Han Li watched the enormous fish, each stretching several zhang long, from a distance before flying over the large ship. He circled twice in the air and then looked down at the deck.
Clearly, the people aboard had noticed Han Li's arrival. After a few shouts, a massive crowd poured out from the cabin — two or three hundred of them — instantly filling the bow of the ship.
The moment the crowd caught sight of Han Li hovering in midair, expressions of awe appeared on their faces. One after another, they bowed respectfully toward him.
Just as Han Li was feeling a bit stunned, a middle-aged man dressed in the most elaborate robes among them stepped forward. Looking visibly nervous, he said something in a flurry of words, then stood with his hands clasped at his sides, apparently awaiting Han Li's instructions.
Han Li rubbed his nose and let out a wry laugh. He couldn't understand a single word the man had said. With a language barrier like this, how was he supposed to communicate? It gave him a headache.
Seeing that Han Li hadn't immediately responded, the middle-aged man grew more anxious and spoke another two hurried sentences. Though Han Li didn't understand the meaning, it was clear enough that the man seemed to be trying to explain something.
Han Li furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke in ordinary Tiannan dialect: "Does anyone here understand what I'm saying? If so, step forward and explain things to me!"
The words left his mouth, and Han Li swept his gaze over the crowd below.
The middle-aged man wore a blank look, clearly having no idea what Han Li had just said. The rest of the crowd looked just as bewildered — no better off than their leader.
With a resigned sigh, Han Li switched through several ancient languages he knew and repeated the same question in each.
These ancient tongues were ones he had been forced to learn back in the day, all for the purpose of mastering those tongue-twisting incantations.
When he reached one particular language, an elderly man with gray hair among the crowd finally showed a flicker of recognition on his face.
Han Li's heart soared at the sight. He immediately pointed at the old man.
"Sir, do you understand what I'm saying?" Han Li asked slowly in that ancient tongue. He didn't use it often, so even he was a bit rusty.
Upon hearing Han Li speak in that language, the old man hesitated for a moment, then stepped to the middle-aged man's side and replied respectfully in the same tongue: "This old man is called Wang Changqing. In my youth, I did indeed learn this immortal tongue! What does the immortal master wish?"
Han Li felt a wave of relief when the old man truly understood him. A trace of a smile appeared on his face. In a flicker of movement, he appeared directly in front of the old man, startling both him and the middle-aged man.
"You must have already noticed that I don't speak the local language. Tell them for me — I'm simply passing through and wish to ask a few questions. There's no need to be so alarmed," Han Li said gently.
He had already swept his spiritual sense over the entire vessel earlier. Every person aboard was an ordinary mortal; there were no cultivators among them. That was why he had felt at ease enough to come aboard.
After finishing his words, Han Li paid no attention to the old man muttering an explanation to the middle-aged man. Instead, he waved a hand toward the sky, and the white flying artifact carrying Qu Hun descended slowly toward the bow.
Following that, Qu Hun stepped out under Han Li's instruction, and the small boat rapidly shrank into a streak of white light that flew into Han Li's hand. He stored it away in his storage pouch.
Having taken care of all this, Han Li cast a slight sideways glance.
He noticed that the mortals on the ship, though still maintaining respectful expressions, didn't show any signs of shock. This meant they must have frequently witnessed the abilities of cultivators — otherwise, they wouldn't be so nonchalant about it.
If that was the case, then either the people on this ship were no ordinary folk, or cultivators in this region were numerous and made no effort to hide their existence from mortals. Han Li mused over this quietly.
By now, the old man had relayed Han Li's words to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned, but then his face lit up with delight. He launched into an excited torrent of words directed at Han Li, his expression brimming with enthusiasm.
Han Li was taken aback by the man's reaction. He turned involuntarily toward the old man.
The old man naturally understood what Han Li was asking for and quickly stepped forward to explain: "Immortal Master, this gentleman surnamed Gu is the owner of this ship. He wishes to invite you to reside on Kuixing Island, where he lives. He is willing to cover all your cultivation expenses and daily costs."
"Kuixing Island?" Han Li stroked his chin, his expression deliberately noncommittal.
Seeing Han Li's indifferent demeanor, the middle-eyed man's gaze grew even more fervent, and another stream of words tumbled from his lips. From the ingratiating smile the man wore while speaking, Han Li didn't need the old man's translation to guess that he was once again urging Han Li to come to that Kuixing Island.
So, without waiting for the translation, Han Li waved a hand and said bluntly: "Tell your master first that I've just arrived in this region and am unfamiliar with the local situation. I won't agree to anything rashly. Once I've learned more about things, I'll decide whether or not to visit his Kuixing Island. In the meantime, since I don't understand your language, I'd like him to let me stay aboard this ship for a few days, so that the old gentleman here can teach me the local tongue and let me learn a bit about the local customs as well."