The dark waters of Biling Lake rippled ominously as several disciples propelled their small boats forward, wielding nets in pursuit of elusive shadows beneath the surface. Suddenly, a shout rang out from the other side of the lake: "Over here! I see something!"
On the other side of the water, another black shadow flashed by. Several small boats trailing nets sped after it, but they caught nothing. Wei Wuxian said, "That's strange. The shape of this shadow doesn't look human. And it keeps changing, sometimes long, sometimes short, sometimes big, sometimes small... Lan Zhan, by your boat!"
Bichen, Lan Wangji's sword, flew from his back and plunged into the water. A moment later, it emerged with a sharp whistle, trailing an arc of water. But it hadn't struck anything.
Lan Wangji gripped his sword, his expression grave. Just as he was about to speak, another disciple nearby sent his sword flying towards a black shadow that darted through the river.
But after this sword entered the water, it never came back out. Despite the disciple's attempts to summon it with sword incantations, nothing emerged from the water. It was as if the lake had swallowed his sword, making it vanish without a trace. This disciple, who looked about the same age as Wei Wuxian and the others, grew increasingly pale at the loss of his sword. An older disciple nearby said, "Su She, we haven't even identified what's in the water. Why did you recklessly send your sword in?"
Su She seemed a bit flustered, but his expression remained relatively composed. "I saw the Second Young Master send his sword into the water..."
He trailed off, realizing how shallow his words sounded. Neither Lan Wangji nor Bichen could be compared to others. Lan Wangji could safely send his sword into unknown waters, but the same couldn't be said for everyone else. Su She's face, already pale, now flushed with shame, as if he had been insulted. He glanced at Lan Wangji, but Lan Wangji wasn't looking at him, instead focusing intently on the water. In a moment, Bichen unsheathed again.
This time, the sword didn't plunge into the water. Instead, its tip flicked upward, scooping a black shadow from the water's depths. A wet, pitch-black mass plopped onto the boat's deck with a squelch. Wei Wuxian stood on tiptoe to look and saw that it was actually a piece of clothing.
Wei Wuxian laughed so hard he nearly fell into the river. "Lan Zhan, you're amazing! This is the first time I've seen someone catch a water ghost's clothes instead of the ghost itself."
Lan Wangji merely examined Bichen's tip for any abnormalities, seemingly having decided not to engage in conversation with Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng said, "Shut up. What just swam by underwater wasn't a water ghost at all, just a piece of clothing!"
Of course, Wei Wuxian had seen this too, but he couldn't help teasing Lan Wangji. It made him uncomfortable not to. He said, "So that thing slipping around was just this piece of clothing? No wonder the nets couldn't catch it and the swords couldn't pierce it. Its shape kept changing. But a piece of clothing surely can't swallow a spiritual sword. There must be something else in the water."
By now, the boats had drifted to the center of Biling Lake. The water was extremely dark, an inky green. Suddenly, Lan Wangji lifted his head slightly and said, "We need to leave immediately."
Lan Xichen asked, "Why?"
Lan Wangji replied, "Whatever is in the water deliberately lured our boats to the center of Biling Lake."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone felt their boats suddenly sink.
Water rapidly spread across the decks. Wei Wuxian suddenly realized that the water of Biling Lake was no longer a dark green, but nearly black. Especially near the center of the lake, a massive whirlpool had formed unnoticed. All of their boats were spinning with the vortex, sinking lower and lower, as if about to be sucked down by a giant black maw!
The sound of unsheathing swords rang out as people began to rise into the air on their swords. Wei Wuxian, already airborne, looked down to see that the deck of Su She's boat, the disciple who had lost his sword in the water, was already submerged. Su She was knee-deep in water, his face filled with panic, but he didn't cry out for help, perhaps too shocked to do so. Without hesitation, Wei Wuxian bent down and grabbed Su She's wrist, pulling him up.
The extra weight caused Wei Wuxian's sword to suddenly dip, but it continued to rise. However, they hadn't risen far when a great force suddenly pulled from Su She's direction, nearly dragging Wei Wuxian off his sword.
Su She's lower half had already been sucked into the black whirlpool in the lake. As the vortex spun faster and faster, his body sank deeper and deeper, as if something lurking at the bottom of the water was grabbing his legs and pulling him down. Jiang Cheng, who had been comfortably hovering about twenty zhang above the lake's surface on his Sandu, looked down and descended with visible annoyance. "What are you doing now?!"
