Chapter 44: The Merfolk’s Secret Path

The blade swiftly aimed for Bai Jiujiu’s neck, but the instant it was about to make contact with her skin, it froze mid-air.

The shadowy figure, having infiltrated the room, lowered the hand holding the blade and retracted it.

“Honestly, you weren’t even asleep. There’s no need to play the waiting game, trying to catch Little Wu.”

A familiar voice echoed in the ears of Bai Jiujiu and Tong Qiu. Ripples shimmered across the figure, revealing their true form hidden beneath the illusion.

It was none other than Little Wu, the merfolk still singing on the stage.

Meanwhile, the human and the demon who had appeared to be sleeping soundly by the window now opened their eyes. Bai Jiujiu, in particular, gazed at Tong Qiu and Little Wu with a bewildered expression.

She had keenly sensed the hypnotic and enchanting effects within Little Wu’s song. Thus, she had immediately transmitted a warning to Tong Qiu and sealed her own ears and eyes with demonic energy.

This was her accumulated experience over eight millennia, a defense honed by her disciples’ relentless attempts at hypnosis and brainwashing.

Never once had those troublesome disciples succeeded!

‘Xiao Qing: Oh, absolutely, absolutely.’

However, the subsequent appearance of Little Wu, seemingly attempting to assassinate her, had given the snake a fright.

Her right hand had already rested on the Flowing Shadow Sword, poised to draw it at any moment.

So, why did Little Wu withdraw her hand in the end?

Bai Jiujiu cast a questioning gaze at Tong Qiu, a hint of annoyance flickering in her eyes.

She felt as though some villains had conspired with other demons to deceive the snake, to steal from her, to scheme against her!

“Ah, haha, Senior, allow me to introduce her. This is Little Wu. We met her a year ago near Zhuocheng while apprehending a fugitive. She assisted us in capturing the demon who was polluting the river water.”

“Her recent actions are simply Little Wu’s habit; she only reveals herself to those unaffected by her hypnotic singing.”

“I apologize; I was too presumptuous.”

Tong Qiu bowed ninety degrees, speaking to Bai Jiujiu with profound apology. After all, such an action without the other party’s permission was entirely inappropriate. If she had inadvertently angered Bai Jiujiu, Tong Qiu would surely lose her job and her pay.

Nevertheless, Tong Qiu trusted Bai Jiujiu. After all, the Senior was an eight-thousand-year-old great demon from Cloudfall Mountain, and the golden-eyed Bai Jiujiu who had appeared a few nights prior possessed unfathomable strength.

Little Wu was only elusive in her illusionary arts, while her actual combat prowess was a realm lower. Moreover, Little Wu’s tests never harmed anyone; they were absolutely safe.

Seeing Bai Jiujiu’s inquiring gaze, Tong Qiu took the opportunity to recount the events that had transpired in Zhuocheng a year prior.

“A year ago, when I had just been promoted to a second-class constable in the Demon Suppression Bureau, I followed Lord Wuqing to apprehend the Heavenly-rank criminal, Jiao Pan—one of the Four Great Constables I mentioned to you before.”

“At that time, due to my limited strength, I was assigned to remain in Zhuocheng, ready to provide support for Lord Wuqing, who was heading south towards the sea. However, Jiao Pan then colluded with other unknown demons to pollute Zhuocheng’s water source, poisoning us all. Fortunately, Little Wu intervened in time, helping us constables neutralize the toxins and locate the demon responsible for the poisoning.”

‘So that’s how it was.’

Upon hearing this, Bai Jiujiu largely understood. In a sense, Little Wu was Tong Qiu’s savior.

“Oh, it was nothing. Little Wu merely sensed that her sleeping place was being polluted and simply offered a temporary hand.”

Little Wu modestly covered her smile, her bell-like laughter sweet to the ear.

Bai Jiujiu then recalled that when facing Zhang Feng in Chongxi Town, he had mistaken her for Wuqing and inadvertently revealed that Wuqing’s throat had been injured while pursuing a demon in Guyang Bay, rendering them temporarily unable to speak.

