Chapter 226 - 220: Fish’s Belly, Into the Water

Chapter 226: Chapter 220: Fish’s Belly, Into the Water

TAP—

A single, measured footstep shattered the frozen silence.

SWOOSH, SWOOOSH—

The hasty rustle of robes cutting through the air belonged to the few Jianghu Wanderers who had lingered behind. Startled into action, they leaped to their feet like frightened birds and fled for their lives, plunging headlong into the inky darkness behind them without a backward glance.

Fu Juemin paid them no mind, his expression placid as he continued to walk in a set direction.

With every step he took, the bodies of the Revolutionaries, led by Tang Jing, trembled, and the color drained a little more from their faces.

In their eyes, vast, thick shadows bled from the feet of the menacing figure. They spread with his every step, a silent tide that swept in to devour the moonlight and what little courage remained in their hearts.

TAP—TAP—

The footsteps seemed to pound directly on their very hearts. Many felt their legs go weak, desperate to retreat, to flee, yet their feet seemed nailed to the ground, refusing to move.

Finally, Fu Juemin came to a halt before them.

BANG!—

The abrupt gunshot rang out, freezing everyone in place for a moment.

CLINK—

As the brass bullet fell to the ground with a crisp, forlorn sound, Fu Juemin’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. He glanced down at the spot on his chest where the bullet had struck, then slowly raised his head, his profound gaze settling on a corner of the crowd before him.

His gaze landed on a young revolutionary wearing a suit and trench coat.

The young man stared blankly at the short-barreled pistol in his hand, from which smoke still drifted. His face was a mask of horrified disbelief.

As Fu Juemin’s gaze fell upon him, joined by the horrified, disbelieving stares of his comrades, the young man finally snapped back to his senses. The color drained from his once-handsome face in an instant.

His lips trembled; he wanted to explain that the pistol had accidentally discharged.

But under Fu Juemin’s silent scrutiny, the words died in his throat. In the end, he couldn’t stop trembling, his eyes reddening as he neared a complete breakdown.

"I’m... I’m sorry..."

The young man managed to force out the words, his trembling voice thick with unshed tears.

Fu Juemin regarded him calmly before slowly looking away.

"It’s fine."

The two simple words were like a royal pardon. All strength drained from the young man’s body, and he crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath.

Fu Juemin took two more steps forward, then stopped and lowered his gaze.

His eyes fell upon Tang Jing’s pretty face, which was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Move."

He said calmly.

Tang Jing subconsciously tightened her grip on the saber in her hand, her knuckles turning white. She forced her head up, telling herself, ’Don’t retreat. Don’t retreat!’

But under the terrifying pressure, so close it felt like a silent, overwhelming tsunami, she felt completely submerged, her breath and heartbeat threatening to stop.

Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Ultimately, instinct and reason overrode conviction. Without a word, she stepped aside, revealing Li Huaisuang, who she had been shielding behind her.

Fu Juemin reached out, lifted Li Huaisuang as easily as if she were a toy, then turned and walked toward the raging river.

Standing at the edge of the turbulent riverbank, he could see the enormous whirlpool in the distance, still churning slowly at the river’s heart.

Fu Juemin narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing the darkness. Guided by the sound of the water, he could just make out a massive, blurry shadow flashing intermittently in the depths of the whirlpool.

"What... what are you going to do?"

Li Huaisuang stammered, her voice trembling in his grasp.

Fu Juemin glanced at her but didn’t answer. He simply took a deep breath—

The next second.

BOOM—!

The stone steps of the embankment shattered! A terrifying burst of power launched Fu Juemin into the air like a cannonball, sending him soaring toward the heart of the river!

Li Huaisuang’s brief scream was faintly audible, but it was instantly swallowed by the roar of the wind and water.

THUMP THUMP THUMP—

Tang Jing rushed forward several steps, staring at the crater smashed into the riverbank. She then looked out at the vast river surface, dark and gaping as a beast’s maw. She bit her lower lip hard, a mixture of frustration and helplessness in her eyes, and came to a dejected halt.

