CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: EYE CONTACT_1

"There is no Other Shore Flower Sea in Burnt Rock City. Nor is there a moon so large and so close..."

Lu Yuan stood up from the ground, once again taking a careful look at his surroundings.

He was standing on soft earth, and as far as his eyes could see, red Other Shore Flowers were blooming everywhere.

A cool wind blew past, rustling the fields of Other Shore Flowers. The round moon hung quietly as the river flowed smoothly.

The scene was so beautiful it seemed Lu Yuan was watching a high-quality cutscene of a five-star video game.

Lu Yuan walked down the slope, the Other Shore Flowers brushing against his shins, producing a soft rustling sound.

"Is this a test I must endure after opening the Extraordinary panel, or is the strange bead from the Crow God Sect causing this?"

Lu Yuan was unable to determine, so he decided to be a bit more cautious.

This dream felt more real than the Imaginary Enemy. And since he couldn’t exit voluntarily, he had no idea what awaited him.

Walking through vast seas of Other Shore Flowers, Lu Yuan reached a tranquil, flowing river.

The river was broad, as flat as a mirror.

Reflected in the river were the red Other Shore Flowers on its banks and the shadow of the moon.

Lu Yuan plucked an Other Shore Flower and tossed it into the river, watching the silvery moonlight shatter and the petals get carried away by the water.

"Cosplaying the Netherworld River, huh?"

Lu Yuan moved a few steps closer and tentatively set his right foot into the water.

The chill sensation enveloped his ankle, while a floating silhouette appeared on the slightly disturbed water’s surface.

A handsome young man with messy hair, wearing a white t-shirt splattered with dark red blood spots; numerous small, blood-caked wounds covered his face and body.

"I’m dreaming, so why didn’t my wounds heal?" Lu Yuan grumbled.

Unexpectedly, the very next moment, Lu Yuan felt an itch on his arms, face, and many other parts of his body.

He casually wiped his cheek, and fine blood scabs fell away like crumbs, landing on the calm water surface.

"They really healed me?"

Lu Yuan flexed his arm, feeling incredibly strong and energetic.

Even his most severely injured arm had fully healed, and it felt even stronger than before.

Unexpected... but not too much. After all, this was a dream.

Lu Yuan began to tread through the water, slowly walking towards the giant moon in front of him.

The cool moonlight shone on him, and a sense of serenity flowed along with the river.

Soon, Lu Yuan noticed the silhouette of a tree appearing in his sight.

The tree was standing at the foot of the giant moon, by the shore of the Netherworld River.

Lu Yuan instinctively halted his steps, narrowing his eyes and peering in the direction of the tree.

Suddenly, the shadow of the tree moved.

The entire tree abruptly disintegrated, transforming into many black crows that took flight.

The flock of crows, born from the tree, danced beneath the moon for a while, then gathered again.

This time, they slowly formed a human silhouette.

Because of the distance, Lu Yuan couldn’t make out the details of the figure, but he could tell it was a woman.

She stood under the moon, on the water of the Netherworld River, displaying an incredibly enchanting silhouette.

The woman began to walk towards Lu Yuan step by step. There was an indescribable elegance and composure about her.

Lu Yuan quietly admired her for a while, then clenched his fists, ready to strike at any moment.

Just as the woman was walking on the surface of the river, getting closer and closer to Lu Yuan, and he was just about to see her face clearly...

WHOOSH—

She shattered like a mirage, transforming back into countless crows that scattered and disappeared.

Gone?

Lu Yuan was briefly stunned, looking around for traces of the woman, fearing she might unexpectedly reappear from somewhere at any moment.

SPLISH SPLASH—

Lu Yuan’s feet stirred the river water as he took a few steps in the river.

As he made a particular turn, the aesthetic charm of this dream world rapidly faded.

The pure and bright full moon at the end of the river silently and completely changed into the color of blood.

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, staring fixatedly at the enormous blood moon.

A black line emerged at the center of the blood moon, with pale tendrils spreading out around it.

It looked exactly like an incredibly large eyeball, and it was also silently watching Lu Yuan.

...

SPLASH—

The tense fishing line was pulled taut, and a fish broke the water’s surface, splashing about.

Its silver-white scales shimmered with specks of gold under the morning sun.

"Ha!"

The tanned fisherman sitting on the bank quickly stood up from his little stool, his face beaming.

"How many does that make for today?"

He deftly handled his fishing net, scooped the fish into the bucket, and lifting his chin slightly, looked smugly at his companion, the ’General of the Empty Bucket,’ next to him.

His companion, who was about the same age and clearly with him, glanced at his own empty bucket, so annoyed he wanted to kick the fisherman into the river.

He cursed under his breath, "Get lost!"

The successful fisherman didn’t get angry, just smiled and baited his fishhook anew.

Once the hook was back in the water, he sat back down on his small stool.

CLICK—

He contentedly lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and blew out beautiful smoke rings.

"Fishing, you see, still somewhat depends on skill..."

He had one hand resting on his bucket, full of "Meritorious Medals," and was about to launch into a lecture.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, his companion cut him off.

"Shut up!"

Only then did the first fisherman notice his companion staring fixedly at the river. His companion’s fishing rod, unbeknownst to the first fisherman, had bent into an exaggerated arc.

"Holy crap, you hooked a big one!"

The first fisherman immediately lost interest in anything else. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth, crushed it out, and tensed up.

"Don’t panic, don’t panic! At times like this, you absolutely mustn’t rush. Take it slow..."

His companion’s eyes gleamed as he tightly gripped the fishing rod, like a spear-wielding warrior going All In.

The fishing rod bent more and more, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. He unconsciously stood up from the stool.

The tug-of-war lasted only half a minute before there was a huge commotion on the river’s surface.

The fisherman holding the rod had a flash of determination in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he decisively yanked the rod upwards with all his might.

Accompanied by a massive spray of water, in an instant, a dark figure burst out of the gold-flecked water with a SPLASH!

The two fishermen on the bank had been anticipating this moment, their mouths wide open, letting out a prolonged, astonished "WOW."

However, after a moment, this "WOW" sound suddenly took a sharp downturn, changing into a short, forceful, "Damn!"

"WOW—Damn!"

BANG!

The dark figure that leaped from the water landed steadily on the shore. Astonishingly, it was a human!

The two fishermen, stunned by this sudden, bizarre event, staggered back, their faces etched with shock and disbelief.

What the hell, wasn’t it a fish? How did we hook a person?!

The man who came out of the water was tall and well-proportioned. His exposed arms and calves exhibited strong and aesthetically pleasing muscular lines; one look and you could tell he was a young man who exercised regularly.

As soon as he was ashore, he began to wring out his soaked clothes, SQUELCH, SQUELCH.

The two fishermen gradually recovered from their shock.

"Damn, Cao, you even hooked a morning swimmer..." one of the fishermen muttered.

Before the other could respond, the man who had emerged from the water heard their voices and turned around.

Once they saw his face, the two fishermen, who had only just calmed down, felt their hearts leap into their throats again, their expressions turning to sheer horror and terror.