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Join the Server“Kappa?” Su Xinxin ventured, “You mean the kind with… a dish on its head and a turtle shell on its back?”
Black-hearted Chrysanthemum raised an eyebrow.
“Mm-hm,” she affirmed. “Quite an accurate guess.”
She paused, seemingly testing her, yet also providing a bit of common knowledge.
“Strictly speaking, however, we refer to these creatures as ‘River Tigers’ here. The ‘Commentary on the Water Classic: Mian River’ specifically records that these yokai inhabit the rivers of our Chutian Province, with the Mian River itself flowing into the Yangtze right here in Jiangcheng.”
Su Xinxin blinked.
‘So… this water monster is a local yokai?’
“Unfortunately,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum continued, “too few people know the name ‘River Tiger,’ while ‘Kappa’ is far more widely recognized due to anime and manga. When the resentments of the drowned condense, they subconsciously choose the most familiar image to manifest themselves.”
She shrugged.
“It’s a form of… cultural transmission, I suppose.”
No sooner had she spoken than the water exploded with a splash!
A grayish-green figure leaped from the lake!
The creature was about half a person’s height, its back hunched like that of an elderly person. Its head was bald, with a dish-like depression in the center holding a pool of murky water. A dark green turtle shell, overgrown with algae and moss, was strapped to its back.
Its limbs were short and thick, its fingers webbed, glistening wetly in the sunlight. Its face was contorted into a knot, two eyes bulging like those of a dead fish, and its mouth was tightly shut, emitting no sound.
It hovered above the water, tilting its head, its bulging eyes fixed on the two figures on the shore.
Su Xinxin’s heart seized at the sight of its gaze.
“Don’t be afraid,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s voice remained steady. “Though it looks like this, it’s essentially a mid-tier ‘Erosion’ of the ‘Formed’ type.”
She turned her head to Su Xinxin.
“But now,” she said, “you must first tell me, what is the core difference between a low-tier and a mid-tier ‘Erosion’?”
Without time to overthink, Su Xinxin instinctively replied, “Low-tier ‘Erosions’ only possess a basic desire to attack. Mid-tier ‘Erosions’ have clear attacking intentions and destructive urges, and they can also… learn?”
“Correct,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum nodded. “This thing was secretly observing us just now. It might have already memorized our auras and won’t foolishly charge us head-on.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the water monster plunged into the water, vanishing from sight.
The lake surface returned to its tranquil state.
Su Xinxin extended her Perception—nothing. It was as if the previous scene had been an illusion.
“It… it vanished?”
“No,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum corrected. “It’s submerged itself deeper. It’s playing hide-and-seek with us.”
She turned her head to Su Xinxin.
“Use your Perception to tell me where it will emerge next.”
Su Xinxin closed her eyes, unleashing her magical Perception to its fullest extent.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Only the gentle ripple of the lake, only the wind sweeping across its surface.
“Can’t sense it?” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s voice drifted over. “That’s quite normal. This creature is extremely adept at concealment in water. With your current strength, it’s difficult to pinpoint its movements.”
She paused.
“Then I ask you, what do you intend to do now?”
Su Xinxin bit her lower lip.
‘Unable to sense it… what now?’
She recalled Jasmin’s words during training: ‘Sometimes, if you can’t sense it, use experience to guess. If it wants to attack you, it must get close to you.’
She opened her eyes, staring at the lake surface.
“If it wants to attack, it has to come closer to the shore,” she stated. “I’ll wait here on the bank for it to emerge on its own.”
Black-hearted Chrysanthemum raised an eyebrow.
“The idea is right. But it’s not enough.”
She raised her hand, and the golden ring, ‘Sundial,’ whistled out, flying low over the lake, carving a beautiful arc.
“I’ll force it out for you.”
The golden ring plunged into the water.
A burst of golden light exploded. The lake surface churned violently, and the grayish-green figure was forced to leap from the water. This time, it didn’t immediately vanish.
Instead, it hovered in mid-air, opening its mouth—that tightly sealed mouth—and letting out a shrill shriek! Then it plunged down violently!
