Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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When the two returned to Haiyin Castle, Xiao Yao had a swaying straw lantern in his hand; the lantern wasn’t tightly woven, but a dozen fireflies were nestled obediently inside, clearly the work of the Demon King Bai Ju.
Xiao Yao remembered that Bai Ju had previously said he couldn’t weave straw, things like grasshoppers made of straw used to amuse children; but even that the old dog Bai Ju couldn’t do that. He had been quite puzzled, as the old dog Bai Ju’s nimble fingers should have been able to weave anything with ease, so why hadn’t he mastered this skill? But tonight, the mystery was solved. The straw lantern woven by Old Dog Bai was something he learned on the spot by watching a DIY tutorial video.
Surrounded by fireflies, Old Dog Bai watched the video intently, diligently weaving a slightly rough and crooked little lantern from the blades of grass in his hands. Then, almost like cheating, he coaxed a dozen fireflies to obediently perch inside.
After finishing the lantern, Old Dog Bai stole a kiss on Xiao Yao’s cheek before explaining, “This isn’t actually hard to learn, but I can’t find anyone to teach me… Besides, most of the kids who come to me for comfort probably won’t care about such little things, so I had even less motivation to learn.”
In short, Old Dog Bai was hypocritical; he did everything based on who he was dealing with.
But Xiao Yao was quite pleased.
At the entrance of Haiyin Castle, Vice Captain Ling Yun circled the two of them with a curious look, clicking his tongue in admiration: “I didn’t realize Bai Wang was so good at coaxing people.”
Xiao Yao, holding the straw lantern, raised an eyebrow: “Sorry, only for me.”
Ling Yun: “…Hiccup.”
Bai Ju suppressed a laugh, his eyes crinkling slightly, and then asked, “Is there any movement at Haiyin Castle?”
When it came to business, Ling Yun dropped his nonchalant demeanor, straightening his posture and becoming much more reliable: “There’s no movement at Haiyin Castle so far. Marn Haiyin is very cooperative; they notify us immediately whenever someone contacts them, but apparently no one has contacted them yet.”
“The first wave of tourists has all been settled, and there are no new arrivals in East Bay. For now, they’re not in a hurry to come to Haiyin Castle.”
Bai Ju hummed in agreement, knowing this was due to Ji Yun’s intelligence network, which had more functions than ordinary surveillance, able to roughly determine whether those arriving on the island were sorcerers or monsters.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Ju said, “Surveillance still needs to be strengthened. Have Lei Wu also keep an eye on patrols; make sure he pays close attention to anything the surveillance system can’t identify.”
“Also, although we acted quickly, and the enemy probably doesn’t have the resources to deal with our agencies on the mainland, we can’t underestimate their intelligence network. If we slip up, they might not contact Haiyin Castle and launch a surprise attack directly. Therefore, someone needs to guard this area.”
Bai Ju snapped his fingers, and a soft, miniature Bai Ju landed in his palm. “If you can’t find anyone to take turns, give it to this one.”
Ling Yun looked at the little doll in Bai Ju’s hand: “…”
The miniature Bai Ju, which had just received a wisp of divine consciousness and was rubbing its eyes as it got up: “???”
Ling Yun nodded solemnly to the miniature Bai Ju: “Thank you for your trouble.”
The miniature Bai Ju smiled, spread its hands, and crackling arcs of electricity formed three words in the air: “You’re welcome.”
Xiao Yao, standing to the side, couldn’t help but chuckle, his fist pressed against his lips. He recalled the four words Bai Ju had gestured when he first used the little figure: “Missing my boyfriend.”
Bai Ju, the old dog, glanced at Xiao Yao, though he didn’t know what his little boyfriend was laughing at, but it didn’t dampen his spirits. He just reached out and ruffled Xiao Yao’s hair, softening his tone, and then instructed Ling Yun: “Take care of yourself. With this little thing here, it will keep watch and provide early warnings. I’ll also receive its feedback in sync. You can rest a bit.”
Ling Yun carefully picked up the soft little figure, hesitatingly glancing at Bai Ju: “How long… can it last?”
So small and soft, it seems fragile. Is it some kind of time-limited item?
Bai Ju’s thought process didn’t align with Ling Yun’s, and he was taken aback by the question: “If I don’t withdraw my divine sense, it should last a hundred or two hundred years, probably… it’s not something that breaks easily.”
“His body hair is practically a natural magical artifact, its special weaving method imbued with spiritual power, making it practically invulnerable to swords and spears.”
Ling Yun: “…Oh.” He suddenly felt protected by a powerful figure.
Xiao Yao could guess Ling Yun’s thoughts but didn’t want to say much, simply playing with the straw lantern in his hand, watching Bai Ju’s arrangements.
After instructing Ling Yun, Old Dog Bai put his arm around Xiao Yao and walked out of Haiyin Castle: “Come on, let’s go somewhere else.”
Xiao Yao was a little curious: “Where to?”
The island’s deployment was basically complete; they should have separated when the key figures appeared. There were no other arrangements in between, and Xiao Yao didn’t know what Bai Ju was planning.
Bai Ju leaned over and whispered in Xiao Yao’s ear: “We’re going to East Bay to find the little merman.”
Xiao Yao didn’t understand: “???”
“Weren’t the merfolk not in the plan? They’re probably already at sea with Jing Xia by now, right?”
Bai Ju curled the corners of his lips and transmitted his voice to Xiao Yao, “I hadn’t thought of this idea before… I only thought of it when we were looking for fireflies and saw the stream. If Turtle Valley Island was originally water-based, then the island’s energy system is yin-oriented; in other words, if we can find the island’s power center, we can find purely yin-oriented energy. Turtle Valley Island’s power is quite stable and gentle; otherwise, the island wouldn’t be calm all year round, and it wouldn’t be able to consistently produce edible flowers containing a trace of spiritual power.”
