Dragon Boat Secret Realm 20: Beneath the Fish

They broke the mine’s seal and peered down.

For unknown reasons, the spirit liquid had dried up, leaving a deep, dark hole that inexplicably tightened their hearts.

If the liquid was the giant beast’s blood, a dry mine might mean the wound in its vein had scabbed over.

Could Tang Yueling be below?

Tian Ning observed for a moment, deciding, “I’ll go down and check.”

Su Qing followed. “I’m with you.”

She had the teleportation wooden fish, ensuring she wouldn’t burden Tian Ning.

“I’m going too!” Tang Shitao insisted.

But drawing heart blood wasn’t just painful—it damaged her foundation, requiring months to recover. Pale and sweating, lips bloodless, her stubborn gaze held firm.

Tang Xueshan reasoned she’d only hinder them, and Tang Shitao relented.

Tang Qimei stayed to maintain the bloodline technique, ready to supplement if needed, unable to leave freely. Thus, Tang Xueshan joined Su Qing and Tian Ning.
@Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

Tang Xueshan, a sixth-layer Qi Refining talisman cultivator, was diligent and equipped with artifacts, making her combat-ready and meticulous—perfect for the task.

Su Qing once thought Tang Yueling’s bond with her three companions seemed strained beneath the surface. But seeing Tang Shitao unhesitatingly draw heart blood for Tang Yueling left her speechless with awe.

Their fates were tied to Tang Yueling’s, their interests inseparable. Yet, if Su Qing were in Tang Shitao’s place, she might resent Tang Yueling. Not everyone could sacrifice their life for another.

If her fate were forcibly bound to another’s, living or dying together, she’d struggle not to hate them, regardless of their actions or awareness.

The trio didn’t hesitate, diving into the mine. Tang Qimei and Tang Shitao handed over all their high-tier artifacts.

Before descending, Tang Shitao stopped Su Qing. Her eyes, sunken from days of worry, lacked their former vibrancy.

Pale, she said, “I know I was childish and wronged you before. Please bring her back. I’ll do anything—kneel, apologize, whatever.”

Su Qing saw the glistening fear in her eyes. She was truly scared.

Tang Yueling’s life wasn’t just hers—it carried the futures of three others.

“I understand,” Su Qing nodded. “But rest assured, Tang Yueling is my friend first. I’ll do everything to bring her back safely.”

Guided by the bloodline thread, Su Qing leapt into the mine.

The shaft was pitch-black, like a vertical tunnel, roughly a hundred meters deep. With multiple levitation talismans, she felt no panic from freefall, landing softly.

Her feet touched something hard yet pliable, like rubber. The unfamiliar sensation heightened her alertness.

Tian Ning, first down, summoned a glowing night pearl, casting a faint light. Su Qing and Tang Xueshan joined her.

To avoid disturbance, they used divine sense to communicate. None had consumed the island’s liquid—the giant fish’s blood—so they feared no parasite infection.

Su Qing knelt, fingers probing the ground. “It’s a blood scab.”

She knew it well—her recent lightning burns had scabbed, flaking off to reveal new skin.

The thought of standing on such a massive scab was eerie.

The bloodline thread pointed straight down, indicating Tang Yueling was beneath—inside the giant fish’s body.

How could they enter its organs?

Tian Ning drew her Snow Ferry Sword, aiming at the scab’s edge. *[Pry it open and see.]*

Tang Xueshan distributed three fourth-tier mid-grade talismans: concealment, agility, and protection, for safety.

Su Qing clutched her wooden fish, ready to activate.

Tian Ning gripped her sword, thrusting down with spiritual energy. Transparent ice crystals flared, refracting rainbow halos in the pearl’s light. The scab split, unleashing a massive spiritual energy surge, ruffling their hair and sleeves.
@Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

Su Qing’s heart raced. Manqing Sword, close by, gleamed silver under her tension.

Tang Xueshan clutched her talismans, eyes fixed on the scab’s edge.

