Chapter 20 Cannibalism. Those who have looked into my eyes are all dead. ...
As the birthplace of one of the seven major schools of Taoism, Minyue has a thriving Taoist culture and has produced many outstanding Taoist priests throughout history.
The spells they practice are mostly powerful and domineering. When facing the undead and the Mountain and Sea Clan, it's never a matter of life or death. They are the most headstrong of the seven major Taoist sects.
In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the country cracked down on and abolished a series of bad habits left over from the old society, such as feudal superstition. Monks, nuns, and Taoist priests either returned to secular life or hid in the deep mountains, far away from the secular world.
The Taoist priests of Wuxu Mountain were no exception.
They either hid in the city or in the deep mountains, far from the secular world, until after the reform and opening up, when the country relaxed its control over feudal superstitions, and they re-entered people's sight.
The current head of Wuxu Mountain, whose Taoist name is Guicheng and who is also known as Guicheng Daoren, is an elderly man in his seventies with graying temples.
Since the reform and opening up, Master Guicheng has stayed in the Minjiang area and rarely left, while his disciples have scattered to various places.
Lin Jianyu's grandmaster, whom he met in Pengcheng when he was a child, belonged to the Wuxu Mountain sect.
Today, as usual, Daoist Guicheng was cultivating while striking the wooden fish when he suddenly heard thunder. He subconsciously looked up at the Minjiang River and saw that dark clouds covered the river, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, but not a drop of rain fell. As if sensing something, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.
At the same time, at the bottom of the Minjiang River, a man in black robes slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of lightning seemed to pass through his purple eyes.
Meanwhile, the red-clad man who was cultivating hundreds of miles away slowly opened his eyes and "looked" in the direction of the Minjiang River.
Unaware of this, Lin Jianyu and the others were chatting idly, talking about Wuxu Mountain.
"Besides Wuxu Mountain in Minyue, what are the other six factions?" Lin Jianyu asked.
She used to disbelieve in demons and monsters, was a fake Taoist priest, and knew nothing about Taoist culture. Now that she knows that demons and monsters really exist in this world, she asked Yun Dan and the others to educate her on this topic.
The person most knowledgeable in this area was neither Yun Dan nor Xuan Zhan, but Zhu Jin, who had traveled all over the country with Huo Chenyin.
Zhu Jin explained to her, "Besides Wuxu Mountain in Minyue, the other six factions are Ganpo Daodu, Qilu Dengzhou Prefecture, Gusu Gouqu Mountain, Jingchu Fangling, Jianghuai Xin'an County, and Tianfu Jincheng."
"Then what faction does our sect belong to?" Lin Jianyu asked again.
“Our sect doesn’t have any factions,” Zhu Jin said. “You can think of it as unorthodox.”
"Is it impressive?"
"What do you think?" Zhu Jin glanced at the red-clad man cultivating not far away and asked with a smile.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
She didn't know how powerful her senior uncles and master were, but the senior brothers in front of her were clearly not that powerful, while her senior brothers Xuanzhan and Yundan were still among the top in their generation.
Very well, their generation is probably doomed.
"I remember my master telling me that the Mountain and Sea Clan, who have just awakened from their slumber, would be much weaker because of the scarcity of spiritual energy in this world. Why is he still so strong?"
"Is it possible that his current strength is the same as his greatly reduced strength?" Zhu Jin still smiled.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
It's because she has a narrow perspective.
"Are the merfolk that strong?"
"The Merfolk are not just strong, they are terrifying. You have no idea how brutal my second uncle was when he slaughtered the Mountain and Sea Clan. I was almost traumatized when I was a child," Yun Dan said.
Why are the merfolk so strong?
"I don't know, maybe it's because they are a long-lived race? Long-lived races are all very strong," Yun Dan said. "Don't be fooled by his young appearance, he may have been over a thousand years old before he went into slumber."
"Hiss~" Lin Jianyu gasped, realizing something was wrong. Suddenly remembering something, he asked Zhu Liu, "You're telling me your master is eighty-eight years old this year, is that true?"
“Of course,” Zhu Liu replied without hesitation.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
"What about Second Master Uncle?"
“Over a hundred years old.” Zhu Liu didn’t know Shen Siming’s exact age, only that he was over a hundred years old.
“One hundred and thirty-seven years old,” Xuanzhan said.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
"Where is the eldest master?"
“I know my eldest uncle,” Zhu Liu said. “My eldest uncle is three hundred and forty years old this year.”
Lin Jianyu: "..."
"Could my master be in his seventies or eighties by now?"
