Chapter 42042 Nezha! I’m here to help you!
The feeling the Rainbow Fairy gives me is no different from that of the legendary mad scientist. Her eyes, as if looking at experimental subjects, are burning with a fervent passion for scientific research.
My animal instincts went off like crazy. Realizing I was about to become a fish on the chopping block, I lashed out with my tail and yanked Little Lotus's sleeve with my fin. "Little Lotus! Run!"
The little lotus reacted extremely quickly, almost like a conditioned reflex, and carried me and flew backwards out of the dazzling light of the Rainbow Dome Palace with a "whoosh", leaving the Rainbow Fairy holding the ball of light in the same place with a look of "Where is my experiment?"
Only when I completely left that dreamy and hazy colorful area did I dare to breathe deeply.
"I was so scared! That feeling just now was a true portrayal of being at the mercy of others! The problem is, I really am the meat!"
"No more dyeing your tail?" Little Lotus looked down at me, a knowing smile in her tone. "Although Fairy Rainbow's actions are... a bit exaggerated, judging by her demeanor, she doesn't harbor any ill intentions. She's just overly enthusiastic about unknown problems."
"Of course I know she means no harm," I lay listlessly on the wall of the bubble, "but when I think about the possibility that I will have to let her study and manipulate me in the future... my courage to pursue beauty is gone in an instant." Okay, I admit, I just follow my heart.
"Are you scared?" Little Lotus' voice softened.
I lowered my head, my bubbles barely spitting out air. "... a little bit."
Little Lotus remained silent, simply carrying me as we quietly walked along the auspicious cloud-shrouded Heavenly Road. After a long while, I grumbled, "Am I truly useless? To get what I want, I'm afraid to endure even the slightest hardship..."
Looking back—well, there's not much time to reflect on. I don't think I'm one for enduring hardship. The only time I could truly endure hardship was when I plucked my scales for Wu Gang. The pain nearly left my body. Imagine, I endured the pain of having my scales plucked, yet now I'm afraid to even attempt "research" that hasn't even happened yet and might not even be painful...
"What's that?" Little Lotus's voice was calm yet strangely penetrating, interrupting my self-denial. "You weren't born to suffer. Besides, what's so good about suffering?" His tone suddenly became firm in the last sentence, as if remembering the hardship he experienced at Chentang Pass. "There's no need to voluntarily endure meaningless suffering."
"You're certainly right," I sighed, my tail unconsciously whipping bubbles. "But sometimes, in order to achieve a desired goal, it's inevitable to pay a certain price, right? In this world, how can everything go smoothly?"
That rainbow-colored tail is certainly gorgeous and desirable, but who can guarantee that I won't find it ostentatious after the novelty wears off? But at least, in the moment of owning it, the pure, vanity-satisfying joy is real.
Just as I was caught in a tangle of self-deception, a stream of colorful light streaked from the direction of the Rainbow Dome Palace like a meteor, hovering precisely in front of us. The light faded, revealing the Rainbow Fairy's face, flushed with excitement. In her hand, she no longer held the terrifying ball of light, but a delicate, crystal-cut brush. A soft, rainbow-colored halo flowed from the brush shaft, and at the tip, a drop of a strange, luminous liquid, like a liquid rainbow, condensed, almost dripping.
"I found you!" Her eyes lit up surprisingly. "Don't run, I've got a solution! It's absolutely painless! It works instantly! It's just like... as easy as dyeing the clouds!" She tried to describe it.
Xiao Lianhua and I were both stunned.
"Here, look at this!" She held up the colorful brush as if presenting a treasure. "This is the Rainbow Dotting Brush, condensed from the seven colors of the Rainbow Bridge. Just tap your tail lightly with it—" she made a gentle tapping motion, "and it will change the reflected color. The whole process is as natural as breathing! And," she added proudly, "it's absolutely natural and won't affect your water-walking abilities in the slightest. How about it? Want to try it?"
She looked at me expectantly, her eyes filled with a pure desire for a "perfect work." Her previous mad scientist aura had faded a lot, and she looked more like a child eager to show off a new toy.
Of course, I didn't understand her explanation at all.
By the way, how many strange things does the Rainbow Fairy have here?
Looking at the crystal brush that shimmered and exuded a gentle aura, and thinking about her descriptions of "painless," "instant," and "natural," my timid heart started to stir again. I looked at the little lotus.
Little Lotus looked at the pen, then looked at the sincere eyes of the Rainbow Fairy, and nodded slightly to me.
"...Then... give it a try?" I carefully and with the heroic spirit of a hero cutting off his own arm, tried to extend my big tail out of the bubble a little bit.
"Don't worry!" The Rainbow Fairy held her breath, her eyes focused as if she were performing the most precise artistic creation. She carefully used the rainbow dotting pen and very gently touched the outermost part of the tip of my tail, like a dragonfly touching water.
