The little water god tightly gripped the bamboo dragonfly in his palm, opened his mouth, and struggled to say something.
After Xie Shuci saw this, he nodded slightly and said, "I can't hear what you're saying, but I can see it."
"Your name..." The little water god finally managed to utter two words after a long while.
Because he has no tongue, it is very difficult for him to make a proper mouth shape, and he speaks in a broken and intermittent manner.
Xie Shuci said, "My name is Xie Shuci."
Perhaps it was because he hadn't interacted with anyone for too long, the little water god seemed quite excited.
Xie Shuci asked, "What do you want to tell me?"
The little water god glanced at the others around him, and when his gaze fell on the king, a hint of fear appeared on his face. He opened his mouth and said haltingly, "You...don't...go...to...go...to...Spring...Mountain."
The pronunciation of the word "盛" was a bit difficult for him, and he skipped it after trying it once.
Xie Shuci frowned, and Liu Dazhuang immediately asked, "What did he say?"
Xie Shuci said, "He told us not to go to Chunsheng Mountain."
After saying that, Xie Shuci asked again, "Do you know where it is?"
The little water god nodded hesitantly and continued, "You...can't...find...it."
Upon hearing the keyword "Chunsheng Mountain," Sikong Xin sat up abruptly.
"You don't want us to come over?" Xie Shuci asked.
“It’s very dangerous there,” the little water god said, emphasizing each word.
Sikong Xin pondered for a moment, then walked to the ship's side and asked, "Do you know Ban Xiayin?"
The little water god probably didn't have a good impression of Sikong Xin. After hearing this, he submerged himself in the water, leaving only half of his head above water, and looked at Sikong Xin warily.
Sikong Xin: "..."
He shrugged helplessly.
Xie Shuci glanced at him, then said to the little water god, "Do you know Ban Xiayin? He has saved many lives. We are looking for Chunsheng Mountain this time because we want to see him."
Upon hearing Xie Shuci's words, the little water god's silver eyes lit up. "He... saved you... all of you?"
Xie Shuci nodded and said, "That's right. If it weren't for him, we would have died long ago. Don't worry, we really didn't mean any harm."
The little water god seemed quite happy. "He is my brother."
Xie Shuci's gaze sharpened. The little water god was actually a member of the Banxia clan.
"So what's your name?"
“Ban, Xia, Xi”.
Xie Shuci nodded, feeling a pang of emotion. This little boy had already experienced the passing of his clansmen and had been hiding alone in the water for tens of thousands of years. Now that his brother had finally returned to his homeland, he no longer had to be alone.
"Brother is back, did you know?" Xie Shuci said.
Upon hearing this, Ban Xiaxi's expression darkened. He submerged the lower half of his face in the water, blew a few bubbles, and nodded after a long while.
Xie Shuci sensed something was off about his reaction and continued, "You didn't meet him, did you?"
Ban Xiaxi nodded.
Xie Shuci asked in bewilderment, "He should be at Chunsheng Mountain. He would be very happy if he knew you were still here."
Ban Xiaxi lowered his wet eyelashes, and water droplets hanging from the tips slid down his pale cheeks like tears.
Xie An leaned against the gunwale, turned his head slightly, and said in a nonchalant tone, "You dare not see him?"
The tone seemed to express doubt, but it was actually more of a firm conviction.
Liu Dazhuang asked, puzzled, "Your family has finally come back, what's there to be afraid of seeing?"
The king lay on the ship's railing, his dog-like face filled with confusion.
Yes, if it were separated from Diedie for even half a day, it would want to cling to Diedie and never get off.
Upon hearing Xie An's words, Ban Xiaxi paused for a moment.
Xie Shuci sighed. The questions the little blind man asked were always so insightful.
Liu Dazhuang asked curiously, "He's your brother, what's there to be afraid of seeing him? You've been here all these years alone... a ghost, aren't you lonely? Don't you miss him?"
Sikong Xin curled his lip and silently corrected himself in his heart, "It's a god."
Water God!
Ban Xiaxi remained silent for a long time, then nodded and floated her head above the water. "I miss... Brother."
Xie Shuci relayed the message truthfully: "I miss my brother."
"Then why don't you dare to see him? You've been following us these past few days, you're not just afraid to go back to Chunsheng Mountain, are you hiding from your brother?" Liu Dazhuang asked in surprise.
Liu Dazhuang may seem rough and careless, but at times his sense of smell is exceptionally keen, almost like a wild beast.
Children are innocent and their emotions are written all over their faces. Hearing Liu Dazhuang's blunt words, he seemed flustered and ashamed. "I...I...did...a lot...a lot...bad things...Brother...if...he...knows...he...won't...be...happy..."
