novelraw Chapter 77 : Mei Zhao Zhao
Chapter 77 : Mei Zhao Zhao
Chapter 77: Mei Zhao Zhao
The weather on the sea had always been unpredictable.
The giant whale had only been traveling across the sea for three days when strong winds rose in the distance, and then heavy rain began to pour down in torrents.
Everyone on the whale brought out their own ways of keeping dry from the rain.
Lu Changyuan and Su Youwan’s method was the simplest.
The Third Princess took out an umbrella from her birdcage and opened it over the two of them. Strangely, the rain truly stopped outside the small oil-paper umbrella.
Because the umbrella was small, the silver-haired girl had to stand very close to Lu Changyuan. Her fluttering silvery strands brushed against his cheek, tickling slightly.
From atop the whale, one could see the sun, now already covered by three parts of black mist.
In the distance came a man’s voice: “My name is Li Lang. May I ask for the young lady’s name?”
It was a rather handsome young man. He smiled as he approached the old man and the woman from the Pleasure Sect.
The Pleasure Sect woman smiled and said, “This little girl’s name is Wang Lian.”
“And this elderly gentleman?”
Wang Lian quickly answered, “This old brother is Xiao Hai.”
Though she said so, Wang Lian still clung tightly to Xiao Hai and didn’t let go in the slightest.
Lu Changyuan watched this scene with amusement.
He was bored anyway.
Fight, fight—he wanted to see blood flow like a river!
A clear, ethereal voice drifted softly beside him. “Young Master Lu also finds her beautiful?”
Lu Changyuan turned back to look at the silver-haired girl beneath the umbrella. Because they were close, he could even smell the faint sandalwood scent that lingered on her.
She was stunning.
It felt as if something exploded near his ear, yet when he listened carefully, it was only the patter of raindrops.
“Why is Young Master Lu staring so intently at Youwan again?”
“You’re beautiful.”
“Mm, Youwan knows.”
To compare that Wang Lian with Su Youwan would be an insult to Su Youwan.
The silver-haired girl’s beauty could not be simply described with the word “beautiful.”
For beneath her dreamlike countenance lay a rare and unique aura.
It was difficult to describe—the sense of ethereal fragility that made one feel she might ascend to immortality at any moment.
If one regarded her as a lofty Bodhisattva, that would be quite fitting.
Kneeling before her to seek enlightenment would not seem inappropriate either.
Perhaps this was what a Guanyin Bodhisattva who cherished mortals would look like.
Lu Changyuan’s perspective was a little different.
He simply thought Su Youwan was beautiful.
There shouldn’t exist someone so beautiful in this world.
Lu Changyuan smiled. “This time, you’re not going to cover your face again?”
The silver-haired Bodhisattva shook her head. “Young Master has already seen all of Youwan’s appearance. Even if Youwan covered her face, Young Master would still be able to imagine her every movement.”
Indeed.
Lu Changyuan could almost see the sly glimmer that would have appeared behind that white cloth, in her pair of red-glazed eyes.
Only, he couldn’t verify it now.
Desire surged forth like a wave. Lu Changyuan expressionlessly rubbed Severed Thought, cutting off the improper notions forming in his mind.
“Is there anyone here?”
Someone approached.
Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked over.
It was the black-robed person who had boarded together with Wang Lian and Xiao Hai.
The figure not only wore black robes but was also veiled, not even showing her eyes.
A figure that seemed like she could not stand the light of day.
Now that she spoke, it became clear the black-robed person was a woman.
Lu Changyuan found her voice oddly familiar.
The black-robed woman spoke again: “This slave found that side noisy. Seeing that it’s quiet here, I came to seek some peace.”
Glancing over, Lu Changyuan saw that many men had already gathered around Wang Lian.
Were these male cultivators really that repressed?
Had they never seen a proper meal before?
Lu Changyuan suddenly said, “Young lady, have we met somewhere before?”
The black-robed woman sat not far away, her voice soft and alluring. “We have not.”
Oh, quickly denying it.
Lu Changyuan said with certainty, “It was you who stole my jar of wine!”
Back at Luan Rumeng’s noodle shop, on his first visit, Luan Rumeng had given him spiced beef and a jar of wine.
Lu Changyuan hadn’t drunk it, but Xia Lianxue had later told him that a black-robed woman had taken it away.
It was this thief!
He had been distracted by an old acquaintance at the time, and before he noticed, the wine was gone.
The black-robed woman paused. “This slave found that side quite noisy.”
“So it really was you who stole it.”
“Young Master Lu, don’t be so stingy. Honestly. At worst, this slave will compensate you with something.”
The black-robed woman took out a small booklet from within her sleeves. Her hands remained hidden in her long sleeves, revealing only half of the booklet, which made the movement look all the more sneaky.
What was this?
Lu Changyuan took it and looked closely.
《Yin-Yang Harmonization Origin Scripture》
The black-robed woman spoke teasingly, her tone carrying a knowing implication. “This is an unrevealed secret of our sect. Young Master Lu, take it and study it well. I guarantee Fairy Xia Lianxue will obey you most devotedly.”
She glanced at the silver-haired girl. “Even this one—if Young Master uses a few tricks from it, she’ll become quite obedient too.”
Su Youwan suddenly spoke. “Mei Zhao Zhao?”
“Ah, this slave has been found out.”
The silver-haired girl’s expression remained calm. “If Young Master wishes to use such methods, the secret techniques of my Cihang Palace should be far superior to hers.”
Lu Changyuan silently put away the technique and asked, “And you, young lady—who are you?”
“This slave? This slave is a pitiful soul, born in…”
She looked ready to launch into a long tale, and Lu Changyuan truly had no patience to listen. But before Mei Zhao Zhao could continue, the three of them simultaneously stopped and looked into the distance.
The rain was falling even harder.
Amidst the endless downpour, something seemed to be rushing toward them.
A loud shout came from not far away: “Old man, what right have you to sit here? I think this spot should belong to Senior Brother Wang of the Imperial Sword Sect instead!”
Jealousy and rivalry were not rare in the cultivation world.
But for it to erupt now was strange.
Everyone on this whale was heading to the Nether Kingdom in search of opportunity—most of them were disciples of renowned sects, not the kind to lose their composure so easily.
It was as if something was deliberately igniting their emotions.
In moments, those sitting beside Wang Lian began fighting.
Lu Changyuan looked over—Wang Lian’s face had turned pale with fright, clearly not understanding what was happening.
“Young Master Lu,” Su Youwan said softly, “something is wrong.”
Lu Changyuan of course knew something was wrong.
There was an unseen force affecting everyone on the whale.
Su Youwan was a Taishang cultivator, and he had Severed Thought, so neither of them were affected—but the others on the whale were not so fortunate.
Not only that—the ocean was surging wildly.
Something beneath the waves was about to break its seal, and towering waves rose dozens of zhang high.
The whale let out a painful, echoing cry.
The heaving waves finally reached the whale, and within the rain curtain, pairs of red eyes suddenly opened wide in savagery.
Lu Changyuan lifted his head toward the sky—the sun had already become clearly divided between black and white.
The Nether Kingdom was about to emerge.
Someone shouted, “Sea demons!”