Could it be that Ziqing had come?
Or perhaps, that they had all come together?
A complicated flicker crossed Xuanyuan Lige’s cold, indifferent face, but it quickly settled back into stillness.
That sound had been the crash of waves — and yet, before him, there was only a shallow inlet, one that didn’t even connect to the open sea. Where could tides possibly come from here?
If it was merely a shallow inlet, with no tides to speak of, then where had the sound of waves come from?
For that sound to have carried all the way up to the top of the Innocent Ravine, how immense, how overwhelming must the waves have been?
Xuanyuan Lige puzzled over this without finding an answer, his attention fixed entirely on the cave opposite him. He knew that wherever there was the sound of waves, this place surely held something extraordinary hidden within it.
He swallowed the antidote, then leapt lightly upward, soaring toward the cave.
Sure enough, after just a few steps to the end of the cave, he found a deep pool!
Where had that sound come from?
Had it appeared purely by chance, or had someone triggered it deliberately?
He had grown up near the Innocent Ravine since childhood, and yet this was the very first time he had ever heard that particular sound!
He stopped before the deep pool, seeming to hesitate, standing motionless for a long, long while.
After a long moment, who could have known — he didn’t descend after all, but instead turned and walked away.
What exactly was going through this man’s mind?
The moment he’d heard the sound of waves, he’d chased it here without a second thought — and yet, having found something, he turned right around and left again!
What had he even come down here to do?
Yet, upon reaching the mouth of the cave, Xuanyuan Lige stopped once more, his eyes lowered, his face, pale enough to stir pity, utterly still beneath the hazy moonlight — as silent and unchanging as the plants and rocks of this very ravine. Anyone who didn’t know better might have mistaken him for a statue that had stood there, unchanged, since the beginning of time.
Rushing down here in such a hurry — who exactly had he been hoping to see?
Had he wanted to see that woman?
Or had he wanted to see his one and only rival, Jun Beiyue?
His secret project with the Duogong tribe was nearly complete — he needed to ensure the safety beneath the Innocent Ravine, didn’t he?
As for which motive weighed heavier, only he himself could ever truly know.
After lingering at the entrance for a moment, Xuanyuan Lige resolved himself and turned back inside — this time, without any further hesitation, his figure shooting forward, plunging with a splash into the deep pool, his lithe form diving straight down into its depths!
Gradually, his silver hair and purple robes were swallowed entirely by the darkness…
Within the Innocent Ravine, it might still be dim and shadowed, but outside, the sky had already begun to grow bright.
The morning air on Liuxian Island was especially crisp and clear, birdsong and the fragrance of flowers filling the air, like something out of a paradise beyond the mortal world.
Sounds of movement had already begun stirring within Ziqing and Jun Beiyue’s room. The two of them had risen early. Jue Mingzi arrived carrying a medicine chest, leading Xiong Bao by the hand — no telling what grandfather and grandson had discussed together the night before, but the old man seemed remarkably energized, and the little grandson’s smile was especially bright.
“Where’s Baili Weisheng and the others?” Ziqing asked, puzzled. Normally, Baili Weisheng was always the first one up, making a racket bright and early!
Who could have known, the moment she said this, Baili Xiaosheng’s panicked voice rang out from the courtyard gate. “Prince Yao! Your Highness! Something’s happened — something terrible has happened to Meng Duo’er!”
At this, Ziqing and Jun Beiyue both shot forward in an instant, vanishing from sight.
Xiong Bao and Jue Mingzi hurried over anxiously as well!
Hadn’t Meng Duo’er been perfectly fine last night? How could something have happened? And something terrible, no less?
But when they arrived at Meng Duo’er’s room, the scene before them left them all utterly stunned.
Meng Duo’er was tightly coiled in the grip of a massive brown python, her small face pale as paper, on the verge of death.
The python was as thick as two bowl-rims put together, most of its body coiled off to the side, its full length impossible to estimate.
No one could imagine what could possibly have happened overnight — the only saving grace was that the giant python hadn’t swallowed Meng Duo’er whole in a single bite!
