Chapter Fifteen: The Dazzling Bell Jewel Box

Old Rooster fixed his gaze on Captain Noah for a long time, his mind awash with thoughts. In the end, he sent Danzi off to rest. The moment Danzi left, Old Rooster stepped outside, took out his tobacco pipe, and prodded his pouch. After several flicks of his kerosene lighter, he finally managed to light it, puffing away with each inhale, the tip of the pipe glowing and fading with every breath.

He let out a deep sigh of relief—thank goodness Noah had returned, and the situation was finally under control. The next step would be to relay the details of what had happened to the captain in full, to let him unravel the depths of the story. Lost in these thoughts, Old Rooster finished his pipe and returned to his room to sleep.

“Noah, you’re awake! Come, have some breakfast!” Old Rooster had prepared the meal early, waiting for the captain to rise.

At that moment, Longzi, hearing the commotion, stretched and caught sight of the carefully prepared breakfast. It was clear Old Rooster had made something special—millet porridge, his signature fried eggs, and puffy bread. Longzi rolled over and flopped directly onto the table, reaching eagerly for the bread.

“Save some for the captain!”

“It’s alright, let Longzi have it. I’m not hungry,” Noah replied weakly.

“That won’t do! Food is the iron that strengthens the body. Go without a meal and you’ll feel faint. Besides, after all those injuries, you need to recover. I’ve prepared a big bone broth—you’ll have some after you eat.” Old Rooster rattled on, worried the captain would ignore his advice.

“Alright, I’ll have a little.” With that, Noah picked up the bread and took a bite.

“That’s more like it! You’re not young anymore, you know—you can’t ignore your age.” Old Rooster added, then glanced at Longzi. “Longzi, after you finish, go check the engine room and see if there’s anything amiss. See how much longer until we can head back.”

“Mm, sure, yes!” Longzi hadn’t tasted decent food in days, surviving on hard biscuits, even resorting to eating whatever he found in the tomb chamber. The thought of that alone made him want to retch, but he forced down the bread and eggs, then guzzled the millet porridge, sighing with satisfaction, “That’s the stuff!”

“Alright, I’m done. I’ll head over now!” With that, Longzi dashed off to the engine room.

Old Rooster had sent him away because there was something he wanted to discuss with Noah. Just as he was about to speak, a knock sounded at the door.

“Sorry, I forgot my bag!” Old Rooster grunted in response, and Longzi stepped away.

“Noah, what happened to you these past few days? Did you encounter it?” Old Rooster got straight to the point.

Knock, knock. Another round of knocking interrupted at the most crucial moment, and Old Rooster, exasperated, shouted, “Will it never end? What did you forget now?!”

“Uh, Old Rooster, it’s me!” The door cracked open, revealing Pan Xiaoyu outside.

Old Rooster had been annoyed, but when he saw Pan Xiaoyu, his temper flared even more. “What are you doing here?”

Pan Xiaoyu, expecting this reaction, still wore a forced smile. “We were all worried about Captain Noah. No one saw you yesterday, so we thought we’d bring a few things over, just in case.”

Old Rooster was about to drive him away, but Noah placed a gentle, kindly hand on his shoulder. “Yes, sorry to make everyone worry. Come, Xiao Pan, let’s take a walk together.” As Noah stood, his legs faltered, and Old Rooster caught him.

“Maybe you should rest a bit longer and greet everyone later,” Old Rooster fretted.

But Captain Noah waved him off, insisting on making the rounds. With no other choice, Old Rooster accompanied him as they greeted the crew. It was clear to Old Rooster that with the captain’s return, everyone’s spirits had lifted, as if the very heart of the ship had returned.

After their round, Old Rooster helped Noah back to the captain’s quarters. He glanced outside, closed the door quietly, and sat down on the sofa, getting right to the point: “Did you see it?”

“Yes and no,” Noah replied, his answer deliberately vague.

Noah could see Old Rooster had many questions and began, “Let me start from the beginning. When I disembarked, Longzi and Danzi were with me, and we immediately noticed something strange about the island. It’s a floating sea necropolis, with more than one tomb owner. Such a unique arrangement must have a purpose. Fearing for Longzi and Danzi’s safety, I sent them away and went to the mysterious chamber alone. Along the way, I encountered the Kirin Serpent, bloodthirsty bats, and a thousand-clawed centipede, sustaining some injuries. But I was fortunate enough to find the tomb owner: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. The tomb’s mechanisms were too complex, and I was poisoned and wounded, so I summoned Danzi and Longzi to assist. What we didn’t expect was the bizarre event that followed upon entering the chamber.”

Noah paused, then continued, “The candles wouldn’t light, no matter what I did. That was unusual. Normally, if the tomb owner resists entry, the candle would extinguish after being lit. But this time, it wouldn’t light at all. The goal was so close—I was desperate to open the coffin, so I did, disregarding everything else.”

Old Rooster listened intently. Seeing Noah’s cup empty, he took it and refilled it with hot water. Noah sipped, soothing his throat, and went on:

“We all fell unconscious. In that state, I saw it—and her. I knew it was an illusion, but I didn’t want to leave. In fact, it was more than an illusion—it was another dimension. Ten years passed there, while only three days went by in reality. The vision was beautiful beyond words, every sensation so real, as if I had entered paradise.”

At this, Old Rooster interrupted, “Did you see the bronze chest?”

“Yes, I did. I was searching for it, but as I tried to open it, the ship’s spirit stopped me. It wouldn’t let me open it and instead attacked. In the struggle, the pain jolted me awake.” Noah sipped more hot water. “When I awoke, I was surrounded by thousand-clawed centipedes, likely drawn by my blood. This time, I also discovered something—Longzi may be a descendant of the Zhang family.”

“You mean, Longzi is of Zhang blood?” Old Rooster mused. “Then, was the infant all those years ago a decoy—a secret substitution?”

“We’ll need to observe further. When we return, keep an eye on this matter. Don’t alert those beasts—they must not suspect a thing. He could be the heir to the Zhang family’s ancient tower, the one who can unlock the Xuanling Box.”

Hiss! Suddenly, a sound of deflation came from outside the door.

“Someone’s eavesdropping!” Old Rooster and Noah shouted in unison.