The terror was overwhelming.
Jian Xiaolou trembled as she tried to shrink back into the gourd but realized that the barrier had solidified, preventing her from passing through. Her entire body was stuck at the gourd's mouth, leaving only a small part of her head exposed. She was stuck, unable to go either forward or backward.
"Do not be afraid." Jin Yu smiled, extending his other hand, palm open, and placing it at the gourd's opening, encouraging her to leap out. "I'll catch you. Come on."
No way!
Jian Xiaolou was utterly flustered and terrified. Unable to process the absurdity of the situation, she desperately pushed herself further into the gourd.
Jin Yu didn't insist. He silently observed her scurrying around the gourd's opening, looking like a frightened mouse hiding wherever she could.
"Master…"
Two rays of light descended a yard to his left, revealing two dashing young men, Feng Qi and Feng Luo, Jin Yu's youngest disciples—a roc and a peacock, respectively.
The two had been hosting a Buddhist Fate ceremony but rushed back upon hearing of Jin Yu's injury. Neither could have expected the situation to be this dire, their faces stiff with shock.
Feng Qi asked, "How are your injuries?"
Feng Luo added, "Can the Spirit-Gathering Tree still be saved?"
Jin Yu kept his gaze fixed on the gourd. "I'm fine. But with the loss of the Spirit-Gathering Tree, my cultivation will regress by one tier."
Their expressions froze. This is called fine?!
Jin Yu sighed. "I've roamed the star fields for over a hundred thousand years, only to end up unable to protect a single tree and a few gourds. Fortunately, I still have this second gourd. It brings me some comfort. Fear not, my precious treasure; I'll ensure that white dragon pays for this debt."
What are they even talking about?
The Spirit-Gathering Tree destroyed? Jin Yu grievously injured and losing cultivation?
Jian Xiaolou was bewildered. And was Jin Yu mistaking her for the second gourd?
She peeked out of the gourd and glanced at the Spirit-Gathering Tree. Gasping at the sight, she nearly choked. When she had first met Night Wanderer in the gourd, he had only stolen one gourd. But after narrowly escaping death, he had taken advantage of Jin Yu being trapped to completely destroy the sacred tree and its divine vines?!
Fury ignited in her chest, Jian Xiaolou was livid.
To her, Night Wanderer's previous mischief could be written off as the antics of a naughty troublemaker. Now, he was a cold-hearted villain, the definition of a black-hearted criminal!
Out of everyone involved, Jin Yu was the most innocent—unlucky to the extreme.
And she, unintentionally, had become his accomplice.
Jin Yu, sensing the fluctuations in Jian Xiaolou's emotions, abandoned his plan to mourn the Spirit-Gathering Tree and instead turned his attention back to the gourd. "My dear treasure, I may have lost the tree, but I still have a palace. You'll be just as safe and happy there. Would you prefer to stay inside the gourd or have a palace of your own? No, that's too dangerous. You should stay by my side…"
Guilt-stricken, Jian Xiaolou was no longer as fearful of Jin Yu.
"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Jin Yu asked gently.
"Or is it that you cannot speak yet?"
"No matter. I'll teach you."
Feng Qi and Feng Luo followed their master into the palace, watching him cradle the gourd like a precious treasure, talking to it incessantly with a smile on his face. They exchanged uneasy glances.
The unease quickly turned to alarm and then worry.
Their master must have suffered too great a shock—he was losing his mind!
Jian Xiaolou didn't dare leave the gourd. She wondered why Jin Yu was so certain she was the second gourd. Was it because she also had a gourd and thus carried its scent?
If she left the gourd and returned to her normal size, would she be exposed?
She decided to wait. Whenever Jin Yu stopped paying attention, she'd sneak away.
But the entire night, even after returning to his palace, Jin Yu refused to put the gourd down. Sitting in his chair, he rested it gently in his palm, his gaze never leaving it.
Is he planning to become the "Gourd King of Heaven"? Jian Xiaolou thought miserably.
"Are you hungry?" Jin Yu asked, noticing her despondent expression.
Before she could answer, his palm emitted a red glow. The gourd, initially the size of a fist, doubled in size.
Jian Xiaolou also grew larger inside the gourd.
Jin Yu extended his right index finger toward her face.
Jian Xiaolou stared at him, puzzled.
"Lick it," Jin Yu said with a smile.
Lick… what?
Jian Xiaolou's eyes widened in shock. She nearly choked in disbelief. Was he offering his finger instead of food?!
Absolutely not!
Jian Xiaolou turned her head away.
But Jin Yu gently turned her face back. "Didn't you always cling to me, licking and nibbling whenever I got close? Are you shy now that you've taken human form? You are my child; you've always fed on my essence. There's nothing to be shy about."
Is he blind?
Jian Xiaolou was on the verge of a breakdown. She wanted to scream: I'm the one who hurt you! Kill me already! Stop torturing me!
Instead, she muttered, "Thank you, but I'm not hungry."
"You can speak?" Jin Yu's expression brightened.
Jian Xiaolou maintained her stoic demeanor, mimicking Baili Xi's expression. "A little."
"Take your time learning," Jin Yu said lovingly, stroking her head. "Now, can you come out?"
She shook her head. "No."
Jin Yu sighed but didn't press further.
As dawn approached, Jian Xiaolou noticed the barrier beneath her feet softening. Remembering the second gourd's habit of waking during the day, she realized she could return.
"I'm tired," she said.
"You should rest," Jin Yu replied.
Without another word, she dove into the softening barrier.
Moments later, the true second gourd awakened. Stretching its little hands, it immediately embraced Jin Yu's wrist and began licking it affectionately.
Jin Yu paused, then chuckled. "So shy, my silly little one."
Jian Xiaolou, back inside the gourd's static world, finally understood the strange mechanics of this space. Her exit had been a fluke. Flying upward led to Jin Yu's gourd, while moving east, west, north, or south returned her to her own.
She didn't dare waste time, racing back to where her red-haired companion anxiously awaited.
"I don't want you anymore!" the fiery gourd shouted. "Leave already!"
Exhausted, Jian Xiaolou couldn't even argue.