All of this happened too suddenly on the calm sea late at night. The literati and scholars on the boat screamed and scattered in panic, some hiding in their rooms, wailing loudly and clamoring for a return to shore.
Balls of snow, large and small, continued to strike from the dark sea in wave after wave, but this time they did not hit the hull.
Without exception, they were intercepted midair by killing intent and shattered into dust.
A sharp, faint ache came from his healing heart, but for Wu Li, this pain was no longer of consequence. His gaze swept over Chai Xiaomi's slightly reddened forehead, his brow lightly furrowing as a flicker of icy killing intent passed through his eyes, almost invisible.
Chai Xiaomi lacked night vision and couldn't make out his expression. She only heard his flat voice come from above, suppressing a dark, ominous fury: "I'll go deal with those pirates right now."
Before she could react, she was gently set down.
Something felt off under her.
It felt like sitting on a cushion—soft and a bit slippery.
Then a pair of eerie green serpent eyes lit up in the darkness, staring at her fixedly, and she realized it was Hongjiao.
The next second, a hand reached over and smacked the snake on the head without mercy. "Why are you staring at her? Don't you know those eyes of yours are terrifying to look at in the dark?"
Scolded by its master, the snake could only sulkily turn its head away and lie flat on the ground.
Chai Xiaomi rubbed Hongjiao's head while quickly grabbing Wu Li, who was about to fly toward the sea: "Wait! I know you're angry, but hold on—it's not even certain those are real pirates!"
What kind of clever pirate attacks with snowballs?
Just then, Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao hurried over. The White Cat leaped to the highest point to look around, and the crew and guards on the tower ship lit one torch after another, their light suddenly illuminating the sea nearby.
A dragon-headed boat was moored only a few dozen yards away. Naturally smaller than the tower ship, it still looked impressive. A triangular flag hung from the bow, clearly bearing two large Chinese characters—Pirate.
Chai Xiaomi's silence was deafening.
This had the same effect as the "Brothel" sign hanging outside the Huan Yin Pavilion—as if they were afraid no one would know they were pirates.
First time seeing pirates attacking with snowballs; truly unconventional, like a mafia showing up with water guns.
In the flickering firelight, she saw dozens of people standing on that boat, all wearing bizarre masks and black cloaks, covering themselves from head to toe. Yet even so, it was obvious their builds were all round and plump.
Several black cannons were extended from the boat's side, their muzzles aimed at the tower ship, suggesting all those snowballs earlier had come from these guns.
Just as they were sizing the other side up, they too were being assessed.
"Boss, boss, we've got trouble! All our snowball cannon attacks were intercepted by some unknown force!"
The rotund figure addressed as "Boss" spun around sharply.
He wore a crooked paper crown with a small purple flower pinned beside it. A sliver of pure white was visible beneath his mask. Hands on his hips, he stood at the bow, bristling: "What?! Who dares stop this king's snowball cannons—uh!"
His words were cut short.
He found himself lifted off his feet.
A boy radiating killing intent had already landed behind him, grabbing him by the scruff of his cloak, like holding a disobedient glutinous rice ball.
"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!" He flailed his limbs in the air, his round body wobbling. "I'm the boss! I have dignity! You're embarrassing me!"
Wu Li looked down at him flatly. "Oh."
"What do you mean 'oh'! Do you know how many henchmen I have on this ship? Thirty-eight! They're all watching! How do you expect me to lead my crew after this—"
Before he finished, a series of "plop plop" splashes came from behind.
He stiffly turned his head. The dragon-headed boat was empty. His thirty-eight lackeys, seizing his capture as a chance, had all fled.
The air was silent for a moment.
His eyes under the mask rolled around. The next second, he lunged at Wu Li's wrist, raised his face, and said in the most alluring voice: "New boss, you're my new boss~~~"
Wu Li squinted at the white blob, barely worthy of being called a hand, resting on his wrist. A faint, frosty smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "Let me tell you something."
"Go ahead, new boss!"
Wu Li's eyes flashed coldly as he sneered: "I hate it when people touch me without permission. If you don't want that hand, just say the word."
The round, dumpling-like figure was flung high into the air. Before he could even cry out, several streams of killing intent shot up from below like chains, clamping him tightly midair, leaving him utterly unable to move.
The boy slowly raised one hand, his fingers twitching faintly, as if controlling invisible strings. The round body, like a cuju ball, was tossed and yanked about, sometimes crashing into the fierce-looking dragon head, other times tumbling against the tall mast.
A broken, pitiful wail came from beneath the mask: "Ouch ouch!"
"Insolent brat!"
A sharp reprimand suddenly rang out.
The White Cat, riding Jiang Zhiyu's shoulder, landed on the deck of the dragon-headed boat.
"A small punishment is enough." The White Cat's gaze fell on the bundle of white under the cloak, sensing an unusual aura. "This is merely a Snowball Beast; it hasn't taken any lives."
Wu Li: "Its snowballs hit someone it shouldn't have. All I'm doing is giving it a taste of its own medicine."
"But you must not continue using killing intent to harm others."
The White Cat's tone turned stern, carrying a teacher's authority. "How many times have I told you? The more blood your killing intent draws, the heavier your murderous thoughts will become. One day, it will consume you completely. If you must strike, use the spells I taught you—the righteous path of purifying the world and reforming wickedness through goodness."
This lecture had little effect.
Wu Li scratched his ear impatiently. When the White Cat was done, he lazily lifted his eyelids, flashing a disdainful smile. "Old man, those childish tricks of yours—what are they even good for? Not painful, not harmful, can't even break a hair."
The White Cat knew in its heart that Wu Li had never truly recognized it as his master.
All his diligent studying over these days had been, first, to show off in front of Xiaomi girl, and second, to keep it from exposing the matter of the Insect Mother to her. So when push came to shove, he utterly disdained using those spells to fight anyone else.
The atmosphere grew somewhat tense.
Jiang Zhiyu chose the right moment to speak, breaking the deadlock: "Wu Li, since this Snowball Beast hit Xiaomi, why not bring it back to the main ship and let Xiaomi decide its fate?"
With that, he turned to look at the distant tower ship. There, Xiaomi had her hands cupped around her eyes like a telescope, craning her neck in their direction, but she couldn't see a thing. An invisible barrier formed of killing intent had cut off the view between the two ships.
He couldn’t help but marvel at Wu Li’s thoughtfulness—he didn’t even want Xiao Mi to see him beating the snowball beast.
Upon hearing this, Wu Li raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of interest passing through his eyes.
Rarely agreeing with Jiang Zhiyu, he said, “Not a bad idea.”
It had been a while since he last saw Mi Mi genuinely angry. Just now, her face was covered in snowflakes, and there was a clear flicker of fire in her almond-shaped eyes.
He couldn’t help but wonder how she would vent her temper.
