The other party’s boat was very shabby, with only a few pieces of hardwood boards still standing firm amidst the waves, which might disintegrate at any mont.
Jiang Hui withdrew his gaze, feeling curious.
Curious that the other party could see him.
Also curious that the other party could actively strike up a conversation with him.
To the right, a young ferryman rowed towards him, "Don’t get on this old fellow’s boat, or you will surely regret it. It’s better I take you for a ride, rest assured, you’ll definitely reach Nirvana!"
Can he see too?
Shen Yi’s eyes flickered, then he seed to realize sothing, lowered his head slightly, and looked at himself.
At this mont, he was no longer floating in the water but stood on a small lonely island, dressed like those boatn, in coarse cloth and short attire.
Beside him, on the only remaining small piece of empty land, were a few rotten boards that seed to have been part of a small dinghy.
"Young man, perhaps it’s you who has ill intentions."
The old boatman glanced at the young ferryman, sneered coldly, revealing two rows of yellow teeth.
The young ferryman snorted, but addressed Jiang Hui:
"Don’t speak nonsense, I’m acting out of goodwill. The river is dangerous, and your boat is so shabby. What if sothing happens, wouldn’t that be terrible?
Though my boat is not as big as those large ones, I can assure your safety for the trip."
The old boatman let out a chuckle:
"Hmph, young lad, you haven’t been ferrying for long on this river and already learned to play tricks. You say my boat is broken, but this old man’s boat has carried more people than you have ever seen. When has anything ever happened?"
"People fall into this river, how could anything happen?"
"You, nonsense!" The old boatman blew his beard and glared. If not for the distance of the river between them, he might have swung his boat paddle directly.
Jiang Hui stood on the isolated island, listening to the bickering of the two, feeling puzzled.
He couldn’t understand why they were both so persistent in offering him a ride and wondered what this Nirvana they spoke of was.
To Jiang Hui, Nirvana had three anings.
The first naturally referred to the opposite shore of rivers, lakes, and seas.
This was the broadest explanation.
Beyond that, it referred to a state of detachnt from worldly troubles, thereby achieving enlightennt and Nirvana.
Finally, on a narrower scale, it represented a pure land that transcends reincarnation, the bounds of life and death.
He wasn’t sure which Nirvana the two boatn referred to.
The young ferryman eagerly answered:
"The opposite shore is a good place, offering endless riches and beauty. Full of wonderful views and beautiful ladies more exquisite than jade... Everything is free.
As long as you board my boat, once we arrive, we can indulge to our heart’s content."
As he spoke, the young ferryman’s face was flushed with excitent, his hand holding the paddle trembling as if he couldn’t wait to row to that blissful world.
"If that place is so good, you can go by yourself, can’t you? Why are you so intent on taking along?"
"What are you implying, could I harm you? I’m just looking for a companion,"
The young ferryman said angrily, feeling misunderstood by Jiang Hui.
Even so, he showed no intention of leaving, repeatedly inviting Jiang Hui to board the boat, until his attitude turned visibly impatient.
At this point, the old boatman addressed Jiang Hui:
"Young man, don’t listen to his nonsense. Is the opposite shore really as good as he says?
If it were such a good place, wouldn’t he have gone there himself long ago, instead of calling others?
Rember, human nature is inherently selfish. If there truly was such a wonderful place, who wouldn’t guard it as their private treasure?"
The old man stared intently at Jiang Hui, "Moreover, money, won, what’s so good about them? They’re all illusions like dreams.
Decades later, who isn’t old and faded? Who isn’t a skeleton of youth beauty?
Besides, without enough strength, how could you possibly keep them!
Embrace beauty, or love the country!
This country has seen many talented people; why can others rule, and we cannot!
Fortune cos in turns, this year it is my turn.
Young man, co aboard my boat, I’ll help you achieve great ambitions, lead a hundred thousand troops, and establish a legacy that lasts through the ages, beco the master of this world!"
