Jiang Yunxi Was Here!

Inside the underwater palace. Elder Water Snake writhed his body, watching the endless stream of guifish before him, his face twisted in a look of savage excitement. "Once the momentum is built, with the merit I've earned here, I might very well be transferred to headquarters, to the core... and ultimately venture beyond the heavens to truly become one of them!" At that thought, a fanatic gleam surfaced in Elder Water Snake's expression. Behind Thorn Blood lay an immensely ancient, secretive, and mighty organization. Rumor had it that joining them allowed one to embrace immortality, achieving true unperishing eternity. This unperishing state was not like the simple, protracted existence of a guiling. In fact, the emergence of guilings in the Qingshan Realm—and across the various realms—was intimately linked to them. "Elder, there are more and more guifish. Given enough time, this stretch of water will become a paradise for guifish!" A gray-robed old man spoke with devout reverence. His body had undergone partial modification, bringing him infinitely close to a guiling. As he spoke, the gills on his face opened and closed, presenting quite a gruesome sight. "However, recently... quite a few newly spawned guifish seem to have died, and some were even discovered by people from the Heavenly Sect!" Mentioning this, the gray-robed elder showed hidden concern in his eyes. "With so many guifish, discovery is inevitable. As long as we manufacture them fast enough and keep a continuous stream going, what does it matter if a few are discovered or killed?" Elder Water Snake did not care in the slightest. "The Elder speaks sense." "How many died? Dozens, or a few hundred?" Elder Water Snake asked casually. "Roughly... seventy thousand." "Seventy... Wait, seventy thousand?" Elder Water Snake was stunned. "Nearly everything we released is dead? How is that possible?" These were seventy thousand guifish, exceptionally agile in water. Even an Earth-rank weapon wielder would struggle to slaughter them all upon encountering them. "Who killed them?" Elder Water Snake asked hurriedly, a shiver of fear running through him. "Unknown." The gray-robed elder shook his head. "Could something unexpected have happened?" Elder Water Snake wriggled his body, then shook his head again. "Weilong Xuanyuan is ruined. With the State of Ning's current strength, no one poses a threat to the Luotong River Lord. Even if an accident occurs, it won't matter." Thinking of this, Elder Water Snake breathed a sigh of relief. The Luotong River Lord was his greatest reliance. In Yeshan Lake, the Luotong River Lord was the true master. With Weilong Xuanyuan unrestored, even if the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sect came in person, he would only suffer a crushing defeat. "Keep an eye on the number of guifish released. If anything unusual happens, notify me immediately," Elder Water Snake instructed. "Yes... Elder! Bad news! The thirty thousand guifish we just released... they're gone!" "Hm?" "Just now, twenty thousand more guifish vanished as well!" Cold sweat broke out on the gray-robed elder's forehead. The guifish produced here were constantly flowing into Yeshan Lake via the water currents. The numbers went far beyond hundreds of thousands. Yet now, the fish leaving this place were dying en masse. How could the gray-robed elder not be terrified? It felt as though a supreme expert were barricading the exit, ceaselessly slaughtering fish. "It seems... they vanish the moment they exit," the gray-robed elder rasped with difficulty, wiping cold sweat from his brow. Elder Water Snake's expression darkened slightly. "Someone is blocking the entrance? Or... has some other complication arisen?" Elder Water Snake was thoroughly mystified. "Come, let's go take a look!" Without hesitation, Elder Water Snake led the gray-robed elder toward the discharge outlet. *** Meanwhile, at the fish discharge outlet, Jiang Yunxi held her kitchen knife, a brilliant smile on her face. "I had no idea guilings were so easy to kill!" She stood rooted in place without moving an inch, merely dipping the kitchen knife into the small pool in front of the discharge outlet. Then, all she had to do was wait for the guifish to swim into the pool. Lightning danced across