Seeing the man take out an object, Li Yu thought he was going to die there today. His mind, a fractured, chaotic mess of pain, could barely form a coherent thought, but the intent seemed clear. The man had failed to knock him out, had been surprised by his durability, and was now resorting to a weapon or treasure to finish the job.

‘So this is it,’ a distant part of his mind thought, a strange sense of calm settling over his paralysis. ‘This is how it’s going to end for me.’ He had seen demons, fought Soul Formation experts, and built a small business empire. All of that only to be killed by a random, eccentric old man in the middle of the ocean and alone too sadly.’. His mind could barely process anything; these were all just vague thoughts.

The object the man took out started glowing. It was a beautiful, fist-sized pearl that pulsed with a soft, silver light. He held it out, and its light shone on Li Yu. Li Yu, still possessing a sliver of consciousness, wanted to dodge, thinking it was an attack, but his body was a useless prison of flesh. He braced himself for the killing blow, for the searing pain of annihilation.

But the light stayed on him, and there was no sensation of an attack. Instead, the pearl began to resonate, its gentle glow intensifying and its hum rising in pitch. The old man’s face, which had been a mask of frantic urgency, transformed in an instant. The tension vanished, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated ecstasy.

His eyes went wide, and a single tear traced a path down his smooth cheek. His face cheered up instantly. “Finally… finally!” he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. “My first clue in years!” He threw his head back and a laugh erupted from his chest, a sound so loud and joyous that it shook the whole area around them, the very waves seeming to dance with his elation.

“You, young man, will need to answer my questions! It is very important to me! Please!” the old man went on to say, his voice booming with a newfound, manic energy. Li Yu responded by looking at this old man, stunned yet again. ‘What an eccentric man,’ he thought, his mind struggling to keep up with the whiplash of the man’s moods.

‘First he wants to capture me for a soul search. Then, seeing that his attack didn’t knock me out on the first hit, he hits me again. Now he acts like he’s found his savior and is treating me nicely.’

The old man flew down to him as Li Yu’s body just floated on the water, a broken piece of driftwood in the vast ocean. The man’s demeanor was completely changed. The terrifying, oppressive aura was gone, replaced by an almost pleading gentleness.

“Young man,” he said, his voice soft, “you must tell me, have you come into contact with a Naga recently? I don’t know how old the naga would be now. It should be one that you have met recently or in the last few years. Anything you can tell me would be great, I would be very grateful just to know that the Naga is still alive and living.”

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The man seemed entirely fixed on finding this Naga that he kept talking about. Ever since feeling the aura that he said he felt on Li Yu’s body, that has been all he talked about. It had made him take a 180 degree approach to talking with Li Yu. But in all his haste, he didn’t notice that Li Yu was a puddle of nothingness on the ocean right now.

He then seemed to notice the true extent of Li Yu’s injuries, his own handiwork. A flicker of shame crossed his face but it went away just as quickly as though he didn’t truly care. “Ah. Take your time to recover a bit and then think. My attacks have probably made it incredibly hard for you to think of anything right now. It is indeed a feat that your body and mind held up so well, quite impressive.”

The old man produced a small, jade-green pill from his storage ring. “Here, this should help you a bit.” He roughly opened Li Yu’s mouth and fed him the pill. It would seem like this old man didn’t know how to be gentle! Li Yu didn’t know what kind of pill it was, but he couldn’t move at all. He had no choice but to accept what the man was giving him regardless of what it was.

The pill entered his stomach, and it quickly helped to restore a bit of his mind and healed his body to a smaller extent. A warm potent energy spread through him, mending his shattered meridians and soothing his battered soul. He couldn’t move yet, but at least now he could reasonably think.

“It’s amazing that you were still awake this whole time. Your soul must be incredible for someone at your age and cultivation. Your body being able to resist as well as it did as well, simply amazing,” the man was mumbling to himself, which only angered Li Yu more. But he had to admit, the weird man was incredibly strong. It also seemed that this man had never intended to kill him, only to incapacitate him or else that first strike would have probably killed him. What a scary thought.

With his mind somewhat working now, the man’s question echoed in his thoughts. A naga? His mind immediately went to Lireal, the deep-sea naga with the noble bloodline. He couldn't think of anyone else that he had been in contact with that met with what the man had said, it had to be her. She must mean a lot to this man, it was the only explanation for the man’s sudden change.

But a deep sense of caution warred with his relief. He didn’t know if this man was an enemy or not. He was incredibly powerful and dangerously unpredictable. Li Yu himself was no match for him, Lirael would have no chance to resist him.

To reveal Lireal’s existence could lead her into a trap. Then he thought what else he could do, he was broken and beaten like never before. If he were to die, either everything in the Koi Sanctuary would be destroyed or everything would spill out into the world. Either way she would be found or dead.

He remained silent, his mind racing to try to formulate a question to gauge the man’s intent. But before he could ask, it was as if the man could read his mind. Seeing the guarded, calculating look in Li Yu’s eyes, the old man’s expression softened completely, his desperation and sincerity laid bare.

“Don’t worry, young man,” he said, his voice filled with aching hope. “I mean the Naga no harm at all. I have searched for centuries, across endless oceans, for any sign, any clue.” He looked Li Yu directly in the eyes, his own swimming with unshed tears. “The naga I am looking for… should be my great-grandchild!”