Chapter 2: Chapter 190: Supernatural Forces

"Jiuge, the clothes you made for them last time were truly beautiful. I didn't expect you to have a talent for being a tailor. Perhaps if you weren't a Summoner, you could open your own tailor shop in the Flame Dragon Empire. When that time comes, I will definitely be a customer."

"If it weren't for the dying wish of the Feng family head to restore the Feng family, and if I weren't forced to ascend to the position of hegemon of the Cloud Map Continent, forcing me to become an enemy of Zhan Tian, perhaps I would still have a chance. But the chances are slim!"

Feng Jiuge muttered in a low voice, so softly that even Cui Ye, sitting beside her, could not hear.

"Jiuge, what did you say?"

"Nothing. Oh, right, once I have some free time, I'll make a set of clothes for you! Since you like..."

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by the sprinting Long Zije.

"Jiuge, thank goodness you're still here! You've been here for so long, and I haven't even fulfilled my duties as a host yet. Before you leave, I must take you to appreciate the magnificent rivers, mountains, and beautiful scenery of our Flame Dragon Empire."

As the other protagonist of this outing, Feng Jiuge wore a look of distress, but Long Zije ignored her directly. Disregarding Cui Ye's calls, he pulled Feng Jiuge out the door.

Consequently, when Long Zhantian arrived at the villa where Feng Jiuge was staying near dusk, he couldn't even find a trace of her. It was only by using his spiritual power to reconstruct what had happened there that he learned Long Zije had taken Feng Jiuge out.

A hint of displeasure blossomed in Long Zhantian's heart. It seemed he really had to keep a close eye on this younger brother; Long Zije actually took the removal of the guards he had assigned as permission to act recklessly.

He hadn't expected that coming to find Feng Jiuge would result in being given the cold shoulder, and by his own biological brother at that. Long Zhantian could only shake his head. Ordinarily, if it were an insignificant person, why would Long Zhantian bother being so polite? He would have simply killed them instantly rather than watching them "fly off together in pairs."

***

As it happened, Feng Jiuge had been taken to a place she had never been before. It was a street bustling with people coming and going. Feng Jiuge had been to the Flame Dragon Empire's Wind Demon Academy, but she only knew its location and general layout; she had never had the chance to interact with so many people.

However, as a modern young woman—and an assassin at that—wandering through a market with a bunch of middle-aged aunties didn't seem to fit her style, did it?

"You're saying this is the 'fun place'? As a dignified Prince of the Flame Dragon Empire, your hobbies are truly different from ordinary people!" Feng Jiuge's face was filled with disdain and an expression of disbelief. It was pure, unadulterated sarcasm.

Long Zije knew Feng Jiuge had misunderstood. "That's definitely not it. This is just the mandatory path to get there. Besides, if I told you where we were going now, wouldn't that ruin the surprise? Where would the fun be in that!"

Feng Jiuge deliberately let out a loud "Oh," and continued, "Then I'll have to see just how big this surprise is. If I don't feel even a hint of surprise, you're dead."

Long Zije walked in front while Feng Jiuge followed behind. Long Zije spent the whole way talking incessantly to himself. In truth, the content was nothing more than: "That place is really great; once you go, you'll definitely love it. Just like him—it's the place where Imperial Brother goes to heal his wounds and adjust his mood when he's ignoring me."

Later, Long Zije realized how could he possibly talk about his feelings for his Imperial Brother in front of Feng Jiuge? Feeling momentarily embarrassed, he stopped talking.

In reality, Long Zije didn't need to worry at all; Feng Jiuge wasn't listening to a word he said. Her heart hadn't left; it was still with Long Zhantian, and she hadn't even had her "date" with him yet! It was all Long Zije's fault for ruining her plans.

Sure enough, after winding through a remote alleyway and walking for about two li, the scenery ahead suddenly opened up. A river flowed gently, peach blossoms fell in profusion, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of peach blossoms, making one feel refreshed and relaxed. Weaving through the peach blossom grove and looking into the distance, they approached a spot where they discovered the left bank of the river was actually a dense forest. They looked like century-old trees, with many birds nesting in them; the sounds of chicks fighting for food frequently drifted into their ears, creating a lively atmosphere.

The opposite bank, however, was a bamboo forest growing tall and straight, with the "rustling" sound of falling bamboo leaves being very soothing to the ear.

Growing up in the modern era, Feng Jiuge naturally had no chance to see such beauty. All she had were those artificially cultivated peach trees for viewing; only when they were planted in massive clusters did they become a peach blossom grove.

Tired from walking, Feng Jiuge sat by the stream with Long Zije, leaning against a tree trunk to rest.

"What do you think? After walking such a long way, was it worth it? Was there a surprise?" Long Zije said proudly, a look of a nouveau riche who felt he had "contracted" this entire area spreading across his face.

