Lin Wushui couldn’t resist Zhang Xianyu’s urging any longer and finally took off his shirt, leaning closer to warm himself by the fire.
His skin was very fair, glowing softly under the firelight, but he didn’t look fragile. Instead, a modest layer of muscle covered his body— the kind of physique that looked slim when clothed but revealed defined abs when bare.
Zhang Xianyu couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
She knew Lin Wushui had a gym and often saw him working out, but this was the first time she realized how good his figure actually was.
“When we get back, I’ll work out with you too,” Zhang Xianyu said admiringly, staring at his abs while pinching her own soft belly, which was all flabby.
Lin Wushui was initially a bit shy, but her gaze quickly dissolved his embarrassment.
Only his instinctual male urge to show off in front of a potential mate remained.
His eyebrows slightly raised as he straightened his posture to make his muscles more defined.
His gaze lightly settled on Zhang Xianyu as he murmured, “Alright.”
Zhang Xianyu was pleased.
Thinking happily about training more once they returned, she hoped she could develop some chest and abdominal muscles too.
The two of them, along with the Black Cat, sat by the fire, which burned brightly and chased away the cold.
The warmth was comforting.
Zhang Xianyu propped her chin in her hands, absentmindedly staring at Lin Wushui’s abs.
At first, Lin Wushui could still keep calm and act as if he hadn’t noticed, but after a while, his lower abdomen felt warm from the intense scrutiny.
Clenching his legs together, Lin Wushui awkwardly stood up before the reaction became obvious.
He said in a low voice, “The branches are almost burnt out. I’ll go find some more.”
He then put on his dry shirt and hurried away, fearing that if he stayed any longer, his feelings would be completely revealed.
Both were cultivators, and neither slept that night.
Zhang Xianyu didn’t need sleep and was still thinking about things to do after they returned.
Lin Wushui was restless.
Meanwhile, the Black Cat cleaned itself by the fire, drying its fur before falling into a deep, sweet sleep.
At dawn the next day, the two left the village first.
Since they had found the souls of the eight people, it was better to send them back quickly to avoid any further accidents.
Zhang Xianyu wanted to take the Black Cat along, but it was still fixated on the giant python and had already gone to perch on the reef by the seaside.
Zhang Xianyu couldn’t persuade it, so she left a bag of dried meat for it and proceeded out of the village.
Dizhonghai, who was guarding outside, nearly cried when he saw them come out.
They had been stationed off the island waiting for news, but last night the whole island suddenly shook.
At first, they thought it was an earthquake, then received reports of a sudden rise in sea level and a possible tsunami.
They hurriedly evacuated, but the two people they brought in had given no news.
Dizhonghai was afraid something had happened to them and worried about responsibility, so he barely slept that night, tossing and turning.
Then came the news that the alarm was lifted—the island was fine, nothing had happened.
Overjoyed, he rushed over first thing in the morning to stand watch again, and finally received word from Lin Wushui that they were out.
“Did something happen on the island last night?”
Dizhonghai hurried to greet them.
Seeing so much turmoil on the island, yet these two were unharmed, he thought they must have real skill.
Their attitude was also warmer than before.
Lin Wushui replied it was nothing serious.
“Just a minor incident. We’ll be coming back tonight, so tell your people not to go in easily.”
Dizhonghai quickly agreed and didn’t dare ask why they needed to return.
Instead, he asked if they wanted to eat first or go to the hotel to rest.
“Hospital first,” Zhang Xianyu said.
“We want to check on the injured.”
The driver turned the car toward the hospital.
In the hospital ward, the eight people who had lost their souls had yet to wake, but their bodily functions were normal.
Zhang Xianyu found an excuse to send Dizhonghai out, then released the souls from the bottles and helped them return to their bodies.
In the four wards they entered and exited, the patients woke up one after another.
Dizhonghai’s eyes practically worshipped them as gods, extremely attentive.
“They’re all better now? Do you still need to perform any rituals?”
Lin Wushui shot him a glance and remained silent.
Zhang Xianyu smiled.
“That’s up to the doctors now.”
Dizhonghai immediately relaxed.
“I’ve already reserved seats. Masters, would you honor us with a meal? Our leader wants to thank you both.”
Zhang Xianyu looked to Lin Wushui for his opinion.
He thought of Xie Dingxin’s frequent advice to maintain good relations with government departments and nodded, instructing Dizhonghai to drive them to the hotel.
After dinner and some socializing, they returned to the hotel to rest.
By evening, the driver took them back to the island.
Dizhonghai accompanied them again, somewhat puzzled.
“The people are awake. Why do you need to go back to the village? Did you find some treasure in the deserted village?”
Zhang Xianyu explained, “There’s a little trouble left to handle. We want to solve it while we’re here. Otherwise, if the place is developed into a tourist spot, it could pose a safety hazard.”
Dizhonghai was stunned upon hearing this.