As the gap widened, a torrent of fresh spirit liquid gushed out. Prepared with water-repelling robes, they stood firm. But as the liquid reached Su Qing, golden light erupted from it.

Her mind felt pulled by the light, dazed. When she snapped back, she was wrapped in it, hurtling into the wound.

Tian Ning reacted swiftly, her sword piercing to stabilize her. A translucent blue pearl flew from her storage bag, glowing blue, while a red pearl hovered beside her.

Water and Fire Spirit Pearls!

Su Qing was swept into a blue-green vortex, spiritual energy battering her, organs aching. Her vision darkened, and she lost consciousness.

Tang Xueshan was forced out by the liquid’s pressure, despite her talismans and artifacts.

Tang Shitao and Tang Qimei, waiting at the entrance, rushed to her. “What happened?”

Tang Xueshan glanced at the gushing blood. “The spiritual energy was too strong—I couldn’t enter.”

Tang Shitao pressed, “You came back alone? Where are they?”

“It happened too fast—I saw nothing clearly. Since they didn’t return, they might’ve found another way in.”

…

Beneath Dragon Scale Island, Yu Huayi and Shen Liuye searched for the Dragon Boat’s clues.

Per Elder Tianyuan’s deduction, the Dragon Boat hadn’t left but was concealed. Yanyi Sect, planning since before the secret realm, had more data than others.

Su Qing didn’t even know the Dragon Boat’s appearance or mechanics, but Yu Huayi knew precisely.
@Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

From records three hundred years ago, the Dragon Boat was indeed a ship, but without the Five Spirit Pearls, it was a coiled dragon skeleton beneath the island, shaped like the archipelago’s constellation.

When the pearls arrived, the skeleton activated: Gold Pearl as the sturdy bow, Wood Pearl as the hull, Water Pearl as flowing oars, Fire Pearl as the motive rudder, and Earth Pearl as the stable base. The five elements cycled, birthing flesh and blood, transforming the ship into a golden dragon soaring to the clouds.

The inheritance wasn’t on the ship but in a mirage above the island on a rainy day. Qualified trial-goers would ride the Dragon Boat to that celestial illusion—the true inheritance ground.

All was clear, but without the dragon skeleton, it was moot.

Yu Huayi checked Elder Tianyuan’s compass, its golden dot circling nearby.

Shen Liuye looked up. “The compass is reliable—the skeleton must be deep in the island.”

Yu Huayi frowned. “It’s so vast—how long to dig? The pearls are gone, so why no movement?”

…

Ye Mingshi, Ye Rong, and Ji Xingjian reached Autumn Bright Island.

Ye Mingshi traded wild fruits with monkeys for five coconuts—one each, two for Old Black.

Ye Rong held a split coconut to Old Black’s mouth, who lapped the sweet juice, content.

Ye Mingshi, chewing a grass stalk, sighed. “We missed the Dragon Boat trial.” She glared at Ji Xingjian. “Your fault—picky about food, lodging, dawdling.”

“Me?” Ji Xingjian retorted. “You two grabbed every scrap, even common herbs, slowing us down!”

He’d never seen such a scavenger sect, hoarding anything with spiritual fluctuations.

He shrugged. “The Dragon Boat hasn’t appeared in centuries. Last trial, a hundred years ago, Hefeng and Sword Sect gathered all five pearls, meeting conditions, but it didn’t show. It probably bonded and left.”

…

Su Qing slowly opened her eyes, head dizzy, rubbing her temples.

“You’re awake?” a concerned voice asked.

Su Qing’s face stayed calm, but her guard rose. She turned to a completely unfamiliar woman who smiled as if they were close.

Su Qing recalled being pulled by golden light into the fish’s body. Being in its stomach, awaiting digestion, wouldn’t be odd. Why was she in a strange place?

If her cultivation wasn’t intact, she’d think she’d transmigrated again.

Feigning weakness, she held her head. “What happened to me?”

The woman worried, “Maybe the Flower God Festival preparations exhausted you. It’s in three days—everything’s ready. Rest here.”

*Flower God Festival?* Su Qing wondered. *What’s that?*