Chapter 88 – Eye Contact

“Jiaoyan doesn’t have Red Spider Lilies, nor does it have such a large, close moon.”

Lu Yuan stood up from the ground and once again carefully examined his surroundings.

The ground beneath his feet was soft, and as far as his eyes could see, there were Red Spider Lilies in full bloom everywhere.

A cool breeze blew through, causing the Red Spider Lilies across the hills to rustle, while the full moon hung motionless, and the river flowed smoothly.

The scene was so beautiful that Lu Yuan felt as if he were watching an ultra-high-definition cutscene from a top-tier game.

Lu Yuan walked down the slope, the Red Spider Lilies along the way brushing against his calves, making a soft rustling sound.

“Is this a mandatory trial after activating the extraordinary panel, or is it the work of that eerie bead from the Crow Deity sect?”

Lu Yuan couldn’t be sure, so he became even more cautious.

This dream was more realistic than the [imaginary enemy].

But he couldn’t exit it voluntarily, and he didn’t know what he would encounter next.

Passing through large patches of Red Spider Lilies, Lu Yuan arrived at the edge of the calm, flowing river.

The river was wide, and its surface was so smooth it was like a mirror.

The river’s surface reflected the Red Spider Lilies on both banks and the moon’s shadow.

Lu Yuan casually picked a Red Spider Lily and threw it into the river, watching as the silvery moonlight shattered into pieces, carried downstream by the water along with the petals.

“Is this a cosplay of the Underworld River?”

Lu Yuan took a few steps closer, tentatively dipping his right foot into the river.

The icy touch enveloped his ankle, and the surface of the river rippled gently, showing a floating human figure.

A handsome young man with disheveled hair, wearing a white T-shirt splattered with dark red blood spots, his face and body covered with numerous small scabs.

“Even in a dream, why not heal my wounds?”

Lu Yuan muttered to himself.

Unexpectedly, the next second.

Lu Yuan felt itching on his arms, face, and many places on his body.

He casually wiped his cheek, and tiny scabs fell off like crumbs, landing on the calm water.

“Did it really heal me?”

Lu Yuan tried swinging his arms, feeling unprecedented robustness and energy.

Even his severely injured arm was fully healed, and it seemed stronger than before.

A bit unexpected, but after all, this was a dream.

Lu Yuan began to step through the river water, moving slowly towards the enormous full moon ahead.

The cool moonlight bathed him, flowing peacefully with the river.

Soon, Lu Yuan noticed a silhouette of a tree appearing in his view.

The tree stood by the water of the Underworld River, right under the giant full moon.

Instinctively, Lu Yuan stopped walking.

He squinted, gazing at the tree from afar.

Suddenly, the shadow of the tree moved.

The entire tree abruptly dispersed, transforming into numerous black crows that took flight.

The flock of crows, born from the tree, fluttered under the full moon for a moment before gathering together again.

This time, they slowly formed the shape of a human figure.

Because of the distance, Lu Yuan couldn’t make out the details of the figure.

But he could tell it was a woman.

She stood beneath the full moon, on the surface of the Underworld River, her silhouette revealing an incredibly beautiful body outline.

The woman began to walk slowly towards Lu Yuan, step by step.

There was an indescribable elegance and composure in her movements.

Lu Yuan quietly admired her for a moment, then subtly clenched his fists, ready to throw a punch if necessary.

As the woman walked on the river’s surface, getting closer and closer to Lu Yuan.

Just as he was about to see her clearly.

“Splash—”

She shattered like an illusion, transforming back into countless crows that scattered and disappeared.

Gone?

Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment, turning his head to search for the woman’s traces, fearing she might suddenly reappear from somewhere.

“Splash, splash—”

Lu Yuan’s feet stirred the river water as he took a few steps.

As he turned, the dreamlike beauty of the entire world quickly faded.

The full moon at the river’s end silently turned completely blood-red.

Lu Yuan was taken aback, staring fixedly at the massive blood moon.

In the center of the blood moon, a black line appeared, with threads of pale white spreading around it.

It looked like an enormous eye.

And it too was silently watching Lu Yuan.

“Splash—”

The taut fishing line jerked, and a fish emerged, splashing water as it wriggled.

Its silvery scales gleamed with golden flecks in the morning sunlight.

“Ha!”

The Fishing Enthusiast, his skin tanned dark by the sun, quickly stood up from his small stool, his face breaking into a wide grin.

“How many is that today?”

Skillfully, he scooped the fish into the net and dropped it into the bucket, lifting his chin slightly with a look of pride as he glanced at his nearby companion who hadn’t caught a single fish.

The companion, around the same age and clearly there together, glanced at his own empty bucket, feeling so frustrated he wanted to kick the guy into the river.

“Get lost!” he snapped.

The Fishing Enthusiast wasn’t offended; he cheerfully re-baited his hook.

Once the hook was back in the water, he plopped back onto his small stool.

“Click—”

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a perfect smoke ring.

“Fishing is really about skill,” he began, one hand resting on the bucket filled with his “trophies,” ready to deliver a lecture.

But his companion cut him off sharply, “Shut up!”

The Fishing Enthusiast then noticed his companion’s eyes were glued to the river surface. The fishing rod in his hands had bent into a dramatic arc, though when it had happened, he hadn’t noticed.

“Whoa, you’ve hooked a big one!”

The Fishing Enthusiast immediately forgot everything else, yanking the cigarette from his mouth and extinguishing it forcefully, his whole body tensing with excitement.

“Easy, easy, don’t rush it now. Take it slow…”

His companion’s eyes were shining with determination, both hands gripping the rod tightly, like a warrior wielding a spear in a desperate battle.

The rod’s curve grew more pronounced, veins bulging on his hands, and he instinctively stood up from the stool.

The tugging continued for just half a minute before a huge commotion erupted on the water’s surface.

The Fishing Enthusiast’s eyes flashed with resolve. Gritting his teeth, he decided to pull the rod up with all his might.

With a massive splash.

In an instant.

A dark shadow burst out of the river, scattering the sunlit water in all directions.

The two Fishing Enthusiasts on the riverbank had been eagerly anticipating this moment, their mouths wide open as they let out a prolonged “Wow.”

But soon, their “Wow” quickly turned into a sharp and forceful—

“Damn!”

“Wow—damn!”

“Thud!”

The dark figure that leaped out of the water landed steadily on the shore, revealing itself to be a human figure.

The two Fishing Enthusiasts stumbled backward in shock, their faces filled with astonishment and disbelief.

What the hell? It wasn’t a fish; they had hooked a person?!

The person who emerged from the water was tall and well-built, with muscular arms and legs that suggested regular exercise. He looked like a young man who worked out regularly.

As soon as he got ashore, he began wringing out his wet clothes vigorously.

The two Fishing Enthusiasts began to recover from their shock.

“Impressive, Old Cao, you even managed to reel in a morning swimmer,” one of them muttered.

Before the other could respond, the man who had emerged from the water turned around at the sound.

Upon seeing his face, the two Fishing Enthusiasts, who had just started to calm down, suddenly felt their hearts leap into their throats again.

Their expressions turned from astonishment to sheer horror.