"What did he say?" Liu Dazhuang asked Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci sighed and said, "He said he had done many wrong things and was afraid that his brother would be unhappy if he found out."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dazhuang immediately said, "You're the one who cursed Chunsheng Mountain and caused the flood?"
Ban Xiaxi lowered her head and did not respond.
Xie Shuci understood somewhat. For tens of thousands of years, he had trapped all the villagers and their descendants in Chunsheng Mountain. His purpose in doing so was, of course, to avenge his people.
He was right to want revenge, but the innocent people who died in the flood were also not wrong.
“Do you know, Ban Xiayin, your brother, was trapped in his own sea of consciousness for thousands of years? After he left his sea of consciousness, the first thing he did was return to Chunsheng Mountain. He must miss you very much, and he hates the people who killed your clan just like you do. You should go back and see him,” Xie Shuci advised.
Ban Xiaxi stubbornly shook her head, "Brother, won't like, the current, Xiaxi."
After he finished speaking, a shadow crossed his pale face. "I...wouldn't...like...my...current...hometown."
"No matter what a stream becomes, it's still a stream; no matter what a hometown becomes, it's still a hometown. If you keep hiding from your brother like this, it will make him sad."
After hearing his words, Ban Xiaxi submerged her head in the water again.
A thought flashed through Xie Shuci's mind, and he said, "If you're scared, you can take us back with you."
Ban Xiaxi shook her head without hesitation.
Xie Shuci continued, "Your brother is a very gentle person. He won't scold you if there are outsiders present. We'll explain to him on your behalf, and he'll understand."
Although lying is not a good method, it is the only way they can find Chunsheng Mountain for the time being.
Faced with Xie Shuci's explanation, his attitude clearly softened. He was just a kid. After thousands of years, he hadn't had much contact with other people and didn't know the wickedness of human nature. He still had the mind of a child.
But his loosening only lasted for a moment.
Ban Xiaxi stood up from the water with his head of wet silver hair. He looked at Xie Shuci with a dejected expression and said, "You will die if you enter Chun... Mountain."
"I can also become very strange."
"What did he say?" Sikong Xin asked solemnly.
Xie Shuci frowned. "He said we would die if we entered Chunsheng Mountain. He seems to be acting very strangely."
Upon hearing this, Sikong Xin pondered for a moment and said, "Ask him why we died."
Xie Shuci did as instructed and asked, "We are cultivators, we won't die so easily, why do you think we will die?"
Ban Xiaxi composed herself and quietly looked at Xie Shuci, her silver eyes like a glass jar filled with mercury, unblinking.
The water was calm and still, but under his strange gaze, Xie Shuci felt a chill seep into his spine.
"Because I will kill you all."
"Aww!"
Sensing the killing intent emanating from Ban Xiaxi, the king stood up and bared his teeth fiercely at the water.
The next moment, Ban Xiaxi's expression, which had been somewhat sinister, returned to normal.
Upon discovering that the king was baring his teeth at him, he seemed somewhat frightened, shrank his neck, and sank back into the water.
Ban Xiaxi's expression before and after was too different. Just like yesterday, one moment she was an innocent and timid child, and the next she was filled with a cold killing intent, ready to kill them.
They're like completely different people!
Xie Shuci told his words to the others.
Sikong Xin seemed to have caught something and said to him, "Since you have already warned us, even if we die at your hands in the end, it will not be your fault."
Ban Xiaxi didn't ignore him this time, "I...don't...want...to...thank...Shuci...to...die..."
Xie Shuci said, "Don't worry, I won't die. I'm a cultivator, and I have many elixirs and magical artifacts. I can protect myself, and they are very powerful..."
At this point, Xie Shuci paused, then pointed to Xie An beside him, who had a calm expression, and said, "However, he can't do anything and is blind, so you should go easy on him."
Sikong Xin: "..."
It's ridiculous. You're lucky if you expect him to show mercy to others. Even if this little water god has tens of thousands of years of cultivation, who can stop him if he wants to run away? You should worry about yourself first.
"Aww..."
The king also secretly glanced at Xie An.
Oh dear, Mommy is so great! Why don't you check on the baby first? The baby is also afraid of pain and even death.
Regardless of what Sikong Xin and the King and his dog thought, Xie An simply raised an eyebrow and calmly accepted Xie Shuci's explanation.
Perhaps it was her longing for her brother and her trust in Xie Shuci that made Ban Xiaxi hesitate for a long time before looking at the others and asking, "Do you... really... want to... go... to... Chun... Mountain?"
Xie Shuci nodded firmly, "We have something very important to discuss with your brother."
