CHATTER

The morning sun stretched its golden rays over the small fishing village, casting a soft glow over damp wooden docks and the gentle tide. Within the quaint inn, a table had been pulled to the center of the room, and the air was filled with the clinking of teacups, the faint aroma of pickled fish and sweet buns, and the low murmur of conversation.

Mo Tianzun sat cross-legged at the head of the table, sleeves rolled casually to his forearms, sipping tea from a chipped porcelain cup. Though he still wore the guise of an elderly wanderer, there was no mistaking the powerful presence that lingered just beneath the surface.

Across from him, Longxuan and Jiang Fenglie munched silently, chewing on sesame cakes and glancing up now and then with feigned disinterest—though the occasional twitch in Longxuan's lips betrayed the fact that he was barely containing a smile.

Zhenhai sat ramrod straight, while Fenglan leaned in with the curiosity of a child poking a sleeping beast.

"So, uh…" Fenglan began, eyes wide and sparkling with mischief. "You're really Mo Tianzun? Like, the terrifying, dark-robed, whole-realm-wants-you-dead Demon Lord? That Mo Tianzun?"

Tianzun raised a brow, sipping his tea. "That's what they used to call me, yes."

"And—just to clarify," Zhenhai added slowly, "you're saying Liu Xuanji is… gone?"

The air in the room shifted. Longxuan's hand stilled around his teacup. Fenglie's eyes narrowed, though he said nothing.

Tianzun nodded after a moment of silence. "Liu Xuanji's soul has passed. What remains… is me."

A pause.

Fenglan blinked. Then, quietly "Oh."

Zhenhai lowered his gaze, his voice gentler. "He was our friend. We just wanted to know… if he suffered."

"No," Tianzun said, voice quiet but firm. "He chose it. He gave everything—his name, his body, his second chance—so that I could survive. It wasn't suffering. It was freedom."

Silence again. Even the breeze that fluttered the paper window seemed to hush.

Then Fenglan cleared his throat loudly. "Alright! That was sad. I think I need three more buns to cope."

Zhenhai elbowed him. "Have some respect."

"I am respecting. With carbs."

Longxuan finally cracked a smile, biting into a dumpling. "He mourned him already, Zhenhai. He's just processing like an idiot."

"I'm sitting right here," Fenglan muttered with his mouth full.

—————

Later that day, the group returned to the inn, gathering once more in Longxuan and Tianzun's room—mostly because it was the only room large enough to fit them all. Zhenhai had pulled out maps, and Fenglie was now sketching out strange symbols they had seen etched into the creatures' limbs.

Tianzun leaned against the wall, his hair still damp from a recent rinse, while Longxuan lay sprawled on a floor cushion, playing with an empty teacup.

"We need to talk about the monsters," Jiang Fenglie said. "They weren't just beasts. That energy they emitted—it was corrupted, something not of this realm."

"They shouldn't be able to breach the barrier," Zhenhai added. "The Mortal Realm is protected from Outer Realm entities. So why are sea creatures with that kind of aura suddenly popping up here?"

"There's more," Tianzun said. "When I cut into them, I felt resistance—not physical, but spiritual. Like something was anchoring them here. Forcibly."

Fenglan frowned. "Like a summoning?"

"Possibly," Tianzun said. "But it's not refined. It's wild. Sloppy. Whoever's doing this either doesn't know what they're doing—or they're trying to tear a hole through the realms."

"That'd explain the pressure I've been feeling," Longxuan muttered. "Like the heavens themselves are uneasy."

Fenglie nodded grimly. "It might not just be this village. If rifts are opening… we could start seeing monsters elsewhere."

Zhenhai stood and rolled up the map. "Then we need to investigate."

"First," Fenglan said, hopping up, "we ask the villagers. Maybe someone's seen strange lights, or boats that didn't return, or creepy people doing rituals under the moonlight."

"Like you used to do?" Zhenhai muttered.

"That was one time and it was my birthday."

Longxuan rose from the cushion, brushing crumbs off his lap. "We'll split up. Question the villagers. Then pack and move to the next port. If this is part of a pattern, we need to stop it before it spreads."

Mo Tianzun glanced at him with quiet pride. "You're taking this seriously."

Longxuan looked away, a faint pink at his ears. "I almost died. And we broke the bathtub last night. Of course I'm taking it seriously."

Fenglan gasped. "Wait—you broke the tub?! So that's why the innkeeper was laughing this morning—!"

Mo Tianzun casually reached for his sword.

"Okay! Interview time!" Fenglan blurted, grabbing Zhenhai's sleeve and dragging him out the door.

Fenglie sighed. "I'll handle the chief. You two… don't destroy the room."

Longxuan smirked as the door slid shut.

"Don't worry," he said to Tianzun, "We'll save the world. One mysterious fish demon at a time."

Tianzun's eyes softened and muttered "And I'll protect you, until the last tide rises." going to the bed with Longxuan following him on his back like a puppy