Chapter Eight: Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Not long after, the goose-feather boat reverted to its original form, lying silently on the water's surface. Meanwhile, two enormous birds took to the sky—one carrying Chen Fan and the young girl, while the other bore the old master and his two disciples.

Chen Fan gazed below at the two massive snakes. Their black bodies, yellow bellies, and red heads intertwined like a piece of shimmering brocade, shifting eerily with the water's ripples. He swallowed hard. "Fairy, thank the heavens you can craft flying kites. Otherwise, we'd be finished today."

The girl shot him a cold glance. "Don't get too comfortable. These creatures can leap several zhang high, and I'm the one powering this kite. Once my fairy energy runs out, we'll all be their next meal."

The snakes, eerily intelligent, didn't waste time. They split up, one slithering toward the old master's kite, the other rushing straight for them.

"It's coming, it's coming!" Chen Fan's voice rose an octave as the snake coiled and sprang upward.

But the girl remained unshaken. "Relax. The sky is my domain. Watch this."

The snake shot up, fangs bared, but at the last moment, the girl effortlessly maneuvered the kite aside. The beast snapped at empty air before crashing back into the water, sending up a towering splash.

Time and again, the snake lunged, its massive body cutting through the air like a whip. Over a dozen attempts later, it still hadn't so much as grazed the kite.

Chen Fan, pale-faced, groaned. "Snake brother, just eat me already. I'm exhausted… and I'm only twenty."

The girl smirked, lifting her foot playfully. "If you really want to die, I don't mind kicking you down."

"No, no! Goddess, suddenly, I find this adventure quite thrilling!"

"Hmph. Keep talking nonsense, and I really will kick you off."

She was about to tease him further when she suddenly noticed something strange—the snake had stopped attacking. The water beneath them, once turbulent, had become eerily still, reflecting the sky like a dark mirror.

A bad feeling crept up her spine. She shouted into the distance, "Master, are you alright?"

The response came swiftly, filled with urgency. "Xiaogu, run! Run now!"

"Huh?" The girl barely had time to react before Chen Fan let out a terrified shriek. "Fairy! Below us! Below us!"

With a deafening roar, the water beneath them exploded. A massive shadow surged upward at terrifying speed.

Panicked, the girl yanked at the kite's reins, steering them higher. She had assumed, based on past encounters, that the snake couldn't reach them. But the crisis was far from over.

The old master's voice echoed again. "Xiaogu, there are more! There are more of them beneath you!"

Indeed, the first snake, which had leapt from below, was not falling back down as expected. Another snake had surged up beneath it, pushing it higher—gaining terrifying momentum.

This time, the beast shot straight at them, jaws wide open.

Chen Fan felt his heart leap to his throat. They had to flee.

In the next instant, the girl made a split-second decision. Grabbing Chen Fan's wrist, she stomped hard on the kite's back, using the force to hurl both of them sideways. At the same time, she pulled out a second kite from inside her robes.

The first kite, struck on its back, let out a faint cry before the snake's jaws clamped down on it. In an instant, it crumpled into nothing more than a folded paper charm. The two snakes crashed back into the water.

Chen Fan had no time to process what had just happened. His only thought was to hold on for dear life. But suddenly, he heard a furious yell.

"Let go! Let go! You little rascal, where do you think you're grabbing?!"

Only then did he realize—his hand had landed somewhere it absolutely shouldn't have.

To be fair, Chen Fan wasn't the type to take advantage of a crisis. But right now, letting go wasn't an option.

"Big sister, I swear this is not intentional! But if I let go now, those two gentlemen down there are waiting to make me their afternoon snack!"

He risked a glance downward and immediately regretted it—the four ominous red dots in the water were growing closer.

Meanwhile, the small, round kite beneath them—shaped more like a crow than a proper bird—was struggling to keep them afloat. It whined in protest.

"Xiaogu, you've gotten heavier again! Heavier! I can't hold on much longer!"

Unlike the previous kite, this one wasn't built to carry passengers. The girl clung to its leg with one hand, her expression turning grim.

But the bird, despite its protests, was smarter and more agile than its predecessor.

"No, no! Little Elephant, you have to hang in there! My worm tree is ripe. If you get us out of this, I'll give you all the treats you want!"

"Too fat, too fat… no hope, no hope…!" The bird's wings flapped furiously, yet they were descending lower and lower.

From below, Chen Fan's desperate yells mingled with the bird's complaints.

"Let go!" the girl demanded.

"I won't!" Chen Fan shot back. "You let go!"

Seeing the dire situation, the old master acted fast, pulling out a red kite and throwing it towards them.

The fat bird perked up. "Red Crow! Red Crow is coming!"

In the distance, a radiant red bird streaked toward them like a shooting star. Its golden glow filled their hearts with newfound hope.

Chen Fan whooped in relief. "Haha! I told you! I, Chen Fan, am the protagonist! How could I—"

Before he could finish, a sharp slicing sound echoed through the air.

The Red Crow let out a piercing shriek before splitting in half, crumbling into nothing more than fluttering paper fragments.

The fat bird wailed. "Red Crow is dead! Dead, dead!"

Their relief shattered in an instant. But worse yet—the same force that had struck down the Red Crow was now hurtling toward them.

The girl reacted fast. "Fairy Shield!"

A glowing barrier of energy materialized before them, but the force of the impact was overwhelming. The moment the snake's tail slammed into it, the shield cracked apart, sending them both hurtling backward.

"AHHHH!"

Their screams filled the air as they tumbled uncontrollably.

At the last moment, the girl managed to summon a cushion of fairy qi beneath them, softening their crash landing. But the force had drained her completely. Panting heavily, she lay motionless beside Chen Fan.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then, finally, Chen Fan broke the silence.

"My goodness… I don't want to be in this dream anymore. I want to wake up. I WANT TO WAKE UP!"

Saying this, he bolted for the water, ready to dunk his head in.

Luckily, the girl yanked him back. "Are you insane, boy? If you wanted to die, you could've just let go earlier!"

Chen Fan's face twisted in panic. "No, no, I'm not crazy! I KNOW this is a dream! I'll wake up soon!"

The girl stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "When did the Manifest World become your dream? Do you have a giant head full of air?"

"No, goddess, please, let me go! I'm a human, a real one! My name is Chen Fan! I'm a junior at Southern Maritime University! I don't belong here! I was hit by a car, and now I keep having these insane dreams. Let me wake up! LET ME WAKE UP!"