Bai Roushuang found it difficult to explain whether their eventual ability to sit down together for a barbecue was due to her senior sister’s charisma or her intimidating martial prowess.
Especially considering that just a few hours prior, the enraged Nightmare Clan had been intent on killing Xu Shulou to avenge their "deity."
Thanks to Xu Shulou’s inflammatory remark about "whether it was edible," the Nightmare Clan had erupted into fury.
The crystalline corridor instantly revealed its true form—a throat-like passage of flesh and blood, crimson and slimy, covered in soft, wart-like protrusions. It was undeniably revolting. Bai Roushuang had to admit it was an effective trap for prey, though unfortunately, the Nightmare God it connected to had already perished, rendering it incapable of swallowing. This allowed Xu Shulou to escape with Bai Roushuang in tow.
Of course, to the Nightmare Clan who witnessed the scene, "escape" wasn’t quite the right word. Xu Shulou had blown the entire corridor apart before leisurely strolling out with her junior sister, casually lifting the latter’s silencing curse along the way.
Once outside the corridor, the clanspeople let out genuine wails of grief at the sight of the enormous crab carcass floating in the water.
From the cacophony of sobs, Xu Shulou managed to pick out phrases like "source of power" and "root of life." She felt a pang of guilt, unsure of the Nightmare Clan’s way of life and fearing her act of killing the crab might have dire consequences for them.
What followed was an almost comical underwater spectacle: the Nightmare Clan relentlessly attacked Xu Shulou, while she dodged their assaults and, in turn, grasped their wrists, pressed a hand to their chests, or pinched their meridians, trying to assess their physical condition and see if she could remedy the situation.
After groping her way through every clansman and clanswoman like some shameless rogue, Xu Shulou only grew more perplexed. "I don’t sense your power or life force dwindling. Is there some misunderstanding here?"
Meanwhile, Bai Roushuang took advantage of the clan’s singular focus on her senior sister to sneak over to the crab’s corpse. Spotting a faint blue glow emanating from its chest, she exerted tremendous effort to pry open the shell and extract a palm-sized luminescent object. After studying it for a moment, she held it aloft and called out to the Nightmare Clan, "What is this?"
Distracted by their assault on Xu Shulou, the clanspeople turned to find their "Nightmare God" already dismembered. Furious, they let out a collective howl and lunged at Bai Roushuang.
Unskilled in underwater combat but swift in retreat, Bai Roushuang swam away, brandishing the glowing object. "Stop chasing me! If you come any closer, I’ll crush this thing!"
The Nightmare Clan had no idea what the object was, but knowing it had been extracted from their deity’s body, they hesitated, momentarily cowed by her threat.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Roushuang swam back to Xu Shulou and handed her the glowing artifact.
If there was one thing Xu Shulou excelled at, it was acting on impulse. The moment the object touched her hand, she casually crushed it.
Everyone froze as thick, azure liquid oozed from the shattered artifact, dispersing from Xu Shulou’s fingertips in shimmering blue motes that dissolved into the lake.
"Source of power, root of life," Xu Shulou murmured, echoing the Nightmare Clan’s earlier words as she examined the fading glow in her palm.
"Ah!" The nearest Nightmare woman suddenly cried out in pain, clutching her face as it began to itch and sting.
The others gasped. "Your face—it’s melting!"
"It’s because she killed the Nightmare God!"
"She’s dooming our entire clan! Kill her!"
"No, it’s not melting," the woman struggled to explain, holding them back. "I can feel it—life force is filling my face. It’s changing me."
Stunned, the clan watched as the creases in her skin smoothed out, wrinkles vanishing. When the faint blue light faded, a youthful, beautiful face emerged in their place.
Before they could react with shock or elation, the same transformation began spreading to the others. Vitality surged through their bodies, restoring the youth they had long lost.
Xu Shulou and Xu Shulou stood by, as if witnessing a grand magic trick.
The Nightmare Clan touched their now-smooth skin in disbelief. "What… what just happened?"
Xu Shulou held out a small, exquisite blue gemstone—the core left behind after the glowing artifact shattered. "Your true source of power and life."
The leading woman took it hesitantly, and the moment it touched her palm, she knew Xu Shulou spoke the truth. The sheer vitality pulsing within the stone was unmistakable.
"Exactly," Xu Shulou speculated carelessly. "Perhaps millennia ago, a crab or an octopus—or maybe a tangled mess of both—swallowed your clan’s sacred treasure, gained sentience, evolved into what you saw, and then turned around to control you."
