Chapter 10: That Thing Can’t Explode!
Lu Yibei did not deny Xing Yuan’s words; instead, she looked expressionless, her gaze cold as she stared at the massive creature stirring up the storm ahead, and coldly said, “That’s right, it’s me.”
“Your Excellency barges in recklessly, abducts my kin, and still wants to flood Huacheng? Such actions, are you trying to challenge me?”
As her words fell, she demonstratively unleashed her spirit energy fluctuations.
The air immediately felt ignited, rapidly heating up, and waves of scorching heat spread out around her.
In the sky, the rain and wind called forth by the River God collided with Lu Yibei’s spirit energy fluctuations, instantly turning into high-temperature steam that filled the area.
The concentration of water vapor was astonishing, covering everything in view with a hazy white veil.
Amidst the dense fog, Lu Yibei calmly summoned some spirit energy to dry the sweat on her palms.
She wasn’t very experienced at doing such things and felt a bit flustered; she didn’t want to expect too much—just not to run away would be good enough. Lu Yibei thought to herself.
In fact, if there were a way to expel the River God without violence, after comparing their strengths, Lu Yibei felt that in a fierce battle, the River God’s chances of winning were shockingly high, around fifty to ten percent, which was quite dangerous.
Moreover, earlier when Lu Yibei was on the large ship, preparing to leave with Du Sixian, she encountered Gui Hua, who had returned to search for her.
From Gui Hua, she learned that if the River God died, those Red-Clothed Women on the ship would also perish…
Lu Yibei pondered, glancing towards the Red-Clothed Women gathered at the bow deck, wrapped in bubbles, trapped in slumber, her brow slightly furrowing.
————
Ten minutes ago.
The large ship was ablaze.
The fire appeared mysteriously, igniting the massive ship that shared its origin with the River God, and it could not be extinguished by water.
Even after discovering the fire, the Yaksha Strongmen and the Red-Clothed Women onboard immediately began to extinguish it, yet they found it incredibly difficult to control the spread of the flames.
As the fire slithered around like a venomous snake, the temperature inside the entire ship’s cabin rapidly reached a terrifying level, filling the intricately designed cabin with toxic smoke.
Gui Hua, an esteemed elder on the ship, had evacuated all the Red-Clothed Women to the relatively safe bow deck, but after carefully counting heads, she suddenly felt something was wrong.
Almost all the Red-Clothed Women were present, but Bei Er was missing.
Where could she have gone at a time like this?
As she thought anxiously, she grabbed a weeping woman who passed by her and asked, “Have you seen Bei Er?”
“Wuwuwu, my room has burned down, and… and…”
In the eyes of these Red-Clothed Women, this large ship, and that room so lavishly decorated yet forever cut off from the light of day, had long become their entire world.
They once thought that this world, under the protection of the River God, was safe despite its loneliness, but never anticipated that this world could collapse too.
“I asked if you have seen Bei Er!?”
“I… I don’t know…”
At those words, Gui Hua’s heart tightened.
Oh no! I just told Bei Er to wait for me there; she can’t still be waiting, right?
That silly girl, why doesn’t she know to be flexible? No wonder she hasn’t figured out the ship’s rules even after all this time.
Gui Hua, full of anxiety, grabbed another Red-Clothed Woman and instructed, “You stay here and watch, I’m going to check over there!”
After saying that, she hurriedly moved her stiff steps towards the section of the cabin that was about to be engulfed in flames.
Inside the cabin at that moment.
With a booming sound of an explosion, a figure leaped out from the smoke-filled chamber, holding a sleeping girl in her arms. As she landed steadily on the corridor of the third floor, her bl**d-red garments instantly transformed into splendid green attire.
Before anyone could see her face clearly, the dazzling fire lit up the thick smoke, and in a blink, she disappeared from that spot and reappeared in the smoke-filled corridor.
Lu Yibei rushed through the insides of the large ship with Du Sixian, following the path previously led by Gui Hua. Just then, they heard a voice calling from the other end of the winding corridor.
“Bei Er! Bei Er, where are you?”
“Bei Er, hurry and come out! We need to get to the deck… cough cough cough!”
Lu Yibei recognized that it was Gui Hua’s voice; her footsteps momentarily paused, and she glanced in the direction of the sound, then gritted her teeth, resolutely deciding to continue forward.
