203: Chapter 203 A xylophone and an ancient tripod

Mo Lan's scream of terror was like a massive rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a towering wave within the Merfolk Race.

"Human Cultivators?!"

"Run!"

"Protect the Clan Chief! Protect the Shaman!"

Hundreds of merfolk, like a startled school of fish, broke out in shrill cries and desperate wailing. Most low-level merfolk swam frantically toward the depths of the lake in terror, kicking up a chaotic spray of water.

But there were also some young and hot-blooded merfolk girls who, despite having only meager cultivation at the Foundation Establishment or even Qi Refinement Stage, stood with bloodshot eyes, roaring as they blocked the way in front of Mo Yun, Mo Lan, and Mo Yun. Their simple bone spikes and coral forks trembled as they pointed them at Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying.

Deep-seated hatred and endless fear burned in their eyes. Their bodies instinctively shuddered from facing the direct pressure, yet they gritted their teeth, refusing to retreat even half a step.

"Go! Leave quickly!"

Mo Yun could clearly feel that the invisible pressure emanating from these two beautiful human women—especially the girl in the pink dress—was a hundred times more terrifying than any Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator they had ever encountered.

This power was likely enough to instantly crush their entire race into powder. She desperately pushed the young merfolk blocking the way, "Don't worry about us! Go!"

However, it was already too late.

Chi Wanhe's brows furrowed slightly as she took a gentle step forward.

An overwhelming and irresistible pressure instantly enveloped the entire lakeshore.

The lake water stopped rippling instantly, and the bodies of all the merfolk who were fleeing or attempting to resist suddenly stiffened. Only their terrified eyes could still move, revealing utter despair.

"We mean no harm."

Chi Wanhe's voice clearly reached the ears of every merfolk.

She did not intentionally release any killing intent, but this absolute difference in power was, in itself, the most potent declaration.

Xia Yingying looked at the faces twisted by fear and hatred, especially those young merfolk standing in front with low cultivation but stubborn gazes. She noticed old scars on some of the merfolk, clearly left behind recently.

"Senior Sister..."

Xia Yingying called out softly. After receiving a slight nod from Chi Wanhe, she took several bottles of high-quality healing Medicinal Pills from her storage ring, supporting them with gentle spiritual power as she slowly sent them to Mo Yun.

"This... these are healing Medicinal Pills; perhaps they will be useful for your injuries."

Her voice was clear and pure, carrying a natural kindness.

The pressure enveloping Mo Yun, Mo Lan, and Mo Yun vanished. They looked at the jade bottles floating before them with suspicion and uncertainty.

The medicinal fragrance was rich and concentrated. The quality of these pills was very high. Moreover, the pure aura of the girl in the water-green dress, which seemed untainted by the dust of the world, also moved their hearts.

This purity, intertwined with Chi Wanhe's powerful yet restrained pressure, formed a strange persuasiveness.

Considering that the opponents possessed the power to instantly annihilate their entire race but had not acted, and instead offered healing Medicinal Pills...

The fear and hatred in Mo Yun's eyes faded slightly, only for bitterness and a deep sense of helplessness to surge up.

They couldn't win, and they couldn't escape. If the other party had ill intentions, there would be no need for such a gesture. She bowed slightly, effectively conceding resistance.

With a thought, Chi Wanhe withdrew most of her pressure. Although the merfolk's bodies relaxed, they still felt a heavy pressure and dared not move rashly. The low-level merfolk huddled together, shivering, while the young merfolk girls still stood guard vigilantly before the Elders.

"Why do you fear us so much?"

Chi Wanhe looked at Mo Yun and asked directly, "We are merely passing through this place by chance; we did not come to hunt you down."

Mo Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the tremors in her heart, and said with grief and indignation: "Don't you humans... all want our merfolk pearls, merfolk tallow, and merfolk silk?"

"merfolk pearls? merfolk tallow?"

Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying glanced at each other, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.

Seeing the Clan Chief speak, Elder Mo Yun also couldn't help but say mournfully: "merfolk pearls are formed when we weep! It requires our race to be in extreme grief, with hearts as if pierced by knives, to shed those precious pearly tears! You humans then use torture and slaughter our kin just to force us to weep pearls!"

