The large, charred humanoid figure that had fallen into the water soon resurfaced.
Compared to the intact form she had initially seen, what remained was likely less than a third of its original size. From her perspective, it appeared to be roughly the section from the shoulders down to the waist—though she couldn’t be entirely sure. The pitch-black mass was already difficult to distinguish, and the torrential rain battered it, causing it to bob up and down, making identification nearly impossible.
But that was no longer the pressing issue. Now, she only wanted to understand why, after clearly having swallowed the charred figure earlier, it had now spat it back out. Could its habits align with those of snakes, where a full stomach hindered hunting? Or was this simply indigestible residue?
Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed, followed immediately by a deafening thunderclap. Sha Yi was startled, but before she could react, she saw that the lightning had struck precisely at the discarded ochre-colored thick vine—its target unmistakable.
This time, she saw the moment the vine was struck with absolute clarity. Though the lightning nearly blinded her, the vine’s eerie green phosphorescence rivaled the brilliance of the bolt, standing out starkly against the blinding white light.
Recovering from the shock, Sha Yi realized that this latest strike had affected a much wider area. Many of the trees surrounding the thick vine had suffered damage, yet the vine itself remained unharmed—only the floating green specks of light had diminished slightly.
Meanwhile, in the deep waters at an angle from their position, the enormous carnivorous serpent-grass that had been floating on the surface had now half-retreated into the water, as if terrified of the lightning. Even its massive, snake-like stems and leaves trembled as they submerged. Amid the rippling waves, Sha Yi caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure darting swiftly through the loosened, coiling stems.
It was Xi Yi!
Her heart leapt. Without hesitation, she grabbed a long, curved branch from the shore and extended it toward the approaching figure in the water.
The moment Xi Yi surfaced, he spotted the branch she held out and instantly understood. Gripping it tightly, he used her support to swiftly pull himself toward the shore.
His strength and agility far surpassed hers, and within moments, he had climbed onto land.
Sha Yi felt a surge of relief—until disaster struck at the last second. The carnivorous serpent-grass had followed him.
The lightning had just ended, and it dared not fully emerge, but it took advantage of the water’s turbulence to stealthily extend several of its serpentine, fleshy stems. Before either of them could react, one coiled tightly around Xi Yi’s leg.
Just like that, Xi Yi—who had already pulled most of his body onto land—was dragged halfway back into the water.
Seeing the serpent-grass preparing to yank him further under, Xi Yi angrily freed one hand, drew his bone knife, and slashed at the thick stem wrapped around his knee. Dark red fluid splattered as the severed tendril rapidly retracted.
Sha Yi exhaled slightly in relief and bent down to help pull him up—only to spot another purplish-black stem shooting toward them from beneath the water. Before either of them could react, it coiled tightly around Xi Yi’s ankle with a tenacity that suggested it would never let go.
She gasped, and Xi Yi froze momentarily. But his adaptability far outpaced hers. He immediately swung his bone knife again, hacking at the stem entangling his leg. Unfortunately, the blade’s sharpness had dulled, and luck wasn’t always on his side. The more he struck, the less effective each slash became, and the more effort it required. Worse, every time he severed one stem, another took its place—an endless cycle that addressed only the symptoms, not the root cause.
This was no way to fight!
Now, she even began to suspect that the serpent-grass had regenerative abilities. No matter how many stems Xi Yi hacked apart, there always seemed to be more. She had counted at least a dozen of those massive, snake-like tendrils retracting and striking again. If it didn’t possess extreme regeneration, where were all these undamaged stems coming from?
Before, she hadn’t thought the carnivorous serpent-grass was particularly formidable. Compared to the bloodsucking vine-trees, its only terrifying aspects were its appearance and aquatic habitat. It relied solely on water currents for perception, lacking vision entirely, and could only kill prey through drowning or strangulation—both water-based methods.
But now, she realized how naive she had been. The evolution and selective survival of a species could never be so simple!
This serpent-grass was practically unkillable—its vulnerabilities were nearly impossible to pinpoint. It thrived in water, possibly even capable of moving its roots freely, and now it seemed to possess some bizarre regenerative ability. It was a nightmare to deal with.
No wonder Xi Yi had been trapped underwater for so long without escape—those stems were endless!
After some thought, she concluded that its only weakness must be lightning.
Had it not been for the second bolt striking the ochre vine earlier, Xi Yi might already have drowned.
With that realization, Sha Yi quickly wedged the curved branch between two small tree roots and sprinted toward the still-glowing ochre vine.
Xi Yi noticed her movement and turned—only to see her running straight for the vine. He shouted, his voice thick with urgency.
He had witnessed the lightning strike the vine, and combined with her earlier hints and actions, he had likely already categorized it as dangerous. Now, seeing her charge toward it, he was frantic—but still entangled by the serpent-grass, powerless to stop her.
She ignored him.
There was no telling when the next lightning strike would come. She had to act in the brief lull, or she might lose this only chance. If she didn’t act now, Xi Yi’s strength would soon be exhausted, and then she’d be unable to help him at all.
Sha Yi remained silent and focused until she had dragged the vine to the deep waters. Only then did she pause to catch her breath.
Seeing this, Xi Yi—still busy hacking at the serpent-grass stems—instantly understood her plan. Without needing further instruction, he gave a quick nod, signaling he was ready.
Without hesitation, Sha Yi shoved the vine directly onto the serpent-grass’s thick stems in the water.
As expected, the moment the heavy, slippery vine made contact, the serpent-grass swiftly unraveled its many snake-like tendrils, coiling around the vine in an instant.
With the vine now occupying the serpent-grass’s attention, only two or three stems remained wrapped around Xi Yi’s leg. He swiftly severed them with his bone knife and, in one fluid motion, leapt onto the shore. At last, he was free.
Though relieved, Sha Yi didn’t let her guard down. She pulled Xi Yi far away from the deep waters.
If all went as expected, the next lightning strike would hit the serpent-grass—and the water would conduct the electricity. If there were any other carnivorous plants lurking beneath the surface in that area, they too would meet the same fate as this monstrous serpent-grass: certain death.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage