Chapter 282: Making Waves

One day, within the Saint Cult, there existed a prominent clan known as the Si family. The character 'Si' signifies a supervisor or manager, and indeed, the Si family had been a foundational pillar of the Heavenly Demon Cult since its inception. They were entrusted with the crucial tasks of managing the Cult's calendar, preserving its lineage, overseeing its finances, and directing its propagation.

Owing to the paramount importance of the Si family, many of the Heavenly Demon Cult's Saintesses were chosen from their ranks. The Saintess herself was the head of the Si family, and in some regards, the Si family's influence even surpassed that of the Cult Master, the Saint Teacher.

In eras past, there was the esteemed Granny Si, and in the current age, the mantle had fallen upon Si Yunxiang. Long Jiaonan, acutely aware of Si Yunxiang's immense value, felt a surge of pride as she had simultaneously captured the Sixth Princess of Yan Kang Country, the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and its Saintess. Yet, despite her triumph, she remained vigilant. She first unclasped the *Taotie* bag from Qin Mu's waist, then divested Ling Yuxiu of her spirit weapons, and finally reached out to search Si Yunxiang.

Si Yunxiang giggled playfully. "Elder Sister Long, please don't grope me randomly. I don't possess any spirit weapons on my person. My path lies with the school of spells."

Long Jiaonan let out a cold laugh and removed a hairpin from Si Yunxiang's hair. "The school of spells, you say? I believe you are an expert in sword techniques! The power of this hairpin is considerable!"

Qin Mu's back was relieved of the pig-slaughtering knife, iron hammer, and other items. Even the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone he had concealed within his sleeves were unearthed. Long Jiaonan cast a glance at these items; they were all commonplace and not spirit weapons. She stuffed them back into his sleeves.

Long Jiaonan then whistled, and the small red snake slithered between the three individuals' clothing, uncovering more spirit weapons. She was a seasoned veteran, leaving Qin Mu and the others no opportunity to retaliate. More crucially, Qin Mu had ventured out on this occasion accompanied by only two females and had neglected to bring along the Dragon Qilin. At this very moment, the Dragon Qilin was still slumbering in the city master's mansion!

"Let's go," Long Jiaonan, resplendent in her feminine attire, held Qin Mu's hand, her expression hinting at a touch of shyness. "My ship awaits by the shore, already prepared for the arrival of the Cult Master, the Saintess, and the Princess. By the time the Prince awakens, the three of you will already be deep within the East Sea."

Qin Mu chuckled. "Elder Sister Long has thought of everything."

Long Jiaonan blew another whistle, and the small red snake swam to Qin Mu's body, coiling around his left ear and hissing, its tongue flicking out. Long Jiaonan's voice was soft as she laughed. "Even if your words are as sweet as honey, you cannot escape my grasp. Do not attempt any tricks; one bite from Little Red can claim your life."

The three females and one male began to walk towards the market exit. Suddenly, Shen Wanyun, Wei Yong, Yue Qinghong, and other scholars approached. The two groups met face to face. Long Jiaonan offered a smile and whispered, "Be natural. Do not force me to kill the Cult Master and all of you now."

Shen Wanyun halted, glancing at the three females. "Cult Master, this lady's face is quite unfamiliar. May I ask who she is?"

Qin Mu replied, "An old acquaintance. Are you all going shopping?"

Shen Wanyun sighed helplessly. "I originally didn't want to come out, but how could Wei Fat and Qinghong refuse? They insisted on seeing the customs of the overseas lands." Having said this, he led the group into the market.

Long Jiaonan, likewise, guided Qin Mu and the others towards the direction of the seaport.

Within the market, Shen Wanyun's face darkened. He quickly said, "The Cult Master is in danger!"

Wei Yong, Yue Qinghong, and the others were slightly taken aback, not understanding his meaning. Shen Wanyun lowered his voice. "The Cult Master's weapons are gone. He always carries these weapons on his person, yet now there is no trace. Furthermore, Junior Sister Si's hairpin and the Princess's spirit weapons have all vanished. That woman is absolutely problematic... You all go and notify the Prince. I will track them!"

