The east glowed dimly. The sky began to brighten.
The colour of the ocean gradually diluted. The white seagulls flew around in groups.
Two streaks of light shot across the sky, landing on a tiny island on the horizon.
This was the most common island on the South sea. The only part of it that was relatively special was its volcano.
The volcano was not big. Perhaps it could be described as very small, only around a thousand meters tall with a black plume of smoke emerging from the top. It would erupt from time to time, making the entire island shake as a result.
Ru Xin stood on the white, sandy beach and gazed at the small volcano. She slowly took off her mask. Her expression was rather mixed, as if she had become submerged in a distant memory. There was indescribable pain and happiness.
Li Qingshan gazed at her silently.
He told Xiao An to return to Savage mountain first and flew off towards the east with Ru Xin, travelling all the way here. Along the way, she said nothing at all, so he remained silent too.
Ru Xin sucked in a deep breath. Her smile was rather forced. “Want to take a look with me? Even though there’s nothing to see.”
“Lead the way.”
Ru Xin made her way into the depths of the jungle, and Li Qingshan followed close behind, watching as she extended her arms and touched the trees beside her with her fingertips like a child. Every single ordinary leaf and branch seemed to record a distant memory.
Their field of view suddenly opened up. A clearing suddenly appeared in the jungle. It was called a clearing only because there were no trees. Within the waist-high grass, under the slanting sunlight, sat a small, wooden hut. It was covered in green moss and wrapped in vines, having become dilapidated a long time ago, but it was still possible to see a hint of delicacy. Its past owner must have spent a lot of time and effort on it.
Ru Xin glanced back as if she was confirming that Li Qingshan was still behind her. Her expression was like a lost child’s, indescribably weak and lost. Li Qingshan’s heart tightened. He went up to hold her hand firmly, which was icy-cold down to the bone.
The two of them followed the cobblestone path that had been swallowed by the grass, arriving before the tiny hut. The door was firmly locked, already rusted away, but there was still the residual spiritual qi of techniques, protecting the tiny hut from invading beasts.
Ru Xin extended her hand and touched it gently. With a clatter, the lock shattered, and the spiritual qi dispersed. The door swung open. Her sealed memories flooded through her head…
Ru Xin seemed to become a beautiful jade statue, standing before the tiny hut without moving at all.
The hut was not big. Everything inside was neat and tidy. Its past owner did not seem to leave in a hurry, just that they were going on a long trip. They still hoped to return one day. However, the thick layer of dust silently told a different story. No one had returned.
Li Qingshan faltered. He had no idea what to do. He felt even more troubled than when he faced the giant god of fire.
A long time later, Ru Xin said gently, “I’m back.” She smiled at Li Qingshan with misty eyes. “It’s not as difficult as I imagined it to be!”
“This is?” Li Qingshan used his large, crude hands to wipe away her tears. He wanted to be a little more gentle, but the outcome was not spectacular.
“Watch your hands!” Ru Xin pushed his hands away. “This is the place where I was born, as well as my home.”
“Do you think I want to touch you? You’re as hard as a rock! Your home sure is shabby. No wonder you ran away from home, even drifting around in the Green province!”
“Shabby your face! What would you know?”
Li Qingshan chuckled. “As the mighty King of Savages, I’m not going to stoop to the same level as a bum. If you have something to say, then hurry up. I’m short on time here!”
“Even if you beg me, I won’t tell you!” Ru Xin shot a vicious glance at him. Her eyes immediately became a fiery-red.
Li Qingshan was mildly surprised, but he also came to an understanding. He let out an indetectable sigh. “I’m begging you, my great ma’am Ru Xin, just tell me!”
Ru Xin thought over it. “Fine, since you’re begging me like this. It’s a real drab story anyway. You already know that I’m not a pure Merfolk. I’m also half fire devourer, which comes from my father. Don’t look at me like that. How would I know what they were thinking back then. With the purity of their bloodlines, it clearly was very difficult for them to produce any offspring. Who knows what kind of sh*tty joke the heavens were playing, hehe!”
“In other words, you are the Flower of Water and Fire I’ve been searching for?” Li Qingshan understood now. Sure enough, the medicine that balanced water and fire could only be produced by her. Merfolk and Fire Devouring Folk were natural spirits of water and fire. It really was almost a miracle that they could balance water and fire and give birth to Ru Xin.
“Is there a dent in your head? I’ve told you long ago that the Flower of Water and Fire doesn’t exist! I’m a person, not a flower!” Ru Xin “bellowed” without any concern for her image, scaring a flock of birds.
Li Qingshan rubbed his nose. The Spirit Turtle Suppresses the Seas—I endure!
Ru Xin cussed him out by calling him all sorts of things before finally explaining, “My mother searched hundreds, if not thousands, of underwater volcanoes, but there was not a single flower to be found. The legend is fake.”
“Your mother searched for it!?” Li Qingshan was slightly surprised.
“Do you think balancing water and fire is very easy?” Ru Xin told him about her distant childhood in as calm of a tone as possible, trying to make nothing of it, but she could not help but grow solemn.
A long time ago, the child born in the tiny wooden hut had been at death’s door the day she was born. She experienced the torture of the two powers, attacked by chills and fevers repeatedly. It had almost cost her her life.
Perhaps she was not the first Fire Devouring Folk and Merfolk hybrid—or as she described it, “crossbreed”. However, none of them could grow to adulthood, so it was unheard of.
Fortunately, her parents were powerful enough, going as far as to devote their time, energy, and even cultivation and lifespan to balance fire and water for her. Whenever she was overcome with a fever, she would suck the tip of her mother’s finger, drinking her essence blood and vice versa. That was why she could survive.
“Parental love sure is great!” Li Qingshan could not help but sigh after hearing that. He thought of something. “Don’t tell me with the medicine you refine…”
“You’re welcome to call me mother,” Ru Xin said indifferently.
“Piss off!” Li Qingshan suddenly embraced Ru Xin and laughed aloud. “My dear baby! If anyone aside from me even touches a hair on you, I’ll behead them!”
Ru Xin became speechless, but she became much more relaxed inside for some reason.
Li Qingshan said, “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon. Let’s tidy this place up, and it’ll be our bridal chamber tonight so that you can console your mother and father’s souls.”
Ru Xin kicked him in the belly. “Aren’t you short of time? Console my ass!”
After a series of jokes, the sorrowful atmosphere had finally been diluted slightly. Ru Xin stepped into the hut and began tidying. She cleaned up the thick dust. All of the objects became brightly-coloured again.
Li Qingshan did not help her. He just crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, snickering away. “You say no, but your body is still pretty honest, hey?”
Before he could even finish, a jar flew over. “Get out of here!”
Li Qingshan leaned on one hand as he held the jar with the other, sitting on the stone steps at the entrance. He blew gently, and the wild grass was all cut to bits, swept off into the horizon by the wind. The courtyard immediately became clear and spacious, revealing the well, the tiny stream, and countless green insects, fluttering their wings and flying away.
He suddenly frowned and stood up. He placed the jar beside him and felt a familiar aura draw near.
“What’s she coming here for?”
