Although they looked exactly the same, the feeling they gave off was different, like two extremes. The “Lu Xi” who walked towards them always gave off a sense of discord.
It was hard to pinpoint where this feeling came from, but both people present felt it. The captain stared blankly at the person who walked out, unable to speak.
He stood in the middle, with two identical people in front and behind him. As the captain, he knew the purpose of this journey and was aware of the dangers. He had mentally prepared himself to face supernatural phenomena before setting out, but he hadn’t expected to be confronted with a scene like this first.
The Lu Xi behind him was in merfolk form, holding the target of this escort mission hostage. The Lu Xi in front of him was in human form, but with a red scar on his forehead.
The scar extended from the corner of his eye to his temple, like a blooming flower, with delicate petals spreading freely. The varying shades of red added a striking splash of color.
The captain stood there, stunned and not knowing what to do. Which of the two Lu Xis was real, and which was fake? Why had another Lu Xi walked out of the cabin? What was the relationship between them?
There were too many mysteries, one entangling another, like a ball of yarn tangled by a cat, impossible to unravel.
“Hmm, it seems there’s still a fish that escaped the net,” the human-form Lu Xi said. His voice was rich, deep, and pleasant to the ear, what young girls might describe as a voice that could make someone’s ears “pregnant.”
But no one was paying attention to how his voice sounded now. As soon as he spoke, the only two conscious humans knew that the reason the others in the cabin hadn’t shown up was related to this man.
The captain barely managed to stay upright on the constantly swaying ship, while the man opposite him stood steady, as if walking on solid ground, with a relaxed posture.
So the captain understood—this person couldn’t be judged by common sense either. In this uncertain situation, it was best not to do anything that might anger the other party. His mind was on high alert, his body instinctively adopting a defensive posture—an automatic self-preservation instinct when faced with absolute danger.
They had reached an unfamiliar sea area, with no signal, and unable to contact people on the shore. The lives of the other people on board were unknown, and there were two non-human beings whose intentions were unclear. The situation was more dangerous than any crisis he had ever faced.
The feeling of facing an unknown fate wasn’t pleasant. Ever since his cultivation had progressed, Li Shu hadn’t felt this way again. But after the other “Lu Xi” appeared, he felt threatened. Even the Lu Xi without all the past memories hadn’t given him this feeling. What did that imply?
It implied that the man outside the cabin who looked exactly like Lu Xi wasn’t actually Lu Xi, and might not even be a merfolk. The accident they encountered was most likely related to this person.
Lu Xi’s reaction was much more straightforward. He sensed the threat from the newcomer, a heavy sense of crisis striking directly at his soul. The black force sealed within him began to surge, winding around and scrambling to escape from the tiny crack in the seal.
Li Shu was certain he didn’t see wrong—when that power emerged, the man opposite them smiled.
It couldn’t be called a true smile, just a slight tug at the corner of his mouth. His gaze remained cold, and when he looked at those present, including Lu Xi, there was an unmelting ice in his eyes.
He didn’t regard them as equals but as objects, the only difference was when he looked at Lu Xi. How to describe it—it was like a child looking at their favorite toy.
The cold gaze could cause one to shiver involuntarily, the gaze more piercing than the wind against the skin.
Their eyes met, and Lu Xi frowned. He had always been emotionless, but at this moment, it was as if something had pierced through the thick shell around him. Initially, it was just a small crack, but with the combined forces of both internal and external pressure, the crack gradually expanded until it spread across the entire shell.
With a crack, something shattered.
“Why are you here?”
A cold voice sounded from behind Li Shu. This was the first time Lu Xi had spoken out loud after failing into this strange state. His voice was different from the man opposite him, lacking the deliberately crafted psychedelic atmosphere.
“Huh?” The man opposite was puzzled by Lu Xi’s words. According to his plan, the current Lu Xi shouldn’t have any consciousness; he should be in a completely unconscious state, not in this half-conscious state.
But it didn’t matter. He had prepared for this moment for so long, so what if there was a bit of consciousness left? The “sacrifice” he had prepared was already on the altar, and soon…
Soon, he would completely replace this person. He had been a shadow long enough and didn’t want to continue living like that. Why should that person live in the sunlight while he remained in the shadows? He was unwilling!
No one would have thought that a “shadow” could betray its master, right? The shadow and the master complement each other. The stronger the master, the more powerful the shadow would become.
The people who made that decision back then probably didn’t expect this day to come, but it didn’t matter. Once he succeeded, he would bring this good news to them. Good news was worth celebrating, and how could he celebrate alone? Of course, it would be best to celebrate with everyone, right?
No one knew what he was thinking, but there was a vague sense of foreboding.