“No, Junior Uncle Sect Leader is only twenty-nine years old this year,” Zhu Liu said.
Thank goodness, her master's age is real.
"No wonder all my senior uncles dote on my master so much." Her master looked young even to them, like a grandson. "And my grandmaster? How old is he?"
"I don't know. Our grandmaster is different from us. He was a pure-blooded sea race from ancient times, and like that one, he awoke from a deep slumber," Yun Dan said.
Are all pure-blooded sea creatures awakened from a deep slumber?
"No." Yun Dan shook his head. "Pure-blooded sea race refers to sea races and their descendants. Their bloodline does not contain any bloodline other than that of the sea race. The Mountain and Sea Race has been asleep for countless years. During this time, many Mountain and Sea Race members have awakened from their slumber. The children born from the union of pure-blooded sea race members among them are also pure-blooded sea race."
“Then wouldn’t my master’s parents be pure-blooded sea creatures?” Lin Jianyu said.
"Theoretically speaking, yes, but we haven't seen it in person."
Why did they abandon my master?
"Do you think we know?" Yun Dan asked with a deadpan expression.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu guessed they didn't know.
"What race is my master again?"
"whale."
Upon hearing that it was a whale, Lin Jianyu immediately thought of Lin Jinshui's two natal swords.
"Is it really true that only he can pull out my master's two natal swords?"
"Yes." Yun Dan nodded.
"Are other people's natal swords also like that?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"Not necessarily, it depends on the individual," Yun Dan said. "Just like Zhan Zhan's natal sword, which doesn't even have a scabbard."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jianyu subconsciously turned her gaze to Xuan Zhan's natal sword.
Xuan Zhan's natal sword is a copper coin sword. In fact, before Yun Dan mentioned it, she did not know that this copper coin sword was Xuan Zhan's natal sword, and only thought that it was an ordinary copper coin sword.
She remembered that when she ran in the wrong direction before, Xuan Zhan had used his natal sword to block an attack from a sea monster for her. At that time, what she saw was not the shape of a sword, but the shape of a whip.
"Senior Brother Xuanzhan's natal sword can change form?"
“Well, to be precise, my natal magic weapon is not a sword, but a copper coin.” Xuan Zhan took out the copper coin he had used to determine direction along the way, flicked it upwards with his thumb, and the copper coin flipped a few times in mid-air before quickly returning to his hand. “I can make them whole again, or I can make them whole again. The reason I use a sword is because my master uses a sword.”
"Your natal magic weapon is very similar to Third Master Uncle's." He reeked of money.
“I have the bloodline of the Pixiu,” Xuanzhan said.
"Didn't Senior Brother Yun Dan say you have the bloodline of Kunpeng?" As she said this, her gaze turned to Yun Dan, filled with suspicion.
"Who says that mixed-race people can only have one kind of Mountain and Sea Clan bloodline?" Yun Dan said expressionlessly.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Okay, her perspective is too narrow again.
"So, Senior Brother Xuanzhan and Third Uncle both have the bloodline of Pixiu."
"Who told you my master has the bloodline of the Pixiu?" Zhu Jin asked.
"No?" Lin Jianyu looked at Yun Dan.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I never said that Third Uncle has the bloodline of Pixiu, you said that yourself," Yun Dan said.
Lin Jianyu thought for a moment, and realized that he hadn't actually mentioned that Huo Chenyin had the bloodline of a Pixiu.
"Does Third Master Uncle not have the bloodline of Pixiu?"
“No, my master only has the bloodline of the Vermilion Bird,” Zhu Jin said.
"The Vermilion Bird? That must be incredibly powerful." As everyone knows, the Vermilion Bird is one of the Four Celestial Beasts.
"It should be... well, not bad, I guess?" Zhu Jin hadn't really witnessed his master's combat abilities much. "My master doesn't fight much." He was too busy making money.
...
Lin Jianyu asked many more questions, and Yun Dan and the others would explain what they knew to her, but there was nothing they could do about what they didn't know.
In the end, Lin Jianyu discovered a problem.
Those with cultivation talent are mostly from the Mountain and Sea Clan and their bloodline, and what they are killing are precisely the Mountain and Sea Clan and their bloodline. Isn't this mutual slaughter?
"Since you all possess the bloodline of the Mountain and Sea Clan, why do you kill each other?"
"The Mountain and Sea Clan are cannibals by nature," Yun Dan said. "If we don't kill them, they will kill us. After all, killing us is much more beneficial than killing pure-blooded humans. Not only can it increase our cultivation, but it can also eliminate dissidents."