Its speed was astonishing!
Su Xinxin had no time to think, instinctively raising her hand.
Radiant Weave Barrier: Protect!
A moon-white light wove into a sheer curtain of light before them.
The water monster crashed against the barrier with a dull thud, was repelled, and fell back into the water.
“Not bad,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum remarked. “Your reaction wasn’t slow.”
She looked at the lake surface.
“However, it won’t charge like that again. It will change its approach.”
No sooner had she spoken than countless water columns erupted from the lake!
These water columns rose from the lake like fountains, each one imbued with resentment, shooting towards the two women!
Su Xinxin instinctively moved to expand the light barrier.
But there were too many water columns; the barrier could only protect one side.
She froze for an instant.
In that single moment, a water column struck her from the side, hitting her hard! It was icy cold and soaked her through. Truly awful; what if she caught a cold?
However, a more profound despair, a suffocating sensation of drowning, the powerlessness of struggling, and the final surrender in that last moment, invaded her mind along with the water.
Su Xinxin shivered, her vision momentarily darkening.
“Steady yourself.”
Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s voice seemed to come from a great distance. The dark ring, ‘Star Trail,’ detached from her ear and instantly expanded around them, forming a rapidly spinning mirror array that blocked all subsequent water columns.
“I ask you,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum said, her tone still as calm as if she were chatting, “what should you use to counter this kind of mental pollution?”
Su Xinxin gritted her teeth, forcing herself to break free from the overwhelming despair.
Clear Spirit Infusion: Inspire!
She summoned her wooden staff and pressed it against her chest, a clear light infusing her. The negative emotions seemed to be dispelled by something, slowly receding.
“Correct answer,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum said. “Now, tell me where it is.”
Su Xinxin closed her eyes.
This time, she wasn’t disturbed by the water columns. Instead, she immersed her Perception into the depths of the lake.
There.
Slightly to the left of the lake’s center, a chaotic aura was brewing.
“It’s gathering power,” she stated. “It might be preparing for something big.”
“Clever,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum smiled. “Then we shall wait for it.”
She raised her hand, and the golden ring flew back into her grasp.
“One more question, Gentian—do ‘Erosions’ have a distinction between good and evil?”
Su Xinxin froze.
‘This question…’
“No, not really?” she said hesitantly. “‘Erosions’ are formed from negative emotions; they are inherently…”
“Inherently bad?” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum interrupted her. “Then do you think this thing at the bottom of the lake wants to harm people because it’s ‘bad,’ or because it’s simply composed of the emotions of being ‘harmed’?”
Su Xinxin opened her mouth, unable to speak.
She recalled Jasmin’s account of the night at the provincial library. The ‘Erosions’ that obediently followed the witch, Ghost Orchid—those protected presences that weren’t eliminated.
‘Were those ‘Erosions’ truly ‘bad’?’
“This question,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum said, “you can answer after the assessment is over.”
No sooner had she spoken than the lake erupted!
This time, the grayish-green figure didn’t charge. Instead, it stirred up a colossal wall of water, an overwhelming deluge pressing down on the two women!
The water wall carried with it the resentments of countless drowned victims—their desperate screams, struggling forms, and the terror of their final descent into darkness—all surging towards them in that moment!
“Now,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s voice remained clear amidst the roar of the water wall, “use what you know to assist me.”
With that, her figure blurred, and she charged into the water wall!
The golden and dark rings danced around her, tearing open gaps in the water wall!
Su Xinxin stood her ground, taking a deep breath.
‘Assist her…’
She raised her staff.
Clear Radiance Boundary: Manifest!
A moon-white barrier rapidly expanded with her at its center. Within the barrier, the surging resentments were subtly suppressed, no longer so suffocating.
Black-hearted Chrysanthemum had already plunged deep into the water wall, locked in battle with the grayish-green figure! The whooshing of the golden ring, the spinning of the dark ring, and the creature’s shrieks interwove within the water wall.
Su Xinxin stood at the center of the barrier, diligently maintaining its stability while using her Perception to track every ripple on the battlefield.
