Chapter 264: The Black Otter

Chapter 264: The Black Otter

"Second cousin is really smart, handsome, and clever, how nice!" Ruo Xi Baby thought, peeking through the lifted carriage curtain at the young man riding outside, her little millet teeth showing as she smiled.

Xiaoyue looked out through the carriage curtain; the changes in Xiao Yuting had truly pained her heart in recent days.

That child, she used to hold him when he was little, and later he would always follow her, calling her aunt, chasing and running after her.

But then, as he grew up, he developed other intentions.

Ci Xin looked at Xiaoyue and said, "What are you thinking about? Do you feel that the second one is more reliable?"

"You know me quite well!" Xiaoyue replied.

"Yes, just like when you were on the mountain, dripping Dripping Water Guanyin into my tea cup, no matter how well you disguise, I will see through you!" Ci Xin said.

"Wasn't it because you offended me first?" Xiaoyue gritted her teeth, "You got me punished by the master!"

Their back-and-forth banter made Nanny Gui, who was heating rice paste for the little princess, shake her head and smile.

"Auntie, there's a lake ahead with many fish!" came the voice of Xiaoyu Heng.

"Great, let's take a break. Imperial Doctor Wen's herb carriage should be arriving soon. We'll continue our journey once they arrive," said Xiaoyue.

The group got off the carriage and set up a tent by the lake.

However, Ruo Xi Baby didn't want to stay inside the tent to sleep.

The carriage ride had been so bumpy that it felt like her bones were rattling apart. Although she was fine in Nanny Gui's arms, she had been dozing off and waking up, staring at the carriage roof.

"Go, go, go..."

Ruo Xi Baby pointed outside, trying hard to form words.

"Xier wants to go out and play?" Xiaoyue looked at the little one in her arms and smiled, "Alright, mommy will take Xier to the lake to see the big fish."

After getting off the carriage and arriving at the lakeside, Xiaoyue looked at the scene in the lake and said, "It's good that there are many fish in the lake. The nearby townsfolk can catch some to make fish soup or dishes, which is quite beneficial."

"Few people come here to fish," said Ci Xin as he walked over.

"Why?" Xiaoyue turned and asked.

"People can't go into the lake, nor can boats. If anyone or any boat goes in, they will surely be swallowed. After many incidents, the townsfolk have all taken detours," explained Ci Xin.

"Then why didn't you say so earlier!" Xiaoyue looked at the guards by the lake who were throwing spears into the water.

Delicious fish swam in the water, and with a spear throw, they indeed caught some fish.

"Hahaha, let's make fish soup for the little princess at noon. Wild fish like these are very nutritious."

"Yes, yes, the most original taste is the best!"

The attendants, all young men around eighteen or nineteen, found the little princess adorable, always smiling at them, and they all liked the little girl very much.

"There's something in the water, just like in the moat!" Ruo Xi Baby looked into the water, her little brows tightly knitted.

"Be careful!" Ci Xin suddenly exclaimed softly, his figure flashing as he appeared in front of the two soldiers, then with a push of his hand, he pushed them away from the lakeside.

"Boom!"

In the water, a black stream of air struck toward Ci Xin's back.

"Ci Xin!" Ruo Xi Baby hadn't fully processed what was happening yet, thinking her mother was quite daring, holding her with one hand while her feet quickly moved forward, her other hand already lashing out with a long whip.

"Black Otter!" Ruo Xi Baby saw the creature with long claws extending from the water, her brows furrowed, and with a small movement of her hand, a surge of energy shot forth.

"Boom!"

The Black Otter turned its head and saw Xiaoyue holding Ruo Xi Baby, then it turned and submerged into the depths of the water.

Xiaoyue rushed to the water's edge, sheathed her whip, and exhaled deeply.

"Are you okay?" Xiaoyue asked.

"Of course, I'm fine!" Ci Xin glanced at Ruo Xi Baby, then turned to look at the scene in the lake, shaking his head. "Is that the creature that's been attacking people? Could it be that no one has been able to discover it all this time?"

"Princess, Imperial Tutor, Second Prince, I went to the village to inquire. They mentioned that the water monster only appeared two years ago, and this year it's been especially ferocious, has already dragged dozens of passersby into the water," the guard reported back after his investigation.

"Dozens? How do they know?" Xiaoyu Heng asked.

"They judged by the items left behind by those people," the guard replied.

"Don't they warn others?" Xiaoyue turned her head, looking toward the village a mile away.

"Maybe they don't want to issue warnings," Ci Xin said. "At the beginning of the year, when I returned from the south and passed by here, I also heard about it. But at that time, there was no one by the lake, and I was on my way back to the capital, so I didn't look into it carefully. I just heard from the locals that fishing in the lake had been banned, and I thought about finding time to investigate, but later I forgot!"

"This is the territory of Yunzhou. I wonder if the prefecture of Yunzhou has paid any attention to this matter," Xiaoyu Heng said.

"Black Otter, why would it appear here? If that's the case, then the Stone Dragon Emerges from Water in Yunzhou must also be infested with Black Otters. When someone goes into the water to retrieve something, the otters cause trouble, and then some charlatans start spouting nonsense. Some things are likely to become myths."

Ruo Xi Baby figured it out. She turned her head to look at Ci Xin.

"Don't look at me. I can't handle that thing; maybe you can," Ci Xin walked up, holding Xiao Xi'er. "Let's go; we'll go and study it."

Xiaoyue watched the two of them walk away, then turned to check on the two soldiers.

"We've caught a few fish. It's fine; let's go and cook them," Xiaoyue instructed.

Hongmei and Nanny Gui came over, watching Ci Xin walk away. Hongmei took the initiative to follow.

"Can the Imperial Tutor be trusted?" Nanny Gui asked.

"It's fine. He won't let Xiao Xi'er be in danger," Xiaoyue trusted Ci Xin, but she felt he wasn't very reliable. He wouldn't intentionally harm Xiao Xi'er, but that didn't mean he would carefully protect her.

Nanny Gui still worriedly glanced in the direction of Ci Xin, then turned to follow the princess to check on the two soldiers.

"It's terrifying. What is that? Completely black, so big, and its arms are so long!"

"I saw its eyes. They're really scary—blood red, like it wants to eat people."

The two soldiers were trembling, looking at the water in fear.

Facing enemies, they could charge forward without fear.

But now they were facing a monster with extremely strong attack power, and they were scared.

"It's merely an otter, though a rather strange-looking one!" Xiaoyue said.