"Those who harm pure-blooded humans are mostly mindless undead. Of course, there are also a few Shan Hai Clan members who are mentally unstable or weak." Mentally stable and strong Shan Hai Clan members would not harm pure-blooded humans, because there is no need for it.
Lin Jianyu vaguely remembered that her master had told her when she was a child that the Mountain and Sea Clan was ferocious by nature, cannibalistic, and that everything in the world was their food. Hearing him say this, she was not too surprised.
"Did the big boss spare my life before because I'm a pure-blooded human?"
"It shouldn't be. You're not a pure-blooded human in the boss's eyes," Yun Dan said calmly.
"He's a bastard!" Zhu Liu added.
After saying that, the two gave each other a high five.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
I want to kill those two bastards.
Do you eat pure-blooded humans?
“Of course not,” Yun Dan said. “Eating pure-blooded humans is no good for us; we might as well eat livestock.”
"What about mixed-race people like you? Do they eat?" Lin Jianyu asked again.
"Mixed-race individuals generally do not eat their own kind."
"What makes it special?"
"This is extraordinary, eat it!" Spiritual energy delivered to our doorstep, why not take it?
Hearing his matter-of-fact tone, Lin Jianyu suddenly trembled and hugged herself tightly.
"What are you doing?" Yun Dan looked at her, puzzled.
"You actually eat people." That's terrifying.
“We consume spiritual energy, not people,” Yun Dan explained. “The so-called cannibalism doesn’t mean devouring the other person alive, or frying, roasting, or boiling them… It means absorbing the spiritual energy from the other person for our own use, just like how the big boss absorbed the spiritual energy of the sea creature’s undead before. Oh, I forgot you can’t see it.”
"I vaguely saw a white light enter his body. Is that the spiritual power you mentioned?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"Yes." Yun Dan finished speaking, then realized something and said in surprise, "You can see spiritual energy!"
"I don't know if it's because of the lighting, but it looks a bit blurry," Lin Jianyu said. "However, when the Soul Jade that my master gave me turned into two beams of light and entered his body, I could see it very clearly. It was a light blue light and a blood red light. If that was also spiritual power, I should be able to see spiritual power."
“That’s spiritual power too. You can see spiritual power now.” Yun Dan affirmed. “It must be that the Soul Jade your master gave you activated your talent, or it could be that your body activated its talent on its own during a life-or-death situation. In any case, you have the talent to cultivate.”
"But isn't spiritual power invisible and intangible?" She remembered her master telling her that spiritual power was invisible and intangible.
“You can’t see it or touch it, that’s spiritual energy. Spiritual power has color, and the color of spiritual power varies depending on the bloodline.” After Yun Dan finished speaking, she gave her an example, “Just like Zhan Zhan, his spiritual power is light golden. Zhan Zhan, demonstrate for her.”
Xuan Zhan cooperated by adding a faint golden glow to his copper coin.
"Can you see it?" Yun Dan asked Lin Jianyu.
Lin Jianyu nodded.
"Congratulations, you finally have a talent for cultivation," Yun Dan said. "If Shui Shui were alive, she would surely..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Jianyu interrupted him.
"Shut your mouth!"
"Okay!"
"I can see spiritual energy, but I can't see the dead. Is that normal?" Lin Jianyu asked.
“That’s normal.” It was Zhu Jin who said this. “Seeing the dead requires cultivation, and the stronger the dead, the higher the cultivation required. You only have the talent for cultivation, but no cultivation, so you can’t see the dead.”
"I see." Lin Jianyu understood. "Does one need to absorb spiritual energy to cultivate?"
“Yes.” Zhu Jin nodded. “You can try to sense the spiritual energy around you first.”
"How do you feel?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"Feel it with your heart."
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu has no heart.
"Didn't my master teach you how to sense the spiritual energy around you?" Yun Dan asked.
Lin Jianyu thought back for a moment and realized that he seemed to have taught him before, more than ten years ago.
When she first started learning from Wen Boyan, he taught her about a dozen or twenty times. Later, perhaps because she really didn't have the talent, he stopped teaching her.
She vaguely remembered that she first meditated, then discarded all distracting thoughts and focused on feeling... She tried to recall the details while doing so, and she actually felt the presence of spiritual energy.
She tried to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy using the method Wen Boyan had taught her. Just as she felt the surrounding spiritual energy slowly flowing into her body, her body flew out.
Lin Jianyu: "???"
Because she was meditating, the way she fell was particularly awkward and painful.
"How come this spiritual energy can bounce off people?"
