The road leading to Peace Town was nothing but brutal. The dirt path offered no shade from trees, and all they could see was endless dirt and massive boulders, shimmering under the relentless sun.
"How far, Childe Zhao?" Ping'an asked, her voice tinged with weariness.
"Do not call me Childe Zhao," Zhao Renshu retorted, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "It gives me goosebumps."
"Then what should I call you?" Ping'an asked, genuinely confused by his reaction. "We don't know each other, and I am not a family member or friend."
"I'm not used to it," Zhao Renshu explained with a shrug, his shoulders rising and falling. "Plus, I'm not some rich kid. We're friends now. I will call you Ping'an, and you call me Renshu. Please stop with the 'Mister' and 'Childe.'"
"Okay," Ping'an conceded, a small smile touching her lips. "I can tell you're annoyed. Renshu, how much farther do we have left?"
"According to the people I spoke with, it takes about a whole day," Zhao Renshu replied. "There should be a rest pavilion built by the locals in about five hours. If we decide to rest, we'll reach Peace Town late in the evening. Otherwise, we'll arrive before sunset."
After about four hours of walking, Ping'an and Zhao Renshu came to an intersection. They stopped, surveying the diverging paths. The dirt road to the right led uphill, while the other sloped downhill. The two friends stood there for a while, silently deciding which way to take.
"Left or right?" Ping'an asked, looking from the roads to Zhao Renshu, a question in her eyes.
Zhao Renshu sighed, scratching his chin with his left thumb. "The guy told me to go straight."
"Do you see this?" Ping'an prompted, pointing to the two distinct dirt roads. "There are two roads here."
"I believe it's this way," Zhao Renshu said confidently, pointing to the left. "This road looks better and smoother. Plus, look at the dirt; it looks like people often walk here."
"Alright," Ping'an agreed, trusting his judgment.
"Also, we've walked for almost four hours now," Zhao Renshu added. "The guy told me there should be a rest pavilion pretty soon."
"Let's not rest," Ping'an suggested, eagerness in her voice.
"I'm fine with that," Zhao Renshu readily agreed. "We can rest at Sunrise Inn."
"There might not be an available room for you," Ping'an warned, a hint of concern in her tone.
"What do you mean?" Zhao Renshu asked, a puzzled frown creasing his brow.
Ping'an explained, "You have to reserve in advance. In two weeks, it will be the town's annual Lantern Festival. The street will be full of people from surrounding towns. Everything will be expensive. There will also be a poetry, drinking, eating, and beauty contests."
"Ha... Ha.... Ha... Ha.... Eating and drinking sound fun to me!" Zhao Renshu laughed, a carefree sound. "And don't you worry, I just got three thousand silver ingots." He chuckled again. "It doesn't have to be Sunrise Inn. I can sleep in a different inn. Worst-case scenario, I can sleep on the street."
What Zhao Renshu said was true; sometimes, he didn't want to disturb Shan to bring him more money when he was out on a hunting trip, so he ended up sleeping on the street or on the side of the road.
"Anyway, where are your three thousand silver ingots?" Ping'an asked, her curiosity piqued.
Zhao Renshu looked genuinely disappointed. "Oh... The old spirit brought it back with him," he grumbled, a frown on his face. "I hate that old spirit, always so controlling when it's about money... He only left these to me." Zhao Renshu took out two large silver ingots, gleaming faintly in his palm. "If I run out of money, he will send more when I call."
"Wow, how much is that?" Ping'an exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Two hundred liangs," Zhao Renshu replied, his facial expression still reflecting a hint of disappointment compared to Ping'an's awe.
Suddenly, Zhao Renshu, without a word, shoved Ping'an away. Ping'an landed directly on her butt on the hard ground. When she quickly stood up, she saw Zhao Renshu fighting with someone. Could this be Lu Duyi? she wondered, a surge of fear. Did he escape from those people and seek revenge? She rushed toward the two fighting men. It wasn't Lu Duyi. It was Guo Baiyu, his movements fluid and powerful, fighting Zhao Renshu.
