As Shen Feng unleashed his special ability, a massive waterspout formed on the sea, lifting seawater, fish, and shrimp into the sky. Numerous dark gray leaf-like objects also swirled in the water. They had been limp and motionless on the surface, but under the tearing force of the waterspout, they straightened without breaking.
"I didn't expect these kelp to be so tough. It seems impossible to break them with a waterspout," Shen Feng muttered to himself.
The waterspout couldn't tear apart the resilient kelp. Their holdfasts were anchored to the seabed. The East China Sea lies on the continental shelf, with an average depth of only 350 meters, making it very shallow compared to the major oceans. This allowed the kelp to anchor themselves with ease.
Although the waterspout failed to break the kelp, it yielded an unexpected reward. Many underwater spiders, driven out of their nests by the commotion, were immediately caught by the strong winds and swept into the sky. The sea, tens of meters high, was lifted into the air, exposing the spider nests on the seabed.
A torrential downpour began. This rain was brought by the waterspout. After the seawater was lifted into the sky, the upper parts of the tunnels were no longer pulled by the wind, transforming into water droplets that fell back into the sea.
The water spiders sensed something was wrong. Even with fierce winds and rain at sea, it shouldn't threaten their nests. Now, the sea was churning, with waves several meters high constantly crashing against the nests, making them incredibly unstable.
If this situation persisted, the nests would eventually be shattered by the waves. Once seawater entered the nests, the spiders inside would be forced to leave. And the moment they left, they would encounter the hundreds-of-meters-wide waterspout. Any spider that emerged would be swept away by the gale.
Ultimately, the insect king devised a clever solution. It led many water spiders to the deep sea. There, they found abundant kelp growing from the seabed to the surface. The insect nests relied on the anchoring effect of the bull kelp to remain stable in the water.
Upon reaching the seabed and finding the kelp, the water spiders immediately began to gnaw at it, severing the kelp strands. Once all the anchoring kelp was bitten through, the insect nests lost their restraints and began to drift with the waves across the sea.
Although the insect nests contained a lot of air, the surrounding kelp leaves were enormous and heavy. They caused the nests to bob and sway in the water, sometimes floating on the surface, sometimes sinking.
Shen Feng's vision was obscured within the waterspout, so he was unaware that the insect nests had drifted away with the waves. He had been using his special ability at sea for a full day and night. The powerful waterspout had churned an immense volume of seawater, causing a downpour in the surrounding sea area. The sky was overcast, and visibility continued to decrease.
By the time Shen Feng dissipated the waterspout, it was the next day. He immediately scanned the sea, only to find that the massive shadows were gone. The insect nests had vanished.
Seeing this, Shen Feng smiled and said, "It seems my special ability is quite potent. The insect nests have been torn apart by my waterspout."
Shen Feng hadn't seen any dark shapes beneath the water from his vantage point in the sky. He therefore assumed he had successfully dealt with the insect nests and completed his mission, avenging Mu Ying. He then took to the sky again, heading towards Jinling to visit Mu Ying.
Upon returning to land, Shen Feng learned about the events in Yuzhou. He was shocked to discover that his children had been targeted in an assassination attempt. If not for the desperate protection of his disciples, all three children might have been killed. Shen Feng had intended to return to Yuzhou for revenge, but Chang Jianyi and Li Keyi informed him that they had already avenged the incident. Only then did Shen Feng refrain from leaving immediately.
"Truly a group of petty individuals. If they can't defeat me, they resort to attacking my family," Shen Feng gritted his teeth and said.
Mu Ying, lying weakly on the hospital bed, asked, "Then do I count as your family? If someone seeks revenge on me in the future, will you help?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? If I didn't act, I wouldn't have gone out to sea this time. I just wiped out an insect nest for you!" Shen Feng said helplessly, clearly surprised by Mu Ying's question.
Mu Ying had been staying in the hospital during this period. She had been taking medication to maintain her weakened state. This was because a weakened body was closer to that of an ordinary human. Evolved female ability users were more perfect, and greater perfection meant reduced fertility.
Many women had excellent health before giving birth, but their physical condition declined sharply afterward, as childbirth was an extremely energy-consuming process.
Therefore, after evolving, the bodies of female ability users naturally underwent changes, making them less fertile. This allowed their bodies to become stronger and less susceptible to illness. Similarly, it became difficult for female ability users to conceive.
