Chapter 80 - 77: Mei Zhaozhao
The weather at sea was always unpredictable.
The giant whale had only been traveling for three days when a strong wind picked up in the distance, and a torrential downpour began to fall.
The people on the whale’s back each brought out their own way of taking shelter from the rain.
Lu Changyuan and Su Youwan’s method was the simplest of all.
The Third Princess took an umbrella from her birdcage and held it over their heads. Strangely, the simple oil-paper umbrella managed to keep all the rain at bay.
Because the umbrella was small, the Silver-haired Maiden had to press close to Lu Changyuan, and her fluttering, silvery-white strands of hair tickled his cheek.
Looking at the sun from the whale’s back, one could see that it was already about a third shrouded in black energy.
The sound of conversation drifted over from a distance. "My name is Li Lang. Might I be so bold as to ask for the young lady’s name?"
The speaker was a rather handsome young man, who was smiling as he approached the old man and the woman from the Hehuan Sect.
The woman from the Hehuan Sect smiled. "This little lady is called Wang Lian."
"And this old gentleman?"
Wang Lian cut in, "My old brother here is named Xiao Hai."
Despite her words, Wang Lian continued to cling tightly to Xiao Hai, not letting go in the slightest.
Lu Changyuan watched this scene with great interest.
’I was just getting bored.’
’Fight, fight! I want to see rivers of blood!’
An ethereal voice drifted over. "Does Young Master Lu think she is pretty as well?"
Lu Changyuan turned to look at the Silver-haired Maiden under the umbrella. Because they were so close, he could even smell the scent of sandalwood incense on her.
’She’s incredibly beautiful.’
It was as if something had exploded next to his ear, but when he listened closely, there was only the pitter-patter of the rain.
"Why is Young Master Lu staring at Youwan again?"
"You’re beautiful."
"Mm, Youwan knows."
To compare Wang Lian over there with Su Youwan would be disrespectful to Su Youwan. The Silver-haired Maiden’s beauty wasn’t something that could be generalized as merely ’pretty.’
Beneath her dreamlike features was an unparalleled aura. It was a difficult feeling to describe, as if a sense of ethereal transience was telling you that in the next moment, the maiden would attain the Dao, becoming an Immortal in the heavens to live for eternity.
It might be fitting to see her as a lofty Bodhisattva; one could even kneel before her and beg for enlightenment. Perhaps this was what Guanyin, the Bodhisattva who cared for the mortal world, was like.
Lu Changyuan’s perspective was a little different.
He simply thought Su Youwan was beautiful.
’Someone this beautiful shouldn’t exist in this world.’
Lu Changyuan smiled. "Not going to cover your face this time?"
The silver-haired Bodhisattva shook her head. "Young Master has already seen Youwan’s full face. Even if I were to cover it, Young Master would still be able to imagine my every move."
That was true.
Lu Changyuan had a feeling that if she were behind a white veil now, her red, Glazed eyes would hold a hint of mischief.
There was just no way to confirm it.
Surging desire washed over him. Expressionless, Lu Changyuan touched Broken Thought and circulated his Heart Method, finally managing to cut off the inappropriate thoughts.
"Is this spot taken?"
Someone walked over. Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and saw it was the black-robed person who had boarded with Wang Lian and Xiao Hai. This person wasn’t just wearing a black robe; they were also masked, without even their eyes showing.
The very image of someone who couldn’t bear the light of day.
Only when they spoke could one tell that the person was a woman.
Lu Changyuan found it strange; the black-robed woman’s voice sounded incredibly familiar.
The black-robed woman spoke again, "This one finds it too noisy over there. Seeing how quiet it is on your side, Young Master, I came to seek some peace and quiet."
Looking over, Lu Changyuan saw that Wang Lian was already surrounded by a crowd, most of whom were male cultivators.
’Are these guys that repressed?’
’They’ve clearly never seen anything high-quality.’
Lu Changyuan suddenly said, "Miss, have we met somewhere before?"
The black-robed woman found a spot to sit not far away, her voice soft and bewitching. "I don’t believe so."
’That was a quick denial.’
Lu Changyuan said with conviction, "It was you! You stole a jar of my wine!"
Back then, at Luan Rumeng’s noodle shop, Luan Rumeng had given him braised beef and a jar of wine on his first visit. Lu Changyuan hadn’t drunk the wine, and Xia Lianxue had later told him that a woman in a black robe had swiped it.
’It was this thief!’
At the time, Lu Changyuan’s attention had been on his old acquaintance, and in a moment of carelessness, the wine had vanished.
The black-robed woman paused. "This one finds it very noisy over there."
"So you did steal it."
"Don’t be so stingy, Young Master Lu. Honestly. If it’s that big a deal, how about this one compensates you with something?"
The black-robed woman took a small booklet from her robes. Her hand was hidden inside her long sleeve, so only half of the booklet was visible, making the gesture seem rather furtive.
’What is this?’
Lu Changyuan took it and took a closer look.
Yin Yang Harmony Origin Scripture
The black-robed woman’s tone was playful, as if she were saying something that needed no explanation. "This is an esoteric secret of my sect. Take it back and use it well, Young Master Lu. I guarantee Fairy Xia Lianxue will become completely docile for you."
She glanced at the Silver-haired Maiden. "Even this one here... if you use this method on her a few times, she’ll become quite obedient too."
Su Youwan suddenly spoke. "Mei Zhaozhao?"
"Oh dear, this one has been discovered."
The Silver-haired Maiden remained expressionless. "If Young Master Lu wishes to use such a technique, I imagine the Secret Techniques of my Compassionate Palace are superior to your sect’s."
Lu Changyuan silently put the Cultivation Technique away and then asked, "And who might you be, Miss?"
"Me? This one is just a woeful soul, born in..."
It seemed she was about to launch into a long-winded tale, and Lu Changyuan had no patience to listen. But before Mei Zhaozhao could continue, the three of them paused almost simultaneously and looked toward the horizon.
The rain from the sky fell even harder.
Through the heavy curtain of rain, something seemed to be charging toward them.
A loud shout erupted from not far away. "What right do you have to sit here, old man? I say this spot should belong to my Senior Brother Wang of the Sword Control Sect!"
Incidents of jealousy and rivalry were not uncommon in the Cultivation Realm.
But for it to erupt now was extremely strange.
Everyone on this whale was hoping to find their fortune in the Netherworld, and most were disciples from well-regarded sects in the Cultivation Realm. They shouldn’t have been so short-tempered.
It was as if something was deliberately inflaming everyone’s emotions.
In just a few moments, the people sitting near Wang Lian actually started to fight.
Lu Changyuan looked over from a distance. Wang Lian herself was pale with fright, apparently with no idea what was happening.
"Young Master Lu," Su Youwan said. "Something isn’t right."
Of course, Lu Changyuan knew something wasn’t right. An unseen force was affecting the people on the whale. Su Youwan was a Supreme, and he had Broken Thought, so they were naturally unaffected. But the same couldn’t be said for the others on the whale’s back.
Not only that, but the ocean was churning violently. Something in the water was about to break free. Waves dozens of feet high materialized out of thin air.
The whale suddenly let out a long, agonized cry.
The churning waves finally reached the whale. Beneath the curtain of rain, pair after pair of red eyes snapped open with ferocious intent.
Lu Changyuan looked up at the sky. The sun was now almost perfectly split between black and white. The Netherworld was about to appear.
Someone, it’s not clear who, shouted, "It’s Sea Demons!"