Chapter 45

Yu Tao and the others’ spare boat returned to Yongning Town the following evening.

According to news from the Immortal Alliance, the group of cultivators who stayed behind in the town had no idea what had happened in the secret realm. They were completely unprepared and were all captured on the spot by the Immortal Alliance. How they would be dealt with next was left to the Immortal Alliance.

As for the poisonous mist surrounding the town, without the repeated poisonings by this group, it had turned back into ordinary white mist. From now on, the residents of Yongning Town would no longer be troubled by the toxic fog.

In order to thank them, the people in the town hosted a local-style banquet.

There was a bonfire and a Hundred Fish Feast. They sincerely invited them to join without hesitation. The disciples of the Wuchang Sect had originally planned to return to the sect, but the townspeople’s enthusiasm was too much for them to resist, so they decided to stay for the night and leave the next day.

Hua Lian was pulled away by Song Hong to help deal with the remaining poison mist, and Wen Ming didn’t escape either, so it left the four of them in the town.

Yu Tao wasn’t fond of crowded settings, so she awkwardly glanced around and sat down at a table in the corner. Lu Qingyu and Zhu Mingyu, noticing, sat with her.

Lu Qingyu asked, “I saw people from the Immortal Alliance catching several people in the town yesterday. Was that you guys?”

Zhu Mingyu also asked, “What were you guys doing on the island?”

Senior Brother Yu Li had told them to leave the secret realm, but hadn’t told them what they were supposed to do afterward. Zhu Mingyu was quite curious about it.

Yu Tao picked up a fruit from the table, dark red with a hint of black. It looked very sweet. While peeling it, she explained, “We found the source of the toxic mist. It wasn’t from the secret realm, it was man-made.”

She couldn’t talk about the mermaid matter, so she explained what she could: “Didn’t Little Senior Brother say there was no toxic mist on the island, only over the sea? I’m familiar with the sea’s climate.”

“The sea breeze blows inland at night. If someone deliberately poisons the ocean currents at the junction of airflows, the toxic mist will spread within half an hour, creating the illusion that the mist is coming from the depths of the sea.”

Lu Qingyu nodded. “So it was them. Those were the ones the Immortal Alliance captured yesterday.”

Yu Tao nodded in agreement, took a bite of the peeled fruit, and immediately made a face. It was so sour it felt like her teeth were going to fall out.

Such a beautiful exterior, yet such a sour interior. What a fruit assassin, Yu Tao thought, covering her teeth.

“This fruit is usually soaked in wine to mellow the spiciness, not eaten raw.”

Yu Li walked over and naturally sat beside her, handing her a cup of clear water. “Drink this.”

“Thank you, Little Senior Brother.” Yu Tao took the water and drank a sip. It was sweet, pear water, which instantly relieved some of the sourness in her mouth.

At the banquet, beautiful young women and men danced around the bonfire, wearing local costumes. The evening breeze blew, and the sound of silver bells jingling filled the air.

The table was laden with various fish dishes. After all, this was a town whose main livelihood came from fishing, so fish were the most abundant.

Yu Tao scanned the dishes on the table, took a small plate, and picked up some light fish. She carefully removed the bones and placed it in front of Yu Li.

With a gentle smile, she said, “Here.”

Over the past month, she had noticed some of Little Senior Brother’s little habits.

For example, he liked steamed fish, as it was the freshest, and he really disliked the bones in fish. If he accidentally bit into a bone while eating, he would show a displeased expression. Though he only slightly furrowed his brows, she noticed it right away.

Zhu Mingyu was currently struggling with the fish on her own plate, getting frustrated while picking out the bones. When she looked up, she saw Yu Tao placing a full plate of tender white fish meat in front of Yu Li.

Zhu Mingyu: ?

She was a bit speechless. “Are you keeping him as a pet? He has hands, you know.”

Lu Qingyu, seeing Yu Tao’s familiar actions, was reminded of how she fed her cats the same way. He poked his chopsticks and asked, “By the way, Taotao, where’s your cat? I haven’t seen it around.”

