Chapter 5: Flee to Safety (Part 2)
That claw strike from Dai Huabin was no joke. Mademoiselle Chevaleyda felt the numbness shoot right through her pincer. This human brat packed a punch! Lord Usher was now thoroughly incensed—absolutely unforgivable! So uncouth! So barbaric! A fight was one thing, but trying to snatch their goods? His tentacles whipped into a frenzy, and the compressed water arrows came faster, denser, streaking at Dai Huabin like they cost nothing, forcing him to dodge and parry in a scramble. Where they struck the walls and ground, they left deep little pockmarks.
Madame Hevmayer had stopped her serene drifting. The moisture in the air thickened until you could practically wring it out. Her bubbles no longer floated lazily—they spawned at breakneck speed and came hurtling like cannonballs at Dai Huabin and his men, whose movements were growing ever slower, their footing ever slipperier. The bubbles burst on impact, splattering sticky, viscous puddles everywhere, sending the lackeys into complete disarray.
Dai Huabin was seething—and more than a little alarmed. What were these three? They looked like sea soul beasts, but their water manipulation was on another level entirely! The arrows hit like boulders, the bubbles were disgustingly troublesome, and that crab shell was hard as forged steel. His Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul was among the stronger assault-type variants out there, and yet somehow he couldn't dominate them?
Seizing the opening when Lord Usher's water arrows forced Dai Huabin back, Mademoiselle Chevaleyda steadied her grip. She was getting angry now too. Mostly because the mission was at risk of failing, and how was she supposed to face Furina after that? (Not that Furina would likely do much about it.) Her free claw slammed into the ground.
CRACK!
Fissures split the earth. From the cracks surged an impossibly pure, bitingly cold high-grade water element energy, gushing up like a geyser. It plowed into the two charging henchmen and sent them tumbling head over heels across the ground. The water looked crystal clear, but it was unnaturally heavy—the moment it touched you, it clung like a soaking wet quilt.
Dai Huabin flinched. That water's aura... it felt even purer than the soul power of the water-attribute elders back in his clan. He didn't have time to dwell on it, because the giant crab was already swinging her claw at him with a whistling rush of wind. He threw up his tiger claws to block.
BAM!
This time, his arms went numb. He stumbled backward several paces, disbelief splashed across his face. Where had this crab suddenly gotten such monstrous strength?!
The truth was, that supreme-grade water essence had temporarily buffed Mademoiselle Chevaleyda. Lord Usher and Madame Hevmayer had gotten the same boost, and their attacks sharpened accordingly. The bubbles devolved into thick, clinging mists that tangled around ankles. The water arrows grew colder and more vicious.
The three non-humans worked in seamless tandem—the crab tanking and trading blows up front, the octopus laying down ranged harassment, the seahorse controlling the field with debuffs. Dai Huabin and his increasingly bedraggled posse, by contrast, looked like a gang of clowns being run in circles.
The commotion was growing far too loud now. It finally drew the attention of the outer patrol guards and several servants who came rushing over. When they saw their young master locked in a pitched battle against three bizarre, dripping-wet soul beasts they'd never laid eyes on—and losing ground, at that—they were stunned.
"Young Master!" "Quick, help him!" "What kind of soul beasts are those?!"
A few guards with decent soul power cultivation summoned their martial souls and charged in. But the moment they stepped into that sodden, bubble-strewn, puddle-riddled zone, something felt wrong. Their movements slowed. Their soul power circulation turned sluggish. The three strange creatures' teamwork was simply too tight—water arrows, bubbles, and crab claws came at them from every direction. The guards couldn't get any leverage; they were more of a hindrance than a help.
Dai Huabin's face burned with humiliation. With so many people watching, he couldn't even handle three mysterious "sea soul beasts"? He roared in fury, his attacks growing more reckless—and riddled with openings. Mademoiselle Chevaleyda read him perfectly, tanked one swipe head-on, and then swung her other claw in a brutal horizontal arc. It caught him square and sent him slamming into the wall, gasping for breath. The guards scrambled to shield him.
"Young Master! Are you alright?" "These soul beasts are too strange! Protect the Young Master and fall back!"
Seeing their master take a solid hit threw the guards and servants into a mild panic. The plain truth was, these three things were near impossible to land a clean hit on, impossible to pin down, slippery as eels, and their coordination was impeccable. Not to mention that weird water—cold, heavy, and miserable to have on you. Exchanging glances, they warily kept their eyes on Mademoiselle Chevaleyda and the others while hauling up the livid, still-struggling Dai Huabin and slowly retreating.
Mademoiselle Chevaleyda's group saw them pulling back and didn't pursue. The mission wasn't to fight. The moment a gap opened up, the three of them—with flawless synchronicity—spun around, darted into the labyrinth of narrow alleyways, and vanished in a heartbeat.
Huo Yuhao had been on edge all day. A huge racket had erupted outside just now—the sounds of clashing soul power and shouting men. Gripping a rusty old knife, he huddled in the deepest corner of their shabby little room, eyes locked on the door, heart hammering in his chest. His mother had finally gotten better after eating those strange sweets left by who-knew-who, and she was resting now. Nothing could be allowed to disturb her.
Suddenly, he heard something approaching fast—a weird, rustling, watery noise. Not human footsteps.
Every hair on his body stood on end. He held the knife across his chest. Held his breath.
The next second, the flimsy, hole-ridden door that barely kept out the wind was half knocked off its hinges with a bang.
Huo Yuhao nearly screamed. Three shadows shot inside—a floating blue seahorse? A crab with enormous raised claws? And a round, suit-clad octopus? All three were dripping wet and looked to be in a frantic hurry.
They spotted him at exactly the same moment: a knife-wielding child in the corner, face frozen in terror and wary defiance.
Both parties froze.
Then the giant crab seemed to hesitate. Quickly, it tossed the little pouch and the crumpled paper ball clamped in its claw—plop—onto the floor right in front of his feet.
That done, the three bizarre creatures acted as if they'd just completed a sacred mission. Without lingering a single extra second, they whirled around and shot back out the door, disappearing so fast it was like dogs were snapping at their heels.
Huo Yuhao stood completely paralyzed, his knife hand still trembling. He stared at the doorway for a long, long time, confirming those three monsters had truly gone. Only then did he creep forward, still shaken, and cautiously poke at the little pouch with the tip of his knife.
Heavy. From inside came the crisp clink of metal.
He used the knife to nudge the crumpled paper open. Crooked, scrawled handwriting filled it.
Utterly bewildered, he couldn't make heads or tails of what had just happened. What were those three? Why had they thrown these things at him and bolted? He peered warily at the doorway, then back at the items on the ground. His small face was a knot of confusion and disbelief.