"Hmm? Hmm hmm—?" (Where's Brother Xiao? Aren't we waiting for Brother Xiao?)
Fatty had no idea what Wu Tianzhen was babbling about, but he could perfectly guess the meaning of these garbled sounds.
So, he simply and roughly pointed at himself and young Wu, then pointed upwards, indicating that the two of them had to go up first. Then he pointed downwards and made a gesture for two, meaning Brother Xiao and Hei Yanjing would be together.
Wu Tianzhen breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy, bubbling incessantly in his heart.
Something was digging painfully into his palm. Wu Tianzhen gave Fatty a thumbs-up gesture, asking Fatty to put him down so he could swim himself.
It was only then that he realized Zhang Qiling had seemingly stuffed something into his hand. He had been holding onto it tightly when he was thrown out, and now his palm had a red imprint.
Gently opening his fingers a little, the object inside still emitted a faint milky white glow in the deep sea. It was conical, appearing extraordinary like a precious jade. xxs1
...This was the horn of that red snake from before?
Wu Tianzhen's mind went blank for a moment, but just then, Fatty's urgent, panicked sounds came from above!
The ink-black seawater around them had, at some unknown time, begun to churn with white foam, and countless bright red and green specks were faintly visible behind the foam.
The giant whale, having lived for a long time and nurtured by the Water of Longevity within its body, had its flesh and blood imbued with essence, a great tonic for all sea creatures.
Previously, as the overlord of the sea, those sea creatures had only dared to watch from afar, never daring to provoke it. But now, with the giant whale injured, the scent of blood spread, instantly igniting the desires of these sea creatures.
They weren't actually seeking death; they were just lurking around to drink some seawater mixed with the giant whale's blood.
...But if they found two chunks of meat nearby carrying the strong scent of the giant whale's blood, adding a temporary meal wouldn't be out of the question.
Young Wu and Fatty, who were about to become the impromptu meal: Holy crap!!!
They instantly scrambled with all their might, almost unleashing their lifelong potential to desperately ascend. Wu Tianzhen even reached his limit, temporarily surpassing Fatty!
In this second, their swimming speed was almost Olympic-level.
Although they felt they had reached a level comparable to Phelps, the sea creatures, having lived and grown in the sea, possessed a natural speed boost. Within seconds, they were rapidly catching up.
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty, after deep contemplation, abruptly stopped swimming and began to communicate with their eyes.
Fatty: Damn it, unless we instantly turn into mermaids, there's no way!
Wu Tianzhen: Cut our losses in time, no need to waste energy, let's fight them!
Fatty: Grandma's, Fatty won't believe he can't beat a few fish.
Wu Tianzhen: Wait, it seems like more than just fish, there are a lot of sea snakes too!
Honestly, neither of them clearly saw the other's expression, but they inexplicably reached a consensus—
The "fight to the death" strategy was back online; no one was getting out alive!
They charged forward with great spirit, as if intending to overthrow the ancestors of those sea creatures. Whether they could win or not was a secondary concern; the momentum had to be established first!
But something unexpected happened—
For some reason, the sea creatures, who had been looking menacingly at them, suddenly retreated several meters as if they had seen something terrifying when they approached.
For a moment, it seemed less like "The Terrifying Incident of Sea Creatures Devouring Humans" and more like "Two Unscrupulous Humans Actually Invaded the Sea and Ruined the Friendship Between Merfolk and Humans."
It fled, he pursued, they had no wings to fly.
...No, what's going on?
Wu Tianzhen stopped in stunned silence, exchanging bewildered glances with Fatty.
Fatty had a flash of inspiration and made a crown gesture with his hand on his head, implying he suspected Wu Tianzhen had truly been crowned Sea King under the magic of language.
To be honest, for a moment Wu Tianzhen actually believed it, but his self-awareness quickly brought him back to reality.
He was certain he himself didn't possess such power. So, was it the items they had—
A white light from his palm flashed through his fingers, announcing its presence. The sea creatures that were closer saw this light and immediately retreated three feet.
...Right, it's this!
Wu Tianzhen suddenly realized: Although this red snake was repeatedly battered by Brother Xiao and Hei Yanjing like an earthworm, it was, after all, an overlord of the ocean. The sharp horn on its head, where its spiritual energy converged, must carry an aura that could awe other lower-ranking sea creatures. Holding this horn, they could probably go through the sea creature crowds seven times without any trouble.
Brother Xiao gave him this to protect them, considering how the whale's blood attracted sea creatures!
...Wait, doesn't that mean?!
Wu Tianzhen: Hmph, hmph, Brother Xiao snatched the horn from Hei Yanjing to be our protective charm~
Fatty didn't quite grasp it at first, but when he noticed Wu Tianzhen's inexplicable excitement and saw the snake horn he missed dearly in his hand, he instantly understood everything.
Fatty: Whoa—Just now you said Brother Xiao was slow to grab treasures, but I didn't expect him to strike later!
Both of them had their own thoughts, but they shared the same secret delight. Driven by this joy, they even triumphantly held up the snake horn and charged through the sea creatures three times, aiming to transform the suffering of others into their own happiness.
...Why three times and not seven?
Because they ran out of air.
The breath-holding capacity of ordinary mortals was limited. By the time they surfaced and found their adrift and solitary little boat, both of them were almost suffocated.
"Fortunately, the sea didn't have any major storms while we were down there," Wu Tianzhen murmured, collapsing onto the deck as if boneless, "otherwise, with the wind and waves, our boat would have long since sailed away, and we wouldn't have found it."
"Tianzhen..." Fatty was exhausted. He lay on the other side, panting, but still struggled to lift his head to look at Wu Tianzhen. "Fatty has no strength right now, quickly slap yourself a couple of times."
"Don't let our boat, which finally survived its lonely phase, be sunk by a word you say when you get back!"
Wu Tianzhen: ...
He felt a sense of discrimination, but his heart also felt a bit uneasy. So, half aggrieved and half fearful, he slowly patted his cheek.
As he raised his hand, his relaxed grip couldn't hold the snake horn. The horn tumbled down with a clatter, bouncing a few times along the deck.
Seeing the treasure fall, Fatty's waist no longer ached, and his legs no longer hurt. He sprang up instantly, pounced over, and held the snake horn, his mouth grinning from ear to ear.
"Don't get too happy too soon," Wu Tianzhen said, seeing Fatty like that, though he felt a pang of sympathy (feigned). "Brother Xiao took this from Hei Yanjing to protect us, so we'll probably have to return it. Don't get too excited now, or you might end up crying."
"...Damn it!"
Fatty endured it, but couldn't help but let out a mournful cry.
Just as Fatty was in despair and Wu Tianzhen was secretly pleased, the boat beneath them suddenly shook strangely.
Wu Tianzhen grabbed the railing and looked down—
"What the... what's going on?!"
He saw the seawater beneath their boat gradually taking on a dark hue, followed by endless white foam.
Those sea creatures, well aware that revenge is a dish best served cold, had gathered together while they were on the boat, appearing to be working together to capsize it!