He thanked them profusely and escorted them into the village, begging them to resolve the issue.
This time, the two entered the deserted village lightly equipped.
Compared to their first visit, the deserted village was dirtier and messier.
Fortunately, none of the buildings had collapsed, though broken branches and fallen leaves were everywhere.
But this season was when all life sprouted; in a month or two, it should be lush and green again.
They headed to the seaside.
The Black Cat was still perched on the reef, having finished the dried meat left for it. It remained motionless, its large golden eyes unblinking as they stared at the sea.
“They come at night,” Zhang Xianyu sat down beside Lin Wushui and pulled him close, rubbing his back.
Lin Wushui looked at the Black Cat with some disdain.
“It’s quite loyal to its former master. Are you going to keep it?”
He directed the question to Zhang Xianyu.
“That depends on whether it wants to come with us,” Zhang Xianyu said, gently pinching the cat’s ears.
The Black Cat’s ears twitched, unsure if it understood, then rubbed its head against her palm.
They sat by the sea, waiting for nightfall and midnight to arrive.
Tonight, the sea would not be peaceful.
The wind and waves were strong, one wave crashing after another against the shore, water splashing everywhere.
It was at this moment that the massive black python came riding the wind and waves.
At first, it was just a shadow.
Gradually, golden giant pupils appeared beneath the surface of the water.
As it approached, they saw another, smaller python beside it.
The Black Cat was the first to cry out, its golden vertical pupils shining in the darkness, just like the two pythons’.
The Black Python surfaced, revealing its huge head and a thick, long body.
“Thank you for saving my brother.”
As it spoke, the smaller python also surfaced.
It seemed unable to speak yet, emitting a hissing sound while its golden eyes looked at the Black Cat.
The Black Cat stretched its neck to nuzzle it.
Seeing this, the Black Python’s fierce gaze softened.
“My brother asked me to thank you for taking care of Xiaonanhai.”
“Helping him was just a small favor. You also helped us deal with those monkeys, so we’re even,” Zhang Xianyu smiled.
The Black Python shook its head.
“It can’t be counted that way. That was his Tribulation. Consider this a favor I owe you.”
Zhang Xianyu looked surprised.
The Black Python then began to tell them about this Tribulation.
It turned out the two of them were brothers, the last orphans of the Sea Python Clan.
The Sea Python Clan lived in the sea and were born with innate cultivation ability, making them quick to gain spiritual awareness and progress in cultivation.
However, perhaps because of these advantageous conditions, the clan had difficulty reproducing, and every adult Sea Python had to survive two major Tribulations to continue cultivating.
Many died during these Tribulations.
The Black Python’s younger brother was named Haicang.
Sixty years ago, Haicang was accidentally injured and rescued by a human fisherman.
After recovering, to repay the kindness, he secretly hid and lived on the island, secretly protecting the isolated fishing village.
The rescuer didn’t know about Haicang’s existence.
He was just an ordinary fisherman who later married and had children, teaching them to fish.
Every time he went out to sea, Haicang secretly followed, driving fish toward their boat.
The fisherman’s life became abundant.
After saving enough money, he moved his family out of the isolated village.
But Haicang was reluctant to leave.
He had grown attached to the village and silently guarded it.
The village was very poor.
Over time, as the economy developed, many villagers gave up fishing and left to work elsewhere.
One family after another moved away, until only a few nostalgic elders remained, along with Haicang guarding the village.
Haicang stayed in the village for over twenty years.
The fisherman who saved him returned, now very old, sent back by his descendants who had settled in another city.
The old man wanted to return to his roots, so he was brought back, visiting every few months. Haicang was very happy to see his old friend again.
Over the years, it had secretly dug a lake behind the village in the mountain rocks, connected to the sea below.
At high tide, seawater would flow in—this was its resting and hiding place.
But the peaceful days didn’t last long, shattered by a typhoon.
Towering waves swept through the village like a destructive force, capable of obliterating everything instantly.
The local government had warned residents to evacuate early.
But the isolated village had been abandoned, except for a few elderly residents who hadn’t received any notice.
Haicang threw itself fearlessly against the raging waves.
The typhoon lasted three hours.
Eventually, the eye moved on, and the storm passed.
The village was saved.
Exhausted, Haicang returned to its lair to rest, only to be struck by heavenly lightning.
Having cultivated to a high level and approaching the rank of a great demon, it usually hid its presence to avoid detection by the Heavenly Dao.
But this time, by appearing to protect the village, it naturally attracted the Lightning Tribulation.
The Tribulation nearly wiped out its cultivation.
Haicang was severely injured and confined to the lake to recuperate.
Later, it learned the fisherman had died, and his descendants held a lively funeral in the village.
The fisherman’s Black Cat was left unattended.
One day, it accidentally wandered to the mountain rocks behind the village and encountered Haicang, who was healing.
Haicang took it in, occasionally letting it drink a little of its blood and awakening its spiritual awareness.