Chapter 77: Whistling Wind Blade Part 1

Shi Zui frowned slightly, as if she hadn’t quite caught that. “The reward is… a smile?”

Ye Jingqiu stood tall and fearless, chin raised defiantly. “That’s right!”

Shi Zui pressed on. “Do you have a wife waiting for you out there?”

Ye Jingqiu blinked. “Huh?”

Ye Jingqiu felt a flicker of confusion. Had the captain’s hearing gotten so freakishly sharp!?

Shi Zui tilted her head thoughtfully. “And on top of that, a girlfriend?”

Ye Jingqiu’s eyes widened. “!!!”

Hold on—this tone, this look—

Seeing that oh-so-familiar expression cross the foreign tour guide’s face, Shi Zui’s lips curved in a half-smile as she spoke again, her voice light as a drifting leaf. “So… Miss Guide, what exactly are you planning to do right now, behind your wife and girlfriend’s backs?”

Disaster! Ye Jingqiu’s heart lurched, and she plastered on a sycophantic grin. “Hey now, friend, why dig so deep? Let’s keep things friendly—harmony breeds prosperity, right? Triple the price? Say no more…”

Shi Zui shot her a cool glance, and Ye Jingqiu’s words died in her throat.

“Out with it,” Shi Zui said, her eyes lowering as a cold laugh escaped her. “What were you planning to do behind your wife and girlfriend’s backs?”

Ye Jingqiu swallowed hard, testing the waters with extreme caution. “F-find an even newer fiancée on the sly?”

Shi Zui: “…”

Shi Zui: “Ye Jingqiu.”

“Present!”

Ye Jingqiu snapped to attention like a shot, her small frame rigid as a board. “Esteemed Captain Shi Zui, Team One’s Ye Jingqiu extends her sincerest greetings!”

“When we’re not around, is this how you talk to everyone?”

Ye Jingqiu let out a pair of awkward chuckles. “Total misunderstanding, Captain. Girlfriend and wife are both spoken for—if I kept going, I’d have to drag in fiancée and ex-girlfriend next! Just brushing up on my vocab. Pretend you misheard, yeah?”

“So you figured that was me from five years ago, and that’s why you lowballed me with a smile?” Shi Zui gave her a sharp sidelong look, showing zero signs of letting her off the hook.

“No… I just wanted to cheer you up, get a smile out of you.”

“You wanted to cheer yourself up,” Shi Zui said flatly, clearly not buying a word from her little teammate. “Fine. Why are you here? What did you get up to after hopping off the ship tonight?”

Ye Jingqiu dropped the jokes and spilled the whole story—from rescuing Jiang Zhinan to spotting the Silver Hall—while delicately vowing never to charge ahead so recklessly again.

“Good. Nothing happened, and don’t let it happen twice.”

Shi Zui exhaled almost imperceptibly, her face remaining a mask of serene calm. After a beat, she asked, “But if this is A-Xie’s dream, why am I here?”

“Didn’t you dream it, Captain?”

“No. There was a flash, and I woke up on the ship.”

Ye Jingqiu mulled it over. “Zhong Qing said you’re… special. Maybe Wangliang pulled you into A-Xie’s dream too, while she was at it.”

“Got it. But…” Shi Zui nodded, her gaze drifting lightly over Zhong Qing in the distance. “Can we trust her?”

“We don’t have any other options right now.” Ye Jingqiu hesitated for a split second before murmuring her reply.

Before they could continue, a voice they both recognized drifted over from afar.

Xie Pingzhi, clad in shorts and a tank top with just her head poking out, whined pitifully. “Qingqing, why haven’t you come find me yet?”

Shi Zui: “…Well, that’s a first.”

Zhong Qing smoothly shifted into coaxing mode. Ye Jingqiu stared at the absurdly childish Xie Pingzhi in the distance and smacked her lips, turning to the captain. “Was A-Xie always like this?!”

Shi Zui’s expression defied description as she shook her head. “No idea. Five years ago, we crossed paths on the ship, but we split up after docking. Next time I saw her, Xie Pingzhi was already collapsed in a pool of blood.”

Ye Jingqiu let out an “ah.” “So in the original timeline, you never actually came looking for me, your tour guide?”

“Mm. Once I came to, I realized we were at the mouth of the Zhaobiye River. If anyone’s got the deepest ties to this place, it’s Xie Pingzhi—tracking her seemed smart.” Shi Zui paused there, her eyes flicking briefly over her little teammate. “Didn’t expect to find you.”

Ye Jingqiu pulled a miserable face, thinking, Neither did I, Captain! One impulsive stunt, and I’m busted.

Right then, the ship’s horn gave a leisurely blast as it eased toward the tourist dock. Placated, Xie Pingzhi grinned ear to ear and swiftly warmed to the idea of one extra traveler.

After a quick word with Zhou Xianhui, Shi Zui fell in step with the trio as they disembarked. Xie Pingzhi’s planned spot was still a hike away, so the four pressed on lightly packed, plunging into the thick woods before long.

