XIAO SHUXIANG'S
396 - Cruise II
Lotus Flower Lake was no ordinary lake. When viewed from above, the lake is very large. People who live on the outskirts of the lake often refer to it as the 'Child of the Ocean'.
There is an island in the middle of the lake, the shape is similar to a pair of wings although the eyes need to be observant in seeing it.
Lotus flower plants only decorate the lake along 50 meters, and at this distance also the birds can fly. The rest of them would fall into the lake and it was hard to fly back.
Not only did the flying beasts, but also the reckless cultivator who flashed above the lake would instantly fall down the moment he had passed 50 meters away this lake.
Another interesting thing about Lotus Flower Lake is that most lakes have salt water, while the part overgrown with lotus plants is fresh water.
Xiao Shuxiang had yet to realize the uniqueness of this lake because the boat he was riding with his friends was still sailing slowly among the lotus plants.
"You must not pick the fruit carelessly, let alone eat it. You should keep your ethics in a foreign place. What if this lake waiter shows up and eats you?" The Mad Beggar Boy grumbled at Xiao Shuxiang who was disrespectfully picking the lotus fruit and started eating the seeds.
"Calm down, you don't have to be afraid. I'm even glad that this lake has a waiter, and I hope the waiters are giant shrimp or crabs, they must be really good.."
Xiao Shuxiang ate the lotus seed so voraciously, he offered Hu Li and Xiao Qing Yan, but the two friends shook their heads.
The boat they were riding was medium-sized and in the middle there was a roof made of wood board. Ling Qing Zhu, Lan Xiao, and O Zhan sat under the roof.
Xiao Shuxiang himself was at the back of the boat, he was with Hu Li, the Mad Beggar Boy and Xiao Qing Yan. While Lan Guan Zhi was standing quietly at the front of the boat with his left hand that continued to hold his sword.
The Mad Beggar Boy snatched the lotus fruit that was in Xiao Shuxiang's hands and threw it into the lake. "Can't you stop eating? Your voice is very disturbing. Look around you, this place is so quiet and you look so ordinary,"
Xiao Shuxiang was annoyed that his lotus fruit was thrown away just like that, "You're outrageous, can't you let me be happy for a bit, huh? That's so annoying.."
The Alchemist Chef picked a few more fruits and immediately stood up. He left the Mad Beggar Boy and walked in to see Ling Qing Zhu. He offered some fruit to the girl who was apparently rejected.
Xiao Shuxiang did not accept the rejection from his White Cat, he still gave Ling Qing Zhu some lotus fruit and forced the girl to eat it. He himself walked to the front of the boat, the place where his good friend was.
Crazy Beggar Boy, "Hey.. Do you think that Shuxiang has a disorder?"
?!
Xiao Qing Yan and Hu Li frowned when they heard the sudden question from the Mad Beggar Boy. They both had different answers to the question.
"If what you mean by Mr. Mudaku has a deviant disorder, then it is a grave mistake. Young Master Xiao is a real young man, he is just a little naughty.."
Hu Li continued to paddle the boat, only he did so without being helped by any of his friends, including the Mad Beggar Boy.
Xiao Qing Yan, "I don't know what abnormality you mean, but if Shuxiang continues to be friends with you.. Then your insanity will rub off on him,"
"Son, you listen to me. He was out of his mind from the start, even worse than me,"
Hu Li, "Don't insult Young Master Xiao, you are worse than my Young Master,"
The Mad Beggar Boy denied, he knew what Xiao Shuxiang was like just by looking at the young man's face alone.
Indeed, the Alchemist Chef has a charming face and looks friendly. But in just a few breaths, the look on his face could turn out to be like an unforgiving high-class villain.
Needless to explain further, anyone would know what kind of nature the Alchemist Chef was when his spirit peaked during the fight. He would really look terrible in clothes soaked with blood.
"You continue to paddle, I want to check on Lan'Er Gege first.."
Hu Li and Xiao Qing Yan exhaled while shaking their heads slowly. The two looked at the Mad Beggar Boy who was walking towards Ling Qing Zhu, Lan Xiao, and O Zhan.
Seeing that the white haired beauty was only together with the two Demonic Beasts made her shake her head while clucking softly. He turned his gaze towards Xiao Shuxiang who was sitting with Lan Guan Zhi, and it looked very exciting.
