White fog at the bottom of the river
After Heqi finished his scolding, he and Sixi glanced at Yuanli simultaneously, then quickly looked away. Yuanli didn't ask what had happened, nor did she lecture Sixi. She simply took out her yin wings and continued searching for Yan Ye. Once Heqi had broken through the ice, Yuanli followed Yin wings' instructions and steered the feather boat coffin forward. With Heqi using Bingpo to dispel the dense fog, Yin wings could find their way much longer.
The mermaid's song resounded once more from the once tranquil misty river. They quickly blocked their ears and cast spells to calm their minds. Yuanli anxiously turned back to check on Cha Suxun, only to find him sitting there unresponsive, his face filled with questioning concern.
Si Xi also noticed her worry, and quickly cast a spell to make a line of words appear in front of her: Don't worry, godmother, I have already cast a spell to temporarily block godfather's ears, I will protect him.
Yuanli breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to Si Xi in response.
Suddenly, something seemed to slam into the bottom of the coffin, nearly flipping it over. Fortunately, Heng Jin cast a spell to stabilize the coffin boat in time, and even caught Yuan Li, who had lost her balance and fallen, in her arms. The object that had struck the bottom of their coffins did not calm down, but instead intensified, ramming towards them once more with force. Even though Heng Jin had been prepared, the coffin boat was still shaken and slid forward.
Several dark figures could be vaguely seen swimming swiftly across the river. The giant fish-tailed shadows resembled the legendary mermaids, with their human bodies and fish tails. Their collisions were chaotic and uneven, as if several mermaids were alternating, pounding the bottom of their coffin boat, each thrust heavier than the last. A faint red glow began to appear on the surface of the river, like blood smearing in the water. A sweet fragrance filled the air, as alluring as the mermaids' song. Heng Jin pulled a token from his celestial palace from his waist and forced it into her hand. They shook it together, then gestured to cover their noses as a warning to the others.
The moment she held the token, Yuanli felt refreshed. Even though she could still smell the sweet scent when she took a breath, she no longer felt dizzy and attracted by the smell. It was worthy of being Tianchi Hanyu.
The four of them all reacted quickly and came up with countermeasures, but Cha Suxun, powerless, was clearly not in a good state. He sat slumped against the coffin, his face flushed like a drunk. His eyes were hazy, his hands waving wildly, and he was laughing gleefully, repeatedly calling out "A-Li." It was obvious that he had been tricked.
Yuanli first cast a spell to keep Cha Suxun warm, and then imitated Sixi's method to show words to Heqi: Quickly use Bingpo to freeze the ice surface!
The merman beneath the water was still frantically pounding against the bottom of their coffin boat. Even as Heqi used his Ice Soul to split into twelve, a strange hand suddenly grabbed the side of the coffin and attempted to capsize the boat. Fortunately, the intense coldness of the Ice Soul quickly froze the ice surface, and the edge of the coffin was frozen together with the ice when it was three feet above the river surface.
The hand had not been retracted in time. Upon closer inspection, there were fish-like webbed fingers between the pale fingers, and the black nails were long and pointed. The hand was covered with colorless mucus and some fish scales. Some of the mucus on the hand had already flowed down the wall of the coffin, looking a bit disgusting.
The coffin was too tilted so that one could only sit and lean against it, and it was not easy to thaw the river surface. He Qi simply stepped on the ice surface tentatively and found it solid. Then he showed them the words: The river surface is stable and can be stepped on.
Heng Jin cast a spell and the words appeared: I tried it, there is no mermaid singing anymore, we can remove the seal on the ears first and discuss it.
"If the seal on the ice is released, I'm afraid those mermaids under the water will start making trouble again. We can still deal with it if they overturn our coffin boat, but I'm afraid they will accidentally damage the coffin boat where Yan Ye is lying. Heqi, can the thickness of this ice support us walking?" Yuanli asked Heqi.
"Sure, I've deliberately made myself thicker because I'm afraid I won't freeze. Sister, are you planning to walk to find Yan Ye?"
"Well, I want to try, but I'm worried the ice isn't solid enough, and I'm also afraid the mermaids will bang against the ice like they banged against the bottom of a coffin."
He Qi stamped hard on the ice and squatted to check for cracks. However, after wiping away the layer of frost, he saw what looked like a figure drifting beneath the surface. The figure was unconscious, drifting with the current. The pattern of the clothing they wore seemed somewhat similar to Yan Ye's, but they were moving so quickly that he couldn't be sure. He Qi quickly wiped the frost off the ice next to him to get a closer look. He Qi had already begun to sink.
"I just saw a person floating in the water. The pattern on his clothes looked a bit like Yan Ye's, but I couldn't see clearly enough to confirm if it was Yan Ye."
Yuanli quickly took out another robin, and it flew to Heqi's feet, stopped on the ice, flapped its wings quickly, and finally disappeared.
"Heqi, is it possible to enter the Baiwu River?"
