Early the next morning, Zhang Ye emerged from his cultivation.
He had reached the stage of Tier Nine Newly Advanced.
He opened his eyes, but his nose was the first to detect a wafting aroma.
Turning his head, he saw Hainowei swimming toward him while carrying a dish.
“I made breakfast. Try some!” Hainowei handed the breakfast to Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye was dazed for a moment, then he nodded and began to feast once again.
It was as delicious as ever, and as satisfying as ever.
Seeing Zhang Ye's satisfied look, Hainowei couldn't help but smile.
However, her smile soon froze, and a look of sorrow and reluctance appeared on her face.
“Are you leaving?”
Seeing her like this, Zhang Ye felt a pang of sympathy.
He shook his head gently. “Not yet. I still have some things to do. I won't leave until the afternoon.”
Hearing this, a bright smile immediately bloomed on Hainowei's face, as if just having Zhang Ye stay a little longer could make her incredibly happy.
Zhang Ye looked down at the bottom of the lake and said, “The place down below is where you live, right?”
“Yes,” Hainowei nodded.
“Can I go down?”
“You can,” Hainowei said.
Zhang Ye then dived down to the bottom of the lake with Hainowei.
At the bottom of the lake, there was also an altar-like magic circle.
Zhang Ye pointed at the altar and asked, “Do you usually live here?”
“Yeah,” Hainowei nodded.
Zhang Ye sighed, a trace of heartache in his eyes as he looked at Hainowei.
He said, “You go up first.”
Hainowei asked in confusion, “What are you going to do?”
Zhang Ye smiled and said, “You'll know in a bit. Be good, go up first, and no peeking.”
“Oh...” Hearing this, Hainowei could only agree, and she floated back up to the surface.
Since she had promised not to peek, she truly didn't. She didn't even spread her perception, simply sitting by the edge of the altar, listlessly splashing the water's surface with her tail.
“What on earth is Ye doing?” she murmured to herself.
Suddenly, a wave of panic washed over her.
Because the first time she had been deceived, those people had tampered with her sanctuary, setting a trap that directly wounded her severely.
Would Ye also...
No, he won't. Ye is a good person. He is a very good person...
She tried her best to stop thinking that way.
But the past betrayal and the clash of blades felt as if they had happened just yesterday, making her unable to stop recalling and guessing.
She told herself over and over again that such a thing would never happen again, it wouldn't!
Yet, her body still couldn't help but tremble.
That had been her first time witnessing the ugliness of humanity.
She was afraid.
Afraid that Zhang Ye would turn out just like those people.
Suddenly, she remembered... the Water Spirit Origin was placed right in the center of that altar!
Because she needed to rely on the power of the Origin to nurture herself.
She wanted to believe that Zhang Ye was a good person, but... could he really resist the temptation of the Water Spirit Origin?
One had to know that the bounty offered by the Holy See in the outside world was enough to establish a nation.
People she had once regarded as companions had all betrayed her for those sky-high rewards.
Could Zhang Ye... resist it?
Could he?
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became.
She really didn't want... she really didn't want to see Zhang Ye show the same expression as those people from back then.
She was afraid that when she went down later, she wouldn't see Zhang Ye's figure, nor would she see... any sign of the Water Spirit Origin.
Fear spread.
Her thoughts were gradually submerged in dread. Everything in the outside world seemed completely unrelated to her, and she even lost all concept of time.
Until Zhang Ye surfaced.
“Hainowei? Hainowei?” Zhang Ye called out several times before Hainowei finally snapped out of her daze.
The moment she saw Zhang Ye, Hainowei's terrified heart suddenly stopped trembling.
“Ye...” She tried to calm her breathing.
Zhang Ye also sensed that something was wrong with her and asked, “What's wrong?”
“No... it's nothing...” Hainowei shook her head.
Zhang Ye felt she was acting a bit off, but he didn't press her. Instead, he said, “Alright, come on down.”
Hainowei nodded and dove back down to the bottom of the lake with Zhang Ye.
But when she saw the scene at the bottom of the lake, she froze.
The original position of the altar at the bottom of the lake was now covered with beautiful water-attribute ores.
The ores had been condensed into walls.
A translucent blue, shimmering cottage appeared underwater.
Around the cottage, there were also coral reefs condensed from ores in shades of azure, light blue, dark blue, and jade white, perfectly blending the cottage with the lakebed to form a beautiful painting.
“This... this is...” Hainowei covered her mouth and looked at Zhang Ye.
“I built you a little cottage using the ores you gave me.”
“A home is only a home if it has a place to shield you from the wind and rain. Although you're at the bottom of a lake... you still need walls and a roof, right?” Zhang Ye grinned.
“It's a bit small, but that's fine. When I come back next time, I'll expand it into a castle for you.”
