When Golden Finger Meets Salted Fish

Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu had first met over three hundred years ago, and they had been separated for nearly three hundred years since. They had seen each other during this time, but these encounters had often been worse than not meeting at all.

Like now—they had agreed to talk, but after just a few exchanges, they were nearly parting on bad terms again.

After a long silence, the urgency of their current situation ultimately overcame the misgivings in their hearts. Qingyu directly ignored the previous topic, pretending she hadn't heard anything, and continued from her earlier point: "The situation on this island is strange. We need to leave as soon as possible. Now that we cannot use spiritual energy, do you have any methods to help us escape this place?"

Zhu Baiyi was accustomed to yielding to her, but this time she didn't follow her lead, instead saying: "That's not urgent. There are some things I think I should tell you first."

Qingyu frowned, unable to imagine what could be more important than leaving this strange island: "What things?"

Zhu Baiyi pointed toward the outside of the mountain cave and said: "This is probably the closest place to where the ghost ship sank. You know the situation at that time—many of those who fell into the sea have come to the island." Seeing Qingyu's expression change slightly, she continued: "That's right, your disciples, and Qingyue—they might all be on the island."

Hearing this, Qingyu's eyelid involuntarily twitched—indeed, she knew Yun Qingyue was on the ship. Years of master-disciple relationship meant a mere mask couldn't prevent her from recognizing her. But times had changed, and now facing this once most beloved senior disciple, her heart was filled with complexity. Additionally, since Yun Qingyue had chosen to wear a mask and not acknowledge old acquaintances, clearly showing her stance, Qingyu had simply pretended not to know.

Qingyu didn't ask how Zhu Baiyi knew, as the blood connection between them meant she might be more aware of Yun Qingyue's whereabouts than herself. She only wondered how Zhu Baiyi knew about her disciples' whereabouts, her brow furrowing deeper: "How do you know?"

Zhu Baiyi didn't elaborate but suddenly stepped forward and lifted her up in her arms.

Qingyu's face immediately changed, and she instinctively raised her hand to strike the other's shoulder. However, having lost her spiritual energy, this strike naturally had little power, so the attack ultimately became a mere push.

Zhu Baiyi wasn't pushed away, but seeing such an intense reaction, she still commanded: "Don't move, or your wounds will reopen."

Qingyu paused slightly but didn't accept her admonition: "Put me down!"

Zhu Baiyi, while carrying her, wasn't idle—by now, she had quickly walked to the cave entrance, and hearing Qingyu's words, she obligingly set her down. However, Qingyu's injuries were severe, and coupled with the unfamiliarity of having lost her spiritual energy, her legs gave way as soon as her feet touched the ground, and she nearly fell. She instinctively grabbed the clothing of the person behind her, while a slender arm simultaneously wrapped around her waist.

With Zhu Baiyi's support, Qingyu barely managed to stand steady, belatedly feeling somewhat embarrassed and annoyed. She released her grip and pushed Zhu Baiyi away, but just as when Zhu Baiyi had held her earlier, she couldn't move her this time either.

Qingyu's expression changed several times, yet she didn't look down at the hand encircling her waist, perhaps thinking that by not looking, she could pretend it didn't exist.

With an unfriendly expression, she stared at the beautiful yet irritating face before her. Just as she was about to question something, Zhu Baiyi raised her hand to point into the distance, saying to her: "Shh, don't rush. Look over there first."

Qingyu instinctively turned her head, and a beautiful view of the sea meeting the sky came into sight. But this was clearly not the time to appreciate scenery, let alone discuss romance. She shifted her gaze slightly, landing on the shore—there was an expanse of beach, with the setting sun casting a golden hue. And on that beach, remarkably, numerous shadowy figures could be seen moving about!

This was the deep sea, the territory of spirit beasts. Anyone appearing on the beach could only have come from one place. But during the ghost ship incident, she had watched many people fall into the sea, even being swallowed by fish. How were there now so many people appearing?!

Qingyu was puzzled, but her heart also felt somewhat relieved—at least from this view, her disciples were likely safe and sound.

After some hesitation, Qingyu still took the initiative to ask: "Have you seen them?"

Zhu Baiyi shook her head: "No." Before Qingyu's expression could change, she added: "But I guess most of the people from the ghost ship have come to the island. You needn't worry about them."

Qingyu knew she wasn't one to speak without basis, and her furrowed brow finally relaxed a little.

She thought for a moment before saying to Zhu Baiyi: "I want to find them. You can also go find your disciples..."

Hearing this, Zhu Baiyi glanced at her, not at all anxious: "The dangers of this island are still unknown, and you're injured. Do you think that on your own, you can freely traverse this island, find your disciples, and protect them?"

She couldn't—Qingyu knew this clearly, but she was unwilling to rely on the person before her.

Zhu Baiyi probably truly understood her well; with just a glance or a subtle movement, she could guess her thoughts almost exactly. She gently raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen along Qingyu's cheek behind her ear, her tone suddenly softening: "As we agreed earlier, we should have a proper talk now."

Qingyu turned her face away uncomfortably, maintaining her characteristic coldness amid the deliberate intimacy created by the other. She didn't give Zhu Baiyi another glance, seemingly having no intention of talking with her.

Zhu Baiyi absorbed her reaction completely, yet still continued: "Shall we talk about Qingyue?"

