Chapter 22: “A Mere Sea Monster, Nothing to Fear” p1
Li Yu’s heart had been up and down all day. She thought she had failed to prevent the dreaded romantic entanglement, but unexpectedly, the little protagonist was utterly devoted to her.
Hearing Mu Tao’s heartfelt words, a flicker of guilt arose within her.
Just a flicker, not much.
The little protagonist cared so much for her, while she was filled with unfounded worries. It was a bit much.
Li Yu thought she should have more faith in Mu Tao and in herself.
She had already prevented the scenarios where the male and female protagonists were alone together in the original story and intercepted the token of affection the male protagonist would give the little protagonist.
Now, in Mu Tao’s heart, she was the most important person!
So what was she afraid of?
She should wholeheartedly dote on this love-starved little disciple. As long as the little disciple no longer lacked love, wouldn’t she be less likely to develop feelings for an unreliable man?
Li Yu felt invigorated, as if she had found a new purpose in life. She suddenly felt motivated and energized.
Of course, she knew that with her current abilities, not causing trouble was the best she could do.
So, this newfound motivation would probably only last until the end of the meal, when she would return to her bed and resume her life as a salted fish.
After lunch, the little disciple cleared the table and left the small cabin.
Li Yu sat for a while, then lay down on the bed.
She swore she wasn’t just eating and sleeping all day. Back on Mount Chao Yao, despite her early retirement, she did find things to occupy her time.
The reason she was back in bed now was purely due to a slight physical discomfort.
Although she was reluctant to admit it, she suspected she was experiencing seasickness.
Li Yu sighed.
Even if she wasn’t an Exalted Immortal, she should at least be considered…a fish, right?
A fish getting seasick, how embarrassing would that be if anyone found out…
Fortunately, the ship had a deep draft and was relatively stable in calm waters. The discomfort was mild; she wouldn’t show it in front of others.
At least, she wouldn’t throw up.
While some were seasick, others were full of energy.
Mu Tao carried the stacked bowls and plates, hurrying towards the kitchen.
Before she could go far, a tanned young woman enthusiastically approached and took the dishes from her.
“Mu Tao, I’ll wash these for you!”
“Oh, I can do it myself…”
“It’s fine, everyone is saying how delicious your food is. We are so lucky to have you here. Washing these dishes won’t take long, don’t be shy.” The young woman smiled and glanced towards the kitchen. “I’ll go and take care of these. You go and rest!”
Mu Tao nodded shyly and watched the helpful woman leave.
After a moment, she looked down at the bells on her wrist.
A gentle shake produced a soft, clear, pleasant sound.
No matter where I am, no matter how far away, Master will be able to find me…
Was Master telling her that she would always protect her?
A surge of joy filled her heart.
She smiled, her fingers unconsciously caressing the small silver bells.
Her master always preferred quiet; she couldn’t cling to her all the time.
But her mind was racing now; she couldn’t focus on cultivation.
Normally, she should be washing dishes.
But now, even that task had been taken from her, leaving her at a loss.
Mu Tao returned to the deck, her mind blank.
The vastness of the sea and sky, seemingly unfamiliar and silent, gave her a sense of peace.
A flash of spiritual light appeared at the bow of the ship; that was Mo Yichu, Lord Zhao, and a few human cultivators setting up a formation.
Mu Tao didn’t dare approach them. She stood far away, hiding behind a tall mast, peeking out to observe.
So Lord Zhao also knew spells.
And not just Lord Zhao, but also the other human cultivators bustling around.
Any one of them seemed stronger than her.
She had thought that even if she wasn’t a match for demons in the human realm, she would still be stronger than most humans.
Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Lost in these thoughts, Mu Tao didn’t notice the sun moving across the sky.
Finally, the formation for increasing the ship’s speed was complete.
Mo Yichu stood at the center, conjuring a spiritual pearl in his palm.
The pearl slowly floated into the air, emitting a pale green light.
As the formation activated, the light spread outwards, gradually enveloping the entire ship.
It was like a visible wind, not stirring the waves, but propelling the ship forward at an accelerated speed.
Lord Zhao looked at the floating pearl with delight. “We’ll reach Lan City in less than half a month now!”
He bowed to Mo Yichu. “Young Immortal, you possess such remarkable skills at such a young age. I’m truly impressed!”
Mo Yichu: “Not that young, over three hundred years old.”
Lord Zhao: “…”
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Lord Zhao offered a few more compliments and then left the bow with the other cultivators.
Mu Tao quickly hid behind the mast as they approached.
Whether Lord Zhao and the others saw her or not, Mo Yichu definitely did, and he walked towards her.
Mu Tao went to meet him, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at the formation.
“Why are you standing here alone, Disciple Mu Tao?”
