Swish—
Xixi carried Su You along as if she were holding a little kitten, soaring above the mountain ranges.
They came riding the wind and departed with it.
Along the way, any fierce beasts daring to intercept Su You were effortlessly and casually killed by her in an instant, without breaking a sweat.
Su You's initial terror of the Primordial ferocious beasts had shifted to shock at Xixi's power, until finally, his expression became completely numb.
He had gotten used to it.
So what if the birds were a little bit oversized, or the beasts a bit more massive? Big deal! He didn't even have to lift a finger, or else he'd scatter their ashes to the winds.
He thought of the giant serpent that had almost taken his life earlier. Looking back now, *heh*, is that it? Just a little snake!
Enveloped in clouds and mist, the two of them passed through the pale white vapor. They flew an unfathomable distance at incredible speed, yet the roaring gale around them grew weaker and weaker.
Before long, Xixi descended beside a lake, and Su You finally caught sight of the boundless landscape beneath the swirling mists.
With emerald mountains, clear waters, the calls of birds, the fragrance of flowers, cascading waterfalls roaring in the distance, and rivers and lakes rippling with azure waves, it truly was a fairyland on earth.
There were not so many Primordial ferocious beasts here; it seemed they had strayed far from the most dangerous zones.
Well, since he was protected by a supreme expert anyway, wasn't this place a paradise for him?
Su You thought complacently. A celestial maiden must have taken a fancy to him; otherwise, why would Xixi have protected him all the way here?
As seemingly the only person who could see and touch Xixi, he must be very special to her.
What were they doing here now? Getting married?
Su You suddenly felt rather bashful. Wasn't this progress a bit too fast? This feeling was so strange—strangely embarrassing.
Xixi put down the "little kitten" in her hands, walked toward the lake, and gently shed her immortal garments.
Su You's eyes widened in shock. *Whoa*, no need to rush, no need at all! They hadn't even shared the bridal chamber yet—this wasn't right!
In reality, however, Xixi had only removed her outermost robe; she was still wearing a light blue long dress. Like a mermaid, she leaped into the lake. The slender, jade-like legs beneath her skirt were dazzlingly white, making Su You dizzy.
Her tiny, exquisite, and delicate jade feet flashed into view, their toes rounded and refined, pearly white and tender enough to drip water.
Su You felt a surge of excitement, but unfortunately, Xixi had already swum into the lake, hiding her form. How disappointing!
Still, getting to catch a fairy swimming felt like enough to make this lifetime complete for Su You.
He saw Xixi close her lovely eyes, floating backward on the rippling surface of the lake, revealing only her upper body. She looked serene and elegant, as graceful as a noble white swan under the watery moonlight.
Yet upon closer inspection, one would notice that the water's surface remained completely undisturbed; Xixi was still ethereal, never actually touching the lake water.
She seemed happy, though her expression remained calm.
It was as if she were sharing her joy with the lake.
Su You's heart stirred; he wanted to jump into the lake and swim with Xixi, too!
Yet he didn't dare go down. Heaven only knew what monsters lurked in this lake—he wasn't back on Earth anymore.
*Splash—*
A huge wave suddenly surged into the sky, crashing toward the shore with astonishing force.
A massive fish leaped out, easily a meter tall with a ferocious visage. Opening its gaping maw filled with dense, razor-sharp teeth, it lunged straight at Su You on the grassy bank.
If that bite landed, Su You would undoubtedly be chewed into mincemeat and swallowed by the giant fish.
Su You's eyes widened in panic. Were the fish in this lake this wild, leaping ashore to eat people directly? He instinctively wanted to run, but before the command sent by his brain could reach his nerve endings and stimulate his muscles into action, the giant fish's sharp teeth were already right before his eyes.
The next instant, however, the giant fish dissolved into nothingness, mysteriously vanishing into thin air.
Xixi still drifted quietly on the lake surface, looking as though she had never moved at all.
Yet Su You was drenched to the bone by the subsequent wave, suffering a miserable soaking!
Su You remained frozen in a look of terror while the giant fish had just been erased out of nowhere.
Xixi was truly badass, but constantly being startled like this made Su You feel that even if he wasn't eaten by beasts, he'd be scared to death by these monsters.
Wait a minute, Xixi clearly had no physical contact with him, so how was she still able to obliterate the giant fish?
Su You felt his brain struggling to keep up.
Or perhaps Xixi moved so fast that she had actually come back just now, touched him once, and returned to the lake before he even realized it?
Su You was utterly baffled. Could his previous deduction have been wrong? Was he not necessarily a "medium" that allowed Xixi to touch the outside world?
He panicked a little. If he lost such a special "status," would he still be of any use to Xixi? Would she still honor her promise to teach him Immortal Art? Would she still protect him in this perilous world?
Su You inevitably sank into a state of anxiety, staring blankly at the floating fairy in the lake, his mind in chaos.
Finally, exhausted and sleepy, Su You collapsed onto the cool grass and fell asleep in its embrace.
In his dream, an incomparably beautiful fairy was whispering sweet nothings to him, the two of them deeply affectionate, entirely of one mind, and boundlessly tender...
The moonlight was rich, and in the vast, azure-waved lake, a peerless woman drifted lazily across the water.
On the grassy bank, a sixteen-year-old youth was fast asleep, a smile curling the corners of his lips.
A gentle breeze blew, carrying the fragrance of flowers for miles.
Stars twinkled brightly, showering the mortal world with their light.
...
When the first ray of morning sunlight struck Su You's face, he couldn't help stretching lazily and waking up refreshed.
