While the two were heading towards the center of the ocean to retrieve Tsung Yue's pearl, a mysterious figure watches them under the waves. His peering green eyes became blueish because of his age, skin wrinkled and faded, giving off a stern yet wise expression permanently planted on his face. As he hums in dismay, the gentle waves of the ocean intensify, creating rough tides in the sea. The clouds darken, and the wind blows faster, synchronizing with the sea flow.
***
They soar through the turbulent waves, eventually stopping at a point where no land can be seen. Hairong lets go of Tsung Yue, dropping her in the water, then dives in as well. Now that they got to the destination Tsung Yue had wanted, they plunged straight down into the depths of the sea. Hairong pulls Tsung Yue down with her by grabbing her tail with her teeth as they go down and down into the darkness. After a while, a small light particle appears, signaling the presence of the pearl. Just when they were about to approach enough to look at it more clearly, five lights of fire burned before them as if protecting the pearl from the duo.
-"Halt your step! You may not swim further than here."
A deep voice echoed through the ocean, ripping the inner waves below. The voice's source was, of course, no other than the old man who kept his eyes on Tsung Yue and Hairong since they had left the shore. Surprised, Tsung Yue checked her surroundings with caution while Hairong seemed much calmer than the latter.
Not after a while since the voice was heard, The old man appeared right in the middle of the 5 blazing fires. All he wore for clothes were worn-out robes, the once golden yellow color faded like a dried grain in fall. After looking at the two deliberately, he spoke in a serious and threatening manner.
-"I see you're here for the pearl. But this stone belongs to the ocean, as it is the source of the creation of life! If you want your greedy claws on that pearl, you must face me first."
Because of the old man's confident tone, Tsung Yue started to doubt if this pearl belonged to her or not. But there was a lingering feeling. A feeling that the pearl is calling out to her. But she can't just argue that it belongs to her just because she feels like it's connected to her. After all, the old man had seen more than she ever did, there was no point in locking horns with him in terms of knowledge and experience of the pearl. Plus, she doesn't know what he can do, so she decides to proceed with caution.
-"Please excuse me, sir…But I believe that pearl belongs to me. I have a deep sense of connection to this pearl, and it feels right for me to take it."
Have you got no shame, Tsung Yue? That came out worse than what you intended to say!
-"Hmm…Is that so…"
The old man muttered he was deep in thought, but also there was a hint of sarcasm because many other spiritual beings wanted the pearl for a mere excuse of "I dropped it and was looking everywhere to find it.". But no one dared to be as shameless as Tsung Yue to say it felt right for her to take it since there should be at least a small amount of moral decency among spiritual creatures. Also, due to his observations, Tsung Yue and Hairong went to the exact place where the pearl was, other than others who used huge amounts of magic and time to find its location. So, Tsung Yue's remark was almost believable.
-"But that doesn't mean you're worthy of the pearl! Not everyone has the destiny to control a pearl, let alone possess it. This pearl holds great power, it gifted life to millions, and that's how this world is filled with different creatures who can coexist with each other."
-"Um, actually…"
The voice came from Hairong this time. How awkward she felt when she was only hearing the two talk with each other, her tongue felt so itchy to not let out a single word. But she had enough. No more staying silent.
-"Creatures of different species are created from singular cells, which then turned into bigger fish, amphibians, mammals and such."
-"And where did that "singular cells" come from?! How do you know!? Are you trying to question an elder? Mind your business, pink ball."
-"A pink ball- A pink ball!? Do you dare call me a pink ball you old *coot*? And for your information, yes I am questioning an elder who was probably spending his entire life under the sea for so long that he doesn't even know how basic marine organisms work."
Looking at this, Tsung Yue could only see two old people arguing rather than a sea protector and a spiritual beast. Realizing that if she kept quiet, the bickering wouldn't stop, not in the near century, she decided to step in between the two.
-"Okay, I believe we got ourselves plenty acquainted with each other, so let's chat when we get more comfortable because I don't think this is a good time to argue right now, don't you agree?"
-"No!"
The two elders yelled at the poor dragon, who was only trying to prevent any potential quarrels that might occur shortly between them. Humbled from the shout, Tsung Yue decided to back off from them and watched the two with a desperate hope that it would stop soon.
After a few moments of those elders' shouts and cleverly used words echoing through the ocean, it surprisingly turns into a meaningless blabber of two children bickering. All Tsung Yue could hear was;
-"You shut up!"
-"No, you shut up!"
-"No I said it first!"
-"I said it second!"
Even hearing them from a distance could disturb one's head, so you could feel the amount of distress Tsung Yue had felt and the amount of brain cells she had lost. Having fed up with their attitudes, Tsung Yue roared in frustration.
-"Enough already! There's a much bigger problem we're facing other than whatever you're arguing about, aren't you supposed to be smarter than this? don't you two get tired!? I'm already having a migraine because of your endless chattering so much that I think my blood pressure grew drastically…"
Of course Tsung Yue exaggerated the last part, but this was expected from her, she had to stand up for her aching ears after all.
After Tsung Yue's rant, the two elders finally stopped, looking at her with confusion but slight anger due to the disturbance of their so-called conversation. Tsung Yue looked at the old man, and quickly spoke;
-"Now that I finally got your attention, what were you saying about proving myself earlier?"
The old man's expression calms a bit, as he contemplates her question.
-"You'd need to prove to me that you can possess this pearl by showing me your pure strength. Only then, I'll consider it."
It's true that Hairong had been protecting Tsung Yue from many dangers ever since they had met, this time is much different. This is a test of her will and ability, and she must face this alone if she wants the pearl. So, she needed to step back this time.
Even though the elder's tone sounded like he belittled Tsung Yue, she needed to swallow all the majestic words she wanted to throw at that man. Clenching her teeth slightly, Tsung Yue spoke in a forced calm tone;
-"Then, what do I need to do?"
Just when Tsung Yue had finished saying that, a drop of water was heard from the surface of the ocean. All 3 of them heard it, despite being too deep underwater to even hear any nearby fish fins moving against the water. Then, the elder apoke in a serious tone;
-"It's here…"
***
Word explanation
Coot: A word for insulting a person about how stupid they are, but usually, used for old men.