SPLASH!
A loud splash echoed through the air as Jin Jiuchi leaped into the waterfall and was carried downstream. "Ha... hahahaha!" Exuberant laughter escaped his throat as he playfully flailed his arms around. "It’s so fun! I wanna do it ag—aooww!" His joy abruptly turned into a yelp of pain when Shen Nianzu pulled on his ear. "Ow, ow, ow! Nian’er, it hurts! It hurts!!"
"So you know that it hurts?!" Shen Nianzu fud. He no longer cared that his clothes were soaked as he dragged the misbehaving husky out of the stream. "Do you know how dangerous it is to jump from up there?! What if you got a concussion, huh?! Stand up properly and let check if you’re injured!"
Jin Jiuchi put on the most pitiful look he could muster, "But I’m not injured, though..." he promptly sealed his mouth shut when Shen Nianzu shot him a glare.
"Stand up straighter! Don’t slouch! And don’t pick your ear either!"
Despite the harsh reprimands, Jin Jiuchi’s spirits quickly lifted as he felt Shen Nianzu groping around his body, secretly enjoying the sensation.
Grandpa Song approached them, concern etched on his face. "Oh dear, are you okay? You... You really resembled the Ninth Prince I encountered previously. Both of you are really reckless and impulsive!"
"Hehe, are we now?" Jin Jiuchi couldn’t suppress the grin on his face. He was simply happy to be compared with his brother, though his expression quickly shifted to a pained grimace when Shen Nianzu pinched him on the waist.
"Don’t ever repeat sothing like that again, do you hear ?" he hissed.
Feeling rebellious out of nowhere, Jin Jiuchi turned his head away with a harrumph, causing Shen Nianzu’s eyes to widen in anger. "You—!"
"Xiao Shen, Da Shen, Grandpa—!" Gu Luoxin peered down from the balcony and waved at them. "What are you all doing there?!"
Soon after, Gu Luoxin joined them, and the initial peaceful atmosphere turned lively and rambunctious. "Woah..." Gu Luoxin gaped at the scenery around, his eyes sparkling in awe. He was cradling baby Toki in his arms who looked equally excited, like a child having his first field trip. "What a beautiful place!"
"That..." Surprise flashed in Song Yunshi’s eyes upon seeing the nightmare creature who was supposed to be their tour guide in the previous Cycle. But he quickly put two and two together and expressed sincerely, "Congratulations on acquiring a divine prop. That’s aweso!"
Gu Luoxin murmured his thanks bashfully before asking, "Don’t you have one, Grandpa?"
Grandpa Song shook his head in regret, "Nightmare creatures tend to be independent, arrogant and sinister. It’s really rare to find one who willingly follows a human. The more powerful they are, the more condescending they beco. Of course, so special exceptions exist, like the one you have here."
"Co to think of it," Shen Nianzu chid in before his teammates could expose Aqua’s existence. It was not like he suspected Song Yunshi for harboring malicious intentions. It’s just a force of habit— Shen Nianzu felt uncomfortable laying down all of his cards in his sleeves. It would make him feel exposed and vulnerable. "Earlier, I saw Grandpa practicing so moves. I haven’t seen anything like that before."
"Oh, you an this?" Song Yunshi raised his hand, and a gentle breeze seed to brush by. However, at such close proximity, the trio noticed a slender beam of light emanating from his palm, which sliced through the air and cleanly divided the floating leaf in half.
"Woah!" Gu Luoxin and Jin Jiuchi exclaid in shock and awe.
"Is that your skill card?" Shen Nianzu asked, though he was not certain about it because the feeling it gave was different from when Song Yunshi was using his skill card.
"Yes and no," Song Yunshi replied, capturing the trio’s curiosity. "Do you know? I’ve once wondered if our power has always been buried within us, and the Nightmare rely triggered its activation through the skill card, or if it’s genuinely granted to us for so unknown reason. Let’s imagine this scenario— if you’re trapped in a Cycle, but you’re unable to access your skill cards and props, what would you do?"
The casual outing suddenly turned into a serious lesson. Gu Luoxin and Shen Nianzu pondered on the question seriously, while Jin Jiuchi eagerly thrust his hands up in the air. ", , ! I know!"
Song Yunshi played along and gestured at him, "Yes, young man. Do you have the answer?"
Jin Jiuchi grinned and flexed his muscular biceps, answering with confidence. "What do we have to be afraid of? We can just bulldoze through the Cycle with brute force!"
What did I expect? Shen Nianzu pald his forehead exasperatedly. Song Yunshi, on the other hand, cleared his throat to disguise his laughter. Only Gu Luoxin dared to protest out loud, "Geez, you’re a nightmare creature, of course the question doesn’t apply to you!"
Jin Jiuchi gasped loudly, aghast. "What’s with this blatant discrimination?!"
"Truth to be told, I don’t know the answer either," Song Yunshi elaborated. "One thing I do know is, I don’t want to be left utterly helpless when that ti cos. That’s why I have been practicing to use my elent without activating the skill card."
"Elent?"
"Basic elents that make up this world— water, fire, earth, air, ice, lightning, light and shadow. They are then upgraded to more complex configurations such as manipulation, summoning and healing. Coincidentally, my natural elent is light, which makes it easier for to practice. Just concentrate on your surroundings, feel the energy gather around you, and let your mind do the rest."
Once again, Song Yunshi widened his stance and demonstrated his moves, and the trio watched in astonishnt as particles of light gathered around him like tiny spheres, following the movent of his hands. They could beco as soft as water, and also as sharp as a blade. Just like malleable components that responded to his every command.
Song Yunshi lowered his hands, and the spheres dispersed only to dissipate into thin air. He smiled, "With this, you don’t need a weapon or prop to fight anymore. Co to think of it, didn’t your sword break in the previous Cycle?" He directed the question to Shen Nianzu. "If you haven’t found a suitable weapon yet, you can practice with your elent and see if you can control it. I’m certain it will be beneficial for you."
Shen Nianzu indeed had not searched for another weapon in exchange for his transparent blade. He thought he could do it soti in the future before he had to challenge another Cycle. However, after listening to Grandpa, he was now tempted to learn the technique.
"Basic elent, huh?" Murmuring thoughtfully, he lifted his hands and clenched them into fists.
Reviews
All reviews (0)