This was it, it had completely hit a sore spot for Shui Ling. She let out a cry, her tears erupting like two gushing waterfalls, truly a flood of sorrow.
Yan Jiaojiao was seeing someone, or rather, a spiritual entity, cry like this for the first time. She was stunned for a moment before trying to console her, "Don't cry, okay?"
Of course not, Shui Ling cried even harder.
The little black dog impatiently lifted its paw to cover its ears, glaring at the meddlesome Yan Jiaojiao.
"How about I go down and help you see what the reason is?" Yan Jiaojiao, at a loss, ventured to ask.
Shui Ling paused, her sobs slowly subsiding. She looked at Yan Jiaojiao with her large, innocent, and bewildered eyes.
"I take it you feel that humans ruined your home. How about I go with you to find out the reason? Perhaps we can let you live there again."
As long as she could confirm there were no dangers around the lake, and with Shui Ling's ability to summon endless rain, a little guidance on concentrating her rainfall would likely allow her to return to her lake dwelling, and peace would be restored.
The little black dog gazed at Yan Jiaojiao with an expression that clearly conveyed "Are you crazy?" It wanted to take a spiritual entity to confront humans? Wasn't that sending Shui Ling to her death?
Shui Ling listened for a moment and then seemed to understand. She slowly rose and flew towards Yan Jiaojiao, landing right in front of her.
As Shui Ling approached, Yan Jiaojiao felt a comfortable coolness, entirely different from the chilling sensation of her own magic. The abundant spiritual energy of water emanating from Shui Ling was enough to make cultivators want to absorb it madly.
Yan Jiaojiao then realized the precariousness of the situation. Leading Shui Ling down the mountain carelessly might not only fail to reclaim her home but could even put Shui Ling herself in danger.
Yan Jiaojiao hesitated. Seeing her stillness, Shui Ling first showed confusion, then impatience, and even a hint of anger.
"Uh, don't be anxious. Let me think about how to ensure your safety."
Yan Jiaojiao hurriedly tried to placate her, but Shui Ling didn't understand. As Shui Ling's eyes began to widen in anger, a cloak suddenly appeared from nowhere, enveloping Shui Ling completely.
It was none other than Dongfang Cangwu's cloak!
The little black dog once again cast a look of utter bewilderment at Yan Jiaojiao.
"Brilliant! This way, you won't be easily discovered," Yan Jiaojiao said, pulling down the hood of the cloak, completely concealing Shui Ling's watery face.
However, as Yan Jiaojiao's hand touched the fabric of the cloak, its uniquely soft texture made her heart skip a beat. She seemed to have felt it somewhere before.
Even the faint, cool fragrance on the cloak was familiar.
But before Yan Jiaojiao could ponder further, Shui Ling impatiently grabbed her wrist and plunged downwards. In no time, they reached the lake at the foot of the mountain.
Upon arriving, Yan Jiaojiao immediately noticed signs of water diversion. The water here had clearly been drained.
No wonder Shui Ling was so angry.
Even now, seeing her drained home, Shui Ling stamped her feet in fury, pointing frantically with her fingers, "They, it was them!"
A spiritual entity's ability to express itself was limited, and Yan Jiaojiao couldn't understand. She decided to follow the water diversion marks herself. Indeed, the traces of the diverted water extended to a large mansion a hundred meters away.
The mansion was very new, clearly recently constructed. Yan Jiaojiao, carrying the little black dog and Shui Ling, headed towards it.
As they approached, they realized the mansion was still under construction, with workers busy inside. In the center of the estate, there was a large artificial lake, with lotus ponds, rockeries, and pavilions already taking shape.
By the lake, a portly, large-bellied man stood out, positioned in the shade. He was shouting orders incessantly, "Hurry up! Be gentler with that, you guys! How can I move into the new house if you're all so slow?"
It seemed he was the owner of the mansion.
Yan Jiaojiao wasn't a stranger to natural spiritual entities. They disliked interacting with humans and would hide away, rarely revealing themselves, making them difficult to detect even when people lived nearby.
Earlier, Yan Jiaojiao had worried that someone had discovered Shui Ling's existence and drained the water to capture her. However, the current situation clearly indicated that this nouveau riche landowner, wanting to build a new mansion, had taken a liking to the small lake and, without hesitation, drained its water into his own courtyard.
Upon seeing the artificial lake, Shui Ling clearly sensed that the water quality, which she had once loved, had deteriorated. Furious and anxious, she leaped forward, intending to dive from the eaves.
Yan Jiaojiao hastily pulled her back, but when Shui Ling didn't want to be held, how could Yan Jiaojiao restrain her?
Her grip felt like grasping water, slipping through her fingers. Instead, the cloak was pulled off, exposing Shui Ling's translucent body to the sunlight!
Without a moment's pause, she rushed towards the plump man and, with a direct hit, sent him sprawling!
"Ah!"
The man was thrown to the ground with a loud cry. When he opened his eyes, he saw a water-like figure glaring at him, and his scream escalated into a high-pitched wail, "Aaaah!" He scrambled backward on all fours.
The surrounding craftsmen were also terrified by the bizarre sight, shouting in panic and fleeing in all directions.
"This is bad!"
Yan Jiaojiao thought to herself and immediately flew down, standing beside Shui Ling. She re-wrapped the cloak around Shui Ling and urged, "Let's go!"
Shui Ling could no longer pay attention to anything else. All she knew was that this fat man had stolen her home and dirtied it, and she wanted to vent her anger on him.
Immediately, a water sword flew from her palm, aiming directly at the man's face.
Yan Jiaojiao also hastily unleashed a blast of spiritual energy, knocking down the water sword and narrowly saving the man's life.
Looking at the ice sword that had landed between his legs, the stout man instantly soiled himself, and a foul, fishy odor permeated the air.
Shui Ling seemed to have never smelled such a stench. Her brow furrowed in discomfort, and her actions halted.
Yan Jiaojiao quickly seized the opportunity to restrain Shui Ling and, holding her arm, swiftly carried her away.
Channeling her spiritual energy, she sprinted back to the valley. Only then did Yan Jiaojiao release Shui Ling, "You were too impulsive! Weren't you afraid of bringing about your own doom?"
Shui Ling seemed still dazed by the shock of the foul odor and didn't understand her own value. She remained indignantly resentful.
Yan Jiaojiao then said, "You appeared among people today. Once the news spreads, cultivators will come to capture you. You can't return here anymore."
She could no longer live there.
Shui Ling understood this statement, and her face immediately showed a look of sorrow and panic. She murmured, "No, I don't want to, don't want to..."
As she spoke, she turned and began to manipulate the river water in the mountains. The yellow water churned and rolled, flowing down towards the foot of the mountain!