Ye Jingqiu put on a show of leading the way, twisting back every so often to trade smiles and chatter with Shi Zui—their vibe unmistakably cozy. Xie Pingzhi eyed it curiously, then picked up her pace and leaned in to whisper in Ye Jingqiu’s ear, looking for all the world like she had some heartfelt secret to share.

Ye Jingqiu caught on quick and tilted her head right over, all eager compliance—what was this? A-Xie plotting a surprise for Zhong Qing? Or maybe a heads-up to take it slow?

“Friend,” Xie Pingzhi murmured, sneaking a wary peek at the aloof Shi Zui, “juggling three relationships at once? That’s playing with fire.”

Ye Jingqiu: “…You bought that?”

She heaved a profound sigh at the faintly baffled Xie Pingzhi, struck by how endearingly guileless A-Xie had been five years back.

This version felt more genuine, though. Ye Jingqiu reflected: the old A-Xie had blown free as the wind, but now she spun in circles like a butterfly in a glass case—wild on the surface, yet boxed in all the same.

The sun dipped low, but the path lights through the dense forest stayed dark. Breezes rustled shadows—bright here, dim there—across the underbrush, weaving an uncanny chill that had everyone huddling into their clothes.

Would A-Xie call off the excursion?

Ye Jingqiu turned her head, a touch of worry creasing her brow. Behind her, Xie Pingzhi was chatting animatedly with Zhong Qing about the ceremony—something about how a certain Thai liquor would make a fine addition to the gift list, and how they could take a boat out to the beach for photos. Ye Jingqiu’s ears pricked up clearly at the word “wedding,” just as Xie Pingzhi’s thoughts drifted to the venue for registering their marriage.

So this was how far things had progressed between Zhong Qing and A-Xie back then.

Ye Jingqiu felt a little dazed. Xie Pingzhi’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly planned their future, while Zhong Qing stood silently at her side, smiling and nodding along—no different from any other lover who entrusted everything to their partner. Even the soft way she murmured her agreement was filled with utmost tenderness.

Xie Pingzhi truly deserved such a beautiful future. But not with her.

Shi Zui spoke in a low voice. “We don’t have much time left. If the base’s post-incident report is accurate, a swarm of alligator beasts will attack Xie Pingzhi in thirteen minutes. Zhong Qing will use the pretext of protecting A-Xie to fake her death and sever ties with this identity.”

Ye Jingqiu fell silent for a moment. “So we need to convince A-Xie to kill Zhong Qing before the alligator swarm arrives?”

Shi Zui nodded.

“That’s going to be tough. Does dragging her by the hand to stab Zhong Qing count?” Ye Jingqiu’s face scrunched up in worry. “She’s head over heels for her right now!”

As she spoke, the four of them neared their original destination. The sun had fully set, and the shallow river along the shore flowed sluggishly. From the overgrown weeds came faint, eerie rustling cries. Ye Jingqiu paused, sensing a strange elemental aura in the air.

In an instant, a low growl erupted. An unidentified beast shot past the group at blinding speed! Xie Pingzhi whipped a survival knife from her backpack with lightning reflexes, her movements practiced and precise. Her expression turned deadly serious.

“Why would a beast this large be in a place like this?” Xie Pingzhi scanned their surroundings warily. “And why haven’t the Ring River Lanterns lit up yet?”

Suddenly, chilling roars echoed from all directions. Dozens of beasts burst from the river water—human-faced, short-snouted alligators with sheep horns bared their savage fangs. Their tiger-like claws could shred a gui tree in the blink of an eye.

Shaped like a human face, with sheep horns and tiger claws, forever roaming the Sui-Zhang Abyss, appearing and vanishing amid flashes of light: these were the alligator swarms.

They were minions of Chimei Wangliang. Five years ago, it was Zhong Qing who had summoned them.

Xie Pingzhi spun on her heel without hesitation and shouted at Ye Jingqiu, “Run! Get out of here now! Call the police—this place isn’t safe anymore!”

Ye Jingqiu shouted back a nod of agreement, her face etched with anxiety. Under her breath, though, she nudged Shi Zui. “What do we do, Captain?”

“Stand by and watch,” Shi Zui replied, unexpectedly. Her eyes darkened. “Just wait.”

Ye Jingqiu blinked in surprise. Before she could respond, the situation shifted dramatically. The swarm of alligator beasts converged on Xie Pingzhi and Zhong Qing at the center of the encirclement. With a sharp cry, Ye Jingqiu leaped into action, bounding toward Xie Pingzhi.

Xie Pingzhi’s left hand clamped down on one of the beast’s sheep horns while her right drove the survival knife mercilessly into its spine. Inwardly, Ye Jingqiu cheered—beautiful! With a single strike, Xie Pingzhi had precisely severed the creature’s central nervous system. The power, the angle, the speed: all flawless beyond words!

Before joining the base, she had clearly been a master of hunting and close-quarters combat.

Catching sight of Ye Jingqiu in her peripheral vision, hope reignited in Xie Pingzhi’s eyes. She hadn’t expected the guide not to flee first.

“Take my wife and go!” Xie Pingzhi roared, wiping beast blood from her face. “Ten times—no, a hundred times the pay! Name your price, just get her out of here!”