"There are only two paths you can take once you enter the Spiritual Lake."
"And why, pray tell, would I enter the Spiritual Lake in the first place? The air outside is perfectly pleasant and safer. Why would I willingly risk my life and comfort for a bath?"
"You are taking this far too lightly, Hen'er."
"And he is taking it far too seriously."
"I don't want to play anymore if neither of you intends to treat the game with proper respect."
Hearing the familiar voices of Lan Meishan, Rong Yue, and Yan Wuhen bickering nearby, Ningyan's first hazy thought was that he must have died and entered some afterlife.
His consciousness returned slowly, drifting back like a leaf caught on a gentle current. He felt weightless as nine enormous, impossibly soft, plush tails surrounded him, swaying lazily around his form and occasionally brushing against his cheeks.
Ningyan's lashes trembled.