“What I’m flicking at you isn’t spiritual energy, it’s a powerful being,” Zhu Jin said. “I’m just letting you feel it, not absorbing it. What’s the difference between this and snatching food from a tiger’s mouth? Didn’t you see that even your favorite senior brother, Xuan Zhan, doesn’t dare to meditate and cultivate?”
Lin Jianyu: "..."
I've never seen anything like this, so possessive of its food.
"How much longer will he need to cultivate?"
“It will take a day if things go slowly, and a few hours if things go quickly,” Xuanzhan said.
Yes, he underestimated the speed at which the man in red absorbed spiritual energy.
"Then I'll take a nap." After saying that, Lin Jianyu leaned against the tree trunk and closed her eyes.
Yun Dan and the others didn't disturb her, and before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
She slept very uncomfortably that night, because her whole body ached, and the pain was even worse when she woke up.
Did you guys beat me up while I was sleeping?
"How could that be?" Yun Dan said. "If we wanted to beat you up, we wouldn't need to do it secretly; we could just do it openly."
"Then why does my whole body hurt?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"What else could it be? She fell!" It would be abnormal if she didn't feel pain after those few falls.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu resisted the urge to secretly glare at the man in red and asked Zhu Jin, "Did we bring any liniment or anything like that?"
"No." Zhu Jin shook his head.
"You're so poorly prepared." There's not even any medicine for the wounds.
“We don’t need it.” The wounds that medicine can heal can heal themselves with a little training. “We forgot you could use it.”
"You can forget this?" Can't you have any camaraderie among fellow disciples?
"It's nothing serious, just let my second senior brother heal you with his spiritual power," Zhu Jin said.
Lin Jianyu looked at Yun Dan, and Yun Dan looked at Xuan Zhan.
"Zhanzhan, go."
Xuan Zhan did not refuse. He took Lin Jianyu's hand and channeled spiritual energy into her. Before long, Lin Jianyu felt her body relax and her wounds healed.
Looking at his hands, which were completely unmarked, Lin Jianyu couldn't help but exclaim, "It's amazing!"
“Once you have cultivated enough, your wounds will heal on their own, and you won’t need anyone else to treat you,” Zhu Jin said.
Lin Jianyu recalled that when she was a child, she went with them to exorcise ghosts. Her master was injured while fighting the dead, but when she asked him to take off his clothes to show her when they got back, he didn't have any injuries or even scars on his body.
At the time, she thought he had used some kind of trick, but now it seems that his wounds have healed on their own.
"If you have this ability, why didn't you show it to me before?" If they had shown it to her earlier, she wouldn't have suspected that they were deceiving themselves.
"Our eldest master said that you don't have the talent for cultivation, so he told us not to show off in front of you, for fear that you would feel inferior," Zhu Liu explained.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
It's impossible to feel inferior, but it's possible to feel depressed.
What should we eat tonight?
"Instant noodles." They didn't bring much food, just instant noodles and calcium milk biscuits. The calcium milk biscuits were gone, so only instant noodles were left.
"Okay!" Lin Jianyu really likes instant noodles; otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to cook them for lunch.
Thinking about how she had painstakingly cooked the instant noodles at noon, only to have them all end up going to the man in red, she felt the urge to secretly glare at him again, but she ultimately held back.
Her injuries had only just healed, and she didn't want to fly out again.
Just as she was eagerly anticipating Yun Dan cooking instant noodles for her, Yun Dan simply handed her a packet of instant noodles.
"Eat it dry?"
“We’re almost out of water, and there’s no clean water source around here, so let’s just make do with this!” Yun Dan said. “Once we find a clean water source, you can wash the pot first, and then I’ll cook you some instant noodles.”
Lin Jianyu pretended not to hear him telling her to wash the pot, opened the instant noodle package, and before she could even eat it, the instant noodles flew away.
She knew where the plane was going without even looking.
Why did he only take food from me? Was it because the food in my hand looked more delicious? Or were my hands not dirty enough?
“I think it might be because you’re the only one among us…” Zhu Liu only said half of what he meant.
Lin Jianyu waited a while, but when he didn't continue, she pressed on, "The only one what? Someone without cultivation? Or a pure-blooded human?"
“None of them,” Zhu Liu shook his head. “He’s the only bastard.”
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu, unable to bear it any longer, went up and gave him a good beating. He couldn't beat the man in red, and he couldn't beat him either.
If it really came down to a fight, she really wouldn't be able to beat Zhu Liu, because Zhu Liu had cultivation while she didn't. But Zhu Liu didn't dare to really fight her, and could only be beaten by her until he howled in pain.
