Chapter 327 White fish in the water, black fish in the sky
Xu Dian stroked his chin and stared at Sheng Fei.
Whether it's family background, personal talent, or appearance and physique, Sheng Fei is impeccable and can truly be considered an enviable prodigy.
What others strive for day and night, what they yearn for their whole lives, they are born with.
Everyone has their own destiny, and Xu Dian certainly didn't think he could compare to Sheng Fei.
"Keep fishing in the water, as long as he doesn't die," Shen Liu said.
Xu Dian then released the person back.
"It seems like Lu Pengpeng is in trouble." Shen Liu looked towards the Red Maple Stone Sea again.
Xu Dian stomped his feet through the sand on the ground. His face was naturally fierce, and he didn't look kind at all. "Those coming this way are all people who know about Sheng Fei, maybe they're the Nangong family's dogs," he said. "Even if Lu Pengpeng has the Hidden Dragon Lock, it'll still be a bit difficult when there are many people."
Shen Liu showed no intention of going over to help: "Let's see what Feng Xiu says when he gets back."
There were four of them: Shen Liu and Xu Dian were watching Sheng Fei and Mu Mengbai at the Dark Lake, while Feng Xiu and Lu Pengpeng were guarding the Red Maple Stone Sea.
Xu Dian couldn't help but tug at the string suspending Mu Mengbai: "Sheng Fei is a chosen one of heaven, but what is this kid? I heard he's not doing so well in Fang Ji's family."
"Then how come you haven't heard how he got into the Fangji family?" Shen Liu looked at Xu Dian in surprise. "His talent compatibility with the Fangji family is perfect. Even Nian Qiuyan is at ninety-nine, only Mu Mengbai is at the maximum."
Xu Dian was stunned, his face full of disbelief: "He, with his perfect talent compatibility, has ended up like this?"
“I’ve heard about this before.” Shen Liu stroked his chin and recalled, “I entered Taiyi in the same year as him. I was there when he was tested for talent. When the instructor saw that the compatibility was perfect, he immediately closed the door and prevented Mu Mengbai from going to other schools to continue testing his talent, for fear that people from other schools would snatch this good seed.”
"But Mu Mengbai insisted on trying other schools. It was clear that he didn't want to study the Fangji school. In the end, Dean Changsun intervened, and under her witness, Mu Mengbai tested his talent in other schools, and his results were all one percent, the lowest."
Shen Liu found it amusing to say: "He was born to be a practitioner of esoteric arts."
Unfortunately, Mu Mengbai was unwilling to go to Fangji's family. After his talent was tested, he did not meet the standards, and no other family was willing to accept him. Fangji's family was the only way out. After struggling for a while, Mu Mengbai decided to leave Taiyi, but was stopped by his instructor at the time.
Xu Dian asked, "So he was left behind by the instructor of the Fangji family at that time?"
Shen Liu nodded: "I don't know what the instructor said to him, but Mu Mengbai still went to Fang Ji's house in the end, and I heard that the instructor is dead."
"Dead?" Xu Dian couldn't help but click his tongue. "That sounds a bit eerie. Did Mu Mengbai kill him?"
Shen Liu: "...Your guess is even weirder. Look at him, does he look like someone who would kill someone?"
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Would someone who frequently kills have it written on their face?" Xu Dian disagreed.
Shen Liu looked at him without saying anything.
It's written all over your face.
Xu Dian was slow to realize what was happening when he was being stared at. He touched his face and smiled indifferently.
After hearing about Mu Mengbai's past, Xu Dian said thoughtfully, "I underestimated this guy. But his strength is not even comparable to Nian Qiuyan's, let alone Ying Zhu's. It's a waste that he has such great talent."
“There are too many strange things like this in Taiyi. Nangong Sui can even go from a mediocre practitioner to a ninth-rate sorcerer. Mu Mengbai’s talent compatibility is full, but he said he would have a hard time learning the ninth-rate techniques of the Fangji family.” Shen Liu reached out and pinched his stiff neck. “Anyway, his talent compatibility is full. Dean Changsun has also confirmed this. It can’t be fake. Let’s put him in the water for now and see who can attract the Yin-Yang Fish first, him or Sheng Fei.”
