Chapter Four: The Boatman by the Shore

So, where exactly was he now? Obsidian distinctly remembered walking along the riverside, and logically, it shouldn’t have taken long before he came upon a fork in the path.

He had always possessed a strong sense of direction, so why had he suddenly become hopelessly lost here?

Giving up altogether, Obsidian found a large stone and sat down, propping his chin in his left hand and letting out a heavy sigh.

“Sigh…”

“Sigh…”

Two sighs rose into the air. At first, Obsidian didn’t notice. He switched to his right hand, sighed again.

“Sigh…”

“Sigh…”

Startled, Obsidian spun around, surprised to find his sigh echoed so perfectly. No, it wasn’t an echo—they had sounded at the same time.

He looked behind him abruptly. No one was there. He patted his chest in relief. Thankfully, it must have been his imagination.

But then a soft chuckle froze him in place. He slowly raised his head—the beauty from that day? In an instant, Obsidian summoned that face from memory.

“What are you doing here?” Bai Lian asked in confusion.

A beauty was indeed a beauty—even their voice carried such allure. No, he absolutely refused to admit he was lost.

Obsidian managed a nervous laugh. “Just wandering around, nothing in particular.”

Bai Lian flicked open his fan and closed it again. “Why don’t we go together?”

Obsidian considered it. If he didn’t know where to go anyway, perhaps it would be better to try together. Maybe this beautiful stranger knew the way.

He nodded and stood, following Bai Lian.

Ding Ning returned to the office, his face stained with suspicious red smears, clothes disheveled, hair in disarray, eyes vacant. Clearly, he had suffered some tremendous shock or injury.

As soon as Hei Nu stepped out, he saw Ding Ning in this state and frowned. “Where’s Lord Impermanence?” He’d only been gone a short while—where could he have gone?

---

Ding Ning snapped out of his daze. “Impermanence, Lord Impermanence… Oh! Right! Lord Impermanence!” Oh no, where had he run off to now?

“I lost track of Lord Impermanence…” Ding Ning hung his head, remorseful.

“Which way did he go?” Hei Nu didn’t want to waste more time; there were too many suspicious figures lingering in the underworld, and who knew if one had launched a surprise attack?

“Downriver, along the bank…” Ding Ning replied. When he looked up again, Hei Nu had already vanished. Wow, Brother Nu was formidable—not like him at all. Sigh, he was ready to face Judge Yan’s wrath. This time, he was doomed…

Downriver? Hei Nu recalled that the lower riverbank wasn’t particularly dangerous, but that was years ago; things might be different now. With this thought, he quickened his pace.

It wasn’t long before Hei Nu encountered one of the suspicious figures he’d been searching for.

“Hehe, Brother Nu, where are you heading?” Bai Lian smiled, fan in hand.

“Where’s Obsidian?” Hei Nu gazed at him intensely. He couldn’t understand how someone once so pure could now be touched by such darkness.

“Oh, don’t be so anxious, Brother Nu. We parted ways last time without a proper reunion. Why not today? It’s as good a day as any, don’t you think?” Bai Lian spoke lightly, disregarding Hei Nu’s grim expression, as if they truly were old friends catching up.

“Where’s Obsidian?” Hei Nu repeated, his horns appearing, one eye turning gold, black flames burning ever fiercer in his hand—a stance ready for battle.

“Oh my, so impatient? In that case, I’ll spar with you first, Brother Nu.” Bai Lian snapped open his fan, his mask flickering on his face, several large tails behind him growing restless.

Hei Nu smiled recklessly. Nine tails? That beggar child from before was now a royal of the Celestial Foxes. He was eager to see for himself the power of their famed mask.

Meanwhile, Obsidian continued walking forward, sighing occasionally, thinking Bai Lian might echo him to avoid awkward silence. Yet despite his rambling, there was no response from behind.

Suddenly, Obsidian looked back. No one was there. Had he run into a ghost again?

“Young man, where are you headed?” The voice was ancient, yet strangely familiar to Obsidian.

Ahead, an old man sat cross-legged by the riverside, gazing quietly at the dark waters.

“You’re the ferryman?” Obsidian felt as if he’d found a relative. Then he could take the boat back, right? He had hoped to return by relying on his newfound abilities, but they didn’t seem to work here, for reasons unknown.

Obsidian quickly sat beside the ferryman, legs crossed. “What are you doing here?”

The old ferryman replied, “The river’s being repaired these days. I get to rest for a while.”

---

Obsidian was puzzled. “If you’re resting, why stay by the river?”

The old ferryman smiled. “I’m waiting for someone! If I don’t stay here, I’m afraid she won’t find me.”

Obsidian asked, “Where is she? Why hasn’t she come yet? If she never comes, aren’t you waiting forever?”

The ferryman smiled again, his eyes full of tenderness and longing. “Yes, I’ve been waiting so long. Maybe she overslept again and forgot to come?”

Only then did Obsidian realize the ferryman’s ‘someone’ was a woman. “And she is…?”

The ferryman sighed softly. “She’s my old wife. We agreed she’d come, so why am I left waiting so long? Truly… sigh…”

“How long have you waited?” Obsidian asked. Having finally found someone to talk to, he figured a chat before heading home wouldn’t hurt.

The ferryman gazed across the river. “I’ve forgotten how long. But tell me, young man, you’re not lost, are you?”

Obsidian scratched his head and grinned, making his answer clear.

The ferryman dusted off his clothes and stood up. “Then let’s go. I’m bored anyway; I’ll take you part of the way, and we can chat. It’s been years since I’ve spoken with anyone.”

Obsidian stood up eagerly. Perfect! But wasn’t the ferryman supposed to wait for someone?

His confusion vanished when he saw sheets of paper hanging from a tree by the riverbank. “What are these?” Obsidian asked, pointing.

“Ah, letters I wrote to my wife when I had nothing else to do. If she comes and sees them, she’ll know to wait for me.” A faint blush colored the ferryman’s weathered cheeks.

Side by side, the ferryman and Obsidian walked. “My wife and I grew up together. There was nothing dramatic; we simply ended up together. By the time I realized it, life had passed quietly by, just like that. We made a promise: I’d go first, wait for her in the underworld, and then, just like before, we’d be together.”

“But once I came down, I just kept waiting—waiting from dawn till dusk, and I’m still waiting…”

…

Obsidian returned home in a peaceful mood, thinking that a quiet life with the one you love, sharing simple joys and sorrows, might be happiness after all.