He only stopped shouting when the man in red arrived in front of them, looking at him anxiously and asking, "Did I disturb your cultivation?"
The man in red ignored him and looked at Lin Jianyu, saying, "Cook."
"What are you cooking?" Lin Jianyu was a little confused.
"Instant noodles." It was Yun Dan who said this. "The big boss wants to eat boiled instant noodles and wants you to cook them for him."
Lin Jianyu gave him full marks for his comprehension ability, and wasn't afraid he would become arrogant.
"There's no water, so we can't cook it. You'll have to make do with this."
As soon as she finished speaking, the previously empty pot was filled with water.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Forget that this isn't nature's porter; he can produce water.
but……
"Instant noodles need to be cooked with fresh water; you can't cook them with seawater."
“That’s fresh water,” the man in red said.
"You can even produce fresh water!" Lin Jianyu said in surprise.
"Cook it." The man in red didn't waste any more words with her.
"Oh." Lin Jianyu replied, then turned to Yun Dan and said, "Senior Brother Yun Dan, please help me start a fire."
The pile of firewood she had used at noon was still there. Yun Dan took out a lighter and quickly helped her start a fire.
Seeing that the fire was burning, she picked up the pot and prepared to put it on the fire.
"Wash the pot first," the man in red reminded him.
What could Lin Jianyu do but wash the pot first?
"The dishes and chopsticks have been washed."
Lin Jianyu: "..."
I really want to quit.
After washing the pots and pans and boiling water, the man in red returned to his original place of cultivation to continue his practice.
"Can I have a bowl later too?" Lin Jianyu asked Yun Dan.
A blank, questioning expression.
"You ask me what to do?" Is that something he can decide?
“I didn’t dare ask him directly,” Lin Jianyu said.
"So, when you ask me this, you're actually asking him in a roundabout way?"
Lin Jianyu nodded: "I didn't fly out, does that mean he agreed?"
Yun Dan wanted to say no, but before he could speak, she was sent flying.
Very well, he doesn't need to say anything more.
Lin Jianyu skillfully got up from the ground, limped back to his side, and stretched out his hand to him, saying, "This time it's your turn to treat me."
Yun Dan: "..."
While treating her, Yun Dan said, "Don't do anything reckless."
Lin Jianyu glanced at her dirty hands, saying nothing, but in her heart she was pondering whether it was better to let the man in red eat the instant noodles she cooked with her dirty hands, or to eat the instant noodles she cooked with her own dirty hands.
She herself didn't mind that her hands were dirty, but given the red-clothed man's personality, if he didn't get to eat, she probably wouldn't get to either.
So, it's better to let him eat the instant noodles she cooked with her dirty hands.
Just as she made the decision, her hands were enveloped by a stream of water. When the water disappeared, the dust on her hands was gone, and her hands were incredibly clean.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
"I doubt he can really see what I'm thinking."
"What are you thinking about?" Yun Dan asked.
"I want...I want to eat instant noodles," Lin Jianyu said.
"I could tell that too." Yun Dan handed her a packet of instant noodles and said, "Eat it dry, it tastes pretty good."
"The problem is that we don't have enough to eat."
"Then have two packs." Yun Dan handed her another pack.
"Two packs aren't enough to fill me up," Lin Jianyu said.
"Three guarantees".
"Three guarantees too..."
"You wouldn't happen to have the bloodline of the gluttonous beast, would you? You can eat so much."
"No, I just have the normal appetite of an adult."
“You ate this much when you were a kid too,” Zhu Liu said.
"Nonsense. When I was a kid, I was full after eating two packs. If you don't believe me, ask my master."
"Well said, 'Dead men tell no tales,'" Yun Dan said calmly.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
"Shut your mouth."
The moon was high in the sky, and the night was growing darker.
Lin Jianyu was fast asleep, leaning against a tree trunk, when she suddenly felt something strangling her neck. A feeling of suffocation washed over her. She struggled to open her eyes and found that her neck was indeed being strangled. What was strangling her neck was the back of her collar, because the man in red was pulling on the back of her collar.
Seeing that she was awake, the man in red released her and said calmly, "Now that you're awake, pack your things. I'm preparing to leave."
Lin Jianyu, who fell back to the ground due to inertia: "..."
I've never had such a terrible nightmare in my life.
"Still not awake?" The man in red frowned slightly as he "saw" her sitting motionless on the ground.
"You're awake." Lin Jianyu got up from the ground as if waking from a dream.
When she got up, Yun Dan and the others were already up.
