WangXian Forever 4

Chapter 55 Solutions

Lan Zhan and SiZhui sat in the boat, watching the surface of the calm waters, waiting for a sign, any change or any movement.

Lan Zhan felt the dryness in his eyes, a combination of salty air and the fact that he refused to blink until absolutely necessary, just in case he missed something crucial.

The disgruntled fisherman kept muttering under his breath, earning himself glares from the Jade.

The afternoon passed by. It was only when SiZhui leaned heavily on him that Lan Zhan realised how late it was. The fisherman had given up complaining and fallen asleep a while ago.

Lan Zhan grabbed the oars and rowed them back to the shore. Wei Ying would be disappointed in him if he failed to look after their son, and so far, he wasn't doing a good job.

SiZhui woke up when the boat jarred to a stop on the cold beach. He woke the still sleeping fisherman, who gave them one last glare before slipping off into the darkness.

Lan Zhan and SiZhui made their way back to the inn.

"Father?" SiZhui said, as they climbed up the stairs.

"Mn?"

"Please, can you sleep in my room? I'd rather not sleep alone tonight."

"I will." Lan Zhan forced a smile onto his face.

He had to be strong for his son, and his family.

The innkeeper opened the door for them, looking past them for the other two people.

"It's just us." SiZhui told him.

"Where are the rest of your family?" He persisted.

SiZhui glanced at his father before answering.

"You know about my sister. My father went to look for her."

"Ah, I suppose you visited the black market, then. But he can only stay there a few hours, even so." The innkeeper turned away.

"Wait!" Lan Zhan commanded. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I just assumed, it's n-nothing!" He stammered.

"Why don't you explain what you meant?" SiZhui asked him, his tone far more friendlier.

"Well, I hear the lobster farmers dive in the deep sea, and because they need to hold their breath longer than it takes to reach the bottom of the ocean where the lobsters flourish, they take an oyster pill. It allows the taker to dive for at least two hours." He looked at them uncertainly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"On the contrary, you have helped us." SiZhui said.

"Where is this black market? How do we buy these oyster pills?" Lan Zhan stood towering over the man.

"Er, I've heard you need to find a man called Mimi Jiaoyi. He will help." The innkeeper, scared of Lan Zhan and what else he would ask, hurried away.

"Tomorrow morning, SiZhui, we will go there." Lan Zhan's face transformed into a smile.

*****

Li XiWang watched as one by one, the Jiaoren swam away. Once the area in front of them was clear, Daden Yaonu grabbed her hand and swam with incredible speed past the long valley. They swam and swam, changing their direction to the left, deeper and deeper into the ocean.

Suddenly, Li XiWang was blinded by the brilliance of the city that lay before her.

"Welcome to the Crystal city, home of the Dragon Kings." She smiled at the reaction of the little girl standing in awe next to her.

******

If Li XiWang and Daden Yaonu had stayed there only for five more minutes, they would have seen a man with wings as sleek as a butterfly and a young boy swim down to that exact location.

But when Wei Ying and Kedou swam into the valley, it was devoid of any people.

"Let me take you to our King, he can help you!" Kedou said, enthusiastically.

Down here, at the bottom of the valley, Wei Ying was shocked to see an entire city made out of reeds, woven into buildings and places of accomodation. In the centre, a whole palace was constructed of Bamboo coral, woven with the strongest reed tresses to create intricate doorways and windows.

A few faces peeked out and disappeared when they saw the stranger, returning to look after they swam past.

Kedou took Wei Ying straight to the grand doors of the yellow palace, where guards blocked their way.

"State your reason!" They demanded.

"Audience with the King, please. I have brought a guest." Kedou announced proudly.

Wei Ying discreetly stared at the guards. Their skins were of a darker shade of blue green, gills as red as crimson upon their necks. Their tails shone silver and gold in the shifting light of this underworld. They carried tridents, tips as sharp as the arrows Wei Ying used to shoot kites in Lotus Pier.

They waited while one of the guards went inside to report.

Wei Ying admired the detailed construction of their palace, how the difference between reed and coral complimented the structure to look both rich and daunting.

"You may enter, but all weapons must be handed in." They stared at Wei Ying, who held out his arms.

"I am unarmed, as you can see." He bowed to them too, to show goodwill.

It turned out that this was only the entrance to the outer courtyard, and they came to another set of doors where the guards accompanied them to yet another set of doors.

It was wise to have many obstacles before access to where the King was, Wei Ying thought.

Inside the actual palace, blue coral decorated the walls, the roof was a melding of multi coloured ribbons of coral twisting up.

It was truly remarkable, a creation of beauty.

The King was seated upon a throne at the very far end of the hall, that opened after great golden doors were opened to let them in. When they got closer, Wei Ying saw that the throne was carved out of a massive pearl, glowing with a luminescence he associated with the moon.

The King that sat upon the throne had skin the colours of the hummingbirds frequently gracing the gardens in Yunmeng. Red gills like those of the guards decorated his neck too, but he wore a frown when he saw Wei Ying.

Kedou bowed.

"My King, may I present Wei Ying? I found him near the coral reef." He turned to Wei Ying. "May I present our King, Shiyong Fei?"

Wei Ying bowed low.

"What brings you to our humble kingdom?" The King stroked his chin.

"I am looking for my daughter. I really hope you can help me." Wei Ying explained. "She was taken from our hotel room by a Siren." He showed the King the scale he found by her bed.

But he wasn't prepared for the King's reaction.

The King stood up and banged his trident, a weapon that was standing next to his throne, on the floor, causing the entire room to reverberate.

"Please, my King, don't be angry!" Kedou cried, bowing.

"How can I not?!" He roared. "They go too far! Meddling with the humans!"

Wei Ying stayed silent, but he bowed too.

"They must be stopped. This time, it is one human, the next time, they may take more! Are we to let them? Will they not draw attention to our people?" The King continued to rant.

Kedou winked at Wei Ying when the King wasn't looking.

Was this a normal thing? Wei Ying decided to let it play out. If, at the end of all this, he was able to get Li XiWang back, that was really all he cared about.