Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Ultimate Bravery Part 3

The "Stone Island" swiftly approached the shore.

The approaching unknown beast brought an intangible sense of oppression. Except for a few individuals like Lan Wangji, Jin Zixuan, Jiang Cheng, and Wen Zhuliu, the rest were steadily backing away. Just as everyone thought the creature beneath the water would suddenly attack, it stopped.

Because they had jumped onto its back, the sleeping beast was awakened, and now Wei Wuxian couldn't afford to make any sudden moves. He maintained his position, observing the situation.

On the dark water surface around the "Stone Island," a few bright red maple leaves floated by slowly.

Beneath these leaves, in the depths of the black pond, a pair of bright yellow-copper mirror-like objects could be seen.

The pair of copper mirrors grew larger and closer. Wei Wuxian's heart sank, and he dragged Wen Chao back two steps. His feet suddenly shook as the "Stone Island" rose into the air! A massive, dark beast head emerged from the water, lifting the maple leaves with it!

Amidst the varying cries of alarm, the beast slowly turned its neck and gazed at the two people standing on its back with its large, golden eyes.

The round beast head looked very strange, like a mix of a turtle and a snake. Just looking at the head, it resembled a giant snake, but observing its body, which was mostly out of the water, it looked more like...

Wei Wuxian said, "...What a colossal... turtle..."

This was no ordinary turtle.

If this turtle landed on the training grounds at Lotus Pier, its shell alone could cover the entire practice field. Even three strong men together couldn't wrap their arms around its dark head. An ordinary turtle wouldn't have a long snake-like head extending from its shell, filled with protruding yellowish fangs, nor would it have four sharp, agile beast-like claws.

Wei Wuxian stared into the pair of large golden eyes. Its vertical pupils dilated and contracted, making it seem like its vision was constantly shifting, unable to focus on the two figures on its back.

It seemed this beast, like a snake, didn't have good eyesight. If they stayed still, it might not notice them.

Suddenly, two jets of steam shot out from the beast's nostrils.

The maple leaves floating on the water happened to be near its nose, perhaps tickling it, causing the beast to snort. Wei Wuxian remained as still as a statue, but this tiny movement terrified Wen Chao.

Knowing the beast was vicious, Wen Chao, seeing it snort, thought it would attack at any moment. Forgetting the sword at his neck, he frantically struggled and screamed at Wen Zhuliu by the table, "Save me! Quick! Why are you still standing there!"

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth and cursed, "Idiot!"

One of the two strange objects nearby suddenly writhed like an insect and let out a piercing noise, instantly provoking the beast. The snake-like head jerked back and then lunged forward, its yellow and black fangs wide open, biting towards its back!

Wei Wuxian tossed Wen Chao's sword, which flew towards the beast's vital point like an arrow off a string.

However, the black scales covering the beast's head were as tough as iron. The sword struck as if hitting steel, and with a clang, it fell into the water. The beast's enormous eyes shifted downwards, looking at the long, glowing object sinking into the water. Seizing the opportunity, Wei Wuxian grabbed Wen Chao, pushed off with his foot, and leapt into the air onto another stone island, thinking, "Please don't tell me this one is also a giant turtle!"

Suddenly, Jiang Cheng shouted, "Behind you! The Dan-stealing hand is coming!"

Wei Wuxian spun around just as a pair of large hands silently struck. Instinctively, he slapped out with his palm, meeting Wen Zhuliu's strike. A fiercely powerful yet dark force surged, as if something was being sucked out of his arm. Wei Wuxian instinctively withdrew his hand, and Wen Zhuliu took the opportunity to grab Wen Chao and retreat to the shore. Cursing under his breath, Wei Wuxian quickly followed, jumping onto the shore. All the Wen family disciples had taken off their bows and were retreating while aiming at the beast, their arrows raining down and clashing against the beast's black scales and shell, sparks flying. Though the battle appeared intense, it was largely futile; none of the arrows struck a vital spot, merely scratching the beast. The massive head swayed, its skin outside the scales like black, pockmarked stone, the arrows unable to penetrate deeply.

Seeing a Wen family disciple nearby gasping for breath and struggling to draw his bow, Wei Wuxian couldn’t stand it any longer. He snatched the bow and kicked the disciple aside. There were three arrows left in the quiver, which he quickly loaded, drawing the bow to its fullest extent, focusing carefully. The bowstring squeaked in his ear as he was about to release it when a scream came from behind.