"…"
"Wait, so you’re saying he wasn’t a god?"
"But… the Nightmare God gave us power and life…"
"I’d argue he withheld half of your power and life to sustain himself," Xu Shulou pointed out bluntly. "Look at you now—he’s dead, and you’re restored."
Bai Roushuang nodded. "Honestly, the whole ‘choose between your body and face’ thing always sounded fishy."
"How could this be…?"
"The moral of the story," Bai Roushuang declared when no one else spoke, "is that if you encounter a so-called ‘god’ demanding human sacrifices, don’t hesitate—just kill it. You won’t regret it."
"…"
"Is this real?" The Nightmare Clan exchanged glances, lips trembling with shock, disbelief, joy, and trepidation—as if torn between cheering and breaking down in tears.
Xu Shulou couldn’t resist interrupting. "Uh… could you save the existential crisis for later? Maybe rescue those cultivators stuck in the swamp first?"
"…" Their swirling emotions abruptly cut short, the clanspeople shot her a look before dispersing, minds still reeling, to take action.
Hours later, a bonfire feast was held by the swamp.
When not busy kidnapping people for sacrifices, the Nightmare Clan proved to be a rather hospitable folk, eagerly inviting the cultivators to join their celebration.
Lu Beichen, who had recently been knocked senseless by Xu Shulou’s two palm strikes, sulked nearby, grinding his teeth as he tended the fire.
The feast’s ingredients required no help from the cultivators—the Nightmare Clan had a unique fishing technique. They could control not only people but also aquatic plants, which they now commanded to weave into nets, dredging up scallops, fish, and shrimp from the depths.
The lake was connected to the sea, and occasionally, some sea creatures would wander in by mistake. Among them was an octopus spirit that had been accidentally caught, trembling under the furious gazes of the crowd.
The Dream Demon clan, who harbored a deep hatred for crabs and octopuses at the time, cared little whether it was a spirit or not—they were ready to flatten it and turn it into a dish of cold shredded octopus.
Xu Shulou kindly saved it. Bai Roushuang watched coldly—it was nothing unusual; her senior sister had always had a soft spot for small creatures. But for this octopus spirit to seize the moment and confess its love? That was downright absurd.
Xu Shulou accepted the flowers it had gathered from the lakeshore with its tentacles but gently declined its affections.
The octopus, heartbroken, asked, "Do you dislike my appearance?"
Xu Shulou gave one of its tentacles a reassuring squeeze. Not wanting to admit that she’d only ever seen it as a potential meal, she comforted it tactfully, "Not at all. In fact… if you squint and tilt your head just right, there’s a certain dashing charm about you."
The naive octopus spirit was easily consoled and happily began dancing around the bonfire.
Xu Shulou watched with amusement for a while before joining her junior sister, Bai Roushuang, who was roasting food by the fire. Bai Roushuang handed her a scallop.
"Mmm, delicious," Xu Shulou said, picking up another. "I have something to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. You keep enjoying yourself."
"Where are you going?"
"That rising star from the Qingcheng Sect somehow heard I was back and challenged me to a sword duel at the summit of Mount Tai—no spiritual energy, just pure swordsmanship. The prize is an exceptionally rare and beautiful Western Crabapple tree. Once I win it, I’ll plant it right outside your courtyard," Xu Shulou twirled her sword, Quexie, with effortless grace. "I’ll be back in no time!"
"Alright! I’ll wait for your triumphant return!" Bai Roushuang smiled as she watched her leave, only to notice Lu Beichen’s gaze lingering on Xu Shulou as well.
After witnessing the octopus spirit’s confession earlier, Bai Roushuang couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild—until Lu Beichen sighed, "That kind of unrestrained, free-spirited life… it’s rather enviable."
"You could have that too, Senior Brother Lu," Bai Roushuang said after a moment of thought.
"I can’t. I still have my responsibilities to the sect."
"So do I," Bai Roushuang shrugged. "But we can always choose how we face them."
"You’ve grown so much. Looking back, parting ways back then was the right decision," Lu Beichen smiled bitterly. "I’ve wondered… if we’d both been this mature back then, maybe things could have turned out differently."
Bai Roushuang shook her head. "What’s past is past. No use dwelling on it."
"You’re right," Lu Beichen chuckled, accepting a drink from one of the Dream Demon clansmen. "A toast to you."
Bai Roushuang clinked her cup with his. Under the glow of the bonfire, they exchanged a smile—no lingering affection, no unspoken tension, just the quiet understanding of two who had long since moved on. "To friendship."
"To friendship."