The suction from Biling Lake grew stronger and stronger. Wei Wuxian's sword, while nimble and agile, lacked raw power. It was being forced down to a dangerously low altitude, nearly touching the lake's surface. Struggling to maintain his balance while using both hands to hold onto Su She, Wei Wuxian shouted, "Someone lend a hand! If I can't pull him up, I'll have to let go!"
Suddenly, Wei Wuxian felt a firm grip on the back of his collar, lifting him into the air. He turned his head to see Lan Wangji holding him by the collar with one hand. Although Lan Wangji's gaze remained indifferent, focused elsewhere, he alone, with a single sword, was bearing the weight of three people while simultaneously resisting the unknown force from the lake. Yet, their position continued to rise steadily higher and higher. Jiang Cheng was secretly amazed: "If I had rushed down to pull Wei Wuxian up on Sandu, I probably couldn't have risen this quickly or steadily. Lan Wangji is about the same age as me..."
At this moment, Wei Wuxian said, "Lan Zhan, your sword is pretty strong, huh? Thanks, thanks, but why are you grabbing my collar? Couldn't you just hold my hand? This is really uncomfortable. I'll reach out my hand, you can grab it instead."
Lan Wangji coldly replied, "I don't touch others."
Wei Wuxian said, "We're so close now, how can you still consider me 'others'?"
Lan Wangji stated, "We're not close."
Wei Wuxian feigned hurt, "How can you say that..."
Jiang Cheng couldn't take it anymore and scolded, "How can YOU be like this?! Can you talk less when you're being dangled in mid-air by your collar?!"
The group quickly retreated from Biling Lake on their swords, landing on the shore. Lan Wangji released his grip on Wei Wuxian's collar and turned calmly to Lan Xichen, saying, "It's a Waterborne Abyss."
Lan Xichen shook his head, "This complicates matters."
Upon hearing the term "Waterborne Abyss," both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng understood. The most terrifying thing in Biling Lake and this river wasn't the water ghosts, but the water itself.
Some rivers or lakes, due to their terrain or water flow, frequently experienced shipwrecks or people falling in. Over time, these bodies of water developed a personality of sorts. Like a spoiled young lady unwilling to go without fine clothes and food, they demanded sacrifices of ships and living people at regular intervals. If they didn't receive them, they would cause trouble to obtain them on their own.
The people of Caiyi Town were all skilled in water, and shipwrecks or drowning incidents were extremely rare. It was impossible for a Waterborne Abyss to have formed here naturally. Since one had appeared, there was only one possibility: it had been driven here from somewhere else.
Once a Waterborne Abyss forms, the entire body of water essentially becomes a monster, extremely difficult to eliminate. Unless the water could be drained, all sunken people and objects retrieved, and the riverbed left to bake in the sun for three to five years. But this was nearly impossible to accomplish. However, there was a selfish method to solve the immediate problem and local trouble. That was to drive it into other rivers and lakes, letting it wreak havoc elsewhere.
Lan Wangji asked, "Which places have recently been troubled by a Waterborne Abyss?"
Lan Xichen pointed to the sky.
He wasn't pointing at anything else but the sun itself. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng exchanged a glance, understanding dawning in their minds: "The Qishan Wen Sect."
In the world of cultivation, numerous sects and clans, both large and small, were scattered like stars across the sky. However, above them all stood an absolute giant, the Qishan Wen Sect.
The Wen Sect used the sun as their family emblem, symbolizing their ambition to "rival the sun in brilliance and longevity." Their spiritual domain was vast, comparable to a city, named the Nightless City, also known as the "Nightless Celestial Capital." It was said that there was no darkness within its walls. The Wen Sect was called a giant because, in terms of disciples, power, territory, and spiritual tools, other clans could only look up to them in awe, with none able to compete. Many cultivators considered it the highest honor to be a guest cultivator in the Wen Sect. Given the Wen Sect's style of doing things, it was highly likely that they were responsible for driving the Waterborne Abyss to Caiyi Town.
Although they now knew the source of the water trouble, everyone fell silent.
If the Wen family was behind this, no amount of accusations or condemnations would make any difference. First, they would never admit to it, and second, there would be no compensation.
