Chapter 56 Come save me, save me, save me
After another series of hardships, she finally made it ashore, completely exhausted.
As she lay on the ground, she began to reflect on whether she had gone a bit too far... well, not just a bit, but extremely far.
But what's done is done, and there's no use regretting it now. All he could do was kneel down and beg Lu Jiao for forgiveness.
So, here's the question.
How is she going to find Lu Jiao?
Unable to find a solution, she decided to resort to the most basic method.
call!
She called out "Lu Jiao," then "Master," then "Master," then "Lu Jiao" again... She called out all the way from where she came ashore to where she fell into the sea, but she couldn't even manage to call out "Lu Jiao," let alone "Master."
That's it, we're done for.
After waiting for more than half an hour on the edge of the cliff, and still not seeing Lu Jiao return, she decided to go to Peach Blossom Village.
She remembered that the villagers of Peach Blossom Village had been very hospitable during her previous visits and would have been willing to give her a bowl of rice.
On the way to Peach Blossom Village, she symbolically called out "Master" and "Lu Jiao" twice, hoping for a miracle.
Unfortunately, no miracle occurred until she returned to the vicinity of the mountain temple.
Just as she was about to call out again, the miracle... still didn't happen, but a voice asked her, "Who are you?"
A strange female voice, if not for its strong local accent, she could have associated it with Chang Kong.
Yes, the vast sky equals the dead.
Following the sound, I saw a girl dressed in ethnic minority clothing, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a childlike face. Her eyes showed no wariness, only curiosity.
You can fool them.
Lin Jianyu got into character in a second, introducing himself as a wandering Taoist priest who had accidentally fallen into the sea and gotten separated from his master and fellow disciples, and was currently looking for them.
The girl saw that she had her hair styled in a mixed bun, carried two somewhat familiar swords on her back, and that her clothes, although not Taoist robes, were indeed wet and not completely dry, which matched her story of falling into the sea. So the girl believed her without any doubt and even invited her to the village, saying that she would ask the villagers to help her find the person.
Lin Jianyu had already planned to go to the village, so she went with her.
As for finding someone...
She had absolutely no hope.
However, if there were a telephone in their village, she could borrow it to make a call to her third uncle.
On the way back to the village, Lin Jianyu chatted with the girl for a few more minutes and learned that her name was Li Yazhen and that she was a local from Peach Blossom Village.
The reason she came to the peach orchard was because her family had contracted a peach orchard on the mountain, and it was currently the season for the peaches to ripen, so she needed to come up and check on them from time to time.
Lin Jianyu took the opportunity to mention that he had visited the temple a few times when he was a child, and asked her why the stall of the old couple selling peach blossom pastries next to the temple was no longer there. Did they only set it up when the peach blossoms were in full bloom?
When Li Yazhen heard her mention the elderly couple who sold peach blossom pastries, she became certain that she had indeed visited that place when she was a child, but...
"That elderly couple passed away several years ago."
“Impossible.” Lin Jianyu didn’t believe it. “My master brings me peach blossom pastries made by them every year. I ate some this year, and the taste hasn’t changed at all.”
Upon hearing this, Li Yazhen frowned slightly, as if pondering. After a while, she said, "I think I know who your master is."
"Hmm?" Lin Jianyu asked, puzzled.
Li Yazhen said, "That old couple did pass away, it must have been six or seven years ago. The wife passed away first, and the husband followed her a couple of years later. When the husband passed away, the villagers helped with the funeral arrangements. Both of their graves were built next to their house. If you don't believe me, I can take you to see them."
"As for the peach blossom pastry you ate, it must have been made for you by your master."
"Grandma Feng... after the wife of the old couple passed away, Grandpa Qiao stopped selling peach blossom cakes. The second year your master came to buy them but couldn't find any, so he begged Grandpa Qiao to teach him how to make them."
"Grandpa Qiao saw that he came every year and really liked it, so he couldn't bear that he wouldn't be able to eat it anymore, so he taught him how to eat it."
"After learning how to make peach blossom pastries, he would still come every year during the peach blossom season. When Grandpa Qiao was alive, he would stay with him on the mountain for a few days. After Grandpa Qiao passed away, he would come and leave on the same day."
