This waterfall was not dangerous. Zhang Qiling extended his hand into it, feeling the flow. The impact was not strong, and there were no hidden creatures or hidden weapons within the water.
"Great, a waterfall! The poisonous gas behind it must be blocked significantly, making our journey ahead easier."
Wu Tianzhen observed the curtain that completely blocked the waterway for a while. He felt as if the good luck he had thought was long gone in the Forbidden Land had suddenly come back to life, and a hint of joy couldn't help but creep into his voice.
He looked at the two of them, trying to convey his excitement, but suddenly noticed that Fatty was rummaging for something, his peeking and poking demeanor even a bit lewd.
"...Fatty, what are you looking for?"
"Aiya, Tianzhen, don't you find this scene very familiar?" Fatty straightened up and sighed. "Fatty here is looking for our nation's peerless hero. If that Puxian Bodhisattva is unreliable, at least we'll have some backup."
"Uh..." Wu Tianzhen couldn't keep up with Fatty's train of thought. He racked his brain for a moment. "Are you looking for the Dragon King of the East Sea?"
"Damn it, do I need to look for the Dragon King of the East Sea? You, the Evil Sea King, are more than enough!" Fatty leaned in mysteriously. "Don't you think a boundary marker inscribed with 'Water Curtain Cave' is missing here?"
"I reckon the Great Sage would also love a place filled with monkey grandchildren. Perhaps there's some of his true body's hair or something here."
Wu Tianzhen: ...
After all, the smart device was a piece of intelligent technology. It keenly captured the yearning in Fatty's words and instantly switched the music from "Good Luck Comes" to "Handsome Monkey King."
Wu Tianzhen really didn't want to recall his childhood in this underworld. He speechlessly tried to seek comfort from a normal person in Zhang Qiling, only to "joyfully" discover that Little Zhang had already abandoned them and walked to the other side of the waterfall by himself.
By the time the two of them, their faces covered in dirt and water, walked over, Zhang Qiling looked at them with a blank expression. His hood was also strictly adhering to its waterproofing capabilities, so Zhang Qiling's face was clean, without a speck of splashed water.
...Honestly, Wu Tianzhen found it hard to believe that not a drop of water would splash onto Little Zhang's face. He suspected that Little Zhang had secretly wiped his face with his sleeve when they weren't paying attention.
...If Little Zhang hadn't wiped his face, then Wu Tianzhen could only admit that he was slightly tempted by this hooded outfit.
"Damn it, why is this place so slippery?" Fatty, walking too fast, lost his footing and slid into the water, swallowing several mouthfuls.
Wu Tianzhen scoffed at Fatty's behavior of blaming the latrine for his inability to defecate. He pulled Fatty up and mocked, "Good heavens, Fatty, you need to be careful. Before you can bottom out this Forbidden Land, it might just bottom you out first, hahaha!"
"Get lost! Who can break through Fatty's three hundred pounds of protective fat!"
Fatty retorted to Wu Tianzhen, no longer caring about the slipperiness underfoot, but walking more cautiously.
The water from top to bottom was pitch black. Even if they stuck their heads in, they couldn't see anything. Fatty pondered the composition of the water he had just swallowed, his face gradually turning green.
To the tune of "Handsome Monkey King," the three of them pressed on for another ten minutes. Finally, two rows of extremely narrow stones appeared on the sides of the waterway.
The position of these stones was like the sidewalks on either side of a road, but their width was not friendly. Even if they stood with their feet together, they couldn't stand on them. They could only rest half of their buttocks on them.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty were already exhausted. They eagerly leaned the lower edge of their heavy backpacks against them to relieve the pain in their shoulders. Only Zhang Qiling stood to the side, holding his saber, seemingly unwilling to participate in this group activity of resting half of their buttocks on stones.
Fatty instantly seized the opportunity, snapping several photos while Little Zhang wasn't paying attention.
Admittedly, Fatty's snapshot skills were top-notch. These casual shots had deep backgrounds, with only Zhang Qiling's exposed chin tip and slightly visible wrist appearing fair and luminous under the flashlight, making them incredibly attractive.
Wu Tianzhen stole a glance and found that Fatty had efficiently placed these photos into a folder named "Truly Fucking Awesome."
Wu Tianzhen: ...So only my folder is called "Tianzhen's Ugly Photos," right?
He found it a bit difficult to understand Fatty's sudden hobby. He recalled that Fatty hadn't had such a crazy habit of secretly taking photos of Little Brother before.
But just as Wu Tianzhen was about to ask, he felt something bump against his leg.
His first reaction was that something like trash in the water had rushed towards him, but this thought was quickly dismissed.
...The thing didn't disappear after bumping into him but stayed put, motionless.
Wu Tianzhen felt it carefully and clearly sensed the slow throbbing of the thing, as if it were breathing.
"Holy crap!" He jolted and kicked out!
The thing had no offensive power. Under this kick, it suddenly flew out in a parabolic trajectory, hitting the water not far away with a thud.
This, however, made Wu Tianzhen a bit uncomfortable. In this Forbidden Land, finding something weaker than him in combat was truly rare. Wu Tianzhen even felt a hint of fondness for this unseen thing for a moment.
Then, Zhang Qiling, who was beside them, slightly bent down and pulled a dog's head out of the water.
...Wait, a dog's head?!!
"It's over, Tianzhen, you're finished," Fatty said, crossing his arms and shaking his head with a tut. "Maiming innocent little animals, you're about to turn into Zhang San, aren't you?"
"How is this an innocent little animal? Are there any innocent little animals in the Forbidden Land!?" Wu Tianzhen was almost swayed by Fatty, but he quickly regained his composure.
As expected, Zhang Qiling soon confirmed his statement.
With a slight pull of his arm, Little Zhang dragged out the remaining part of the thing from the water. The lower half of the dog's head turned out to be a fish's body, looking exceptionally strange.
"...Is this a doghead eel?" Wu Tianzhen immediately recalled the name of the creature from his mind, but he couldn't remember the specific details.
Just as he was about to recall carefully, he suddenly noticed that Zhang Qiling's expression was very unusual.
...Although Little Zhang only slightly furrowed his brows, Wu Tianzhen felt he understood. It was an expression of recollection.
And this wasn't simple recollection; it was as if he remembered something but couldn't quite grasp it.
To be honest, by now, Wu Tianzhen no longer dared to entertain the foolish hope of helping Zhang Qiling regain his memory. But if it were possible, who wouldn't want their close friend to remember them?
With this thought, Wu Tianzhen exchanged a glance with Fatty, who had also noticed something amiss, and they both stepped forward:
"Little Brother, did you remember something?"
Wu Tianzhen's question was rather tactful, but Fatty immediately started to speculate wildly.
"Little Brother, take a good look at it. Look at its appearance, does it look familiar?" Fatty grabbed the doghead eel's head, and seeing its small appearance, his mind went in a bizarre direction. "...Holy crap, could this dog be a pet you used to keep, Little Brother?!"
Zhang Qiling: ...?
Zhang Qiling was silent for a moment, then said with a hint of helplessness:
"No."
Then he lowered his head to look closely at the doghead eel, then raised his head to look at the two of them, his eyes very clear.
"This, is very delicious."
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty: ???