“What should I do…”
Su Jiu muttered to herself, a multitude of thoughts flooding her mind. A palm-sized scale appeared in her hand. If she had held on a little longer, could she have lasted until reinforcement arrived?
The Sakura Sea wasn’t close to here. Besides the ethereal Iron Turtle Immortal, the only other person she could call was Yamata no Orochi…
As Su Jiu pondered, the air seemed to freeze. The slightly gloomy morning mist was torn apart as if by an invisible hand, and a ray of early morning sun from 8 AM pierced through.
The sunlight shimmered on the water, giving a sense of inexplicable peace.
“This is…”
Looking at the morning sun, Su Jiu was slightly stunned, as if she had discovered something. She looked up at the old Rotating Turtle in mid-air again, only to see a look of uneasy fear on its face…
“It’s His aura! No, no, isn’t He in seclusion?”
It retreated continuously, its head scanning the surroundings as if fearing something. It no longer cared about Su Jiu, its expression changing, and it shot away like a meteor in the direction behind it.
“It’s… Baxia.”
Watching the retreating figure, Su Jiu also breathed a sigh of relief. She waved away Elegy and then turned to swim towards the small island.
She once again felt the importance of strength. If she had a War God Level, she might not be able to defeat this old turtle, but at least she could escape with her third gear Elegy.
Su Jiu wasn’t slow. Her pearly white dragon tail swayed left and right like a small accelerator, constantly “beeping” to propel her forward. In less than half a minute, she reached the shore.
After landing on the island, Su Jiu sat on a rock and used her fire attribute to evaporate the moisture from her body. She then shed her Dragon Girl avatar, as the large tail waving around was still a bit unaccustomed to.
“Miss!!” From the depths of the island, Bianis’s slightly excited voice called out.
“Has Uncle Mu Qi not arrived here?”
Following the sound, Su Jiu could see two figures approaching from the beach not far in front of her. Her gaze swept over Bianis and finally landed on the long-haired youth who was crossing his arms, a look of surprise on her face.
It was a face like that of a banished immortal, very similar to Mu Qi’s, but with more of the weight of history. He wore a traditional Chinese Zhongshan suit and had a string of black wooden beads in his hand. It was clear that this was the legendary –
Iron Turtle Immortal, Baxia!
“Miss, are you alright?”
Bianis ran to Su Jiu’s side, her light blue eyes filled with anxiety. She checked Su Jiu from head to toe before letting out a sigh of relief. However, she used Little Butterfly to treat Su Jiu’s wounds.
“I’m fine, just some minor injuries.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu shook her head, smiled, and gently patted Bianis’s head. The little maid was still so cute, always caring about her.
“Where is Mr. Mu Qi?”
Su Jiu scanned the surroundings again, a little confused.
“I don’t know. I broke into this island directly. Oh, right…”
Bianis shook her head, then quickly stepped aside and bowed slightly to the long-haired youth, thanking him gratefully, “Thank you for your help, Iron Turtle Immortal.”
Seeing this, Su Jiu realized that the Iron Turtle Immortal had helped them and quickly bowed her head to thank him.
“Heh, you’re welcome. I just drove away a monstrous beast.”
The long-haired youth waved his hand, revealing a gentle smile. His voice was crisp and pleasant, like a mountain spring. However, as he lowered his head, his gaze was fixed on Su Jiu.
Su Jiu raised her head and met the long-haired youth’s gaze. They were deep blue eyes, even deeper than Bianis’s, like a vortex in a bay, making them impossible to see through.
“Ye?”
The next moment, the long-haired youth’s eyes suddenly turned cold. He averted his gaze, put his hands behind his back, and waved to her, saying:
“Go, take your people and leave. I do not welcome oath-breakers here.”
“Senior Iron Turtle Immortal, have you misunderstood something? I haven’t said anything…”
As soon as she arrived, she heard this dismissal, and Su Jiu was completely bewildered. She felt like an NPC following the plot, as if a segment of the story had been skipped.
Hearing this, Bianis blinked and looked at Su Jiu, seemingly asking, “Did you promise someone something?”
Su Jiu rolled her eyes. Dou E wasn’t as wronged as she was. Begging, when did she break her promise?
She had no recollection. Could it be that she absent-mindedly agreed to something in her sleep?
“Long ago, Ye and I had an agreement. I would guard the southern sea for humanity and drive away fierce beasts. They promised to abide by the common sea rules established at the time, protect the living beings in the surrounding seas, and if there were any issues with humanity, humanity would immediately take action.”
