The SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song

Hearing this bizarre tune coming from Shen Ji's flute felt deeply jarring.

Song Wensheng, Jiang Tingxue, and Yan Qing looked at Zhu Lianqing with indescribable expressions, as though saying-Senior, what on earth did you request? You've broken our eldest senior brother, who was as gentle and lustrous as jade.

Thunder was already rolling through Zhu Lianqing's mind.

Where had things gone wrong?

Why did Shen Ji know the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song???

"Shen Ji, who taught you this tune?" Zhu Lianqing asked very seriously.

The flute fell silent. Shen Ji frowned, a rare sight, seemingly deep in thought.

After a long while, he said, "I'm ashamed to say that I truly can't remember where or when I learned this tune. There's only a vague impression in my mind. I only remember the score and its name."

"You really can't remember?"

Seeing how serious Zhu Lianqing was, the others across from her all sat up straight and looked at their senior brother.

Shen Ji tried hard to remember, but all he could recall were two blurry figures, like gazing at the moon through clouds in the night fog. He couldn't make anything out.

Shen Ji found it strange himself. He had always had an excellent memory, and even now, he could recall every detail of certain things from his childhood.

Whoever had taught him this tune could reasonably be considered his teacher, yet he had no impression of them whatsoever.

Shen Ji shook his head helplessly. "I really don't remember. Senior, what connection do you have... to this tune?"

Zhu Lianqing lowered her eyes, her fingertip rubbing the rim of her cup. "I wouldn't call it a connection. It's just that, logically speaking, you shouldn't possibly know this tune."

Could he have hummed it to Xie Lingchuan before, and Shen Ji overheard?

Zhu Lianqing instinctively looked toward Xie Lingchuan, then felt a sudden jolt of alarm.

Just now, she seemed to have seen an unusual emotion in Xie Lingchuan's dark eyes.

But when she looked again, Xie Lingchuan's expression was no different from his usual cold, distant look.

Zhu Lianqing decided that the light was too dim and she had seen wrong, so she focused her thoughts on what had just happened.

She thought it over. There was no way this tune had spread from her, because she had never hummed songs to Xie Lingchuan, nor had she ever hummed this song herself.

Then perhaps there was another task-taker here, like her?

If that was the explanation, Zhu Lianqing felt she ought to be more vigilant.

Because her colleague might have the opposite objective to hers. They absolutely must not ruin the task she had already completed.

So Zhu Lianqing called out to 191.

[Zhu Lianqing: 191, as far as you know, are there any other task-takers in this world right now?]

[191: Host, Xie Lingchuan is the only mission target involved in this world. Under normal procedure, there would be no second task-taker unless the host died. However, determining the actual situation will require retrieving and checking the files.]

[Zhu Lianqing: Then hurry up and check. This is urgent. I can't let there be even the slightest risk of not making it back anymore.]

[191: Host, I understand your thoughts, but I do not have authorization to access the files at will. I need to apply to my superiors. The time this process will require is unpredictable. Please wait patiently, Host.]

[Zhu Lianqing: You really are useless, 191. You don't even have access to the files? You've worked with me for so long, and all my missions have been five-star difficulty. Haven't you gotten promoted along the way?]

[191: ...Sorry, that question is outside the scope of my answers.]

191 immediately cut off contact.

Zhu Lianqing suddenly felt that 191 was rather pitiful. It seemed to be getting exploited by its superiors.

I should scold it less in the future.

"Senior, is it very important who taught me this tune? I'll do my best to remember." Shen Ji's tone was extremely sincere.

Looking at the bewildered faces opposite her, Zhu Lianqing waved a hand with feigned ease. "It's nothing major. If you really can't remember, forget it. It's just that this person might have some connection to me."

"So they're a friend of yours, Senior?"

Zhu Lianqing didn't deny it.

Shen Ji played the tune again, and the gloomy atmosphere of the cold, rainy night vanished from the room, replaced by extraordinary cheer.

