We walked around the lake and returned to our original spot. Although we didn't gain anything else, we at least obtained some useful information.
I mentally asked Wan Gui Wang, "Did you smell anything unusual by the lake earlier?"
"No, not even the strong evil aura of the twin swords. But I can confirm the twin swords are not by the water."
This left me perplexed. Who had hidden my Dragon Roar Sword and Crimson Blood Sword?
Then I began to suspect Bai He Lai and asked him, "Is there anything wrong with this Bai He Lai?"
"I don't sense anything special, only a meaty aroma from him."
I rolled my eyes. What was he talking about? "Since he's fine, that's good."
With nothing else to do, we sat by the campfire for another day until nightfall.
However, that night, the moon, which was rarely seen, rose from the south side of the lake. The full moon, as large as a platter, reflected on the water, creating one moon in the sky and one in the water.
I got up and walked to the lake, gazing at the water in a daze. At that moment, a cool breeze blew from the water's surface, brushing against our faces.
Liu Shi Nian immediately felt drowsy and fell asleep leaning to the side.
I, however, was filled with worries, staring blankly at the lake. Suddenly, a pair of hands embraced me from behind.
Thinking it was Liu Shi Nian, I felt both joy and unease. I turned around, ready to scold him.
To my surprise, when I turned, it was Bai He Lai. I was startled and quickly broke free from his embrace. He, however, remained calm and smiled sweetly.
"You, what's wrong?" I asked him, confused.
He suddenly took my hand and said affectionately, "Miss Mu Ye, you are the most special girl I have ever met. If we go out, can I propose to you?"
Faced with his sudden confession, I found it somewhat amusing. I waved my hand and said,
"You should look for someone else. I'm not suitable for you."
He sighed slightly. Although his confession was unsuccessful, he showed no regret. Instead, he gazed at me foolishly and said,
"You really resemble someone."
"Resemble whom?"
"A friend I used to have. She also loved to uphold justice, but later she left, and I could never find her."
"Then she must not have gone far. Perhaps she's unwilling to meet for some reason."
"Perhaps you're right."
I looked back and saw Liu Shi Nian sleeping soundly. I said to him, "Look, Liu Shi Nian fell asleep so early. You should sleep too."
He looked back at Liu Shi Nian with a sweet smile and replied,
"Okay, I'll go to sleep then."
"Go ahead."
After he left, I continued to stare at the lake in a daze. Then, another cold wind blew from the lake, hitting my face. I also felt a wave of drowsiness.
So I got up, went to the tree from last night, leaped up, lay on a branch, and fell asleep with my eyes closed.
A moment later, I felt a chill. Then, just like yesterday, a pair of icy hands began to caress my face.
This time, they traced down my cheek to my lips, lingering and stroking. I felt a tickling sensation on my lips.
Then the icy hands withdrew, followed by a pair of cold lips that kissed me hazily.
This time, I was more awake and could smell the salty tang of the sea.
However, I still couldn't wake up. It felt like being pinned down by a ghost in a nightmare when I was in the human world.
This time, the person lingered for a long time, their icy hands moving all over my face. After a long while, they finally left.
When I struggled to wake up, it was already the next morning. As I turned to look at the ground again, I saw Liu Shi Nian and Bai He Lai standing by the lake.
I immediately jumped down from the tree and went behind them, patting Liu Shi Nian's shoulder and asking,
"What are you looking at?"
Liu Shi Nian pointed at the calm water and mused, "I wonder if Tian Wu will come up today."
Bai He Lai added,
"Tian Wu is elusive. We shouldn't let our guard down."
I felt his words were reasonable.
"Shall we continue?" Bai He Lai asked.
We came here specifically to eliminate Tian Wu and had to confront him. So I said, "Let's do it. Lure him up."
"Alright, get ready."
Liu Shi Nian drew his sword and assumed a stance. I also kept a close eye on the water.
Just then, a whistle sounded, and thick fog once again rose from the lake.
Then, the lake water began to churn, and countless iron chains shot into the air, attacking us.
Liu Shi Nian leaped up, stepping on the chains to reach the highest point. Looking down, he saw a hazy black silhouette in the vast white fog.
Wan Gui Wang immediately flew out, took a deep breath, and exhaled, blowing away the fog in one go. The chains and the commotion, just like before, dispersed with the fog, returning to calm.
Liu Shi Nian landed on the ground, sighing helplessly.