Seeing her confused look, the Iron Turtle Immortal chuckled. He walked towards the direction he came from, as if unwilling to interact too much with Su Jiu. His voice carried a hint of forcefulness:
“Now the Blood Tide is surging in the sea, it is a man-made disaster, and it is caused by Ye. If humanity cannot handle it, a few days later, I will let humanity know what it means to flood the Golden Mountain.”
“It was White Crow who caused the Red Tide.”
After organizing her thoughts, Su Jiu understood that the oath-breaker the other party was referring to was most likely her Senior Brother – White Crow. However, the other party seemed to have always followed the rules.
Moreover, after experiencing betrayal, he didn’t immediately cause a fuss. His temper seemed a bit too good?
This was very strange…
“Let’s follow him.”
Su Jiu tugged Bianis’s sleeve and followed. Looking at the back of the long-haired figure, she pondered for a moment and then spoke again:
“Senior, the Night Watchers are already handling this Red Tide incident, and the situation has been investigated clearly. Please trust us. I am the one who came here to solve the problem.”
“You? With you being only an Intermediate Battle King?”
The Iron Turtle Immortal suddenly stopped. He didn’t turn around, but kept his hands behind his back, his fingers continuing to fiddle with the black wooden beads, his expression unchanged.
“Please trust me, Senior. I will resolve this Red Tide within seven days.”
As the other party stopped, Su Jiu also spoke softly. Everything was almost ready. As long as she followed the prophecy and found White Crow, who was known as the Black-Clad Swordsman, she should be able to end the long Red Tide.
“Heh, solve the problem…”
The Iron Turtle Immortal suddenly laughed. At this moment, he had already turned around and extended his right hand forward. A bluish-blue, tear-drop-like water droplet floated on his palm. A smile appeared on his handsome face:
“Do you dare to make a bet with me? If you don’t complete it within seven days, your ancient dragon soul will belong to me. If you complete it, this Tear of the Ocean will be yours.”
“Tear of the Ocean?”
Hearing this, Su Jiu was stunned. This was the first time she had heard of this item. But just by looking at its appearance, she knew it was extraordinary. Since the other party could take it out, it must have some appeal to her.
“It can help you reach the Extreme Path…”
The Iron Turtle Immortal smiled, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, and said softly:
“You have been suppressing your domain, and have been hesitant to comprehend the laws, isn’t it precisely because you want to walk the ancient Extreme Path? This Tear of the Ocean can condense the water attribute to the extreme, reaching the path that those outstanding individuals of the past had to take.”
“…”
Listening to the other party’s words, Su Jiu fell silent for a moment. This item indeed held an extraordinary attraction for her, but at the same time, it required the Dragon Soul of that priest. If she couldn’t solve the problem within seven days, and her Dragon Soul was taken away…
Her bloodline would regress. This was undoubtedly a gamble.
If she was still one day away from solving the problem, at worst, she could just call for backup and fight the Red-robed Zi Chuan with another overwhelming force.
The endless silence lasted for an unknown period. The young girl finally seemed to make up her mind, let out a sigh, took half a step forward, and said softly:
“I accept.”
Solving the Red Tide was something that had to be done for both reason and sentiment. This Deep Sea Tear was just a bonus prize.
“Then, let me see if your insignificant candle can ignite the South China Sea.”
He chuckled softly, and the Iron Turtle Immortal slowly extended his fingertip, shooting a bluish-blue beam of light towards Su Jiu’s forehead. Immediately, a complex formation appeared in front of the girl, shaped like a Bagua, and began to rotate before slowly fading…
“The contract is complete, and oath-breakers will be punished by raging tides.”
Watching the Bagua formation disappear bit by bit, Su Jiu felt a new restriction superimposed on her from the unknown. However, she couldn’t quite pinpoint this feeling.
It was very similar to the contract she had signed with Lord Liu Yue back then.
“Miss, are you alright?”
After a while, she came back to her senses at Bianis’s voice. She seemed to realize something, and a water mirror bloomed from her fingertips. She found that a light blue pattern resembling a dewdrop had appeared on her forehead in the mirror.
“I’m giving you the reward in advance.” The Iron Turtle Immortal’s voice continued to ring out.
Then, that Deep Sea Tear fell in front of Su Jiu, which made the Blood Clan Girl completely stunned. Was there such a good thing as an advance payment?
[Ding!]
