Dusk settled in.
Outside the window, a misty drizzle tapped softly against the glass without a sound.
Lin Zhishui sat in the chair by the entrance to his calligraphy and painting shop, leaning slightly forward with his hands folded loosely beneath his chin as he watched the rain outside.
There had been no customers today, but he did not mind. He already had a steady clientele, after all. He could simply practice his calligraphy and painting in the shop, gradually make a name for himself in that traditional culture circle, and wait for customers to come.
Still, he was a little worried.
That weather forecast was a complete idiot. What happened to the promised lack of rain?
If only I'd kept an umbrella in the shop. Now I have to ask my Little Snake to come get me. Sigh, who knows how long that timid girl will take to get here.
He had thought She Xilu might not dare to go out alone, but to his surprise, the moment she heard he was stranded here, she had eagerly agreed to come.
Was it because I usually took care of her-and teased her-so much that she was delighted to finally have a chance to turn the tables?
Should I take advantage of this romantic rainy night to bring us a little closer?
Come to think of it, we dated online for two and a half years and have lived together for nearly a year. We've been together this long and haven't even kissed. Even that paragon of restraint, Liu Xiahui, would call me less than a beast.
But I've already done something more intimate, more outrageous, more lewd, and more indecent-spanked her. As long as she stops being so insecure and timid, we should be able to kiss anytime, right?
Lin Zhishui sat lost in thought, staring ahead with unfocused eyes and a blank gaze.
Suddenly-
Thud.
A dull impact sounded, and water suddenly splashed up from the pale paving stones in the darkness outside the door. In the shop's dim light, droplets seemed to rise into the air before falling again.
Lin Zhishui froze briefly. His chestnut-brown eyes came into focus as he peered outside, but he saw nothing.
"What was that?"
He turned, picked up the teacup beside him, which still held a little warmth, and took a small sip.
Another thud sounded, though this one was less heavy than the first. It sounded like...
Someone jumping straight up and landing again.
Lin Zhishui turned toward the sound and caught this scene-
A girl wearing a black jacket over a white shirt and a short black skirt jumped into the puddle by the entrance with a thud.
Water splashed as both her feet landed. When her knees bent slightly, they revealed the nearly perfect shape of her legs. Her long, slender, straight legs merely trembled under the impact, without a ripple of flesh. Clearly, there was not an ounce of excess fat on them.
Lin Zhishui was a little speechless.
This girl had to be at least sixteen, right? She couldn't be more than a few years younger than my Little Snake, yet she was still this childish. Weren't girls supposed to mature early?
"Hmph! Now you know how powerful I am!"
The girl in the short black skirt stood in the puddle, allowing the water to soak the bottom of her skirt and trickle down between her legs. Instead of minding, she planted her hands on her hips with a rather smug air, lifted her delicate chin, and gave a haughty laugh. "Oh-ho-ho-ho!"
Was I witnessing a childish, innocent teenage girl in the middle of a full-blown delusions-of-grandeur episode?
He coughed, picked up the teacup beside him, and took another sip, pretending he had seen nothing.
Only then did the girl in the short black skirt seem to realize someone was there. She abruptly turned toward the calligraphy and painting shop and spotted Lin Zhishui. Her expression changed, and she asked nervously:
"Did you see that?"
Five seconds earlier.
A thousand meters up in the sky.
"Die!"
Amid the fierce roar of the wind, Yan Shanshui clenched her teeth slightly. Countless heavy, powerful raindrops, laden with surging magic power, tore through the air like cannon shells toward the monster below.
The enormous, monstrous bird glowed dark red all over. It had blue-green feathers, red tail feathers, sharp claws on its wings, and powerful dark-red legs. Streams of water bound its body as it struggled desperately.
The huge bird, which stood half as tall as a person, was pierced by countless raindrops. In an instant, it was pulverized, dissolving into wisps of blue-green and red air. All that remained was a blurry, dark-red shadow desperately fleeing toward the ground below.
"Still trying to run?"
Yan Shanshui's lips curved upward, revealing a deep dimple in her left cheek.
Raindrops circled her slender body, accelerating her descent. In an instant, she crossed dozens of yards and caught up with the Miemeng Bird's primordial spirit. A surge of magic power scattered it immediately, leaving its remnant soul to strike the ground below with a splash before vanishing without a trace.
The wind howled as tremendous momentum carried her toward the ground.
Yan Shanshui remained completely calm. With a thought, she controlled the raindrops to slow herself, steadily reducing the speed of her descent.
Looking down over the dilapidated buildings below, she used her spiritual perception to locate a deserted, secluded alley and descended into it, inwardly snorting:
Hmph, it was only a little Miemeng Bird. Even with just thirty years of cultivation, I can handle an Outer Demon of the lowest rank like that. And Master still didn't believe me? All three hundred major merits are mine!
At the sound of that soft cough, the smug smile on Yan Shanshui's face froze.
Her neck turned stiffly to the side, and she discovered, to her horror, that a mortal was standing inside the building before her! Its sign read "He Mingxuan," though she had no idea what it sold.
She instantly panicked.
If a mortal discovered the existence of Cultivators, it might trigger an Outer Demon's descent!
An Outer Demon's descent was nothing like a bounty mission to eliminate a free Outer Demon. A descending Outer Demon was far stronger than a Cultivator of the same level, and providing aid was extremely difficult. It was essentially certain death!
The Miemeng Bird was merely an Outer Demon beast of the lowest rank. It had been summoned by a low-level Cultivator who had only just embarked on the path of cultivation. After devouring that Cultivator, it had remained in the mortal world as a free Outer Demon, prompting the Cultivation World to issue a bounty notice.
With her cultivation, however, the Outer Demon she summoned would be far more terrifying than the Miemeng Bird!
"Did you see that?" Yan Shanshui turned toward the young man opposite her, her expression grim and her heart filled with panic.
The dim light from the calligraphy and painting shop fell across her face, illuminating her delicate, petite features.
Lin Zhishui could not help taking another look.
Hmm, she's quite pretty. A beauty in the making.
"Ahem, what do you mean?"
Doing his best not to look at the girl's legs, down which droplets of water were still running, Lin Zhishui coughed softly and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I didn't see anything."
Unless I saw wrong, she was wearing safety shorts. There's no trust left between people anymore.
Before you continue