Chapter 8  I Am the Ferryman Who Walks Upon the River of Time

“Hey, kid, I told you to get out—are you deaf or something? If you don’t leave right now, watch out, I’ll—”

“Annoying! Silence!”

Chu Xiaoyu snapped his fingers, and in that instant, it was as if all things between heaven and earth fractured. The young man, mid tirade against Chu Tian, suddenly fell silent. His mouth was bound by an invisible force; no matter how hard he tried to open it, not a sound escaped. Truly, he had been silenced.

The abrupt shift in atmosphere was terrifying. Every member of the Su family trembled uncontrollably—their teeth, bodies, and legs quivered ceaselessly. An invisible, overwhelming force pressed upon each of them, as if they’d been sealed in an airtight chamber of endless darkness, unable to see their own hands before their faces. The sensation was suffocating, as if some demonic presence were devouring them.

Then, a chilling realization dawned on the Su family: everything around them had become utterly still. What was happening? What dreadful event had they unwittingly triggered?

Chu Xiaoyu stood before them with the calm grace of a celestial being. Though he was right there, the Su family felt he was immeasurably distant, as if he hovered at the horizon. Yet he was plainly in front of them. Was this the distance of light itself? Surely it was an illusion—must be a trick of the mind. But the terror was real, overwhelming.

Su Qingyi’s teeth chattered and her body trembled. “You…who are you?”

She reached out a shaking hand, desperate to touch Chu Xiaoyu. But the next moment, she dropped to her knees. Her trembling hand stretched forth, yet she could not touch him. He was only an arm’s length away, but it felt as if a thousand mountains and rivers separated them—the sense of sacred, untouchable distance.

Why? Why was he suddenly so far away?

With a heavy thud, Su Qingyi knelt and cried out in fear, “Master, we admit our fault! We should not have been disrespectful. Please, Master, save my father—he’s dying!”

Chu Xiaoyu frowned and replied in a slow, measured tone, “You are a dutiful daughter. Were it not so, I would not have come.”

Su Qingyi was the first to kneel, and the rest of the Su family followed, bowing in unison. They had no choice—the oppressive force constricted their breath, threatening to suffocate them.

With a mere snap of his fingers, Chu Xiaoyu could still the entire world around him. How could such a being exist in this world? No, this was no mere mortal—he was like a god, exalted and supreme.

“Master, I beg you, please save my father!” Su Qingyi pleaded, still kneeling.

“Very well. I am here for just that purpose—to heal Old Mr. Su. Rise, all of you, and speak.”

“Thank you, Master!”

The Su family stood, still trembling with awe and reverence. Now, they regarded Chu Xiaoyu as a deity—a celestial being, worthy of worship from every angle.

Su Qingsheng’s condition was dire; he could slip away at any moment. Chu Xiaoyu needed no instruments to diagnose him; with nothing but his eyes, he seemed to peer through flesh and bone, scanning the old man’s brain as if with X-ray vision.

Was this the Eye of Insight? When had his own senses grown so extraordinary?

He saw the shrapnel lodged deep within Old Su’s skull and marveled at his tenacity.

“Master, how is my father?” Su Qingyi noticed Chu Xiaoyu’s gaze had not left the old man, as if he were silently conducting an examination across space. She asked anxiously, “Can he be saved? Is there hope?”

“There is hope. If not, I would not be here.”

How effortlessly he spoke! Though he’d come for the generous reward, as the saying goes, ‘men die for wealth, birds for food.’ In this world, nothing happens without reason—there are always hidden motives.

Chu Xiaoyu glanced around and issued a command, “Whatever you see next, do not cry out or panic. Can you do that? I value peace and dislike noise.”

“Master, rest assured, we won’t make a fuss,” the Su family promised.

Chu Xiaoyu nodded and raised his hand, placing it upon Su Qingsheng’s head.

The human skull connects directly to the nasal cavity; thus, there was no need for invasive surgery. By guiding the shrapnel lodged in the arachnoid membrane of the cerebellum into the nasal passage, he could resolve the crisis.

Once the Divine Domain was activated, all things became still, allowing Chu Xiaoyu to act unimpeded. Only he knew that ‘stillness’ was not true stasis, but time slowed a thousandfold, ten thousandfold, even a billionfold. To the naked eye, it was frozen; in reality, everything moved at an incomprehensible pace.

Powered by his mental force, what should have been a desperate surgery—abandoned by every medical expert—was resolved in an instant. With a flick of his finger, the lethal shrapnel was effortlessly removed from Old Su’s brain.

Once freed, all the monitors and instruments immediately returned to normal readings. The old man was out of danger.

A miracle—divine beyond measure!

The Su family witnessed the astonishing scene firsthand. Every one of them was terrified.

And now, Old Su awakened miraculously. The spectacle was so bizarre and astonishing it defied belief.

“Dad, you’re awake? Thank heavens!”

“Grandpa, you’re really awake? That’s wonderful!”

“Brother, you’re back! Incredible!”

The Su family wept with joy.

Name: Su Qingsheng.
Age: 58.
Fortune Value: 99.
Luck Value: 99.
Misfortune Value: 8.6.
Remaining Lifespan: 90 days, 18 hours, 24 minutes, and 13 seconds.

Soon, Su Qingsheng’s blessings and longevity were imprinted in Chu Xiaoyu’s mind.

Only three months of life left? Yet seeing all of Su Qingsheng’s fortune, luck, and longevity values over ninety-nine, it was clear the Su family was indeed the premier noble clan. Their blessings were unparalleled, far beyond the reach of ordinary folk.

“Master, thank you for saving my father! May I ask how we should address you?” Su Qingyi managed to ask, suppressing her excitement.

The old man, who’d already been declared dead by the hospital, had unexpectedly encountered such a remarkable figure.

The master’s bearing was extraordinary, appearing as a cultivator of legends—a person to whom one must cling fiercely.

Chu Xiaoyu smiled, “You may call me the Ferryman.”

“The Ferryman? Master, we don’t quite understand—what does that mean?”

The Su family looked puzzled.

“If you think of time as a river, then I am the one who freely traverses its length. What is a Ferryman? One who helps you in your hour of need, who guides you through calamity, who saves others and himself. That is the meaning of the Ferryman.”

“Remember, in three months, Old Su will face a disaster. At that time, seek me out at a place called Hand-in-Hand Farmhouse in Phoenix Village.”

As Chu Xiaoyu spoke, though he stood before them, the Su family was shocked to discover he was no longer there. He departed at superluminal speed, leaving no trace in the blink of an eye.

Heavens! How had the Su family come to meet such a celestial being? They were the very definition of lucky beyond measure.

Such a being could no longer be contained by Earth alone; he must break free of the cosmos to find a place befitting his immortal spirit.

Surely, their ancestors’ graves must be smoking, to have such fortune.