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Mu Mengbai to the Lake of the Dead; he could have just thrown him away somewhere.
Xu Dian responded, "Indeed, Taiyi has never lacked geniuses, nor has it lacked all sorts of strange things that happen to them."
The two had been chatting for a short while when a swaying black shadow appeared on the water's surface, moving upstream at great speed. In a moment, it reached the shore, where a figure emerged from the water, enveloped by the trickling current.
Feng Xiu said in a hoarse voice from the water, "Lu Pengpeng has been arrested."
"There are four people in total," Feng Xiu told them, relaying the message Lu Pengpeng had sent.
"Wan Qi, huh?" Shen Liu touched his brow bone. "He's a bit difficult to deal with."
Xu Dian stood up, supporting himself with one hand, and said with a stern face, "How much longer until we get here? I'll go and meet them."
Shen Liu reached out to stop him: "Hey, calm down. Even if they cross the Stone Sea, they might not be able to find this place."
Lake Styx is larger than the Sea of Stones, and in some places, one can only walk underwater. Once you enter the water, it's hard to say what will happen.
"Our first objective is the Yin-Yang Fish, and our second objective is to prevent Sheng Fei from being taken away before they obtain the fragments." Shen Liu held up two fingers. "Even if someone discovers Sheng Fei in the Lake of the Dead, as long as they don't take him away, it's fine."
Xu Dian turned to look at him: "You mean you're abandoning Lu Pengpeng?"
"Of course we have to intervene. If we don't, you'll eat me alive!" Shen Liu reassured him. "Apart from that farmer's disciple, the other three are not the type to kill people indiscriminately. They still need to exchange Lu Pengpeng for Sheng Fei, so they won't kill her."
He thought for a moment and said, "You two stay here and keep watch, I'll go."
Xu Dian said, "Let Feng Xiu go with you. There's no need for two people here. Do you think they can escape from me in their condition?"
Feng Xiu volunteered, "I'll go with you."
Shen Liu nodded, and that was the decision.
The sky within the Lake of the Dead was a deathly white, and after a while it seemed as if all the snow had piled up in the sky, covered by a layer of winter mist, making it difficult to tell the time.
As Wei Ren and his group traversed the sea of red maple stones, their gazes were immediately drawn to the black world before them. The terrain undulated, and black waters could be vaguely seen flowing within the mountains. At first glance, the desolate world was filled with a gloomy, deathly aura.
"Is this the Lake of the Dead?" Ling Jian muttered, carrying the spider cocoon on his back and gazing at the scene before him. "I feel like it's..."
Wan Qi interrupted him in time: "Don't say it! You are a disciple of a famous master, don't let unlucky things come out of your mouth."
Ling Jian had no choice but to shut up.
Ji Meng said with a wry smile, "This place stretches as far as the eye can see, how are we supposed to find someone?"
Ling Jian turned around and glared at him: "Finally, you've been exposed! You're here to see Sheng Fei too."
Ji Meng instinctively reached out and covered his neck. He had spoken without Wei Ren's permission, fearing that the poison would flare up and torment him. However, Wei Ren did not stop him.
He observed Wei Ren's expression and, seeing his indifferent attitude, continued, "We've come to see Sheng Fei because I know him. We're both from Qingyang and even studied together at the Qingyang National Academy. It's perfectly reasonable for me to come and see him. So why are you here?"
So what if you know Sheng Fei and studied with him at the National Academy? We were invited here by Sheng Fei's own sister!
Ling Jian inwardly scoffed, but calmly replied, "I was asked to do this."
He and Wan Qi were unaware that Wei Ren and Ji Meng had overheard their previous conversation.
Ji Meng pretended not to know and asked him, "Who is it?"