"He's so outrageous. His future wife was ignored and he prefers to be with Lan'Er Gege, ck ck ck.. What kind of creature are you Shuxiang?!"
The Mad Beggar Boy began to sit down and noticed Xiao Shuxiang who was so voraciously eating lotus seeds. His Lan'Er Gege was seen sitting opposite the Alchemist Chef.
She cleared her throat and started nagging, "Well? Don't you have any feelings at all for your future wife? Miss Ling had been sitting alone since then and was like an exile, did you not feel the slightest guilt towards her?"
Xiao Shuxiang turned around when he heard the scolding from the Mad Beggar Boy, he set his sights on Ling Qing Zhu but kept his mediocre expression.
"White cat looks good. He was also not alone, there was Lan Xiao and O Zhan who were with him.." Xiao Shuxiang leaned his back right on Lan Guan Zhi's chest, he made his friend surprised.
"Shuxiang's.."
"I borrowed your chest for a while," Xiao Shuxiang continued to eat the lotus seeds while enjoying the warmth and comfort of this human backrest.
To Lan Guan Zhi, he did not mind at all even though he was a little surprised earlier. He advised Xiao Shuxiang not to eat too many lotus seeds.
The Mad Beggar Boy blinked and then let out a slow breath, "It feels like you two are like a couple. Don't you guys get married, huh?"
Xiao Shuxiang threw the lotus fruit whose seeds he had eaten all at the Mad Beggar Boy, "Remove your strange thoughts. Lan Zhi was a friend as well as a person who thought of me as his 'Grandfather', so making a grandson's own chest as a backrest was a natural thing. Isn't that right, Lan Zhi?"
"Mn, you're occupying my leg."
Xiao Shuxiang, "Don't joke Lan'Er, where might I occupy your feet.."
"Not that, but the other leg."
!?
Xiao Shuxiang only realized, he apologized and began to set his position so as not to again occupy the legs of his good friend. He leaned back and was still seen by the Crazy Beggar Boy.
The bamboo stick young man looked bad-faced, "Lan'Er Gege is spoiling you too much, you are so shameless like this. Why don't you two just get married?"
Xiao Shuxiang, "I already have a future wife, why choose a trunked one? Although I admit to teasing Lan Zhi a lot, but our relationship is not what you think it is.."
Just a slight movement of the finger, a small blue flame appeared in front of Xiao Shuxiang. The flame floated slowly and took out a lotus flower that was still budding and brought it to the place where Ling Qing Zhu was.
?!
The thin veiled beautiful girl noticed the little blue flame that brought flowers to her. He then turned to Xiao Shuxiang and saw that the young man was smiling towards him.
The lotus flower bud that floated in front of Ling Qing Zhu slowly bloomed and the small blue flame that enveloped the flower earlier now turned into a blue butterfly. The little animal comes out when the lotus flower buds bloom.
Although it seemed like it did not care, in fact Xiao Shuxiang still paid attention to his White Cat. It was a pity that the white-haired girl kept her calm expression and heartlessly squeezed the lotus flower she gave.
!!
Xiao Shuxiang flinched, he did not expect his White Cat to act that way. He heard the sound of laughter from the Crazy Beggar Boy.
"Miss Ling is already angry with you. Who told you to ignore it, now feel the consequences of your actions.."
The new Xiao Shuxiang was about to lash at the Mad Beggar Boy as his little blue flames shot out quickly and stopped right in front of him. The fire was carrying a red wisteria flower out of nowhere.
?!
When directing his gaze at his White Cat, Xiao Shuxiang could see the girl staring calmly at him while nodding softly. He now learned that the wisteria flower was given by Ling Qing Zhu.
"Crazy Beggar, do you see him now? White Cat wasn't mad at me at all, she was just hard to guess.."
Xiao Shuxiang touched the red wisteria flower that floated in front of him with his index finger and the flower instantly turned into a small butterfly. He continued to stare towards his White Cat while still leaning on Lan Guan Zhi.
The Mad Beggar Boy scratched his cheek that was not itchy because he thought this was a strange thing, "If you like Miss Ling, why are you even making out with Lan'Er Gege? Try to approach the girl, she is your future wife.." for some reason, but the Crazy Beggar Boy was so upset.