At sunrise the next day, the rain that had fallen all night finally stopped.

When she pushed open the door, fresh, rain-washed air greeted her.

Zhu Lianqing stretched and went to the room next door to see A Man.

A Man had insisted on keeping vigil for Wei Mingchi, and Zhu Lianqing worried that her body wouldn't hold up and something might happen.

Fortunately, with the thought of avenging Wei Mingchi sustaining her, she hadn't let grief torment her body.

By the time Zhu Lianqing finished talking to A Man and came back out, the juniors had gathered in the courtyard.

Zhu Lianqing walked over and listened, discovering that they were discussing how to find White Bone Cavern.

"Senior Brother Xie knows the Tracking Spell. When the time comes, we can leave a few alive, plant a Trail Spell on the moth demons, and follow them back, right?"

Shen Ji shook his head. "That may be so, but the Tracking Spell has a limited range. If White Bone Cavern is too far from here, the Tracking Spell will lose contact as well."

Xie Lingchuan nodded. "We can use the Tracking Spell, but we also need a more reliable method to ensure nothing goes wrong. If there's a bewildering formation outside White Bone Cavern, the Tracking Spell will fail just the same."

They fell silent for a while, as though none of them could immediately find a good way to locate White Bone Cavern among the things they had learned.

Zhu Lianqing leisurely approached and squeezed between Xie Lingchuan and Yan Qing to join their little meeting.

"This is actually very simple."

Their eyes brightened. "Do you have a spell formula we can use, Senior?"

Zhu Lianqing shook her head. "Neither magic nor a spell formula. Just use a physical method. The most effective tracking method is actually the simplest."

"What's a physical method?"

"Have you heard of luminous phosphorus? Mortal medical clinics use it in medicine. It glows at night, and even a tiny bit is incredibly bright. Buy a few packets, modify it with magic, and sprinkle it over the moth demons. Wherever they fly, it'll fall off. Just follow the trail."

They seemed to see the light all at once. "Senior, how did you think of such an unconventional approach?"

Zhu Lianqing smiled without saying anything.

Experience from all these years of doing missions.

After all, not every world has magic you can use.

Another day passed. Zhu Lianqing looked up at the sky. One more night, and it would be the night of the full moon, when demons and monsters grew greatly in strength.

For the juniors, this was their first opportunity to fight demons and monsters for real on such a large scale. Nervous and excited, they spent the entire day honing their swordsmanship.

Just after noon, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

It was a few villagers bringing sugar water.

"You Daoist lords have come to slay demons. Staying in this little courtyard is truly beneath you. We don't have anything good to offer you, either. Today, Liu Er's family went into town for supplies and traded for some sugar, so we brought some over for you Daoist lords to try."

Zhu Lianqing glanced into the bowls. The pale sugar water had been made with the most ordinary white sugar.

It seemed the villagers had offered the best things they had to entertain them. Such sincerity was precious.

Shen Ji accepted it with a smile.

Six whole bowls of sugar water filled the table inside the room.

Returning from buying luminous phosphorus, Xie Lingchuan set down his cloth bundle, looking somewhat weary from traveling a long way. He glanced at the sugar water on the table and frowned.

Zhu Lianqing teased, "Thirsty? Have a few sips. This is something good that the villagers can't even bear to indulge in themselves."

Xie Lingchuan silently glanced at Zhu Lianqing without speaking. He merely sat down at the table and didn't touch the sugar water.

The three in the courtyard finished practicing their swordsmanship and came racing over exuberantly.

Seeing water on the table, Song Wensheng picked up a bowl to drink without another word. His lips had barely touched the rim when a sharp pain shot through his wrist, and the bowl nearly flew out of his hand.

"Ah! Senior Brother Xie, why did you hit me?"

Xie Lingchuan withdrew the sword sheath he had struck Song Wensheng's wrist with and said flatly, "It's poisoned."