“Don’t talk nonsense,” Tian Fangfang stuffed a grilled corn into his mouth, “How can you curse our little Senior Uncle like that? Think carefully, there is still a possibility that we can meet a fairy in our lifetime.”
“Seventh Junior Uncle’s cultivation is indeed very high,” Mu Cengxiao spoke up, “He defeated Tan Tianxin with one move today, and he is still young.” Speaking of which, his tone was a bit unconvinced.
Zanxing understood very well. After all, Gu Baiying, a new character who appeared out of nowhere, was almost stealing away the protagonist aura of the male lead. But why didn’t the original world give him some trouble and eliminate him? Just because he didn’t have the Xiao Yuan Pearl? Then couldn’t it just dig out the Xiao Yuan Pearl and give it back to Mu Cengxiao? But how do to dig it out?
Her thoughts were going off the rails when she heard Men Dong say again: “That’s natural. My Senior Uncle is the bloodline of the Qinghua Fairy, so he naturally inherited the Qinghua Fairy’s talent. It is impossible not to be excellent.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Zanxing flicked the oyster shell in front of her, “Sometimes living under the halo is a more tiring thing.”
Men Dong: “What do you mean?”
“It’s just like how you think that since Seventh Uncle is the son of Qinghua Fairy, it’s only natural for him to be the best. If he doesn’t achieve that, then it’s because he didn’t try hard enough. Isn’t that like putting chains on someone? If a person can only succeed and never fail, isn’t that a bit pitiful?” She took a bite of grilled fish. “People work hard to cultivate, painstakingly go into seclusion, but if they succeed, it’s all attributed to talent. If they fail, they face everyone’s criticism because countless eyes are watching them.”
The child frowned. “It’s because my uncle is excellent that people watch him. And isn’t being noticed something to be proud of? Being unnoticed is what’s truly pitiful.”
“Alright then,” Zanxing smiled, “have you ever seen Gu Baiying fail? Have you seen him cry? Have you seen his weak side?”
“Those things will never happen!” Men Dong said angrily, “My uncle would never do that!”
“Exactly.” Zanxing smiled, “Everyone has moments of weakness and sadness. The reason you haven’t seen it is because your uncle hides that side of himself. Because so many people are watching him, even if he wanted to hide, there’s nowhere to go. When everyone gets used to this, even if he wanted to show a moment of weakness in front of others, he couldn’t.”
“Junior Brother,” she patted Men Dong’s head, “you’ll understand one day that behind the halo, there’s pressure.”
Men Dong wrinkled his nose and didn’t respond.
At the small stall, a young man halted, holding a wooden box filled with sugar syrup, standing behind the awning. His gaze fell on the person speaking.
The wind blew from the distant sea, carrying the unique salty dampness of seawater. Under the awning, there were many cultivators out for nighttime leisure, creating a bustling scene. Amidst the noise, the woman’s words rang clear.
Though spoken as a casual joke, her words felt like a sword, precisely piercing the hidden soil of his heart.
Everyone has moments of weakness and sadness.
Had he ever had such moments? Perhaps he had, but it was so long ago that he had forgotten and could no longer experience it.
The figure of the young man under the night sky seemed unusually lonely for a moment. The crimson headband, bathed in moonlight, looked like a flower in full bloom, exceptionally beautiful.
Yet, his expression was one of solitude.
A local fish-selling girl, captivated by the young man’s handsome appearance, carried a large green fish while frequently glancing back at him. In the distance, under a canopy, a child waved and called out, “Uncle, you’re back!”
He paused, tightened his grip on the wooden box in his hand, and walked toward the canopy.
The meal was quite enjoyable. Even the aloof beauty, Meng Ying, picked up her chopsticks a couple of times. After they had eaten their fill, Gu Baiying paid the bill, and the group decided to walk along the beach back to the Xian Xun Hai inn.
The long beach stretched to the distant horizon when suddenly, a loud noise was heard. Looking up, they saw a firework bloom in the endless layers of the night sky. Countless brilliant stars shattered in the sky and swiftly fell into the distant sea. The bright moon hung in the deep blue night sky, and the dazzling fireworks, like a dream, illuminated the entire night in Li’er Country.
The cultivators on the beach all seemed to be in high spirits. Life in the sects involved daily rigorous cultivation, which was ascetic and monotonous. It was rare for them to be out and about, surrounded by such lively festivities.
“Is there entertainment as well?” Zanxing thought. The tourist programs in Li’er Country were quite rich and colorful. Even without the secret realm, the natural scenery and cultural atmosphere here were worth visiting again.
“During the opening of the secret realm, Li’er Country sets off fireworks on the west coast every night,” Meng Ying said, looking into the distance. “It’s also a way to welcome the cultivators coming to the secret realm.”
Tian Fangfang pointed to the distance. “Why are there so many people over there?”
Following his direction, Zanxing saw many cultivators gathered at the front of the long beach, seemingly looking at something. As they took a few steps closer, they saw that it was a statue.
The statue was quite tall, depicting a young man in robes, wearing a golden crown, and holding a sword, looking heroic and spirited. The entire statue was made of gold, though it was unclear if it was solid gold or gold-plated. The man’s eyes were made of beautiful gemstones. Zanxing was stunned at first glance. What was this, the Happy Prince? Leaving such a statue out in the open without fearing that someone might pry out its eyes showed that Li’er Country was indeed very wealthy.
“What is this?” Tian Fangfang pointed to the base of the statue. “A monster?”
Under the sword of the golden statue of the man, there was a figure kneeling. This person had a terrifying appearance with a blue face and sharp fangs, their skin covered in ugly scales, and from the waist down, there was a massive fish tail with a long arrow embedded in it.
“It looks like a shark demon,” Mu Cengxiao said.
“It is a shark demon,” Gu Baiying stepped forward, looking at the statue. “Decades ago, Li’er Country was troubled by the shark demons causing chaos. The king led his soldiers to slay the demon shark demon. After the turmoil was quelled, craftsmen created this statue to commemorate the king.”
“It’s just a mermaid,” Zanxing realized, her eyes falling on the shark demon’s face. This face was no better than the hideous visage of the two-headed asura demon. She couldn’t help but remark, “The carving is way too ugly.”
“What mermaid? Shark demons are shark demons,” Men Dong frowned. “How can they be beautiful? This is exactly what they look like.”
“Have you seen a shark demon?” Zanxing asked.
Men Dong was momentarily at a loss for words. “No, I haven’t. The shark demons disappeared decades ago. By rights, this one in Li’er Country might have been the last one.”
Zanxing looked at the shark demon being stepped on by the old king in the statue. Given how different it was from the story she had grown up hearing, she couldn’t help but say, “It doesn’t feel like the mermaids I know.” They were all daughters of the sea, so why did the immortal cultivation version have to be so dark?