"You gave up before trying it, which is why your relationship with Miss Ling never developed.." The Mad Beggar Boy called Ling Qing Zhu to join him, he felt he had to familiarize Xiao Shuxiang with this white-haired girl in order to get his Lan'Er Gege back.
Ling Qing Zhu shook his head slowly, he refused to join and preferred to sit down with Lan Xiao and O Zhan. It was just that the Mad Beggar Boy kept calling out his name and it started to bother.
".. Miss Ling, come here. Quickly sit down next to me and let's talk about something," the Mad Beggar Boy patted the board beside him and would not stop calling Ling Qing Zhu until the girl came.
Ling Qing Zhu finally gave up, he started to stand up and walk towards the Mad Beggar Boy. He sat down beside the young man where Xiao Shuxiang fixed his position to sit cross-legged and slightly helped his White Cat with a helping hand.
Ling Qing Zhu unhesitatingly accepted the helping hand and began to sit down. The boat shook slightly, but it did not scare him at all. Xiao Shuxiang asked him to be careful and he replied in a slow mutter.
Lan Xiao and O Zhan would rather sleep than overtake Ling Qing Zhu. Both of them appear to emit a small snoring sound that sounds adorable.
Xiao Shuxiang looked at the Mad Beggar Boy and asked him, "My White Cat is now here, so what are you going to do?"
"Nothing.." Crazy Beggar Boy shook his head, "just try talking about something. Your completely unromantic personality makes anyone feel anxious when they see you,"
The Mad Beggar Boy could have helped Xiao Shuxiang get very familiar with Ling Qing Zhu, but the way is somewhat more mature and if considered more carefully-both people are the type of people who are not romantic at all.
"There's nothing I need to talk about. My beautiful mother told the White Cat everything. And my chatty girl and my other brothers took part in it. This kid already knows, so what else is there to talk about?"
"Mrs."
Ling Qing Zhu approved Xiao Shuxiang's remark. He had indeed heard the childhood story of his Guardian Master from Xiao WeiWei and Xiao Lu.
He also listened to many things from Yi Wen, Jing Mi, and Hou Yong. The three of them were people who never got tired of talking about the life of the Butterfly Sect and the life journey of its Guardian.
Xiao Shuxiang's habit of sleeping fast but very difficult to wake up has often been heard. Even Duan De and a few disciples of the Heaven Sword Sect also discussed this young man sitting beside him a lot.
Something interesting was of course about his Guardian Guard who had always been troublemaking, but could not defeat Lan Guan Zhi. And perhaps because of that this charming young man was according to Young Master Lan.
"…"
Ling Qing Zhu looked at the face of Xiao Shuxiang who was talking to the Mad Beggar Boy. He then lowered his gaze towards where his hand still remained held by this Guardian Protector.
?
Xiao Shuxiang noticed Ling Qing Zhu looking at him, he then turned his head and slightly frowned. "What's wrong? Why look at me like that? Is there something wrong with my face?"
"Mrs.." Ling Qing Zhu shook his head slowly and re-directed his gaze forward. He did not want to say anything even though several times glanced at his hand which was still held by his Guardian Protector.
Xiao Shuxiang seemed as if he had not realized it, he went back to talking to the Mad Beggar Boy while occasionally arguing. This cruise takes a long time, but it is not boring at all.
Lan Guan Zhi and Ling Qing Zhu were more focused on being listeners, while the most active talkers were the Mad Beggar Boy and Xiao Shuxiang.
The two black-clothed youths talked about many things including about the newlyweds' first night of activities, this was something Ling Qing Zhu was not supposed to hear.
Lan Guan Zhi occasionally reprimanded these two young men as they began to utter dangerous and unworthy words of hearing. But the Mad Beggar Boy and Xiao Shuxiang went back to talking about something else.
!!
Xiao Qing Yan and Hu Li who were at the back of the boat seemed to flinch when they felt the boat suddenly sway. This is actually a natural thing and as a sign that their boat has passed the last lotus flower plant.
The atmosphere immediately felt different, too quiet with the lake water so calm. When viewed from above, the color of the water is a little dark and seems to hide something mysterious in it.
The boat that Xiao Shuxiang and his companions were riding on was like sailing inside a giant creature's black eye pupils.
Xiao Shuxiang, "Are we just feeling or are we being watched?"