Just then, a dragon of torchlight snaked toward them from the distance, the clamor of voices rapidly approaching—the pursuers had finally arrived.

This jolted the remaining people on the embankment to their senses. They immediately scattered like startled animals, vanishing into the night...

...

The distance from the bank to the heart of the river was about twenty to thirty meters.

Fu Juemin had controlled his strength perfectly. Carrying Li Huaisuang, he reached the apex of his leap hanging directly over the enormous whirlpool.

He thrust a single palm downward, striking violently!

Sea Covering Seal!

The immense power of his Demon Body and the surging Vitality from the "Black Flower" merged into one. As the Palm Force erupted, it hammered the water’s surface below into a brief, concave "vacuum" zone!

Riding the recoil, Fu Juemin rose slightly higher and, at the same time, deactivated his Demon Body state.

The river wind howled, forcing a gutful of cold air into Li Huaisuang and silencing her screams. She now simply clung to Fu Juemin like a koala.

In midair, Fu Juemin executed the Crane Stretching Form from the Five Beasts Skill, his body drifting down. Halfway through his descent, he struck down with another palm, slowing his momentum.

After pushing off the air twice like this, he could no longer stop his downward momentum.

Fu Juemin’s brow furrowed slightly; he was already prepared to fall into the water.

Just then.

SPLASH—!!!

A colossal wave exploded from the center of the whirlpool!

A curtain of water bloomed like a lotus as a gigantic fish head, the size of a small boat and glinting with a cold, blue-black metallic sheen, burst from the surface.

"Little Fish!"

Li Huaisuang cried out with joy.

THUD!

With a light spin, Fu Juemin landed steadily atop the Fish Demon’s slick, ice-cold head. He stood ramrod straight through the violent bucking, as if his feet had taken root.

The moment they landed, Li Huaisuang couldn’t wait to struggle free from his arms.

The Fish Demon then opened its mouth, revealing a gullet as dark and deep as a tunnel entrance.

Li Huaisuang glanced back at Fu Juemin, her lips moving slightly as if to whisper a "thank you." Then, without hesitation, she leaped, willingly throwing herself into the Fish Demon’s bottomless maw.

Clearly, this was not the first time she had done this; her movements were quite practiced.

’I already figured as much,’ Fu Juemin thought. ’If this Fish Demon can hold half a ship’s worth of gold in its belly, it must have a way to keep Li Huaisuang safe. I just had to bring her close, and it would likely come out to receive her.’

Still, to witness Li Huaisuang actively "throwing herself into the fish’s belly" left Fu Juemin rather astonished.

After "swallowing" Li Huaisuang, the Fish Demon did not immediately close its mouth. Its wheel-sized eyes on either side of its head turned slowly, an eerie light glowing within them. It silently "watched" Fu Juemin, who stood tall upon its snout, as if waiting for him to enter as well.

The gold and treasure that had thrown half of Shenghai into turmoil... it seemed so close, obtainable with just a single step forward.

A strange light flickered in Fu Juemin’s eyes, but he only raised a hand to gently pat the Fish Demon’s cold, rough cranium before shaking his head.

Neither the gold nor the so-called longevity treasure of Emperor Qianming held much appeal for him.

Besides, this Fish Demon might seem "friendly and docile" right now, but who knew what it was truly thinking.

Just because Li Huaisuang could enter didn’t mean he could.

After all, getting in was easy. Getting out again might not be so simple.

Seeing his refusal, the Fish Demon didn’t insist. It slowly closed its massive mouth, letting out a low moan like the toll of an ancient bell as its massive body began to submerge.

Fu Juemin took a deep breath in anticipation, then forcefully kicked off from the Fish Demon’s back!

SPLASH—

A monstrous wave surged up like a suddenly erected, crystalline wall of water.

Under the moonlight, Fu Juemin’s powerful figure soared into the air, crossing paths with the enormous, tail-flipping shadow of the diving fish at the very crest of the blooming spray. For a moment, they formed a bizarre and striking tableau.

An instant later, the white crest came crashing down.

Fu Juemin plunged into the water, his entire body instantly enveloped by cold, dark, turbulent currents....