Upon hearing that there was a chance, Sikong Xin immediately perked up.
Ban Xiaxi said, "Then you guys, remember, stay, away, from, me, a little."
"After you see your brother, please explain the situation to me and then leave immediately."
Xie Shuci relayed his words to Sikong Xin, who nodded.
"Where is Chunsheng Mountain?" Xie Shuci asked.
Ban Xiaxi submerged her body in the water and swam around once, saying, "Water, bottom."
"Underwater?" Xie Shuci said incredulously.
No wonder they hadn't seen the mountain even though they were almost out of Huaizhou territory; it was underwater!
Upon hearing his words, Sikong Xin and Liu Dazhuang were both shocked. "Underwater? How could it be underwater?"
"Because I will not be able to control myself."
"It will hurt many innocent people."
So they sank the entire mountain to the bottom of the water?
Xie Shuci was surprised, but he didn't ask any questions, fearing it would affect Ban Xiaxi.
If he guessed correctly, over the course of ten thousand years, two distinct personalities had developed within Ban Xiaxi's body. One was a timid and kind-hearted positive personality; the other a decisive and ruthless negative personality.
Sikong Xin had obviously guessed this as well, but neither of them said it out loud.
Liu Dazhuang didn't think much of it and asked in bewilderment, "This mountain is underwater, so how deep is the water? How are we going to get down?"
Xie Shuci said, "I can't swim, not at all."
The king let out a loud "Aww!" and the baby said, "Yes!"
"With your doggy paddle, how many laps can you even manage?" Xie Shuci slapped it.
Moreover, although they are cultivators, they cannot live without oxygen. If things continue like this, let alone finding the Water God, it is uncertain whether they will even live to see Chunsheng Mountain.
"ah……"
Just as they were thinking of a solution, Ban Xiaxi made a sound, attracting everyone's attention.
Xie Shuci looked at him.
Ban Xiaxi opened her mouth and said, "I can take you down."
Xie Shuci said with a bitter face, "But we can't breathe underwater, we'll suffocate."
Ban Xiaxi didn't say anything, but stood up directly from the water, walking on the water's surface as if it were flat ground.
He was about the same height as an ordinary child, wearing clothes made of some kind of bluish-brown fish scales, and his silver hair reflected the sunlight, making him look no different from an ordinary person.
Xie Shuci and the others looked at him curiously, not understanding what he wanted to do.
Ban Xiaxi closed her eyes,
His hands formed a strange hand seal in front of his chest, then he opened his mouth, and the half of his tongue inside his mouth began to move rapidly, as if he were performing some kind of ritual silently.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound to disturb him.
The once calm water suddenly began to ripple. Xie Shuci grabbed the gunwale and was surprised to find that the water surface seemed to be split in two by a line, with the waves surging to both sides from that line.
The bright sunshine was gradually replaced by dark clouds, and the sea and sky in the distance almost blended into one color.
The water was surging with waves, one after another, and the dark clouds in the sky were churning, as if it were the end of the world.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the dividing line that was gradually widening on the water's surface, as if a transparent wall had been placed across it. The wall continued to expand, and the water, as if being driven, surged to both sides along that invisible wall.
It's like splitting the water in two with an axe; the scene is truly spectacular.
Finally, a ditch appeared on the water's surface. Xie Shuci leaned down to look down and saw that the water flowed down a series of steps, and at the end of the steps was darkness, with no end in sight.
Ban Xiaxi landed on the water ladder, stepped barefoot into the water, and looked at Xie Shuci and the others.
Xie Shuci never expected that this little guy would have such great abilities, actually carving out a passage for them with water. He truly deserves to be called a water god with tens of thousands of years of cultivation!
Perhaps only he could bury an entire mountain underwater.
"Thank you," Sikong Xin said, clasping his hands in thanks to Ban Xiaxi.
Xie Shuci glanced at the seemingly endless water stairs and felt a little apprehensive. "Are we just going to keep going like this?"
Sikong Xin nodded, "That's right."
My goodness, this place is practically the sea! Who knows what strange creatures might be lurking in the water? Although Xie Shuci's mastery of spiritual power might allow him to protect himself from harm, the key issue is that his psychological fear of the unknown isn't so easily changed.
Upon hearing this, Liu Dazhuang excitedly jumped off the boat and landed on the water ladder.
Ban Xiaxi dove into the water, putting distance between herself and Liu Dazhuang.
Liu Dazhuang stomped hard on the water-made stone steps twice and said to the people on the boat, "It's sturdy enough, you can all get off."
Sikong Xin was about to jump down without saying a word when Xie Shuci grabbed his clothes.