"Stay back, don't come any closer!" Zhao Renshu shouted, his eyes fixed intently on Guo Baiyu. "Huh... that bastard has a helper." He gave Guo Baiyu a provoking smile, a challenge in his eyes.
Guo Baiyu launched multiple attacks at Zhao Renshu, his fists a blur. Zhao Renshu skillfully blocked Guo Baiyu's blows, returning a few of his own. Guo Baiyu, equally adept, blocked all of Zhao Renshu's punches.
This guy isn't bad at all, Zhao Renshu thought to himself. He's fast, but I'm faster and I'm better. He conjured a talisman, sending it straight toward Guo Baiyu. The talisman transformed into a glowing rope, instantly binding Guo Baiyu's left hand. The two men stood in the middle of the road, their gazes locked, silently testing their inner strengths against each other.
Ping'an rushed to the two men, her voice urgent.
"Renshu, disband the talisman! I know him!" Ping'an pleaded, her eyes wide.
Guo Baiyu, still straining against the magical rope, stared at Ping'an, his expression softening. Knowing she was safe, he breathed a visible sigh of relief. Zhao Renshu, on the other hand, was greatly annoyed by the way Guo Baiyu stared at Ping'an, a possessive glint in his own eyes.
Zhao Renshu still didn't let go of the talisman, his jaw tight. "He hit me first."
Ping'an sighed, exasperated. "But he's not your enem—"
At that precise moment, a long, scaly snake tail wrapped tightly around Ping'an's waist. The powerful tail yanked her, dragging her, sliding, away from the two men. Zhao Renshu immediately let go of the magic rope binding Guo Baiyu and threw a talisman with blinding speed toward the demon snake's monstrous face. The demon snake shrieked in agony.
Zhao Renshu flew toward the rapidly retreating demon snake tail and cast another talisman, placing it firmly on the tail. The demon snake's grip loosened. Zhao Renshu then put his right hand on Ping'an's left shoulder, grabbed her, and powerfully yanked her back towards Guo Baiyu. Guo Baiyu, reacting instantly, ran ten steps forward, his arms outstretched, and caught Ping'an safely in his embrace.
Zhao Renshu turned to face the twenty-foot enormous demon snake, his expression grim. He brought his hands together, forming intricate seals, and began to chant a powerful spell. The enormous demon snake thrashed, its tail attempting to encircle Zhao Renshu, but it failed to close its grip on him. In the air and on the ground, two huge, glowing magic binding circles appeared. Zhao Renshu, with a leap, jumped on top of the upper magic circle, standing effortlessly in midair.
"Close in!" Zhao Renshu grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes. The top magic circle began to descend, gradually encompassing the huge demon snake.
From afar, Guo Baiyu and Ping'an heard terrifying howls in the distance. The huge demon snake's head began to transform. From her head down to her belly button, she was now a woman. Her enormous tail slapped the ground in agony. Her skin was pale, covered in deep purple scales. Her lips were a dark, unnatural purple, and her teeth were sharp fangs. Her three irises glowed red, and a third eye pulsed ominously in the middle of her forehead. Her arms were also covered with deep purple scales, and her ten fingers bore dark, sharp nails.
"It's too hot!" the demon snake screamed in excruciating pain, her voice a guttural wail.
Zhao Renshu saw six wolves rushing swiftly toward Ping'an and Guo Baiyu. Worried about their safety, Zhao Renshu sent out one talisman, shimmering with protective energy, towards the two.
At that moment, Guo Baiyu noticed the wolves howling and charging toward them. They were trapped. In front of them, the enormous demon, half-human, half-snake, fought fiercely with Zhao Renshu, and behind them, six hungry wolves closed in. As Guo Baiyu turned to face the wolves, twenty razor-sharp icicles flew past him, whistling through the air, heading straight for the charging predators.
Two icicles struck true, injuring two wolves who fell lifelessly to the ground. The remaining wolves then shifted, their forms rippling, transforming into one woman and three men. The transformed wolf spirits, their expressions hostile, began to walk purposefully toward Guo Baiyu and Ping'an.
