Chapter 377: Xiao Jiu, Face It Directly

Yeah, we're all adults now.

True growth is becoming the strong one in your own life.

You standing there are like a pine tree, trunk straight and evergreen through all seasons, not competing or grabbing, yet making people look at you anew.

You can hold up a sky on your own, being others' reliance, and likewise, your own.

Li Qingying gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed ahead, yet she still said resentfully, "Seventh Lord is right—we never hoped to bask in even a hint of the Linghai Dragon Clan's glory. Just wait; the day the Linghai Dragon Clan begs our Seventh Lord is still to come."

The words are rough, but the reasoning is sound.

However, things in this world aren't simply black and white.

Between Liu Junyan and the Linghai Dragon Clan, even broken bones are still connected by sinews, not to mention his mother and the affection with Xiaoye.

The Linghai Dragon Clan may not become Liu Junyan's reliance, but it will definitely be the best ally.

The car kept moving forward.

At first, the water waves were vast and mighty, the momentum surging.

But when approaching the area around the pawnshop, it suddenly became much smaller.

There was water in the river, but it was shallow—no deeper than the soles of one's feet; yet when we reached the position directly opposite Xijiekou, there was no trace of water at all.

As soon as Liu Junyan got out of the car, everyone gathered around, asking about the situation all at once.

After the main members had gathered in the council hall and learned that Liu Junyan had received the Head Anointing Blessing, Wang Pan and Shi Changyun spread out the newly drawn map, circling and explaining their upcoming countermeasures.

Wang Pan concluded: "Overall, the situation is much better than before. The reason the flood couldn't reach this stretch is those deep gullies at the bottom of the Pearl Coil River; they form some kind of formation array, which 'eats' the water seeping into the soil. So our top priority now is to find a way to break that gully formation array."

Hui Moqiong asked: "But the problem is we can't currently determine what kind of formation array this is, nor how to break it."

I thought of something and immediately said: "My aunt came by; she said that totem is very likely the Luan."

"Luan?"

Everyone fell into thoughtful silence.

But just this single clue isn't enough to determine what formation array it is.

"Wait!" Shi Changyun said, "Wait for the changes in tonight's Taotie Ferocious Formation; my brother Wang and I have made various assumptions and defenses. Once it matches, we will immediately set up the formation and break it."

Liu Junyan asked: "How confident are we?"

Wang Pan answered: "If nothing unexpected happens, we have a seventy percent chance."

Seventy percent depends on human effort; the remaining thirty percent is left to heaven's will.

Liu Junyan nodded: "There's still time; keep a close watch, and make adjustments promptly if anything is discovered."

Everyone received the order and left.

Strangely, the entire day remained calm and still.

Across the river from Xijiekou, aside from the deep gullies full of water, everywhere else remained dry.

The sky kept drizzling raindrops, each drop the size of a soybean, but the density was low—scattered and sparse. When they fell into the river, as Wang Pan said, they were quickly 'eaten' away.

As night fell, everyone's spirits grew highly focused; no one dared to sleep.

The pawnshop's doors stayed open; I lay on the counter of Nan Shu Fang, silently watching the outside.

After dinner I felt a bit unwell, with a faint ache in the area of my right shoulder blade.

I knew what was going on, but since everyone was busy, I didn't make a fuss.

I just endured it and it would pass.

The previous few times were the same—I just endured them.

But after nine o'clock, the pain grew stronger, spreading from my shoulder blade to both sides; eventually, I could barely lift my arms, and cold sweat drenched my body.

When the pain reached a certain point, I felt I might be hallucinating—I actually saw several infants standing on the opposite roof.

Those infants looked no more than one or two months old, huddled together, half-crouched on the roof, seemingly crying nonstop.

Li Qingying was the first to notice something was wrong with me; she shook my body and called my name: "Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu, what's wrong?"

"Children." I pointed at the opposite roof and said, "Sister Qingying, please save those children quickly!"

Li Qingying followed the direction of my finger, looking puzzled: "Where are the children? Xiao Jiu, there are only a few birds on the opposite roof."

"Birds?"

I wanted to raise my hand to rub my eyes, to see if I was just seeing things.

But even that motion was difficult for me at this moment.

My hand simply wouldn't lift.

All I could do was blink desperately, then look again at the roof.

In the blink of an eye, there were indeed several crows perched on the roof, black as ink and hidden in the darkness—unless you looked closely, you couldn't see them.

Blink again, and those crows turned into several infants, wailing loudly.

I blinked several times, and they changed each time.

Then I buried my face in my palms, feeling I had truly gone mad, and didn't want to look anymore.

My state truly frightened Li Qingying; she ran off, stomping her feet, to call for Liu Junyan.

Not long after, Liu Junyan rushed over: "Xiao Jiu, what's wrong?"

"Pain."

I lay there, tears about to fall, my arms feeling as if they weren't my own.

Liu Junyan knew me too well; he immediately understood, condensed true qi in his hand, and pressed it to my shoulder blade.

The warm true qi was pushed into my body, and I finally began to ease.

I moved my arms a bit, then stood and strode out—but the opposite roof had nothing on it.

Neither birds nor infants were to be seen.

Where did they come from? And where did they go?

Just as I was looking around, wanting to search again, my gaze suddenly locked, unblinking, toward the west: "What is that?"

Liu Junyan and Li Qingying were both standing beside me.

Li Qingying said: "It's that hill opposite; it has been moving toward Wufu Town all along, and tonight its speed seems to have increased a bit."

I shook my head, looked at Liu Junyan, and asked: "Āyàn, what do you see?"

"A hill." Liu Junyan asked, "Xiao Jiu, what about you? What is that hill to you?"

"It's a pair of eyes."

I heard my own voice trembling: "Pairs of infants' eyes, dark green, constantly flickering, and behind those eyes there seems to be something..."

When my gaze looked toward the rear of the hill formed by countless pairs of infants' eyes, the pain in my upper back flared up again.

I felt that something there was calling me, making me unable to resist wanting to rush over...

Unconsciously, I had already lifted my foot and stepped forward.

Liu Junyan reached out, grabbed me and pulled me back, holding me tightly in his arms, he covered my eyes, blocking my view, and asked by my ear: "Xiao Jiu, does this help a bit?"

I shook my head: "No, Āyàn, tie me up; I can't control myself."

Liu Junyan didn't move; he just held me, and after a while he said: "Xiao Jiu, what do you say, what exactly is the mythical bird?"

My body shuddered violently.

Liu Junyan moved his hand away from covering my eyes, shifted it to my upper back, and said: "Xiao Jiu, look straight at it!"

In the next instant, his hand pressed down hard, and the pain in my upper back spiked to its peak.

The pain pierced to the marrow.

And at the very moment I cried out in pain, I clearly saw those eyes on the hill shift from dark green to blood-red, like a many-eyed beast ready to pounce and swallow me whole...