Chapter Eleven: The Enigmatic Lake

As everyone knows, wolves possess a strong sense of hierarchy and are intensely social creatures, always preferring to hunt in packs. Now, countless packs of wolves had already surrounded Lin Weiyan and me, encircling us tightly. The leader among them, a grotesque wolf-faced monster, was drooling hungrily, its vicious eyes radiating greed as though it had been starving for ages. The sight made me nauseous; if we failed to defeat it, our fate would be obvious—there wouldn’t be a bone fragment left of us.

With a chilling howl from the wolf-faced creature, wolves surged toward us from every direction. Sharp claws flashed coldly in the darkness, leaving streaks of pale light. Lin Weiyan stepped in front of me, her movements swift and graceful as she kicked one wolf aside. Protected by her, the wolves couldn’t get near me at all. I found myself unwilling to intervene, instead taking this chance to see just how formidable Lin Weiyan truly was.

Minutes passed, and the wolves grew less ferocious—likely cowed by her prowess. They formed a ring around us, a few lunging from time to time only to be dispatched by Lin Weiyan, some disemboweled right where they fell. The scene was gruesome, intestines and bodies strewn across the ground.

The wolf-faced monster glared at the corpses, rage overtaking it. Suddenly, its body expanded into a giant werewolf—a monstrous wolf demon. Its muscles bulged, covered in crimson fur, and its claws were like half-foot iron hooks. Compared to Lin Weiyan’s petite frame, it was as absurd as an ant standing before an elephant.

“Are you sure you’re up for this? Be careful,” I said, some worry creeping into my voice.

Lin Weiyan smiled, her demeanor relaxed. “Dealing with a mere wolf demon is more than within my abilities.” Whether she genuinely meant it or was just boasting, I couldn’t tell. If it were me facing that creature, I’d be doomed.

Silently, I began channeling the Nine Palaces Shadow Heart technique, ready to assist Lin Weiyan at any moment.

The wolf demon leapt, astonishingly agile as it lunged at us. The surrounding wolves retreated a bit, howling encouragement in unison. Lin Weiyan faced the attack with utter indifference, her expression unconcerned. I wondered if she was just putting on a show.

Seeing the wolf demon about to strike her down, anxiety gripped me. I couldn’t help but unleash a blast of black energy from my palm, conjured by the Nine Palaces Shadow Heart. I expected the wolf demon to dodge, but it didn’t even acknowledge me—the black energy struck its body without effect.

The wolf demon’s enormous paw swung toward Lin Weiyan, and my heart chilled. With its size, it should have crushed her into pulp. Yet, astonishingly, Lin Weiyan stopped the paw with her own hand. No matter how hard the wolf demon pressed, it couldn’t budge her.

Soon, frustration overtook the beast. A colossal wolf-tooth club appeared in its grasp, and it swung wildly at Lin Weiyan, heedless of anything. She deftly evaded each blow. I nearly got smashed myself—if Lin Weiyan hadn’t pushed me aside, my brains would have been scattered across the ground.

Watching the relentless wolf demon, Lin Weiyan snorted coldly. “Enough. It’s time you learned just how formidable I am.” With that, she launched herself at the wolf demon. One move—just one—the wolf demon’s head was severed from its body.

I could barely believe my eyes. Her strength defied description. Even the great elder brother from Journey to the West would be hard-pressed to match her.

How could a mere fox demon possess such power?

The wolf demon’s body convulsed a few times, then lay still. Lin Weiyan approached its corpse, seemingly drawing an object from within as casually as plucking something from thin air—a stone the size of an egg, radiating a faintly dark yellow glow.

She carefully placed the stone into the pouch tied at her waist. “All right, let’s go,” she said with obvious delight.

Only then did I notice the wolves had disappeared, and the mist in the forest had faded away.

Presumably, that strange fog had been conjured by the wolf demon.

We returned to the place where we had parted ways with Elder Jiang. I asked Lin Weiyan, “You realized that Elder Jiang was an imposter, didn’t you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

She replied, “I didn’t keep it from you—I didn’t notice at first either. It was only later that I sensed something was wrong.”

Just then, Elder Jiang stumbled toward us, his steps disordered as if he’d endured some ordeal. Before we could ask, he gasped, “There’s a millennia-old serpent demon ahead—I nearly met my end there. Thankfully, my master gave me a protective talisman.”

Hearing the words “millennia-old serpent demon,” my knees went weak. I couldn't imagine how enormous such a creature must be.

“Maybe we should take a detour?” I suggested.

Elder Jiang replied, “Don’t worry. I’ve already taken care of the serpent demon. Let’s hurry and move on.”

I thought, even if the millennia-old serpent is gone, what about the centennial ones? Or the small snakes that escaped? If I accidentally stepped on one, I’d probably die of fright.

But I was too embarrassed to admit my fear of snakes. If Elder Jiang found out, he’d surely tease me with them every day.

So I steeled myself and followed them, carefully watching where I stepped.

After walking for over an hour, we reached the deepest part of the forest. Before us lay a lake, roughly the size of two football fields. At some point, the moon had appeared in the night sky. Though not perfectly round, its reflection in the lake was beautiful.

As a poem describes, “Under the moon, a flying mirror from heaven; clouds give rise to towers across the sea. Still, I cherish the waters of my homeland, sending boats on journeys far and wide.”

At that moment, gazing at the moonlit lake, I thought of home—it had been nearly a year since I left. I remembered summer nights as a child, lying atop the roof of our house, counting stars under the bright moonlight. Many times, I would fall asleep unknowingly, only to awaken inside, realizing later that my father had carried me in.

A year had passed; I wondered how my father was, whether he had grown old.

“What’s that?” Lin Weiyan suddenly pointed to the center of the lake.

Her question pulled me from my reverie. Following her gaze, I saw an ancient structure rising in the middle of the lake, its form flickering in and out of sight, shrouded in mystery.