Chapter 723
Mermaid?
Shao Xuan withdrew his white flames from Dian Dian’s sea of consciousness after the Di tribe’s flames completely swallowed the Di fish’s flames.
He looked around after moving his finger away from Dian Dian’s forehead. The water moon stones in the room gave out a lunar-white incandescent that lit the room. There was no longer any light coming from the cracks in the windows.
“It’s nighttime already?” Shao Xuan was shocked.
“Yes. The sun just set not too long ago,” Gui Ze handed Shao Xuan a jade bottle filled with medicinal pills.
Even though Gui Ze had no clue what happened, she was shocked that it took an entire day. This process had no doubt drained their energy. The Taihe tribe newly decocted these medicinal pills, and they could help with replenishing totemic energy. Even though this could not compare to the fire crystals, it was better than not doing anything.
“Grand Elder, how is Dian Dian?” He Bian walked over in light steps and asked Shao Xuan in a low voice.
The person in the stone fish tank seemed to be asleep. Her calm breathing showed that she was still alive. He didn’t dare disturb Dian Dian, so he could only ask Shao Xuan.
“She’s fine now,” Shao Xuan popped a pill into his mouth. Although he was just watching from the side, maintaining the white flame drained a lot of his energy.
“F-fine? What does that mean?” He Bian asked confusedly.
“If everything was successful, she will probably recover.” Since Shao Xuan wasn’t sure what would happen in the future, he could only tell him what he knew at the moment. This change only happened for Dian Dian, after all. Even if she fully recovered, if their tribe’s fire seed lost the battle against the Di fish, she wouldn’t have a good ending either.
“Recover?! You mean Dian Dian won’t die anymore? She’ll be fine?” He Bian was so shocked he forgot to lower his volume, so he immediately asked again in a low voice, “Really?”
“Yup. Just check on her again tonight. Gui Ze will give you guys some medicine to feed her.” Shao Xuan went to check on the situation in Dian Dian’s consciousness once again to make sure. Nothing changed. It was still the same as before. She needed some time to adapt after engulfinf the Di fish’s fire seed. It was just like a giant python that had just swallowed its prey. It required some time to digest its food. As for this, Shao Xuan could not help her anymore even if he wanted to.
After he left this house, Shao Xuan went to explain Dian Dian’s condition to Gui Ze.
Gui Ze was shocked when he heard that Shao Xuan had an extraordinary power other Flaming Horns didn’t know about. After some thought, she said, “She should be fine now since the totem has returned to how it initially looked. However, since Dian Dian is the only one who changed and the other Di people are still the same, are they going to continue with the merging of their fire seed?”
“Probably. There’s no other way to solve this problem.”
After Gui Ze and Shao Xuan left, He Bian looked for two soldiers he trusted most to take turns looking after the stone fish tank. The others were told to keep guard outside.
Inside the room, the light from the water moons stone allowed He Bian to see the stone fish tank’s situation.
Dian Dian was no longer bleeding. A lot of rotten skin had shed from her body. Now, the colour of the water had changed, and it had also become turbid.
Di people liked water, but they didn’t like murky water. That was why He Bian scooped the murky water out of the stone fish tank. He scooped out the three dead fish out of the water because they would rot and begin to smell if he didn’t. Then, he added some new water into the tank while careful not to make any noises. He was worried that it would affect Dian Dian’s recovery.
After he finished changing the water, He Bian and another warrior called Du Lan carried the murky water out of the room. After they left the room, Du Lan finally asked He Bian, “Chief, can Dian Dian recover?”
“I don’t know. The Flaming Horn Grand Elder said so. Perhaps the solution our shaman told us about really exists!”
“That’s great! Our tribe can be saved!”
Seeing how excited Bo Lan was, He Bian had some things to tell him but he held his tongue. He was afraid of saying something he shouldn’t so he thought he should wait until Dian Dian woke up before deciding what to tell the others. After all, some of these topics were too sensitive.
Time pa.s.sed by quickly as He Bian worried about the future.
He Bian did not sleep that night, nor did any other Di tribesmen. They agreed to take turns keeping watch, but no one could fall asleep.
The two moons had disappeared, and the sun shone on the great earth once again.
They gently pulled apart the curtains and let the natural light into the room. They no longer needed water moon stones.
He Bian walked over to the stone fish tank to look after picking up all the water moon stones.
More than half of Dian Dian’s body was submerged in water. Only her nostrils remained above water as she breathed. Her breath was light and long. It was stable and didn’t seem like a sick person’s breath at all. He Bian could even feel Dian Dian’s life force growing stronger. It was a lot better compared to when they first arrived.
He Bian had been stressed about this, but he was suddenly feeling happier. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the sunlight or that Dian Dian was getting better though.
