Lan Quanxian's mention of the Dragon God legend created an unsettling atmosphere, as he and Wu Changgong secretly observed the human and demon pair.
Even though Chu Zhishui believed the Dragon God's war had nothing to do with human women, they had clearly found something more interesting to focus on, occasionally glancing at Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao, making one want to remind Lan Quanxian to focus on driving.
This made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
But the casual conversation in the car didn't last long, mainly because as they got closer to the seaside, Xin Yunmao's expression became increasingly tense.
He had pretended to feel unwell on the plane, but now that he was truly distressed, he silently leaned against the car window. The dragon flames that had plagued him year-round became scorching hot, seeming to roast him repeatedly. The damage from the great battle was irreversible, like his severed claws and burn scars.
The sky grew darker as rolling clouds gathered, thick layers blocking out the sun. The coastal weather was always like this - a strong gust of wind could bring sudden rain.
A gentle breeze crept in through the car window, carrying the salty smell of the sea and the scent of earth.
Chu Zhishui noticed Xin Yunmao's discomfort and leaned forward to check on him, saying, "Stop the car, he's not feeling well."
Xin Yunmao's lips were tightly pressed together, his face pale, the light in his eyes flickering as if he was suppressing something. He crossed his arms over his chest, as if building a protective wall.
Chu Zhishui touched his forehead with her hand and was shocked by his burning temperature - demons weren't supposed to get fevers.
Xin Yunmao felt her cool touch and finally closed his eyes to rest, seeming to find some relief from the pain.
The car pulled over to the side of the road.
Wu Changgong and Lan Quanxian exchanged bewildered looks - they had always thought Xin Yunmao was invincible and couldn't understand his current condition.
A moment later, Lan Quanxian glanced at the nearby shore and suddenly realized, explaining, "The seawater contains the Dragon God's demon energy, which has the same effect as dragon flames. He'll feel unwell near the underwater Dragon God temple, but the Qiwu Bureau has safe zones that feel like being on the mainland."
The Qiwu Bureau was located on a small island that was similar to the mainland, but reaching it by boat required passing by the Dragon God temple.
"The Dragon God temple strengthens the Dragon God - the more people who worship there, the stronger the power becomes. That's why some exile merpeople still stir up waves to force fishermen to continue worshipping the Dragon God, ensuring the temple's survival."
The black dragon flames contained all the suffering and poison of human believers, which even Xin Yunmao couldn't completely purify, leading to the corruption of his name.
He was like someone with a negative status effect in a game - whenever he got close to areas with strong Dragon God influence, he would be continuously tormented by the burning.
Chu Zhishui handed Xin Yunmao a bottle of mineral water and asked worriedly, "Do you want to go back to Huaijiang?"
No wonder he only stayed in Huaijiang - if he accidentally stepped into Dragon God territory, it would intensify the burning of the dragon flames.
If he hadn't come along, he wouldn't be suffering like this.
Xin Yunmao shook his head, quite stubborn in his attitude.
She frowned slightly and turned to the other two demons: "Isn't there any solution?"
Wu Changgong carefully replied, "If he can't solve it himself, we certainly won't have a way."
Lan Quanxian added, "If he stays away from the sea or enters our bureau, he should feel better."
"That's just treating the symptoms, not the cause," Chu Zhishui pondered. "Do you have bamboo at your bureau?"
"Well..." Lan Quanxian looked troubled, "This is the seaside, we rarely grow that here."
"Then you can plant some this time," she decided. "Let's go ahead to board the boat, then call him over. That way he won't have to cross past the Dragon God temple by sea."
Xin Yunmao didn't want to return to Huaijiang. Perhaps initially he didn't care about entering the Qiwu Bureau, but now being blocked by dragon flames was different from choosing not to go himself.
She could understand his stubbornness, wanting to fill Qiwu with bamboo as a counter to the Dragon God's provocation.
In a quiet corner of the dock, Lan Quanxian and Wu Changgong had already gone to get boat tickets.