Yu Tao froze for a moment. How should she explain that her cat… was actually Little Senior Brother?

Would Little Senior Brother want others to know about this?

Just as she was struggling to figure out what to say, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw the black cat standing on her shoulder, its fluffy tail resting on her arm.

Zhu Mingyu took a bite of fish. “It’s right here. Cats love to play, and with all the fish around here, it probably ran off to have some fun.”

Yu Tao quickly hugged the cat to her chest, feeling guilty. “Mm, Lili just went off to play somewhere else.”

Lu Qingyu casually nodded but couldn’t help glancing between the black cat and Yu Li. The cat’s appearance was quite “timely.”

At first, she had thought the cat was Yu Li himself, but then, seeing both the person and the cat appear together, she had dismissed the thought.

Now that she thought about it, it wasn’t entirely impossible. Cultivators in the God Transformation stage had perfected their Soul. Though the Soul’s strength wasn’t as powerful as the physical body, its pressure was on par with the body itself. Moreover, a cultivator’s Soul could change shape at will.

Town Chief Miao personally brought them some wine. “This wine is home-brewed, made from local fruits. Immortal ones, please give it a try.”

“Really, we are so grateful to you all. This kindness, we will never forget!”

Town Chief Miao said, finishing a large cup of wine. The young men behind him also drank their cups in turn.

The Wuchang Sect disciples, unable to resist the warmth, also toasted back. Only Yu Tao quietly sipped her pear juice.

She still vividly remembered the disaster caused by drinking wine last time. There was no way she was touching any alcohol this time.

After eating and drinking, the banquet was nearly over. She escorted the slightly tipsy Lu Qingyu and Zhu Mingyu back to their rooms, and then took the cat to the room that had been arranged for her. After a bath, the cat disappeared on its own, as usual.

She was about to sleep when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Yu Tao put on her outerwear and opened the door to find Zhu Qianying standing there. She smiled when she saw her. “Miss Yu.”

Yu Tao nodded in greeting and then asked, “Is there something you need?”

Zhu Qianying bit her lip and hesitated for a moment. “Although we don’t know each other well, coming to you so suddenly is a bit abrupt, but the reason I came to find you this late is to ask for a favor.”

“It’s about Uncle Su, the head of the Su family, Su Chengfeng. You can listen first and then decide if you want to help.”

Yu Tao was curious about why Su Chengfeng had gone to such lengths to find her that day, so she nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Uncle Su had a very loving wife, but unfortunately, she passed away sixteen years ago, leaving behind a daughter named Su Liuli.”

“Uncle Su cherished her deeply, but fate was cruel. Several years ago, Su Liuli also passed away in an accident, leaving him all alone.”

Zhu Qianying wiped her tears and slowly continued, “Uncle Su became ill from missing his daughter. In recent years, he’s been somewhat obsessed, constantly believing that his daughter is still alive.”

“A few days ago, he saw you at the Wuchang Sect’s Elder’s birthday feast. Because you resemble his daughter, he started saying that you were his daughter and treated you as such. No one could convince him otherwise.”

“Originally, he planned to come find you the day after the feast, but you had already left for Xuanyue Sea. Then, when the accident in the secret realm happened, he quickly sent people to search for you. Unfortunately, we weren’t very lucky and spent a month at sea before finding the secret realm.”

“We heard that your ship had returned, so we rushed back. But when we asked the disciples, we learned that you hadn’t come back to the island. He was afraid something had happened to you, so he sent people to search again. I’ve already sent word to him, and he should be back tomorrow.”

Su Liuli. Yu Tao remembered that name.

The previous post had mentioned how she resembled Su Liuli, which was why her master had taken her as a disciple.

Zhu Qianying’s story matched what she had seen on the island and connected all the dots. So that was the reason.

Yu Tao sighed. “So what do you want me to do?”

“Although this is indeed very sad, Uncle Su is the head of the family. He has been neglecting his duties and wandering at sea for over a month. The household is in chaos and needs his attention.”

