The big fish nudged Ye Tian with its mouth. Ye Tian deliberately remained still, observing whether the fish would pose a threat to him.
Judging that Ye Tian was unconscious, the big fish flicked its tail, sending a stream of water that pushed him out of the water and onto the stone slab beside him, landing with neither too much nor too little force.
After landing, the big fish also leaped out of the water. Its tail was large; it lifted and then struck Ye Tian’s abdomen. Ye Tian felt no pain, only a vibrating force entering his body. He had deliberately swallowed some water earlier, and now he took the opportunity to expel some of it.
The big fish struck him seven or eight times consecutively. Ye Tian coughed up all the water he had swallowed, then feigned a few coughs and slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he opened his eyes, the big fish silently slipped back into the water, not wanting to meet Ye Tian.
Ye Tian pretended he couldn’t see his surroundings, fumbling with his hands until he touched the edge of the water pit. Just then, he felt a mental force acting upon him. He deliberately offered no resistance and then entered a hallucination.
The hallucination was quite interesting. He saw a naked, exquisitely beautiful woman emerge from the water, seemingly glowing. She smiled charmingly and asked, "Young master, how did you fall into the water?"
Ye Tian put on a dazed expression and said, "I was playing by the waterfall and accidentally fell. Miss, where is this place, and are you a resident here?"
The woman pursed her lips and smiled, "You people are too careless. Every ten or eight years, someone falls in. Those lucky enough not to be killed by the fall are washed here by the undercurrents."
Ye Tian nodded, "I see. You must have saved me, Miss? Thank you for saving me."
The woman replied, "You are too kind, young master."
Ye Tian asked, "Miss, it's dark all around here. How can I get out?"
The woman said, "Don't worry, I will send you away shortly."
Ye Tian quickly thanked her, "May I ask your name, Miss?"
The woman replied, "My name is Hong Yu."
Ye Tian then took off his only undergarment and handed it to the woman, saying, "Miss, you seem to be unclothed. You can wear this for now."
The woman did not take his clothes and chuckled, "Your character is quite good. Many men before have seen my beauty and harbored ill intentions."
After speaking, her appearance suddenly transformed into that of a handsome man. He laughed and said, "I am also a man, like you. There is no need for clothes."
Ye Tian feigned surprise, "Can you perform magic?"
The handsome man laughed heartily, "You can call it magic if you wish. Alright, I will send you back now."
With that, a mental force was applied to him. Ye Tian felt the big fish attempting to erase his memories of this place. However, as the handsome man's mental force penetrated, it was controlled by an even more formidable power. His body stiffened, and he reverted to the form of a big fish.
At this moment, a large red fish floated on the surface of the water, its eyes fixed on Ye Tian.
A panicked voice echoed in Ye Tian's mind, "Who are you? You didn't enter the hallucination?"
Ye Tian said calmly, "You are merely a fish that has just gained sentience. How dare you lay hands on a Celestial Immortal? You have quite the nerve."
Upon hearing that Ye Tian was a Celestial Immortal, the big fish's face turned ashen with fear. It hurriedly said, "This humble one did not know a Celestial Immortal was present. Please spare me, Immortal!"
It was not easy for this big fish to achieve its current state. Its strength was at least equivalent to a mid-stage Human Immortal. If it were in the water, even a peak Human Immortal would not be its match.
Ye Tian asked, "Fish spirit, how long have you lived here?"
The fish spirit replied, "To the Immortal, this humble one has lived here for over three hundred years, ever since it can remember."
Ye Tian asked, "Have you ever harmed anyone?"
The fish spirit was startled, "This humble one would not dare! On the contrary, every time someone fell into the water, this humble one would send them to the shore and only leave after they were rescued."
Ye Tian said, "Do you remember a few years ago, a girl falling down the waterfall? You said you wanted to marry her. Is that true?"
Upon hearing this, the fish spirit recalled Tang Qiqi. It said, "There was indeed such an incident. Immortal, this was my wrongdoing. I saw she was beautiful and wished to take her as my wife. However, spirits and humans are worlds apart, how could I be worthy of her? After sending her away, I regretted it, but I could not go onto land to find her, and thus could not remove the restriction I placed upon her."
Ye Tian asked, "Tang Qiqi cannot walk on land because of your restriction?"
The fish spirit replied, "Yes. I had intended to be able to walk on land after some time and then remove the restriction for her. But I never expected cultivation to be so difficult. I have made little progress all these years."
Ye Tian asked, "Why did you place the restriction?"
The fish spirit said, "She is so beautiful. If she were a normal person, she should be married very soon. But after being afflicted by my restriction, it should be difficult for her to marry."
Ye Tian sneered, "You are incredibly audacious!"
The fish spirit shivered, "This humble one knows its crime. I beg the Immortal to spare my life!"