Chapter 55 — ILK Chapter 55

The Hot Spring Battle

"Your spiritual form is a Parasol Tree." It wasn't a question. Lin Changli spoke with absolute certainty.

Sang Ye hadn't intended to hide it. She didn't think it was much of a secret anyway; on Black Tower, everyone’s spiritual forms were practically "streaking" in public. She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

Lin Changli lowered his eyes, falling silent. The bright, warm light of the kitchen cast deep shadows across his face. Sang Ye was already tall at 1.8 meters, yet she was still half a head shorter than him. This feeling of being looked down upon made her a bit irritable.Can this body grow like a Parasol Tree? she wondered. Theoretically, a Parasol Tree can grow infinitely tall. Why can’t I? No matter the era, the psychological pressure of a giant makes one feel small and insignificant.

"Hey." Sang Ye broke the silence. She disliked the heavy atmosphere and took a step back to widen the distance, lessening the intensity of his gaze. "I'm heading to the backyard. You should go to sleep too. I added a lot of mental energy to that hot cocoa; it should help you sleep peacefully. If that doesn't work, let the little Phoenix fly a lap outside before coming back to bed."

Lin Changli snapped out of his daze and took the tray from her hands. He stepped aside, watching as she circled around the building and headed toward the backyard gallery. Her figure was tall and strong, her pace steady and fast.

"So that’s it. I knew it must be because of the spiritual form," Lin Changli muttered to himself as he watched her disappear, silently finding a justification for his own reactions.

The little Phoenix let out a skeptical chirp: "Eee~""Shut up. Not another word," Lin Changli cut him off before he could start.

…

In the hot spring, Rong Cheng and Wu Jianing were splashing around. The play quickly drained the little girl's energy, and after finishing her cake, she fell into a deep sleep. Du Yuan gently dried her off and dressed her in a warm nightgown.

"You two were just like this when you were little," Du Yuan reminisced, squeezing Jianing’s chubby little hand. "Chengcheng used to hate it when I bathed her; the moment I looked away, she’d turn into her bird form and fly into a tree. Sangsang was better—she couldn't run away even if she wanted to."

Rong Cheng and Sang Ye both laughed, caught up in the shared memory.

"Alright, I'm taking her in to sleep. You two soak for a bit longer then come back," Du Yuan instructed, having adapted quickly to checking the time on modern devices.

After a while, Rong Cheng had had enough. The Golden Crow didn't need that much water. She bid Sang Ye goodnight and headed back to her room.

Now, Sang Ye was alone in the hot spring. She swam a few laps, looking back at the West Building. From her angle through the bushes, she could see the living room light left on, waiting for her return. When she turned back around, a scream nearly escaped her lips—

Sireno had appeared on the opposite bank of the spring.

Sang Ye suppressed her panic and looked at him with displeasure. "What are you doing? How did you get here? This is incredibly rude!"

Sireno stood barefoot on the gravel path. He was soaking wet, and behind him was the cliff that Rong Cheng had sliced open yesterday—a slope that was no longer quite so steep. He pointed behind him with an innocent look. "I climbed up from the Tide Sea."

"?" Sang Ye was baffled. "Why on earth were you in the sea?"

Sireno lowered his eyes, looking forlorn. "I was worried they would actually kick me out. I went down to see if there were any safe reefs nearby. If I get swept away by the waves in my sleep, it would take a long time to swim back."

Sang Ye felt a pang of sympathy. He was being bullied here despite never provoking anyone, simply because he was too beautiful and refused to give up his mission to save his tribe. Poor child, she thought.

"Do you want to come in and soak?" she asked, unable to bear seeing him wet and shivering in the autumn-setting wind. "I'm wearing a swimsuit, so don't worry about it."

"I would love to," Sireno agreed readily. "I really am quite cold."

"It's fine, Colonel," Sireno said, sensing her slight hesitation as he prepared to enter with his clothes on. Then, he offered a shy invitation: "Would you like to see my tail?"

"Hm?" Sang Ye’s eyes lit up. It would be a lie to say she wasn't curious.

The moment Sireno touched the spring water, a flash of bright blue light occurred. He sat on the edge, his lower half transformed into a thick, powerful fish tail. It was the color of the deep ocean, shimmering with a faint silver pearlescence. Fins like layers of white gossamer wrapped around the sides of the tail, tapering off at his waist.