He turned around in confusion and asked, "What are you doing?"
Xie Shuci said, "Then what about the ship? The crane is still below deck; we can't take it down with us."
Sikong said, "This ship can take on different forms, and the things on board can also change according to the size of the ship."
Xie Shuci was taken aback. "So, staying on the ship is actually safer?"
"You could say that," Sikong Xin nodded.
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci involuntarily turned his gaze to Xie An.
With Xie Shuci's mediocre skills, if something really goes wrong, he'll be lucky to even protect himself. He probably won't have the energy to take care of the little blind boy. It would be better to leave him on the boat.
Xie An seemed to have guessed what he meant and said decisively, "Impossible."
“But it’s safer on the boat, and I can let you out with me…” Xie Shuci tried to persuade the little blind man.
Then the blind man only said four words: "Don't even think about it."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xie Shuci curled his lips. With Xie An's temper, if he really left him alone on the boat, he would probably make him run away from home or something.
So Xie Shuci dismissed the idea and shifted his focus to the king.
The king glanced at him with his round eyes, pretending not to see anything, and focused on licking his paws.
Although the Great King is a spirit beast, he is still too young. Xie Shuci and Xie An alone are already quite a handful, let alone having an energetic little puppy by their side...
"Your Majesty..."
As soon as Xie Shuci uttered a cry, the king transformed back into his original form and then obsequiously knelt before Xie An.
"Hey...you guys..."
Xie An also saw
Ignoring him, she climbed directly onto the king's back. Then the king leaped onto the water ladder, turned around and blinked innocently at Xie Shuci, even sticking out his tongue twice in a particularly fawning manner.
Xie Shuci: "..."
You're so arrogant, so amazing!
Xie Shuci eventually jumped down as well, and turned around to transform the crane and the divine boat into a small boat no bigger than the palm of his hand, like a prop model.
"You two, stay close to me and don't run around, understand?"
Xie Shuci pointed at the man and the dog and scolded them.
Xie An nodded nonchalantly, while the king affectionately rubbed against his leg.
"Aww!"
Baby knows! Baby is the most obedient!
Ban Xiaxi moved freely in the water like a nimble fish. He looked at the majestic Crimson Snow Wolf form of the Great King with curiosity, wanting to get closer but not daring to.
The king noticed his gaze. Knowing how to please people, it grinned at Ban Xiaxi.
However, its Crimson Snow Wolf form was slightly frightening, and Ban Xiaxi was so frightened that she quickly looked away.
The King: "..."
Sikong Xin said to the group, "Let's go."
Liu Dazhuang and Sikong Xin walked at the front.
Learning from previous accidents, Xie Shuci let the little blind boy walk in the middle, while he carried the king and walked at the back.
He let the king lean on his shoulder and instructed him, "If anything strange happens behind me, you must let me know immediately, okay?"
"Aww!"
Baby understands!
The four people and one dog walked down the water ladder. Banxia swam among the water walls on both sides of the stream, sometimes spitting sand and blowing bubbles with the fish, having a great time.
He met playmates who could help him explain things to his brother, and then he could go see his brother!
This was the happiest day of his life in all these years!
At the same time, he was also a little scared, afraid that he would hurt Xie Shuci. He didn't want to hurt Xie Shuci. He liked the food Xie Shuci gave him and the bamboo dragonfly Xie Shuci gave him.
As they descended, the light grew increasingly dim.
Liu Dazhuang roared from the front, "Do you guys have any spirit pearls? I can't see the road anymore, how the hell are we going to walk like this?"
Xie Shuci reached into his robes and suddenly remembered that the pearl he wore had fallen into the sea last night.
"No," Sikong said.
"I don't have any either," Xie Shuci said.
Needless to say, the little blind man was all alone, and all his treasures were with Xie Shuci.
Thinking of this, Xie Shuci couldn't help but chuckle. During this time, the little blind boy had been eating, sleeping, and using all his things, practically like he was being kept as a gigolo.
Hearing their conversation, Ban Xiaxi hesitated for a moment.
He leaped out of the water wall and landed silently behind Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci was grinning foolishly with his head down, unaware that Ban Xiaxi had disappeared from the water wall at some point. Suddenly, the Great King, who was perched on his shoulder, called out, and Xie Shuci immediately came to his senses. At the same time, he felt a cold finger gently poke his waist, and the chill penetrated his clothes and pierced his skin.
Xie Shuci was so frightened that his hair went numb and he lost his mind. He screamed and threw himself onto Xie An's back.
"Oh my god! What is that?!"
Xie An caught him steadily, and the two people in front of him were also attracted by his voice and turned around.