Ling Jian said irritably, "What do you care who sent me? What's your purpose in coming to see Sheng Fei?"
These two idiots at least know they can't reveal Nangong Sui's name.
Wei Ren glanced at Ling Jian out of the corner of his eye but didn't say anything.
“He’s been kidnapped, so of course we’re here to rescue him,” Ji Meng said.
Ling Jian expressed doubt: "You guys?"
Wan Qi stood at the very front, focused on finding his way, and didn't participate in the argument behind him. He had only taken a couple of steps forward when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. His expression changed instantly, and just as he was about to turn around, the dark figure flashed in front of Ling Jian, knocking Ling Jian, who was still talking to Ji Meng, flying away.
Ji Meng was stunned. Wei Ren was about to make a move when he found that his hands were bound by ice silk that broke out from the ground, and he could not move.
Using the Shadow-Swallowing Technique to conceal himself, Feng Xiu circled around to behind Ling Jian, who had finally managed to regain her footing.
"Ling Jian!" Wan Qi shouted. Ling Jian had just reacted and turned around when Feng Xiu had already snatched the spider cocoon away and instantly created distance between them.
Just as Wan Qi was about to move, a short knife was pressed against his throat. The sharp blade pressed against his flesh, squeezing out a little blood that slid down his neck.
"Why don't you worry about yourself first?" Shen Liu said with a smile, standing behind Wan Qi. "By the time you release your protective aura, the poison on this knife won't be able to enter your body. Luckily, I was quick, don't you think, Wan Qi?"
"You..." Wan Qi had just opened his mouth when he felt his senses go numb, his brows furrowed tightly, and he couldn't speak.
Feng Xiu has broken free of the spider cocoon and rescued Lu Pengpeng inside.
Shen Liu sheathed his short sword and slowly retreated, glancing at Lu Pengpeng before saying to Wan Qi, "Don't worry, this sword is only coated with Tianma Powder, which can paralyze your Five Elements Qi. You won't die, and I won't kill you. But since so many of you bullied a young girl and made her bleed, you should at least return the favor."
He raised his short knife and slashed it into the air without any target or direction, but the golden blade suddenly appeared behind the unsuspecting Ji Meng, tearing through his clothes and slicing through his flesh with a hissing sound, and blood splattered everywhere.
Ji Meng groaned and fell to the ground, unable to believe that the knife had landed on him.
The others were all shocked to see this, but Wei Ren quickly realized that it was the Yin Yang School's Heavenly Secret Technique, the Void Moon Wheel.
The cut was so deep it reached the bone, and Ji Meng clutched his slashed left shoulder, unable to get up for a moment.
"Wait!" Ling Jian had just called out when Shen Liu slashed at the void again, and the golden blade flew out from behind Ling Jian once more.
Ling Jian barely dodged it, but the golden flying blade that missed its target quickly rose from the ground again and attacked, catching Ling Jian off guard. It struck his chest and sent him flying.
Shen Liu said, "One knife per person, that's fair, isn't it?"
He looked at Wei Ren, who was being held by the ice silk, and unleashed two crisscrossing blades from his short sword. He spoke of fairness, yet he still managed to stab Wei Ren twice.
Wei Ren remained bound in place by the ice silk, his eyes swirling with golden five elements energy. A giant golden phantom spider descended from the sky, shrouding Wei Ren beneath its high spider feet.
This is the Ghost Armored Sky Spider that he has refined again with Qi. It is currently in Ghost Armor form, protecting him from all attacks.
Shen Liu remembered that his instructor had said that when fighting against a farmer-style sorcerer, one should assume that the opponent possesses at least three types of poisonous insects.
The first type can break your protective aura, the second type can seal your five elements aura, and the third type can control your five senses.
If you make these three preparations, you will not be overwhelmed by your opponent in battle.