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Time always passes quickly. The ghost ship had sunk in the afternoon, and everyone had arrived on the merperson island by late afternoon. After settling on the island and searching for a place to spend the night, the sky had already grown dark.

The trio of Jiang Mo, Yun Qingyue, and Zhong Heng had no intention of traveling with others. While there is strength in numbers, more people also meant more trouble.

Both Yun Qingyue and Zhong Heng were accustomed to traveling, so finding shelter in the wilderness was no problem. Before nightfall, they had found a rock cave for temporary lodging. However, this cave wasn't naturally formed but had been dug out by some spirit beast's claws. The beast had since departed, leaving the cave vacant.

Zhong Heng was observant and proactive. He found a pile of dried grass from somewhere and spread it inside the cave, then said to the two women: "Senior Sister, you and Fellow Daoist Jiang can stay in the cave tonight. I'll keep watch at the entrance and won't let any spirit beasts sneak in."

He spoke with firm conviction, but when Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue exchanged glances, both of their eyes revealed a certain gravity—the deep sea was the domain of spirit beasts, and this merperson island was likely no exception. Previously, with their profound cultivation and abundant spiritual energy, they might still have been no match for these beasts. Now, if they truly encountered one, not just Zhong Heng alone, but all three of them together would probably struggle to handle it.

However, since they were already here, they had to make the best of it. Currently, they hadn't encountered any spirit beasts, so there was no need to be overly anxious.

Yun Qingyue nodded and said: "Very well. Much has happened today, and we should conserve our strength. Junior Brother, you can keep watch for the first half of the night, and Fellow Daoist Jiang and I will take over for the second half, so you can rest."

Jiang Mo had no objections, and Zhong Heng also agreed.

Just as Zhong Heng nodded in agreement, a sudden "gurgle" was heard. Upon careful listening, it came from his stomach. He looked down at his abdomen, but perhaps because the sound was so unfamiliar, he didn't immediately react.

Jiang Mo, however, traced the sound and immediately understood, asking: "Are you hungry?"

Zhong Heng was slightly startled and instinctively replied: "I've practiced abstinence from food for many years."

Cultivators could abstain from food after Foundation Establishment. Although Zhong Heng's talent wasn't as outstanding as Yun Qingyue's, how could there be a mediocre individual among those chosen as personal disciples by a Peak Master of Xuanqing Sect? Zhong Heng had begun cultivation at eight, reached Foundation Establishment at fifteen, and nearly a hundred years had passed since then. Throughout these hundred years, except for occasional cravings, he had no regular dietary needs, and had long forgotten the feeling of hunger.

However, at the mention of hunger, Yun Qingyue also discreetly touched her stomach, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Though Jiang Mo was conversing with Zhong Heng, she had always kept part of her attention on her senior sister, so Yun Qingyue's small movement hadn't escaped her notice. One look, and she knew that her senior sister was definitely hungry too.

Cultivation and technology were two completely different power systems, but they shared one point: energy conservation. Cultivators abstaining from food and drink didn't mean they didn't need to consume energy; the source of energy had merely shifted from food to spiritual energy. Now, with their internal spiritual energy drained, yet still needing energy to move and act, the method of intake naturally reverted to its original form.

Jiang Mo easily understood the reason and explained it to the two, finally saying: "It seems we need to find not just shelter, but also food as soon as possible."

Yun Qingyue and Zhong Heng exchanged glances, both somewhat troubled—they knew spirit beast meat was edible, as were spiritual herbs and fruits. However, they might not be able to defeat spirit beasts now, and while herbs and fruits were edible, they weren't filling.

After cultivating for a hundred years, they had never imagined that one day they would worry about how to fill their stomachs.

Zhong Heng looked at the already arranged cave, then at the forest gradually falling into dusk. Clutching his stomach, he pondered for a while before saying: "It's getting late, and we don't know how formidable the spirit beasts on this island are. Rash action might be dangerous. Let's wait until tomorrow morning, when it's bright, to make plans for both exploring the environment and finding food."

Yun Qingyue nodded in agreement, but Jiang Mo, worried about her being hungry, said: "It's not dark yet. I'll go look around nearby." As she spoke, she looked at Yun Qingyue and added: "Don't worry, I run fast. If I encounter danger, I won't take unnecessary risks."

After saying this, she turned and ran, indeed very quickly, disappearing into the forest in the blink of an eye.

Yun Qingyue had no time to stop her and instinctively pursued a few steps. Unfortunately, the speed difference between them was truly significant, and after just a few steps, Yun Qingyue lost sight of her. She didn't dare to move recklessly on this island, fearing dangerous spirit beasts and being separated from the others, so after some hesitation, she returned.

Seeing her return, Zhong Heng asked: "Couldn't catch up?"

Yun Qingyue shook her head, her gaze still directed toward where Jiang Mo had disappeared, her worry evident.

Seeing this, Zhong Heng, taking advantage of Jiang Mo's absence, questioned: "Senior Sister, who exactly is this Fellow Daoist Jiang? How can she still run so fast without spiritual energy? Is she a new friend you've made in recent years?"

Hearing this, Yun Qingyue seemed to drift into a momentary daze but ultimately shook her head without a word. It was unclear whether she didn't know the other's identity, or was denying the definition of friendship, or perhaps neither...