Zanxing

Chapter 88 - Sleeping Together (1)

Daytime passed quickly, and soon it was night.

Zanxing flipped through the documents delivered by the maidservants several times but found nothing useful. The case files on the demonic merman in the Kingdom of Li'er were written like novels, perhaps even more exaggerated than fiction itself, almost glorifying the old monarch.

Meng Ying and Mu Chengxiao had yet to return. At dusk, Mu Chengxiao had once again used a transmission talisman to report that Tan Tianxin's Thousand-Mile Demonic Frog had detected a strong demonic aura on a mountain in Li'er. The group followed it up the mountain, and the demonic aura disappeared near a cave. The sect's disciples then entered the cave, following the frog's clues to find the lair of the demon. It seemed that they wouldn't be back tonight.

Tian Fangfang and Mendong were still out as well. They had gone to a remote household deep in the mangrove forest. The family of the victim was difficult to locate—only an elderly mother, now in her eighties, was left, and she could barely speak, making questioning extremely challenging. By the time they returned with any information, it would likely be deep into the night.

Gu Baiying was in the neighboring room. Zanxing didn't want to disturb him, knowing he wasn't fond of her. So, she sat alone at the table, staring at the flickering lamp flame, lost in thought.

Once tonight passed, there would only be four days left before the secret realm opened. Everyone in the sect was busy hunting the demonic merman—a plotline that didn't exist at all in At the Peak of the Nine Heavens.

Since arriving in the Kingdom of Li'er, she hadn't actively tried to change the story, yet things were still different.

The red mark on her palm had remained unchanged, but the Xiao Yuan Pearl at her chest had also shown no reaction. It lay dormant as if dead, making her doubt whether the all-powerful golden cheat from the original plot would only activate in life-and-death situations.

Maybe not everyone is cut out for the protagonist's halo.

Lost in her thoughts, Zanxing unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

Late at night, the wind outside rattled the window, pushing it open slightly.

The wind slipped through the crack, extinguishing the lamp on the table and plunging the room into darkness.

A shadow crept through the window gap like flowing water, slowly climbing over the windowsill and landing on the floor. In the faint moonlight, it inched toward the person slumped over the table.

The air turned colder, and the usual sounds of insects outside vanished, leaving an eerie stillness.

The elongated shadow slithered across the ground like a long, thin ribbon, making its way up the leg of the table, casting an ominous veil over the entire room.

Its tendril-like form reached the top of the table, pausing above the person's head. A sliver of moonlight illuminated the wall, revealing a grotesque, claw-like shadow reaching toward the sleeping figure.

"Meow—"

A sharp, raspy cry from the white cat shattered the silence of the night. Zanxing jolted awake, instinctively drawing the decorated staff from her waist. There was a loud "bang," and the window swung open violently as a dark shadow darted past, almost too fast to catch.

"Martial Uncle!" Zanxing, gripping her staff, dashed out the door. Just as she stepped outside, she saw Gu Baiying rushing out from the neighboring room, chasing the cold gust of wind.

She hesitated.

From the adjacent courtyard, a few palace maids, awakened by the commotion, hurried over to ask what had happened.

Zanxing waved them off with a few dismissive words, sending them away. Shortly after, Gu Baiying returned, holding a silver spear in his hand.

"Martial Uncle!" Zanxing approached and asked, "Did you catch it?"

Gu Baiying shook his head, his expression grim.

After a moment of silence, Gu Baiying glanced at her and said, "Come inside. We need to talk."

Zanxing followed him into the room, where he sat at the table, frowning. "What exactly happened just now?"

"I was waiting for Senior Brother Tian and the others to return. While waiting, I dozed off. Then..." she explained, "I felt like someone had entered my room. I wanted to see who it was, but I couldn't wake up." It felt like sleep paralysis, yet she was acutely aware of the sensation of being watched, a cold, slimy feeling like being coiled by a damp snake.

"I wanted to open my eyes and see, but I couldn't move. Then Mimi called out, and I suddenly regained control." Zanxing looked at Gu Baiying, "Martial Uncle, you lost track of the creature. Was it very powerful?"

The disciples of the Taiyan Sect always spoke highly of Gu Baiying's abilities, and Zanxing never doubted his skills. But the fact that even he couldn't capture the entity—they must be facing a formidable opponent.

Gu Baiying's gaze turned cold. "I didn't sense any demonic aura."

"It wasn't a demon?" Zanxing was stunned. "Then it was a person? But if it was human, how could you have lost them...?"

It would be embarrassing for a cultivator to be outdone by an ordinary human.

"Yang Zanxing, you've got some nerve criticizing me!" Gu Baiying snapped, "You're the personal disciple of Xuan Ling, yet you let a demonic creature chase you down without fighting back. If the Silver Lion hadn't woken you, the Taiyan Sect would have lost a disciple before you even entered the secret realm!"

Zanxing: "..."

Mimi meowed again, affectionately rubbing its head against Gu Baiying's boot as if agreeing with his words. Zanxing thought to herself, this little traitor. After all those spirit pills I gave it, how could it side with him now?

Just as she was about to say something, she lifted her hand and found it damp. Looking down, she noticed a puddle of water on the table. And it wasn't just the table—the floor, from the window to the table, was marked with a long, wet trail, as if something aquatic had slithered across.

A shiver ran down Zanxing's spine. She murmured, "Could it really be the merman?"

But if that were the case, then what exactly was the creature that Tan Tianxin and the others were chasing? Could the merman split itself? Or were there actually two creatures?

Gu Baiying stared at the water stains for a long moment. He reached out, touched the puddle, then withdrew his hand and shook his head. "There's no demonic aura."

"That's impossible," Zanxing exclaimed. "That shadow just now—it definitely wasn't human."

At that moment, voices called from outside, "Junior Sister, Martial Uncle!"

They turned to see Mendong and Tian Fangfang entering the room.

Still carrying the dew of the night on them, Tian Fangfang asked, "Why are you still awake so late?"

"Waiting for you, of course," Zanxing stood up. "Did you find anything today?"

Mendong: "No."

Tian Fangfang: "Yes."

Gu Baiying, exasperated, asked, "Well, did you or didn't you?"

Tian Fangfang coughed awkwardly, "We found something, but... it doesn't seem very useful."