“My cultivation is low; I can’t help with that,” Mu Tao said, then added sincerely, “That formation looks very complex. Senior Brother, you’re so amazing!”
“It’s just an ordinary formation for amplifying spiritual energy. If you’re interested, Disciple Mu Tao, I can…” Mo Yichu stopped mid-sentence, remembering some stern words, and quickly corrected himself, “You can ask Master Li Yu about it.”
“Master probably won’t teach me these things yet.” Mu Tao smiled nonchalantly. “My foundation isn’t strong enough; I’m not in a hurry.”
“Indeed, you should focus on your foundation first.” Mo Yichu looked at Mu Tao with approval. “You’ve improved greatly. Not only have you achieved a complete human form, but your internal energy is also much more stable.”
“That’s all thanks to Master’s teachings!” Mu Tao beamed. “Senior Brother, have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Then go and eat quickly! The food in the mess hall has been ready for a while; it must be cold by now!”
“Alright.”
Mo Yichu nodded and turned to walk towards the cabins.
Suddenly, Mu Tao remembered something and quickly ran after him. “Senior Brother, Senior Brother! I have a question!”
Mo Yichu stopped and turned around. “What is it?”
Mu Tao: “What does it mean to ask someone for money?”
Mo Yichu looked blank for a moment; this question seemed beyond his comprehension as well.
After a moment of thought, he asked, “What is money?”
Mu Tao: “I don’t know!”
Mo Yichu: “…”
Mu Tao: “So Senior Brother doesn’t know either.”
Mo Yichu: “Mm.”
“Then go and eat, Senior Brother.” Mu Tao waved her right hand.
The silver bells chimed softly.
A flicker of surprise appeared in Mo Yichu’s eyes. “These silver bells…”
Was someone taking advantage of the situation?
Mu Tao beamed.
“Master gave them to me!” she said loudly, as if wanting the whole world to hear, then she shook her wrist. “Aren’t they pretty?”
Mo Yichu replied absently, “They suit you very well.”
Mu Tao smiled even wider, waving more enthusiastically as he left.
Li Yu, lying peacefully in her cabin, inexplicably lost two compatibility points.
The sudden deduction startled her, and she sat up abruptly.
Her dizziness and nausea were gone.
Now she only felt one thing—anger, a lot of anger!
Who? Who was it?!
She had just been lying in bed, why was she losing points for that?
—This was ridiculous!
73%! A new low!
Was she even allowed to live?!
This wasn’t deduction; it was attempted murder!!!
【Don’t worry, Host!】
How could she not worry? Her health bar was down to three points!
【The host is currently safe. Besides the male and female protagonists, no one else can lower your compatibility.】
But it was still decreasing!
【The system has detected that the male protagonist is not very familiar with the host, and his initial impression has already decreased significantly. He shouldn’t have many points left to deduct.】
Li Yu: “…”
So, her image in Mo Yichu’s eyes was already rock bottom?
Even if he wanted to deduct more points, he didn’t have any to deduct?
It was both funny and depressing.
Might as well lie down and accept her fate.
Li Yu closed her eyes and fell back onto the bed.
Eating and sleeping were the cure for all heartache.
Having her character compatibility deducted to near-fatal levels was a form of heartache.
To cure this heartache, Li Yu ate and slept, and when she couldn’t stand lying down anymore, she would go to the deck alone, find a deserted spot, and enjoy the fresh air.
She didn’t want to interact with anyone, just quietly recover her compatibility.
More than ten days passed.
Everyone on the ship said they would reach Lan City in two or three days.
After drifting on the vast ocean for so long, Li Yu’s compatibility gradually recovered to 80%.
The system hadn’t lied. Although the ship was large, it wasn’t that large. No matter how much she tried to avoid them, she couldn’t completely avoid encountering the source of her deductions.
But during this time, she had only lost points twice, only one or two points each time.
Clearly, Mo Yichu was gradually getting used to everything.
Her little disciple, on the other hand, had been in a good mood lately, happily working for free in the kitchen every day.
The meals she once prepared only for Li Yu were now enjoyed by over forty people on the ship.
She was no longer her little disciple’s sole focus.
But Li Yu was happy for Mu Tao.
The girl had rarely received any recognition. Now, everyone on the ship genuinely appreciated her cooking, regardless of her background. It was good that she found a sense of belonging and happiness in this, even if it was unpaid work.
After all, this little girl wasn’t relying on cooking to make a living.
As a cultivator, she surely wasn’t short of money, right?
Even if Mu Tao didn’t have money, Mo Yichu definitely wouldn’t be short of it.
With this thought, Li Yu no longer mentioned the matter of payment to Mu Tao.
Every mealtime, Mu Tao would tell her about things happening on the ship.
They weren’t particularly interesting stories, but in the middle of the ocean, any news was good news.
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