SES Chapter 50 V1

Chapter 50

The golden crow sank westward, sea breeze brushing their faces, the wake of the boat stirring white-capped waves. If it weren’t for that thing lurking in the water, this would’ve felt like a vacation.

A “self-drive yacht” trip, no less—though the boat was practically falling apart.

Mu Dai felt oddly content.

Looking ahead, Luo Ren was at the bow on a call. Behind her, Yan Hongsha sat in a wheelchair, enthusiastically practicing how to throw a chain net.

The net was far too heavy to cast manually, so Luo Ren came up with a solution: lay the net flat, lower it over the side of the boat, and run a steel wire through the chain loops along the edge, just like the drawstring on a pouch. When the drawstring was pulled, the net would cinch up into a sack.

Both ends of the steel wire were attached to a motorized winch on the boat. When needed, the winch would spin rapidly and tighten the wire, transforming the flat net into a sealed chain pouch.

Yan Hongsha’s limited mobility made her perfect for this fixed-position job. She was thrilled, saying it felt like a historic moment, and kept pestering Mu Dai:
“Mu Dai, go borrow Luo Ren’s phone and take a picture of me!”

Neither she nor Mu Dai had a phone. Her own expensive $6500 model, she’d never dream of lending, so her only option was to ask Luo Ren.

Mu Dai agreed but didn’t want to interrupt his call. She kept checking to see if he was done, and after a few glances, Luo Ren finally waved her over.

She jumped up and trotted over, the whistle tucked inside her shirt collar cold against her chest, just like the pearl beside it.
Two different kinds of cold.

“Slow down,” Luo Ren said.

But he said it was too late—she’d already arrived.

Once she reached him, Mu Dai felt self-conscious. She realized she’d rushed over too eagerly and should’ve been more reserved.

Luo Ren told her, “I called Uncle Zheng. Ping Ting’s doing alright. He’s trying to avoid giving her sedatives. The bar’s okay too—Uncle Zhang found some temps to fill in, though they’re just temporary hires. Also… sounds like your Aunt Hong called the bar.”

Aunt Hong? Mu Dai’s eyes lit up.

Luo Ren smiled. “I figured you’d ask. She didn’t say where she was—just wanted to let you know she was safe. Didn’t say when she’d be back either.”

Still, that was enough for Mu Dai. She wasn’t greedy. Any news was good news.

Luo Ren paused, then added, “Also… guess who’s at my place right now?”

Someone they both knew, if they were at Luo Ren’s place. Li Tan? Wan Fenghuo? Or…

Mu Dai’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The Mystic?!

Luo Ren shared her excitement. “He said he was heading to the ancient city to visit a friend and passed through Lijiang. Found the bar, ran into Uncle Zheng, and visited Ping Ting.”

“He told me that my box with the fake five-element symbols is mostly just for show, but the concept’s not entirely off. He thinks even without the Phoenix Lock, there should be something that can temporarily seal the cursed bamboo slips and spare Ping Ting from suffering. He’s got some ideas—but he’s still working them out.”

It was a day of good news. Maybe that meant this journey would go smoothly too.

Mu Dai gestured for the phone and went to take a photo of Yan Hongsha. As soon as she was done, Yan Hongsha grabbed the phone. “Let me see! How’s it look?”

She mumbled to herself, “I’ll have Luo Ren send it to me. I’ll need to touch it up.”

She started scrolling back through Luo Ren’s photos. “What does he usually take pics of? Any selfies? Maybe some half-naked ones?”

Mu Dai was curious, too, but didn’t want to seem too eager. She tried to look nonchalant while sneaking glances at the screen.

Luo Ren wasn’t a photo guy—no selfies, mostly random scenery shots. And he wasn’t fussy about framing or composition, just quick snaps.

Yan Hongsha quickly lost interest and handed the phone back.

Mu Dai glanced at the screen and suddenly froze.

Her heart started pounding. She tapped on a photo and zoomed in.

A misty shot of the Yangtze River cableway in Chongqing. The photo showed a cable car across the river—an angle you’d only get from inside another cable car.

There was no way to make out any faces from the photo, but… the clothes. That elephant-print T-shirt…

Sparks danced across her scalp as she ran over on tiptoe to return the phone. She tilted her head and gave Luo Ren a long, slow once-over.

He looked baffled. “What?”

Mu Dai replied with a single word:
“Ha.”

Then she turned and walked away, clearly in a great mood. Luo Ren heard her humming a little tune, though the tune sounded more like “hmm-hmm-ha, hmm-hmm-ha, hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-ha.”

Mu Dai thought: No doubt about it. That person in the cable car… was Luo Ren.

That day, he’d pointed at her from the other car. She’d turned and caught Cao Yanhua.

And now, here she was on the same boat with Luo Ren, wearing a whistle he gave her, heading out to catch a giant clam. As for that chubby guy Cao Yanhua—he was now her disciple, following her around calling her “Sister Mu Dai,” “Little Master Mu Dai,” “Sister Mu Dai Little Master”…

Who’d have thought it’d turn out like this?

The boat rocked gently, finally stabilizing over the troubled waters where they’d once had their brush with danger.

In the distance, they could see Wuzhu Village. Mu Dai squinted toward the shore. Luo Ren walked over and handed her something.

It was that micro-sized thumb-ring monocular again.

Mu Dai looped it over her finger and peered through it in all directions. When she turned it toward the beach, she nearly shouted in excitement.

Her luggage was still there—she’d tossed it onto the sand the day they leapt onto the boat.

Perfect. Aside from losing her phone, everything else was intact.

Nearby, Yiwansan was slowly lowering the “water eye”—a chain-linked underwater camera rig. Because the camera itself was too light, it had a heavy iron ball attached to keep it stable, and the chain ran through a makeshift winch on the boat’s railing.

Luo Ren was adjusting the camera feed on the computer and reminded Yiwansan to pause and let the image stabilize before lowering it further.