the kitchen knife, crackling with an endless electric hiss. Every guifish that entered the pool was electrocuted to death and washed out into Yeshan Lake. "Now this is what a true cook should be—cleaver in hand, using Yeshan Lake as a wok to stir-fry and boil electric fish," Qi Yuan could not help but marvel. "Don't just stand here electrocuting fish. As a qualified cook, you still need to bone them, scale them, and pick out the fine bones," Qi Yuan reminded her. "Old Cai, you've got a point, but these fish... who would dare eat them?" Jiang Yunxi occasionally had a bit of sense. Virtually no one dared to eat guifish. Even so, following Qi Yuan's instructions, she proceeded to debone the electrocuted guifish. "The old man will eat them," Qi Yuan said earnestly. Chen Kangbao had even taken a bite out of Elder Winged Serpent, to say nothing of these electrocuted fish. "Old Cai, there are way too many fish! Good thing you're here—we can electrocute them so easily without wasting any energy!" In high spirits, Jiang Yunxi brandished the Damn Fine Kitchen Knife, slicing the guifish into fillets. Suddenly, however, Jiang Yunxi's pupils shrank, and her trembling body betrayed the fear welling up inside her. "Old Cai, have you ever seen an old man with a fish head?" "A fish-headed man?" Qi Yuan asked, surprised. "I've seen fish-headed women, shrimp-headed women, and shrimp-headed men, but a fish-headed man is a first for me." In the Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll, Qi Yuan had encountered the Xi River Fish Maiden, who boasted a sensational figure topped with two massive melons—and a fish head. "Who are you?" Just then, Elder Water Snake's voice rang out. He glared at Jiang Yunxi, his face flush with rage. The young woman was holding a kitchen knife that radiated lightning, and every guifish that came near was charred crisp. "A talking snake?" Jiang Yunxi gasped in shock, then her expression turned grim. "Are you an elder of Thorn Blood?" She was terrified. In the many storybooks she had read, Thorn Blood always played the part of the ultimate villain—and an immensely powerful villain at that. Were all the guifish here the handiwork of a Thorn Blood elder? "Old Cai, what do we do? That's an elder of Thorn Blood, a terrifying villain boss! "They stop at no evil, wicked and formidable, committing all kinds of outrages!" Jiang Yunxi nearly exhausted every idiom stored in her brain. "What villain boss? They clearly look like fine ingredients to me," Qi Yuan transmitted lazily. "You're a cook, the cook who will save the world. How could you shrink back when faced with delicious ingredients?" "Ingredients?" Jiang Yunxi hesitated. At that moment, Elder Water Snake's eyes lit up as he stared fixedly at the kitchen knife. "What kind of artifact is that? Could it be a legendary Heaven-rank artifact?" Jiang Yunxi's cultivation was clearly negligible at a glance, seeming to be only that of a Mystic-rank weapon wielder. Yet the kitchen knife she wielded was remarkably extraordinary, radiating lightning that brought instant death to any guifish that touched it. This was beyond the power an Earth-rank artifact ought to possess—it had to be Heaven-rank! Elder Water Snake felt more and more that his luck was astounding. Just then, an astonishing sight unfolded: the kitchen knife actually began to speak. "Gods lose their minds, thorns are stained with blood. I am the kitchen knife of the Debt Collection Sect. Hand over the silver on you!" "...??" Elder Water Snake's eyes went wide. Not long ago, he had received a message from headquarters: if anyone spoke that cipher, he was to note the person's information and hand over all the banknotes on his person. He had never expected the other party to be a kitchen knife. Elder Water Snake's thoughts raced, and the pleasant surprise on his face deepened. "An artifact capable of speech? This is no ordinary Heaven-rank artifact!" Rumors told of certain rare artifacts that could utter human speech and possessed intelligence no less than that of a child. Artifacts of this sort were rarities even among their own rank, practically unseen across an entire realm. And he had actually run into one! His luck was simply incredible! First he had encountered the River Lord, and now this artifact. Could it be