The fatty’s face lit up with joy. He immediately “helped” Wu Tianzhen retrieve the snake horn. Although he said, “Oh, I’m so embarrassed,” he didn’t hesitate to stuff it into his pocket, looking as if he were receiving a New Year’s red envelope, only pretending to decline out of politeness.
Wu Tianzhen really wanted to ask for clarification, but just as he opened his mouth, the boat lurched, and the distant sea surface suddenly began to churn violently.
Something colossal rose from the seabed, like a mountain range blocking out the sun!
The first things that came into view were the ancient and majestic palaces, followed by their thick, dark skin, studded with faint blue phosphorescence like inlaid sapphires.
Finally, a pair of ancient, desolate eyes broke through the water, fixing their gaze on the ship.
A deafening roar of water erupted, and the sea spray, falling like fine rain, splashed onto the deck with a crackling sound that was like a grand symphony. The brilliance of the clear sky was instantly obscured by this magnificent creation of nature, plunging the ship into darkness. Only a golden edge, painted by the sunlight on the side of the giant whale’s body, indicated that light still existed.
“...You, you say,” the fatty stammered in shock, but instinctively shoved the snake horn deeper into his pocket.
“If it swallows us in one gulp, do we have any chance of escaping?”
“None. We can only wait to die…” Wu Tianzhen murmured. In truth, he had no idea what he was saying or thinking. Anyone who witnessed this creature, a masterpiece of nature, would be rendered speechless by its breathtaking beauty.
Indeed, what transcended the danger was its dazzling aesthetic. Seeing the giant whale made one understand nature’s inscrutable magic, and why the world deserved human respect, even fear.
But after the initial awe came a surge of panic. Wu Tianzhen was right; if the giant whale lunged forward and opened its mouth, even if they miraculously avoided being swallowed, they would likely be crushed by its immense force.
“No, we have to leave quickly.” Wu Tianzhen had completely forgotten that Fatty had just revoked his captain’s license. He rushed towards the cockpit to escape, but as he turned, a gentle yet firm force pushed him back.
Zhang Qiling had changed his clothes. The brand-new hooded sweatshirt he wore was not just similar, but identical to the one he had heroically sacrificed earlier.
Wu Tianzhen’s mind worked in peculiar ways. Sometimes, the more critical the situation, the more his thoughts would wander. For instance, right now, he was particularly keen on trying a different style of clothing for Xiao Zhang.
However, due to Zhang Qiling’s deep affection for hooded sweatshirts, his and Fatty’s attempts to change his clothes usually ended in failure.
After a jumble of thoughts, Wu Tianzhen finally remembered the main issue.
“Xiao Ge, we need to immediately—”
“It’s fine,” Zhang Qiling replied calmly.
He slowly walked to the bow of the ship. Hei眼鏡, who had been leaning there, waved at him in a casual manner.
Wu Tianzhen looked over nervously and suddenly noticed the giant whale’s eyes. Although impossibly vast, they seemed to be looking intently at Zhang Qiling.
…As if it had been floating there for a long time, waiting for Zhang Qiling’s arrival.
And as Zhang Qiling stopped and stood alongside Hei眼鏡 to look, the giant whale slowly retreated a distance and lowered its head slightly!
…Was it expressing gratitude?!
Wu Tianzhen instantly understood the gesture. The shock that coursed through him was like a storm sweeping away everything in its path. This overwhelmingly spectacular scene even made goosebumps erupt all over his body.
With a distant, echoing cry, the whale raised its head again, looking towards the blazing sun—
The sound of water, from faint to intense, grew louder. A thinner, darker shadow emerged from behind it: its long, powerful tail.
The moment the tail straightened, it slammed fiercely onto its own back!
Instantly, countless fragments of rock flew, and the palace complex, preserved for over a thousand years, was reduced to powder in an instant. The sharp stones and angular structures, under this immense force, cut through the whale’s body like knives. Blood gushed out, creating a tragic spectacle along with the crumbling palaces.
Countless sea creatures, attracted by the blood, surfaced again, but the whale paid them no attention.
Its entire focus was on the palaces, on the structures that had oppressed it for over a thousand years, causing it pain from youth until now.
To completely destroy them, it was even willing to shed all the flesh from its back.