It would be foolish to let her kin fall into danger over someone she had only met once!
Thinking this, Lu Yibei had not taken many steps before hearing a loud crash from the forked path where Gui Hua was, as if something had collapsed due to the fire, producing a massive sound of “boom!”
High-temperature black smoke surged forth, carrying dark dust and a foul odor, flooding out of the corridor.
…
In the corridor, smoke filled the air, obscuring visibility.
One side of the corridor’s walls collapsed in the fire, cutting the corridor in half and blocking Gui Hua’s path, leaving her with nowhere to go amidst the heat wave.
“Cough cough cough—!”
The smoke filled with toxins poured into the gaps of Gui Hua’s mouth and nose, causing a violent coughing fit, almost as if trying to expel her lungs.
Ninety percent of the River God’s flesh was embedded within the shell of this large ship, merging with it. When the flames ignited by Lu Yibei struck, it turned into highly toxic dust with faint spirit energy that was unable to escape in time.
Even though the Yaksha Strongmen and the Red-Clothed Women on the ship had long been nurtured by the spirit energy fluctuations of the River God, making them somewhat acclimated to it, they still struggled to resist.
Soon, Gui Hua’s consciousness became hazy under the dual onslaught of high temperatures and toxins.
“Am I going to d*e? This…” Gui Hua murmured, “That’s fine… that’s fine…”
Just as she was talking to herself, she suddenly heard faint footsteps come from one side of the corridor.
Following a low metallic humming sound, a sealed wall exploded.
Countless fragments sparkled as they flew like fireflies, and a figure rushed in like a lightning bolt, passing by so quickly that Gui Hua vanished from the corridor.
Vaguely, Gui Hua seemed to hear someone whisper, “That’s right, I’m such a fool!”
Gui Hua, “……”
The wind howled past her ears as Lu Yibei held Gui Hua with her left arm, Du Sixian with her right, and bit down on a broken sword, rapidly moving through the cabin.
With several relatively fresh gusts brushing against her face, Gui Hua gradually regained consciousness. Upon realizing she was being carried away from the cabin, escaping danger, she froze for a moment and looked up, only to see a familiar face.
“……”
It was Bei Er. How could she… When Gui Hua finally recognized Lu Yibei’s profile, she was startled, and then she casually glanced at Du Sixian, a sudden realization dawning upon her.
It turned out that Bei Er was not someone from the ship; she had come to rescue the new girl, no wonder she didn’t understand any rules at all.
After realizing this, Gui Hua didn’t make any movements, but closed her eyes again, allowing Lu Yibei to carry her out of the cabin until…
Just as Lu Yibei turned back to rescue Gui Hua, the path that Gui Hua had previously led her through had already been consumed by flames, forcing her to find another exit.
As she navigated the twisted and winding corridor, she came upon a fork, hesitating on which path to take, when Gui Hua’s voice drifted into her ears.
“Don’t go that way; it leads to where the Yaksha Strongmen are gathered. Take the left path, and then… I’ll guide you.”
Hearing Gui Hua suddenly speak, Lu Yibei paused for a moment, furrowing her brow.
Seeing her hesitance, Gui Hua added, “I won’t harm you; I’ve actually been awake for a while, haven’t I been quiet the whole time?”
Lu Yibei, “……”
After a moment of silence, she bit her lip and followed the direction pointed out by Gui Hua.
One minute later.
A loud explosion suddenly echoed from the rear of the ship as Lu Yibei slashed open the door blocking her way and burst onto the rear deck.
The damp and cool wind hit her face, and Lu Yibei let out a sigh of relief; just as she was about to turn around to pick up Gui Hua, who had been set down when she broke through the door, she saw Gui Hua step back a step.
Noticing this, Lu Yibei frowned, puzzled, “Gui Hua, let’s go! The ship is in chaos now; why don’t you take this opportunity to escape? Don’t you want to get off the ship?”
“I used to think about it, but I don’t anymore.” Gui Hua shook her head, “Bei Er, you should hurry and go!”
“I appreciate your good intentions, but I’m not like you all. I can no longer leave this ship. If I get off the ship, I will…”
“d*e?”
“……”
Gui Hua fell silent, standing straight, her hands neatly folded in front of her abdomen, her large, dull eyes staring blankly at Lu Yibei, complemented by her vibrant and disordered clothing and her pallid expression, resembling a lifeless paper figure or a statue.