Feng Jiuge didn't want to deny it; this place did indeed feel different. Crucially, there weren't that many people here. In the modern era, even when she had occasional holidays and visited such scenic spots, unscrupulous developers would always blindly develop them to protect their own interests. Combined with the increasing number of people, those attractions were always overcrowded.

"Not bad. Kid, you're pretty good. I didn't expect someone like you to be able to find this piece of earthly paradise."

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Just take it as a compliment."

Feng Jiuge noticed that the river water was different from ordinary river water. The water was a cyan-blue, reflecting the white clouds in the sky, so clear that the bottom was visible, and it contained various species of fish.

"This river water is a bit unusual; it looks different. Look, this small river is level, yet it can actually flow. It's quite strange!" Having discovered the anomaly, Feng Jiuge was very excited, but also very puzzled.

"Jiuge has sharp eyes! I only discovered it because Shi Ye mentioned it to me before. Jiuge, to guess the difference as soon as you arrived—your observation skills are keen!" Long Zije couldn't help but give a thumbs up in appreciation of Feng Jiuge.

Hearing Feng Jiuge's suspicion, Shi Ye shared the same thought as Long Zije: this Feng Jiuge was no ordinary person.

Shi Ye jumped out from Long Zije's sleeve, glanced at Long Zije first, and then looked toward Feng Jiuge, saying, "The occurrence of this situation is not caused by natural external forces."

"Oh? Non-natural forces? What's the story then?" Feng Jiuge's curiosity was piqued, and she asked hurriedly.

Shi Ye's thoughts drifted far away, his eyes becoming misty as he slowly recounted the tale to Feng Jiuge.

"Years ago, when I first came to the Flame Dragon Empire, this was where I settled. But back then, it wasn't as beautiful as it is now; on the contrary, it seemed very desolate.

As for people, let alone them, aside from this small river you see, there was almost nothing growing on the banks. The strange thing was that this small river was crystal clear. I once went upstream to observe for a period of time. Even if the main upstream channel was polluted and the water flowing into this small river was dirty, over a long period, it still maintained its own clarity.

Compared to its surroundings, the uniqueness of this small river was very obvious. Moreover, not only were there many species of fish living in it, but their numbers were also quite large. Within at least one square meter, there were at least ten fish of various sizes living there.

So, driven by curiosity, I had an idea: I would go down into the water to see exactly what was so strange about it.

Since I cannot stay underwater for long periods, I paid an alchemist named Bai Bai to help me. He specially refined a pill for me called the Breath-Holding Pill."

"A single Breath-Holding Pill can last for five hours; once the time is up, the effect vanishes. Because the Breath-Holding Pill disrupts our natural breathing patterns, Bai Bai warned me that I must not take more than two pills within a month, otherwise my bodily functions would suffer disruptions that would be difficult to readjust."

"And then? What was the scene like after you went in?" Feng Jiuge asked. She preferred the subsequent plot development, but regarding the Breath-Holding Pill, as a human, she felt she could probably overcome it.

"After Shi Ye took one pill, he entered the water. Due to buoyancy, Shi Ye faced resistance and got stuck in the middle of the water, unable to descend to the bottom," Long Zije continued Shi Ye's words, explaining to Feng Jiuge.

"After struggling in the middle of the water for half an hour—I don't know if it was the grace of the Goddess of Luck—something living in the deep water sensed my intrusion and suddenly rushed up to the shallow level where I was. At that moment, I could intensely feel its body thrashing violently, making my heart feel compressed, as if ten thousand pounds of stone were pressing down on me."

"What was it? Did you see it clearly?"

"At that time, Shi Ye was already struggling to save himself. An unaccustomed Shi Ye, struggling to move in the water, couldn't possibly care to look at what was attacking from his direction. The only thing he could do was keep his heart rate within a certain range; moreover, it was winter, so Shi Ye also had to ensure his body temperature remained constant," Long Zije explained to Feng Jiuge.

"I only know it had very large fins. The closer it got to me, the more turbulent the surrounding currents became. Just as a sense of helplessness—of being 'a fish on a chopping block'—arose in my heart, I was swept to the bottom by its flapping fins. Just like that, I was dramatically carried to the deep bottom."

"You're saying that strange thing with the giant fins carried you down?" Feng Jiuge had a look of utter disbelief, her expression carrying a threat that suggested *if you're playing me, you know what the consequences will be*. This actually made Long Zije find it funny, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Jiuge, you're so hilarious; teasing you isn't fun anymore."

Feng Jiuge shot Long Zije a "none of your business" look, and Long Zije shut his mouth sheepishly.

"Yeah, even I find it hard to believe that such a coincidence exists. Later, I heard that it only comes to the shallow waters every three years to stretch its limbs. Usually, even if the aura of another person is present, it knows no one can enter, so it doesn't bother!"