Chapter 323 All Wiped Out

[I am Fang Yue, and I want to force cooperation from Helmsman Lao with an even greater crisis.]

[My idea soon had a chance. When the supply of ghost stones was stopped, Helmsman Lao stopped sailing.]

[We stopped on the perilous Han River, without moving.]

[Helmsman Lao seemed to be staring at Tian Ruichi, demanding something, but failed. In the morning, Qing Chen seized the opportunity and threw a barrel of red strange oil into the lake.]

[Before long, an unknown and terrifying giant shadow gradually emerged from directly beneath the giant Han River ship, and extended huge tentacles that cut the giant ship in two, dragging it to the bottom of the lake!]

[I sank to the bottom of the lake. The great and noble Parchment-sama fused with the *Linglong Baxiang* Jade Flute, allowing me to have autonomous initiative even when in contact with the lake water, but that was all.]

[The deep, dark lake water surged like a tide, engulfing me. In the last moments of consciousness, I saw fragments of wood and the corpses of others sinking to the bottom of the lake.]

[Darkness also completely devoured me at this time.]

[I died.]

[The entire ship was wiped out.]

Along with the words on the parchment, images of the future appeared.

There were only two images. The first was of Fang Yue himself standing at the bow of the ship, arguing with Helmsman Lao, and then suddenly seeing more than a dozen giant tentacles emerge from the lake, flailing wildly at the giant Han River ship, cutting it in two and sinking it to the bottom of the lake.

The second image was of Fang Yue sinking to the bottom of the lake, surrounded by the corpses of his companions and fragments of the ship in the deep water.

Glug, glug.

Watching himself in the image with bubbles coming from the corner of his mouth, Fang Yue felt a faint sense of familiarity for some reason, as if he had seen this deep, dark environment at the bottom of the lake somewhere before.

Wait!

A flash of inspiration struck Fang Yue's mind.

He knew where this feeling came from.

Back then, when he was with the Dayang Merchant Guild in Chu Nuan City, he had chased down a ghost called the *Jingli Gui* (Crystal Glass Ghost).

That ghost was of mediocre strength, but it had a special ability to enter mirrors, and the world inside the mirrors was actually a deep-water world.

The environment of that deep water was very similar to the feeling in the images at that moment.

Only, compared to that, the deep-water world connected to by the *Jingli Gui* seemed even more dangerous and terrifying.

He remembered that the Han River in Qing Country was connected to the Sea of Myriad Streams. Could it be that that deep-water world was actually…

Fang Yue didn't know much about the Sea of Myriad Streams, and even the records of the Sea of Myriad Streams in the entire Qing Country were few and far between.

However, according to the limited records, the Sea of Myriad Streams seemed to be very large, and no one had ever crossed it.

This could be seen from how difficult it was to cross the Han River. As the source, the Sea of Myriad Streams would only be even more terrifying.

Regaining his composure, Fang Yue thought about more practical problems.

Qing Chen's plan was too dangerous. They simply had no way to control the level of danger encountered in the Han River.

If it was too weak, Helmsman Lao could ignore it, but if it was too strong, they would all be wiped out. Coupled with this uncertainty, it was simply tempting fate.

In that case, he could only try a different approach.

"Parchment, I'm going to put a knife to Helmsman Lao's neck and make him listen to me. Perform a prediction!"

[I'm tired.]

Fang Yue: ???

Fang Yue exclaimed, good heavens, you've only done one prediction, how are you already tired?

[Tired, tired, tired! I'm just tired. I can't get up without gold stones!]

When the words of the parchment appeared in his mind, it didn't forget to show an image—a cute ancient-style girl in pink, pouting her mouth, but her eyes were blinking expectantly at him.

It's no use acting cute. Gold stones are one of the means of negotiating with Helmsman Lao. If I give them to you to eat, it's equivalent to having one less method.

[Stingy! Stingy!!]

[I'm not working anymore. I'm hungry and tired! Time for bed!]

Fang Yue: …

Parchment? Paper? Little Paper?

…Parchment-sama.

[Yes!]

I'll give you some bloodstones to eat and fill your belly. You need to think long-term. Aren't I saving gold stones? If I can solve Helmsman Lao's problem without using gold stones, won't this gold stone still be yours sooner or later?

Parchment widened her cute big eyes, touched her little head, thought for a while, and slapped her thigh.

[That makes sense!]

[It's mine, it'll be mine sooner or later, and I can't let that wooden face take advantage of it!]

Wooden face…

Fang Yue's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything, just told Parchment to get to work quickly.

[I am Fang Yue. I gave up all pretense and took people to confront Helmsman Lao directly, telling him to change course and go to the capital.]

[Under the threat of a fist the size of a sandbag, Helmsman Lao sneered.]

[The ship capsized.]

[From a 90° tilt to a 180° flip, the ship was completely upside down, yet it could still sail on the Han River.]

[And everyone on the ship was exposed to the Han River, sinking to the bottom of the sea, either drowning on the spot or struggling for a moment before falling silent.]

[I struggled desperately to return to the surface of the lake, but could only see Helmsman Lao sailing the giant Han River ship away, and the only one left on board was Tian Ruichi, who was tied up tightly with ropes.]

[Helmsman Lao left with Tian Ruichi, while I was left in the boundless Han River.]

[Black shadows swam from afar in all directions.]

[I fought desperately, but was still swallowed by the ghosts at the bottom of the lake.]

[I died.]

[In the last second before death, I was thinking, why didn't I give the gold stone to Parchment-sama to eat first? That way it wouldn't be a complete waste.]

…You definitely added that last sentence yourself!

[Mind your own business! Mind your own business!]

I'm getting angry, my fists are getting hard.

It's only been three days since I last disciplined you, and you're already trying to tear down the house.

[What are you going to do? I'm your Paper! I'm your most important contractual partner!]

You still know you're my contractual partner? Then do your job properly. My current situation is very dangerous.

[You want the horse to run, but you don't give the horse grass. How can I work without grass!]

Eat, eat, eat, you'll eat yourself to death sooner or later!

Fang Yue unceremoniously took out a few bloodstones and materialized Parchment.

Using his parchment-transformed right hand, he stuffed them into Parchment.

[Yay!]

[The taste of bloodstone!]

Fang Yue noticed that the texture of the parchment seemed to have improved again, and there was a considerable difference from the beginning.

Also, he didn't know if it was his imagination, but when his paper-transformed right hand came into contact with the parchment, there was a strange feeling.

Thinking about it, he touched the parchment with that hand again, and the next moment an image immediately appeared in his mind.

It was of the cute girl who was happily munching on bloodstones. Halfway through eating the stones, she suddenly fell to the ground as if being tickled, and let out silvery laughter of begging for mercy.

[Don't touch, don't touch! Hahahaha! That, that's so itchy! Ah hahahahahaha!]

[Fang Yue, stop, stop it! I surrender, I surrender!]