Suddenly, a wisp of resentment bypassed Black-hearted Chrysanthemum’s defenses and lunged at her!
She had no time to think, instinctively creating another layer of light barrier in front of her.
Radiant Weave Barrier: Protect!
The resentment struck the barrier, shattering into countless fragments.
But just then—
Another water column shot from the side!
She had no time to react, only closing her eyes.
Pfft.
The water column was intercepted by a dark ray of light three meters away from her.
Black-hearted Chrysanthemum had retreated at some point, her dark ring hovering at her side, deflecting the water column back into the lake.
“Still alright,” she said, her tone still carrying that upward inflection. “You knew to prioritize protecting the barrier, and your reaction was swift.”
She turned, looking at the figure reforming deep within the water wall.
“That’s enough.”
She raised both hands, and the golden and dark rings flew up simultaneously, converging in the air.
Black-hearted Golden Light: Bloom!
The two rings merged, transforming into a colossal phantom of Black-hearted Chrysanthemum that bloomed over the lake! A golden pillar of light descended from the sky, enveloping the grayish-green figure!
The creature trembled violently, emitting a shrill shriek.
Then—
It plunged violently into the water.
It vanished.
The lake surface returned to peace.
Su Xinxin stood rooted, breathing heavily. She didn’t know how much magical energy she had expended, only that her limbs felt weak and the scenery before her blurred slightly.
“It… it ran away?” she asked incredulously.
“It ran away,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum nodded, her two rings transforming back into earrings and returning to her ears.
“But… your skill…”
“My skill’s damage, besides my own magical energy, also depends on the target’s alignment,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum explained. “The more evil the ‘Erosion,’ the higher the damage; conversely, the lower the damage.”
She paused.
“It was wounded by me but not annihilated, which indicates it’s not entirely evil, but certainly not benevolent either.”
Su Xinxin was stunned; there was such an explanation.
“Then it…”
“It’s composed of the resentments of the drowned. Those resentments contain fear, despair, and unwillingness—these are not good, but they are not purely evil either,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum said. “That’s why it was able to escape.”
She turned and looked at Su Xinxin.
“Do you have an answer to that question now?”
Su Xinxin pondered for a moment, then spoke:
“Perhaps… there is no inherent good or evil. They are simply made of emotions. If those emotions are pure hatred, pure resentment, then they are evil. But if those emotions are just fear, just sadness… then they might just be… lost.”
She paused.
“Before, at the provincial library, I met a witch. I heard she didn’t directly harm ordinary people; she only protected those ‘Erosions.’ Those ‘Erosions’ followed her obediently, like children afraid of being abandoned again.”
She looked up at Black-hearted Chrysanthemum.
“So I’m wondering, that water monster just now… it attacked us because it’s composed of the fear of ‘drowning.’ It only knows this one way of expressing itself. If… if someone could soothe it, tell it that the pain is over, would it…”
She didn’t finish her sentence.
Black-hearted Chrysanthemum watched her, silent for a few seconds.
Then she smiled.
“You’re quite the thinker,” she said. “You start pondering these things right after a fight.”
She paused.
“But you’re right, some ‘Erosions’ can indeed be soothed and purified. However, you must remember—until you confirm whether it can be, you must first protect yourself and those around you. You cannot presume it to be good, nor can you immediately trust its benevolence. More peculiar ‘Erosions’ might feign goodness to ‘accidentally’ harm people. These are all things you must judge for yourself.”
She turned, looking at the calm lake surface.
“As for that fellow just now—”
She curved her lips.
“It’s been in Mirror Lake for quite a while. Every assessment, it comes out for a stroll, gets beaten up, and then runs off. Next time, it’ll still come out.”
Su Xinxin paused.
‘Wait… so this water monster is?’
“Alright,” Black-hearted Chrysanthemum turned back, looking at Cornflower, who hadn’t participated in the battle and stood a short distance away.
Cornflower nodded, writing something on her notepad along with Little Daisy, who perched on her shoulder.
Then she looked up at Su Xinxin.
“Gentian,” she said, her voice still calm and steady as water, “your practical assessment is passed.”
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