Otherwise… even cutting the python open today might not have been enough to save her alive!
At that moment, the massive python was hissing its forked tongue at the crowd gathered by the door, its coils tightening tighter and tighter, forcing both Baili Weisheng and Madam Jinjiao to keep their distance, not daring to approach!
Ziqing and the others, arriving just then, hastily retreated as well, terrified of provoking the giant python and getting Meng Duo’er killed!
Soon, the Gu Family Head arrived as well, immediately crying out in shock, “How… this snake…”
“Is this one of yours?” Madam Jinjiao shouted furiously. “If it’s yours, you’d better watch it properly — now hurry up and save her!”
If she hadn’t happened to arrive early this morning, no one could say what might have happened.
Right now, saving the girl was the priority — she had no time to spare scolding Baili Weisheng for this.
Off to the side, Baili Weisheng gritted his teeth repeatedly, staring at the python like some kind of demon, eyes blazing with predatory intent, desperately racking his brain for a solution.
Killing this python would be simple enough — the difficulty lay in how to do so while also keeping Meng Duo’er alive!
“This snake… all of you, absolutely do not act rashly. This is Liuxian Island’s spirit serpent — it only emerges once every hundred years when it loses its way. It’s massive in size, but its movements are extremely agile, and it can spit venom of tremendous potency! Stay away from it!”
The moment the Gu Family Head said this, Madam Jinjiao immediately seized on the key point. “What? Foraging for food?”
So then, Meng Duo’er had become its prey?
The Gu Family Head hadn’t been wrong at all — because the moment Madam Jinjiao finished speaking, the giant python coiled its body even tighter around Meng Duo’er, slowly drawing her closer toward its gaping mouth!
And as it drew her closer, it kept tightening its grip further and further!
At this rate, before Meng Duo’er was even swallowed, every bone in her body would already be crushed to pieces!
“Baili Weisheng, the head’s yours — I’ll save her. Coordinate with me, quickly!”
Jun Beiyue made the call instantly — if they didn’t act now, Meng Duo’er would surely die.
“No problem — anyone who dares touch our people, I’ll chop it to pieces!” Baili Weisheng said, moving to strike alongside Jun Beiyue. But who could have known, at that very moment, a young yet commanding, forceful voice suddenly rang out from atop a nearby boulder, “Capture!”
Uh…
Instantly, the massive python transformed into a streak of brown light, shooting straight upward!
Everyone traced the light back to its source, only to see Xiong Xiaobao standing atop the boulder off to the side, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, shaking the Universe Poison Pouch at everyone — clearly, he had captured the giant python himself!
An instant kill!
This was exactly what an instant kill looked like!
“Jun Beiyue, the waves behind really do push the waves ahead… your son keeps getting better and better.” Baili Weisheng remarked with a sigh, slowly sheathing his short sword.
But Jun Beiyue paid him no mind at all, turning instead to look at Meng Duo’er, collapsed on the ground.
“Heh heh, little rascal, this time when we pass through Great Zhou, let’s bring your bear along too!” Baili Weisheng said with a grin, walking over toward Xiong Bao.
But Xiong Bao ignored him as well, jumping down from the boulder and rushing straight toward Meng Duo’er!
Ziqing and Madam Jinjiao had already gone over to help her up, and Jue Mingzi hurried over to check her pulse. Once they confirmed no internal organs or vital meridians had been damaged, everyone finally relaxed.
Everyone gathered around Meng Duo’er, even Baili Xiaosheng watching with visible concern — only Baili Weisheng stood apart, facing away from the group, with no one to talk to.
Madam Jinjiao held Meng Duo’er in her arms while Ziqing carefully examined her body, checking every single bone — after all, the thing they feared most was broken bones.
A python’s, or more precisely a snake’s, greatest and most lethal power wasn’t its venom, but the sheer crushing force of its coiled body, capable of shattering prey to death, bone by bone.
Ziqing checked from head to torso to limbs, one by one — but the moment she pressed on Meng Duo’er’s ankle, Meng Duo’er let out a sudden, sharp cry of pain, her eyes flying open. She was awake.
“It hurts…”