Wei Yong, Yue Qinghong, and the others understood the gravity of the situation and swiftly returned to the city master's mansion. Shen Wanyun immediately exited the market, his mind racing. "That woman's face seems somewhat familiar... I feel as though I've seen her before, but I don't know who she is..."

Long Jiaonan brought Qin Mu and the three others to the port and boarded a ship. "Set sail!" she commanded.

The ship immediately set course for the East Sea. Trailing behind, Shen Wanyun left clues along the way before leaping into the sea. He then ran across the surface of the waves, clinging to the ship. The ship's speed was not slow, yet he ran like the wind, steadily keeping pace.

"Young Door Master, someone is following," a voice on the ship reported in a low tone.

Long Jiaonan came to the ship's stern and observed Shen Wanyun running upon the waves. She was slightly surprised. "Just an Imperial Academy scholar. Does he truly believe he can contend with the Dragon King in the sea?"

She urged her whistle, its tune becoming strange. Before long, numerous slippery sea snakes, each over ten *zhang* long, emerged from beneath the surface, swiftly swimming towards Shen Wanyun.

Shen Wanyun's heart clenched. Flying swords from his sword bag shot out one by one, slicing through the surging sea snakes. The area around him suddenly resembled a boiling pot, with countless sea snakes, like flood dragons, breaking through the water and attacking him ferociously, an unending tide!

By the time Shen Wanyun fought his way through the sea snake siege, the ship was nowhere to be seen. Shen Wanyun soared into the air, standing aloft and observing his surroundings. He saw only the vast expanse of the blue sea, its waves stretching for thousands of miles, with no trace of the ship's whereabouts.

"This is bad!" Shen Wanyun's face was grim.

Aboard the ship, Long Jiaonan did not restrict Qin Mu and the others, allowing them to roam freely. The ship sailed further and further, entering the deep reaches of the great sea. Qin Mu looked up, seeing only the vast sky and endless sea. There was no way to leave a trail upon the water's surface.

Full of interest, he spread out some paper and, at the ship's bow, picked up his brush to draw. Long Jiaonan leaned in to look, seeing that Qin Mu was drawing the great sea, with terrifying waves, black clouds sweeping across, and a ship navigating through the wind and waves. Outside the ship, in the darkness, lightning illuminated the vessel. The painting held a strange atmosphere, making one feel as though they were personally present.

"I didn't realize Cult Master Qin's painting skills were quite good," Long Jiaonan praised. "If you were to go to the capital and sell your paintings for a living, you could certainly earn the title of a renowned scholar and artist."

Beside her, a boatman carrying a ghost-head saber approached. He held the saber to Qin Mu's neck, gesturing mockingly, and chuckled. "It's a pity this Heavenly Demon Cult Master will soon die, yet he still has the mood to paint like a madman."

Long Jiaonan said coldly, "Ghost Old Three, until my father orders his death, he is always a guest invited by my Yulong Gate. Show some respect!"

Ling Yuxiu's eyes lit up. She leaned closer to observe Qin Mu's painting, quietly giving Si Yunxiang a subtle signal with her eyes.

Qin Mu seemed dissatisfied with this painting. He set it aside and began another, depicting the same scene of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning upon the turbulent sea, but this one contained no ship. Long Jiaonan had initially watched with enjoyment, but seeing Qin Mu repeatedly paint the same scene without any new variations, she lost interest. However, she still kept the small red snake coiled around Qin Mu's ear.

Qin Mu painted over ten more pictures of sea storms. Then, picking up his brush, he seemed to plan a final touch or modification. With his first stroke, the entire painting suddenly seemed different. The thunder and storm within the painting seemed to want to leap out from the canvas. Qin Mu added the final stroke to all ten paintings he had created and casually tossed them overboard. Long Jiaonan saw this and secretly felt a sense of pity.

Qin Mu clasped his hands behind his back and looked towards Long Jiaonan, laughing. "I've heard that the sea often has many wind and waves. Can Elder Sister Long's ship withstand the sea's storms?"

Long Jiaonan laughed coldly. "The sky is clear for thousands of miles right now. Where are these wind and waves you speak of?"