Sang Ye stared at the massive tail, mesmerized. When she looked up, Sireno had somehow removed his tight black shirt, wrapping himself modestly in a layer of light gauze. Sang Ye realized that the "gauze" was actually part of his fins. The wet fins clung to his muscular abdomen, revealing hints of pink flesh beneath—it was strikingly attractive.

Sireno used his long fingers to rinse the sea silt from his hair with the warm spring water. Then, he leaped in. The water splashed as he swam two laps, his dreamlike tail rising and falling as he circled Sang Ye.

"Is it beautiful?" He kept only half his face above the water, blinking his large eyes up at her. He sounded nervous, reminding Sang Ye of the puppies she used to keep at Shifang Grotto—wet, soulful, and pleading.

"It's very beautiful," Sang Ye marveled openly, even reaching out to touch the gossamer-like fins.

The tail twitched slightly, and a flush crept onto Sireno’s face. "That... tickles..."

"Sorry," Sang Ye said, though she didn't pull her hand back. The fins felt like soft cotton, like drifting clouds, like freshly baked bread. The spring seemed to be getting hotter.

…

Suddenly, a sharp cry from a Phoenix shattered the peace. The Little Phoenix lunged out of nowhere, furiously spitting a plume of flame at Sireno. The merman moved with incredible speed, diving deep to avoid the lethal fire.

"Shameless! You shameless, stinking fish!" the Phoenix shrieked. Before Sang Ye could react, it dove into the water and hauled Sireno out like a predator catching prey. Its sharp talons sank into his tail; his scales were no match for the Phoenix's power, and blue blood began to seep out.

The beautiful merman hung upside down, his tail gripped tight by the relentless bird. The pain from the burns made him grimace, his eyes filling with tears. He seemed unable to fight back, looking to Sang Ye for help.

"Shameless!" the Phoenix screamed even louder. "Stop faking! You Merfolk can all induce mental hallucinations with your songs! Stop acting pitiful!"

It was livid. This shameless fish was targeting Sang Ye! And what made it angrier was that useless Lin Changli! It turned back to shout at the shadows: "Are you just going to watch? Do something yourself!"

Sang Ye scrambled to pry the Phoenix’s claws loose. "Let go, let go! You're hurting him!" She looked back toward where the Phoenix had shouted.

The gate to the spring was open. Lin Changli stood there, silhouetted against the night, his expression unreadable.

"Get up! Stop playing dead and fight me!" the Phoenix raved, its wings flapping faster than a ventilation fan, creating massive splashes. If Sang Ye weren't in the water, it would have vaporized the entire spring by now. "I'm going to turn you into grilled fish!"

"Calm down!" Sang Ye grabbed the bird by its wings. "Why are you so worked up? He just came in for a soak. How did he offend you?"

She tapped its head firmly. "Besides, he's the Prince of the Tide Sea. How can you be so disrespectful? If he’s injured, how will we explain it to Queen Isabella? He came here fine and goes back with a mangled tail—does that seem right to you?"

The little Phoenix looked at her with shocked, wounded eyes, feeling incredibly wronged. It looked at Lin Changli and chirped, "Hey, say something!"Sang Ye pulled the struggling bird to her chest, treating it like a throwing a tantrum child. "There, there. I'll let you soak next time, okay?"

She wasn't a fool; she hadn't missed the nuances of the situation.

Sireno dove back to the bottom, trails of blue blood floating to the surface. Sang Ye waded ashore and handed the Phoenix to Lin Changli. He didn't move, his jaw tight. The Phoenix huddled in Sang Ye’s arms, equally still.

Sang Ye stepped closer—close enough for Lin Changli to see the water droplets on her tear-drop mole and smell her scent. She plucked the crest feathers on the Phoenix's head, trying to restore its spirit.

"Prince," Sang Ye said, her voice leaving no room for argument as she handed the bird back to him, forcing it to stand on his shoulder. "I am merely the Guide sent to you by His Majesty. I don't have much faith in your condition myself; I'll likely never leave Black Tower in this lifetime."

"I'm actually quite happy right now," she shrugged. "And if there's even more enjoyable entertainment, I won't refuse. After all, Sireno is remarkably handsome, isn't he?"

Lin Changli’s gaze shifted past her shoulder. Sireno poked his head out of the water, his silver hair floating on the surface now stained a light blue. He raised his tail; under the guidance of his mental power, the wounds were rapidly repairing, the Phoenix’s burns being forcibly erased. The new scales shimmered like mother-of-pearl.

Sireno met Lin Changli’s gaze fearlessly, showing none of his previous frailty. He flashed a smile.

It was pure, unadulterated provocation.