The Sect Leader Raised a Fox to His Own Detriment - Chapter 8

The Jing River flows across the entire city of Yangzhou. It is not only the vital water source for the local people but also the primary waterway connecting Yangzhou to other regions; the city’s flourishing water transport is thanks to the river’s blessing.

Under a starless night sky, Yue Xichen and the others had arrived at the riverbank. The water surged, deep and bottomless, looking like thick ink in the night. The Governor of Yangzhou had prepared a sufficiently large ship for them. Yue Xichen and Zhu Yan boarded with their respective disciples, and Zhan Ning acted as the boatman, rowing them toward the middle reaches of the river.

“This is where the Governor mentioned, right? The recent shipwrecks all seem to have happened around here…” Zhan Ning said as he rowed, glancing at Yue Xichen.

Yue Xichen nodded silently. A-Yin noticed that even Elder Zhu Yan, who was in the Nascent Soul stage, and the prodigy Lin Fengfei were gripping their swords tightly, looking as if they were facing a great enemy. The other disciples were even more tense.

Among them, only Yue Xichen remained as calm and unhurried as ever. While providing a sense of security, he also stood like an ice sculpture; the cold aura emanating from him was enough to freeze anyone who got too close.

A gale swept in, causing the boat to sway violently. At the bow, Yue Xichen’s hair was disheveled and his white robes snapped in the wind, but his black eyes remained unruffled as he watched the water. No matter how fierce the waves, he stood firm.

The other disciples followed his lead, staring intently at the surface as if a giant monster might burst out at any second. Only A-Yin’s attention was entirely on Yue Xichen.

In the past, he thought his Master was made of ice chilling people to the bone. Now, he felt Yue Xichen was more like jade exquisite and translucent. Especially now, with the moonlight spilling onto his snow-white robes, Yue Xichen seemed to be glowing. Since learning he was a half-demon, A-Yin’s curiosity about his Master had only grown. He didn’t know his own origins, nor why Yue Xichen had truly taken him as a disciple.

The night grew thick as the boat circled the middle of the river, waiting for its prey. Leaning against the railing with his arms crossed, A-Yin felt bored. Initially tense like the others, he soon spent his time simply admiring Yue Xichen’s beauty.

After drifting for an unknown amount of time, the boat suddenly shook violently, as if it had struck a reef.

“Look over there!” Zhan Ning dropped his long pole.

Everyone turned in unison toward where Zhan Ning was pointing. On the pitch-black river, a person was in the water. It was a woman, her beauty striking and her skin as white as snow. With her bare shoulders exposed, she looked like a lotus flower emerging from the water.

The disciples on board were stunned. They couldn’t move their eyes away from her, as if a single glance was enough to steal their souls.

“Don’t look at her! She isn’t human she’s a mermaid!” Lin Fengfei shouted. The moment the words left his mouth, he began to manipulate his sword.

Lengshuo left its scabbard, radiating a piercing blue light. But before Lin Fengfei could strike, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by Zhan Ning.

“Second Junior Brother, you mustn’t.” Zhan Ning’s eyes were wide and full of tension. “We don’t know yet if this woman caused the shipwrecks. If we wrong her, wouldn’t we be slaughtering the innocent?”

“Eldest Senior Brother!” Lin Fengfei shoved him aside, his voice stern. “I see you’ve been bewitched by this mermaid!”

“I…” Zhan Ning lowered his head guiltily. “I know mermaids have the power to charm hearts, but isn’t it too reckless to act before things are clear?”

“Before things are clear?” Lin Fengfei let out a disdainful cold snort. “Look for yourself!”

Zhan Ning looked up tremblingly, his eyes widening. In the Jing River, there wasn’t just one mermaid. Almost in the blink of an eye, hundreds of mermaids poked their heads out of the water, completely surrounding the boat. Though beautiful, the sheer, countless number of them was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Yue Xichen only had three disciples here; including Zhu Yan’s group, there were only ten of them. Facing such a massive swarm, the disciples’ faces turned pale with cold sweat.

“With so many mermaids hidden in this river, do you still dare say they have nothing to do with the shipwrecks?!” As Lin Fengfei spoke, several mermaids nearest the boat leapt from the water, swinging their tails to launch an attack.

“The time for your test has come! Do not fear, your Master is here, as is the Sect Leader…” Zhu Yan commanded decisively. “Slay the evil and uphold the Way of Heaven!”

Zhu Yan’s disciples, emboldened by their master, found their courage and began to engage the mermaids with their swords. However, Lin Fengfei couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Zhu Yan. Slay the evil and uphold the Way? Zhu Yan was only so motivated because mermaid tears are “Ice Tear Beads” that help boost cultivation.

“A-Yin…” Zhan Ning leaned toward A-Yin and whispered, “If a Qi Refining cultivator like us takes an Ice Tear Bead, they can immediately reach Foundation Establishment. If I’m lucky enough to get two, I’ll give you one when we get back.”

“Really?”

“When has your Eldest Senior Brother ever lied to you?” Zhan Ning smiled and went off to fight the mermaids.

Mermaids aren’t naturally strong, but for some reason, this group had demonic power ten or even dozens of times higher than normal. They couldn’t board the ship, but they used their flexible tails to leap from the water and attack with sharp claws and teeth. Several disciples were already wounded.

Zhu Yan’s disciples were mostly at the Foundation Establishment stage. He thought dealing with these mermaids would be easy, but they were being pushed into a corner. Only Lin Fengfei could truly hold his own. The frost from Lengshuo was enough to turn the river to ice; he moved with decisive lethality, killing a mermaid with every strike. He didn’t care about Ice Tear Beads—only the weak needed those. He just wanted to slaughter all of them to show these useless sect-mates the strength of a true prodigy.

However, the more mermaids Lin Fengfei killed, the stronger the remaining ones became. Outnumbered, even Lin Fengfei began to struggle.

“Sect Leader!” Zhu Yan couldn’t help but call out.

Yue Xichen had remained aloof from the start. This was training for the disciples; he didn’t want to interfere unless absolutely necessary.

A-Yin and Zhan Ning had initially been determined to get a bead, but they soon realized that with their level of cultivation, they were lucky not to become mermaid food. They were forced to hide inside a barrier Zhan Ning had cast.

“No wonder the books say Ice Tear Beads are hard to get. But I thought it was because mermaids refuse to cry even under torture, not because they’re this hard to handle!” Zhan Ning muttered.

Beside him, A-Yin watched the others fighting and bit his lip in frustration. He didn’t want to descend the mountain for training only to act like a turtle hiding in its shell.

“…Hand it over…”

Suddenly, A-Yin heard a voice. It was a woman’s voice.