Chu Zhishui had Xin Yunmao sit on a bench, and seeing his color improve, she felt somewhat relieved: "I'll go through security now, you rest a bit."
To board the boat, one had to enter the dock and go through security checks.
Xin Yunmao nodded.
Chu Zhishui turned to leave.
Xin Yunmao watched her back, and for some reason, reached out to hold her hand, his palm still burning hot.
Pulled back by Xin Yunmao, Chu Zhishui turned around puzzled. Seeing him silent, she patted his head and promised with a smile, "Alright, I'll call you in half an hour."
The island wasn't far from the dock - the boat ride only took twenty minutes, plus queuing made it half an hour.
Hearing this, Xin Yunmao finally let go.
At the dock entrance, Chu Zhishui spotted Lan Quanxian from afar and took the paper ticket from him, learning that Wu Changgong had gone ahead to arrange the boat.
She looked at the special ticket in surprise: "This is an internal ticket?"
Lan Quanxian: "Yes, we have special boats to the bureau. It seems the wind has picked up, so tourist tickets are suspended for an hour or two."
Qiwu had tourist boats since it was coastal, but with few scenic spots nearby, tourism wasn't developed. Now with the darkening sky, tourist tickets were suspended.
Chu Zhishui said flatly, "I'll allocate more funds to the Qiwu Bureau, you should just sweep away the Dragon God temple."
She felt like when she first brought him to the Yinhai Bureau - the more Director Ye tried to keep them away, the more her rebellious spirit rose, wanting to repeatedly bring him there.
Since this was the Dragon God's birthplace, deliberately making him suffer, she wanted to destroy this stronghold.
Lan Quanxian sighed helplessly: "Destroying the Dragon God temple isn't hard, but searching is difficult. The Dragon God's demon energy floats on the sea surface like oil, naturally providing shelter for exile merpeople. Unless we release power directly from the seabed, there's no way to locate all positions."
She calmly replied, "Then save up for submarines and some high-end equipment."
"...We can do that?"
Chu Zhishui and Lan Quanxian passed through security and walked onto the dock, which was indeed empty except for a distant small boat bearing the Bureau's eye symbol.
The sky pressed down dark and heavy, huge masses of black clouds rolling, with the sea breeze growing fierce - it looked like a downpour was imminent. The smell of seawater grew stronger, the air humid and stifling, making it hard to breathe.
Trees along the path bloomed with purple-red flowers, apparently called Bauhinia. Now their petals were being ravaged by the wild wind, scattered pitifully on the ground, leaving traces of crimson stains.
"Director Chu, let's hurry and try to arrive early," Lan Quanxian led the way, quickening his silent steps before turning back to check, "Director Chu?"
There was no one behind him, only a trail of Bauhinia petals arranged crookedly along the path, like bait laid out to trap prey.
Meanwhile, Chu Zhishui stepped over flower petals, seeing the small boat close by but no sign of Lan Quanxian, and called out, "Section Chief Lan?"
"Where is everyone?" She took out her phone to make a call, then remembered Wu Changgong had boarded early, and called toward the small boat, "Section Chief Wu—"
Chu Zhishui walked toward the small boat while trying to make phone contact, completely unaware of the wet traces on the ground.
A huge splash of water rose up.
With a plunge, followed by darkness.
Before losing consciousness, she heard a series of melodious female voices, like merpeople sitting on reefs using beautiful voices to lure sailors.
In the corner, Xin Yunmao sat recovering on the bench when he suddenly felt flames surging through his body. Countless blue-black flames spread from his left arm, finally condensing into a twisted dragon head in his left palm.
After the great battle, he had been contaminated by that dragon, their powers mixing together, causing his demon fire to turn blue-black.
The dragon head's voice was hoarse and cracked - this wasn't the Dragon God's true form, but the resentment of it and its believers.
[You should also experience the taste of losing your loved one forever.]
Xin Yunmao crushed the dragon head flame in his grip. His expression turned severe as he suddenly stood up from the bench and strode toward the boarding dock.