As she spoke, a sudden wind arose, escalating from a breeze to a gale in mere moments. Then, the sky abruptly darkened. The gale blew, and waves as tall as mountains surged over, lifting the ship into the air before it crashed down with a boom. The crew on board were all taken by surprise, scrambling to regain their footing. They saw lightning crackling around the ship, striking erratically. In the ensuing panic, Qin Mu flicked his finger lightly, sending the small red snake coiled around his ear flying. Just as the small red snake was about to unfurl its body and reveal its true form, hundreds of bolts of lightning converged, striking the small red snake's body with an earth-shattering boom!

Long Jiaonan jumped in shock. She saw the small red snake fall into the sea, with countless more thunderbolts continuously striking the spot where it had fallen. The red snake finally revealed its original form in the seawater, but it was struck by an unknown number of lightning bolts, its body numb, and it sank towards the seabed.

"Where did this wind and thunder come from? Why is it only striking Little Red?" Long Jiaonan's heart was in turmoil. She looked around, seeing only darkness, and an odd feeling arose within her. "This situation... it seems somewhat similar to the scene he just painted..."

Qin Mu's left hand held Si Yunxiang, and his right hand held Ling Yuxiu. The three of them leapt into the pitch-black great sea. Long Jiaonan cried out in alarm. Suddenly, the ship beneath her feet split into four or five pieces, throwing everyone on board into the sea. Just then, she saw another ship sailing through the surging waves. Qin Mu, Ling Yuxiu, and Si Yunxiang stood at its bow. The young Cult Master waved at her, and then the ship sailed into the darkness, disappearing from sight.

Long Jiaonan immediately pursued, but suddenly a wave as large as a mountain struck, engulfing her beneath the water. Long Jiaonan grunted, breaking through the wave. As she leaped into the air, countless thunderbolts boomed down, converging and striking her body, scorching her both inside and out! Long Jiaonan struggled fiercely, battling the thunder and storm, but unexpectedly, after a moment, the thunder abruptly ceased, and the great wind also died down. The wind was calm, and the waves were still.

Long Jiaonan, completely drenched and in a sorry state, stood on the water's surface. She looked around, seeing only patches of ink marks gradually dispersing in the ocean. A giant red python, covered in injuries, swam to her side. Long Jiaonan's heart turned to ice. Looking around, she saw that the boatmen from the ship had also perished in this sudden sea disaster, with Ghost Old Three's death being the most gruesome.

"Was this sea disaster painted by Cult Master Qin?" Long Jiaonan's heart still found it hard to believe.

Qin Mu and the two females stood at the ship's bow. Before long, the ship suddenly melted away, turning into a patch of ink marks that vanished into the ocean. The three of them urged their vital energy, landing on the sea surface. Looking ahead, they saw a small island appear on the horizon.

"Long Jiaonan brought us into the deep reaches of the East Sea. Relying on our cultivation to tread the sea all the way back to He State would exhaust us to death," Qin Mu suggested. "Why not first go there to rest for a bit? Shen Wanyun is very clever; he should have already notified the Prince. Relying on Fan Yunxiao's swift ship, finding us shouldn't be difficult."

The three of them boarded the island. Suddenly, they saw many small yellow-clad figures running out from the mountain forests on the island. Wielding knives, forks, and sticks, they charged menacingly. However, when they reached the three, these small figures all stopped, raising their heads and looking at them in terror.

"They are giants!" one of the yellow-clad small figures roared in a hoarse voice.

The army immediately scattered, fleeing in all directions. These small figures were only a *chi* high. Some hid in cracks in the rocks, some buried themselves in the sand, some hid under leaves, and some yellow mountain small people ran back and forth, discovering there was nowhere to hide, and simply lay face up, pretending to be dead, their tongues sticking out and their eyes wide.

"So many Yellow Essences?" Si Yunxiang said in surprise. "They are Yellow Essences that have achieved sentience. They can be eaten and are extremely beneficial for cultivation."

"The giants want to eat us!" The Yellow Essence who had been playing dead leaped up, flipping over and running, crashing into a tree with a bang and fainting.