[Mission: Lost Soul (Huainan)]
[Progress: Complete]
[Reward: Pseudo Deep Sea Tear, capable of short-distance spatial leaps.]
Hearing the voice in her head, Su Jiu’s mouth twitched. This Iron Turtle Immortal was truly cunning. This so-called Deep Sea Tear looked like a teleporter.
She touched her forehead, and she seemed to have guessed something…
“Your people are in the depths of the island. Go, you can leave with them now.”
The Iron Turtle Immortal walked slowly with his hands behind his back, but his figure slowly began to dissipate, as if he were going somewhere else.
“Senior!”
Looking at his retreating back, Su Jiu seemed to think of something, and suddenly reached out, took a few steps forward to call out to him, and quickly asked:
“What about Uncle Mu Qi…”
However, before she could finish speaking, the Iron Turtle Immortal waved his hand and continued walking. What he said made Su Jiu freeze in place again:
“Everything about him has its destiny. Having him solve the Red Tide with you offers a chance for recovery.”
“In the end, it all comes down to solving the Red Tide problem…”
Looking at the completely disappeared back, Su Jiu exchanged a glance with Bianis behind her and sighed.
Now, she could only go to the depths of the island to see if the so-called “your people” referred to those Night Watcher team members.
The two walked through clumps of small bushes and finally arrived at an open space, where they saw several tents set up. wisps of white smoke leisurely rose, carrying the aroma of meat with a Huainan flavor that reached their noses.
Her gaze swept across the front, and she could see more than a dozen people dressed as fishermen grilling fish. The source of the aroma was on the other side, two girls wearing black trench coats.
Su Jiu seemed to have seen one of them before?
…
On the most solitary and wide pillar of the entire island, the Iron Turtle Immortal quietly looked down at the island below, his hands still behind his back. Beside him was a computer and a lot of alchemical equipment, showing he wasn’t as old-fashioned as one might think.
A girl in a green dress sat by the computer, her figure seeming to flicker. She turned her head to look at the Iron Turtle Immortal and chuckled:
“Brother, what you signed wasn’t a contract, but that thing isn’t the Deep Sea Tear either. After all, the Deep Sea Tear is always held by the Siren royal family.”
“Little Teng’er, she is different. She has a high-level chant, and the scent of Ye, the real Ye…”
The Iron Turtle Immortal turned his head sideways, his handsome face showing a hint of recollection. His hands continued to fiddle with the beads, as if speaking to the air:
“And, Old Sea King’s request should have a result. I didn’t expect this…”
Decades ago, the youth welcomed a guest who was nearing the end of his life. The latter took out many precious treasures from the sea and was very sincere, only managing to force a smile:
“I’ll give you all these things. Can you help a human extend their lifespan?”
The youth scanned the treasures and asked with some curiosity, “Why do you want to extend the lifespan of a human?”
“Because my daughter likes him. I only have three children in my life, and she is the one I worry about the most.”
The old man was silent for a moment, then sighed and said softly.
The youth chuckled and asked again, “Aren’t you afraid that human will break his promise? After getting his lifespan extended, he’ll just kick your daughter aside?”
The old man lowered his eyes and told the youth an idea, coughing continuously as he spoke, appearing to be at the end of his life.
“I promise you, but human nature cannot withstand such a test…”
After listening quietly, the youth suddenly laughed, a sneering laugh. He fiddled with the prayer beads in his hand and turned to look at the boundless sea:
“The sea is too vast. It’s possible that the two of them might not meet for another hundred years. And biological love originates from the impulse to continue the species. Relying solely on memories to resist the erosion of time is too difficult, too difficult.”
“Cough, cough…”
The old man coughed continuously, but his cheeks were exceptionally rosy, giving the impression of a final burst of energy.
“My daughter is very stubborn. Her maid secretly told me that she will wait, she will always wait, waiting for that human to find her with nine hundred and ninety-nine Stream of Light shells.”
“Then, the contract is complete, and oath-breakers will be punished by raging tides.”
The youth laughed, extended his right hand, and waved it, inscribing a long contract. He put his other hand behind his back, and then his eyes blazed with golden light.
A small boat drifting on the river of time.
Exchanging flesh, prolonging life, losing the sound of singing.
Confined for ten years, unable to go ashore, only recalling love through sound.
Heh heh…
Met because of sound, and separated because of sound. Interesting.
Let me see if the flower of the contract between humans and fish will wither or bloom.
