So Gu Shi Yi suffered from insomnia, and being unable to sit still, she wandered around alone late at night. On the vast ship, aside from a few members of the Escort Team who were on duty, everyone else was asleep, and Liu Er was among those keeping watch. Seeing her come out, he waved and called out,
"Gu Shi Yi, come over and take a look. You've probably never seen anything like this!"
Gu Shi Yi slowly made her way over and followed the direction of Liu Er's pointing finger, only to exclaim "Wow" in surprise, her eyes wide open,
"So beautiful!"
The Five-Color River during the day, with its distinct hues clearly divided, is certainly beautiful, but it was nothing compared to a tenth of its beauty at night. The river water, which should have been pitch-black, was instead filled with countless one-inch-long transparent little fish swimming around. The fish were see-through, with tiny glowing spots in their bellies that flickered, lighting up the surrounding water through their thin bellies. With so many fish, the dark river lit up with intermittent flashes. Through the hazy light shield, their ship seemed to sail through the Milky Way or as if it were surrounded by colorful clouds, dazzling and brilliant beyond description.
With the limited poetic expression Gu Shi Yi had, she was left dumbstruck before muttering an indistinct
"Holy shit! That's freaking beautiful!"
To die amidst such beauty would be a willing fate!
Liu Er watched with a chuckle, reminding Gu Shi Yi,
"Be careful there. Some people are so enchanted by the nightly beauty of the Five-Color River that they unwittingly walk into the water and lose their lives!"
So, though the Five-Color River was beautiful, the people living nearby feared it and dared not approach!
As everyone marveled at the gorgeous scene, the school of fish suddenly scattered as if startled by something. The little fish began to dart around frantically. The group was taken aback and before they could recover, they saw a big wave rising on the distant river surface, as a colossal creature rapidly approached. Liu Er and the others, having experiences from their previous trip on the ship, saw the signs and someone quickly shouted,
"The Fish Kui Beast is coming!"
As the person spoke, someone struck the warning bell mounted at the front of the deck,
"Dong Dong Dong..."
The urgent sound of the bell instantly echoed throughout the entire ship. People who had been asleep woke up in a panic, and those on the deck looked for something to grip for stability. Liu Er grabbed a thick rope and looped it around Gu Shi Yi's waist, saying urgently,
"What are you doing wandering around for no reason? Look... now we're in trouble!"
While saying this, he tied the other end of the rope around the mast,
"Hold on tight!"
Gu Shi Yi nodded. Seeing everyone's serious expressions, she grew somewhat nervous. By now, the Fish Kui Beast had charged up to the bow. The dim white glow emitted by the Array revealed its whole body. Gu Shi Yi took a close look at the monster, and it was indeed just as people had described: a head as big as a small car, the front pitch-black, with eyes far apart and a big mouth, at first glance resembling a catfish and also sporting two long feelers. Yet, its back arched high with countless sharp spikes along its spine, and its scales shone in five-colored hues brilliantly under the Array's light.
"To be honest, its face is ugly, but the scales are really pretty!"
As Gu Shi Yi was thinking this, she saw the Fish Kui Beast approach closely, raising its head high out of the water and revealing half of its snow-white belly, which surprisingly had two pairs of human-like hands, pale and strangely delicate,
"Moo!"
It let out a huge bellow like that of a cow,
"Bang..."
The pair of hand-like limbs heavily pushed against the ship's body, causing the ship to shudder. Everyone on board, including Gu Shi Yi, swayed from side to side. The rope around Gu Shi Yi's waist tugged at her injury, causing her to grimace in pain, and she decided to just sit down on the deck, holding on tightly to the mast. Standing beside her, Liu Er glanced at her concernedly and asked,
"Gu Shi Yi, are you alright?"
Gu Shi Yi waved her hand,
"No worries!"
She could endure this bit of pain; she just didn't want to re-injure the wound that had barely healed. So, she simply sat down and clung to the mast, asking Liu Er,
"What is that thing going to do?"
Liu Er replied,
"That thing feeds on those luminous fish. Just now, our ship passed over the school of fish, blocking its feeding path, and it got angry. It seems to be trying to break through our ship!"