that destiny truly favors me? Thinking this, Elder Water Snake looked at Qi Yuan with greedy eyes. "Follow me, and all the banknotes on me are yours." "You want to be my sugar daddy?" Qi Yuan was taken aback. "Unfortunately, though you barely meet the criteria for my white moonlight—what with not bathing and being up in years—this kitchen knife doesn't fancy the kept-man lifestyle." With that, he secretly lodged a complaint with Thorn Blood personnel through the Divine Wood Token. "Your Thorn Blood is hopeless. I asked an old man for silver and gave the cipher, but instead of handing it over, he said he wanted to keep me as his plaything. "I can't stand this kind of perverse misconduct, so I'm cleaning house for you." After sending the message, Qi Yuan spoke to Jiang Yunxi. "Cooking must be fast, accurate, and ruthless. You must grant the food a swift death; otherwise, it isn't cooking—it's torture." Jiang Yunxi summoned up her courage. She was a brave cook, meant to save the world just like the protagonists in storybooks. How could she be stopped by mere ingredients? Thorn Blood elders were all cut from the same cookie-cutter villain mold! When meeting a savior like her, shouldn't they obediently line up to die and add to her renown? With that thought, Jiang Yunxi charged at Elder Water Snake with the kitchen knife in hand. "Hmph, a mere Mystic-rank weapon wielder seeking death!" Ridicule filled Elder Water Snake's eyes. Never mind a Mystic-rank weapon wielder; even if Jiang Yunxi were an Earth-rank weapon wielder, he would have nothing to fear. That artifact might be potent, crackling with lightning. Yet the person wielding it was a total weakling. He lashed out violently—or rather, whipped his serpentine tail, as he no longer possessed hands. In the next instant, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief. In stark contrast, wild joy erupted in Jiang Yunxi's eyes. "I'm actually this amazing!" The kitchen knife in her hands landed squarely on Elder Water Snake's torso, bisecting him in a single stroke. "Shredded potatoes must be sliced thin, even, and unbroken. Your knife work still needs improvement," Qi Yuan remarked lazily. Jiang Yunxi's strength was indeed lacking, but she had the overwhelming power of the kitchen knife to carry her. To his dying breath, Elder Water Snake believed he was facing Jiang Yunxi wielding a Heaven-rank artifact. He had no idea that a good kitchen knife could guide the cook. He had been facing not just Jiang Yunxi, but the kitchen knife, Qi Yuan. "There's one more. Don't let it go to waste," Qi Yuan said. Jiang Yunxi's confidence was now overflowing. "Right!" Cleaver in hand, she charged headlong at the fish-headed old man, hacking wildly. Pity the poor elder, whose legs were far from nimble; he was hacked to death in a flurry of blows. "Hahaha! Thorn Blood elders are nothing special after all!" Clasping the kitchen knife, Jiang Yunxi panted heavily, her ample chest heaving. Jiang Yunxi thought to herself that once she returned today, she would absolutely depict her heroic exploits in her diary, using as many idioms as possible—preferably the most obscure ones. Qi Yuan could not be bothered to indulge her. "Let's go. Keep killing fish. There are... quite a lot of guifish here." "Okay," Jiang Yunxi replied obediently. *** Five days later, aboard a massive vessel, the Prince of Zhenshan wore an exceptionally anxious expression. "Still no sign of Yunxi?" It had been three whole days since Yunxi went missing. He had dispatched all his subordinates to search Yeshan Lake, yet there was not a trace of Yunxi to be found. He had even sent men to apprehend Chen Kangbao, but apart from a courtyard full of steamed buns, they found nothing of use, and Chen Kangbao's whereabouts remained unknown. "None," Yun Li replied, head lowered and face pale. "It was my failure to keep watch on the commandery princess. I am willing to atone with my life!" "Hmph! It won't be too late to atone with your life once the princess is found!" the Prince of Zhenshan snorted coldly, his eyes bloodshot from several sleepless nights. "In this vast expanse of Yeshan Lake, where could Yunxi have gone?" He was worried sick. "It's all that old swindler's fault, constantly tricking Yunxi into believing she can become a savior!" an