Fish swam around her, and for the first time, Xiang Wan could clearly see the world at the bottom of the lake, marveling at her own good eyesight.
However, after a short while, she began to complain that her eyesight was a little too good, because a snake was stealthily swimming towards her not far away. Just as it was about to pass by, an enormous toad lay motionless at the bottom of the water, waiting for the snake to come to it.
Xiang Wan felt a slight itch on her back, knowing that the injury was slowly healing, but there was one spot that felt a little strange.
She reached back and almost buried her face in the mud in fright.
A leech as thick as a baby's wrist was sucking vigorously from her lower back.
Good heavens, her small body wasn't even big enough for the leech to suck a couple of times, so she quickly used both hands to grab the leech's body and pull it out.
It was slippery and as soft as a noodle, which made Xiang Wan feel disgusted and nauseous. Naturally, she couldn't exert much force with her hands and tried to pull it away for a long time without success. Instead, it bit her even tighter.
In her excitement, Xiang Wan grabbed a red ball and threw it at the leech.
Unexpectedly, the red ball opened its mouth and bit down on the leech with its sharp teeth, tearing off half of its head.
The leech, feeling the pain, released its grip.
The fist-sized wound was shocking, and the water still smelled of blood.
Looking around, he saw many more bloodthirsty creatures stirring about.
The underwater area was too dangerous, so Xiang Wan quickly used both hands and feet to swim upwards.
As they got closer to the water's surface, a faint suction force emanated from above. Through the water, Xiang Wan could see the situation outside clearly.
Instinctively, without disturbing anyone, she grabbed onto a passing large fish and, holding the fur ball, urged the fish to swim away into the distance.
The lake was very large, and the big fish was tired from swimming. No matter how much Xiang Wan tried to nudge its tail, she couldn't make it swim forward even a meter.
The red ball was restless nearby, opening its mouth as if to bite the big fish, but Xiang Wan scooped it back.
If bloodstains reappear, this lake will probably not be peaceful, and our whereabouts will be exposed sooner or later. It would be better to ride a different fish.
And so, Xiang Wan changed several large fish, and was eventually led by the fish to an underground river.
This is an underground river that connects to the bottom of the lake. In a wide section of the river, there is a very large cave.
Beside the cave stood a small tree laden with white fruit, a thin layer of mist swirling around it.
"Fairy Fruit!"
For some reason, such a term popped into Xiang Wan's mind.
She looked around, and a desire to eat rose in her mind.
Once ashore, the fish didn't leave; it lingered nearby.
Xiang Wan picked a fruit, but before she could even see it clearly, it was swallowed whole by the bouncing red ball.
"I want to eat more! I want to eat more!"
A childlike voice echoed in her mind, and Xiang Wan was now certain that it was Red Ball speaking to her.
Xiang Wan simply picked it up and brought it close to Bai Guo.
The red ball opened its mouth wide and ate one bite at a time, its mouth steaming with white vapor.
The river splashed, but the big fish was still there.
Considering that she had carried her all the way, Xiang Wan picked a fruit and threw it in.
The big fish leaped up, opened its mouth to bite, and sank to the bottom of the water and disappeared.
The red ball let out a satisfied burp, closed its mouth, and stopped moving.
Xiang Wan touched it a couple of times, and it seemed to feel even better; there seemed to be something extra on its surface.
There weren't many fairy fruits left, so Xiang Wan picked them all, washed them, and put them in her mouth.
The fairy fruit melted in her mouth, and the cool juice quickly transformed into a warm current, warming her entire body. For Xiang Wan, who hadn't eaten for a long time, the fairy fruit was the most delicious thing in the world. She ate one after another until all the fruit on the tree was gone, and then she lay down on a flat rock to rest, completely satisfied.
With her eyes closed, her ears seemed to become more sensitive. She heard a faint wind blowing from above the cave, and the babbling of water, tirelessly flowing into the underground current below. There was also a subtle sound of rippling water, growing louder as it approached.
Xiang Wan looked up, staring intently at the underground river.
The faint sound of paddling gradually approached, and a black figure swam silently over.
Xiang Wan sat up straight alertly, slowed her breathing, and held the fluffy ball in the crook of her arm.
The dark figure swam closer, lingered under the fruit tree for a while, and then suddenly sank to the bottom of the water.
As Xiang Wan slowly backed away along the rocks, the river in front of her suddenly split in two with a "whoosh," and a giant black python raised its head from the bottom of the water, opening its huge mouth to bite Xiang Wan.
A stench assaulted her nostrils, and with a sudden burst of strength, Xiang Wan leaped away from the giant python's maw, soaring five zhang above the water.
She realized how good her jumping ability was, as she couldn't even jump that high in the blood-red world.
Fortunately, the cave was big enough, otherwise she would have definitely hit her head and bled.
Enraged at missing its bite, the giant python raised its body ten feet high and attacked again towards the evening.
By this time, Xiang Wan had landed and run to the bank far from the underground river.
The giant python had burst out of the water, its head only slightly smaller than Xiang Wan's outstretched arms. Its black scales were as large as basketballs, sharp and hard. As it crawled, it crushed the pebbles on the shore, sending them flying in all directions.
Xiang Wan leaped up again and grabbed onto a protruding rock on the cave wall, causing the giant python's attack to miss once more.
Having failed to bite Xiang Wan, the giant python grew even angrier. Regardless of whether it could hit its target, it raised its head and rammed around wildly in the cave, causing rocks to tumble down.
Xiang Wan was agile, weaving between the snake's bodies, and seizing any opportunity to break off a scale.
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