Chapter 390: Hu Lan’s Answer, a Bolt From the Blue

Chapter 390 -283: Hu Lan’s Answer, a Bolt From the Blue

White mist rose from the surface of the lake.

Through the mist, the moon’s halo was desolate and cold, making for an exceptionally eerie sight.

The two Fifth Grade masters stopped their pursuit in unison.

Just then, the sound of rushing wind came from behind them as several speedboats shot out from the shore like arrows loosed from a bow.

The two turned to see their own subordinates, several Sixth Grade practitioners, arriving together.

“My lords!”

The speedboats all stopped at once.

Even the Fifth Grade lords hadn’t dared to venture into the white mist.

There was no way their subordinates would stick their necks out.

“My lords, there are three sunken ships over there. This subordinate will return and organize a team to begin salvage operations as soon as possible,” one of the Sixth Grade men volunteered, eager to take on a task.

The others silently cursed him for being a “sly bastard”!

He sure knew how to pick the easy jobs.

One of the Fifth Grade masters nodded nonchalantly.

The other Sixth Grade practitioners lowered their heads and said nothing.

The atmosphere grew heavy. The two Fifth Grade masters looked at the white mist before them, then glanced at their subordinates.

Their meaning was self-evident: they hoped their subordinates would bravely volunteer to enter the mist and search for the dozen or so missing ships.

As for why they wouldn’t go themselves…

‘Don’t be ridiculous. What if there really is a female ghost?’

The Sixth Grade men bowed their heads even lower, each staring at the floorboards of their boats or the surface of the water, avoiding eye contact with their superiors.

They were beginning to regret arriving so quickly.

Just as it seemed the two Fifth Grade masters were about to start calling names…

The Sixth Grade subordinate who had volunteered for the salvage mission spoke up again:

“My lords, this whole affair is bizarre.

That… ghost, or whatever it was, has already been driven deep into the white mist by you two. It’s clearly intimidated by your formidable auras.

As the saying goes, ‘don’t pursue a desperate enemy.’ This subordinate believes that protecting the docks should be our priority!

For the safety of the camp, I implore you both not to press the Tracking any further.

Word of this incident has already spread at the docks. To prevent the situation from escalating, please return to the docks to oversee things as soon as possible!”

The two Fifth Grade masters glanced at him. Although they wanted to retreat, they still had some reservations.

One of them, sensing the man’s quick wit, asked in a deep voice, “And what if that female ghost returns tomorrow?”

“This subordinate has heard that female ghosts fear firelight. Why don’t we build bonfires at the docks tomorrow and construct a lighthouse to ward her off?”

“Hmm, that’s one way to handle it.”

The others let out a sigh of relief.

They quickly urged the two Fifth Grade masters to return to the docks and take command.

The group turned their boats around and headed back toward the shore.

The boat of the impressive Sixth Grade subordinate fell to the rear. He turned his head to look back at the mist, shook his head, and muttered silently, “A female ghost? Do those things really exist?”

The night grew colder.

The lake was a vast expanse of white mist, and soon, it was impossible to even distinguish a man from a woman at a distance of three meters.

This environment severely suppressed the perception of even expert practitioners.

Normally, Tang Wen’s Spiritual Power could scan for several hundred meters.

But now, its range had shrunk to a mere few dozen meters.

Unexpectedly, when he said this aloud, the two White Tigers and Xia Qingge all turned their heads, their eyes filled with astonishment.

“You can scan for a few dozen meters?” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Not because it was too short, but because it was too far.

Tang Wen was merely at the Extraordinary rank. Well, alright, his Spiritual Power was even stronger than that of a typical Peak of Sixth Grade practitioner.

His Spiritual Power coiled around some clean lake water and deposited it in a basin. Xia Qingge picked up a flower-scented soap bean and washed her face.

Her world-toppling beauty was restored.

But as she washed her face, her hand trembled uncontrollably, and droplets of water dampened a few strands of her fine hair.

Beyond her radiant beauty, it gave her an air of untroubled grace.

The water droplets trickling down her hair added to her charm.

“Still in pain?” Tang Wen noticed her hand trembling and remembered he hadn’t had a chance to check the messages from Hu Lan these past two days. He wanted to take out the Unity Mirror to have a look.

“I’m fine! It’s much better just getting out for a bit. Quick, let’s go check our haul.”

Without another word, Xia Qingge pulled Tang Wen toward the ship’s hold.

He had no choice but to follow her, putting aside the idea of taking out the Unity Mirror for the moment.

The White Tiger commanded a demonic wind, propelling the dozen or so large ships deeper into the lake.

“The Maize is already bagged. That saves us a lot of trouble!” Xia Qingge nodded in satisfaction.

Tang Wen went through the holds one by one, storing the Maize in his Void Stones.

To his surprise, the grain from just four or five ships was enough to completely fill the two Void Stones he had.

“Twenty-one, sorry to trouble you with this trip. Head back to camp and give the Void Stones to General Zhou.”

Hu Ershiyi, who looked like a small white cat, took the Void Stones in his mouth.

Tang Wen added, “We can’t stay in the middle of the lake. During the day, looking down from the sky, I noticed that all the passing cargo ships sail along the shoreline. There must be something strange about the center.”

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a palpitation in his heart.

It was as if some vicious predator had locked its eyes on him.

Hu Qi suddenly looked toward the bottom of the lake.

His amber irises transformed into golden Heavy Pupils.

Hu Ershiyi sensed it as well.

Xia Qingge, for her part, shook off her earlier nonchalance, her heroic brows arching. “Something in the water has its eyes on us.”

Before her words had even faded!

“ROAR—”

The sound wave vibrated silently.

Hu Qi unleashed the full might of his Fifth Grade aura.

Countless fish were knocked unconscious, floating to the surface belly-up or slowly sinking to the bottom.

“What is that thing?!”

Tang Wen’s expression darkened as he sent his Spiritual Power probing downward.

Unexpectedly, after penetrating just a few meters into the water, it was immediately devoured by dark vortexes.

Refusing to give up, all thirty-nine ancient characters in his Sea of Consciousness lit up.

Hmph!

He let out a muffled groan and severed the spiritual link.

He replayed the image in his mind, half in disbelief. ‘Cold, lantern-like eyes, glowing with a cyan light?’

“Go!”

After the roar ended, Hu Qi’s voice transmission echoed in their minds.

Tang Wen and Xia Qingge were stunned. ‘Go?’

‘How are we supposed to go anywhere on this vast lake?’

‘Are we supposed to abandon the ships?’

But Hu Niannian, who was at their side, was already prepared. A hurricane sprang from nowhere.

The white mist on the lake’s surface was violently blown aside.

The water swelled into enormous waves, then suddenly and bizarrely flung the dozen or so large ships into the air.