They weren't sleeping as soundly as she was; they all woke up when the man in red lifted her up.
Seeing that they had all gotten up, Lin Jianyu said, "The boss is leaving and wants us to see him off. Senior Brother Yun Dan, how many packets of instant noodles do you have left? Give them all to the boss so he can take them with him."
"Come with me," the man in red said quietly.
Lin Jianyu suddenly had a terrifying thought: "Me?"
“Yes.” The man in red nodded.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu's eyes cracked.
Yun Dan handed her the remaining packets of instant noodles and said, "These are the only packets left. Eat them sparingly. When you get there, remember to say hello to Shui Shui for us. Don't come to us in our dreams unless something happens."
"Aren't you coming with me?" Lin Jianyu asked coldly.
"Of course," Yun Dan replied without hesitation, "It's better for me to die than for my fellow Daoist to die."
"Where there's life, there's hope," Zhu Jin added.
“Your sacrifice will not have been in vain; the people will remember you forever,” Zhu Liu patted her shoulder to comfort her.
"Take care!" Xuan Zhan received the looks from the three of them and said two words to keep the formation in order.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Why do these words sound so familiar?
I remember now.
She said this when she planned to abandon her teammates, but she only told Yun Dan, and only Yun Dan and Xuan Zhan heard it. How did Zhu Jin and Zhu Liu know?
As expected, none of the people in their sect could keep a secret!
"Take them with you, or I won't leave."
Without saying a word, the man in red simply grabbed her by the back of her collar, as if he would drag her away if she didn't leave.
Lin Jianyu, whose fate was being strangled by the back of his neck, immediately changed his tune without any backbone, saying, "I'll go by myself, I'll go by myself."
In the end, Yun Dan and the others did not let her leave with the man in red on her own, but instead all went with her.
The man in red didn't chase them away.
It was already past midnight. After leaving the campfire, the surroundings were pitch black. With the help of the moonlight, Lin Jianyu could only vaguely see the shadows of the trees. She couldn't see the road at all, but luckily she had a flashlight.
The flashlight was taken by the man in red as soon as it was turned on.
He seemed to have never seen a flashlight before; he picked it up and started playing with it, turning it on and off repeatedly.
Lin Jianyu was used to having his things taken from him, so he calmly asked Zhu Jin for another flashlight and turned it on.
Even with a flashlight, walking at night was still quite difficult for her, but it didn't affect Yun Dan and the others. They all had night vision, so walking at night was no different from walking during the day.
"Where are we going?" she asked the man in red who was walking in front of her.
The man in red said, "I don't know."
He had just woken up from a deep sleep, so it was normal that he didn't know. Lin Jianyu turned to Yun Dan and the others and asked, "Where does this lead?"
"I don't know." Yun Dan and the others gave the same answer as the man in red.
Well, it doesn't seem to matter where we go.
It's either the deep sea or a place rich in spiritual energy.
The place with abundant spiritual energy happened to be where they were going, and it was also on their way, but the deep sea...
"Why did you take me with you?" His decision to take her alone instead of Yun Dan and the others confused her. Yun Dan and the others were clearly more useful than her, and he could have easily taken them with him.
“Because you’re a bastard,” the man in red said.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
An answer I never expected.
"Um...can I ask what a hybrid is?"
"Don't you usually look in the mirror?" the man in red asked.
"What the boss means is that someone like you is a bastard," Yun Dan translated.
"Thank you, I understand." Lin Jianyu said indifferently.
"Didn't the big boss just wake up from his slumber? Why does he understand the language of our time?" Zhu Liu still couldn't figure out why the man in red understood the language of their time. Clearly, none of the other Shan Hai Clan members who had just woken up from their slumber understood the language of their time. He had even learned a few phrases of ancient language because of this.
"Do you think I know?" Yun Dan asked instead of answering.
Zhu Liu guessed that he didn't know, and the reason he asked the question knowingly was to imitate Lin Jianyu and indirectly ask the man in red, but unfortunately the man in red ignored him.
"Speaking of which, we still don't know what your name is." Calling you "big boss" all the time isn't necessarily bad, it's just that we're bored and making conversation. "Big boss, can you tell us your name? My junior sister wants to know."
Lin Jianyu: "???"
When did she ever want to know?
"Take less..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard the man in red walking in front of her say two words.
"Lu Jiao".
"Is that your name?" Lin Jianyu asked.
"Um."
"It's actually...quite nice." Thank goodness, I almost said it was too delicate. "A merman's merman?"
"Proud and arrogant."
Where is Lu?
"Land" as in "land".