"Your feelings are natural, but don't worry. I rarely come here, but it seems like Lotus Flower Lake does not hold any significant danger. The only thing possible is that you can't fly over this lake."
The Mad Beggar Boy explained that there was a black stone slab as night which was the basis of most of the Lotus Flower Lake. The stone holds a force capable of pulling any creature that flies over it until it falls.
".. I only heard it from the story that was going around. But since I have lived for a long time, I can assure you of this.." The Crazy Beggar boy hugged his bamboo stick before making a sound again.
"By the way, when will you hold Miss Ling's hand? I've noticed since, you've been holding her hand."
Xiao Shuxiang only regained his senses, but he did not immediately retract his hand. He stared resentfully at the Crazy Beggar Boy as if he was about to challenge him.
"Why would I hold White Cat's hand? He himself doesn't mind, then why are you protesting? It's not your hand I'm holding,"
!?
Ling Qing Zhu flickered as Xiao Shuxiang tightened his hand and even his Guardian Gutted gently on the back of his hand and blew it occasionally. The action of this Alchemist Chef was like he was rubbing a gemstone.
Spontaneous Ling Qing Zhu slapped Xiao Shuxiang's hand slowly as a sign for the young man to stop rubbing his hand. Although his face was calm, his heart seemed to be coming out of his ears at this time.
"You have a rough palm, White Cat.." Xiao Shuxiang said softly and like he did not understand the intent of slapping slowly from Ling Qing Zhu just now.
Lan Guan Zhi watched his good friend comment on Ling Qing Zhu's palm. This friend of his was completely overdue, Xiao Shuxiang did not even feel guilty at all.
"White Cat, what did you play? Look at this, you have a lizard egg in your palm.." Xiao Shuxiang spontaneously said, the look on his face changed.
This Alchemist Chef referred to the calluses on Ling Qing Zhu's hand as lizard eggs. He repeatedly clucked slowly and nagged his White Cat who could not take good care of herself.
"Let's look at my palm, smooth and soft. You're a girl, aren't you ashamed to see the palm of a young man as smooth as this?" Xiao Shuxiang revealed his flawless palm, only Ling Qing Zhu remained calm.
This thin veiled beautiful girl could have removed calluses on her palms, but she was the one who did not want to. The mark on his palm was proof of how hard his efforts to become stronger were.
"You're lazy to practice the sword." Ling Qing Zhu spoke coldly, yet Xiao Shuxiang could tell that this girl was mocking him.
Crazy Beggar Boy, "It's obvious that way. He was indeed lazy to practice, his palms were even softer than the palms of a baby and it was very laughable,"
"Darken you say?" Xiao Shuxiang snorted and with a smile, "It is precisely because of the gentleness of this hand.. It would be very unbearable to tear the opponent's stomach and immerse him to scramble the contents in his stomach,"
Xiao Shuxiang's smile turned into a grin, his eyes looking sparkling. "You won't understand what it feels like when a hand that's so delicate and tender gives you the most painful feeling you want to die.. Aahs.. Just imagining it makes me really flutter,"
!!
The Mad Beggar Boy thus felt that until at any time, the demonic nature of Xiao Shuxiang could never be eliminated. He was sure, no matter how much this young man carried out the Heart Demon Cleansing, Xiao Shuxiang would still not change.
Far away elsewhere, precisely on Hundred-Level Pagoda Island - there were already many black figures waiting for the arrival of Xiao Shuxiang and his companions.
Among them was Miao Gang, the girl who always carried the cloth doll was seen standing with a face that looked gloomy.
"They're coming.. I'm very sad. Now it's their turn to attack this place.. Really sad. The tranquility of this place.. It's over soon.. Poor thing.. Too bad.."
Previously Miao Gang had indeed been in the Big Dipper Star City and it was impossible to reach this place in such a short time. But moving someone like him was not impossible for Qian Kun.
The fox-robed and masked figure had the ability to absorb the knowledge as well as the strength of the person who had been bound by blood with it. He was able to take out the Moving Mirror because when Qingyu Mao was killed - the power of the Demonic Beast was transferred and entered into Qian Kun's body.
He was a monstrous figure, had blood ties to Xiao Shuxiang and was the mastermind behind the formation of the Scarlet Shadow.
Qian Kun was also a figure who had made a lot of trouble in Xiao Shuxiang's life, both his present and his past life.
***