Ban Xiaxi looked at Xie Shuci with a puzzled expression.
"Aww!"
Don't be afraid of falling!
Seeing that no one was making a sound, Xie Shuci vaguely sensed something was wrong. He raised his head from the blind man's shoulder and first saw Xie Anbo's flawless face. Finally, past his thin chin, he saw Sikong Xin and Liu Dazhuang looking at him as if he were mentally challenged.
“Ah…” Ban Xiaxi made a hoarse sound behind her.
Xie Shuci immediately realized that what was behind him was not something strange, but Ban Xiaxi.
Xie Shuci blushed instantly, patted the king's head, and scolded in a low voice, "Didn't you tell me to..."
Is something strange making noise?
"Awooooo!" The king nestled softly on his shoulder and let out two confident howls.
But the baby thinks he's very strange.
"Well... I used to be a tenor, so I'm just practicing my voice," Xie Shuci said with a dry laugh.
Everyone: "..."
Ban Xiaxi didn't react. He opened his mouth wide, as if he was about to spit something out. Xie Shuci was close by and gradually saw a familiar light appear in his throat. In no time, he spat out a small pearl.
It was the one Xie Shuci had fallen into the sea last night.
Ban Xiaxi caught the pearl in her hand, washed it clean in the water wall, and then handed it to Xie Shuci.
"ah……"
He heard Liu Dazhuang asking for the pearl, so he spat it out.
He probably ate it because he thought it was edible, just like the candied fruit that Mingzhu and Xie Shuci fed him.
Xie Shuci was touched and took it from his palm, saying, "Thank you."
"Ah!" Ban Xiaxi smiled shyly, then clutched the bamboo dragonfly and disappeared back into the water wall.
Xie Shuci threw the pearl to Liu Dazhuang, grabbed the king's ear, and said, "Don't shout nonsense and scare me."
"Aww!"
Got it!
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the group finally saw some light sources not far ahead of them.
Liu Dazhuang, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped. In front of him was a water gate.
"We've arrived," Sikong said.
Xie Shuci was not as high-minded as Xie An; he had to stand on tiptoe to see the flowing water gate not far away.
Xie Shuci subconsciously wanted to ask Ban Xiaxi, but when he glanced at the water wall, he suddenly noticed that Ban Xiaxi was floating in the water with a very gloomy expression, staring fiercely at the group.
Xie Shuci's heart jumped instantly. Clearly, Ban Xiaxi's body had been taken over by the negative personality. If he were to attack from here and set down the water wall, the strong pressure in the water would crush them into mincemeat!
When Xia Xi met Xie Shuci's gaze, she looked away as if nothing had happened.
His negative personality was unpredictable; you never knew what might trigger his outburst. Xie Shuci didn't dare to warn the others in front of him.
Just as Liu Dazhuang was about to cross the water gate, Ban Xiaxi suddenly jumped out from the water wall and stood in front of the four of them, looking at them coldly.
"Dry……"
"Don't speak."
Before Liu Dazhuang could ask any questions, Sikong Xin stopped him.
He could also see that Ban Xiaxi had become a different person, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. If Ban Xiaxi made trouble here, their chances of successfully returning to the surface would be very slim, since this was, after all, his territory.
His gaze gradually fell on Xie Shuci, and he opened his mouth, saying, "Going in will kill you, definitely."
This looked like his final warning to Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci relayed the truth: "If we go in, we will definitely die."
Upon hearing this, Sikong Xin fell silent.
To be honest, having come this far, Sikong Xin was somewhat wary. Underwater, he naturally assumed they were no match for the "Water God," and that taking their lives would be an easy task.
Ban Xiaxi's repeated warnings made him realize one thing: this was no child's play. The place they were going to was completely unknown, and they would face death at any moment.
He was born into the Sikong family, one of the four great immortal sects in the Floating Pagoda Realm. He was pampered and respected from a young age. The lives and deaths of the cultivators in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm were none of his concern. In fact, he had no reason to risk his life for a group of unrelated people. Even if it was "against fate," his motivation was more out of curiosity and the hard-won opportunity to leave the Sikong family.
In fact, he is not as frivolous as he appears on the outside. When it comes to making real decisions, he is extremely cautious.
Now, he still has a chance to regret it.
"Could you give me a hint about how we'll die once we go in?" Xie Shuci asked cautiously.
Sikong Xin: "...
"
Xie Shuci said, "I'm thinking, I'm going to die either way, so let me prepare myself mentally first?"
Sikong Xin smiled helplessly, unsure whether to call him too optimistic or too pessimistic.
Now that things have come to this, what is he still hesitating about?
Come in.
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