“I saw him from afar when he came this year, and he was carrying two swords like these on his back.” That’s why the sword on her back looked familiar to her.
After listening to her words, Lin Jianyu remained silent for a long time.
After starting school, except for the few years she spent in elementary school, she regretted not being able to come and eat peach blossom pastries with her master every year. She had originally thought that she could finally come with her master next year, but...
Upon arriving in the village, Lin Jianyu went straight to the village committee to borrow a phone without even asking for food, and called her third uncle.
Tell him that she is currently in Peach Blossom Village in Fangcheng, and that her master should also be here. Ask him and her second master to come over, and also tell Yun Dan and the others that she and Lu Jiao are both fine, and to tell them to go back to where they came from.
After making the call, Li Yazhen invited Lin Jianyu to her house for dinner. Lin Jianyu was so hungry that she didn't stand on ceremony.
After the meal, Li's family wanted to ask the villagers to help her find her master, but she refused, saying that they only needed to take her to the old couple who sold peach blossom pastries, and her master would go there to find her.
The elderly couple who sold peach blossom pastries lived deep in the peach orchard, quite far from where they set up their stall, no wonder she had never seen them before.
On her previous visits, she and her master mostly stayed near the mountain temple.
As Li Yazhen said, their graves were right next to their dwelling.
Both graves were well-maintained, with no weeds growing around them, while the house looked somewhat dilapidated.
I don't know if it was already dilapidated, or if it fell into disrepair quickly after being uninhabited for several years.
After dropping Lin Jianyu off at his destination, Li Yazhen left, as she had other things to attend to.
After seeing Li Yazhen off, Lin Jianyu casually found a place to sit down and took out some white glutinous rice cakes to eat.
Well, I didn't feel comfortable eating freely at someone else's house, afraid of scaring them.
The white glutinous rice cakes were what the Li family prepared for her to eat that evening, along with dried fish, peaches, and the locally famous wind-blown cakes.
She said she would be spending the night in the mountains, so they prepared a lot of food and supplies for her.
They were as enthusiastic as ever.
After eating white glutinous rice cakes and a few peaches, Lin Jianyu's stomach was finally about 70-80% full, and she could continue to look for her master and Lu Jiao.
"Jiaojiao." After calling Lu Jiao's name countless times to no avail, Lin Jianyu finally used his nickname.
At first, I didn't dare to shout too loudly, afraid of adding fuel to the fire. But later, I found that shouting was useless, so I became bolder.
As it turns out, one should be bolder.
That's why Lu Jiao was called out by her!
The moment she saw Lu Jiao, she dashed away, but before she could even touch the hem of his clothes, she was sent flying backward.
I'm used to it!
She calmly got up from the ground and ran towards him again, this time without pouncing like a tiger. She stopped about a meter away from him.
"Jiaojiao, I know I was wrong, please don't be angry anymore, okay?"
Lu Jiao looked at her without saying anything.
Lin Jianyu felt inexplicably guilty when he stared at her expressionlessly... Well, not inexplicably, she did feel guilty because she had indeed offended him.
"I'm sorry, I just had a bad habit. If you're really angry, I can let you touch me back... Oh, I don't have a fishtail, could I use your thigh instead? We bastards touch thighs to ask for sex."
"You want me to beg for your pleasure?" Lu Jiao finally spoke, his tone sounding calm, but it inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.
Lin Jianyu had goosebumps, but in order to resolve the problem as soon as possible, she still braced herself and asked, "Is it okay?"
What she really meant by "can I have your thighs instead?" was that she wanted him to make love to her and was asking him if it was okay. But Lu Jiao heard it as her wanting him to make love to her and asking him if it was okay.
Lu Jiao: "..."
Lu Jiao gained a new understanding of how shameless she was.
"Can't I? Then..." Lin Jianyu was still thinking about whether thighs were suitable instead, but Lu Jiao didn't want to listen anymore.
"I won't just sleep with a bastard."
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu wouldn't casually seek pleasure with any random fish.
"I didn't ask you to beg for sex, so I'm just touching you back, as long as you can calm down. I can't find my master anymore, and I don't want you to lose him too. I'm all alone... I'm scared."