“The merfolk have been using a magic array to steal the inherited power of Haiyin Castle for generations. It’s damaged now, but with some improvements, it should be usable directly.”
“By using the merfolk’s method to steal the inherited power in advance and then filling it with Turtle Valley Island’s own power to create a deceptive illusion, we can completely avoid the threat of an energy burst explosion caused by excessive power when the seal breaks.”
Bai Ju briefly explained the whole relationship, his ears turning red silently in Xiao Yao’s delighted eyes; he then coughed calmly, not giving a definitive answer: “However, I may not be able to find the power center of this island; even if I do find it, if the attribute difference is too great, I’m afraid I can’t use it directly… The formation on the little mermaid A Song’s side is indeed worth trying, and if necessary, activating it can also create a hole in the seal.”
Xiao Yao thought Bai Ju was simply a miracle; ideas they had never considered before had all become possibilities with him.
Bai Ju felt satisfied under his boyfriend’s gaze, subtly straightening his posture to appear more nonchalant.
However, the old dog was still clingy; after only a few steps, he weakly clung to Xiao Yao’s shoulder again, humming and whimpering as Xiao Yao showered him with compliments, both shy and content.
Arriving at the eastern bay, Bai Ju and Xiao Yao encountered Qu Lang.
Qu Lang had ultimately settled Jing Xia with the merman A Song; although the two seemed to be arguing, their decade-long relationship was undeniable, and they found a corner to talk for a long time before finally tacitly agreeing to “make up.”
Team Leader Qu was hesitant to hand Jing Xia over directly to the merman A Song, so he lingered a while longer to confirm the merman’s trustworthiness before finally letting him pass.
Bai Ju stood by the bay, pinched Xiao Yao’s cheek, and then instructed Qu Lang, “I’ve already marked the location of the merman’s formation with my spiritual power; just be careful not to damage it when you go.”
“As for me, I’ll dive down to find the energy center of Turtle Valley Island. It’ll probably take a while, but don’t worry, the miniature Bai Ju on the island will alert me if there are any warnings.”
Xiao Yao raised his hand and squeezed Bai Ju’s wrist: “Are you confident?”
Bai Ju nodded, his gaze softening slightly as he looked at Xiao Yao: “Yes, I’m confident. This island has remained intact for millennia, turning into fertile soil; the original owner must have been a benevolent person in life. Such a person is usually not extremely aggressive, but they might have a strong sense of vigilance… If we find the right method, that vigilance will be laid bare before me.”
“I can’t take you guys with me. After all, we need to explore the island’s energy center. If Turtle Valley Island still retains its own consciousness, the more people there are, the more complicated things will become.”
Xiao Yao glanced at the dark sea in the distance. Although he knew that Bai Ju’s power might be stronger than he imagined, he was still a little worried. His old dog, such a cute and clingy fellow, was going to dive into the dark seabed alone…
Xiao Yao’s fingers rubbed the smooth skin of Bai Ju’s wrist, reluctant to let go.
Qu Lang, standing to the side, was speechless.
These two were acting all lovey-dovey, touching each other’s faces and holding each other’s hands… Had they wandered into the wrong movie? If he remembered correctly, they were just splitting up to set up an array and find the energy center, not going their separate ways for years.
“Ahem, ahem.” Qu Lang coughed twice in a very affected manner, drawing Xiao Yao’s attention away from them, lest they suddenly give each other a passionate kiss right in front of him.
“Brother Xiao, let’s not delay. Let’s go check on the merman formation first… If it can be used directly, we’ll go back to shore. If Bai Wang needs any help, we can go down and give him some assistance.” Qu Lang scratched his chin, unsure where to look, but fortunately, his mind was still quite clear, and what he said was a good suggestion.
Bai Ju subtly sensed Qu Lang’s unease. Meeting Xiao Yao’s gaze, he felt a little embarrassed and curled his fingers slightly away from Xiao Yao. After a pause, he couldn’t help but raise his hand again, pressing on Xiao Yao’s shoulder and instructing, “You and Qu Lang look after each other. If there’s any danger, just evacuate immediately. Don’t worry about Jing Xia; I’ve already informed him about the magic array, and he won’t object. If the merfolk array can’t be used now, it’s alright; it just means we’re missing a method. We don’t need to go to great lengths for it. Safety first.”
Xiao Yao listened to Bai Ju’s rambling with a smile, and finally, despite Qu Lang’s despairing gaze, he leaned up and kissed Bai Ju on the lips, swallowing the rest of his words.
“I know. Don’t just focus on instructing us; you need to be careful yourself too.” Xiao Yao licked his lips, savoring the moment, and patted Bai Ju’s strong shoulder. “Go and come back quickly.”
Bai Ju glanced at Qu Lang, responded to Xiao Yao, and turned to walk into the sea.
He couldn’t look back too often.
Bai Ju mentally prepared himself, took a deep breath, and transformed into a hidden white light, flashing across the sea surface and diving into the ocean depths.
Xiao Yao turned around and called to Qu Lang, “Let’s go, let’s go to the Mermaid Magic Array.”
Qu Lang crossed his arms and looked at Xiao Yao with a sour expression, “Brother Xiao, you’ve changed.”
Xiao Yao: “???”
Qu Lang’s expression was as if he were chewing a lemon, and he said in a high-pitched voice, “You also need to be careful, hurry back~”
Xiao Yao: “…” Well, this deserves a beating.
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