"When they start to attack, go to hide," Guo Baiyu instructed Ping'an, his voice low and urgent.
Ping'an nodded, her gaze fixed on the approaching figures.
The four transformed wolf spirits each held a weapon in their hand, and with a unified roar, they charged, lunging fiercely towards Guo Baiyu and Ping'an.
"Hide!" Guo Baiyu commanded, pushing Ping'an slightly.
Ping'an obediently ran, retreating out of their way. She quickly hid herself behind some dense bushes, her heart aching with a profound sense of uselessness. She didn't know any magic spells. She didn't know how to fight or defend herself. All she could do was hide and hope that both men would be fine.
Zhao Renshu continued his intense battle with the demon snake, measuring strength against its monstrous power. He then noticed that Guo Baiyu was valiantly fighting all four wolf fairies by himself. The wolf fairies attacked Guo Baiyu from all different sides, a relentless barrage, but he dodged one attack after another with incredible agility. Zhao Renshu knew that if this continued, Guo Baiyu would inevitably be overwhelmed. Leaving the demon snake, which was still trapped and screaming in the magic circle, Zhao Renshu flew toward Guo Baiyu, arriving just in time to block one of the wolf spirit's sword attacks, preventing it from striking Guo Baiyu.
"Go hide with Ping'an!" Zhao Renshu commanded, his voice sharp with urgency.
Guo Baiyu, still engaged in fierce combat with the wolf fairies, calmly replied, "I will do no such thing."
Zhao Renshu frowned, exasperation coloring his tone. "You are getting in my way!"
"Am I?" Guo Baiyu retorted, his movements swift. With a powerful kick, he sent one of the wolf fairies flying about ten feet away, a clear demonstration of his prowess.
Zhao Renshu rolled his eyes and shook his head, a mocking smirk on his face. "Lame." He then conjured another talisman, sending it with precision to the remaining wolf spirits.
The powerful talisman struck, sending the spirits reeling back about ten yards. The wolf spirits, realizing they would not win the battle against these formidable hunters, looked at each other, their faces grim. They quickly reverted to their original forms and fled; their tails tucked between their legs.
Now, the only enemy left was the demon snake. Ping'an, seeing the immediate danger pass, came out from hiding and walked cautiously toward the two men.
Guo Baiyu was astonished by Zhao Renshu's skills. He wondered, fleetingly, that if they were to continue to fight, he might not win against this hunter.
As the magic circle drew closer and closer to the demon snake, constricting it, Zhao Renshu calmly walked toward the creature. She was still screaming in agony, her immense body thrashing. Zhao Renshu cast another talisman, which transformed into a glowing magic arrow. Zhao Renshu directly shot the arrow at the heart of the demon snake.
With a final, agonizing shriek, the demon's form convulsed, and the magic binding circle's effect abruptly broke. The demon screamed one last time in pain, then fell heavily to the ground. In her dying throes, the demon struggled violently, her twenty-foot tail thrashing and destroying everything on the surrounding ground. The ground began to shake violently. After a few terrifying minutes, the shaking ground began to crack open.
"Earthquake?" Ping'an shouted, her voice filled with alarm.
Guo Baiyu instinctively grabbed Ping'an's hand, holding it tight, a protective grip.
"No, this is not an earthquake!" Zhao Renshu shouted back, his voice strained but clear. "Once the demon is destroyed, the remaining spiritual power in the body will leave the body, which will cause everything within ten feet of the surrounding to vanquish!" He laughed, a nervous, almost manic sound as he looked at Ping'an. "Fortunately, we are out of range!"
"But not out of danger!" Guo Baiyu countered, his voice sharp. "We must leave now!"
No sooner had Guo Baiyu finished his sentence than the very land around them fractured and gave way. Ping'an, Guo Baiyu, Zhao Renshu, and the dying demon snake plunged from the crumbling ground into the dark groundwater below. It was pitch black. They couldn't see anything, only feel the cold, suffocating water.
