Chapter 77: Wanting to Hear a Story
Yet Li Changluo was still too young. Brilliant in so many ways, he was blind in this moment, failing to realize how inscrutable the old man truly was—and that he had been duped once more.
The fruit knife in his hand pierced the old turtle’s body, but it felt as though he was stabbing at stone—unyielding and hard to the touch.
Worse still, a powerful surge of energy burst forth from the old turtle’s body, sending Li Changluo flying across the room.
...
“I spoke of the Yongquan acupoint…”
“The Yongquan acupoint, the Yongquan acupoint…” The old turtle stared incredulously at the battered Li Changluo, who had crashed to the ground, and said, “Do you have no common sense? Don’t you know where the Yongquan acupoint is?”
“I’ve been holding my foot up for ages—can’t you tell where the Yongquan acupoint is?”
The elder was nearly in tears, shaking his head at Li Changluo in disappointment, as if he were a teacher bemoaning a hopeless pupil. His hints had been painfully obvious.
Could it be...
So the old man brought the sole of his foot right up to Li Changluo’s face. “You brat—what sort of underhanded trick did you use? My foot is involuntarily under your control…”
“Are you planning to stab my vital point?”
“Haha, you don’t know where the Yongquan acupoint is, do you?”
“Haha, I’ll never tell you—it’s located in the anterior third of the line connecting the web between the second and third toes to the heel, at the depression of the foot’s front…”
Li Changluo gripped the knife, suddenly feeling...
Exhausted...
Old man, you’re putting on such a dramatic show—do you not feel embarrassed?
The enemy is teaching you how to defeat him?
Hand-in-hand, one-on-one instruction—guaranteed success?
Am I not supposed to have any dignity?
And...
What I really can’t bear isn’t...
This shameless quest for defeat, but rather...
Uncle, when was the last time you washed your feet?
The stench is truly unbearable...
Without another word, Li Changluo seized the fruit knife and stabbed wildly at the old turtle’s sole.
Who cared where the Yongquan acupoint was? Just get that foul foot away!
Finally, finally, with a mixture of agony and exhilaration, the old turtle’s cries rang out. His once robust body suddenly deflated, collapsing like a punctured balloon.
Even the shell on his back exploded, scattering fragments across the floor.
“Young ones are truly formidable, truly formidable. Young man, you have finally bested me—cough...”
Now deprived of his shell, the old turtle gradually transformed into a human form: an elderly man with a scraggly goatee, sprawled on the ground in a finely tailored robe, his face pale and twisted in pain.
This was unsurprising. Demons strong in magical power could conjure garments at will.
Li Changluo sighed deeply, thinking to himself...
How difficult—truly difficult...
At last, thanks to the enemy’s guidance...
He’d beaten him?
This battle, honestly, was utterly disgraceful.
“I suppose you want to hear a story now?”
The old man coughed, his voice weak as he addressed Li Changluo.
“I do not,” Li Changluo replied decisively.
“But the story begins long, long ago...” Despite his body’s exhaustion, when the old man began to speak, a gentle warmth unconsciously softened his face—as if remembering childhood tales before sleep, stirring the listener’s heart.
That which is lost always seems most beautiful in memory.
“Hey, uncle, you’re coughing up blood. Shouldn’t you take a break?” Li Changluo looked down at him, and the old man gazed back...
Another violent cough, blood smeared at his lips. He wiped his hand on Li Changluo’s hairy leg...
Then...
He gripped Li Changluo’s leg tightly.
No matter how hard Li Changluo tried, he couldn’t pull free...
He had no choice but to listen.
“A long, long time ago, on a small island...
“When spring blossomed and all things awoke, it was mating season. There was a majestic, remarkably handsome, striking male sea turtle, quietly...
“Lying on the beach, surrounded by...
“Let me tell you, in those days I was dazzling beyond compare—in today’s terms, I was the star of the show, center stage, no doubt about it. A whole crowd of alluring, coquettish female sea turtles waited for me. Tsk, tsk...”
“Uncle, calm down. Let’s stick to the story, all right?” Seeing the old man’s lecherous grin, Li Changluo couldn’t help but remind him.
“Cough, sorry, the injury—the injury is too severe, I got a bit off track.”
...
“That handsome sea turtle was chased to the shore by a group of water demons, fighting desperately with dozens of them, battling until he was nearly unconscious, on the verge of using his ultimate move to die together with those demons.”
...
Li Changluo found himself amused, initially picturing the turtle sunbathing peacefully on the shore, only to learn he’d been mobbed—yet he spoke as though he’d been heroic.
“At that moment, a kind-hearted maiden from the fishing village passed by the coast and witnessed the scene. She called the island’s fishermen, who drove away the water demons and rescued the sea turtle together.”
“The maiden nursed the turtle’s wounds with great care, and at last, thanks to her help, the turtle recovered. She released him back into the sea.”
“Regaining his freedom, the turtle wanted to repay her. He carried her to the palace beneath the island—the Dragon Palace.”
“In that fantastical, dazzling Dragon Palace, the kind maiden was warmly welcomed by the palace’s master, the sea turtle’s owner...”
“As in all tales of love, the girl and the Dragon Palace’s master fell for each other, their feelings deepening as they lived a blissful, fairy-like life beneath the waves.”
“But eventually, the maiden grew homesick, longing for her family and wishing to return to land...”
“The master of the Dragon Palace tried hard to persuade her to stay, but could not change her mind. In desperation, he revealed the truth: mortals who come here cannot return alive—the reason being, the secrets of the Dragon Palace must never be revealed.”
“In the end, for the sake of his people, the master imprisoned the maiden.”
“But the sea turtle, risking his life, set the maiden free and took her back to the island.”
“Yet, when they returned, the island had become a living hell. The maiden’s family and all the fishermen were dead...”
“Was it the work of the Dragon Palace?” Li Changluo couldn’t help but ask.
At this, the old man’s expression grew even more grim. He nodded, then continued, “They never imagined the Dragon Palace’s people, to preserve their secrets, would commit such inhuman deeds.”
“The maiden refused to believe that the Dragon Palace’s master—whose vows had seemed so true—could have destroyed her kin.”
“Nor did the turtle believe his master could be involved, for in truth, releasing the maiden had only gone so smoothly thanks to the master’s secret assistance.”
“In the end, the master entrusted the turtle with a jade box, to give to the maiden once they returned safely to land.”
As he mentioned the jade box, the old man’s voice began to tremble.
“What was inside the jade box?”