Thus, to maintain her weakened state, Mu Ying had been taking medication that suppressed her immune system. She was severely injured, and if left untreated, she would have recovered in about ten days. However, to meet the conditions for pregnancy, Mu Ying had been continuously taking medication, which led to a slow recovery from her injuries.
Another half a month later, Gu Yanxiao finally brought good news to the couple: Mu Ying was successfully pregnant. The embryo had begun to develop within her, and in less than ten months, she would give birth to a child.
Upon hearing this news, Shen Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Mu Ying would no longer pester him.
Afterward, Mu Ying consumed the evolution crystal given to her by Shen Feng. Following the evolution, she regained her health, and the scars on her face completely disappeared. Her severe burns, which had begun to fester, were all gone after the evolution.
"I'm considering whether to use a knife to put scars back on my face to remind me of my past experiences," Mu Ying said to Shen Feng with a smile.
"Come on, don't scare the child. If there are too many scars on your face, the child will be frightened when they see them. Just leave it as it is. Isn't it quite beautiful?" Shen Feng quickly stopped Mu Ying's irrational behavior.
Even if she hated the man who hurt her, she shouldn't keep scars on her face.
Moreover, at this moment, all of Mu Ying's injuries had healed, and she looked very beautiful. Her dark eyes and gentle gaze seemed captivating. Her smooth, fair face was as delicate as a peach, and her small mouth completed her lively appearance. She was a rare beauty.
Seeing Mu Ying restored to her original appearance, Shen Feng couldn't help but look at her a few more times. He hadn't expected Mu Ying to be quite attractive after regaining her true looks.
Mu Ying, noticing Shen Feng's gaze, felt quite proud. After all, as the saying goes, a scholar dies for his confidant, and a woman adorns herself for the one who pleases her.
Why do women dress up? Of course, it's to be admired by others, especially by someone they like. This little thought had long been understood by others.
Therefore, Mu Ying smiled and said, "Since you say so, I'll believe you. You've repaid my favor, and now we can go our separate ways. Goodbye!"
Shen Feng quickly nodded and said, "Then we'll meet again. I'm also preparing to return to Yuzhou. I'll find you in the Dabie Mountains in ten months."
Mu Ying and Shen Feng were about to part ways, but at that moment, Mu Ying suddenly leaned over and kissed Shen Feng on the cheek, then left with a smile. She looked like a young girl completely smitten with love.
Gu Yanxiao happened to witness this scene and couldn't help but shake her head, saying, "If you two really like each other, why not just be together? Why hide it?"
Shen Feng's face immediately changed. "Don't talk nonsense. What you saw today, please don't spread it around, or I'll have a terrible end."
Gu Yanxiao shrugged and said no more. She couldn't understand Shen Feng's actions at all. Shen Feng, as an eighth-tier ability user, was afraid of his wife's scolding, which was completely abnormal. The number one person in the world was henpecked, or rather, using the Southwestern dialect, he was a "pa er duo" (a man who is afraid of his wife).
Next, Shen Feng headed to Yuzhou, and Mu Ying returned to the Dabie Mountains. The women at the base in the Dabie Mountains saw their elder sister return with a happy expression and were all very curious. The scars on her face had disappeared, and she looked very happy. What had happened?
Mu Ying smiled without answering, returning to her room to do handicrafts, making clothes for children.
Upon returning to the Fengshen Palace in Yuzhou, Shen Feng handed over several evolution crystals he had on him to his senior sister and then wanted to visit his three children, wondering if they were frightened after the assassination attempt. However, Chang Jianyi stopped him.
"This time, I've put Xiao Long, Xiao Hu, and Shen Yishi under confinement, forbidding them from acting rashly. If you go in now, it will negate their confinement. Let's talk about it after half a month. They are truly audacious to dare to go out on their own. If they are not severely punished, they will dare to do it again in the future!" Chang Jianyi said seriously.
Shen Feng originally wanted to persuade her, as children shouldn't be punished solely but also guided appropriately.
However, Chang Jianyi's attitude was firm: "Before, you all spoiled the children too much, which is why they became so arrogant and ignorant. With adults doting on them at home and your disciples indulging them, they've become even more presumptuous. It's not obvious now, but won't they become even more unruly when they grow up? They must be strictly disciplined now!"
Shen Feng then fell silent. After all, his senior sister was always in charge of disciplining the children, and he had no right to interfere.
At this moment, a message came from the research institute: "City Lord, the research institute has discovered a great secret today. Please come and take a look!"