Stranger Danger

"Please don't mind his manners, Scion Ye. Everyone on this island is a bunch of oafs who have nothing to discuss about, so the scholar must have accumulated a lot of stress and frustration during this time. Now that he has finally encountered someone who can match his extraordinary wits and knowledge, it's only natural that he needs to show off and vent to his heart's content."

Old Fang poured Ye Qing a cup of wine and said smilingly, "In the meantime, Let us drink. This is a wine brewed using our local fruits. Please tell me if it's good or not."

"Thank you, Old Fang." Ye Qing accepted the offer while watching Li Xian and Feng Qingyou engaging each other in a delightful conversation. "Mister Li is a sagacious and well-learned visionary. Why would I be bothered when it is my honor to be able to listen to his teachings?"

Ye Qing then drained his wine in one gulp and complimented, "What a fantastic wine!"

"Hahaha, good! You should drink more."

Old Fang refilled Ye Qing's cup happily. "I'll give you a couple more jars before you and Miss Feng leave."

The old man could tell that Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou were not ordinary people. He knew that they wouldn't stay on the Sunchasing Island for long.

"I'll happily accept your offer then."

To reciprocate the favor, Ye Qing produced some of his own wine and poured Old Fang a cup. "These are the wines and liquor I have collected during my journey. They are called the Velvety Spring Water, Pear Blossom wine, Burning Fire, and Thunderclap Upon A Calm Lake. They are all one-of-a-kind. Please, give them a taste."

"It's been too long since I drank wine from outside, so I shan't hold back!" Old Fang eagerly took the cup and drained it in one gulp. He then closed his eyes slightly and praised dreamily, "Delicious. Truly delicious! As expected, the wine here is fantastic, but when it comes to strength and intensity, the wine from outside never disappoints!"

"I'm glad you like it. Now, give this Thunderclap Upon A Calm Lake a taste..." Ye Qing poured Old Fang another cup.

"Thank you!" Old Fang was obviously fond of wine. He accepted the offering and gave it a tentative taste. "Oof! It goes down the throat like velvet, but hits my stomach like fire; like thunder! Now I get why it's called Thunderclap Upon A Calm Lake!"

Ye Qing smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

And so the duo drank and made idle chit chat with each other. Later, Tian Wa and Hu Xiaoyan showed up following the scent of wine, and the day grew even livelier than before.

Even Lil Yu could not help but give the weakest wine Ye Qing had produced—Velvety Spring Water—a taste. She turned as red as an apple after just drinking just one-third of a cup. It was very cute.

Despite the commotion, Li Xian or Feng Qingyou were undisturbed. They were completely absorbed in their worlds and could not be distracted by anything.

It took only a short while for the group to finish all the wine, so Ye Qing produced a couple more jars from his Nine Heavens and kept drinking.

He had stocked up a lot of fine wine prior to entering the sea, so they could keep this up for ten days and night and still not finish all of it.

"Oh right. Old Fang, Brother Tian, does the Sunchasing Dragon Whale stay on the sea surface all the time?"

In the middle of the conversation, Ye Qing suddenly recalled something and asked curiously, "Does it never dive underwater or something?"

Old Fang was healthy and could hold his liquor quite well. Despite having drunk a few jars of wine, he was only mildly intoxicated and red in the face. He answered clearly, "Of course it does. The Sunchasing Dragon Whale only chases after the sun during the day."

"Once the sun has fully sunk into the mountains, the Sunchasing Dragon Whale would dive into the sea and hunt for food."

Ye Qing grew interested. "What happens to the Sunchasing Island after the Sunchasing Dragon Whale enters the sea? Would it sink with it, or would it remain on the sea surface?"

Old Fang answered, "The Sunchasing Island is a part of the Sunchasing Dragon Whale. Of course it goes wherever the Sunchasing Dragon Whale goes."

"Wouldn't the Sunchasing Island be engulfed by seawater then?" Ye Qing prodded.

