Journey to the End of the Night
Chapter 42 - 42 42 There are Spirits in the Mountains

42: Chapter 42: There are Spirits in the Mountains 42: Chapter 42: There are Spirits in the Mountains As the ripples danced in his eyes, he suddenly reached out and grabbed his ankle, pulling him into the lake.

With a splash, water flew in every direction.

Baili An uncontrollably sank deeper into the lake, but he was not overly panic-stricken, for he did not need to breathe and would not drown anyway.

The mermaid meant no harm, nor did she intend to drown him.

It was more of a jest than anything.

Her arms encircled his waist, gently holding his body, her tail swaying lightly to keep him afloat.

Baili An didn’t know where to place his hands, her body was so soft that no position seemed right; he ended up stretching his arms in an awkward embrace.

The mermaid chuckled, her smile radiantly beautiful.

Squinting her eyes, she looked at Baili An and lightly said, “Young boy, why does your body feel colder than the lake?

Are you cold?”

Baili An bitterly smiled, “Maybe, in this lifetime, I will never understand what feeling cold is like.”

“Pity.”

The mermaid’s gaze softened, then she added, “Do you know why the creatures of this mountain dislike humans but are fond of you and that little deer?”

After thinking for a moment, Baili An earnestly responded, “Because, neither the deer nor I are human.”

The mermaid paused slightly, the mystical lake light reflecting in her beautiful eyes.

She then smiled and said, “It’s not just that.

You have a special scent about you.

Although one can’t sense the life force in you, they can feel the beauty and brevity of life, which makes you a pitiable young boy.”

His slight candor made Baili An somewhat embarrassed.

The mermaid softly laughed, “My name is Lin Yuan.

Young boy, what’s your name?”

“Baili An.” he replied.

Lin Yuan smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling, “Baili An, I’ll remember that name.

By the way, you seem quite unskilled in the water.

Would you like me to teach you how to swim?”

Before Baili An could answer whether he wanted to or not, she held him tightly, her beautiful tail creating ripples, carrying him swiftly under the water for a delightful swim.

…

…

Lin Guiyuan, drenched, walked step by step through the dark, damp ground.

His golden robe dripped with water drops, his hair moist, he stopped at a certain point, silently looking at the old man ahead.

The old man was on a huge tree.

Or rather, he was that huge tree.

For at this moment, his upper body had the form of a human, but below he had merged woodenly into the giant tree beneath him.

Although he was the Mountain God here, at the same time, he was imprisoned within this mountain.

He had an eternal, undying life, yet he had also lost his eternal freedom.

“Guiyuan, you shouldn’t have brought those people here today.”

The elderly voice was old yet timeless with a Qi Force, resonating a sense of profound power.

Lin Guiyuan slowly knelt down, giving the old man a deep bow, his white forehead gathering the dark mud, appearing somewhat disheveled.

“Mountain Father, it was I who broke the rules, punish me.”

The elderly man chuckled, his gaze filled with the warmth and kindness of an elder, “You child, whenever you make a mistake, you always resort to this.

You know well I won’t punish you.”

Lin Guiyuan forced a smile and said, “Mountain Father, the situation today was extraordinary.

The Shebi Corpse broke free from death and pursued the local mortals.

I had no choice but to bring them into the mountain to evade disaster.”

“Extraordinary…” the old man’s eyes suddenly became distant and complex.

He muttered, “Indeed, today is extraordinary… Guiyuan, there are cultivators outside the mountain who have discovered the Array traces.

Go, collect the Array and let them in.”

Lin Guiyuan’s body shook, his head lifting in confusion, “Mountain Father, the great Barrier protects you and the creatures of this mountain.

How can we just remove it?”

The elder sighed lightly, “I have been banished here by the Emperor for ten thousand years, pondered for ten thousand years, and guarded this mountain for ten thousand years, never knowing what crime I committed to be banished so far from my homeland for ten thousand years with no term of returning.

I think… perhaps there will never be such a day.”

“Mountain Father…” mumbled Lin Guiyuan.

…

…

By the lake, Baili An was literally dragged from one side to the other by the mermaid Lin Yuan.

Perhaps because they hadn’t seen outsiders for a long time, Lin Yuan and the other mermaids in the lake were very enthusiastic.

Even the wandering deer on the shore was pulled into the water with them.

Unfamiliar with swimming, the deer cried out in shock but, under the gentle support of several mermaids, it did not sink or swallow any lake water.

Feeling their warm intentions, it was no longer afraid.

Playfully, it began kicking its little hooves and paddling in the water.

“Sister Lin Yuan, why is your tail a different color from the other mermaids?”

Seeming tired from playing, Lin Yuan sat by the bank with Baili An, her beautiful mermaid tail slowly making ripples on the water’s surface as it moved.

From nowhere, she had taken a shell and began counting the large pearls inside.

The pearls were perfect and round, emitting a faint glow in the night light, clearly very precious Luminous Pearls.

The lake housed many mermaids, most of their tails colored like the red of a Koi fish, with some having light purple tails.

Only Lin Yuan, her tail was the color of a dreamy ocean blue, and even her scales shimmered aquamarine, immensely enticing.

Her slender fingers, picking pearls, paused slightly.

She lowered her head, her beautiful eyes following the swirling waters, creating ripples upon ripples.

With a slight smile, she chose the largest Luminous Pearl and handed it to Baili An, saying, “There are no two identical things in this world, especially not beautiful things, right?”

Seeing the sadness beneath that smile, Baili An didn’t ask further, took the Luminous Pearl, and earnestly said, “Your tail, it’s beautiful.”

Lin Yuan was momentarily taken aback, a pretty layer of moisture appeared in her deep blue eyes.

The rhythm of her sky-blue tail quickened on the water’s surface.

She smiled slightly and said, “You’re the first to say so.”

Splash…

The sound came from the lake, not from the direction of the playful deer but right from the center of the lake.

A wet, golden robe clung to the tall figure of a man, his black hair dripping with water droplets.

Lin Guiyuan was walking up from the lake bottom, stepping on the water, his gaze turned towards Baili An and Lin Yuan, his expression astonished.

It was his first time seeing a creature of the lake getting so close to an outsider.

Especially Lin Yuan.

He had not seen her smile like that in a long time.

Lin Guiyuan jogged up to the two and said, “Lin… Sister Lin Yuan, Mountain… Mountain Father said we can’t bring… outsiders into this… lake.”

Lin Yuan carelessly laughed, hugging Baili An’s shoulder and said, “But he is not human, nor is the deer.”

Startled, Lin Guiyuan lowered his head, murmuring for a while as if realizing it was true.

“Did you see Mountain Father?” Lin Yuan asked.

Lin Guiyuan nodded, “Mountain Father today… appeared odd.

He asked me… to open the mountain’s Barrier… claiming that outside, people were suffering from… Demon Spirit’s attacks.”

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