The Boy

"Ruined, ruined! Little Black Chicken! Your wing isn't rotting, is it?""Chirp, chirp, chirp, Little Wushuang! My wing isn't rotting, is it?"

Watching the two little creatures darting around, Ji Wushuang couldn't help but smile faintly. She raised a hand and tousled their heads. "Don't worry. Your wing won't rot. The Nether Sea isn't as cruel and violent as the legends claim. Look at me—am I not perfectly fine?"

The two creatures paused, blinking. "Oh, that's true..."

"Many tales in this world are far from the truth. The Nether Sea is one of them."

On the contrary, it had been the gentlest period of Ji Wushuang's previous life.

When her body sank into its depths, she felt an unprecedented warmth, as though she were being tenderly cradled and lulled to sleep.

The two little ones, emboldened, touched the rainwater again. Realizing it caused no harm, they asked, "But why would the waters of the Nether Sea appear here?""Yes, isn't that strange?"

Ji Wushuang was about to answer when a deafening sound echoed through the air.

"Boom—"

She looked up. The pitch-black night sky showed no sign of lightning, yet the heavens and earth trembled unmistakably.

Covering their ears, the two little ones exclaimed, "Weird! Why can we hear thunder but not see any lightning?"

Ji Wushuang fell silent for a moment before replying, "No, there is lightning.""Huh? Where?""It's black lightning, invisible because it blends completely with the darkness of the night.""What?!"

Black lightning?

Little Baiye racked its brain, sifting through its inherited memories, but found no mention of "black lightning."

"I've seen it above the Nether Sea. There's no mistake."

The waters of the Nether Sea, the black lightning of the Nether Sea—could there be a secret here? Something tied to the Nether Sea?

Ji Wushuang suddenly rose, swiftly donned a waterproof cloak, and ordered the two little ones to stay at the inn. She needed to uncover the truth herself.

The two protested, but Ji Wushuang insisted. "No one knows what might lie deeper. I have no spiritual energy, so the Nether Qi won't affect me. But you're different—you carry the blood of divine beasts. It's better to be cautious. Stay here."

Without giving them a chance to argue, she activated a one-time restrictive formation and disappeared into the night.

…

Moving through the storm, Ji Wushuang resembled a nimble swallow, weaving through the tempest with ease. Following the thunder's resonance, she arrived at its source—directly in the heart of Mo Yun City.

If her memory served, this was the Mo family's estate.

Scaling the high walls effortlessly, she found the Mo residence lavish and grand, its labyrinthine layout designed to confound any outsider.

"Well, well," she mused, "the Mo family is far wealthier than I thought."

Guided by the lightning's aura, she crossed courtyard after courtyard, finally reaching the innermost sanctum, only to find a barrier in her path.

It wasn't an ordinary formation but one from the Upper Realm—likely crafted by that old ghostly immortal who followed Mo Lanyi.

Circling the barrier, Ji Wushuang eventually found a way in.

One step forward.

The world changed.

Inside, it was utterly tranquil, a stark contrast to the raging storm outside. A serene courtyard stood in the center, surrounded by blooming exotic flowers and rare herbs.

This idyllic scene was beyond anything Ji Wushuang had anticipated.

Had she been mistaken?

Frowning, she decided to investigate further. Like a graceful cat, she crept to the house at the center and was about to push the door open when she heard the creak of wheels.

"Creak..."

A window opened, and Ji Wushuang's gaze locked with a pair of pure black eyes, devoid of any impurities. They resembled an eternal night sky, unfolding slowly before her.

The owner of those eyes was a delicate boy with snow-pale skin, long lashes that seemed capable of slicing through light, and lips of a rich, vibrant hue, reminiscent of the first bloom of peach blossoms in early spring.

He was breathtaking, like a divine being sculpted from celestial glass—cold, pristine, and unworldly.

The boy stared at Ji Wushuang intently, as if both scrutinizing and questioning her.

Ji Wushuang, ever thick-skinned, cleared her throat and said, "Hello, little brother. I seem to have taken a wrong turn and ended up here. My apologies."

The boy blinked slowly, as though finally seeing her clearly. His lips parted, and his voice, as cool and ethereal as his presence, sent a shiver through her soul.

"You've come."

The familiarity and faint intimacy in his tone startled her.

"Huh?"

Ji Wushuang was certain she'd never met him before. So why did he say, "You've come"?

Still, she nodded solemnly. "Yes, I've come."

"You're so slow. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"What?"

The boy's soft smile, with its slight curve, inexplicably reminded her of the Nether Sea—serene and gentle.

"But it's all right. I can wait for you as long as it takes."

Ji Wushuang finally understood—he had mistaken her for someone else.

Did this count as deceiving a child?

A twinge of guilt crept into her heart. She was about to explain when footsteps echoed outside the barrier.

One, two, three.

As Ji Wushuang scanned her surroundings, the boy suddenly grasped her hand and pulled her inside the house, hiding her in the inner chamber.

Ji Wushuang: "..."

What kind of development was this?

Moments later, three figures entered the courtyard, and Ji Wushuang recognized one of the voices—it was Mo Lanyi.

"Zhu Yan, I've come to see you!"