Years of Hard Work, Gone in a Day...

Grrrr...

The sound came from the little creature's belly. It had suffered these past few days and must have been starving in this barren place.

So Ye Chuqi's piece of dried meat was not for Red Beard. It was for Xiao Nuo. Red Beard could not help laughing.

Xiao Nuo had no idea why Red Beard was laughing again. All its attention was on the dried meat in his hand. It smelled wonderful, and it really was starving.

Red Beard held the meat to its mouth and smiled. "Go on, eat. She gave it to you."

Though he could not see her, Red Beard was certain the person who had saved him was a girl—and a pretty one at that. The little creature in his hands was a complete sucker for a pretty face. It would never let just anyone near it.

Besides, she carried the fresh scent of plants, which put people at ease. Xiao Nuo would not shy away from her.

When Ye Chuqi passed the large pit again, she deliberately stopped to see if there was anything else to discover. Unfortunately, there was nothing.

On Lush Mountain, she had practiced swordsmanship every day without neglecting her physical training or movement techniques. In such a dangerous world, she could not always count on someone else to save her, so she had thrown herself into growing stronger. Now, unable to draw on her Spiritual Power, she felt uncomfortably hollow inside.

Even without Spiritual Power to support it, her movement technique was still useful for travel.

Little Oasis appeared suddenly in the distance. Ye Chuqi spotted its outline from far away, but strangely, her Divine Sense had not detected it. For a moment, she could not tell whether her eyes or her Divine Sense were deceiving her.

No other creatures had come near, and an immense pressure still lingered within Little Oasis. Just as she had guessed, this was probably the giant snake's lair.

Ye Chuqi hesitated. The giant snake was venomous, so would the water here still be safe to use?

Only when she approached slowly did she confirm that Little Oasis was real. Yet even from this close, her Divine Sense could not probe its details.

It deserved the name Little Oasis. The entire green patch was smaller than a football field. A sparse ring of trees surrounded it, charred black but unmistakably alive. At its center lay a small pool of pale green water. Dark shapes that looked like water plants seemed visible in its depths. A few dusty, scorched rocks lined the bank, and even the withered grass in their cracks matched the place's dull gray-yellow tones.

In the middle of the pool, several scorched rocks clustered together. A bunch of cherry-red fruit grew among them, swaying proudly in the breeze.

Chapter 4: Ashen Wasteland 04—Years of Hard Work, Gone in a Day...

Ye Chuqi gave serious thought to how little red fruit could grow in a spot like that, then edged closer with care. Something here seemed capable of blocking her Divine Sense. That alone made it worth finding. Fortune favored the bold, and since she was already here, she might as well look around properly.

Ye Chuqi stood beside the pool for a while. Only when she leaned closer did she realize its apparent clarity was a lie. The deep green she could see was merely a trick of color, and what she had taken for water plants was nothing more than light and shadow. She could not see beneath the surface at all.

Just as Ye Chuqi was considering what to do next, the flawless, jade-like surface suddenly broke apart. A dark shape lunged straight at her. Her eyes were sharp enough to make it out in that split second: a huge black fish, its gaping mouth packed with gleaming pointed teeth. One bite would tear her to pieces.

Ye Chuqi sprang backward and snapped a branch from a tree. Her agile figure left afterimages in the heavy air. The sword flourishes she made with the branch could not match her usual strength, but they were enough to land a solid blow on the vicious, ugly Big Black Fish.

The impact shuddered up the branch and numbed her entire arm. The charred wood snapped into several pieces.

What the hell was that thing? How was it harder than stone? That blow could have shattered a rock! Yet all she had done was knock Big Black Fish back into the water. It shook its head and leaped up again!

Ye Chuqi pushed off lightly and rose into the air above its head, aiming a kick at its skull. But Big Black Fish flicked its tail midair and came at her with a mouthful of huge white teeth.

She narrowly dodged, sliding past its slick body.

Oh God, that's disgusting.

A little slime had gotten on Ye Chuqi's hand. She wiped it on her clothes again and again, but could not shake the revolting sensation.

The slime on Big Black Fish's body could blunt most physical attacks, and its head was harder than stone. Ordinary blows could not break through its defenses. If she kicked it, the fish probably would not feel a thing, while she might end up with a broken leg. And even without seeing those enormous white teeth in action, she knew one bite would leave her dead or maimed.

She was still badly injured, and her Spiritual Power had long since run dry. Technique alone would not get through Big Black Fish's defenses. If she could not beat it, what else was there to do? Run!

She refused to believe a fish could chase her onto land, much less keep up with her.

Decision made, she moved.

But before she left—

Ye Chuqi threw caution aside and pushed off Big Black Fish's body. She skimmed across the water like an arrow, flashed past the scorched rocks in the middle of the pool, and snatched the bunch of cherry-red fruit. Without pausing for a moment, she shot onward.

Big Black Fish froze for an instant before it realized what had happened. Then it let out a shrill, furious cry and hurtled after Ye Chuqi's retreating figure.

Ye Chuqi gritted her teeth and sprinted. When she found a moment to glance back, her jaw nearly dropped. What kind of fish was this? It was a flying fish! Whose fish could fly so far and so fast without even having wings?

Ranking Lists

|

Space Stories

Transmigration and Rebirth Romance

Big Black Loves Fish