19 Out of Lushan

The Sun peeked from behind the horizon, setting the lake shimmering like fiery gems as a large boat detached from Lushan's port, heading towards the unknown.

The She siblings were all huddled in the back of the large boat with Lan QingYu, throwing occasional glares at YaYun and his crew. The men had graciously left the snakes to their own antics while they stayed at the front of the boat.

The husky who had originally stood by its master's side was now slowly crawling towards them, but the She sisters side-eyed it. Seeing their stare, the dog kept its distance but never strayed its eyes away from them.

"What is with that dog? It keeps staring at you, sister LiYue." LiAi said as she fanned herself lazily.

"It's not a dog," LiBai said as she turned to look at ChangChang like she wanted to kick it off the boat.

LiYue had been leaning to LiangLin's back, trying to doze off when her eyes snapped wide open, and she jerked up, hissing, "What do you mean it's not just a dog?"

"LiYue, you really need to pay attention to things around you. No wonder ma always complains about you. You only ever sleep!" LiBai snapped. Turning her eyes back to the husky, she said, "It's a shapeshifter."

LiChun suddenly burst out laughing and snorted like a piglet. "You mean a shapeshifter has been rubbing itself on sister LiYue this entire time?"

LiYue looked like she was about to pop from pressure. Her eyes narrowed as she reassessed ChangChang. The dog had a superb hearing, so it had heard their talk. Looking down as if ashamed of itself, it hitched closer to YaYun's side, throwing glances their way from time to time.

"I see," LiYue said tightly as she nailed her murderous stare on the husky.

"I think that guy who looks like he has needles up his ass is an ox-shifter," LiAi drawled as she looked at the man that had held LiBai hostage. His dark brows were drawn tight over his round eyes. He was looking out over the lake, with his hands crossed over his chest and his sword resting over his thighs.

"Yeah, he smells all musky and earthy," LiChun said as she turned her eyes towards the group of men on the other side of the boat.

"It's a pleasant scent," LiBai mumbled as she took a sip of her tea. LiChun crinkled her nose and made a gagging sound.

"You have a weird taste, eldest sister."

"Eh, 51, why don't you take a guess what the rest is? Let's see if you get it right now that you don't have the shifter senses." LiAi said as she sat up straight and had a mischievous look in her eyes. "Let's bet on it! How many can 51 get right?"

"Ah, I like the idea!" Lan QingYu said as he perked up from his posture. Ever since boarding the boat, he had been leaning into his palm and staring dreamily at YaYun.

LiangLin groaned as he pulled himself up from the little table he had spread himself over and stretched his body. Raising his brow at LiAi, he said, "What are we betting with? We don't have any money."

"Bet first, pay later," LiAi said with a smirk. "We are heading for the imperial city, Rich folk will flood the streets. We can easily pickpocket while we are there."

"Come on, LinLin, don't be a sourpuss." LiChun pouted and patted her long lashes at him.

"Fine!" LiangLin said as he rolled his eyes and turned to look at the men. "There is the ox, the dog, then the rest is-" He frowned as he studied each of their movements. Smiling to himself, he turned to LiAi. "A rooster and a monkey."

The sisters groaned in unison. "That's no fun! He got them right!"

LiangLin was snickering as he spread out his hand. "You owe me!"

"But how, brother LiangLin?" QingYu asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Yeah, how is this possible?" LiChun chimed in. "You can't sense their energy."

"I don't need to," LiangLin said as he poured himself some jasmine tea and sipped it slowly. The little table had been set ready with small cakes and tea the moment they arrived on the boat. YaYun had made sure they were comfortable and even added pillows for them to sit on for the entire trip.

The snakes were all staring at LiangLin, waiting for him to explain his sudden psychic skills. He offered them a smug grin, enjoying his tea and their exasperated looks. A sudden, loud smack echoed through his skull, killing his little moment. LiYue was shaking her fan threateningly at him.

"Talk, Lin'er. How did you do it?"

"You didn't have to hit me, you know?" LiangLin muttered as he massaged his throbbing head.

"You looked annoying, now talk!"

"They were fighting when we were boarding the boat. Called each other damn monkey, and a headless chicken."

"Hah, of course. Our 51 is not that bright to see through them that easily." LiAi nodded to herself.

"No matter what, you owe me money!" LiangLin reminded them. LiChun was giggling. Her tone promised nothing good. LiangLin frowned, they lost money. Why would she be happy?

"We don't, LinLin." LiChun purred.

"What?" LiangLin snarled as he shot an annoyed look at his sisters. They were looking at him with a devious grin on their faces. "You are cheating! We said we will bet with money!"

"Oh, but you didn't say how much. You just jumped into saying the answer." LiYue said, cackling like a witch as she leaned over his back for support. These women, they were the worst! LiangLin thought as his face darkened. Lan QingYu didn't seem to care for his shift in mood as he poked LiangLin in the shoulder and leaned closer, whispering,

"Brother LiangLin, do you have any guesses what YaYun is at this point? I've been studying him nonstop, but I just don't get it."

LiangLin threw a look at Zhang YaYun's way. The man was drinking his tea, sitting with his back to the sun. The rays of light gave an ethereal glow around him, as if he was a god that just descended on this little boat. As if sensing his crude stare, YaYun lifted his long lashes, and their eyes met. LiangLin found himself holding in his breath.

So that bastard XueYa would look like this without the eyepatch. But even though the two looked eerily similar, the way the two looked at LiangLin were entirely different. YaYun looked at him with a friendly curiosity within his eyes. XueYa had raked him from top to bottom with his one eye, as if he already knew what LiangLin looked like beneath all the layers of fabric.

LiangLin gnashed his teeth. A light blush crept over his chest and neck as he relived the heated gaze that XueYa had assessed him with. He tore his eyes away from YaYun and sipped his tea through pursed lips. He would kill every sorcerer coming his way. He would make them go extinct!

"Extinct!" LiangLin snapped as he hit the cup down on the table, startling his siblings.

"What? Why would he be extinct?" QingYu cried in surprise.

"I will make sure they go extinct! Damn sorcerers!" LiangLin hissed.

"Brother LiangLin, I asked you about YaYun."

"Who cares what he is? Does it even matter?" LiangLin grumbled as his mind filled with different ways he would torture that one-eyed bastard if they ever crossed paths again.

QingYu protruded his lips in disdain and shifted his attention to the She sisters. "How did your parents react to you leaving for the imperial city? I haven't told my parents yet, but they are used to me living on my own, so they don't worry much."

The She sisters all sat up straight, blood draining from their body, leaving them ashy grey, like corpses.

An evil grin made its way over LiangLin's lips. "You forgot to tell ma, didn't you?"

"Shit, she will cut our fingers off, won't she?" LiAi muttered as she shot her plate-size eyes at LiBai for assurance.

"Fingers? She will skin us!" LiChun whimpered.

"Maybe we can send a letter?" LiYue said hopefully.

"Hi ma, we took LiangLin and travelled to the imperial city with a guy who looks exactly like that sorcerer! Do you want us to get killed?" LiChun screeched.

"When we reach dry land, we'll write her a letter. We'll say we are staying with LiangLin in Lushan for now, since he is struggling to settle. She won't be suspicious, for the time being." LiBai said as she tried to give her siblings an encouraging smile. It came out stiff and the least bit reassuring. Deep down, they all already knew, if madam She heard of this, they would all be skinned and left hanging in the sun to dry - after she chopped off their fingers.