Anger also burned in Elder Mo Lan's eyes as she added: "And then there is merfolk tallow, for lamps that never go out! It requires carving our flesh and extracting our marrow, or even killing us directly to refine the oil for lamps!"

"And merfolk silk..."

After listening, both Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying showed expressions of shock and deep pity.

They had never imagined that such things could happen.

Chi Wanhe's brows locked tight as she said solemnly: "We Disciples of the Moonshadow Sect would never commit such inhumane acts! merfolk pearls and merfolk tallow—we do not need them, and we would certainly not stoop to such methods to obtain them!"

Xia Yingying nodded vigorously, her pure eyes full of sympathy:

"Senior Sister is right! Those people are too wicked!"

The determination in Chi Wanhe's words and the sincerity in Xia Yingying's eyes caused the tension in her heart to loosen a bit more.

This disgust for the atrocities and pity for their plight did not seem feigned.

...

A few days later, the group moved in the direction Xia Yingying sensed.

Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying did not fly through the air but instead trekked along with the Merfolk Race.

Mo Yun and the others were now basically convinced that these two powerful Cultivators truly meant no harm.

A young merfolk girl looked at the Medicinal Pills carefully put away by the Elders and couldn't help but ask Mo Lan in a low voice:

"Elder, are we really going to follow them?..."

Those merfolk girls were clearly still very wary of Chi Wanhe, only being held back by Mo Yun and the others.

Mo Lan looked at the backs of Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying ahead, then looked back at the lake that was growing more distant, her eyes filled with resolve:

"The Spirit-Infused Moss in that lake is almost harvested, and the water veins are drying up. We were going to relocate anyway. Following them is for the best."

During the journey, Chi Wanhe noticed the merfolk were all female and asked curiously: "Clan Chief Mo Yun, why does your tribe... seem to consist entirely of women?"

After several days of interaction, Mo Yun's wariness toward Chi Wanhe had lessened considerably. She also knew that Chi Wanhe was a Disciple from a distant cultivation kingdom, so it wasn't strange that she didn't know about the Merfolk Race.

Besides, this was no longer a secret. She remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Because our Merfolk Race reproduces through single-sex procreation. We call it Soul-Pulse Weaving."

"Soul-Pulse Weaving?"

Xia Yingying's almond eyes widened, filled with curiosity.

Mo Yun explained:

"A merfolk who wishes to conceive an offspring uses their own Bloodline as the thread and the memories deep within their Soul as the shuttle, expending their heart's blood to weave a special silk fabric containing life essence—Soul-Silk."

A look of sacredness intertwined with sorrow appeared in her eyes:

"Once the weaving is complete, the Shaman performs a ritual to submerge the Soul-Silk into our Holy Land, the Moon-Tear Coral Grove. The Soul-Silk will absorb the essence of the moon tides there for three years."

"After the three-year period, the Soul-Silk will naturally disintegrate into hundreds of eggs, sinking into the Sea-Moon Fetal Bed at the bottom of the coral grove. After another period of gestation, new tribe members will hatch from the eggs."

Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying were dumbfounded. This peculiar method of reproduction completely overturned their understanding of how life was born!

"So that's how it is..."

Chi Wanhe murmured, her gaze toward Mo Yun gaining a measure of respect. This Clan Chief was clearly the current Soul-Weaver Shaman of their tribe, bearing the heavy responsibility of continuing their entire race.

At that moment, Xia Yingying suddenly stopped and pointed to a mountain peak towering into the clouds ahead, her tone carrying a hint of excitement:

"Senior Sister, we've arrived! The place calling to me is right at the top of that mountain!"

Chi Wanhe's spirits lifted as she said to Mo Yun and the others:

"Wait here for a moment; Yingying and I will go up and investigate."

The merfolk stopped as instructed. Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying's figures flashed, turning into two streaks of light as they ascended to the summit of that mysterious mountain.

Amidst the swirling mist, the mountaintop was empty. There were only two things.

A Wooden Zither and an Ancient Tripod.

Besides those, there was nothing else. No Immortal Cave as imagined, no ruins, and certainly no living creatures.

Only this zither and tripod existed solitarily at the peak of this world, as if they had been there since time immemorial.

Xia Yingying looked at the zither. The sense of being called reached its peak, yet she was also filled with confusion. The thing calling her... was this zither?"}],