Chapter Eighty-Five: The Underwater Nether Palace

  After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Shen Bailian slowly woke up with a dull ache in her head and saw stars dancing before her eyes. When she regained some consciousness, she felt that the bedding beneath her was warm, soft, and smooth, and found herself lying on a bed.

  The lamp's shadow in front of me is soft and dim, and it becomes even more hazy through the thin bed curtain. Shen Bailian was stunned for a while, thinking to herself: Where am I? How did I end up here? Murong... no, Ziyin, where is he now? Weren't we both riding our swords to Beihai... when we encountered that monster... Ah, Lord Kunpeng!

  Shen Bailian's heart skipped a beat, and the various things she had experienced before falling asleep suddenly flooded her mind. She hastily sat up, throwing open the bed curtains.

  Outside the canopy, a magnificent scene of gold and jade, a large room, everywhere adorned with coral, pearls and other treasures, the furnishings are extremely luxurious. On the table, under a crystal lampshade, no flame is visible, but a night pearl the size of a fist is emitting a brilliant light, and the dim light just now came from this. Shen Bailian stared blankly around for a long time before coming to her senses.

  It was clear that he had fallen under the spell of the great Peng in the sea, but why did he wake up in such a magnificent place? Shen Bailong couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it, so he decided to get out of bed and explore his surroundings. When he was in Qinglong Town, he had also bought a set of human clothes to avoid drawing attention to himself, but when he woke up, his attire was completely new, and his boots were nowhere to be found.

  Barefoot on the ground, Shen Bailian lowered his head to examine the thin white long gown on his body. It didn't look luxurious but was very fitting, and strangely, there wasn't a single thread or seam. As the saying goes, "heavenly clothes have no seams", this garment was exactly that. However... as he reached out to touch it, Shen Bailian's face revealed a hint of bitter smile, the letter that was originally hidden in his chest was gone without a trace.

  At this moment, he was not so panicked in his heart. Before falling asleep, there were only two people beside him, Qingying and Lord Kunpeng. Mu Rongzi thought that she must have been trapped in a dream by the same magic as herself. So, it was obvious that the one who brought her here and took away the letter was Lord Kunpeng. The letter was originally meant for him to see, and now, although it wasn't handed over by his own hands but taken by himself, it had still reached its intended destination. Now, the only thing hanging in his heart was Mu Rongzi's safety.

  Shen Bailian had just made up her mind and was about to step out the door when a warm, fragrant bundle suddenly rushed into her arms.

  He was startled, and when he looked down, it was a young girl with a head of black hair tied back in a loose bun, revealing her smooth forehead and pink peach blossom-shaped mole between her eyebrows. Her bright eyes and cherry lips sparkled, and she wore a soft green jacket that made her skin look crystal clear, with a beautiful face. The girl had originally intended to push the door open and enter, but unexpectedly, the person inside had taken a step ahead and opened the door first, causing her to trip and fall onto him. Her face flushed with shame, she didn't even dare to lift her eyes, and hastily pushed Shen Baiyun away, turning around to stand up properly.

  Shen Bailian felt slightly embarrassed, and first cupped his hands to say: "Miss, I was in a hurry to go out and didn't expect you were outside the door. Please forgive me for any offense."

  The green-clad girl's skirt hem fluttered slightly, but a pair of hands tightly grasped the hem, and her exposed ears were bright red, clearly very shy. After a while, a faint voice as soft as a mosquito hummed: "It's... it's all right..."

  Shen Bailian's mind stirred, and he glanced around, only to find that the exterior of the house was not lacking in pavilions and towers, with rocks, trees, and grass scattered about, revealing a hint of elegance. It didn't seem like a monster's lair, but rather a mansion belonging to a high-ranking official from the mortal realm. However, those mansions were always bustling with activity, whereas this place was eerily quiet. The only living beings present were him and the young girl in front of him. He cupped his hands again and said, "Miss, I happen to have something I'd like to ask you. May I inquire as to whose mansion this is, and how I ended up here? There should be a young man who came with me; do you know where he is?"

  The girl in green finally turned around, but her face was full of confusion. She looked up at him and then blushed, lowering her head to say softly: "Zhen'er only knew that this is Grandfather's home... you and another person were brought back by Grandfather, Grandfather said you hit brother..."

  Shen Bailian's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, but his gaze at the girl was filled with surprise. He thought to himself: Could this girl's great-grandfather be Lord Kunpeng? Then the brother she mentioned who was beaten by me and Ziying... must be that young Kunpeng, right? Which means this girl is also a demon?

  The girl in green clothes bowed her head and said to herself: "...and the person who came with you, Zhen Er doesn't know where he is. Grandfather only told Zhen Er to come and take a look at you. He said that if you wake up, she will call you over for him."

  Shen Bailian's eyebrows slightly raised, and she said, "I was just thinking of seeing him too. Then please let Zhen'er lead the way." She smiled lightly as she spoke.

  The girl in green glanced at him with a smile on his face, and her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes tightened a few more times, and she blushed and hurried forward.

  Shen Bailian followed her through the winding corridors, passing by several courtyards, until they arrived at a flower hall. Before entering, the green-clad girl hesitated for a moment, then said softly: "Grandfather... he doesn't like people beating around the bush, if you want to know where your companion is, just ask directly." Feeling that she had already revealed too much, she quickly lowered her head and hurriedly led the way forward.

  Shen Bai's eyebrows slightly raised, and she softly said behind her back: "Thank you, miss."

  The girl in green nodded slightly and stepped inside.