Even though they changed the water inside the stone fish tank the night before, it had become murky again after a night’s time. Rotten skin continued to shed from Dian Dian’s body. He Bian wasn’t sure if Dian Dian was in good condition, but judging by the part of her head above water, she seemed to have gotten better. At least the sores on her face improved. Even though they still couldn’t see how she looked like before, they could tell that her condition was getting better.
He Bian nudged the other soldiers beside him and said in a low voice, “Get some water.”
It was evident that the water needed to be changed again. The Di people prioritized hygiene. They only looked dirty when they came because the conditions on their way here didn’t allow them to be clean, but they could bear it. They just couldn’t stand seeing Dian Dian in pain. She was the next shamaness of their tribe, the core of the Di people.
He Bian was just about to move some water when he heard the sound of water coming from the stone fish tank. He immediately looked over.
The person who was initially asleep finally opened her eyes wide. There was even a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
She was familiar with her own body and could feel that most of the pain had faded. Her body was now more relaxed, and her totemic energy felt recharged since she finally finished digesting the Di fish’s energy.
After waking up, Dian Dian could feel the totemic energy welling up within her once again.
This was indeed worthy of celebration, but very soon, Dian Dian noticed that something was wrong.
He Bian and the others were just about to walk over and ask her what was wrong. From her eyes they could tell that she was at first elated, then doubtful, then dumbfounded.
A scream came from the room. Water splashed as Dian Dian panicked and screamed. He Bian rushed out of the room and went to search for Shao Xuan. He didn’t know where he lived, so he could only ask the Flaming Horns who were there. When he asked them, he spoke fast with a strong accent. The Flaming Horns tried their best to understand him, and after listening a few times, they finally caught the words “Grand Elder”.
Shao Xuan had just walked out of his door when he heard a person calling his name. When he looked over, a person running at the speed of wind ran up to him and knelt in front of him.
“It’s so early in the morning. There’s no need for such gestures of respect,” Shao Xuan said.
“No… No!”
He Bian was just too exhausted from running. He was so shocked and worried that he already fell twice on his way here. On one of his falls, he even tumbled a distance before getting up on his feet again. Some Flaming Horns who saw this scene wondered whether the Di tribesmen had a hard time walking.
He was shocked and nervous, so the harder he tried to explain, the harder it got. Finally, he had no choice but to run to where Shao Xuan lived.
When Shao Xuan saw He Bian, he knew that something had probably happened to Dian Dian. He sent people to inform Gui Ze and Gui He before following He Bian to the scene. He wouldn’t understand the situation by listening to He Bian’s explanation. He had to see it for himself.
When he arrived at the house, Shao Xuan saw more than twenty Di warriors waiting outside. All of them looked anxious or confused as if they were shocked by something.
One of them was trying to drink some water to calm himself down, but his hands shook so much that the water spilt even before the cup reached his mouth. However, that person was completely unaware of it, so his hands still brought the empty cup to his mouth.
As he reached the corridor near the room where the stone fish tank was, Shao Xuan saw ten other Di people with terrified looks. He couldn’t help but frown at such a sight.
What happened? Why were these people so scared?
Dian Dian was not dying this time. If she was dying, He Bian and the others would look sad. There was no sadness in their eyes at all.
Sound of water being slapped around could be heard inside the room. It was a lot louder than the clangs made by the fish yesterday. This did not sound like a slap that came from a child’s bare hands. There was no laughter today and the atmosphere was weird.
The slapping sounds stopped as Shao Xuan arrived at the scene.
He was finally standing in front of the door. Some Di people beside the door were soaked, but Shao Xuan didn’t care too much about them. He walked quickly into the room to see what was going on.
“What happened?! OH!”
Shao Xuan’s feet stopped where they were, and his expression was stunned too. For a while, he maintained a shocked look.
What! The! Heck!
He lifted a finger and pointed to the stone fish tank’s direction. No words came out of his mouth.
Gui He, Gui Ze, and the two retired shamans also arrived behind Shao Xuan after hearing the news. Gui Ze planned to check on Dian Dian’s situation after she received Shao Xuan’s help, but the other three came due to pure curiosity.
However, when the four of them arrived at the door and saw what was inside, even Gui He, who was usually calm and steady, jumped in surprise.
Dian Dian was lying in the stone fish tank inside the room. Her upper body was still the same. She was wearing the same clothes made from marine fish skin. However, the lower half of her body had… A fishtail!
Gui He wanted to ask, ‘Is that a human or animal?!’ He was too shocked when he saw this, but didn’t say anything since he wasn’t clear about the situation. The question looped in his mind.
Initially, he thought that the half-breed slave Yi Si brought over was unique enough, but they never thought such a huge surprise awaited them here.
Shao Xuan finally returned to his senses. He breathed in deeply and tried his best to calm down. “A mermaid?”
Dian Dian was fearless even at the brink of death, but now, she was shocked as any child would be. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she almost cried. She had only swallowed the part of the energy that belonged to the Di fish. Why was this happening? Now she’s neither human nor fish!