Although she acted nonchalantly, it was because she knew he wouldn't abandon her.
He really abandoned her, and she was filled with immense fear and dread.
The first time it wasn't so obvious because it was short, but this time I'm really scared.
Especially after suddenly learning that the elderly couple who sold peach blossom pastries had passed away one after the other several years ago.
She clearly realized that people can die suddenly, and so could her master. There would never be anyone in this world who would make her peach blossom pastries again.
Thinking of this, she suddenly burst into tears, not the kind of silent weeping, but a loud, heart-wrenching wail that moved all who heard it to tears.
Lu Jiao was still wondering if she was really scared or just pretending when she suddenly burst into tears. To be honest, he was a little at a loss.
"Why are you crying?" he asked.
"I want to eat peach blossom pastries," Lin Jianyu sobbed.
Lu Jiao: "..."
It's confirmed, it was fake fear.
"Eat shit!"
Lin Jianyu choked for a moment, and clearly, her crying stopped for a split second.
A moment later, she decided to ignore Lu Jiao and started crying on her own, saying between sobs, "The old couple who sold peach blossom pastries passed away a few years ago, and I can't find my master either. I will never be able to eat peach blossom pastries again."
Lu Jiao actually knew about peach blossom pastries.
Lin Jianyu had mentioned to him a long time ago how delicious the peach blossom pastry was, and that she would bring him to Peach Blossom Village to eat it once she found her master.
So we can't eat it anymore?
He wasn't particularly interested in peach blossom pastries at first, because he didn't trust Lin Jianyu's taste, but now that he couldn't have them, he was actually... a little disappointed.
Lin Jianyu's regrets were probably much greater than his, otherwise, he wouldn't have cried so bitterly.
"Peach Blossom Pastry is out of the question, but I will help you find your master." Even if it's just a corpse, he will help her find him. Just pretend... just pretend... it doesn't matter, he will help her find him anyway.
"It has to be alive," Lin Jianyu demanded.
Lu Jiao: "..."
Lu Jiao suspected that she knew what he was thinking.
"Is there anywhere you want to go? I'll take you away first." He needed to find someone and couldn't stay by her side forever.
"You don't want me anymore?" Lin Jianyu was shocked.
Lu Jiao: "...You might be in danger here."
"What danger?" Lin Jianyu asked, puzzled. In her opinion, this place was perfectly safe.
Lu Jiao wasn't sure if what he thought was the truth, so he didn't tell her. He only said, "If your master is in danger here, it means there is danger here, and unknown dangers are the hardest to guard against. I need to find your master, so I can't take care of your safety at the same time."
“Oh, I’ve already called my second and third senior uncles to come over. Although my second senior uncle only has half mermaid blood, he’s very powerful and should be able to protect me,” Lin Jianyu said.
Lu Jiao was reluctant to believe her claims of being powerful, but she still asked, "When will they arrive?"
"Pengcheng isn't far from here. If you drive here, it would probably take about ten hours." Well, taking the train is even slower. Not only do you have to check the schedule, but there aren't any direct trains.
Lu Jiao thought she would arrive quickly based on her earlier words, but it turned out to be more than ten hours. He... was even less convinced of the amazing feat she had described.
"When they arrive, you should leave with them, anywhere is fine, the farther away from here the better."
Lin Jianyu did not want to leave.
"I don't want to be too far away from you, it would make me feel very insecure. Besides, if I leave, how will you find me after you find my master?"
“I naturally have ways to find you,” Lu Jiao said.
"Then I'm not leaving either," Lin Jianyu said stubbornly. "What if you can find me? I can't find you. What if you don't come looking for me?"
Lu Jiao: "..."
Is there really no trust between a human, a merman, and a mongrel?
"Whatever you want!" Lu Jiao said, but she still took the hairpin off her head and handed it to her.
Lin Jianyu took it subconsciously, and then, nothing more.
The hairpin fell to the ground.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lu Jiao: "..."
Lin Jianyu explained, "I didn't do it on purpose. If you don't believe me, look at my hands, they're all frozen." This freezing wasn't an exaggeration; it was freezing in a physical sense.
