At the other end of the deck, in a secluded spot.
The white cat wore an expression of having reached a conclusion after serious analysis: "Tell your master the truth—saying you were going to Netherspring Town with that girl Xiaomi to visit relatives was just a front, wasn't it?"
Wu Li was silent for a long moment.
He had almost forgotten what excuse he used back then. So it was visiting relatives.
His original purpose in going to Netherspring Town had been to find the Three-Life Othershore Flower and break the Twin Love Gu worms.
Now the gu was long gone, but he still wanted to go.
Why?
Probably just because he didn't want to return to Mount Chi. He wanted to stay with Mimi, to wander as far away as possible.
He had once believed that he would never have a home in this life.
Like a rootless leaf, blown wherever the wind took it.
Until he met her.
As long as she was there, even desolate mountains and wild plains became a road home.
So, anywhere was fine.
"What if it was a front?" he replied flatly.
The white cat looked enlightened: "I knew it! Are you looking for the Three-Life Othershore Flower? I once heard my master say that in Netherspring Town, there's a spring. At the bottom lies a Three-Life Stone, and beside it grows the Three-Life Othershore Flower, said to cure all gu in the world."
Its tone carried a hint of pride and affection: "Don't worry. This time, your master will get that flower for you and free the mother worm in your heart."
This old fool—should he call it clever or stupid?
It got it half right. He had indeed gone for the Three-Life Othershore Flower at first, but only to break the Twin Love Gu.
That flower was useless against the mother worm.
Because...
"That's not a gu," he said, his voice calm and flat. "It's a lure."
"A lure?" The white cat was stunned.
"A secret forbidden technique. Using an insect as a medium, merging it with the host's heart meridian. The mother worm is guided by the male worm. Only if the host of the male worm is killed will the mother worm die. Aside from that, there's no cure in this world."
The white cat was silent for a moment, then asked, "Who is the host of the male worm?"
Wu Li turned his face, the corner of his mouth twitching as if smiling, yet not quite.
"Planted in someone from the tribe. The High Priest works in secret. I still don't know who it is."
"So, to kill the mother worm in my heart, I'd have to slaughter every single person in the Witch Gu tribe, one by one."
He glanced at the white cat's shocked expression and let out a disdainful snort.
"What's with that look? Afraid I'd actually do it?"
He withdrew his gaze, his tone carrying a lazy, carefree air: "Relax. I promised Mimi I wouldn't stain my hands with anyone else's blood."
"Besides, even if I went on a massacre that openly, the High Priest would notice immediately. If I had to face him, I'm not sure how many chances I'd have of winning."
He tilted his head, sized up the white cat from head to toe, and curled his lip in mockery: "And you? Don't even get me started. You'd probably be dead in a few moves. And you still call yourself my master."
The white cat choked, unable to catch its breath, its whiskers shaking like a sieve.
"You—what do you think you know!?" it spluttered, its face reddening—if a cat's face could redden, "That fight we had last time wasn't all I had! I was going easy on you!"
By the end, its voice was nearly cracking.
The next second, a window on the second floor of the ship slammed open.
"What's all that racket! You're disturbing the scholars' painting!"
Before the words faded, a basin of water was poured down.
Wu Li and the white cat dodged to the side simultaneously.
The window slammed shut again, crisp and decisive.
The white cat didn't look up at where the water had been poured. Instead, it glanced at Wu Li. Seeing that, after avoiding the water, he only leaned coldly against the ship's railing with no intention of going upstairs to pick a fight.
This was nothing like his vengeful nature.
It casually flicked its paw and slowly formed a hand seal, setting up a barrier to isolate their conversation within. It asked curiously, "Shouldn't you be whipping up a wave of seawater with your killing aura and dousing them back in return?"
Wu Li cast a lazy glance at it and said blandly, "Since you deliberately yelled that to draw the snake out, why would I beat the grass and alert it?"
He had noticed these tails long ago. They had been following since Misty Town, even sneaking onto the ship.
The white cat asked again, "Don't you find it annoying, having a venomous snake lurking in the shadows? Don't you want to flush them out?"
"They think they're hidden in the dark, but I've already found them. So tell me—who's really in the dark now?" Wu Li finally looked up at it, a lazy curve at the corner of his lips. "You noticed them long ago too. Why bother asking me?"
The white cat's eyes gleamed with a hint of appreciation.
This little brat was not only meticulous but also patient. If it had been Yu'er, that basin of water would have sent him charging up to argue already.
And the timing and angle of the water being poured were clearly a test of their skills.
"Yes," it said leisurely, "then let's sit tight and see what they want, and why they've come."
The words had barely left its mouth when a fight suddenly broke out in that room.
A clatter—basins, cups, tables, and chairs tumbled to the floor.
Then came a furious shout, full of vigor: "Sneaking around following us for days! I've finally caught you! Talk! Who sent you?"
The white cat raised its paw and slowly slapped its forehead.
Of course. There was always someone too impatient.
It had almost forgotten. There was another hot-headed one on board: that girl Yao.
From the sound of it, there were at least a dozen people in that room, and Yao was fighting them all alone. But the white cat was fairly confident in her martial skills, so it deliberately teased, "Little brat, that girl fighting upstairs—you used to call her 'sister,' you know. Shouldn't you go lend a hand?"
Wu Li crossed his arms, leaning against the railing without even lifting his eyelids: "Men and women are no different. If I can fight, why can't she? Women should also undergo training."
Just then, a clear voice came from upstairs: "Sister Yao, I'm here to help!"
The white cat felt a blur before its eyes.
The next thing it knew, the spot beside it was empty.
It stared at the vacant railing. Where was the one who had just said, "Women should undergo training"?
Chai Xiaomi had finished chatting with Jiang Zhiyu and was strolling alone around the ship. As she passed a room, she heard Song Yueyao's furious shouts from inside.
Without a second thought, she took the Ice Bow and Mystic Arrows from her qiankun pouch.
She couldn't bear to use the one that Li had made for her.
But the moment her hand touched the divine weapon, she realized a fatal problem: this bow... seemed to only have a bow, with no matching arrows?!
And when she touched it, it was icy and slippery. Normal feather arrows wouldn't hold on it at all.
She gritted her teeth.
Whatever. She'd use it as a club!
Seeing Song Yueyao surrounded by a group of sword-wielding attackers, she immediately jumped in, picked her moment, and raised the bow to swing it at one of the men's heads.
Before the bow could land, her waist suddenly tightened.
A familiar, crisp scent wrapped around her completely.
Wu Li spun her away to a corner by the door, easily taking the bow from her hand: "Idiot. Is that how you use a divine weapon?"
He looked down at her, his tone both helpless and indulgent.
"Watch closely."
As he spoke, he raised the bow and drew the string. Though it held nothing, a white arrow of pure light condensed on the bowstring, shimmering with luminance, like a stream of flowing energy.
His slender fingers suddenly relaxed.
The moment the arrow left the string, it transformed into several streaks of white light, striking precisely the men locked in combat. They fell to the ground in succession, groaning as they lay on their backs, completely powerless to fight any longer.
One by one, they raised their eyes and looked toward the young man from Miaojiang at the doorway.
He leisurely lowered his bow, letting the sinister aura around him fade away. Then he walked over to his wife, bent down, and leaned close. His long lashes drooped slightly as he gazed at her with a faint, teasing smile, explaining softly: “This Ice Bow and Mystic Arrows can slay evil spirits and destroy immortal sect artifacts. But against ordinary humans, it only wounds the flesh, never kills.”
His expression carried a hint of docility, as if to say: I didn’t take any lives carelessly.