One disciple said indignantly, "They've driven the Waterborne Abyss here, and it's going to devastate Caiyi Town. If the Waterborne Abyss grows and spreads into the town's waterways, so many people will be living their daily lives on top of a monster. This is just..."
Faced with such a difficult problem dumped on them by others, the Gusu Lan Sect would undoubtedly face endless troubles from now on. Lan Xichen sighed, "Enough. Let's head back to town."
They boarded new boats at the dock and headed towards the more densely populated areas of the town.
As they passed under an arched bridge and entered the waterway, Wei Wuxian was at it again.
He tossed aside his bamboo pole and put one foot on the edge of the boat, checking his reflection in the water to see if his hair was messy. He didn't look like someone who had just fought water ghosts and escaped from the maw of a Waterborne Abyss. With a calm and composed demeanor, he started flirting with people on both banks: "Sister, how much are the loquats per jin?"
He was extremely young and handsome, full of vibrant energy, truly like a frivolous peach blossom carried by the flowing water. A woman adjusted her bamboo hat and looked up with a smile, "Young master, why pay? I'll give you one for free, how about that?"
Her Wu dialect was soft and sweet, dripping with charm. The speaker's words were honeyed, and the listener's ears were filled with fragrance. Wei Wuxian cupped his hands and said, "If sister is giving it, of course I'll take it!"
The woman reached into her basket and tossed out a round, golden loquat: "Don't be shy, you're so handsome!"
The boats were moving quickly, passing each other in an instant. Wei Wuxian caught the loquat perfectly, saying with a smile, "Sister is even more beautiful!"
While Wei Wuxian was busy flirting and causing a commotion, Lan Wangji maintained his dignified posture, eyes fixed straight ahead. Wei Wuxian proudly tossed the loquat in his hand and suddenly pointed at Lan Wangji, saying, "Sisters, look at him. Isn't he handsome?"
Lan Wangji was completely unprepared for Wei Wuxian to suddenly involve him and didn't know how to respond. The women on the river chorused, "Even more handsome!" Amidst their voices, there seemed to be a few men's laughter as well.
Wei Wuxian said, "Then who's going to give him one? If you only give to me and not to him, he might get jealous when we get back!"
The entire river rippled with melodious laughter. Another woman came rowing towards them and said, "Alright, alright, I'll give two. Eat mine, young master, catch!"
The second loquat also landed in his hand. Wei Wuxian shouted, "Sister is beautiful and kind-hearted. I'll come back to buy next time. I'll buy a whole basket!"
That woman's voice was bright, and she was even bolder. She pointed at Lan Wangji and said, "Bring him too, you can come buy together!"
Wei Wuxian held the loquat in front of Lan Wangji's face. Lan Wangji, still looking straight ahead, said, "Take it away."
Wei Wuxian withdrew it, saying, "I knew you wouldn't want it. That's why I never intended to give it to you. Jiang Cheng, catch!"
Just then, Jiang Cheng was passing by on another small boat. He caught the loquat with one hand, revealing a slight smile before snorting, "Flirting again, are you?"
Wei Wuxian, full of spring spirit, retorted, "Get lost!" Then he turned and asked, "Lan Zhan, you're from Gusu, so you must speak the local dialect, right? Teach me, how do you curse in Gusu dialect?"
Lan Wangji threw him a "Childish" look and boarded another boat. Wei Wuxian hadn't really expected him to answer; he just found the local accent amusing and wanted to tease Lan Wangji, imagining him speaking like that as a child. He took a sip of the sticky rice wine, holding the small, round, shiny black jar, grabbed his bamboo pole, and went to bother Jiang Cheng.
Meanwhile, Lan Wangji stood side by side with Lan Xichen. This time, even their expressions were similar, both looking deep in thought, pondering how to deal with the Waterborne Abyss and how to explain the subsequent matters to the town chief of Caiyi.
A heavily laden cargo boat approached from the opposite direction, filled with baskets of heavy, golden loquats. Lan Wangji glanced at it and then continued to look straight ahead.
Lan Xichen, however, said, "Do you want to eat loquats? Should we buy a basket to take back?"
"..."
Lan Wangji turned away, his sleeves fluttering: "I don't want any!"
He moved to stand on yet another boat.