The scream was filled with terror. Wei Wuxian turned to see Wang Lingjiao directing three household servants. Two of them were roughly holding Mianmian, forcing her face up, while another raised a hot iron to brand her face!

The tip of the iron was glowing red and hissing. Wei Wuxian, being far away, immediately redirected the arrow and released the string.

Three arrows flew, hitting the three assailants, who didn't even have time to groan before they fell backward. However, as the bowstring still trembled, Wang Lingjiao suddenly grabbed the fallen iron and, grabbing Mianmian's hair again, tried to brand her face once more!

Though Wang Lingjiao's cultivation was poor, her move was both fast and vicious. If it connected, even if Mianmian didn't lose an eye, she would be permanently disfigured. Even in this critical moment when escape was imminent, Wang Lingjiao was still relentlessly focused on harming others!

The other young nobles were picking up arrows and bows, fully focused on dealing with the beast. No one was near Wei Wuxian and the two women. Having no more arrows left and no time to snatch someone else's, Wei Wuxian, in desperation, rushed forward. He struck Wang Lingjiao's hand holding Mianmian's hair with one palm and heavily hit her chest with the other.

Struck squarely in the chest, Wang Lingjiao spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.

However, the tip of the branding tool had already pressed against Wei Wuxian's chest.

Wei Wuxian smelled the acrid stench of burning clothes and skin, along with the sickening smell of scorched flesh. The pain at his collarbone, near his heart, was overwhelming.

He gritted his teeth, but couldn’t hold back the agonized scream that tore from his throat.

His strike was quite forceful, sending Wang Lingjiao flying. She spat out a mouthful of blood and, after falling to the ground, began to wail loudly. Jiang Cheng raised his hand to strike Wang Lingjiao’s head, but Wen Chao screamed frantically, "Jiao Jiao! Jiao Jiao! Save her quickly!"

Wen Zhuliu furrowed his brow slightly but didn’t say much. As expected, he flew forward, knocking Jiang Cheng back, and retrieved Wang Lingjiao, throwing her at Wen Chao’s feet. Wang Lingjiao collapsed into his arms, sobbing and spitting up blood. Jiang Cheng pursued them and continued to fight Wen Zhuliu, but Wen Chao, seeing Jiang Cheng’s bloodshot eyes and terrifying expression, along with the other young nobles who were also enraged, and with the giant beast still in the pond, its left front claw already on the shore, finally grew afraid and shouted, "Retreat! Retreat! Leave immediately!"

His subordinates, who had been struggling to hold their ground, were already waiting for his order to withdraw. Upon hearing it, they immediately flew off on their swords. Since Wen Chao’s sword had been thrown into the water by Wei Wuxian, he grabbed someone else’s sword, jumped up with Jiao Jiao in his arms, and zoomed off, disappearing from sight. The household servants hurriedly followed him. Jin Zixuan shouted, "Stop fighting! Retreat!"

The young nobles had no intention of continuing the battle, especially against the beast that resembled a stone mountain. But as they ran back to the cave entrance, they saw that the tree vine they had climbed down was now lying on the ground like a pile of dead snakes.

Jin Zixuan roared in anger, "Shameless dogs! They've cut the vine!"

Without the vine, there was no way to climb the steep earthen wall. The cave entrance loomed thirty feet above them, its blinding white light now dimming. Soon, the light began to diminish, as if being swallowed.

Someone screamed again, "They’re blocking the entrance!"

Before the words even settled, the remaining light was blocked.

Deep underground, only a few burning torches illuminated the anxious young faces.

After a long silence, Jin Zixuan’s curses broke the dead silence. "That despicable couple really did it!"

A young man muttered, "It’s okay if we can’t go up... My parents will come for me. When they hear about this, they’ll definitely find me."

A few people agreed, but someone else trembled and said, "They think we’re still in Qishan undergoing indoctrination. After the Wen family escapes, they definitely won’t tell the truth; they’ll make up some excuse... We’ll be stuck down here..."

"We’ll be stuck in this cave... with no food... and a beast..."

At that moment, Jiang Cheng was supporting Wei Wuxian as they slowly walked over. Just as they heard the words "no food," Wei Wuxian asked, "Jiang Cheng, there’s some roasted meat here. Want a bite?"

