Warm steam filled the bath, veiling it like a gauzy mist.
The Shark Person princess, Cen Qing, leaned lazily against the edge of the pool. Warm water lapped over her smooth shoulders, but she felt no comfort from it. She merely pressed her slender fingers to her throbbing temples, her brows shadowed by an exhaustion and solemnity she could not shake.
The Shark Person imperial clan possessed a powerful innate talent for illusion arts, and their spiritual power far surpassed that of ordinary people. As a result, they rarely fell into unconscious dreams like mortals.
However, whenever they did dream, it was never anything ordinary.
Those dreams were often fragmented yet precise, indistinct yet sure to come true—visions of the future.
Unlike Fangxian Dao divinations, which offered clear hexagrams or prophetic verses as guidance, these dreams were always more specific and vivid in their details, as though experienced firsthand.
Just three days ago, on the night Chen Jin arrived in this world, she had fallen into one such unsettling prophetic dream.
In the dream, the sky shattered, and thick, scarlet blood rained down.
Everywhere she looked, raging flames devoured everything they touched.
In the firmament, the all-pervasive, imposing Law Eyes plummeted like fallen stars, trailing black flames before crashing down and breaking apart.
At Langya Terrace, towering trees crashed to the ground with a wail that seemed to tear heaven and earth apart.
At the heart of this apocalyptic scene stood an unremarkable-looking man named Heifu.
He was drenched in blood and covered in wounds, yet he laughed with wild abandon.
The scene had seared itself into her mind, filling her with a powerful sense of foreboding: this man would bring the plans they had spent years painstakingly preparing to ruin.
She had never told anyone about the terrible dream, and deep down, she had even tried with all her might to deny it to herself.
"We've sacrificed so much... We've prepared for so many years... And Master, he..." she murmured, her voice swallowed by the sound of the water.
She tried to convince herself. "The dream gave no clear instructions, and my premonition might not be accurate... Maybe... maybe this man isn't a harbinger of disaster at all. Maybe he's the key to fulfilling my people's revenge?"
Yet the brief test in the illusion today had brought the nightmare's shadow back.
She had already proposed working together, but he had not agreed at once.
Not agreeing at once was, in essence, a refusal.
So...
Cen Qing took a deep breath, and the last trace of hesitation vanished from her eyes.
With a splash, she rose from the water, crystal droplets rolling down the perfect contours of her body.
Using a secret art, she conjured a pair of legs and stepped onto the cold floor. A faint surge of spiritual energy dried her off, and she summoned an elegant, dignified dress.
She had to go see her husband immediately.
She would tell him that she had found the whereabouts of the Mohist School Grand Master's Token—the crucial sword, Mo Mei.
Chen Jin followed Wang Wu and two other fellow soldiers through the labyrinthine streets of Langya City and the desolate outskirts, searching for the missing Ink Jade Qilin Dog. He found the job tedious and absurd, but for now, all he could do was grit his teeth and help his fellow guards carefully inspect the paw prints in the mud.
The dog was indeed extraordinary.
Chen Jin spotted it first, behind a pile of junk at the end of a remote alley.
"Over here!" Chen Jin shouted.
The dog was larger than an ordinary one, its coat glossy black and gleaming with a faint, dark metallic sheen in the dim light. Its eyes were no ordinary dog's; they held a hint of intelligence.
Black ripples flickered almost imperceptibly in Chen Jin's eyes.
[Glance of the Startled Swan] activated!
[Ink Jade Qilin Dog]
[Category]: Spirit Beast
[Condition]: Frightened, hungry
[Bloodline]: Contains a trace of the ancient Ink Qilin bloodline. Its intelligence has just begun to awaken, and it is more sensitive to ominous things. Proud and difficult to tame, but once it accepts a master, it remains unfailingly loyal.
Note: It is extremely hungry right now. Flesh containing the power of the Flesh of Vision is especially enticing to it.
The dog sensed strangers approaching. Chen Jin's aura in particular made it feel threatened for some reason.
It growled menacingly, then suddenly lunged as if to attack, trying to dart away to the side.
Chen Jin reacted instantly, stepping forward and reaching for the loose skin at the back of its neck.
But the beast was exceptionally slippery. In midair, it twisted sharply, opened its mouth, and—with a speed far beyond that of an ordinary dog—sank its teeth into Chen Jin's wrist with a vicious crunch!
Its fangs were sharp. They pierced the skin at once, blood welled up, and a large chunk of flesh disappeared into the dog's belly.
"Ugh!" Chen Jin frowned.
Well, would you look at that—sneaking up and taking a bite.
But almost at the same moment, the deep bite wound began writhing and healing at a visible, frantic speed.
His skin was smooth as before, as if that vicious bite had never happened.
Squad Leader Wang Wu, who had just arrived, saw everything.
Wang Wu stopped abruptly, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
The usual hard look on his face froze. For just an instant, his expression was so vivid it nearly broke through his bronze-colored mask of composure.
But he was a seasoned Qin Elite Soldier, with years of experience and a deep reserve of composure.
He immediately forced himself to look away, as though he had seen nothing, then turned and barked at the vicious dog, "Hey! You miserable beast! You dare bite people?"
He stepped forward to help, and in a few quick motions, looped a rope he had brought around the dog. His movements seemed normal, but his trembling fingertips betrayed the storm raging inside him.
He did not look at Chen Jin's wrist again. Instead, he asked gruffly, "Are you all right? That beast has a nasty bite.
Chen Jin's heart sank.
Damn it!
[Endless Consumption]: Greatly enhances the holder's self-healing ability, repairing all injuries and negative conditions. The rate of recovery depends on how fully the inheritance has awakened.
This was a permanent, innate effect of the Form of the Flesh of Vision inheritance, and he had no control over it. He had never expected it to be exposed so casually, right in front of someone who should not have seen it.
"This is bad..."
They said nothing for the rest of the way.
The atmosphere was oppressively strange.
After they returned the dog to its arrogant steward and collected their meager reward, the day's work finally came to an end.
As their shift ended, the setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground.
Wang Wu called out to the two guards who were about to leave with their arms around each other's shoulders to grab a drink. "You two, go on ahead."
The men did not understand, but they did not dare disobey their Squad Leader. They answered and left.
Wang Wu gave Chen Jin a meaningful look and lowered his voice. "Fu, come with me for a moment."
He led Chen Jin away in silence, deliberately taking deserted alleys. They went farther and farther out of the way until they reached the broken wall of an abandoned courtyard. At last, it was completely quiet around them, save for the mournful wind.
Alarm bells rang in Chen Jin's mind. He tensed his muscles, ready for the worst.
But what happened next was completely beyond his expectations.
Wang Wu suddenly turned around. His knees buckled, and with a thud, he dropped straight to his knees in the dust before Chen Jin!
The man who was usually as sturdy as an iron tower no longer looked cold or imposing. His face was filled with grief and despair, almost to the point of collapse.
"Fu! Brother!" He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.
"I saw it... I saw everything!"
"Please! I've never begged anyone in my life! I'm begging you, have mercy and save my daughter! You're the only one who can save her! She... she..."