By the boat, hearing that Lan Quanxian had lost Chu Zhishui, Wu Changgong cried out, "You're done for, you're finished, you're definitely dead today!"
Xin Yunmao would surely flay and dismember Lan Quanxian.
"I know, but before I die we need to find her first. Get the Bureau's Observation Division moving," Lan Quanxian gripped his phone tightly and said seriously, "I'll call Director Sha - it must be exile merpeople, we need to locate them quickly."
"Where is she?"
Speak of the devil - Xin Yunmao's ice-cold voice rang out, having somehow already reached the dock.
Wu Changgong turned back startled, but froze upon seeing him, hurriedly saying, "Your Highness, your body..."
The concealment technique that Xin Yunmao once used had been burned away by the cyan demonic fire. Now he wore an ancient robe of cyan-black, with deep black flames still surging at his sleeves. The terrifying demonic fire followed him like a shadow, threatening to engulf him completely.
Yet his face remained frost-like, completely disregarding the flames scorching his body. He still tightly gripped the Dragon Bone Umbrella, with only his umbrella-holding right hand remaining unscathed.
The Dragon Bone Umbrella was a divine artifact, lethal to demons, barely protecting a patch of his skin.
As Xin Yunmao approached the seaside, the flames on his body grew more intense, repeatedly scorching his jade-white neck. The deep black demonic fire made him mottled, while the cyan demonic fire restored him, as if the two were locked in a struggle using his body as their battlefield, as though the great battle from a thousand years ago had never ended.
Lan Quanxian said: "Among the exiled merfolk tribes, there's a type that's weak in combat but specializes in luring humans. They infiltrate human consciousness to manipulate their minds. She must have been dragged to the seabed and is now immersed in hallucinations."
Xin Yunmao fell silent, trying to sense the token but unable to locate her: "Is his demonic energy present on the surface of this sea?"
"Yes."
Xin Yunmao gripped the Dragon Bone Umbrella, his eyes filled with killing intent, and decisively said: "Board the ship. We just need to cleave through this sea."
Thunder crashed in the sky as the ship slowly started moving, not toward the Qiwu Bureau but toward the center of the sea, where the underwater Dragon God Temple had the highest concentration of activity.
Wu Changgong watched in shock as the demonic fire on Xin Yunmao burned even more fiercely, making crackling sounds.
Large raindrops fell, striking the ship's hull with a clanging sound, yet still unable to extinguish the deep black dragon flames.
Raindrops slid down Xin Yunmao's stern face, his collar completely soaked. He raised the umbrella and made a slashing motion through the air. Sharp waves instantly surged up, forming a massive water screen in mid-air, then falling back into the sea in a drizzle, creating a deep abyss.
He could only split the sea for an instant, unable to lift it entirely.
Lan Quanxian observed the cyan-black demonic fire on him and said softly: "Your power has merged with his, making it difficult to lift this sea."
The surface of the Qiwu Sea was covered in deep black demonic energy, originating from the same source as that on Xin Yunmao.
Wu Changgong lamented: "We should have had the Divine Lord protect her!"
"She has never needed my protection." Xin Yunmao gripped the Dragon Bone Umbrella tightly, his knuckles white, and slashed again, saying coldly, "If she said she'd call me in half an hour, then she'll definitely do it."
Wu Changgong quickly shook his head, muttering timidly: "Oh no, he's furious."
Lan Quanxian said: "Humans in illusions are left with only their id, without any conscious awareness. It's very difficult for them to call out your name."
Chu Zhishui needed to be conscious to call his name, but the merfolk's illusions specifically targeted human psychological weaknesses.
Xin Yunmao cast a sideways glance at the two demons, his eyes blazing with cold fire as he angrily said: "That's just what you think humans are like. Contemptible beings like you, even if you live for ten years, a hundred years, or a thousand years, will never understand her thoughts and feelings. If we must make a comparison, you're just a group of ignorant mortals with demonic energy. Without your demonic energy, you're not even equal to ordinary humans, not worth a single strand of her hair!"