  Inside the flower hall, it was also decorated with great beauty. However, there were no servants in sight, only a man sitting on the main seat. The man had beautiful eyebrows and eyes, but his eyebrows and eyes were slightly seductive. He sat sideways on the chair, one hand supporting his chin, and the other hand casually placed on his leg under the blue robe. Next to him, there was a small incense burner on a small table, from which a thin red smoke slowly rose from the small hole on the lid. The man's nostrils slightly flared, and the smoke seemed to be drawn into his nose as if by something. The man immediately narrowed his eyes, revealing a very comfortable expression.

  Shen Bailian followed the green-clothed girl closer, and was immediately greeted by a faint fragrance. He sniffed it once and revealed a hint of a strange expression. The reason was simple: the incense burning in the censer was precisely the familiar scent he knew well, not only that, but the fragrance was unmistakably one he had made himself.

  "Kun Yao senior, this Xunxiang incense isn't used in this way." Shen Bailian shook her head and chuckled, saying with great helplessness. This Kun Yao gentleman was truly leaving people speechless, taking away that letter was one thing, but he wouldn't even let go of the few pieces of incense she had casually made and brought along on her person.

  The man's eyebrow twitched, and he opened one eye to glance at him with a hint of a smile, saying: "Oh?"

  Shen Bailian slightly bowed and said: "This incense is called Xunji, it's used to find people. When the object that the person you're looking for carries with them is burned together with this incense, the smoke will drift in the direction of where they are. However, the smoke only lasts for an hour before dispersing, so its use isn't very great." As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed. Over the years, he had also tried to improve Xunji incense to make it easier to find people like Yun Tianqing, but unfortunately, he couldn't find a way, which was why he came here seeking help.

  The man nodded, and his hand on his knee lifted slightly: "Sounds interesting, but I don't have anyone to look for. This incense smells good too, so I'll accept your gift." He pointed to the seat next to him and beckoned to the green-clad girl, "Zhen'er, come over here."

  The girl in green clothes first bowed her head and explained softly to Shen Baiying: "Grandfather asked you to sit there." Then she walked over.

  The man raised his eyebrows even higher, stared at Shen Bailian and muttered: "This kid is really not easy to raise, it's easy to grow up and cause trouble. Bao'er went to the sea to make trouble without reason and was beaten by others, and now Zhen'er has been seduced by a stinky boy from outside... I'm really pitiful..."

  His muttering voice was not small at all, the green-clothed girl's face turned bright red, and she whispered while twisting her hem: "Grandfather!" Catching a glimpse of Shen Bailian's smiling face out of the corner of her eye made her even more embarrassed.

  Shen Bailian cleared her throat, forcing down the smile at the corner of her mouth, and said seriously: "Kun Yao senior, I am Shen Bailian. The young man who came with me is named Murong Ziyin. We two came to Minghai and accidentally injured your grandson. I'm really sorry about that. If you're not pleased, please punish me, and also please forgive the person who came with me." She stood up again and bowed once more.

  The man, still silent, was tugged lightly on the sleeve by the green-clad girl. He looked at her helplessly and said, "Alright, alright. Treasure is originally mischievous, so a beating will make him behave for a few days. And stop calling me 'Jiaolong' all the time - I have three Jiaolongs in my Beiming Palace, how do I know who you're referring to? I was born without a surname, so I'll take Kun as my surname and name myself Jiutian. You can call me Kun Jiutian since we're friends." As soon as he finished speaking, his sleeve was tugged again, and he continued, "The Kun clan is sparse in numbers and dies quickly. Now there's only me and two descendants from who-knows-how-many generations ago - one you've met and beaten on the Minghai, named Kun Haibao, and this one, the only girl in Beiming Palace, named Kun Haijing."

  "Yes, Senior Kun, Miss Kun." She looked around and couldn't help but ask again, "You said this place is called the North Ming Palace, could it be that we're actually at the bottom of the Underworld Sea? But from what I saw on the way here, it's no different from the mortal world..."

  Kun Jiutian burst out laughing, his face full of smugness. Even Kun Hai Zhen beside him revealed a faint smile. Only to hear Kun Jiutian say: "I've lived for so many years, where haven't I been? Humans are indeed often foolish and weak, but they have a talent for enjoyment. I've borrowed some of their ideas and used them at home, it's not bad. Those rocks, trees, and grasses were transplanted from the human world. To keep them alive, I had to use magic to isolate them from seawater. As for the sun, moon, and stars above, they're just illusions!" He nodded his head and continued: "Little friend, you have a good eye, just like me, an old man of the demon clan! It's not in vain that we're both part of the demon clan!"

  Shen Bailian's mouth twitched a few times, and she let out a dry laugh without responding.

  "If I hadn't sensed that wisp of demonic energy on you while we were at sea, I wouldn't have let you off so easily. That human boy is clearly a stubborn and ignorant fool who harbors deep resentment towards my demon tribe - I don't know how you two ended up together. However, for your sake, little friend, I'll spare him this once. Since it's not easy to manage the North Ming Palace, I might as well let him sleep in a bit longer, so he won't cause any more trouble when he wakes up. Once we've taken care of our business, you can take him back to the human realm and wake him up when you reach the surface - that shouldn't be too late."

  Shen Bailian nodded hastily in agreement.

  Kun Jiutian finally pulled out a ball of paper from his sleeve, roughly unfolded it and took a few glances: "Alright, let's get down to business. I've already read this letter, and I'm fully aware of your intentions. Who would have thought that you're actually a demon from Ju Xiang Country? It seems I didn't make a mistake by sparing your life, or else the fish demon you worship wouldn't be able to come down from the divine realm to pester me... Hmph, that little kid Ao Lie has entrusted this task to you again. I'll help you out as promised."

  Shen Bailian suddenly felt a weight lifted off her shoulders: "Thank you, Senior Kun!"