As if understanding something, Lu Yibei looked closely at Gui Hua several times, tightened her embrace around the unconscious Du Sixian, and leaped off the rear deck of the ship.
As she watched Lu Yibei’s figure disappear from view, Gui Hua sighed silently, murmuring, “I’m so envious…”
Once upon a time, she too had fantasized that someone would rescue her from the River God’s grand ship, just as Lu Yibei had saved Du Sixian, similar to the stories passed down in the village about the River God.
But she waited and waited, three years, five years, ten years, one hundred years…
By the time her looks had faded, her cheeks pale, she still had not awaited the person who could take her away, and she found herself unable to leave this large ship anymore…
————
On the riverbank, a brief silence fell.
“……”
The River God gazed quietly at Lu Yibei, momentarily hesitant to act.
Although He could feel that in terms of spirit energy fluctuations, Lu Yibei was not much stronger than Him, He could also sense a natural suppression from power.
Coupled with two formidable spiritual ability users and the enhancement from earth veins, making a careless move could mean His own destruction.
Master of Urban Legends, Hundred Demons Walk, Deity…
The River God reflected on Xing Yuan’s words, his thoughts ultimately fixating on the term “deity”.
In this day and age, where could one find a true deity? Even the renowned one from Taoyuan is said to only possess around ninety percent of power.
So, could it be that they, like me, are merely borrowing the name of a deity to make an empty show?
Though she can ignite my true form, the relationship between drought and rivers is indeed mutual; without sufficient power, it remains debatable who is stronger or weaker; if so, I am indeed showing signs of trepidation right now…
While the River God pondered, Lu Yibei suddenly called out sharply, interrupting His thoughts.
“I don’t want to ask the same question a third time. Answer me! Do you intend to challenge me?”
“Boom—!”
Almost simultaneously, loud explosions echoed from afar.
The River God was momentarily stunned, looking towards the sound, where the roaring of explosions and rising flames erupted on the winding riverbank, like an aggressive fire dragon surging towards Him.
Amid the scorching hot winds, a dry and fiery airflow struck the ground of Baiyanzi Village violently, expelling the lingering fog, creating a vast area of clear transparency from the place where the heat wave crashed down.
“Glug—!”
The River God swallowed nervously, a flicker of panic flashing in His eyes, “What are you…?”
What am I? I’m merely blowing up everywhere I’ve touched along the way. Lu Yibei thought to herself, secretly organizing her lies when suddenly a shout came from Xing Yuan’s side.
“It’s appeared! As far as the eye can see, it’s all charred earth! Is this the power of calamity? Terrifying!”
“Fortunately, calamity and our Siye Society work closely together; being enemies against them would yield unimaginable consequences!”
Lu Yibei, “……”
What do you mean, ‘as far as the eye can see is charred earth’? I didn’t even know I had that kind of ability.
I just wanted to intimidate a little; why did you have to start acting, godmother?
But… who isn’t a bit of a drama queen?
After a brief contemplation, Lu Yibei recalled her focus and looked at Xing Yuan seriously, “Yuan, you just revealed my secret powers like that, seems a bit inappropriate, doesn’t it?”
As she spoke, a wave of heat surged forth, rushing towards Xing Yuan.
“Uh…” Xing Yuan let out a muffled sound, pain flashing across her brow, before bowing slightly to Lu Yibei, “Sorry, Your Excellency Calamity, this is the first time I’ve witnessed your powers; I was too excited, please forgive me.”
“Hmph!” Lu Yibei snorted coldly, retracting her spirit energy fluctuations, her chin slightly raised, “Fine, just this once; don’t let it happen again!”
The River God glanced between Xing Yuan and Lu Yibei, his gaze filled with uncertainty. After all, the series of explosions had brought forth a truly terrifying spirit energy fluctuation.
Could it be… she really possesses the power of the drought deity?
Wait! Thinking about it, earlier when Pestilence Taijie created chaos, I could only hide away to protect myself, but she could forcibly seize the victory from the Hundred Demons Walk; it’s likely…
The River God, who had been traversing the waters around Huacheng for centuries, did not rely solely on combat power. There had not been a lack of urban legends stronger than Him around Huacheng in the past, and yet, what was the result?
