Chapter 680: To Be Friends With It, You Have to Beat It Every Day?

"That old Taoist really hits hard." Ye Qianning’s gaze fell on the large lump bulging on his head, which looked like a mountain cannon. It was now covered in fresh, vivid scars.

They were from a horsetail whisk, with each strike cutting deep into his flesh. The wounds looked gory, but the seawater had soaked them white.

If any other fish had been injured this badly, it would have likely died long ago.

Cannon had a powerful regenerative constitution. As long as he wasn’t sliced in half and his organs weren’t damaged, any other wound could heal.

’It just hurts a little more than when you hit me,’ Cannon thought, carefree as ever.

"Cannon, I’ll never hit you again."

Ye Qianning felt a pang of regret for using the hard lump on Cannon’s head to practice her skills. Ever since they had become good friends, she had switched to using the rocks on the coast for her training.

"What?" Upon hearing this, Cannon immediately thrashed his body.

Ye Qianning swayed and clung to the big fish’s back. "What are you getting so worked up about?"

’You don’t want to be my friend anymore, do you? How can you humans be like this?’ As Cannon thought this, his body thrashed even more violently. His massive tail whipped up waves behind them, which came crashing down onto his back.

Ye Qianning was soaked to the bone again. Wiping her face, she said, "What are you so angry about? Who said I didn’t want to be your friend anymore?"

’But you just said you wouldn’t hit me anymore.’

"..."

’It seems... a little...’

’Um, well...’

’Does this mean that to be his friend, I have to beat him up every day?’

​

With Cannon as her escort, the sea journey was incredibly smooth. He was from the Rashamon Sea Area, which made him the equivalent of a king among fish, so most other sea creatures didn’t dare approach.

Cannon was four to five times faster than a fishing boat. They reached a shore in about half a month that would have taken two months by ship.

Over the past ten days, Ye Qianning hadn’t been bored. She spent her time either chatting with Cannon or planting and harvesting fruit in her space. It seemed like a waste to let the fruit that ripened each day hang unpicked on the trees.

Fruit stored in the space stayed as fresh as the moment it was picked, no matter how long it was kept there.

’SQUEAK SQUEAK.’

One day, while Ye Qianning was in her space, she suddenly heard a squeaking sound. Startled, she rushed out of her space and onto the deck.

A small, furry figure was hopping about on the deck.

"Dun Dun?" Ye Qianning exclaimed in surprise.

The little monkey turned, saw Ye Qianning, and joyfully leaped over to hug her leg.

"How did you get on the boat?" She had worried he would disobey her and secretly follow when she set out to sea, and she had even checked for him before they left.

The little monkey looked up at her, trying to curry favor. ’If I’m not here, who’s going to take care of you?’

"You... Dun Dun, the mainland is different from the island. There are a lot of people there." Ye Qianning wanted to scold him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Hearing this, the little monkey’s lower lip trembled. ’If there are a lot of people, does that mean you don’t need Dun Dun to take care of you? Is that why you don’t want me anymore?’

"Of course not. It’s just that life on the mainland isn’t right for you." Once the creatures from the island leave, they start to age. ’And once you start aging, one day you’ll grow old.’

’Dun Dun can adapt! As long as you’re here, I can adapt,’ the little monkey thought, looking utterly heartbroken.

Ye Qianning’s heart ached. She crouched down and stroked his little head. "Be good. I’ll come back to see you after a while. We’ll soon reach a sea that humans can’t access. When we get there, you can go back to the island with Cannon."

’I don’t want to! I don’t want to!’ The little monkey turned his back, refusing to listen.

Ye Qianning watched Dun Dun scamper about frantically, unsure of what to do. Seven years ago, her body hadn’t grown, and she had been so small lying in bed. Dun Dun had cared for her as if she were a little baby.

As time went on, Dun Dun had come to see her as his own family. His world was pure; he simply couldn’t comprehend the human concept of separation.