Instead of answering, Old Fang grinned and said, "Calm, Joyless. You will know when nighttime arrives. I promise that it will be an enlightening experience."

As they became more familiar with each other, Old Fang and everyone else began addressing Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou in a more intimate fashion.

"I look forward to it." Ye Qing grinned back.

Looking at Feng Qingyou and Li Xian—still embroiled in a deep discussion and acting as if they regretted not having met sooner—they were going to be on Sunchasing Island for at least a while longer. That was why he was in no hurry at all.

After they were done drinking, Old Fang took Ye Qing on a tour. He briefly introduced him to all the sceneries and spectacles of the Sunchasing Island.

Time passed quickly. The sun soon disappeared into the horizon, and nighttime took over.

When the last wisp of sunlight was engulfed by the night, a long, deafening whale cry reverberated throughout the island.

The whale cry was very similar to the one they heard during the morning, but it did not sound melodious, passionate, or joyful. Instead, it sounded sorrowful, mournful, and tragic.

Such was the whale cry that Ye Qing and everyone else naturally empathized with the Sunchasing Dragon Whale.

"Sigh. I've lived on this island for decades, but I still can't grow desensitized to the Sunchasing Dragon Whale's cry no matter how many times I've heard it."

Old Fang sighed. "Don't you think that its voice is overflowing with loneliness and sadness? This is why I said that the Sunchasing Dragon Whale is powerful but lonely."

"Indeed." Ye Qing nodded in agreement.

"Alright, the sun is gone, and the Sunchasing Dragon Whale will be entering the sea any minute now. It is time for you to witness a miracle."

At the same time, Li Xian and Feng Qingyou finally finished their discussion and stepped out of the house.

When the Sunchasing Dragon Whale finally stopped crying, and nighttime had engulfed this corner of the world completely, the entire island slowly began to sink into the sea.

Naturally, the sea level began rising rapidly and pouring into Sunchasing Island.

"Don't worry. We won't drown," Old Fang said simply to assure Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou.

It wasn't long before the seawater had engulfed the flora and fauna on Sunchasing Island completely. Of course, that included Ye Qing, Feng Qingyou, and the villagers.

Despite this, Ye Qing did not feel any discomfort whatsoever. He did not feel cold, suffocated, pressured, buoyant, or blinded. He felt none of the sensation or discomfort one should experience when they were submerged inside water. Hell, not a single thread of his clothes were wet.

If he didn't know better, he would think that he was still on land. It was magical.

Of course, the phenomenon applied to the surrounding flora and fauna as well. The plants continued to sway from side to side, the birds continued to fly, the beasts continued to run, and the insects continued to crawl. Everyone was doing whatever they were doing as if nothing had changed.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Old Fang laughed and beckoned for Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou to follow him. "Come with me to the shore. I'll show you the spectacles of the deep sea."

"The scenery of the sea is more profound, mysterious, gorgeous, and majestic than anything you might find on the ground. You should not miss it while you're here," Li Xian echoed in agreement.

"We'll happily take you up on that offer."

And so Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou followed Old Fang and Li Xian. They quickly passed through the forest and arrived at the edge of the Sunchasing Island.

Walking on the island inside the sea was exactly the same as being on land. They felt no buoyancy or resistance whatsoever.

The duo saw what Old Fang and Li Xian were talking about as soon as they arrived at the edge of the Sunchasing Island.

They saw colorful and varied coral reefs the size of mountains, colorful and bright. The way they flickered rhythmically like fireflies was positively dreamy as well.

All sorts of aquatic animals were swimming in the sea. Fishes, prawns, turtles, crabs, worms, snakes, mayflies, and more sea creatures they had never even seen before were swimming everywhere. Their numbers rivaled that of the stars in the sky.

Schools of colorful fishes were darting here and there and changing formation at a moment's notice. They kicked up all sorts of splashes.

Huge ferocious carnivores such as whales and sharks were carrying out their predatory instincts and driving schools of prey into a corner. Once they succeeded, a storm of blood followed.