Ye Ju released the Purple Bamboo Boat, and the two and a beast boarded. Ye Ju placed spirit stones into the formation, and the boat sailed automatically. At the same time, she called out to Xiao Mo using her contract power, but there was no response.
The lake water was deep and a dark blue. It was around the hour of the Chen, and sunlight dappled the surface, making it shimmer.
The boat moved forward, shattering the tranquility of the water. It was too quiet; there were no large fish beneath the surface. Ye Ju had her divine sense spread out, extending like a spiderweb across the lakebed. Occasionally, she sensed schools of fish, but they seemed as skittish as startled birds, as if fearing some presence in the water.
Suddenly, fog rolled in across the lake. Ye Ju felt a wave of exhaustion and said to Xiao Bai, "You two watch. I'm going to sleep for a bit." Ye Ju climbed to the second floor of the small boat to her room and fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed. Xiao Bai was very surprised that her sister seemed so tired, but her sister had said she needed to watch the boat, and so Xiao Bai knew she had to protect her sister's safety.
Ye Ju had a dream. In the dream, a maternal uncle, an elder in her family, encountered trouble. When building his house, he had encroached on someone else's land. Her uncle, who knew a little about feng shui, had set up a killing formation under the eaves to repel all unclean things.
What her uncle didn't know was that his neighbors were a family of thousand-year-old ghosts. The ghosts didn't blame his family for building the house and taking over a meter of their land. After all, a thousand years had passed, empires had risen and fallen, and future generations wouldn't know who was buried beneath their feet. Even if you were an emperor or a general, it wouldn't matter against the shovel of a living person.
Therefore, the ghosts understood that things were different from the old days. But by setting up a killing formation, it was a matter of life and death. That was a different story. So, they sent a dream to her uncle, telling him to dismantle his house and move.
Her uncle was naturally unwilling. "Why don't you move?" he asked. So, he turned to Ye Ju, asking her to go home and find her friend, the feng shui master Hua Xun, to help. Ye Ju was a little confused. Did she have such a friend? But a sound-transmitting talisman inexplicably appeared in her hand. She decided to try sending a message with it.
Someone truly arrived—a man with a full beard, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a hearty laugh. As soon as he saw her, he blurted out, "Where have you been grinding monsters recently!" His tone was familiar, as if they had been friends for many years.
Ye Ju was a bit stunned. She clearly didn't recognize this person in her memories, yet he felt so familiar, as if she had fought alongside him.
He paused for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh. "Next time, I'll ask you to go with me. You can be a big help. Hurry home this time."
Ye Ju was puzzled. "Hurry home? Isn't this my home?"
Yet, she was the one most afraid of ghosts and spirits, so why did she dare to go with him? Then, she skillfully set up formations with him, summoned the thousand-year-old ghosts, and the ghosts grinningly asked her to help them move.
Ye Ju could see that the old ghosts feared Hua Xun. They didn't dare to speak and immediately bowed their heads upon seeing him. The problem was easily solved. Her uncle and aunt were very happy and invited Hua Xun to dinner, subtly hinting that they wanted to get his contact information.
During dinner, Hua Xun kept glancing at Ye Ju. Ye Ju felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She wanted to get closer, but it felt like there was some taboo, and she kept avoiding his gaze, which made her hesitant to approach him.
Later, Hua Xun left without saying goodbye. Ye Ju felt incredibly sad. She loved being with Hua Xun; she could laugh heartily and play around without restraint. Then, she woke up.
She woke up unsure of where she was. Looking around, she finally realized she was on her boat. That was right, she had no uncle in her current life; her mother was an orphan. But the dream felt so real; the relatives in the dream didn't feel fake, and she could sense the bond of blood connection between them.
She stepped out of her room, and the sky was already filled with the red glow of sunset. Xiao Bai joyfully shouted at Ye Ju:
"Sister, I'll go catch fish in the sea later. Will you roast them for me?" Ye Ju was stunned. She had been in a lake this morning, how had they gone out to sea? Looking at Xiao Bai again, she noticed a forced smile and feigned innocence in her expression.