“...It’s destroying the palaces?!” Wu Tianzhen’s lips moved, but for a long time, he couldn’t utter a complete sentence. “But why?”
He could understand the giant whale’s hatred for the palaces, but why did it choose this moment, after carrying them for a millennium, to finally decide to destroy them completely?
What had Xiao Ge and Hei眼鏡 done?
Wu Tianzhen didn’t voice his questions. In this scene, any human language seemed like a blasphemy. In fact, watching this, even though it had nothing to do with him, Wu Tianzhen felt a deep sense of guilt.
Perhaps this was the collective consciousness of humanity.
The giant whale’s tail was immensely powerful. After more than an hour, when the entire surface of the sea before them was dyed crimson, it finally destroyed all the human structures on its body.
At this point, its entire body was bathed in blood. If anyone could see its back, they would find bare white bone exposed.
And after completing this, it finally gained its freedom.
With one last glance at the ship, it slowly sank into the depths.
Countless sea creatures, like hungry wolves, followed it down.
…
“Will, will it die?” After a long silence on the deck, Wu Tianzhen finally asked this question, his voice trembling slightly.
Even the usually jocular Fatty was unwilling to make a joke now. His expression was unusually serious, and he looked at Zhang Qiling with a hint of hope.
Zhang Qiling did not let their hopes be dashed.
“It won’t die.” He turned around, looking at the two of them calmly and earnestly.
In an instant, both of them felt relieved, a testament to their long-standing trust in Zhang Qiling.
“It’s good that it won’t die. Damn it, you scared Fatty to death!” Fatty breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Wu Tianzhen still pale, he put an arm around him and pushed him towards the ship’s cabin.
“Let’s go, let’s go. Stop thinking about it, let’s hurry up and cook!”
“It’s been so long since I’ve had soy sauce and chili, Fatty’s mouth is practically starving!”
Zhang Qiling quietly watched their retreating backs, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips.
“Don’t worry, Mute. I’ll keep that for you.”
Hei眼鏡’s words were devoid of humor; he said them with utmost seriousness.
Zhang Qiling knew Hei眼鏡 was referring to the spiritual jade they had just retrieved from deep within the giant whale’s body.
“In Yingzhou, the jade paste tastes like wine and is called jade wine. Drinking several liters makes one drunk and grants longevity.”
This was not merely a legend; the source of the water of longevity was precisely this spiritual jade, an externally formed jade paste.
It was currently in Hei眼鏡’s outer pocket, its brilliance concealed, looking like an ordinary stone. But if submerged in water, it could release streams that healed wounds.
The reason the giant whale had only now chosen to destroy the palaces was because of this spiritual jade that those people had placed within it.
The water of longevity had been flowing within its body. Before the two of them retrieved the jade, every attempt it made to destroy the palaces resulted in its wounds healing instantly, thanks to the water of longevity.
In its youth, its strength was insufficient, and the palaces were not significantly damaged. However, with each rupture and healing of its wounds, the structures became more deeply embedded within its body.
While called the water of longevity, it was merely a highly effective healing agent. Even so, it was a treasure coveted by countless people.
But this treasure had brought the giant whale nothing but countless painful memories.
And now, the spiritual jade had finally been retrieved.
“Your eyes?” Zhang Qiling did not respond to Hei眼鏡’s earlier remark, merely changing the subject.
Hei眼鏡 obligingly ceased mentioning it, giving a roguish smile. “A curse. This thing can’t be cured, but it’s enough to alleviate it~”
His eyes, at best, could only now endure this cycle of worsening and healing.
“...Mm.” Zhang Qiling felt a hint of disappointment, but it was an expected outcome. He nodded and turned to enter the cabin to help Fatty and Wu Tianzhen with the cooking.
…
…The residual water of longevity within the giant whale could help it recover from the injuries sustained from destroying the palaces, but it was not the reason for its longevity.
What granted it longevity was its species.
Hei眼鏡’s eyes constantly required nourishment from the spiritual jade, but he was willing to give it to Zhang Qiling for his futile attempts.
Zhang Qiling was grateful.
However, just as Yingzhou Island had vanished from the world, the longevity it was said to bring had also dissipated like foam.
[Yingzhou Complete]