The moment her hand touched the hairpin he offered, it began to freeze instantly. If she hadn't reacted quickly and dropped the hairpin, she might have been frozen solid by now.
"It was my fault." Lu Jiao rarely took the initiative to admit his mistake. He took her frozen hand and used his own blood to draw a pattern on it.
"What is this? Runes?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"A hand seal, a type of barrier, can protect you from being harmed by my natal weapon," Lu Jiao explained.
Lin Jianyu was surprised that he had given her his signature weapon, and her gaze unconsciously fell on the hairpin on the ground.
Although it's called a hairpin, it's actually more like a pen—a pen made entirely of ice, which feels more like one when held in your hand.
Well, after Lu Jiao finished drawing the hand seals for her, her hands were no longer frozen when she touched his natal weapon, but it still felt like holding ice.
This ice looks familiar; it seems like I've seen it somewhere before.
She remembered that Xian Ting also had a similar weapon. She had seen it before, but the material was not ice; it was more like some kind of metal.
"Is the 'pen' in Xian Ting's hand also his signature weapon?" she asked.
Lu Jiao said, "I don't know."
"It's very similar to yours."
"He copied it."
"You just said you didn't know, how come it's now that he copied it?" Lin Jianyu expressed his doubt.
Lu Jiao: "...I didn't know which one you were talking about."
"Why would he defend against your signature weapon?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"Are you sick?" Lu Jiao guessed.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu also guessed that Xianting was ill.
As for whether Xianting is truly ill...
Who cares!
Why did you give me your signature weapon? Can it protect me?
"Also?" Lu Jiao grasped the key point in her words.
Lin Jianyu explained: "When I was a child, my master and I were traveling. He went out to find food and was worried that I would be in danger by myself, so he left the whale fall with me and told me that it could protect me."
"It can't protect you, and neither can a whale fall, so don't do anything reckless," Lu Jiao instructed.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu wanted to say that this was slander, but considering her own reckless nature, she lacked confidence and finally asked him in a muffled voice, "Then what are you going to do with it?"
"It can summon me when I'm in danger," Lu Jiao said.
"Good stuff." Lin Jianyu carefully put it away.
Lu Jiao saw her put the weapon into her bosom and then take it out again.
It's too cold; it's not suitable to keep close to the body.
Putting it in my pocket doesn't seem very safe, and putting it in my bag is out of the question. When it's a life-or-death situation, there's no time to rummage through your bag. Holding it in my hand all the time isn't ideal either, especially since it's so cold.
Just as she was having a problem, Lu Jiao took it and pinned it to her hair.
Lin Jianyu touched it and found it to be quite nice.
Well, although she can't see it, she can imagine that if Lu Jiao looks good in it, she must look good in it too.
That's how confident I am!
Does it have a name?
"No."
"Then I'll name it... 'Come Save Me Quickly,' what do you think?"
Lu Jiao... turned and left.
Lin Jianyu saw this and quickly followed.
"Don't you like it? How about 'Save me'? When I'm in danger, I'll shout, 'Save me, save me,' and then you'll come to save me. Perfect!"
Lu Jiao walked even faster, and in the blink of an eye, Lin Jianyu could no longer see him.
She must be rushing to find her master, Lin Jianyu thought.
Unable to catch up with Lu Jiao, Lin Jianyu wandered around the mountains by himself, and when he got tired, he would go back to the old house to rest.
The night was a bit desolate for one person, so Lin Jianyu lit a fire early with matches, which were generously sponsored by the Li family. He ate wind-blown pancakes, also sponsored by the Li family, while enjoying the breeze.
I wonder if the weather is about to change; the wind is a bit strong tonight, and it feels chilly.
Of course, it could also be because there were two graves next to her.
Even though I've seen so many corpses before, and even moved and buried them, I still feel a little scared on this lonely night because there are two graves next to me.
I wonder if Lu Jiao has found her master yet?
Probably not. If he finds her, he'll definitely come looking for her.
After all, his signature weapon was still with her.
Thinking of his signature weapon, Lin Jianyu subconsciously touched his hair bun. The feeling was icy cold. "Help, I'm still here."
Well, she's already unilaterally decided on the name for the weapon: Save Me.