He couldn't tolerate their pitying tone, as if they viewed her as a helpless weakling!
Mere lesser demons, yet they thought they were stronger than her?
"His followers are a group of ignorant shells, while my follower is the most perfect person in the world," Xin Yunmao gazed at the heavy sea, where traces of light appeared at the edges of the storm clouds. "She isn't weak at all. She blazes trails and conquers all obstacles for everyone who loves her and whom she loves."
He just needed to believe in her.
From very early on, he clearly knew that she might not need him, but he definitely needed her.
He didn't understand why heaven and earth made him a god, just as he didn't understand why demons wanted to take human form. If humans were such insignificant beings who could never possess demonic energy, then demons shouldn't be allowed to cultivate human forms, nor should they be given names to walk among humans.
He once looked down on humans, considering them as weak as dust, with forever shallow minds, struggling through life just to pursue illusory things.
But from a certain day, he gradually changed his view of humans, vaguely grasping heaven's intentions.
He began to learn from her behavior, understand her thoughts, follow her to different places, enjoying and experiencing everything, changing with genuine feelings - this was true cultivation of human form.
A god should not be aloof and contemptuous of all beings, using endless power to attract a group of confused followers, then floating complacently in false and ridiculous flattery, like the Dragon God clutching everything beneficial to himself - how would that be any different from despicable humans who grasp at power?
Divinity is about hardship, dedication, and sacrifice; it's about doing what seems impossible; it's about treating others kindly despite limited power; it's about understanding life's inevitable imperfections without losing heart; it's like a spring gushing from hard ground; it's like gentle streams smoothing stubborn stones.
This seemingly weak force, like an endless trickle, silently influences everything along its path.
Indeed, she was never his follower; rather, he was hers.
He learned divinity through her.
At the bottom of the pitch-black reef, a dilapidated temple stood out conspicuously. No seawater entered here; it was more like an underground aquarium. Some merfolk could weave water-controlling silk, which they arranged around the area to create a space where one could breathe underwater.
Demonic energy-infused seawater surrounded them, providing shelter for the exiled merfolk.
Chu Zhishui lay wet on the reef, her eyes tightly closed and face pale, clearly still without conscious awareness.
The exiled merfolk walked back and forth beside her, preparing sacrificial offerings, planning to sacrifice this human to the sealed Dragon God to avenge the grudge of Xin Yunmao cutting off the Dragon God's arm years ago.
A male merman asked: "Have you broken through her mental defenses?"
The mermaid replied: "No, we only used bauhinia to create the illusion, haven't had time for the next step."
The merman was startled: "Then what are you waiting for? If she wakes up midway, she can call him over!"
The exiled merfolk found the token on Chu Zhishui's neck, making them more certain they hadn't found the wrong person. If not for the seawater barrier, Xin Yunmao would have appeared already.
The mermaid quickly responded, using demonic energy to probe into Chu Zhishui's mental world.
Strange flower fragrance permeated the air, making it impossible to wake from the dizziness. Chu Zhishui's consciousness seemed trapped in a pure white space.
Her body felt like it was rising and falling with the waves, suddenly losing sensation, forgetting something in her mind, only feeling someone's hand messily searching through her head.
The mermaid's alluring laughter was bewitching, making humans fall into deeper sleep. Once she found the target's Five Poisons and Eight Sufferings, she could deliver a fatal blow and completely control Chu Zhishui.
The mermaid was weak in physical combat, but she excelled at manipulating minds. Every human was born tainted with the Five Poisons and Eight Sufferings; controlling their lifeline meant certain victory.
Chu Zhishui's world was forcibly opened; her consciousness was now as fragile as a child's, completely defenseless.
The mermaid entered Chu Zhishui's space carefully. There was no filth here; it was purely white, extending infinitely outward with no end in sight. Though just a human, her spirit was vast, remarkably untainted by the Five Poisons.
