11 Chapter 11

As soon as In He stepped into the murky waters of Zheng Li Hu, a host of furiously screaming spirits surrounded him, dragging the young man to the bottom, strewn with fragments of bones.

– Come with us! - they hissed. – So you can gain true immortality! As soon as your soul separates from your body, you will forget about everything that he had to go through, about those who ever hurt it, and about the suffering that fell to it a lot.

As if heeding their call, the strands of In He's hair, having gained unexpected strength, sharply squeezed his neck, weaving into a garrote, the young man wheezed, and icy water gushed into his throat, causing a dull cough.

"I'm drowning," – he thought peacefully. "So that's how it is when you die. I wonder if other drowned people felt the same at the moment of death as I did?".

When his back touched the bumpy bottom, In He slowly curled up into a ball on the sand, watching the water spirits impatiently bobbing on the waves right above his head.

– The swindler! – swore they. – Why are you still alive? Don't you know that it's indecent to keep others waiting? Any being from the middle world loses his mind and dies when he gets into Zheng Li Hu, but you are able to resist his charms. Who are you?

– He's definitely a man, – one of the spirits exclaimed, swimming up to In He. – A man, only some kind of wrong. I see the radiance emanating from the golden core in his body, but I don't feel its power, as if the core is not real. – Hey, caster, – the spirit unceremoniously pulled In He's belt, – take off these rags, I want to review your body.

Twitching, In He threw off the spirit, and his pupils narrowed like a snake, slightly flashing in the dark.

– Don't you dare to touch me, – he mouthed. – Otherwise you will die, – In He shifted the skirts of his robes, exposing a scabbard with a long thin sword only one tsun wide[1], from the hilt of which a bright glow emanated.

As soon as they saw the weapon, the spirits muttered in fright, sailing to a safe distance.

– It's definitely a Soul Eater, – they muttered in low voices. – But how did a sword of such power end up in the hands of this caster? Is it possible that he is one of the great immortals?

– Boy, – called the spirit who had intended to examine him earlier, – where did you get the Soul Eater from? This sword was lost almost a hundred years ago, in the Battle of Bai He. Many of my brethren believed that he was destroyed along with his twin Godslayer. How did you get it?

In He smiled meekly.

– I'll answer that question if you answer mine, – he said soundlessly. – Is it true that the God of the water Feng Luan recently visited Tai Yan?

– No, – the spirit replied firmly. – I've been here for over two hundred years, but during that time Feng Luan has never visited Tai Yan. Otherwise, he would have blessed Zheng Li Hu long ago, expelling all the restless souls from him.

In He nodded lazily. – Let's assume that it is, – he waved his hand, cutting off the ends of the hair, the thinnest network entangled his neck, and rushed up to where the rays of the setting sun were visible.

– Wait! – the spirit shouted. – I answered your question, so give me the answer!

– Yes, In Hae turned around, – and I have rewarded you handsomely for your answer. Your soul was hanging by a thread from death, and I nobly saved it, as an immortal should. Part of me wanted you dead, but I stopped her from killing. Isn't this an admirable act?

***

Once on the surface, In He barely refrained from an intricate curse that had been on his tongue for some time: Shi Yu was sitting on the shore, his bare feet in the lake, slowly sipping wine. The face of the Demon Lord expressed absolutely no emotions and resembled the elaborately carved stone head of one of the Gods installed in the temple, and the fingers of his left hand lazily stroked his knee, tracing silver embroidery depicting a scattering of irises on it.

– You're back, – Shi Yu said only, not deigning to look at the young man. – Well, yeah, I guess if you died right now, it wouldn't be fun at all.

In He chuckled.

– So ge-ge wasn't worried about me at all? Did the wine turn out to be much sweeter? – What is it? he asked, frowning. – Ge-ge could have helped me, because it was very dangerous.

Licking his lips, Shi Yu regretfully put away the empty bottle.

– I don't save useless people, – he said coldly, brushing his feet from the water. – A caster who can't handle a couple of water spirits will only be a burden on the way. You chose to follow me, and you have to worry about the consequences of your choice, because I didn't ask you to.

– Whatever you say, ge-ge, – In He chuckled again. – I'll remember your instruction very well, in case ge-ge suddenly needs my help.

[1] Measure of length. 1 tsun is approximately 3.7 cm .