Jiang Cheng said, "Get lost! That iron won’t kill you. What are you saying at a time like this? I really want to sew your mouth shut."

Lan Wangji’s pale eyes fell on them and then shifted to Mianmian, who was following behind them helplessly. Her face was streaked with tears, her nose sniffling, her hands twisting her skirt as she kept saying, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry." Wei Wuxian, covering his ears, groaned, "For crying out loud, stop! I’m the one who got burned, not you. Do you need me to comfort you? How about you comfort me instead? Alright, Jiang Cheng, stop supporting me. I’m not crippled."

A few young girls gathered around Mianmian, sniffling together.

Lan Wangji retracted his gaze and turned away.

Jiang Cheng said, "Lan Wangji, where are you going? The beast is still guarding the black pond."

Lan Wangji said, "Back to the pond. There’s a way to escape."

Hearing that there was a way out, even the crying stopped abruptly. Wei Wuxian said, "What way?"

Lan Wangji said, "The pond has maple leaves."

At first, it sounded cryptic, but Wei Wuxian instantly grasped the meaning.

The black pond where the beast was lurking did have a few maple leaves floating on it. But there were no maple trees or any signs of human activity in the cave. Near the entrance, there were only banyan trees. These maple leaves were fresh and fiery red. When they climbed the mountain, they had also seen maple leaves floating in the stream.

Jiang Cheng also realized, "The bottom of the black pond likely has a passage connected to an external water source, which brought the maple leaves from the forest stream into the cave."

A person timidly said, "But... how do we know if the passage is big enough for us to crawl through? What if it’s small? What if it’s just a crack?"

Jin Zixuan frowned and said, "And the beast is still guarding the black pond."

Wei Wuxian pulled up his clothes and fanned the wound under his garment with his hand, saying, "We should act if there's any hope, rather than just sitting around waiting for our parents to rescue us. What does it matter if the beast is guarding the black pool? We can lure it out."

After some discussion, the group of young nobles retraced their steps about thirty minutes later.

They hid in the cave, peeking at the beast.

The majority of its body remained submerged in the black pool. A long snake-like body protruded from its turtle shell, reaching the shore. Its fangs clamped down on the corpse, then it retracted its neck, dragging the body into its fortress-like dark shell to savor it slowly.

Wei Wuxian tossed a torch into a corner of the cave.

The noise was exaggerated in the dead silence underground, and the beast immediately poked its head out of the shell again. Its thin pupils reflected the flickering torch, instinctively drawn to the light and heat as it slowly extended its neck toward it.

Behind it, Jiang Cheng quietly submerged himself in the water. The Yunmeng Jiang family lived by the water, and their young nobles were exceptional swimmers. Jiang Cheng's entry into the water caused barely a ripple. Everyone kept their eyes fixed on the water, occasionally glancing at the beast. The huge black snake head continued to circle the torch hesitantly, neither approaching nor retreating, making their nerves even more tense.

Suddenly, it seemed to make up its mind to investigate and approached the torch with its nose. But it was lightly burned by the hot flame.

The beast jerked its neck back, snorting two angry jets of steam from its nostrils, extinguishing the torch.

At that moment, Jiang Cheng surfaced and took a deep breath. The beast sensed its territory had been invaded and swung its head toward Jiang Cheng.

Seeing the situation was turning bad, Wei Wuxian bit his finger, quickly drew a few hasty symbols in his palm, and rushed out of the cave, slamming his palm onto the ground. As his palm left the earth, a flame taller than a man burst up!

Startled, the beast whipped its head toward them. Jiang Cheng took the opportunity to climb onto the shore and shouted, "There's a hole at the bottom of the pool, and it's not small!"

Wei Wuxian asked, "How big exactly?"

Jiang Cheng replied, "Big enough for five or six people!"

Wei Wuxian commanded, "Everyone, listen up. Follow Jiang Cheng, get into the water, and exit the cave. The uninjured should help the injured, and swimmers should assist non-swimmers. The hole is big enough for five or six people, so no pushing! Now, into the water!"

As the towering flame gradually died down, he retreated about ten steps in another direction and slammed his palm onto the ground again, igniting another flame. The beast's golden eyes were reflected red by the flames, driven into a frenzy as it crawled toward them with its heavy, mountain-like body.

Jiang Cheng angrily said, "What are you doing?!"