Zhu Qianying took a deep breath and said firmly, “I want you to tell him that you are not his daughter. Break his delusion and help him face reality.”

“It would be more effective for you to tell him than for us to say it a hundred times, so I ask for your help, Miss Yu.”

The request didn’t seem unreasonable. Yu Tao thought for a moment before agreeing. “I can do that, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to convince him.”

Zhu Qianying smiled slightly. “Thank you, Miss Yu. I will come find you tomorrow.”

The next morning, before dawn, Hua Lian and Wen Ming, who had spent the night doing hard labor, returned, looking exhausted and yawning as they went to rest.

Zhu Mingyu and Lu Qingyu also slept in a bit longer after drinking too much the previous night. The other disciples began to leave the town, and with the disappearance of the toxic fog, the fishermen were able to set sail again.

When everyone had rested and was ready to leave for their sects, Yu Tao finally saw Su Chengfeng returning from the sea, looking weary. As soon as he saw her, his expression seemed momentarily dazed.

This time, Su Chengfeng had fewer subordinates with him, only Zhu Qianying following behind.

Zhu Qianying nodded at her and gave a light smile, to which Yu Tao returned a knowing glance.

Zhu Mingyu and Lu Qingyu narrowed their eyes, watching Zhu Qianying. They were both wondering when she had started contacting Yu Tao.

It seemed like Su Chengfeng had finally snapped back to reality. “Yu… Your name is Yu Tao, right?”

Yu Tao nodded.

“Could you step aside for a moment?”

Yu Tao readily agreed, jumping off Yu Li’s sword. “Senior Brother, wait for me a moment. I’ll be right back.”

They went to a dock where only the two of them were present. Su Chengfeng took a good look at Yu Tao’s appearance, and she truly resembled Ah Yu.

She also had some resemblance to Yinyin.

“You’re sixteen this year?” he asked.

Yu Tao nodded again. “Yes.”

Su Chengfeng’s expression grew tense as he stared at her intently. “What is your mother’s name?”

“Yu Sheng,” Yu Tao answered simply.

“Yu Sheng…” Su Chengfeng repeated the name twice. Although it was different, people could always change their names. He continued asking, “Where is your mother now?”

Yu Tao was a bit confused. Didn’t he say this was about the daughter? Why was he asking about her mother?

But there was no harm. Yu Tao calmly responded, “My mother passed away.”

Su Chengfeng was stunned. “…How? When?”

Yu Tao shook her head. “I don’t quite remember when. I was very young, just a vague impression.”

“Uncle Su, is it alright if I call you that?” she asked. “Um, Uncle Su, I think you should take care, don’t fall too deep into grief. You should walk out of the shadow soon and embrace a new life.”

Su Chengfeng fell silent for a long while. “You’re right.”

He had said the same thing to Yinyin back then.

But…

Yu Tao froze for a moment. Huh? She had just started, why did it feel like it was already over?

This actually made things simpler. She smiled and said, “I’m glad you understand. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now. My friend is still waiting for me.”

“Your mother…”

Yu Tao turned back. “Hmm?”

Su Chengfeng sighed. “Has she been happy these years since she left?”

Why was he bringing up her mother again? Yu Tao was puzzled, but as she recalled her memories of her mother, she remembered that her face was always gentle, smiling softly. No matter what she did, she never got angry, and her temper was especially good.

Thinking this, Yu Tao felt that her mother must have been happy.

But then, on that day, when her mother took her to see the sunset over the sea, the red sun sank into the golden-red depths of the sea, and they were on a small boat, drifting aimlessly, not knowing where they were headed.

There were no storms that day, yet her mother fell into the sea.

Yu Tao thought again. She had never seen her mother interact with the nearby villagers. Perhaps her mother wasn’t happy. The smile she always wore was probably just a protective facade.

But who could say for sure? She wasn’t her mother, and would never truly know.

The waves crashed against the dock, splashing beautiful blue and white foam, sparkling in the sunlight, bright as pearls.

Yu Tao looked out at the sea, smiled, and said, “My mother was a fish, a free and carefree fish.”