Bai Lian advanced to a rank 5 spirit warrior after a week of undergoing her training routine. She resolved herself to try her hand at fishing once more.
There were four spirit lake trouts near her. One of which had the power of a rank 6 spirit warrior, while the other three trouts were smaller and at the level of a rank 3 spirit warrior.
Bai Lian recalled her previous "battle." The trout appeared to have been unaware that the one attacking it was her. With this in mind, she felt at ease launching a sneak attack on this group of spirit beasts. 'How could they fight back if they don't know who they're fighting.'
On one of her leaves, she gathered wind qi into a ball, comparable in size to a sweet rice dumpling. Pushing the nostalgic memories of the desserts she used to love in her past life into the back of her mind, Bai Lian solemnly took aim. With a quick flick of her leaf, she sent the ball flying towards the largest of the spirit lake trouts.
Crashing into the lake, albeit losing some of it speed, the ball surged towards the head of one of the smaller spirit trouts without giving it a chance to dodge. 'Aim needs improvement,' noted Bai Lian upon noticing she had hit the wrong target.
The initial shock from the sudden death of one of its children morphed into rage as the rank 6 spirit warrior level trout scanned the waters for the attacker. It could not sense anyone near them, neither in the waters or above.
Unable to locate the attacker, the father spirit lake trout lashed out in anger as it sent a water blade towards the general direction the qi ball had come from. Thinking the attacker had already gotten away, the father led its two children away.
Bai Lian had not expected the trout to send an attack towards her despite being unaware she was the attacker. Quickly overcoming her surprise, she easily dodged the water blade. Her efforts towards body training were not in vain at all. She was able to maneuver her stem much quicker than before.
Having already turned away, the spirit lake trouts had not beared witness to the eye-catching sight of a white lotus dodging a water blade.
Once more, Bai Lian sent a ball of wind qi propelling towards the strongest of the trout group, feeling no guilt towards attacking a target with its back turned. 'Who told you to turn your back on me after just hitting on me,' she justified to herself, feeling hypocritical anger towards the trout who had unexpectedly shot a water blade towards her.
The father trout sensed something amiss. It turned around, only to be greeted by the wind ball shooting towards it, giving the trout little time to dodge. The trout barely managed to avoid a critical injury.
The two trout children were stunned by the sight of their injured father. With red-rimmed eyes, they moved towards their father to support him in running away. However, Bai Lian had no intentions on letting them flee.
In mere seconds, three spirit lake trout corpses began their slow descent towards the bottom of the lake, leaving behind traces of blood in the water. Their spirits began to disperse, filled with grievance, having no idea who had killed them.
Regret slowly took form within Bai Lian as she eyed the spirit lake trout corpses laying at the bottom of the lake using the visual signals sent by the plants growing at the bottom of the lake.
'If I weren't a plant, I would definitely be able to eat those fish,' she thought grudgingly. Bai Lian longingly reminisced, greatly missing the feeling a human would have as they ate a delicious meal. Realizing her solemn feelings, Bai Lian felt even more bitter, 'In the past, eating was my solution to any negative feelings. What am I supposed to do now?'
Bai Lian noticed another group of spirit lake trouts approaching, likely attracted by the blood of its kinsmen. The three trouts had the power of a rank 9 spirit warrior.
Rather than mere annoyance, hatred surged up within Bai Lian. To her, those spirit lake trouts were the evil ones who had awaken her inner hunger for food, causing her to suffer from longing. 'Dangling their delicious looking bodies before me… Every one of them just can't help but spite me!' Three balls of wind qi, thrown at the same time, shot towards the trouts, aimed precisely at their heads.
The three spirit lake trouts swiftly dodged the sudden attack and attempted to locate the attacker. Sensing no one in the waters around or above the lake, the three trouts narrowed their eyes.
Witnessing how easily the trouts had dodged her attack, Bai Lian's mind cleared up. 'Since when was I so short tempered and quick to act.' If someone from her previous life saw her act so rashly for such a childish reason they would have been shocked out of their minds. How could that quick tempered brat be the same person as that gentle young lady who always appeared so tranquil even when being mocked?
Although Bai Lian had regained her past life memories, she was not the exact same as the past Bai Lian. She had already lived some years as a white lotus. The her of this life was not as old as she was when she died in her previous life, so despite the regained memories, she was still less mature than before.
Bai Lian stayed motionless and observed the three trouts worryingly, not daring to move even a single leaf. They were much stronger than her. If they rashly sent an attack in the direction the ball of wind qi had came from, she would be in deep trouble. The attack may be too quick for her to dodge and if she did dodge, they would definitely take notice of her.
Despite her cultivation, Bai Lian was still a plant rooted at the bottom of the lake. She could not run away, so if she could not defeat her opponent, her demise was guaranteed. With three opponents who were stronger than her, Bai Lian could only hope they do not attack her and discover her identity as a cultivating plant. Even if she was not suspected as the murderer of their fellow tribesmen, the spirit lake trouts would surely make use of her.
Thinking of how beneficial a cultivating plant would be to a spirit beast or cultivator made Bai Lian's nonexistent stomach churn. Letting others Know of her identity as a cultivating plant was the last thing she should do when she was still so weak.
She couldn't help but curse and reprimand her impulsive self. Recently, she had been much too carefree. 'Had I forgotten how to watch out for myself?'
While Bai Lian was endlessly criticizing herself, the three spirit lake trouts had discussed their next course of action. They believed the attacker was one of the spirit bird species. Otherwise, how could the attacker throw the ball of qi and then swiftly leave their range of detection?
The trouts grimly departed after confirming the four corpse of their tribesmen, planning on warning the members of their spirit lake trout tribe.
Inwardly, Bai Lian let out a sigh of relief. However, before she had a chance to relax, Bai Lian became stunned by a signal she had received.