Wei Wuxian replied, "What are you doing?! Lead the others into the water!"

He had successfully lured the beast onto land; now was the time to get out of there! Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone come here. Those who can swim on their own, stand on the left. Those who can't, stand on the right!"

Wei Wuxian was observing the terrain and retreating while guiding the flames when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm and looked down to see an arrow had hit him. It turned out that a disciple of the Lan family, who had been glared at by Lan Wangji earlier, had picked up a bow and arrow abandoned by the Wen family. He had intended to shoot the beast but, perhaps panicked by its ferocious appearance and agility, missed and shot Wei Wuxian instead. Wei Wuxian didn’t have time to pull it out, so he slammed his palm on the ground to ignite another flame and shouted, "Back off! Don’t make things worse!"

The disciple, hoping to regain some dignity by hitting the beast’s vital spot, turned even paler and dove into the water to escape. Jiang Cheng urged, "Hurry up and come over!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Coming right away!"

Jiang Cheng still had three young nobles who couldn’t swim with him, and they were almost the last batch. There was no time to delay, so he had to get into the water first. Wei Wuxian yanked out the arrow and suddenly realized, "This is bad!"

The smell of blood greatly stimulated the beast, and its neck suddenly extended, its fangs bared wide!

Before Wei Wuxian could think of a countermeasure, he was pushed aside by a palm. Lan Wangji had pushed him away.

The beast's jaws snapped shut, biting onto Lan Wangji's right leg. Just watching, Wei Wuxian felt a pain in his own right leg. Yet Lan Wangji remained expressionless, only slightly frowning. Then, he was immediately dragged back!

With its massive size and powerful jaws, the beast could effortlessly tear a person in two. Luckily, it seemed to prefer whole prey over broken pieces. Once it grabbed someone, dead or alive, it would drag them into its shell to savor them slowly. Otherwise, with just a little more force, Lan Wangji's leg would have been severed. The turtle shell was incredibly hard and impervious to blades. Once it dragged Lan Wangji inside, there would be no getting him out again!

Wei Wuxian sprinted forward, and just before the beast's head could retract, he lunged and grabbed onto one of its upper fangs.

His strength was no match for the creature, but in this life-or-death moment, he somehow summoned an almost superhuman power. His feet braced against the monster's shell, and his hands clung to the fang like a stubborn thorn. He was determined to keep the beast from retracting, denying it the chance to enjoy its meal.

Lan Wangji was astonished that Wei Wuxian had managed to catch up in such a situation.

Fearing the beast might turn violent and either eat them alive or bite off Lan Wangji's leg, Wei Wuxian tightened his grip on the upper fang with his right hand and grabbed the lower fang with his left. With a life-risking effort, he pulled in opposite directions, veins bulging on his forehead as his face turned blood red.

The beast's fangs had sunk deep into Lan Wangji's flesh, but Wei Wuxian's desperate effort began to pry its jaws apart!

With Lan Wangji freed, he fell into the pond below. Seeing him out of danger, Wei Wuxian's superhuman strength vanished, and he could no longer hold the beast's jaws apart. He let go, and the beast's massive jaws snapped shut with a thunderous crash!

Wei Wuxian also plunged into the water, landing beside Lan Wangji. He quickly adjusted his position, grabbed Lan Wangji, and swam with one arm, slicing through the water and leaving a long, impressive wake. He reached the shore, threw Lan Wangji over his back, and ran for his life.

Lan Wangji blurted out, "You?"

Wei Wuxian said, "It's me! Surprise!"

Lan Wangji, lying behind him, his voice uncharacteristically shaken, said, "Surprise? Put me down!"

Still running for their lives, Wei Wuxian quipped, "If I put you down just because you said so, wouldn’t that make me look weak?"

The beast's roars reverberated through their eardrums and chests, making blood surge to their throats and noses. Wei Wuxian immediately shut his mouth and focused on escaping. To avoid the enraged beast chasing after them, he chose narrow passages that the beast's shell couldn't squeeze into. They ran without pause, seemingly for an eternity, until the sounds faded away, and only then did Wei Wuxian slow down.

As he relaxed and slowed his pace, Wei Wuxian caught a whiff of blood. Reaching back, he found his hand soaked in wet, red blood.

Wei Wuxian realized, "This is bad. Lan Zhan's injuries have gotten much worse."