Far from the water’s edge, Miss Yang’s personal maidservant, Hong Su, was clinging to Wang Shao’s leg, sobbing in despair. “Young Master Shao, please save our young lady. She’s your fiancée!”
Wang Shao impatiently kicked her hand away, his tone cold and unfeeling. “Zanxing has been dragged underwater by that monster. There’s no way she’s still alive. That monster is equivalent to a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. Do you want all of us to throw our lives away?”
The maidservant continued to plead, but Wang Shao had already started walking forward, adding, “Zanxing is gone, and I’m deeply saddened by it. Rest assured, once I enter the Taiyan Sect, I will report to my father and ensure the Yang family receives a generous compensation.”
His words were ruthlessly blunt, and Hong Su nearly fainted from her tears.
Wang Shao walked to the other side, where Liu Yunxin and Mu Cengxiao were tied up, lying beneath a tree.
“Miss Liu, because of you, my fiancée is gone. Tell me, how are you going to make amends?” Wang Shao looked down on Liu Yunxin from his elevated position.
Liu Yunxin, still shaken from the ordeal and soaked from the water, her clothes clinging to her, accentuating her slender and fragile figure, appeared even more delicate, like a graceful lotus. She seemed especially pitiable.
“Nonsense!” Mu Cengxiao angrily retorted. “It’s clear that Yang Zanxing intentionally pushed Yunxin into the water, and she accidentally fell in herself. She’s reaping what she sowed. Don’t falsely accuse others!”
“Accidentally?” Wang Shao seemed to find something amusing. “Who saw that? Did you see it?” He asked one of his attendants. The attendant vigorously shook his head. Then he asked another servant, “Did you see it?”
“That settles it,” Wang Shao said, rubbing his chin and looking at Liu Yunxin with a sly smile. “Originally, this was a life-for-a-life situation. But I am a kind-hearted person who values beauty and treasures precious things. So…” He reached out to touch Liu Yunxin’s face, but she turned her head to avoid his touch. He withdrew his hand regretfully and continued, “If you follow me, even if you cost me one woman, I will find a way to settle this matter for you.”
“Delusional!” Mu Cengxiao replied through clenched teeth.
“I’m talking to your sister. Why are you butting in?” Wang Shao glared at Mu Cengxiao. He had coveted Liu Yunxin’s body for a long time, and if it weren’t for Mu Cengxiao’s interference… Liu Yunxin would have been his already. In front of Liu Yunxin, he couldn’t kill Mu Cengxiao, but tonight… Wang Shao’s lips curled into a smirk. In this world, there would be no Mu Cengxiao.
Mu Cengxiao would go to the water’s edge at night to search for Yunxin and be killed by the monster. There couldn’t be a more perfect and reasonable explanation.
He hummed a little tune cheerfully as he walked away in a good mood. Under the tree, Liu Yunxin asked the young man beside her, “Brother Mu, what should we do… I don’t want to marry Master Wang.”
“Don’t worry, big brother won’t let you marry someone like him,” Mu Cengxiao whispered. “Tonight, I’ll take you away.”
“Brother Mu…” Liu Yunxin hesitated for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
“Miss Yang did fall to save me,” Liu Yunxin said. At that moment, she was about to be attacked by the monster, but Miss Yang had pushed her away.
“Don’t speak up for her,” Mu Cengxiao frowned. “I saw it clearly from a distance. She pushed you from behind. That woman is arrogant and abusive, often punishing servants, and she has tried several times to ruin your appearance. How could she be so kind-hearted? It’s karma. Don’t worry about her!”
Liu Yunxin sighed and looked at the little maidservants crying in the distance, lost in their misery. She thought, ‘Miss Yang… Is she really dead?’
…….
Yang Zanxing certainly hadn’t died.
Not only did she not die, but her current state was simply exceptional.
How to put it? It was like working a continuous week and then finally having a statutory holiday – sleeping for a solid ten hours at home and finishing reading an entire cultivation novel. It was that refreshing.
Every part of her body felt as though it had been immersed in a hot spring, both relaxed and invigorated. She felt neither thirst nor fatigue, and her entire being felt refreshed, utterly distinct from before.
Upon opening her eyes, she wondered if it was some sort of illusion, but it seemed that even her vision had improved. She could discern every detail, including the patterns on the high cave walls’ fissures, with great clarity. As she stood up, her legs felt considerably stronger than before.
She once again peered through the fissure, and expected, she spotted that blob of mosaic-like entity swimming about.
Zanxing wasn’t sure at which stage she was currently, or if she had the ability to confront the monster. She pondered this as her heart area suddenly began to heat up. The Xiao Yuan Pearl within her seemed to be connected to her in some way, and it reacted to the situation, showing signs of restlessness as if it were drawn to the monster, “Yu”.
Was it encouraging her to take on this significant challenge?
Zanxing hesitated.
She couldn’t recall how the male protagonist defeated this monster in the original story. The techniques and martial arts were a blur in her memory, and she didn’t have access to them now. However, the Xiao Yuan Pearl was the protagonist’s trump card. As long as he had it, even if the protagonist were injured or in dire straits, he could be saved and turn the tables. The Xiao Yuan Pearl seemed to be suggesting that she should go for it, so it shouldn’t be a big problem, right?
She had to believe in the power of this divine object, believe that the protagonist wouldn’t die. If this pearl wanted to create some action, it at least indicated that the plotline was on track.
With newfound courage, Zanxing slipped out from the crevice.
On one side of the crevice was the sandy cave, and on the other side was the water curtain. However, as she moved from one end to the other, she didn’t feel much of a difference. What was miraculous was that this water curtain seemed to naturally contain a protective layer, separating the water as if it were air.
The monster, Yu, was a blurry mosaic blob, devoid of eyes or a nose, yet it was extremely sensitive. The very moment Zanxing emerged, it lunged at her.
Monsters that lurked in the water and secretly preyed on humans seemed to grow bolder when their victims entered the water.
Zanxing experienced a brief moment of panic, but she quickly realized that she could move effortlessly within the water, encountering no resistance. When she kicked her legs, it felt as if she were bouncing on a trampoline, propelling her to surprising heights. Her fist seemed to be infused with power, and with each swing, an invisible current of energy accompanied it. Zanxing had a strange feeling that a single punch could shatter the monster before her.
Was this the manifestation of the Xiao Yuan Pearl’s power?
In the crystal-clear water curtain, a colossal creature was advancing directly towards her, and at first glance, it almost appeared beautiful. If one could disregard the nauseating fishy odor, perhaps there was a hint of human blood mixed in.
Zanxing felt no fear and delivered a punch.
In an instant, the swarm of black dots dispersed, and a jet of inky black fluid erupted from the monster’s front. Zanxing couldn’t evade it in time, taking it head-on.
A searing, burning sensation spread across her face.