The Five Poisons are greed, anger, delusion, pride, and doubt. Those who could overcome these were undoubtedly extraordinary.
But even without the Five Poisons, no one could escape the Eight Sufferings: birth, aging, sickness, death, wanting what cannot be obtained, meeting with hatred, separation from loved ones, and the burning of the five aggregates.
The mermaid reached out her hand, standing in the white space, sifting through Chu Zhishui's memories. Vivid memory fragments were roughly pulled out, playing like film strips before the mermaid one after another.
Now, everything about this human was exposed, from her birth until now, nothing would be missed.
These were the sufferings of the human named Chu Zhishui.
The suffering of birth was an infant's first cry in the delivery room.
The suffering of aging was the whitening hair and deepening wrinkles around the eyes of Xie Yan and Chu Xiaohe, their bodies becoming hunched and weak.
The suffering of sickness was her pale and helpless form in the hospital bed, stomach pain as if being torn apart, her parents sighing in grief outside the door.
The suffering of death was Jin Yu's tears, begging her to live past a hundred years.
The suffering of meeting with hatred was adults in her childhood urging her parents to have a male child, the co-founder who hysterically accused her of being fake, and countless demons who stubbornly held prejudices against him.
Ai Bie Li Ku is the "water" character left by Dan Shan after their photo, she knew there would be a day of parting, neither hoping he would completely forget, nor hoping he would remember too clearly, so she didn't write the full name, just leaving one character.
Qiu Bu De Ku is when he said it couldn't bloom, because it could be understood, so it couldn't be sought.
Wu Yin Chi Sheng Ku, the accumulation of form, feeling, perception, action, and consciousness, her joy, sorrow, annoyance, and desires coagulate together, her heart restless and uneasy, the above seven sufferings meet here, bringing endless troubles to everyone.
The female mermaid finally waited for Wu Yin Chi Sheng, she was about to reach out to touch the flame, but only saw it go out with a snap, disappearing silently in the pure white space.
The previous seven sufferings also dissipated, this pure world returned to peace.
The female mermaid was greatly puzzled, she looked around in confusion, wanting to reach out again to search, but could not gather the fragments.
A childish voice rang out: "Are you looking for me?"
The female mermaid turned her head, finding a figure appear in the pure white space, it was a warm scene of a family of three holding hands.
The man and woman only had blurred backs, standing between them was a delicate little girl, looking only three or four years old.
The little girl was now short, could only hold her parents' little fingers, one hand holding her father, one hand holding her mother, turning back to gaze at the female mermaid, her eyes clear and bright, not at all shy.
A crystal star hung around her neck, egg-sized, now shining brightly.
The female mermaid's expression changed, her fingers trembled slightly, unexpectedly Chu Zhishui's true self had materialized in the spiritual world, a situation never encountered before. Humans falling into illusions were always at their mercy, never escaping the five poisons and eight sufferings.
The little girl saw the female mermaid standing still, let go of her parents' fingers, the figures of the man and woman turned into fragments with the wind. She turned to face the other, a thin bamboo stick in her hand, leisurely playing in her tender palm.
"Although I call him God, honestly it's just to please him, I never took him as a god," the little girl's voice was soft, her bamboo stick swaying, like a little teacher instructing students, pointing at the female mermaid, "Do you monsters all take humans as fools, thinking throwing out bait or threatening will lead them by the nose?"
She had just been turned upside down by the female mermaid, truly no secrets could be hidden.
"Yes, I have no demonic energy, no talent, no long life, but so what?" the little girl said slowly, "What can be done with demonic energy, I can do by myself, what I can't do isn't a pity, even if I can only live a hundred years, I can still live a wonderful and complete life, being an ordinary person isn't shameful."
She lowered her eyes: "If humans won't accept themselves, who else can they expect to accept them, no one will look up to them."
When she was young, she tried her best to prove herself, only to hear outsiders tell her parents "If you had a boy, that would be perfect." Sometimes, she would wonder, if she were born a boy, would life be easier, at least not subjected to such rude criticism.