Earth-rank weapon wielder chimed in, voice laced with fury. A few days ago, Yun Li and Yun Hu had reported Jiang Yunxi's fish-electrocution antics, which had thoroughly shocked the Prince of Zhenshan and drawn glances of astonishment from many weapon wielders. Yet losing track of Jiang Yunxi afterward had tied the prince's stomach in knots. "Even if that kitchen knife is a peak Earth-rank artifact with unique powers, how could Yunxi control it with her meager cultivation? If she accidentally fell into the water and crossed paths with the River Lord..." Worry lined every inch of the Prince of Zhenshan's face. Over the past few days, many major events had unfolded around Yeshan Lake. First was the convening of the implement master conference. Just as the elders and grandmasters of the Heavenly Sect had anticipated, not a single person could repair Weilong Xuanyuan. Although a young genius implement master had proposed a method, following his plan would require a full hundred years to finish the repairs. This left the Heavenly Sect thoroughly disheartened, and the major clans of Jining Prefecture were on edge. Xie Danran's proposal had once again sparked fervent debate among many. Quite a few people were fanning the flames from the shadows, eager to offer Shen Lingxuan to the Heaven-rank weapon wielders from Rakshasa Country in the Central Land to save Jining Prefecture. To everyone's surprise, it was not just the Shen family that voiced fierce resistance—the Tu family, the preeminent clan of Jining Prefecture, opposed it just as vehemently. With both powerful families standing against it, the proposal had to be shelved. "Alas, today is Yunxi's birthday. Yet I... I..." Regret and self-blame gnawed at the Prince of Zhenshan. "Your Highness, please do not fret. The princess has fortune on her side; even if she were abducted by the River Lord, she would surely survive!" an Earth-rank weapon wielder offered comfort. The Prince of Zhenshan glared daggers at him. If you don't know how to speak, keep your mouth shut! What do you mean, 'abducted by the River Lord'? Couldn't she simply have gotten lost sightseeing around Yeshan Lake? Just then, a figure dashed over in a frantic rush. "Your Highness, bad news! We captured a member of Thorn Blood and learned from his confession that Thorn Blood has established a spirit-nurturing ground in Yeshan Lake, and Elder Water Snake of Thorn Blood is stationed inside!" The newcomer was an elder of the Heavenly Sect. "What? A Thorn Blood spirit-nurturing ground? Those guifish... were indeed their doing!" The Prince of Zhenshan's thoughts raced. Something clicked in his mind, deepening the worry in his eyes. A few days ago, his daughter had used that peculiar kitchen knife to slay guifish. Could that... have drawn Thorn Blood's attention? Had Thorn Blood sent someone to abduct his daughter? "Where is this spirit-nurturing ground? This prince will go in person!" the Prince of Zhenshan declared. Though this was merely a conjecture, when his daughter's life hung in the balance, every possibility had to be explored. Furthermore, Thorn Blood was a venomous scourge upon Qingshan, an evil that everyone had a duty to eradicate. The Luotong River Lord was already difficult enough to deal with; if Thorn Blood was stirring up trouble as well, Jining Prefecture was truly doomed. The Heavenly Sect elder hurriedly replied, "We have pinpointed the location right beneath Yeshan Lake. Our Heavenly Sect has assembled a strike force of experts, prepared to launch a lightning assault and destroy Thorn Blood's spirit-nurturing ground!" "Very well!" the Prince of Zhenshan agreed. About half an hour later, ten weapon wielders of varying builds gathered aboard a small vessel. Their auras were carefully subdued, yet one could still tell they were not to be trifled with. These ten individuals ranked among the strongest Earth-rank weapon wielders anywhere near Yeshan Lake. Killing intent flashed in the eyes of Wei Kun, the Sad Wind Hand. "Thorn Blood dares meddle in Yeshan Lake's affairs? They are courting death!" As one of the most powerful figures in the Heavenly Sect, he possessed combat prowess on par with a grandmaster, exuding an imposing aura with every word. "This time, we can only succeed; failure is not an option!" Wang Qingyi