go straight up the mountain? From the looks of it, it seems we’re staying here overnight?”

Hearing this, Steward Yang burst out laughing. “An excellent question. I thought you’d be like the others, haha! I’ve brought back who knows how many medicine boys from Spring Rebirth Valley. The first question every one of them asks after getting off the ship is whether this place is Dianchi Lake or the Incense Spreading Sect. Even that Lu Lihong asked the same thing back then. Only you actually ask where we’re sleeping tonight.”

Zhang Xiaohua was greatly surprised. “Who is Lu Lihong? He sounds like someone very famous.”

Steward Yang was equally surprised. “Lu Lihong also came out of your Spring Rebirth Valley as a medicine boy. What, didn’t your father-in-law explain it to you carefully?”

Zhang Xiaohua was extremely embarrassed and couldn’t very well deny it, so he only said: “I’ve never heard of him.”

“No matter. You’ll learn these things sooner or later. It’s already late today—we’ll talk about it another time. Your question was good. Tonight we’ll be lodging here, and when dawn breaks tomorrow, we’ll return to the mountain.”

He then pointed to the tents behind him. “Just like at Dianchi Lake, you can stay in any of them. It’s only for one night anyway.”

It was already quite late, and Zhang Xiaohua didn’t dare ask more. He followed the other disciples, each choosing a tent and going inside. Not even bothering to seal his acupoints for alertness, he dropped his head and fell straight asleep.

After a short while, the mysterious flickering arrived as expected. Countless starlights immediately shone down upon Zhang Xiaohua. Yet the starlight was formless and indistinct, and Zhang Xiaohua happened to be sleeping right by the entrance. The slanting full moon shone through the tent opening, scattering silver radiance over him. Even after a long time, as the starlight formed into a cocoon, nothing unusual could be seen.

Qiang Shi lay inside the tent, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He thought to himself, Could it be that I’m so excited after entering the Incense Spreading Sect that I can’t fall asleep? Ever since leaving Spring Rebirth Valley, my neurasthenia has clearly improved a lot.

After another while, Qiang Shi flipped over and sat up. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua fast asleep in the moonlight, he called softly, “Little Uncle… Little Uncle…”

Naturally, Zhang Xiaohua did not respond.

Qiang Shi got out of bed and called again. When Zhang Xiaohua still didn’t answer, he walked over and gently nudged him with his hand. But Zhang Xiaohua didn’t even turn over—he continued sleeping soundly.

Qiang Shi straightened up, a mocking expression on his face, and whispered: “Little Uncle, heh, Little Uncle. How could a crude fellow like you, who only knows how to wave spears and swing staffs, be my little uncle? All day long, you only know martial arts, martial arts. Do you even realize that many things can’t be trained through martial arts? And with that stinking body of yours—how could you compare to Young Master Long? I really don’t know how Nie Qianyu could have taken a liking to you…”

The mockery on his face was completely different from the flattery he displayed in daylight. Even if Zhang Xiaohua were to open his eyes at that moment, he might not be able to tell which of the two expressions reflected Qiang Shi’s true self. Zhang Xiaohua could never have imagined that the thoughts of this ten-year-old child could be more complex than his own, that his scheming ran deeper. Thinking back to Zhang Xiaohua at fourteen, he had been nothing more than a child playing with mud!

Qiang Shi mumbled to himself for a while. Seeing that Zhang Xiaohua still did not move, he walked to the edge of the tent, pressed his ear against the canvas, and carefully listened to the sounds outside. After a while, satisfied that there was nothing unusual, he reached into his shoe and pulled out a small stick—an object that seemed ordinary at a glance. Without anyone noticing, a sharp protrusion extended from one end of the stick. Then, Qiang Shi squatted down and worked quietly, slowly digging a small but fairly deep hole in the ground beneath him. From his chest, he took out a small, round ball that children usually played with and tossed it inside. After closing his eyes and listening carefully for a moment longer, he slowly filled the hole back in.

When it was all done, Qiang Shi slipped the restored stick back into his shoe and muttered with a smile: “So many tents along this shore, and one little hole shouldn’t attract anyone’s attention. The Incense Spreading Sect… even at Dianchi Lake I was worried. If it weren’t for the tents, I wouldn’t have known how to handle this little ball. Here in the sect, tents make it easier. If we went straight up the mountain, I’d have to find some opportunity to toss it by the roadside.”

“Lord Jingzhe was right. This Incense Spreading Sect really is a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den—any carelessness is out of the question. If I hadn’t seen such a huge wooden ship come and go from Dianchi Lake with my own eyes, how would I have known that the lake itself is the gateway to the sect? Now that these two little balls are buried, half my task is done. The rest will depend on circumstances. Heh… this little uncle who only knows martial arts can still be useful. If he becomes an outer disciple and gets a chance to go out, he could really serve a purpose.”

Having said that, Qiang Shi lay back down on the ground. He tossed and turned as before, still reminiscing about the deep, uninterrupted sleep he had enjoyed along the journey. Maybe once I get to Pill Expansion Hall and truly settle down, I can finally shake off this insomnia.

How long had passed, he did not know. The full moon had already set, and Zhang Xiaohua still bore a faint glow upon him. Qiang Shi had gradually drifted into sleep, while poor Zhang Xiaohua remained completely unaware that he had already been quietly targeted by this “cheap” little nephew. He also didn’t know that his ten-year-old nephew was actually troubled by insomnia!

The moon set and the sun rose. A pale light appeared in the east. When the first golden rays of sunlight filtered into the tent, Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes, looking around at everything within. Only then did he feel at ease. It seemed that nothing had happened during the night, and Qiang Shi still did not know the secret of his timely sleep!

Alas… sharing the same tent but dreaming different dreams—is this not exactly how it is?