"I'm not sure, but I haven't heard any rumors about the waters of the White Mist River. Sister, take your brother-in-law away from the White Mist River. I'll use my Ice Soul to split the fog and take you out. Go back and wait for news from us."
"Have Sixi take Axun out to wait. You send them out, and he and I will go down into the water to find Yan Ye. When you come back, meet us on the coffin boat." Yuanli's tone left no room for argument. "If we continue talking, I'm afraid Yan Ye will be unconscious and have already drowned in the water."
After Heqi broke a small piece of ice for Yuanli, he picked up Sixi and left. Sixi picked up the godfather who was still dazed and giggling non-stop, turned around and shouted to the godmother: "Godmother, please be safe!"
As soon as the last syllable of the word "ping'an" fell, Si Xi's eyes were blurred and he could not see his godmother and the others at all.
Phoenix Feather Coffin Boat.
Heng Jin stood by the hole in the ice, as if about to jump down. He tilted his head and said to her, "You wait on the boat, I'll go."
"If you are in danger, all the bad luck in my past two lives will be wasted. I am still waiting to get the benefits. Stop arguing and let's go down together." As he said that, Yuanli raised his hand to test the existence of the red rope of Yue Lao, and then he climbed out of the coffin boat and jumped into the Baiwu River.
As soon as she entered the river, the coldness hit her. As she went downstream, the further she got from the ice, the colder the water became. Suddenly, a bubble enveloped her from behind. Yuanli looked back and saw Heng Jin, and also saw the mermaid whose hand rested on the edge of the Phoenix Feather Coffin boat, frozen before she could pull it away.
This was the first time Yuanli saw the true face of the rumored mermaid, although she was now frozen into an ice sculpture.
"First time seeing a mermaid? How was it? Very different from what you imagined, wasn't it? The Baiwu River is shrouded in thick, lingering white fog year-round. The mermaids here and those outside the Baiwu River are very different, aside from their similar appearance."
"There are some differences. From the rumors I've heard, mermaids, both men and women, are beautiful, especially their tails, which are unique. But look at the frozen mermaid. His tail is like an enlarged carp's. The scales and tail are also gray and black, and they are tattered. There are several long thorns protruding from the end. I can't see his face clearly. His skin is too pale, and his hair is thick and long, black, hanging in the water. There is no warm sun here, only a little light filtering through the ice, which is inevitably a little scary. But it's also helpless. If he lived in normal waters like the rest of his species, he would definitely be beautiful, his tail would not be broken, and his scales would probably gleam."
Just like when she was in Yuemang Mountain, once she got out of that dark mountain, she was able to dress herself up much better.
Yuanli took out a robin, and the faint light of the robin slightly illuminated the dark river bottom. After swimming with the robin for a long time, Yuanli noticed that she did not encounter any other living creatures swimming along the way.
She approached Heng Jin and asked, "There were definitely more mermaids attacking our coffin ship than just the frozen one. But we've been swimming at the bottom of this river for so long and haven't seen any other living creatures or mermaids approaching us. Could it be that there's something terrifying at the bottom of this river?"
"It's very likely. As long as there are living creatures in a body of water, there can't be just one species. The further downstream we go, the darker it gets. We need to be more careful."
Yuanli transformed into her original form, her flames illuminating the surrounding area for about nine feet. The next moment, a faint blue light suddenly lit up at the bottom of the river. This blue was lighter than Yuanli's, and it was particularly dazzling against the bottomless darkness.
"What is that?"
"No matter what, it's best to be cautious." Heng Jin took Yuanli, who was looking down at the edge of the bubble, back into her arms and said.
Hidden Wing led them straight towards the faint blue dot of light below. As they neared, a powerful torrent rushed towards them, bursting their bubbles. The turbulent current swept them along, swirling them and separating Yuanli and Hengjin. Another wave of dizziness swirled around them, even more intense than when they arrived.
She was brought to a stop by a pair of cold, pale hands. The owner of these hands was a shirtless handsome man, the same one who had suddenly lit up with the faint blue light. Yuanli's first reaction was to see if his lower body was legs or a fish tail. When the blue tail came into view, Yuanli turned away in fear, only to be pulled back by the hand.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you, look." As he said this, he lifted the fish tail with difficulty, revealing the thick chain that bound him at the end of the tail.
Yuanli shrank herself ever so slightly, retreating ever further into his palm until her back touched his fingers. The sudden touch startled her, and the fire within her body exploded into tiny bursts, which fell into his palm like the sparks of falling fireworks before dissipating. "What...what do you want to do!"
"I'm not a bad person, don't be afraid. These chains have sealed most of my demonic power, so I can't defeat you. Can you help me untie these chains and take me away from Baiwu River? When I return home, my people and I will repay you, okay?"
Yuanli couldn't believe the merman's skill at seduction. The beautiful merman seeking help at the bottom of the White Mist River looked like a trap. She seized the opportunity to escape again, swimming desperately, but was quickly swept back into his hands by the turbulent current.
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