The grass was soft, and he had slept soundly. The night had passed peacefully; even the occasional roars of beasts from the mountain forests hadn't awakened him. He didn't know whether he had slept too soundly or if this lakeside simply induced tranquility and sleep.
"You're awake."
Before him, Xixi sat serenely on the verdant grass, blessed with star-like features and a moon-like face, her gaze cool and her aura breathtaking.
Flustered and flattered, Su You sat up and said ingratiatingly, "Ah, haha, good morning, fairy sister."
"Mhm, morning," Xixi replied indifferently, as cool and immortal as ever.
*Rumble~~~*
Most untimely, Su You's stomach growled.
So hungry...
Su You offered a shy smile, looking slightly awkward yet maintaining his manners.
Xixi blinked her lovely eyes. Clearly, she truly did not partake in mortal food and had no need to worry about filling her stomach.
*Splash—*
Xixi caught Su You's hand and gave a casual flick. Suddenly, a thousand-pound small fish flew out of the deep lake, crashing onto the ground with an impact that jarred Su You's backside.
This fish was magnificent, resembling a kind of carp. It was multicolored, its scales flashing with a seven-colored radiance—truly dazzling. Its whiskers looked like dragon whiskers, its head like a dragon's head, and its tail like a dragon's tail.
In short, this fish was extraordinarily special, the king among fish, of immense value and extraordinary rarity.
"Here, eat." Xixi gently lifted her delicate chin, looking at Su You, her pair of beautiful eyes as if containing stars.
Yet Su You was somewhat dazed. He looked at the thousand-pound giant fish, then at Xixi, shooting her a look that asked: *Are you serious?*
Xixi looked at him indifferently, her expression seeming to say: *Hurry up and eat, hurry up and eat.*
Su You: ......
No, such a huge fish—how do you expect me to eat it? Standing up, it's taller than I am!
After hesitating for a moment, Su You ultimately set about dealing with the fish.
He ran off into the distance and gathered a pile of dead wood and branches.
However, after trying "drilling wood to make fire" to no avail, Su You could only sit blankly in place, staring dumbly at the massive Carp King.
He lacked proper tools; let alone starting a fire by friction, even removing the fish scales posed a massive challenge.
"Fairy sister, can you make fire?" Su You once again pinned his hopes on Xixi.
Beside him, Xixi watched Su You with a calm expression. At his words, she flicked her finger, and a blazing fire instantly ignited from the pile of dead wood. Casually, she sliced off a few pieces of tender fish meat, and a ripple swept across them, causing all the vibrant fish scales on the meat to vanish completely.
Tsk, Immortal Art!
Su You's eyes were opened wide, and his yearning for "immortal cultivation" grew even stronger. He then skewered the fish meat onto tree branches, placed it over the fire, and turned it constantly. The tender fish meat immediately emitted a wonderful sizzling sound.
Before long, the fish meat turned golden, and fragrant juices dripped down, releasing a rich aroma of meat.
Su You looked pleasantly surprised. *Smells so good!*
The fragrant aroma refreshed the mind, radiating a mysterious, divine energy. After sniffing it for a moment, Su You felt revitalized, his eyes and ears sharper, and even his hunger subsided.
If just a whiff had such an effect, wouldn't taking a bite send him straight to heaven?
Su You was overjoyed. Xixi hadn't just casually picked any random fish; this creature was extraordinary, containing a vast amount of divine essence within its body.
"Here, fairy sister." Su You handed the first piece of roasted fish meat to Xixi.
Xixi remained expressionless, offering no response.
Su You awkwardly withdrew his hand. This fairy sister's demeanor was far too cold; just a glance made her feel untouchable, and for a moment he couldn't think of anything to say to ease the atmosphere.
In the end, he took a bite of the fish meat himself, instantly finding the texture delicious, melting on his tongue, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth.
He swallowed the fish meat into his stomach, and instantly a majestic surge of divine energy rushed through his body. Su You's pores opened up, radiating auspicious multicolored light. His entire body turned golden, glowing with brilliance as he felt as though he were about to undergo ascension!
Next, Su You felt his body growing hotter and hotter. It felt as though an active volcano had been installed inside him, erupting with scalding lava. Su You couldn't help hopping around from the heat, white mist and auspicious light swirling around his body. He resembled a burning flame, every pore exhaling vital essence, while streams of divine energy surged like crashing waves, circulating through his body.
"Aah!"
Su You could no longer endure it. Steaming as if he were on fire, trailing sparks and lightning, he charged straight into the lake.
*Splash—*
Water splashed everywhere, and Su You finally felt much better, groaning in comfort.
In the end, he sank straight into the lake, submerging even his head beneath the surface.
"Glub, glub, glub..."
The divine energy within his body continued to rise, pushing countless black impurities out through his pores, which were then washed away by the lake water.
His skin gradually became crystal clear, fairer than a woman's. This single piece of fish meat had brought about a transformative rebirth in him.
This was a grand gift. To Xixi, it might merely be waste, but to Su You, it was an unimaginable stroke of fortune.
Not to mention that this colorful Carp King, possessing a trace of True Dragon bloodline, lived deep within a thousand-meter-deep lake, possessed formidable strength, and was a rare and elusive species—even within the depths of these Primordial mountains, no human could ever venture here, let alone peacefully enjoy eating fish.
Yet Su You knew nothing of this; right now, he was solely occupied with blowing bubbles in the water, trying his best to digest the overflowing divine energy within him and integrate it into every part of his body to sublimate his flesh.
The lake water around Su You boiled, constantly evaporating, as streams of red and green carp swam over, circling him like ribbons of color, curiously peering at the human radiating a faint aura of the Carp King.
"Glub, glub, glub..."