Li Shu’s feeling was even stronger. Considering the original plot given by the system, he had an ominous premonition that the completion point of this world’s mission might be right here, or more precisely, it might be related to this “Lu Xi.”
But this was just a passing thought, and its accuracy couldn’t be verified. He was currently stranded at sea, wary of the two Lu Xis, and couldn’t contact the system. He had to rely on himself for everything.
Fortunately, this was a state Li Shu was very familiar with. Before the system, he had encountered crises like this more than once. There had even been more dangerous situations than this one, and he had come through them all. This time, he couldn’t use his own power, but that didn’t matter—wasn’t there still a Lu Xi?
Once trust was given, it wouldn’t be taken back.
That was how Li Shu felt about Lu Xi. Even though Lu Xi had lost all his memories and was acting purely on instinct, Li Shu still trusted him. Of course… he touched his neck which had stopped bleeding… there were some accounts that needed to be settled afterward.
Clear distinctions between gratitude and grudges—that was his code of conduct.
Lu Xi shielded Li Shu with one hand while glaring at the man opposite them. He felt a strange sense of familiarity with this person, mixed with a faint disgust. He was sure of it—it was disgust.
His handsome brows furrowed slightly. Since entering this state, he felt as if he was cut off from the world, experiencing an unreal sensation with everything, except for the person in his arms. This person he had temporarily removed from his list of food gave him a sense of closeness, as if holding him was like holding the entire world.
So even though he found him to be a delicious meal, he didn’t immediately devour him. Initially, he had planned to savor him slowly, but later, he completely abandoned the idea of eating him. This person gave him a sense of reality, and he wanted to take good care of him.
As for why he wanted to take care of him, he wasn’t sure, but he had a stubborn notion of bringing him back to his lair. So he did exactly that. He knew that humans couldn’t live underwater, so he planned to sail this ship directly to the sea area where he lived. For someone who could control the sea, this wasn’t difficult and could be easily done.
The person who suddenly appeared was completely unexpected. He didn’t care about this person’s identity or what he wanted to do, but since he had disrupted his plan, he had to take care of it.
The tension in the air was palpable, and the captain slowly edged to the side. In any situation, assessing the situation was crucial. Like now, he clearly understood that the confrontation between these two big shots was something he couldn’t interfere with. If he tried, he would end up as cannon fodder.
“Sir, you came uninvited. Shouldn’t you state your purpose?”
Li Shu suddenly spoke, breaking the cold atmosphere. The captain had already moved to the side, and perhaps out of disdain for the strength of humans, the other Lu Xi didn’t do anything to the captain. His gaze remained fixed on Lu Xi, but now that Li Shu had spoken, he successfully drew the man’s attention to himself.
“You’re still conscious?” The man asked this question, for reasons unknown.
Both Li Shu and the captain’s instincts were correct—the man didn’t regard them as worth noticing, just as humans wouldn’t pay attention to ants. This person was so arrogant that from the beginning to the end, the only person he focused on was Lu Xi.
“Why wouldn’t I be conscious? I’d like to ask, why did you come uninvited, sir?” Li Shu deliberately emphasized the words “uninvited,” making his attitude clear.
He wasn’t afraid of this man who looked exactly like the merman who nearly devoured him.
The man’s interest was piqued. He had the same abilities as Lu Xi and could clearly sense human emotions. Li Shu genuinely wasn’t afraid of him. He didn’t feel any fear from Li Shu, unlike the other human here, who, despite how calm he looked on the surface, couldn’t hide the fear seeping out from within.
That was the normal reaction.
This man… He retracted his gaze and refocused on Li Shu. His eyes, like the man himself, gave off a chilling feeling, as if standing in the shadow of a huge object covering the sky and blocking the sun. No matter which direction you ran, you couldn’t escape into the sunlight.
Even though the light was right before you and within reach, you couldn’t escape the shadow hanging over you no matter how hard you try. It followed you everywhere, impossible to shake off.
Li Shu stared directly into those cold eyes. The longer he did, the more he could feel how different this person was from Lu Xi. No matter how much he tried to mimic him, he was just a poor imitation. No matter how much he resembled him, it was all fake.
How could he compete with the real one?
“How interesting.” The man’s mouth continued to stretch into a grin, almost reaching his ears, and his laughter followed. It was an eerie sight because a human mouth shouldn’t open that wide, not to mention the sharp teeth within—those were definitely not human teeth.
He continued speaking, “It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone so interesting. I’ve changed my mind. After I deal with those eyesores, I’ll allow you to stay by my side. As for why I’m here, you’ll find out soon enough. What’s so good about this guy who could eat you at any moment? Come to my side…”
But before he could finish, someone interrupted angrily, “What did you say? You! Wish! Never!”
Each word was squeezed through clenched teeth.