said with a grave expression. "Indeed. The Luotong River Lord is already monstrously hard to handle. If Thorn Blood's scheme succeeds, Jining Prefecture will cease to exist!" "Even if our State of Ning produced a Heaven-rank weapon wielder, it might not be enough to resolve the crisis facing Jining Prefecture." "Alas..." The weapon wielders sighed, feeling weighed down by immense pressure. "Prince of Zhenshan, if the commandery princess was indeed taken by Thorn Blood, our priority will be rescuing her," a Heavenly Sect elder offered courteously. "My thanks to you all," the Prince of Zhenshan said, cupping his fists. "The princess is kindhearted, punishing evil and promoting good. She constantly worried over Yeshan Lake's plight, even speaking of slaying the River Lord. A good soul like her does not deserve misfortune," another weapon wielder remarked. He had heard Xie Danran mention Jiang Yunxi's claim that she would slay the River Lord to save the world. Naturally, in his heart, he thought the princess was overestimating herself, but such words could never be spoken in front of the Prince of Zhenshan. Did the other Heavenly Sect elders not share the exact same thought? Within Yeshan Lake, even the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sect was no match for the Luotong River Lord, let alone a green young girl. "Let's move. Conceal your auras and enter the spirit-nurturing ground. Slay the Thorn Blood elders with thunderous force and rescue the princess!" "Make it quick. Do not draw the River Lord's attention, or many of us may perish here." "Understood!" "Understood!" The group gave their assent, their hearts heavy. About a quarter of an hour later, the ten weapon wielders disembarked and headed toward the spirit-nurturing ground. "Such a pungent stench of blood..." "Why do I smell a savory, charred aroma?" "It's clearly a fishy stench!" "Be careful." The ten moved with utmost caution, concealing their auras as they advanced into the underwater palace. The underwater palace was a massive artifact that kept all the water at bay, leaving dry ground for people to walk upon. Everyone present wore grim expressions. "Judging by its age, this underwater palace... has stood for thirty years!" "Hiss... thirty years? Doesn't that mean Thorn Blood has been laying this scheme for three decades?" Worry mounted among the group. If Thorn Blood's plot had only been in motion for a few months or a year or two, the situation might still be manageable. Thirty years, however... the thought was terrifying. Could the appearance of the Luotong River Lord itself have been orchestrated by Thorn Blood? If so, the implications were catastrophic! A complicated glint flashed in the eyes of Wei Kun, the Sad Wind Hand. "Move!" He accelerated, and the others swiftly followed. Yet merely a dozen breaths later, everyone choked back a gasp. Ahead of them lay an ocean of guifish carcasses piled high like a small mountain. Wei Kun's eyes snapped wide. "Water Snake?" The others also looked toward the corpses on the ground, expressions of shock overtaking them. "That's Elder Water Snake of Thorn Blood! He's dead!" "He was at the peak of the Earth rank... Who killed him?" A chill ran through everyone present. Judging by Elder Water Snake's wound, he had been slain in a single strike. This meant his killer was extraordinarily powerful. Could it have been internal strife? Endless speculations arose in their minds. "Stay on guard..." Exchanging glances, they quickened their pace deeper into the underwater palace. The further they went, the more alarmed they grew. The underwater palace was strewn with countless guifish carcasses. "With so many guilings, had they been released... Jining Prefecture would truly have been doomed!" "They're all... dead?" Some weapon wielders could not help but glance at the Prince of Zhenshan. The manner of death for these fish was rather peculiar. "More bodies!" "So many corpses! They're all Thorn Blood members, slain in a single cut!" The deeper they ventured, the more shaken they became. At least a hundred Thorn Blood members lay dead within the underwater palace. Every single one had been killed in a single strike. The worry on the Prince of Zhenshan's face grew heavier. He still had not seen his daughter. The scene before