Ping'an couldn't swim. She held her breath, her chest burning, and stretched out her hands, but found nothing to grasp. She struggled desperately to hold her breath for about two minutes, but her lungs screamed for air. Finally, her strength failed, and she gave up, her body going limp.
Guo Baiyu held his breath, his eyes wide in the dark water, and desperately reached out his hands to search for Ping'an, but found only water and falling gravel. Not far from him, he saw a faint, shimmering light. With a surge of renewed hope, he swam fiercely towards the light.
When Zhao Renshu hit the water, he immediately conjured a talisman, holding it firmly in his right hand. The talisman glowed, acting as a small lamp in the murky depths. He saw Guo Baiyu swimming swiftly towards him. Zhao Renshu then sent out two more glowing talismans, propelling them deep down into the abyss.
As the two glowing talismans exploded with a soft thrum, they sent thousands of flickering light beams cascading down the dark depths. The sudden illumination awakened the colossal creature living at the bottom.
It was an enormous, two-headed octopus, its massive form filling the watery cavern. The two-headed octopus emitted a loud, resonant sound, a deep thrumming that created powerful water waves, pushing Zhao Renshu and Guo Baiyu about fifty feet from their previous positions. In the sudden light, they saw Ping'an's floating, unconscious body.
The two-headed octopus lashed out, sending two colossal tentacles to attack Zhao Renshu and Guo Baiyu simultaneously. Zhao Renshu deftly sent a talisman towards the tentacle heading for Guo Baiyu. The talisman struck the tentacle, and it slowly, weakly, fell away. However, the other tentacle wrapped tightly around Zhao Renshu's waist, pulling him relentlessly toward the monstrous two-headed octopus.
Guo Baiyu, seeing Ping'an, swam frantically towards her. He took her arms and pulled her closer to him. He shook her several times, but she remained unconscious. Desperate, he lifted her face towards his and sealed her mouth with his own, breathing air into her lungs. After a moment, Ping'an's eyes slowly fluttered open, and consciousness gradually returned.
Ping'an saw Guo Baiyu's face, a blurred silhouette in the dimness, but she couldn't see clearly because of the remaining darkness. She felt his mouth on hers. He had stolen her first kiss. The thought of her first kiss had always been a romantic fantasy: her lover sitting next to her, watching a beautiful sunset on a mountain, or a night sky full of stars. It was most definitely not like this, in the cold, dark depths of an underwater abyss.
Guo Baiyu, having successfully revived Ping'an, grabbed her right wrist and began dragging her, swimming, towards Zhao Renshu.
On the other hand, Zhao Renshu, still trapped by the octopus's tentacle, drew out his sword. With a swift movement, he sent two incandescent beams of light, sharp as blades, into the two-headed octopus, stunning the colossal creature momentarily. He quickly, powerfully, swam towards his two friends.
Zhao Renshu cast another talisman, throwing it at the two-headed octopus. The talisman transformed into hundreds of glowing butterflies, which then flew to the two-headed octopus and swarmed around it, disorienting it further.
Zhao Renshu took Ping'an's upper left arm, and Guo Baiyu held her right upper arm. The two men swam upwards, pulling Ping'an with them, their combined strength straining. After swimming for about two minutes, they broke the surface. Guo Baiyu, with a gasp of fresh air, got out of the water first. Zhao Renshu then pushed Ping'an up, and Guo Baiyu pulled her out of the water. Guo Baiyu then reached his hand back down, pulling Zhao Renshu out of the water as well.
"We need to get out of this cave," Zhao Renshu gasped, hardly able to breathe, his chest heaving. He turned to his two friends, who were also panting, drenched and exhausted. "We can't win against that water monster."
"Are you able to walk?" Guo Baiyu asked Ping'an, his voice filled with concern.
"Yes," Ping'an managed, nodding weakly.
The three friends slowly got up, their bodies aching, and began to walk towards a faint, distant light, hoping it led to safety.