Looking at the little cottage, Hainowei felt as if her heart were soaked in warm water. Tears even welled up in the corners of her eyes, condensing into crystals, though they couldn't be seen clearly at the bottom of the lake.
That was... a home.
Zhang Ye didn't notice her unusual state and continued speaking.
“Oh, right. How could you be so careless?”
“The Water Spirit Origin was just left in the center of the altar. Anyone else would have stolen it long ago.”
“I've enveloped the Origin with a magic circle. It will provide a degree of concealment, but it won't affect your healing.”
“I also connected the teleportation magic circle. If someone comes to steal it, you can transfer the Origin to the surface altar at any time and run with it.”
“And another thing.” As he spoke, Zhang Ye gestured for Hainowei to follow him to the surface altar. He pointed to an upright, rune-engraved stone pillar and said,
“Over the past few days, I've set up a series of chain teleportation circles. If you encounter danger, come to the surface altar immediately and inject mana into this stone pillar to activate the teleportation circle directly.”
“The Origin will also be teleported to your side, and you can escape directly through the chain teleportation circles with it.”
“There is a junction in the middle. The left and right paths can both teleport you eight thousand kilometers away, while the middle path goes the furthest.”
“The destination for that path is set in a frozen ice lake in the Qiongde Snow Mountains, fourteen thousand kilometers away.”
“Although that place is frozen for thousands of miles, the underground waterways stretch in all directions, making it easy for you to relocate.”
“After reaching the frozen ice lake, I suggest you follow the mana indicators I left behind and head east. According to the map, that should lead to the ocean.”
“As a Water Spirit, once you enter the ocean, hardly anyone will be able to catch you.”
“However, looking at the map, you'll pass through several empires along the way, so you must never surface to avoid being spotted.”
“You'll also pass through a mountain range where the underground waterways will have many blockages. But it's relatively safe, so you'll just need to use your own power to clear them.”
“After traveling about a hundred and odd thousand kilometers, you'll reach the ocean.”
“This is all the help I can give you.”
“Also, remember this above all else: do not go west. The further west you go, the deeper into the inland you get, and the more densely populated it becomes...”
Zhang Ye spoke tirelessly, even demonstrating to Hainowei how to activate the magic circle and how to strengthen the protection on the Origin. He didn't notice that Hainowei's tears had already burst their banks.
Finally, having finished speaking, Zhang Ye turned around to look at Hainowei, only to find a ground littered with tear-shaped crystals, and Hainowei's tears were still continuously falling.
“Huh?” Zhang Ye was startled and hurriedly said, “Why are you crying?”
Hainowei snapped out of it, suddenly shook her head, and asked,
“Don't you want the Water Spirit Origin?”
“With it, you would have the potential and qualification to become a god.”
“Don't you want it?”
Hearing this, Zhang Ye shook his head. “No. I can become a god on my own.”
“You need it more than I do, and besides, it was yours to begin with.”
At this moment, Hainowei smiled.
She smiled from the bottom of her heart, without any concealment, laughing happily and cheerfully.
That breathtakingly beautiful smile made even the heavens and the earth pale in comparison.
An azure tear crystal condensed from the corner of her eye, but instead of falling to the ground, she cradled it in her palm.
As if holding a priceless treasure.
“This is the Water Spirit's Tear that I truly need to cherish.”
“Ye, thank you.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ye shook his head and smiled. “You prepared a surprise for me, so I had to prepare one for you too, right?”
“Yes!” Hainowei nodded with a smile, though her tears continued to fall.
“Alright, alright, crying a bit is fine, but even if you're made of water, you can't keep crying forever.” Zhang Ye reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of Hainowei's eyes.
This was the first time Zhang Ye had ever touched Hainowei's skin.
It was truly as smooth and delicate as water.
Hainowei didn't resist. Instead, she gently held his hand, placing it against her cheek and lightly nuzzling it.
This action left Zhang Ye completely at a loss.
Hainowei narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice low and slow.
“I will always believe in you, so please, you must come back.”
“Don't disappoint me, okay?”
Her words sounded almost like a plea.
Zhang Ye's flustered heart slowly calmed down. He held Hainowei's hand and hooked his pinky finger with hers.
“Alright.”
“I'll pinky swear with you.”
“Once we pinky swear, I definitely won't lie to you.”
“Is it like a soul oath?” Hainowei asked, looking at him.
“Better than a soul oath!” Zhang Ye smiled.
“Okay!”
“Pinky swear, hang yourself, for a hundred years, no changes!” Zhang Ye said, gently shaking their hands.
“Can it be... longer? A hundred years is too short,” Hainowei said cautiously.
Zhang Ye burst into hearty laughter.
“Pinky swear, hang yourself, for hundreds of millions of years, no changes!”
...
...
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