him was bizarre and inexplicable, defying all reason. He feared that some terrifying, unknown guiling had been born and slaughtered every living thing here. Minutes turned to hours. The underwater palace was vast; they had walked for three whole hours without reaching the end. At regular intervals, they encountered more bodies of Thorn Blood members, alongside colossal heaps of dead guifish, guishrimp, and guiturtles. Dread weighed heavily on everyone. Suddenly, Wei Kun's pupils contracted violently. "What is..." His body trembled uncontrollably. The others looked ahead, utter horror dawning in their eyes. "That's... the Luotong River Lord!" "It's... dead!" Everyone stared at the colossal behemoth before them, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment. They had envisioned running into the Luotong River Lord, but never had they imagined finding its corpse. The River Lord was colossal, resembling a house constructed from layers of soft flesh and crystalline masses that converged into a singular pupil, looking profoundly terrifying. A massive gash was carved into its neck. The meat across its entire body seemed pounded to a pulp. It possessed not a shred of vitality, appearing to have died only a few hours ago. The crowd was dumbfounded. The Luotong River Lord—a monstrosity that the combined might of Jining Prefecture could not hope to defeat—had simply died here just like that. It felt entirely surreal. "These waters run deep. Who on earth killed the Luotong River Lord and slaughtered Thorn Blood? And for what purpose?" Wang Qingyi took a deep breath, a chill creeping up her spine. Among the group, some felt relief, while others sensed a conspiracy brewing. The Prince of Zhenshan grew irritable; he still saw no sign of his daughter. Just then, an exclamation rang out. "Look quickly! There's writing behind the Luotong River Lord!" Seeing this, the other Earth-rank weapon wielders hurried past the River Lord's corpse. "Jiang Yunxi, the World's Greatest Cook and Savior of the State of Ning, Slew the Great Villain and Was Here at the Underwater Palace!" Everyone stared in utter shock, scarcely able to believe their eyes. In unison, they turned to look at the Prince of Zhenshan. The Prince of Zhenshan blinked. "That's... Yunxi's handwriting..." "Her Highness the Commandery Princess killed the Luotong River Lord?" A feeling of sheer absurdity rose in the heart of the Heavenly Sect elder who had previously looked down on Jiang Yunxi. This was... utterly ridiculous, wasn't it? The Prince of Zhenshan was completely baffled as well. His subordinates reported Yunxi's situation to him every single day. He knew better than anyone that Yunxi had been duped by an old man into learning how to cook to save the world. He had even intended to tease his daughter the next time they met: what did cooking have to do with saving the world? Yet judging by the scene, had she actually learned real skills? Had she truly pulled off something monumental? He was thoroughly bewildered, desperate to see his daughter and ask what in the world had transpired. The other Earth-rank weapon wielders shared much the same sentiment; the spectacle before them surpassed their wildest imaginations. *** Meanwhile, atop a leaf-shaped skiff, a young girl in flowing green robes held a kitchen knife, looking spirited and valiant. "Old Cai, am I amazing or what?" "Amazing!" "Hehe, who knew that one day I, Jiang Yunxi, would get to be the main character!" Jiang Yunxi beamed with smug pride. Suddenly remembering something, she looked down at the kitchen knife. "Old Cai, you..." "Don't call me Old Cai anymore. I don't lay eggs," Qi Yuan replied nonchalantly. His roleplay progress as the kitchen knife was maxed out. He was done being a kitchen knife. It was time to leave. Having brought this roleplay to a perfect conclusion, Qi Yuan had reaped massive rewards and unlocked a new persona to play. The joy in Jiang Yunxi's heart dispersed, replaced by an uneasy sense of impending loss. Was Old Cai leaving? "Brother Cai... actually, today is my birthday..." "You're the scrub!" "Are you mad at me? Resenting me for being selfish? If I'd known, I would've added your name too, so it said Jiang Yunxi and the Kitchen Knife Were Here!" Jiang Yunxi peeked nervously at Qi Yuan, flustered.