Ye Ju and Xiao Bai sat on the stone benches on the bow deck. A stone table was placed there, on which Ye Ju had brewed spiritual fruit tea. Xiao Bai gave Ye Ju a surprise; the stone table and benches were spat out by Xiao Bai. Ye Ju couldn't imagine how Xiao Bai had managed to fit such a large stone table into her spiritual space.
Ye Ju still fetched seawater to wash the stone table and benches, washing away the saliva-like feeling. Blowing in the gentle sea breeze and drinking fruit tea, she felt a bit like she was on an outing.
“Xiao Bai, you went into the sea to play this morning. Are there any treasures in the sea?” Ye Ju asked Xiao Bai with a smile. Earlier, while chatting with Xiao Mo, she would often go into the sea to catch fish to eat. After eating cooked food with Ye Ju for so long, Xiao Bai would occasionally go into the sea to catch some favorite fish for a treat.
“Sister, hehe, such a money-grubber. This sea is not as good as the island. There are no treasures at all, and the fish are not as delicious as those on the island.” She said with a look of disdain.
“Sister~ Sister, when are we having lunch? I want to eat the fish soup you made.” Xiao Bai acted spoiled towards Ye Ju.
Looking at the sky, it was indeed noon. She went to the stern and saw that Xiao Bai had caught a large, unknown fish weighing over twenty pounds. After thinking for a moment, she decided to slice it for grilled fish fillets. The bones could be used to make fish soup with dried bamboo shoots.
She squeezed into the kitchen and took out the night-blooming pearl to illuminate the area. Although light filtered into the cabin, it was still quite dark. She decided to use firewood to save spiritual energy and reduce the weight of the firewood, thus freeing up space for organizing. She planned to first pan-fry the fattest parts of the fish on a specially made stone slab. This way, the stone slab would have oil, preventing sticking. She then grilled the marinated fish slices on both sides. In another pot, she added dried bamboo shoots and fish bones, poured in spiritual spring water, and began to stew them simultaneously. Usually, Xiao Bai would help, but now that they were sailing, it was safer to have someone outside. Xiao Bai did not enter the kitchen.
Suddenly, the ship jolted violently, almost spilling the fish soup in the pot. Ye Ju used a spiritual energy shield to cover it and went out to check. She saw a giant octopus entangled with Xiao Bai about five meters away from the bow of the ship.
“Master, don’t worry. That squid can’t defeat Xiao Bai. It tried to sneak attack me just now, but I zapped it,” Xiao Mo’s calm voice came through. In reality, Ye Ju couldn’t hear Xiao Mo’s voice, but after their contract, Xiao Mo’s consciousness was directly projected into Ye Ju’s mind.
Ye Ju looked at the large squid and shouted to Xiao Bai:
“Xiao Bai, chop off the squid’s tentacles! They are the best for pan-frying!”
“Alright! Sister, wait!” Xiao Bai heard that the tentacles were delicious and stopped playing. She didn’t mind the sticky mess anymore. With a few ice blades, she sliced off all eight tentacles of the squid. Ye Ju immediately flash-froze them, and Xiao Bai dragged them all back with her tail. The squid was left with only its head, slick and bare. My goodness, facing the ferocious Ye Ju and Xiao Bai, it immediately sank into the sea and fled. As it fled, it didn't forget to spray a large cloud of ink.
Xiao Mo turned its tail and circled around this patch of sea before slowly stopping.
Ye Ju was processing the tentacles on the deck, her mind already conjuring images of pan-fried squid and salt-and-pepper squid tentacles! Her mouth watered. Was this guy here to provide extra food?
Returning to the kitchen, she got to work with great enthusiasm, taking out all the spices she had found earlier. Once everything was prepared, she filled all the pots and then brought them out to the stone table. The one person and two beasts ate heartily. Even Xiao Mo, smelling the aroma, climbed onto the deck from the water, opened its mouth wide, and waited to be fed.
Ye Ju could feel Xiao Mo’s joy while eating the delicious food. Another foodie was born. This was the charm of Chinese cuisine. After eating, Xiao Mo returned to the water to rest, as it couldn't stay out of water for too long.
“Sister, this thing called a squid is too delicious. Will it come back tomorrow?” Xiao Bai, after eating, was still thinking about it.
