Chapter 113

First, he and his sworn enemy showed off their acting skills in public, only to have the entire process captured on surveillance cameras, landing him a trip to the judicial hall; then, after being bailed out by Tian Xianzi, his head got stuck on the flying boat, and when he disembarked into the hidden realm, his perfectly fine neck was nearly snapped.

And now this.

Not being able to find a single teammate was already tragic enough. Who would have thought that after getting up with the intention of washing his face, he’d lower his head just a bit, and bam! Some kind of weird creature, neither human nor ghost, leapt out of the lake and pulled him in.

No, that shouldn’t be called “water.”

The lakes in this hidden realm were downright deceptive. They looked clean and calm on the surface, but once he stumbled in, he found nothing but foul-smelling mud and black blood underneath.

And there were several strange monsters swimming towards him.

At that moment, He Zhizhou’s heart died.

He was dirty, thoroughly dirty.

But he was still a proactive and optimistic young man who cherished life like a treasure. Even in such a perilous situation, he had to fight desperately for survival.

In the nick of time, just as he was about to be dragged into the black vortex in the water, He Zhizhou finally drew his sword and severed the claws of the strange monsters that had been pinning him down, then paddled like a dog towards the shore.

He escaped in a sorry state, covered in mud and bloodstains, emitting a nauseating stench. His legs were scratched and bruised by the nails, and due to extreme fear and pain, he could hardly walk properly.

This appearance was truly unsightly.

Destroy it quickly.

He Zhizhou didn’t know when the monsters in the lake would come back up again. Tossed around and disheartened, he was about to bolt when he suddenly heard rustling noises from the nearby bushes.

Looking up, he actually saw a familiar face.

—Xu Ye, the junior brother from the Wanjian Sect, stood there blankly in front of him, his pure and inexperienced pupils filled with fear. As He Zhizhou took a step closer, even a look of disgust and panic flashed across Xu Ye’s face.

He Zhizhou took another step forward. Since he had swallowed quite a bit of water earlier and had intended to speak to Xu Ye, he opened his mouth only to let out a stream of muddy, bloodied water.

Xu Ye was almost scared out of his wits by this sight, trembling all over as he raised his sword, “D-don’t come any closer!”

Xu Ye was on the verge of tears.

He had just slipped out of a melee between sects, wandered around, and ended up lost. After painstaking efforts, he finally emerged from the jungle—

Only to come face to face with a lump of mud covered in blood, grinning at him.

Oh, wait, it’s not a lump of mud; it seems to be a person.

—As if! There were clearly no mud pits or blood nearby, so how could someone be covered like this! This surely couldn’t be a person, it couldn’t be!!!

He wanted to negotiate or resist.

But the creature took a step closer to him, and with a delicate pout, it spat out a puddle of blood-red, bloody mud.

That was too horrifying.

It wasn’t just mud it spat out; it was also Xu Ye’s shattered heart.

Xu Ye was naturally timid, having grown up following his senior sister. While others might be mama’s boys, he was relatively fresh and refined and could be called the cultivation version of his “sister’s boy.”

This young master had never seen such a terrifying sight before and immediately let out a loud cry for help: “Help!”

Turning on his heels, Xu Ye ran, with the red and black monster hot on his heels.

It was even more terrifying when it ran. Its long legs trembled, contorting into an incredibly eerie coil shape, as blood gushed out like a mobile fountain chasing after him.

The monster’s voice was hoarse, and as it spoke, a mixture of mud and blood spewed out. It seemed to stumble and fall to the ground while chasing after Xu Ye, but it didn’t stop. Instead, it endured the intense pain in its legs, crawling and shouting, “Don’t… leave… help… me… *gurgle gurgle*…”

As if I’d stay! You water ghost, looking for a scapegoat, are all this persistent!

Xu Ye ran, cried, and retched at the same time, “Senior sister! Where are you? Help me, senior sister!!!”

The monster behind him crawled with both hands and feet while spitting out mud, “*gurgle gurgle*… Ye… don’t leave…”

He’s the wind, and he’s the sand, chasing each other to the ends of the earth.

Then, as the sun rose, a hint of dawn appeared on the horizon.

Ning Ning never expected that when she found Xu Ye and He Zhizhou following the sound, she would be met with such a scene.

Xu Ye cried like a broken-hearted character, almost becoming a crying mess. He Zhizhou dragged his right leg back, lying on the ground without moving, resembling a broken doll.

He Zhizhou laughed wildly and bitterly, trembling as he crawled on the ground, carrying Xu Ye’s right leg on his shoulder.

His appearance was truly terrifying; at first glance, it looked like he had just killed someone from a pile of mud covered in golden armor. In the yet-to-dissipate dawn, he resembled a lump of mud sculpted into human form.

Then he saw Ning Ning and opened his mouth with a foolish smile.

Directly lying on the ground, he spat out a bunch of thick black blood.

Ning Ning: …

It’s hopeless. Destroy it quickly.

=====

By the lake, beneath the ancient Banyan tree.

A girl in a red dress concealed her presence as she stood atop the tree, leisurely observing the scene by the lake moments ago, a serene smile playing at the corners of her lips.

She exuded a refreshing fragrance, attracting several butterflies and birds to flutter around her, but the girl paid them no mind. Instead, she retrieved a communication talisman from her pocket.

〔I’ve found her.〕

She wrote with leisure, a smile evident in the corners of her eyes and mouth. After a moment’s thought, she shifted her gaze to the unfamiliar woman standing next to Ning Ning, then added with her pen: 〔However… It seems Xuanxu Sect has encountered unexpected individuals, and there’s more to the secret of the lake in the secret realm. I don’t mind playing with them for a while.〕