Chapter 25: Jibalo Nymph II

Regrettable?

The two girls who had witnessed the battle with their own eyes, Ailina, looked at Fulade in confusion, truly unable to understand why Master was regretting, or… regretting for whom.

Fulade looked at the now calm Heart-shaped Lake, shook his head, and said:

"What I meant by 'regrettable' is that I feel sorry for Ray Jason."

"A nymph's greatest skill is mental control; if it weren't for Ray Jason's merciful nature and the failure to slay the troll in time, things wouldn't have turned into this outcome."

"The worst part is that Ray Jason wouldn't die."

"One could say that their final failure, ending in two deaths and one escape, is inseparable from Ray Jason's hesitation."

Fulade said this to the two Ailina girls, and it also served as a warning to them.

One must know that in Fanhaixin, they either die from talking too much or from carelessness; otherwise, with their strength, they wouldn't fall so easily.

When it comes to training the three Vampire Bride girls, Fulade spares no effort!

The two girls, upon hearing Fulade's analysis, immediately felt it was deeply correct.

If Ray Jason had been able to deal with the troll in time, perhaps they could have cooperated with Witch Famic to kill that nymph.

Only Fulade knows that even so, they could not kill the Jibalo Nymph.

Because the Jibalo Nymph, as the river god's daughter, as long as she remains in the water, can be healed by the energy of this domain and cannot die; at the very least, with their strength, they cannot achieve that.

Fulade watched the Jibalo Nymph sink to the bottom of the Heart-shaped Lake, his face showing contemplation.

Based on the information Fulade, hidden in the shadows, had gathered,

the Jibalo Nymph truly is a woman possessing auspicious qi, and the qi she holds is far richer and brighter than that of the three Vampire Bride girls.

And that's not all.

Even that Witch Famic, surprisingly, is also a woman with auspicious qi!

This made Fulade reflect that a mere small probe had brought him so many surprises, including Famic, such an auspicious witch.

Fulade looked toward the direction Witch Famic fled, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes.

"You two go track that witch, don't alert anyone, and when you find her, return to the inn and wait for me."

Ailina and Malisika, upon hearing Fulade's instruction, obediently nodded, said nothing, spread the bat wings on their backs as they turned, and pursued the direction Witch Famic fled.

Watching the two Ailina girls already gone, Fulade did not act immediately, but silently began to wait.

The reason he sent Ailina and Malisika to track Witch Famic was not only because she possessed auspicious qi, but also because she likely ties into some movie or TV world.

If so, the payoff later would be considerable.

The question remains: which world does Witch Famic actually come from?

Fulade felt a faint sense of familiarity, yet could not recall at all.

"Sigh, if only the Mysterious Light Orb could show which world they're from," Fulade thought gloomily.

As Fulade complained, in his mind the Mysterious Light Orb suddenly projected a piece of information, but before it could fully display, it vanished.

And Fulade did not notice any of this.

As the sun set and moonlight rose.

The entire forest began to grow quiet.

Resting among the treetops, Fulade now opened his eyes.

After an afternoon of contemplation, Fulade now had a complete plan.

From the daytime probe, it was clear the Jibalo Nymph's strength was quite formidable; even if he was confident of surpassing her, it would still require effort.

Regarding this, Fulade felt there was no need to clash with the nymph, as it would cause trouble and risk, and did not align with his interests or nature.

He only needed to draw her blood and acquire her auspicious qi, no need to create so much trouble for himself.

Second, Fulade could not be certain that extracting her blood without her consent wouldn't cause unforeseen issues, such as rendering the qi extraction ineffective.

After all, when he previously drew blood from Weiluona and the other three girls, as well as others, they were all in a willing state.

Unable to confirm, Fulade was even less likely to take the risk, to avoid needless loss and trouble.

Of course, the most important point was that Fulade disliked coercion; a forced thing is never sweet, and he preferred both parties to be willing, enjoying body and mind while pursuing life's exploration.

Hmm, something seems off?

Shaking his head, Fulade leapt down from the canopy toward the Heart-shaped Lake.

The night in this world was star‑splendid, the moon hazy, and the air filled with the fresh fragrance of various flowering plants.

Reaching the shore of the Heart-shaped Lake, countless stars dotted the surface, giving the waters a unique scenery and ambience.

After quietly admiring the view for a moment, Fulade leisurely walked to a stone and sat down.

He took out a leaf and, by the Heart-shaped Lake, quietly played BLEEDINGLOVE.

His gaze was filled with deep sorrow and unspeakable love, the intense emotion nearly spilling from his deep eyes, resonating with the song's passionate affection.

His purpose was, of course, to attract the Jibalo Nymph's attention and curiosity, thereby leveraging her yearning for love.

In the original work, the Jibalo Nymph was awakened by the greed of a knight called the Jibalo Mute Knight.

But the uninformed nymph, after killing the Jibalo knights' comrades, discovered that Jibalo was not swayed by her dance and song.

She thought Jibalo was an upright human, and thus developed admiration and fondness for him.

And the naive nymph mistakenly took Jibalo's greed for the gold and jewels covering her as love for her.

Consequently— tragedy unfolded.

The nymph, convinced she had finally attained sincere, pure love rather than human greed,

was ultimately thrown harshly onto the ground by reality.

Not only were all her jewels and gold stripped clean, she herself almost died at the hands of the mute knight.

Thus, although the nymph's strength was decent, her understanding of the mortal world and yearning for love were very naive.

And this gave Fulade an opening.

As the rhythm and melody rose, filled with scorching emotion, indeed, it quickly attracted the Jibalo Nymph's attention.

In the distance on the lake surface, a fiery figure silently rose above the water, curiously peering at the man sitting on a stone far away, quietly playing a song.

"So beautiful." A raw yet pleasant voice gently slipped from the nymph's ruby‑strewn lips.

The nymph tilted her head, driven by curiosity, and slipped a little closer, seeming to use a branch reaching from the lakeshore to secretly scrutinize the man on the shore.

When the leaf‑played melody ceased, just as the nymph thought the song had ended, a magnetic, melodious voice kept drifting into the Jibalo Nymph's ears.

The moving song, brimming with scorching emotion, made the nymph's long‑sealed heart begin to pound.

The nymph's two hands rested on the branch, her small head propped on it, tilting, her gaze gradually becoming enamored, as if intoxicated by the moving song.

It also seemed to awaken a yearning and desire for love.

As the song played, the nymph unconsciously began to hum along, her alluring form hidden beneath the water swaying irresistibly with the captivating melody.

Suddenly, the moving song stopped.

Stirred by the moving song's evocation of love, the nymph hurriedly and anxiously looked toward the stone on the lakeshore.

But, at some point, the man's figure had already vanished.

A flash of loss crossed the nymph's eyes; after a long daze, her body gradually slipped into the water until she disappeared.

(End of chapter)