Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Youth

Hearing what Feng Zimo said, it seemed clear that this Azure Dragon Pool was no ordinary place. But with so many tourists around, it wasn’t convenient to speak with the monster below. We could only wait until the dead of night, when the crowds had dispersed and silence reigned.

In truth, I wasn’t meddling out of idle curiosity; I merely wanted to glean some information about the whereabouts of the Soul Capturing Pearl from the monster. After wandering about Qingyun Mountain for a while longer, Lin Weiyan finally returned. I spotted her from afar, but she seemed injured—her face was pale.

“What happened to you? You look terrible,” I asked.

Lin Weiyan replied, “Let’s talk as we walk.”

On the way back to the hotel, she recounted how she’d been hurt. She had followed that young man with great caution, but he still discovered her. He deliberately led her to a secluded spot and craftily set up a formation. By the time Lin Weiyan realized it, she was already trapped. Ordinarily, with her cultivation, she would have no trouble breaking free from such a formation. However, the young man had tampered with it, altering its rules. The formation reversed, turning everything upside down.

To escape, Lin Weiyan was forced to use her inner core to violently break the formation, which damaged her vital energy.

After hearing her account, it seemed my suspicions were correct: that young man was no ordinary person. His presence here could only mean he was searching for something.

Back at the hotel, I told Lin Weiyan to focus on her recovery. Feng Zimo and I set out to find the young man and probe his intentions. But when we inquired at the front desk, the owner told us he’d checked out five minutes earlier and already left.

Did that mean he’d found what he was looking for? Or was he deliberately avoiding us?

When we returned, Lin Weiyan’s color had improved, though she still needed rest. To avoid disturbing her, I called Xiaoling over to our room. As dusk settled over the land, I told Xiaoling to stay and look after Lin Weiyan, while Feng Zimo and I made our way to the Azure Dragon Pool.

At midnight, the Azure Dragon Pool took on a strange, eerie quality, broken only by the sound of the rushing waterfall. Feng Zimo and I stood by the railing at the edge, staring intently into the depths.

“Brother Feng, do you think the monster is still down there?” I asked.

Feng Zimo nodded and said to me, “It’s still there. I can sense its presence.”

“So how do we lure it out? Or should we just jump in?” I suggested.

Feng Zimo glanced at me. “If you want to go in, go ahead. I can’t swim.”

I looked at Feng Zimo. Though he’d shed his ancient garb and now dressed more stylishly than I did, I still remembered where he used to live.

“Come off it. The first time I met you, didn’t you live in a lake? Now you’re telling me you can’t swim?”

Hearing this, Feng Zimo shot me a look of disdain. “Who said living in a lake means you can swim? I can’t, anyway.”

“Fine, I’ll go in then!” I said, making as if to climb over the railing.

But Feng Zimo grabbed me and pulled me back. “Are you really that stupid, or just pretending? Do you even know how deep this water is?”

I chuckled. “Just teasing you.”

But honestly, the water here did seem deep. If I really went in, my chances of coming back out were slim.

We still needed a way to draw out whatever was lurking below. Otherwise, what was the point of coming here so late?

“How about we throw some stones in?” I suggested.

Feng Zimo burst out laughing. “Are you kidding? Never mind stones—even if you fired a cannon, it might not show itself.”

“A cannon? Brother Feng, you know about cannons?” I asked, surprised.

Feng Zimo straightened, pride in his voice. “Of course. I know about cannons, and even atom bombs.”

“Impressive, Brother Feng. You’re getting more and more worldly,” I said.

As we spoke, we were beginning to drift off-topic. The main issue was still figuring out how to draw out whatever was below.

For the moment, I had no good ideas, so I pinned my hopes on Feng Zimo.

He frowned, thinking deeply for a long time before finally speaking. “Don’t you have the Universe Mirror? Use its thunderstrike—it’s more effective than a cannon.”

With that reminder, I realized it was indeed an option. But how did he know the Universe Mirror could unleash a thunderstrike? When Lin Weiyan taught me to use it, he hadn’t been present.

So I asked, “How did you know the Universe Mirror can release a thunderstrike?”

Feng Zimo grinned. “I overheard when you were talking.”

I was speechless—so he had a habit of eavesdropping as well.

I took the Universe Mirror from my robe, thinking that with my current cultivation, I should be able to use it. I was just about to chant the activation formula when suddenly, from behind, a voice rang out.

“Stop!”

I turned toward the sound. Not far away stood a young man—the very one who’d injured Lin Weiyan with his formation.

“It’s you?” I said.

He replied, “Yes, it’s me. Do you know what lies at the bottom of the pool?”

I shook my head. Judging by his tone, he seemed to know.

“Do you know what’s down there?” I asked.

He nodded. “Of course. Otherwise, why would I stop you?”

“Then tell me—what is it?” I pressed.

He walked toward me, but his gaze lingered on Feng Zimo. “I assume you’re a monster as well?”

Feng Zimo laughed. “So what if I am? So what if I’m not?”

“If you’re a monster, you must be subdued!” The young man’s face darkened.

“Wait!” I interjected.

He snorted coldly. “You’re just a human, yet you spend all your time with monsters. I doubt you’re any good yourself.”

His words infuriated me. “Listen, kid, don’t think you’re something special just because you have some skills. What’s wrong with keeping company with monsters? Am I eating your food? Drinking your water? What business is it of yours? If you’re here to pick a fight, don’t blame me for not showing mercy.”

I made ready to fight. After all, he’d hurt Lin Weiyan, and I’d wanted to teach him a lesson. Now he came looking for trouble with me as well.

But the young man wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He said coldly, “If you want to consort with monsters, I won’t stop you. But you cannot touch what’s below, because none of us can afford to provoke it.”

His words filled me with doubt. “Why not?”

“You don’t even know what’s down there, and yet you still dare to meddle. You’re bold, I’ll give you that. I’ll tell you the truth: this is the Azure Dragon Pool. At the bottom lies an Azure Dragon that has slept for three thousand years.”