The so-called wise ones know when to bend and when to act.
At the right time, speaking to the right people with the right words is fundamental for His centuries-long survival.
Thus, it’s necessary to take a moment to understand the current situation.
————
In the distance.
Bai Kai withdrew his gaze from Lu Yibei, frowning as he approached the loudly shouting Xing Yuan, nudging her with his elbow and lowering his voice to ask, “Yuan, how did you know she had that kind of power?”
“Is it the latest investigation data that hasn’t been publicized yet?”
The only route Bai Kai could think of for Xing Yuan to acquire information about Lu Yibei was that one.
Of course, it was also possible that Lu Yibei had told Xing Yuan herself, but just the thought of it made Bai Kai feel sour, so he chose not to dwell on it.
If Xiao Bei truly had that kind of ability, how could she possibly have only told her and not me? I don’t believe it! Hmph! Bai Kai thought sourly.
Xing Yuan glanced at Bai Kai and whispered back, “No, I made it up.”
Bai Kai was taken aback, “Made it up? If the River God finds out later, won’t that…?”
If the River God realizes she’s been deceived, she might just explode on the spot.
“Relax,” Xing Yuan reassured her. “The River God is clearly intimidated now; as long as she can still display some power that frightens Him, it’ll be fine.”
“And you don’t want us to fight the River God and cause nearby consequences, right?”
“Besides, we still have each other, right? If the situation goes awry, we will move to assist immediately.”
After saying that, Xing Yuan looked towards Lu Yibei, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Actually, her knowledge about Lu Yibei’s powers wasn’t entirely fabricated; it was based on one of the possibilities listed in that mysterious anonymous tip-off letter.
But…
Who wrote that anonymous letter anyway? It feels like it’s trying to get Lu Yibei killed.
Fortunately, I saw it in advance and deleted a lot of alarmist content.
Otherwise, if I had submitted it as is and those old geezers saw it, I’d probably be in danger. Xing Yuan thought to herself.
Looking at Xing Yuan’s profile, Bai Kai nodded reluctantly, his muscles tensing, gripping the sword in his hand, entering a battle-ready state, as if he were a blade about to be drawn.
At this moment, Xing Yuan suddenly called out again, “Your Excellency Calamity, I think we should stop wasting time chatting with this guy, right?”
“You’ve already given her so much time to think; that’s the greatest mercy. If it goes on like this, it may undermine your authority!”
“If you ask me, such a stubborn character should be dealt with in the most brutal manner. You can count on me to deal with any destruction caused; it won’t affect you.”
————
Above the sky.
The already indecisive River God was startled by Xing Yuan’s words, instantly regretting not launching an all-out attack earlier to deal with her.
In a situation of urgency and indecision, someone jumped out to add fuel to the fire—who could endure that?
Hearing Xing Yuan’s words, Lu Yibei suppressed a chuckle.
She initially didn’t quite like this Inspector Xing, but now, she found her somewhat pleasing.
Having someone to cooperate with in the act was so enjoyable!
Moreover, it’s good that I didn’t detonate all the palm prints as I left the large ship.
Well, isn’t it a basic principle to reveal thirty percent of one’s strength while withholding seventy percent?
Lu Yibei thought, casting a cold glance at Xing Yuan, “Are you trying to teach me how to do things?”
Xing Yuan was taken aback, lowering her head and meekly saying, “I dare not!”
“Hmph!” Lu Yibei snorted coldly, retracting her gaze and focusing on the River God ahead, stating earnestly, “Though her words were somewhat insulting, upon careful thought, they do seem to have some merit…”
“Then, let’s get started!”
Start? Started what?! The River God panicked internally, just about to speak, when He saw Lu Yibei’s gaze fall on the ship’s hull.
Suddenly, His brow furrowed, and He felt a searing pain radiating from His body.
Following that, before the River God could regain His composure, Lu Yibei’s gaze slowly shifted to the other side of the ship’s hull.
Then, one after another, palm prints exploded, and the high-temperature bubbles violently churned within the large water sphere enveloping the ship.
And then.
The moment Lu Yibei’s gaze landed on the mast of the large ship, the River God could no longer hold back His terror and shouted, “Wait, wait! We can talk this over when it’s all done! Let’s sit down and discuss this!”
That thing can’t explode! It absolutely cannot explode!