But she doesn't think that way now, she doesn't know if there's an afterlife, but if there's a choice, no matter how many times she starts over, she would make the same decision.
The more difficult the situation, the more one must persist, she is proud of her female identity.
No matter how big the storm, she still emerges victorious, not inferior to countless "hims."
Now the same, even after working in the demon bureau for so long, witnessing countless wonders, she has never thought of shedding her ordinary identity.
She is proud of her human identity, that is the meaning of her efforts so far.
Whether joy or pain, fortune or misfortune, perfection or regret, she willingly swallows it all, denying any part is denying the self that chose to get here.
She is not without the five poisons and eight sufferings of humans, just eventually letting go by her own heart, wrong or not, as long as it's her choice, she can accept it.
If there really is a god in this world, to govern her fate's ups and downs, it can only be herself.
"If there's nothing else, can you leave my world?" the little girl politely said, "Or I'll have to call him."
The female mermaid's face changed drastically, she reached out to stop, but to no avail.
"Xin Yunmao."
Torrential rain, the rocking bow of the boat, Xin Yunmao held the dragon bone umbrella, constantly overturning giant waves, searching for Chu Zhishui's whereabouts through the gaps in the sea, yet unable to accurately locate.
His hair scattered, ancient robes long burned through by black fire, no longer showing any hint of green, initially a mix of green and black, now just a charred black.
Wu Changgong panicked: "God, you should go back first, you don't seem well..."
This is going to be completely burned black.
The raging sea wind, thick black clouds split by a golden glow, the sun finally pierced through, making the sea shimmer with light.
Xin Yunmao: "She called me."
Exactly half an hour, she didn't break her promise.
Lan Quanxian was contacting colleagues, still not understanding, suspiciously asked: "What?"
The next moment, a black rift swallowed Xin Yunmao, his tall figure disappeared from the boat, leaving only Wu Changgong and Lan Quanxian.
Surrounding was quiet, white and hazy, yet glowing softly, her presence could be felt. Light, warm, peaceful, not a trace of filth, capable of extinguishing all restlessness and anger.
Xin Yunmao just landed, not knowing where he had descended, later realizing he had entered her spiritual world. He took a deep breath, fresh air filling his lungs, stunned to lift his hand, suddenly finding the black flames extinguished, even the ancient robe sleeves turning pure green.
The wounds he had just formed all healed, feeling an unprecedented lightness, the curse fire that had long plagued him, accidentally solved the long-standing trouble.
Not exactly by accident, this is the world she built, untainted by any five poisons and eight sufferings, so it purified him.
He has now regained the name "Yunmao."
Xin Yunmao remembered she didn't like black clothes, now dressed in pure green ancient robes, no trace of burn marks, began looking around for her.
Not seeing the adult her, but seeing the young her, equally fresh.
On the other side, the female mermaid wanted to grab the little girl, who knew as soon as she approached, the little girl used the bamboo stick to hit herself, seemingly weak but quite painful, making her cry and drop countless pearls.
This is Chu Zhishui's world, so as long as she regains her will, she can knead the female mermaid as she pleases.
The little girl found the pearls fascinating, originally just retaliating, seeing the pearls made her experiment, anyway the other would be a reformed criminal sooner or later, couldn't help hitting the female mermaid a couple more times, indeed more beautiful pearls fell.
The next moment, the cold and stern man in green ancient robes suddenly appeared, one hand lifting the little girl, the other holding the deep green dragon bone umbrella, coldly staring at the female mermaid, icily said: "You're the one trafficking people?"
The female mermaid recognized Xin Yunmao, hair standing on end, without a word turned and ran, but the dragon bone umbrella had already risen, whoosh opened, throwing out green demon fire!
The little girl hugged his neck, immediately widened her eyes, loudly stopped: "Don't burn to ashes, she'll drop pearls!"
Xin Yunmao paused: "So?"
She exclaimed: "Pearls can be sold for money, still owe over a million!"
"..."