"It's the same as yesterday. As soon as the fog dissipates, all activity stops."
"It seems we have to give up again today and wait until tomorrow."
The three of us sighed slightly and were about to leave when the water surface suddenly became agitated. A long tongue shot out, wrapped around Bai He Lai, and dragged him into the water.
"Bai He Lai!"
Liu Shi Nian shouted, then fearlessly jumped into the water to save him. I couldn't stand by and watch, so I also jumped into the water to save Bai He Lai.
A massive black shadow spread out at the bottom of the water. Then, Liu Shi Nian exerted force with his legs and severed the tongue with a single strike, then pulled Bai He Lai back to the surface.
I saw dozens of iron chains extending from the bottom of the water, rushing towards them. Wan Gui Wang immediately flew out and severed the countless chains.
The three of us swam to the surface together. Suddenly, a colossal figure appeared beneath us.
"Quick, get out of the water! That's Tian Wu's mouth!" Bai He Lai shouted.
Heeding his cry, Liu Shi Nian and I immediately leaped away. Then, we saw a mouth about ten meters wide emerge from the water. Following that, another wave of white fog arose.
Tian Wu once again vanished into the mist.
The three of us looked at the lake together. Suddenly, seven or eight sharp, long, black claws, like a spider's legs, shot down from mid-air.
The claws moved swiftly, slashing like cutting vegetables. Liu Shi Nian grabbed Bai He Lai and dodged quickly, and I also dodged with a swift leap.
Just then, a fierce roar was heard, and the fog dispersed, finally revealing its true form. The three of us looked at it simultaneously, feeling our hearts pound. We were so stunned that we couldn't speak.
The Tian Wu before us was nine feet tall, immense in size, and entirely black. From a distance, it resembled a large ball of flesh.
At the very top of this flesh ball was a large eye. Below it were seven other eyes, each as big as an ox's eye.
At the lower part of the flesh ball, slightly above the bottom, was a mouth full of sharp teeth. And beneath the flesh ball were six sharp claws, with one on each side.
Bai He Lai shouted, "This is Tian Wu!"
"This is Tian Wu?" Liu Shi Nian and I replied in unison, stunned.
Tian Wu then raised its left claw and swung it towards us. Someone, either Bai He Lai or Liu Shi Nian, shouted,
"Dodge quickly!"
Only then did I react and flew away with them to dodge. Tian Wu then opened its mouth and spat out ice towards the three of us.
Wan Gui Wang immediately flew out towards Tian Wu's face and blew a puff of black gas into its eyes. Tian Wu momentarily lost its direction and flailed wildly.
Liu Shi Nian brought Bai He Lai to safety, then leaped into the air, stepping on the air to reach Tian Wu's face.
He then thrust his sword, piercing one of Tian Wu's eyes. Tian Wu let out a pained howl and then swung its claw, sending Liu Shi Nian flying down.
Then, under our watchful eyes, it submerged into the water.
"Liu Shi Nian!" I called out his name and rushed to his side, helping him up and asking, "Are you alright?"
He smiled slightly and replied, "I'm fine."
Saying this, he stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
Bai He Lai also ran over from behind and asked with concern, "Brother Liu, how are you?"
Liu Shi Nian smiled and replied, "I'm fine."
I looked back at the calm lake, my worries resurfacing.
Now that the twin swords were hidden, and this Tian Wu was so huge and swift, it was difficult to kill. What should we do?
The three of us returned to the campfire, pondering. I looked at Bai He Lai and said to him,
"You should leave. We can handle it here."
His face showed surprise. He looked at me in astonishment and stammered, "Why, why?"
I explained, "This Tian Wu is too powerful. It's a miracle you survived. I don't want you to die by his hand. You should leave. We are here."
He suddenly froze, as if something had touched a tender spot in his heart. After a long while, he finally responded,
"Thank you. But I must do something for myself. I am already a dying person, so why should I fear dying again? Please let me stay."
I remained silent, lowering my head. Liu Shi Nian, seeing the sudden quiet atmosphere, teased,
"Hey, hey, hey. You're telling one to go and one to stay, completely ignoring me. If there were a fourth person here, they'd think you two were a couple."
I looked up at Liu Shi Nian and couldn't help but smile. Liu Shi Nian also chuckled foolishly, and Bai He Lai couldn't help but laugh.
