He suddenly remembered the first water-shadow painting he’d made back at Xiaoshang River. In that image—besides the seven slips bound by the Phoenix Lock—there had also been… something. Something like a dog or a wolf.
He still had no idea what it meant.
Everyone packed up and left Wuzhu Village, traveling by boat and land to the nearest inhabited place.
There was a lot to prepare, but the work was organized. Yan Hongsha refused to sit in a wheelchair anymore. She paced along the deck, saying, “I’m still useful—you never know when I might be needed.”
Luo Ren and Yiwansan were discussing how to deploy the chain net. Manpower alone wouldn’t be enough—they’d need a pulley system.
Mu Dai was in the water, practicing rowing.
Cao Yanhua was yelling instructions from the boat. “No, no! Little sister-master, you’ve got to pull with both arms! Dig the oars in and pull! The way you’re doing it, the boat’s not even moving!”
Mu Dai snapped back, “It’s not moving because you’re sitting on it! You’re like a human anchor—of course it won’t move! Off! Get off!”
Cao Yanhua, deeply offended, climbed off and slunk over to the fishing boat.
And sure enough, the moment he got off, the boat moved.
Yiwansan, who had seen the whole thing, came over to console him. “She’s always like that. You can’t out-talk her, and you definitely can’t out-fight her.”
Cao Yanhua sighed bitterly. “I never could. And if Brother Luo joins in, it’ll just be the two of them beating me up. I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Yiwansan lowered his voice. “You could go online and post about her.”
To his surprise, Cao Yanhua lit up. “You mean like a gossip thread? On Tianya?”
Yiwansan whispered, “Got an account? If not, I’ll lend you mine.”
Cao Yanhua said no need. “I have one too!”
Yiwansan offered tips. “Don’t use real names—just say ‘my teacher.’ If she’s pretty, call her ugly. If she’s thin, say she’s fat. Keep the details vague.”
Cao Yanhua gave him a grateful look. Brother San really was a true friend.
Night fell, and both boats lit up. Warm yellow light rippled over the waves. Mu Dai had rowed back and forth more than a dozen times and was getting the hang of it.
She looked at the boat, first on one side, then on the other.
Luo Ren and Yiwansan were adjusting the pulley for the chain net. The flat net sank slowly into the water. Every few feet, a clasp was fixed along the lower edge—dozens of them. To close it properly, both sides would have to move in sync.
That meant Luo Ren and Yiwansan would need to act fast underwater, and Mu Dai, above, would have to hold off the clam long enough for them to finish.
The net shimmered under the lights. Luo Ren stood on one end, demonstrating something. Yiwansan leaned against the net, talking, his words sending ripples through the metal links.
On the other end of the boat, Hongsha was prepping dinner. Just some store-bought food, split into five portions. Mu Dai heard her call out, “Cao Fatty! Come eat! Everyone eats together!”
Mu Dai didn’t feel scared or weighed down. She had a strange thought: even decades from now, when she was old, she’d remember this moment—the light on the waves, the man she liked standing on the boat, her friends, her grumpy apprentice. All of them are working together on something almost no one would believe.
If only a little phoenix did exist. It could bear witness to all the strange things they’d lived through.
She paddled over to the boat’s ladder. Luo Ren reached down and pulled her up.
He asked, “Nervous?”
“A little.”
“If the boat capsizes, climb the rope. Or use it to get back aboard. Whatever you do, don’t fall in. And don’t try to fight it. If this plan doesn’t work, we’ve got a backup.”
The backup plan was to lie in wait, hope the clam came ashore under the moon. But after the past two days of conflict, it might be extra cautious… or never return to land at all.
Mu Dai thought for a moment. “What if I do fall in? You won’t save me?”
She knew he’d take the bait. Of course, he would. How could he not?
He said, “It’s just… the seabed’s dangerous—”
“And that means you won’t save me?”
“No, no,” Luo Ren said. “If it’s dangerous, I’ll wait for my girlfriend to rescue me instead.”
Hmm. Girlfriend. That sounded even better than “Mu Dai.”
Mu Dai replied, “Alright then. I’ll make sure I don’t fall in—no matter what.”
Luo Ren smiled, about to say more, when his phone rang.
It was the mystic calling.
Did something happen with Ping Ting?
Luo Ren’s heart skipped a beat. He answered immediately.
The mystic’s voice was tinged with excitement. “Little Radish! I think I’ve found the key. Let me ask you—have you found fire yet?”
Luo Ren was confused. “Fire?”
The mystic explained: based on what Luo Ren had told him, the four of them who had faced the first cursed slip at Xiaoshang River had all seen some kind of guiding vision, each through a different element.
Yiwansan had drawn a water shadow. Luo Ren had seen images reflected on his blade. Cao Yanhua had seen illusions in rising dust. And Mu Dai’s dream? That came from the intricately carved wooden bed she’d slept on.
That’s water, metal, earth, and wood from the Five Elements.
So, where was the fire?
Luo Ren’s mind was reeling. Each of them… aligned with one element?
What did it mean? Were they chosen? Or was it all just fate?
The mystic burst into laughter, so loud that Luo Ren could picture him doubled over.
“You’re overthinking it, Little Radish. ‘Chosen ones’? Please. You’re just a random ragtag bunch. What’s so special about you?”
Meow meow On TPH Chapter 26.1