Chapter 205

Chapter 205: Breaking the Water Barrier

Lou Yun cared not whether the giant snake bore a grudge against him. Hastily, he tapped his toe against the ground. His body leaped into the air, landing squarely on the giant snake’s head. Thankfully, though the snake’s body trembled once, it didn’t make any further large movements.

"Miss Shui, are you alright?" Lou Yun asked with concern.

Shui Lingluo saw Lou Yun approach and managed a strained smile on her face. She pointed at the six-tailed giant snake beneath her feet. "Someone drove it here. It’s alright now. Tell everyone not to be afraid!"

After saying this, Shui Lingluo’s eyes closed. Her body suddenly collapsed forward. Lou Yun, quick as lightning, caught and supported her.

Because of the barrier within Shui Lingluo’s body, Lou Yun had no idea what was wrong. However, seeing her breathing was steady, he guessed she had overexerted her spiritual energy. Controlling that volume of water must have been too intense, causing her to faint from exhaustion.

Holding Shui Lingluo, Lou Yun felt at a loss, unsure what to do. Logically, he should get her settled quickly and let her rest properly. Yet the six-tailed giant snake remained docile solely because it was obeying Shui Lingluo’s command. If he took Shui Lingluo away, and the giant snake flew back into a rage, the situation would become dangerous again!

After hesitating momentarily, Lou Yun decided to settle Shui Lingluo first. No matter what, she shouldn’t be harmed further. If the six-tailed giant snake truly went berserk again, he’d just have to risk his life to find another way!

His mind made up, Lou Yun, carrying Shui Lingluo, jumped down from the snake’s head. After landing, he purposely paused for a while, watching the giant snake’s reaction!

Thankfully, the six-tailed giant snake still lay obediently where it was, showing no reaction.

Lou Yun shot a glance at Wen Hou. Wen Hou understood Lou Yun’s intention, giving a slight nod. He quietly moved two steps closer to the giant snake, guarding against a sudden outburst of fury.

Lou Yun, holding Shui Lingluo, flashed and appeared before Cai San Gong. The expression on Cai San Gong’s face was one of dazed confusion, yet underlying it was a resolute fearlessness.

"San Gong, don’t be afraid just yet. That beast did plague you for so long. However, my sister has subdued it now. But she’s exhausted her spiritual energy and fallen unconscious. Could you find a place for me to settle her? Then I’ll tell you the details!" Lou Yun quickly gave a simple explanation.

Cai San Gong already had some suspicion when Lou Yun returned unexpectedly with companions. He faintly guessed Lou Yun might be here to help Xinghai Village deal with the demon beast. Hearing Lou Yun’s words now confirmed his thoughts were correct. After just a brief daze, Cai San Gong hurriedly nodded. "Alright, come with me!"

He also remembered to turn and instruct the few people still standing behind him. "Go comfort the villagers. Tell them not to fear, don’t run anymore. Say this young brother of mine tamed the demon beast. It’s no longer dangerous."

Hearing Cai San Gong’s words, Lou Yun couldn’t help but feel ashamed inwardly. It wasn’t him who subdued the six-tailed giant snake! He hadn’t lifted a finger. It was entirely Shui Lingluo who tamed it by herself.

Of course, Lou Yun had no time to explain all this now. Cai San Gong hurriedly led the way. He brought Lou Yun to a house deep inside the village.

"Let her rest here for now!"

"Good!"

Lou Yun entered the house. He gently placed Shui Lingluo on the bed. Giving her a brief check, he quickly grabbed Cai San Gong and dashed back outside.

Though he had assured Cai San Gong, he himself wasn’t entirely confident in his own assurance. Before Shui Lingluo woke up, he had to maintain extreme vigilance, guarding against any abnormal movement from the six-tailed giant snake.

Though Cai San Gong wasn’t highly cultivated, his many years of life had given him insight. He saw from Lou Yun’s actions that his earlier words hadn’t been fully certain. However, he didn’t press further. Lou Yun and his companions had already done so much for Xinghai Village.

Rushing outside, Lou Yun quietly let out a sigh of relief. The six-tailed giant snake still lay obediently in place. Its eyes were even closed now, as if asleep. There was no sign it intended to move. Wen Hou, standing guard nearby, shook his head slightly, indicating it genuinely hadn’t moved.

Cai San Gong had been watching Lou Yun’s expression closely. Seeing Lou Yun relax, he naturally relaxed too.