"Help me, help me..." The more he cried out, the more natural it became.
If you call him too often, it's easy to summon Lu Jiao, like right now.
"You'd better have something to do." Lu Jiao looked at her coldly.
Lin Jianyu: "...It's getting dark, I'm scared, does it count?" If it doesn't count, she can still think about it.
Lu Jiao turned and left without saying a word.
Lin Jianyu watched the direction he left in and murmured, "So diligent."
She needs to be more diligent too!
After finishing the last wind-blown pancake, she clapped her hands, extinguished the fire, and carried Whale Rise and Whale Fall on her back to continue her search for her master.
She had already searched the area, and this time she planned to go further afield.
As I searched...
They found her second senior uncle.
To be precise, it was her second senior uncle who found her.
Seeing him unexpectedly, Lin Jianyu was first surprised, then asked, "Did you swim here?" Yes, she had walked to the beach again, and remembered that he was also a merman, although only half of him.
“No,” Shen Siming said. “I came with your senior brother Yun Dan and the others. Where is your master?”
"Didn't find it." Lin Jianyu said, somewhat disappointed.
Shen Siming frowned almost imperceptibly, then asked, "Where are the merfolk who were with you?"
“I’ve gone to find my master for me,” Lin Jianyu said. “However, I can summon him. But not tonight. I just summoned him not long ago, and I’m afraid the spell will lose its power if I summon him again.”
Shen Siming: "..."
Shen Siming decided to meet up with the others first.
Well, when they arrived at the old house, they didn't see her, so they split up to look for her.
It took some time for them to meet up; it was more than an hour later when they finally gathered together.
During the process, Lin Jianyu learned about Yun Dan and the others' experiences over the past few days.
After they parted ways that day, Qianli took them to the sea to find his mother, who was also known as the Kunpeng King.
Upon learning of Lu Jiao's fall from grace, the Kunpeng King immediately returned to Zhijiang with them.
When they returned to Zhijiang, she and Lu Jiao had already left.
Kunpeng King found the body she had buried under the tree, and Yun Dan and the others concluded that she and Lu Jiao were both alright, at least when they buried the body, otherwise she wouldn't have had the leisure to bury it.
After searching the vicinity without finding them, the Kunpeng King returned to the deep sea, leaving them to search for themselves.
After searching for two days without success, they had no choice but to call back to Pengcheng for help.
Coincidentally, Huo Chenyin had just received a call from Lin Jianyu and was waiting for Shen Siming to return from Hong Kong so they could go to Peach Blossom Village together.
Huo Chenyin originally did not intend to wait for them, but only did so after learning that they had the Kunpeng.
Kunpeng's speed was indeed legendary, but because of a delay, it was already dark when they arrived at Peach Blossom Village.
After that, they split up to look for Lin Jianyu.
Lin Jianyu and the others were all present when she told them about her and Lu Jiao's experiences over the past few days, including the forbidden technique.
Their expressions were not good after hearing this.
Especially Shen Siming.
He knew that any technique called forbidden couldn't be used without a price, and sure enough...
"What are you thinking?" Shen Siming asked Lin Jianyu.
Lin Jianyu said, "I definitely want my master to live."
Shen Siming also wanted Lin Jinshui to come back to life, but...
"He won't let you die." He knew his junior brother too well; he would never possess someone else's body just to save his own life, no matter who that person was.
Lin Jianyu also understands her master, but right now the most important thing is not who will survive between her and her master, but finding her master.
"Let's find my master first!" Only after finding her master can we talk about anything else; otherwise, it's all for nothing.
"Even the big shots can't be found..." Zhu Liu didn't finish his sentence, but Lin Jianyu still understood his unspoken meaning.
“He said that I am the one with the deepest connection to my master, and that it is my instinct to sense my master’s presence. Does anyone here know how to use this instinct? Teach me.” Lin Jianyu’s gaze swept over everyone present, lingered on Xuan Zhan for a moment, then quickly moved away, finally settling on Shen Siming, and this time it did not move away.
Xuan Zhan... breathed a sigh of relief.
Yes, I remembered the fear of being dominated by Lin Jianyu's various questions.
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