The colorful light from the tip of the pen instantly sank into the tail.
Buzz——
A very slight vibration, like the plucked strings of a guitar, came from the edge of the tail. Then, the originally silvery-white tail, like a galaxy awakened, suddenly glowed with soft and pure rainbow colors! Forming a beautiful gradient with the surrounding silver-white scales.
"Wow!" I exclaimed in surprise, the tip of my tail trembled excitedly, and the colorful light rippled with it, which was beautiful beyond words.
The Rainbow Fairy's eyes shone brighter, as if she were admiring a priceless treasure: "Look! It's done! How perfect! This is the fusion and manifestation of the seven colors of praise!"
"Fairy sister!" I instantly threw away my previous fear and stretched my entire tail out of the bubble. "You are so amazing!"
Just when the atmosphere was lively and the colorful undertakings were in full swing, a figure wrapped in low pressure came down from the sky with a "whoosh" sound and hit the Rainbow Bridge heavily, shaking it so much that the Rainbow Bridge shook.
Nezha appeared with a sullen look on his face. He'd obviously been following us, and when he saw the three of us gathered together, a vein in his forehead throbbed. "What are you two up to? Didn't I tell you to stay put in Yunlou Palace?" He crossed his arms, the flames of the Wind Fire Wheel subsiding slightly as he glared down at us.
But soon, his eyes were fixed on the rainbow dotting pen in the rainbow fairy's hand and the glittering colorful fish tail on my tail.
"What's the matter?" The Rainbow Fairy raised her eyebrows in displeasure when her creation was interrupted.
Nezha's gaze shifted from the colorful fish tail to the blazing, crimson Wind Fire Wheel at his feet. He was silent for two seconds before speaking in a calm tone, as if discussing the weather:
"...Can this... be dyed?"
The air suddenly became quiet.
I:? ? ?
Little Lotus:???
Rainbow Fairy: ...? !
The three of us stared at Nezha in disbelief, as if under a spell. He was going to dye... Hot Wheels?!
I pondered for a moment, then loudly questioned, "Tell me! Are you the Monkey King?"
Nezha: ...
The dark energy between his eyebrows could hardly be hidden.
For the first time, the Rainbow Fairy's eyes widened, their colorful light stagnating. She looked at Nezha's stern face, then at the two balls of crimson flames beneath his feet, each as unruly as he was, then at the delicate rainbow dotting pen in her hand... A sense of absurdity and an even stronger desire for challenge mingled wildly in her eyes.
She raised her head suddenly, her face lit up with a light that was ten times more enthusiastic than before, and her voice trembled slightly with excitement:
"Yes! Of course! Why not?! Great God of the Three Altars and Sea Assembly, this fairy accepts your commission! This is an unprecedented collision between the way of light and color and fire magic tools! Quick, move your Hot Wheels... uh, please move it a little over!" She was so excited that she almost spoke incoherently, and the rainbow dotting pen in her hand shone brightly, as if she sensed an unprecedented challenge.
Nezha: “…”
He looked at the Rainbow Fairy, who had suddenly fallen into a frenzy, then at the Hot Wheels at his feet. A vein on his forehead seemed to twitch. But in the end, he pursed his lips and silently... drove the Hot Wheels a small step forward.
The scene that followed was truly a heavenly spectacle.
The rainbow fairy transformed into the most enthusiastic artist, carefully and swiftly pointing the rainbow dotting pen at the edge of the dancing red flame of Nezha's wind-fire wheel.
With every touch, a ray of colorful light merged into the flame like a living thing. The flame did not devour it, but instead the edge seemed to be coated with a layer of dreamy colorful halo.
As her movements quickened, the colorful light spread and covered quickly like vines. Nezha's originally pure red wind-fire wheels gradually turned into two blazing, yet dazzling, and breathtakingly beautiful colorful glazed wind-fire wheels!
The flames were still as hot and powerful as ever, but their shape and color had been completely transformed!
"It's done! A colorful glazed wind wheel! The only one of its kind in the Three Realms!" The Rainbow Fairy's cheeks flushed with excitement.
Nezha looked down at the two balls of dreamy, iridescent flames at his feet. His face, frozen for millennia, twitched ever so slightly. He seemed about to say something, but in the end, he simply sat in silence, taking in this unprecedented, overly... dazzling new look.
I asked Little Lotus: "Little Lotus, do you want your Hot Wheels?"
Little Lotus curled the corner of her mouth and shook her head slightly.
…
After bidding farewell to the contented Rainbow Fairy, the little lotus held me up, radiating colorful light all over my body, while Nezha stepped on the equally radiant and dazzling colorful glazed wind-fire wheels. The three of us returned to the Yunlou Palace in an extremely high-profile manner.
The two heavenly soldiers guarding the gate were standing guard meticulously. As we approached——
"Enemy attack?!" The two men were instantly alert and drew their weapons.