By now, the villagers who had scattered earlier were gradually persuaded to return. They still didn’t dare approach the shore, only daring to watch from a distance.

Lou Yun seized this opportunity. He told Cai San Gong everything: his initial plan, and what had just transpired. "That’s how it happened. My sister here can communicate with the giant snake. She successfully tamed it. See how docile it is now? It’s just waiting for my sister to wake up!"

To protect Shui Lingluo, Lou Yun didn’t mention her ability to control water. If that got out, the entire Shui family could be implicated.

Though Cai San Gong found this hard to believe, the undeniable fact was the six-tailed giant snake truly lay peacefully there. He had no choice but to believe.

And so, amidst the villagers’ anxious waiting, Shui Lingluo finally awoke. She walked out of the house.

Seeing Shui Lingluo, Lou Yun breathed a profound sigh of relief. He hurried forward to meet her. "Miss Shui, are you alright?" he asked first with concern.

Shui Lingluo nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. "Apologies for your worry, Young Master Lou. I’m fine now."

"Good that you’re alright!" Lou Yun smiled. "Everyone’s been waiting for you. Also, the six-tailed giant snake is probably waiting for you too!"

"Mm!" Shui Lingluo nodded. "I told it to wait for me! Let’s hurry!"

After saying this, Shui Lingluo strode forward purposefully. Lou Yun, however, froze in place at her words. She commanded the King of Snakes, the six-tailed giant snake, to wait obediently for so long.

He shook his head. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Lou Yun would never have believed it. He quickly followed behind Shui Lingluo towards the giant snake.

The six-tailed giant snake, which had been resting with its eyes shut, seemed to sense Shui Lingluo’s approach. Not only did it open its eyes, but its six enormous tails began swaying back and forth in the water. The gesture was unmistakably an appeal for Shui Lingluo’s attention!

If a small snake did this, it might seem cute. But for a massive snake over six or seven meters long? It was a sight jarringly hard to accept.

Shui Lingluo quickly walked right beside the snake’s head. She reached out and placed her hand gently upon it. There was no spoken command, nor any visible gesture. Yet, the six-tailed giant snake abruptly raised its head. It dipped it up and down several times towards Shui Lingluo. Then, it backed away into the seawater. In an instant, it vanished.

Staring at the calm sea surface, everyone fell into a daze. This was incredible!

Shui Lingluo then turned around. Seeing everyone’s expressions, a hint of embarrassment crossed her face. She walked over to Lou Yun and whispered to him for a while.

Lou Yun listened and nodded. When Shui Lingluo finished, he naturally had to relay it to Cai San Gong and the others.

"San Gong, this six-tailed giant snake originally lived in the deep ocean. But about a month ago, it woke from sleep to find itself suddenly brought to these waters. When it tried to swim back, it discovered someone had erected an energy barrier within the seawater, blocking its path home."

"Trapped, it had to survive here temporarily. And, since it has cultivated for a long time—you saw its six tails—it possesses considerable intelligence. It didn’t eat people, living off fish and other creatures in the sea. Later, after consuming all the fish, driven by extreme hunger, it only slinked ashore when you weren’t looking to eat your livestock!"

"Now, you needn’t worry. Last night, my sister dissolved the energy barrier in the sea. So it has now returned to its own ocean. It will absolutely never come back!"

Shui Lingluo broke the barrier by parting and then rejoining the seawater. The force of the water’s flow itself dispersed the barrier. Lou Yun didn’t give Cai San Gong this detailed explanation, however.

Lou Yun relayed the explanation to Cai San Gong while pondering himself. The problem plaguing Xinghai Village was essentially solved. Though there were no fish in these waters now, fish would inevitably return before long. Then, the villagers of Xinghai could resume their accustomed lives as fishermen. Their days would surely improve bit by bit.

But regarding the six-tailed giant snake, Lou Yun still harbored questions. What kind of being managed to transport it from its home in the ocean to these waters, completely undetected? And what was that person’s purpose?

If it was someone with a grudge against Xinghai’s fishermen… this plan seemed bizarrely excessive. A being capable of commanding the six-tailed giant snake couldn’t possibly hold a personal grudge against mere fisherfolk. Even if such a grudge existed, why use such an elaborate method?

A thought suddenly struck Lou Yun: Could this person’s motive be tied to his own mission—this trip to Biko Island?

Just then, Chang Xiang spoke up: "Among the Nine Clans, one possesses strong beast-taming powers. That clan bears the surname Yu. They are also known as the Taming Clan or the Beast Clan."