I asked them somewhat impatiently, "Since you're not leaving, if you're staying, then let's think of a plan to deal with Tian Wu."
"Alright."
Bai He Lai then told us everything he knew.
"This Tian Wu's weakness is his eyes. His body is as hard as iron. Don't be fooled by his black flesh; that flesh is also like a wall of bronze. Only his eyes are his soft spot."
Liu Shi Nian also recalled.
"When I fought with Tian Wu earlier, I stabbed one of its eyes, and it sank down in pain. It seems the eyes are indeed its weakness."
I immediately devised a plan.
"Good. Tomorrow, He Lai will attract Tian Wu's attention, I will distract it, and Shi Nian, you will be responsible for poking its eyes."
"Alright."
We reached a consensus. Now that we had a solution, we sat by the campfire until nightfall.
However, based on the experiences of the past two nights, I guessed that the mysterious person would definitely come again tonight, so I decided to be extra vigilant.
Thus, I pretended to be sleepy early and went to the tree again, leaping onto it and sleeping on a branch.
I stealthily looked down from the tree. Just then, the chilling strange wind arrived as expected. I turned to cover my nose and mouth. Liu Shi Nian and Bai He Lai also felt drowsy, gave a yawn, and then fell asleep.
A short while later, in the hazy state, I felt a chill. Then, a pair of icy hands gently landed on my face and slid down.
I immediately grabbed the slippery icy hand, but it slipped from my grasp. I opened my eyes and saw that my hands were covered in moisture, and no one was in front of me. Looking down, I saw Liu Shi Nian and Bai He Lai sleeping soundly.
I got up and landed on the ground, walking around. I noticed traces of water droplets on the ground, which extended all the way into the lake.
"Could it be Tian Wu?"
I was filled with doubt. How could Tian Wu, with its massive size, move so silently? And the hand I grabbed was clearly human.
Wan Gui Wang flew out at the opportune moment and chatted with me.
"True great demons can achieve soul projection. Moreover, this Tian Wu is an ancient god itself.
Its demonic power is so great that its soul and physical body can act separately."
"So, the person who comes to find me every night is Tian Wu's soul?"
"It's highly possible. Since Tian Wu is a water god of this region, it means he is kind, righteous, and protective of his people.
The mysterious man who visits every night might be the last vestige of his kindness and righteousness."
I agreed with his statement. "Then what should we do now?"
"The twin swords must be nearby. Besides recognizing their master, the twin swords have another function: they can absorb nearby evil energy. Look, I've been drained quite a bit."
Saying this, the black mist turned around to show me its pale backside, which had been drained.
"Look, if a few more days pass, I'll turn from completely black to completely white."
I was speechless, but playfully reached out and touched his backside.
"Hey, what are you doing?" he exclaimed in shock.
I felt disappointed, reaching out and pinching. There was no sensation. "It feels like nothing, just like mist."
Wan Gui Wang said exasperatedly, "If you want to touch me, you should be born a thousand years earlier. I had a physical body then."
I laughed heartily and teased him, "You too. I wonder if you need to wear clothes when you turn into a black mist every day. Aren't you a nudist?"
As I spoke, I stared at him curiously.
"What are you doing!"
He suddenly panicked and ran behind me, saying helplessly,
"I'm just a wisp of black mist, and you still won't leave me alone. Are you unloved and trying to get my attention?"
Hearing him say that, I couldn't help but tease him, "Yes, let me see your little backside."
He found it utterly speechless.
"You've changed. You must have learned from Liu Shi Nian. He has flirted with quite a few beautiful women."
"I don't know."
He huffed twice and flew back into my body. This time, I didn't go back to sleep but walked over to them and quietly waited for dawn.
The next morning, as soon as they woke up, they saw me and looked very surprised.
Bai He Lai asked, "Why are you up so early today?"
"Oh, I just woke up not long ago. Seeing you still asleep, I came down to keep watch."
Liu Shi Nian stood up, looked at the lake, and then sat back down, taking out the few remaining peach blossom crisps from his embrace and sharing them with us.
"We have to fight hard today. Hopefully, we can wear down Tian Wu's fighting spirit," Liu Shi Nian said while eating.
Bai He Lai also agreed, "We will definitely injure him heavily today."
"Then let's act after we finish eating."
"Alright."
Saying this, he ate the peach blossom crisp in his hand in one bite and leisurely walked to the edge of the lake.