Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 5 - Escape (1)

The water curtain returned to its calm state.

On the soft sand in the sandy cave, two drops of blood had stained the sand, forming crimson clumps.

Zanxing, leaning against the edge of the stone crevice, examined her wounded hand, looking rather disheveled.

What could be more embarrassing than going out with full confidence, intending to make a grand move, only to be soundly beaten by a monster?

Taking a direct slap to the face was painful, genuinely and thoroughly painful.

In the original story, having the Xiao Yuan Pearl meant you could practically do anything, right? So why wasn’t it working for her? If it weren’t for her desperate escape into the crevice at a critical moment, where the Yu couldn’t enter, she might have lost her life by now.

But… this shouldn’t be the case!

Just moments ago, she had clearly made contact with the Yu’s body. It was hard to describe that sensation. It was like squishing unformed cotton candy, with a sticky and dense feeling. Her fist had indeed smashed the Yu’s body to pieces. However, after those black dots dispersed like a swarm of ants, they rapidly regrouped together.

This creature was unkillable.

No matter how many times she attempted to strike the monster with her fists, it had no effect whatsoever. It was incredibly frustrating.

Zanxing sat down against the cave wall, realizing that the original story had not provided much detail about this monster. Most of the narrative had been devoted to describing the main character’s cultivation process, leaving little information about this creature’s weaknesses.

Could it really have no weaknesses?

Zanxing lowered her head, gazing at the ground. There, her shadow swayed slightly as the breeze from the water curtain stirred it.

“At least my shadow can’t be seen in the water,” Zanxing murmured to herself. While she could dodge the sand shot from the monster’s mouth, making her shadow evade precisely as well seemed challenging.

Wait, the shadow?

This creature liked to shoot sand at people’s shadows. Did it not have a shadow itself?

In a flash of inspiration, Zanxing turned her head and pressed it against the edge of the crevice, looking outside. Under the water, the blurry figure of the monster occasionally passed by.

In the past, this would have been hard to see clearly. However, perhaps due to the influence of the Xiao Yuan Pearl, she could now perceive even the smallest details. Therefore, she noticed a small, dark shape hanging under the Yu, resembling a tail.

This shadow was different from the body of the Yu. It was darker and appeared more solid. It was small, about the size of a palm. At first glance, it was easy to overlook, but upon closer inspection, the differences became clear.

Was this the Yu’s shadow?

If it was, then this monster was incredibly cunning. Its actual body looked ethereal like a shadow, while its shadow appeared much more solid. The Yu enjoyed hiding in the water and shooting shadows, so if the shadow was indeed its weakness, Zanxing wondered if she could use it to defeat the creature.

However, Zanxing glanced at her injured hand. If this shadow behaved the same way as the creature’s body – disappearing upon contact and reassembling afterward – what could she do? Additionally, there were no other weapons or objects to use in this environment.

You couldn’t just throw sand, could you?

The monster threw sand at her, and she would throw sand back at it. What was this, a childish exchange of blows?

However, the sand inside the cave proved to be much more suitable than the dark sludge spewed by the Yu. It lacked the repulsive stench and looked relatively clean and dry. Zanxing crouched on the ground, taking a handful of sand and observing it as it slipped through her fingers. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

The crevice being right in front of her, the monster, with its massive, shape-shifting form, could easily slip through the crevice from outside. However, the cavern within the crevice and the water curtain outside were two distinct realms. Initially, she had believed that the Xiao Yuan Pearl was responsible, but during the confrontation with the monster, it had shown no signs of fear. If it weren’t for the Xiao Yuan Pearl, the cave would have only contained these white pebbles.

Could it be that the Yu hesitated to enter due to these sand grains?

She left a small amount of sand on her fingertip and approached the crevice. As the monster passed by once more, she abruptly launched it toward that small patch of black shadow.

While grappling with the monster earlier, Zanxing had noticed that her eyes seemed to perceive a form of qi emanating from her body. If she wished, she could manipulate this qi.

In this moment, the qi carrying sand grains shot precisely towards that small black shadow, hitting its center with accuracy.

A hoarse and unpleasant scream resounded, accompanied by the violent thrashing of the monster. The splashing water created a whirlwind that nearly knocked Zanxing, who was crouched in front of the crevice, to the ground.

With newfound confidence, she spat out some saliva, scooped up a large handful of white sand from the ground, and squeezed it out through the crevice. Much like throwing snowballs, she hurled the sand clumps at the monster, which now appeared to be in some kind of frenzy, aiming for that small patch of shadowy life.

In an instant, a massive column of water surged into the sky, and the underwater world shook violently.

……

By the water’s edge, the surface remained calm and undisturbed. A melodious bird called out twice from a tree, casting a sidelong glance at the person crouching by the stream.

The young maidservant knelt beside the water, her tears falling heavily to the ground.

Behind her, the elderly coachman let out a sigh and called, “Hong Su, come away from there. It’s dangerous.”

“But the young miss hasn’t come out yet,” Hong Su wiped her eyes, which were blurred with tears, “I can’t leave.”

“The young miss won’t come out,” the coachman’s expression was filled with sorrow, “It’s been six days already, even if she wasn’t killed by the monster, she would have…”

Living underwater for six days was impossible. The Wang family’s carriage had already left, leaving only the two servants from the Yang family, stubbornly standing their ground. But everyone knew that it was an impossible hope.

Hongsu couldn’t hold back her tears and covered her face, sobbing loudly, “Miss… our young miss is gone!”

Just as she was crying and hiccuping, suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

“I’m sorry, but…”

Hongsu paused, lowered her hands, and saw a curious green-clad young lady by the stream. Her clothes were stained with large patches of black mud, emitting a foul odor. Sunlight cast a beam on her, her eyes were as bright as before, and her lips were slightly curved, expressing a mix of curiosity and concern.

She asked, “Aren’t you afraid of being captured by monsters, sitting so close to the water’s edge?”