However, when we suddenly stopped in front of the palace gate and the light dimmed, they exclaimed in surprise.
"Marshal... Marshal?!" The two heavenly soldiers' eyes almost popped out and their jaws hit their feet.
Nezha glanced at them and said, "Keep standing guard!"
"Yes!" The two of them looked straight ahead, but the shock Nezha had just given them successfully caused their brains to crash.
As soon as we passed through the heavy door, we heard Li Zhenying's voice.
"Brother! Rainbow Fish is back! And he brought... Wow!!!" Li Zhenying's cheers stopped abruptly and instantly turned into a higher-pitched scream, "Brother's wheels! Brother's wheels turned into rainbows! So beautiful!!!"
Mrs. Yin, who had emerged from the scene at the blazing sound of her daughter, was also stunned by the dazzling spectacle before her. She looked at me, my tail shimmering with brilliance, then at the blazing, dreamy, glass-like wind-fire wheels at Nezha's feet... Even the experienced Mrs. Yin couldn't help but cover her mouth, her eyes filled with shock and a faint, suppressed smile at the sheer splendor of the scene.
"Nezha... Nezha? Your Wind Fire Wheels..." Her voice was filled with disbelief.
At this moment, there were heavy footsteps and a slightly impatient question outside the hall: "Nezha! You..." The figure of Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, appeared at the door. Before he finished speaking, his whole body froze in an instant as if he was cast under a spell.
He was dazzled by me at first, and squinted subconsciously. Then, his gaze was fixed on the two flaming colorful glazed wind-fire wheels at Nezha's feet. The dazzling and dreamlike colors completely overturned his perception of his son's cold and murderous aura. They were like two colorful lightsabers, piercing his eyes fiercely!
"Hiss!" Li Jing gasped, feeling a sharp pain in his eyes, as if burned by a bright light! He subconsciously raised his hand to cover his eyes, and the exquisite pagoda in his other hand almost slipped out of his grasp. His voice changed tone:
“…What…what is that?! It’s so bright…it’s killing me!!”
Seeing Li Jing covering his eyes, staggering, and the pagoda teetering on the verge of collapse, Nezha's arrogance soared! A faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and the flames of the Wind Fire Wheel under his feet burst out!
“Now!”
“Whoosh!”
A scarlet-gold figure, as fast as lightning, with a dazzling rainbow of colored glass light, instantly passed by Li Jing's side! At the moment when the pagoda was about to fall to the ground, a hand burning with scarlet-gold divine light, with a steady and exhilarating feeling of having done a prank, snatched the exquisite pagoda away!
It felt warm to the touch, and the pagoda was emitting golden light. However, under the reflection of the red-gold divine light surrounding Nezha, the golden light of the pagoda seemed a little dim.
Nezha weighed the pagoda in his hand, feeling its heavy weight, and then looked at Li Jing, who was covering his eyes, his face ashen, trembling with anger but temporarily unable to see anything. The depression that had been suppressed in his heart for thousands of years seemed to be vented out with this snatch, with this blinding light.
He stood in the center of the courtyard, holding the captured pagoda in one hand and with the other hand on his waist. The red-gold divine light around him was like a blazing flame, illuminating the entire front yard of Yunlou Palace and the unbridled and hearty smile on his face.
"Father," he said in a loud voice, filled with undisguised pride and defiance, echoing in the silent courtyard, "Your tower... the golden light doesn't seem bright enough? Would you like to have the Rainbow Fairy add some color to it?"
Li Jing covered his eyes, his beard trembling with anger. His vision was still blurry and he could only squeeze out a few words through his teeth: "Rebellious... rebellious son! What the hell is that on you?!"
Mrs. Yin looked at her furious husband who was covering his eyes, then at her son who was beaming with joy and smiling like a child who had successfully played a prank, and then at the pagoda that her son had snatched from his hand. She felt dizzy and had to hold on to the pillar to keep her balance.
Li Zhenying was completely oblivious to the adults' tension. She was still clapping her hands and looking at her radiant third brother with admiration: "Third brother is so amazing! He even snatched away father's tower! The bright tower is so beautiful!"
I clung to the edge of the bubble, watching the chaotic and dazzling scene, then looked at my own glittering tail, and sighed with heartfelt emotion:
"So this is why Nezha wants to dye his wind-fire wheels."
Blind Li Jing's eyes and seize the tower... What a simple and unpretentious strategy!
Little Lotus leaned against the temple pillar, his arms folded, a thin, undisguised smile of gloating adorning his lips. He looked at Li Jing, his bewildered state after the tower was seized, then at me, my colorful glazed tail swaying in my arms, then at Nezha, whose fury was surging from the tower seizure, and a faint, yet intensely amused glint flickered in his eyes.
"Nezha! I'm here to help you!"
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