“Damn it! You’ve landed me in another huge mess!”
Having just leaped onto a broken stone pillar, Shen Mu saw Lin Yuhe being dragged into the lake from afar, letting out an exasperated complaint.
Without hesitation, he sprang into action, activating a water-repelling spell and diving in!
Like a swift fish, he rapidly approached the golden-haired figure being pulled down by several dark shadows.
“Ugh…”
Overwhelmed by water flooding her mouth and nose, Lin Yuhe panicked, flailing her limbs desperately, unsure how to resist.
Her hands were gripped tightly by countless dark shadow hands surging from the lakebed, some even reaching her neck, trying to drag her entire body into the bottomless darkness…
To swallow her completely into a hopeless abyss of resentment and death.
[Quick, release your mind! Let me take over your body temporarily, or you’ll be devoured by these resentful spirits!]
“Gurgle… gurgle…”
With her eyes tightly shut and head shaking, Lin Yuhe seemed gripped by some deep-seated fear, unable to heed the voice in her mind.
In that moment, she could only cry out in her heart:
Someone save me… someone save me…
Someone…
Gradually…
Her consciousness blurred from lack of air, her movements slowed, and she teetered on the edge of drowning.
[Seriously, dropping the ball at a time like this?!]
Whoosh!
The next moment, a blue crystal pendant around her neck released a celestial blue female soul remnant. With a casual wave, it unleashed a blue spiritual blade, slashing through the resentful spirit shadows dragging Lin Yuhe.
Yet, the bottomless darkness of the lakebed seemed like a burial ground for countless beings, as more resentful shadows surged forth, dozens attacking Lin Yuhe again!
“This is an extremely malevolent suppression ground…”
The soul remnant spoke with a heavy tone, then sensed a sword-like figure rapidly charging toward Lin Yuhe.
“Right on time.”
Whoosh!
With that, the soul remnant turned into a stream of light, re-entering the pendant, releasing strands of blue light that enveloped Lin Yuhe’s fading consciousness, temporarily shielding her from the resentful shadows’ grasp.
Whoosh!
Soon, Shen Mu, wielding a crimson spiritual sword, his gaze icy, slashed through the resentful shadows attacking him, swiftly closing in on the golden-haired figure sinking in the darkness… faintly glowing with blue light.
When he was within arm’s reach, he pulled her close, holding her tightly, and surged his spiritual energy to ascend rapidly!
At that moment, whether due to the sudden external force, Lin Yuhe’s eyes fluttered open hazily, her consciousness dimly registering a blurry face…
“…”
Shen…
Mu…
Silently uttering two words in her heart, she passed out in the water.
[“Yuhe, you should understand, as the eldest daughter of the Lin family, the responsibilities on your shoulders are heavy. You can’t afford to slack.”]
[“I… can’t I just go out to have fun on the weekend?”]
[“No. Besides your schoolwork, you have other lessons to learn.”]
[“…”]
[“How many times have I told you? As a Lin, you must be cautious in your actions outside, but you never listen!”]
[“This time, you defied your teacher and skipped school—you clearly don’t take my words seriously!”]
[“From now on, you’re grounded for a month!”]
[“I’ll have people watch you and hire professional tutors to teach you.”]
[“If you dare do this again, I’ll disown you!”]
[“…”]
[Slap!]
[“Fine, you don’t even want your life anymore? To think you’d try to drown yourself in the river.”]
[“Alright, you want a free life? I’ll grant it…”]
[“Sign this agreement. From now on, go wherever you want, do whatever you want!”]
Flashes of fragmented memories and cold words raced through her mind. Lin Yuhe’s lashes trembled, her chest feeling an inexplicable pressure.
Then, as that pressure rhythmically pushed, she suddenly coughed out, “Gah!” expelling all the water from her chest.
Cough, cough!
“Sigh, finally awake.” Shen Mu watched her cough lightly, slowly opening her eyes as if waking from a dream, and quietly moved his hand from her well-developed chest.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Lin Yuhe stared at the azure sky, gasping for air, feeling as if she’d had one foot in the grave before being pulled back.
“Ha…”
“Thanks…”
She placed a hand on her forehead, her voice weak with gratitude.
“What happened to you? Did you forget how to use spells when those resentful spirits pulled you under?” Shen Mu crouched beside her, asking calmly.
Recalling her panicked, fear-filled state, Lin Yuhe’s eyes flickered with complex emotions. “…I’m afraid of water.”
“Huh?”
It was the first time Shen Mu had heard of a cultivator being afraid of water.
Truly an eye-opener.
“I had some… special experiences in the past… so whenever I accidentally get submerged, I lose all composure… my mind goes blank…”
“I can’t stay clear-headed or calm.”
Shen Mu nodded slightly, understanding dawning in his eyes. “So that’s why you were just flailing in the water, not even using spells or treasures.”
She actually had such a psychological trauma—quite surprising…
He wondered what kind of experience caused it.
For someone like her to have such a shadow, Shen Mu was curious.
“Sigh…”
Lin Yuhe let out a soft breath, a bitter smile on her pale face. “I thought becoming a cultivator would let me escape those things…”
“What a twist of fate…”
She’d believed coming to this world would start a brand-new life.
But when she was unexpectedly submerged again, those terrifying memories of drowning resurfaced, unshakable.
Her mental resilience was truly lacking…
“Alright, stop dwelling on those things.”
Seeing the girl’s low spirits, Shen Mu suppressed his curiosity to pry further and asked with concern, “Do you feel anything else wrong with your body?”
“No.”
“Is your mind clear?”
“Yes.”
“Good. When you’ve rested enough, get up on your own.”
Shen Mu left those words and walked away without mercy, pausing briefly to add, “Oh, by the way, your figure’s pretty nice—matches the original artwork perfectly.”
“…”
“How much did you see?”
“Guess~”
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