“Oh, my name is…” Lin Jianyu wanted to say her name was Lin Jianyu, but before she could say the three words, she heard Lu Jiao say, “You little bastard.”
Lin Jianyu: "..."
You damn little bastard.
“I have a name. I’m not called Little Bastard. My name is Lin Jianyu, Jianyu.”
She flew away as soon as she finished speaking.
She flew incredibly high, higher than any of her previous flights, and with the flashlight in her hand, she looked like a shooting star streaking across the sky.
When it landed, it made a loud "bang," startling countless birds.
Yun Dan and the others felt pain just from hearing the sound.
Lin Jianyu was in so much pain that he didn't even have the strength to scream. His face was pale, he was covered in cold sweat, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Fortunately, Xuan Zhan promptly channeled spiritual energy to prolong her life; otherwise, she would have perished.
"I'm fucking..."
"Shh!" Yun Dan covered her mouth. "Don't speak if you don't want to die."
"I just said my name, is it really that big of a deal?" For a moment, she felt like she was going to fall to her death.
"Shui Shui really gave you a good name," Yun Dan said.
Lin Jianyu had always thought that the name her master had given her was excellent, but hearing Yun Dan say it made her feel that there was more to it than met the eye.
"What's the meaning?"
"What does your name sound like without your surname? Just keep it to yourself and don't say it out loud," Yun Dan said, then covered her mouth again.
With her mouth covered, Lin Jianyu could only silently pray in her heart.
Her name, without the surname, is Jianyu, Jianyu, Jianyu... very good, it means the same as "Mermaid is easy to see". She even shouted at him, no wonder she flew so far.
How can I explain to him that my name doesn't mean the same thing as he does?
"Let's not explain anymore, I'm afraid you'll fly away again," Yun Dan said calmly.
"It's alright, with you guys keeping me alive, I won't die." Lin Jianyu, having forgotten the pain as soon as the wound healed, said nonchalantly.
"What if he falls and dies?" Zhu Liu asked.
"Is it really that bad?" Lin Jianyu said, not entirely sure.
"I'm not afraid of ten thousand, but I'm afraid of a million," Zhu Liu said.
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Forget it, I'd better not tempt fate.
So what if she's a little bastard? Anyway, without her master, she was just a little bastard to begin with.
After forcibly comforting herself, she gave up the idea of explaining to Lu Jiao.
The group continued walking, from dawn until daybreak, and then from daybreak until sunset. Lin Jianyu was almost exhausted.
"I can't walk anymore. You guys go ahead and don't worry about me."
"You wish," Yun Dan said casually.
Lin Jianyu's idea was quite beautiful.
"I can't walk anymore." She said this to Lu Jiao. "Where are you going?"
Lu Jiao didn't say anything, but simply pointed in a direction for her to see.
Lin Jianyu glanced in the direction he pointed, then turned to Zhu Jin and asked, "Which way does that go?"
Zhu Jin took out a map and glanced at it, saying, "That's the direction to the inland. I don't know the distance, so I can't determine exactly where the big boss is going."
Lin Jianyu was relieved to learn that it wasn't heading towards the sea, but she still asked again, "How far is your destination from here?"
"I don't know," Lu Jiao said. "I only know that I need to go in that direction, because that's where I want something."
"What is that?"
"It's not a thing."
What is that?
"A bedbug."
What do you need a bedbug for?
"Kill him."
Lin Jianyu understood; he sensed the presence of his enemy and was going to kill him.
He's so powerful, his enemies must be just as powerful. So why did he bring her along? To be cannon fodder?
"I shouldn't have anything to do with that bug, right?"
"Just as annoying."
He spoke calmly, but Lin Jianyu felt a chill run down her spine, as if he were about to kill her.
However, she discovered a problem. He was also an annoyed person. He wanted to kill that bug, but he only kept her by his side. Why was that?
It would have been an easy thing for him to kill her.
"Then let's head in that direction first!"
"If we keep going, we'll pass through a town," Zhu Jin said, looking at the map. "A big shot like you isn't suited to be in a town."
Lin Jianyu glanced at Lu Jiao, who was dressed in strange clothes and had a full head of silver hair, and thought that if he appeared in the town like this, he would definitely cause a commotion.
"Would you like to change your clothes? You can borrow my senior brother's clothes."
"No." Lu Jiao refused without even thinking.
“Then we can’t keep going in that direction; we have to go around the town,” Zhu Jin said.
"Could the bug you're looking for be in town?" Lin Jianyu asked Lu Jiao.
"I don't know," Lu Jiao shook her head.