Ye Ju: … Its limbs were all chopped off, and it’s still coming back…
She had only cooked three squid tentacles, but there were five more left.
“Xiao Bai, there are more. Sister will make them tomorrow. They are indeed too delicious, and Sister wants to eat them tomorrow too.”
This time, the aroma even attracted Xiao Mo. Ye Ju asked Xiao Bai to fly around for a radius of ten miles to see if there was any danger. She was also worried about sea beasts lurking in the depths. Xiao Bai obediently transformed into a giant four-tailed fox, released its aura, and patrolled around the ship.
Ye Ju, full and content, used her spiritual power to wash the tableware in the sea. She then put them away in the kitchen and went to sleep on her small bed, with the protective amulet placed beside her.
When Xiao Bai returned, she saw her master sister sleeping soundly. She could also feel the spiritual energy elements around them surging into her body. She also transformed into a small fox and fell asleep next to Ye Ju.
At this moment, the protective amulet flew out of the deck and set up a barrier within a ten-meter radius around the ship. Xiao Mo also sensed it and hid beneath the ship to slumber.
This octopus was the overlord of this hundred-mile radius, a demon general level being, full of demonic power. All its demonic energy was concentrated in its tentacles, which were all chopped off. How could Ye Ju’s ship, people, and beasts not advance after eating?
In her sleep, Ye Ju dreamed she was swimming in the water. The water pressure from all directions squeezed towards her. Ye Ju remembered she could control water, so why was it difficult to breathe? Just as her chest was about to explode, Ye Ju mobilized the white element in her dantian, slowly repairing her chest cavity along the meridians. The blue water element in her dantian also circulated through her entire meridians.
At this moment, Ye Ju had forgotten to breathe. She felt as if she had merged with the water; she was water, and water was her. The water pressure disappeared, and the water became affectionate towards Ye Ju. This feeling was like the freedom she felt when lying in her mother's womb during infancy.
*Bang!* Ye Ju was startled awake by a loud noise. Xiao Bai had already darted out. Ye Ju also followed closely. The sky outside was not yet dark; the residual light of the setting sun still lingered on the horizon. Ye Ju saw Xiao Bai already fighting a giant tentacle on the sea surface ten meters away.
It turned out that after defeating the smaller one, the older one had come. It attempted a sneak attack but hit the barrier set by the protective amulet, causing a violent collision that woke Ye Ju and the others. Xiao Mo also slowly surfaced, its body swelling, clearly angered by the older squid’s actions. The electric eel, which had been dominant on the island for many years, could not tolerate this.
Xiao Bai transformed into its true form, over 3 meters tall, constantly unleashing ice blades, with its sharp claws occasionally attacking. The giant tentacles of the dozens of meters tall sea monster were very flexible and dodged the ice blades. Its mucus also drove Xiao Bai crazy. When the ice blades hit the tentacles, the mucus made them slip, rendering them ineffective. The tentacles flying all over the sky made Xiao Bai unable to defend herself. In the eyes of the sea monster, Xiao Bai’s size was like an insect.
Accidentally, Xiao Bai was wrapped by a tentacle and was about to be dragged into the sea monster’s gaping maw. Just as Ye Ju was about to intervene, Xiao Mo moved. A bolt of lightning directly scorched the tentacle black, giving Xiao Bai the chance to break free and fly into the air. She continuously spat foxfire and ice blades.
The electric eel, Xiao Mo, also continuously attacked with strong currents. However, the sea monster’s defense was too formidable. It only sustained superficial injuries, not critical ones. In the long run, Xiao Bai and Xiao Mo were bound to be at a disadvantage.
Ye Ju couldn't bear it any longer and thought of the scene in her dream, where she was water, and water was her. Ye Ju leaped into the sea, and the waves steadily caught her. The waves carried Ye Ju silently closer. The sea monster’s weaknesses were its eyes and head. Ye Ju condensed two types of spiritual energy on her fingertip and roared:
“Ice and Fireball! Explode!”
“Ice Blade! Go!”
Two attacks struck the sea monster’s head and eyes respectively.
*Boom! Roar!* A massive explosion accompanied the sea monster’s dying screams, shaking the sea surface and creating a wave of air that dispersed. Even the ship within the barrier trembled. Outside, waves instantly rose.