Ye Ju's eyes grew cold, and her spiritual power surged, instantly freezing the surroundings, including Xiao Bai, who turned into a popsicle.
"What demon artifice, what have you done to Xiao Bai? How dare you impersonate her!"
"Giggle~ Giggle~" A sound like a rooster's crow rang out.
"You saw through me, little girl!"
"Who are you? What have you done to Xiao Bai and the others?" Ye Ju roared.
"Them? They are my pets now. You'll stay and play with me too. I've been lonely for over a thousand years!"
"Lonely? What business is it of mine!"
Ye Ju summoned her御守 (Yù shǒu - talisman/protective charm), feeling that she had fallen into some illusion. At some point, the frozen fake Xiao Bai disappeared, leaving only a puddle of water.
Ye Ju leaped into the air, gathered her spiritual power, and swung her御守 fiercely, slashing down. She shouted:
"Break!"
The entire space shattered like a mirror. Ye Ju found herself standing on her boat, back in her room. The sounds of fighting came from outside.
"Xiao Bai?" Ye Ju heard Xiao Bai's enraged roar.
"How dare you, little demon! What have you done to my sister?"
"Heh heh~ Heh heh~ Your sister is living it up in her dream! You should obediently submit to me. From now on, the demon realm will be ruled by us. How can you, a dignified Nine-Tailed Fox divine beast, be a servant to humans..."
"Insolence! Sister has never treated me as a servant! You scoundrel, badmouthing my sister, you're asking for a beating!"
Xiao Bai was furious. She unleashed her divine beast pressure, spitting ice blades that shot out rapidly.
Ye Ju emerged to see a giant water spider stepping on the water's surface. Xiao Bai's ice blades had severed two of its legs. The demon realm itself had a strict hierarchy. The water spider, crushed by the pressure and spitting out a mouthful of blood, couldn't even speak.
That's why they had woven a dream at the beginning, to trap Ye Ju in a dream state. They wanted to threaten the Nine-Tailed Fox divine beast. Who would have thought that someone who could contract a divine beast wouldn't be ordinary? Ye Ju had broken through the dream herself and woken up.
Ye Ju had seen it in the Demon Beast Illustrated Handbook. Water spiders lived in water, could create water bubbles to store air, could live underwater, and were skilled at weaving dreams, weaving dreams of the past and future to ensnare people! Their silk was poisonous.
"Ah~~" The water spider let out a scream of agony.
"Xiao Bai." Xiao Bai turned around and saw Ye Ju, happily pouncing towards her.
"Sister, you're awake! A You has been captured."
Ye Ju then saw A You hanging in the air, bound by spider silk. The entire lake surface was woven into a giant web of spider silk.
Without time for further words, Ye Ju flew into the air, unleashed ice blades, severed the silk, and rescued A You.
A You's face was pale and green, poisoned quite badly. Ye Ju quickly gave him a drink of spirit spring water. Fortunately, he had drunk spirit spring water before, which had improved his physique, preventing the poison from killing him instantly. She placed him in a room on the first floor of the cabin and had 御守 set up a barrier.
Xiao Bai was already fighting the water spider.
"Xiao Bai, use fire!"
There was also another water spider that had plunged Ye Ju into a dream. It was now injured by Ye Ju and was hiding somewhere.
Ye Ju spread her divine sense, and the entire lakebed appeared before her. In the dim depths, there were no living creatures, only spider silk woven through the water plants.
"Damn it, Xiao Mo!" Ye Ju quickly used her contract power and sensed that Xiao Mo's spirit was still there, but trapped somewhere.
She had been careless. Ye Ju knew that as soon as she entered Qianli Lake, she had fallen into an illusion. As for why Xiao Bai hadn't, it was because the Nine-Tailed Fox was inherently skilled at enchantment and creating illusions. This water spider was like a craftsman showing off his skills to Lu Ban in front of Xiao Bai!