The old man’s voice was rough yet seductive, for which man doesn’t dream of yielding the power over the world, deciding life and death at his whim, with absolute power, fa, wealth, and won at his fingertips?
However, this was naturally not what Jiang Hui desired.
He shook his head with a smile, sitting leisurely on the small island that was less than a few ters in diater.
No matter how the old or young ferryman shouted hoarsely, he did not move. Eventually, despite their unwillingness, they could only row away.
But soon, a few more dinghies approached Jiang Hui, although they were still dinghies, they were evidently larger.
The boatn on the dinghies were no longer dressed in coarse cloth but had donned superior materials of silk and satin.
Soone said:
"Don’t listen to those two talking nonsense, neither of them has ever reached the opposite shore. How could they possibly know what it’s like there.
The opposite shore does indeed have good things, but not those of power and wealth, won, compared to which those are trivial, on the opposite shore exists the way to immortality!
Ask yourself, what can offset the passage brought by ti?"
As he spoke, this boatman in silk and satin took out a jade bottle from his bosom,
"This is Immortal Brew, one sip can prolong your life by ten years. On the Immortal Mountain of the other shore, treasures like this are piled high."
The boatman’s voice suddenly lowered, "It’s said that there are Immortal Pills on the other shore. Taking one can extend life for hundreds of years, immortality is just around the corner, and also, there’s the stunning, perfectly ford Fairies!"
"Just board the boat, and this bottle of Immortal Brew is yours first. As for on the shore, Immortal Pills, and Fairies... you and I can divide them equally."
Jiang Hui still shook his head.
The man asked again, "Are you not interested in immortality either?"
Jiang Hui replied with a smile, "I am already immortal, why do I need to seek immortality? You can go ahead on your own, and I wish you success in reaching the opposite shore and achieving your immortality goal."
The man was startled, then without a word, he rowed briskly away.
The boatman of another dinghy, upon witnessing this, stared at Jiang Hui but said nothing, then left directly.
...
...
In a short ti.
Jiang Hui had already noticed several people approaching him, willing to take him to the opposite shore, each overly hospitable, doing everything possible to invite him.
Jiang Hui felt a novel sensation, yet at the sa ti, refused all the boatn’s invitations.
He sat cross-legged on the isolated island, not moving, like a humanoid rock standing here, witnessing countless dinghies passing by over ti.
What amazed Jiang Hui was that eventually, he encountered once more the old boatman and young ferryman he had t initially.
Seeing Jiang Hui, the old boatman and young ferryman both rowed their bamboo paddles to approach.
"Are you two returning from the opposite shore, or did you not find Nirvana?"
Jiang Hui greeted them first, however, he remained as stationary as if roots had grown under him.
The old boatman and young ferryman did not seem to have changed significantly from before, but they both rembered Jiang Hui.
The old boatman said, "I successfully reached Nirvana, commanding an army, establishing an unparalleled legacy, but after years of warring, it lasted only two years, my newly accepted concubine pitifully gone. I’ve seen through it all, the glory of an era is but a passing vision, only immortality truly lasts forever."
The old boatman grumbled and departed swiftly.
The young ferryman then said, "I’ve also been to Nirvana, from birth to death, realizing those I was once interested in were just that... not the true pursuit of the heart."
"So what do you plan to do? Are you going to seek Nirvana of immortality?"
"No, I’m not interested in that," the young ferryman shook his head, "living thirty or forty years is sufficiently long, there’s no need to live in vain too long, I’ll just drift around a bit longer."
The young ferryman also left in haste.
...
...
For a long ti, Jiang Hui continued to sit on the small island, not moving at all. He had t many boatn who ca and went along the river, and he always exchanged a few words with them, and if the conversation was pleasant, they would chat even further.
This gave Jiang Hui a very novel feeling, yet he did not stand up to board any of the boats.
One by one, the boatn ca and left, all eager to take Jiang Hui across.
Jiang Hui remained immovable, like a rock sculpted in the shape of a person, in the center of this small island, as countless dinghies passed by over extended years.
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