‘Could this also be related to the events of a year ago?’

“Seeing how close you two are, did you pass her test a long time ago?”

Bai Jiujiu narrowed her eyes, her body instinctively leaning closer to Tong Qiu, speaking with a hint of jealousy.

Their eyes met, and Tong Qiu, blushing, averted her gaze.

“Ah, ah, ah, Senior, you’re too close! To be precise, yes, that’s correct. The illusionary test at the time involved the children from the orphanage, and you know I… Little Wu, what are you doing with that reflection mirror?”

Tong Qiu placed her hands on Bai Jiujiu’s shoulders, attempting to push away the increasingly close Bai Jiujiu.

At the same time, she heard a click. Turning her head, she saw Little Wu beside them, her eyes wide with surprise, a blush spreading across her cheeks, and her pink pupils seemingly sparkling. She had suddenly produced a small mirror and aimed it at the two of them.

Her lips curved into a silly grin, and she shifted her body up and down, finding the perfect angle to capture the scene with the reflection mirror.

“Ehehe, a thousand-year-old demon and a human cultivator getting cozy! I’ve got new inspiration for my next song, ehehe~”

“Alright, the illusion will be ending soon. Little Wu won’t be accompanying our two esteemed guests for now.”

“After all, it’s best not to slack off during work hours. Little Wu will appear before you both again tonight.”

Little Wu playfully winked her left eye, then ripples spread across her body as she vanished from the Welcoming Spring Chamber in the same manner she had appeared, as if she had never been there.

She was like a phantom.

As Little Wu disappeared, the melodious singing from the stage also came to an end.

The magic array on the platform continued to operate, slowly lowering Little Wu.

The harp and Little Wu gradually sank beneath the water, and the music and singing disappeared into the Drunken Dream Pavilion as they were submerged.

The water surface became calm.

The sunlight no longer refracted into a rainbow halo.

It was just this peaceful…

“This is the main reason why I brought you to the Drunken Dream Pavilion now. Little Wu only appears in the Seven-Colored Lake for a few minutes every morning to perform.”

“To find her, we must time it perfectly. I originally didn’t intend to seek Little Wu’s help, but then I smelled the wine and remembered she could assist us.”

Tong Qiu finally managed to push Bai Jiujiu away. She looked at the calm lake surface, her face flushed, and explained to Bai Jiujiu.

Bai Jiujiu also felt that her behavior just now had been undignified.

She hadn’t acted at all like a thousand-year-old great demon should.

It must have been those troublesome disciples’ influence.

They had caused her, who was originally so composed, to become like this. It was all Su Ling’er’s fault!

The snake was already struggling to keep her tail still!

“But why do we need Little Wu’s help?”

“If we travel by land normally, our human-skin masks definitely won’t be enough. After Scarlet Soul escapes, they will head to Qingqiu to restart the Dreamfall. The Demon Suppression Bureau and King Chu’s people will undoubtedly be prepared, and the areas near Qingqiu will surely have many guards and constables deployed. Without the disguise of human-skin masks, we two fugitives would simply be walking into a trap.”

Tong Qiu once again took out a map and a brush from her spatial ring, lowering her head to mark and annotate it, explaining earnestly to Bai Jiujiu.

“So we must travel by water. Little Wu can not only grant us the ability to breathe and move underwater, but she also knows many unmarked underwater secret passages, some of which might even lead directly to Qing…”

A seductive fragrance wafted into Tong Qiu’s nostrils, causing her to instinctively lift her head.

She met a pair of clear, peach-blossom eyes, and her own crystalline red pupils seemed to reflect her somewhat dazed expression.

Bai Jiujiu’s small mouth pouted slightly, opening just enough to utter words tinged with both grievance and flirtation.

“Little Tong Qiu, why do you call that pig demon by their full name, yet you address me as ‘Senior’ every single time?”

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