“Should we bypass the town? If not, you must change your clothes. This outfit is really not suitable for the town, especially with your full head of silver hair,” Lin Jianyu said.
Lu Jiao said nothing and simply turned his full head of silver hair back to the same black hair as them.
As for clothes...
He glanced at Lin Jianyu, Zhu Jin, and Zhu Liu, who were dressed in mountaineering clothes, and then at Yun Dan and Xuan Zhan, who were dressed in Taoist robes. His face showed undisguised disgust, as if he wanted to write the words "Don't wear such ugly clothes" on his face.
"Take a detour!" Hair color can change, but clothes will never be changed.
Lin Jianyu was still shocked that his hair color could change, and she was a little slow to react when she heard him say this.
Fortunately, Zhu Jin wasn't as naive as she was.
“Okay, let’s go a little further ahead, we need to take a detour.”
"Let's rest for a bit before we go," Lin Jianyu said, realizing what was happening.
She was too exhausted to walk any further.
"Then let's take a break." It was Yun Dan who said this. "I can also process the ingredients I found on the way. The boss hasn't tasted my cooking yet."
“My senior brother Yun Dan’s cooking skills are exceptional, completely on a different level from mine,” Lin Jianyu chimed in.
Lu Jiao didn't know if he was intrigued by their words or if he wasn't in a hurry, but he didn't continue walking forward, and Lin Jianyu was finally able to rest for a while.
“If you’re not cultivating right now, you can absorb some of the surrounding spiritual energy to recover faster,” Zhu Jin said to Lin Jianyu, who was slumped on the ground like a dead fish.
Upon hearing this, Lin Jianyu immediately straightened his posture and began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy here wasn't as concentrated as where they had been before. It took her quite a while to absorb it before a few drops of spiritual energy entered her body, but fortunately, the effect was immediate.
Before Yun Dan had even finished cooking, she was already full of energy again.
"This is what it feels like to have spiritual power. No wonder you all don't feel tired when walking up the mountain path." She used to think that her physical strength was inferior to theirs, but now it seems that it's not a problem with her physical strength, but rather that she lacks spiritual power.
"The benefits of having spiritual power go beyond this. You'll understand once you have more spiritual power in your body," Zhu Jin said. "However, correspondingly, you'll also be in greater danger." Cultivators with spiritual power are like mobile reservoirs of spiritual energy, making them the preferred targets for weaker members of the Mountain and Sea Clan and the undead.
"I'm not afraid. With you guys and the big boss here, it'll never be my turn," Lin Jianyu said dismissively.
"That's not necessarily true." It was Zhu Liu who said this. "Haven't you heard the saying, 'When eating persimmons, pick the softest one'? The Mountain and Sea Clan and the Undead chose to attack us because we are relatively weak, and you are the weakest among us, so the danger is doubled."
“Then I will try my best to surpass you,” Lin Jianyu said.
"It took me more than ten years to reach my current level of cultivation. If you want to surpass me, you would have to cultivate for at least another ten years, even if I didn't cultivate during those ten years."
“Cultivation is all about talent, not time, and my talent is clearly superior to yours.”
"Pah!" Zhu Liu wanted to retort, but before he could utter a word, he heard Lu Jiao say, "Noisy." He immediately fell silent.
Yun Dan's cooking skills were indeed not on the same level as Lin Jianyu's. Lu Jiao was very satisfied with the meal, but the portion was a bit small, since there were still a few people eating plain rice.
Lin Jianyu ate the most, looking like he was going to eat his fill until he died.
He really wanted to grant her wish, but it wasn't possible right now.
Whenever he had the thought of killing her, his heart would ache as if something was squeezing it.
He knew that it was the drop of heart's blood he had absorbed into his body that was protecting her. It would have been easy for him to kill her; he could have simply dissolved that drop of heart's blood. But he didn't do that. He wanted to see how long that drop of heart's blood could control him.
To put it bluntly, they're just bored.
Lin Jianyu, who was completely unaware of his thoughts, began to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy after he had eaten his fill.
Cultivation can make people forget about time. When she opened her eyes after using up all the spiritual energy around her, it was already close to midnight.
Yun Dan and the others were either sitting or meditating, all resting with their eyes closed. Lu Jiao sat not far from her, his eyes covered with a red silk cloth. She couldn't tell whether his eyes were open or closed, and couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Just as they were engrossed in watching, they suddenly heard Lu Jiao say, "Everyone who has looked into my eyes is dead."
Lin Jianyu: "..."
Lin Jianyu silently closed her eyes.
At the same time, the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air broke the silence of the night.
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