Shen Liu merely raised an eyebrow when he saw the Ghost-Armored Sky Spider protecting Wei Ren. Ghost-Armored Sky Spiders were rare among farmers, but he still appeared completely at ease. (Yue Ge)
Wei Ren seemed to have no intention of fighting him. The Ghost Armor Sky Spider directly spit out silk to wrap Wei Ren up. Not only Wei Ren, but the others were also wrapped in the spider silk.
Shen Liu laughed: "What's the point of hiding?"
He slashed at the spider silk with his knife, but only heard a crisp rebound sound; the spider silk remained completely undamaged.
Wei Ren, inside the spider cocoon, looked down at the ground. It would take him a while to break free of the icy silk.
Feng Xiu and Lu Pengpeng came up behind Shen Liu: "What do we do now?"
Shen Liu tapped the spider cocoon with his finger: "Interesting. I've never seen farmers use this trick before."
He circled Wei Ren's spider cocoon again, saying as he walked, "The knife is poisoned, but it's fine if we ignore them. They don't know where Sheng Fei is anyway."
The farmer's disciple who wasn't poisoned is actually a bit of a threat.
However, it's not a big problem; they don't need to focus their efforts on these few people.
"Can you walk?" Shen Liu asked Lu Pengpeng.
Lu Pengpeng nodded.
Shen Liu took out a jade bottle from his sleeve: "Then let's go back."
The black water poured from the jade bottle fell to the ground, making a hissing sound as the earth was corroded. Then, a ring of black burning lines appeared, and green poisonous mist rose, enveloping Wei Ren and the others.
Before leaving, Shen Liu left Wei Ren and the others a poison gas array to deplete their Five Elements Qi and accelerate the reversal of the Five Elements.
Xu Dian sat on the hillside listening to the sound of flowing water. There were many undercurrents underwater, and whirlpools swirled and drifted away in front of him.
He mentally calculated the time, waiting for it to come up so he could pull Mu Mengbai and Sheng Fei up for some fresh air. Xu Dian glanced casually in the direction of the stone sea and noticed that the line suspending Mu Mengbai had broken.
The taut line, which was originally suspended by a heavy object, suddenly snapped back, and the broken line swayed with the water flow.
Xu Dian's heart sank. He immediately grabbed the long line and slid down the hillside to the water's edge. At the same time, he reeled in the line and noticed the broken end of the line had turned black.
The dark water obscured the view, making it impossible to see what was happening below.
Before Xu Dian could even realize what was happening, the line suspending Sheng Fei moved. He immediately used his qi to grab the long line, and the golden spirit words flew into the water along the line.
As soon as Zi Ling entered the water, Xu Dian was hit in the face by a gust of cold wind, which carried snowflakes that clung to his face, making him shiver.
The cold wind howled, causing Xu Dian's body to sway, and even when he tried to defend himself with his internal energy, he couldn't help but retreat.
He stared in disbelief at the enormous whirlpool in the lake of the dead.
The blizzard blown by the gale fell into the water and transformed into a giant white fish, while the black water vapor whipped up by the wind rose into the sky and transformed into a giant black fish.
The long thread that Xu Dian was holding was snapped by the strong wind, but he didn't care about the lives of Sheng Fei and Mu Mengbai. Instead, he looked at the strange phenomenon in front of him with fear in his eyes.
White fish in the water, black fish in the sky.
Shen Liu and his companions, who were rushing back, were also startled by the strange phenomenon of a sudden blizzard and looked up at the huge black shadow in the sky.
Shen Liu's expression changed instantly: "The Yin-Yang fish has come out. Go find Xu Dian immediately."
The wind and snow extinguished the poisonous gas array on the ground, and the spider silk that sensed the strange phenomenon also dispersed. Wei Ren and the others emerged from the spider silk, looking at the snow falling all around them with surprise and vigilance.
Yu Sui and Gu Gan, who were still in the Red Maple Stone Sea, also stopped their journey and each stopped behind a tree to shield themselves from the sudden blizzard.
Yu Sui raised her hand to shield herself from the biting wind and snow, and looked with one eye open and one eye closed at the dark shadow in the sky.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com