“No… please… have mercy…”
Medeili’s pleas were cut short by the rhythmic prodding of fingers. She looked like a living instrument in the shape of a little girl, producing a strange, haunting melody under the play of another.
With her eyes red and swollen, cheeks stained with tears, and her delicate face contorted in distress, she was a sight that would normally inspire pity. However, the demonic Wang Yue showed no compassion. She narrowed her eyes, maliciously prolonging the torment.
“Heh, I never expected you to be like this, Plum. Replacing your tongue with a bug… that’s so perverted! Were you planning to give me a surprise when we kissed?”
“No… it’s not like that… Plum isn’t a pervert…”
“Hmph.”
Wang Yue snorted in dissatisfaction and shoved another finger inside, effectively silencing her. Her index finger and thumb groped around until they found the soft tip of Medeili’s tongue. She pinched it and gave a sharp tug!
Medeili’s entire body convulsed. Forced to lean forward, she let out a series of stifled, incoherent cries. Her tender, crystalline tongue was dragged out roughly, swaying back and forth under the strain. Her head was pulled forward as she begged with slurred speech.
“It hurts… hurts… don’t bully me… please… Yue…”
“Isn’t this exactly what you asked for? You wanted me to bully you. You said it didn’t matter how rough I was, that the pain would excite you, right? Because you’re a little pervert…”
Wang Yue watched with cold fascination as Plum’s distress peaked. Medeili’s snow-white skin was flushed a tantalizing pink, and under the steam of her sweat, her body gave off an unusually rich scent of milk—like a piece of melting cheese. She wept and twitched in the depths of extreme shame.
Wang Yue continued to pull, stretching the tongue to its limit. Tears, saliva, and sweat mingled as they trailed down Medeili’s face. The girl sobbed and whimpered, looking utterly pathetic.
Then, Wang Yue pressed the tongue-eating louse held between her fingers onto that soft tongue. The mechanical legs instantly clamped shut!
Medeili’s reaction was violent. She let out a sharp, terrified “Guh!” and recoiled instinctively. Her tongue was yanked painfully as it retreated into her mouth along with the parasite.
“Mmm—mmph—!”
Medeili’s face went deathly pale, her eyes glazing over. Her small body seized as if struck by a high-voltage current, twitching and twisting. She tumbled from the chair to the floor, flopping and struggling like a fish out of water. Suddenly, a subtle sensation of release came from between her thighs, and a wave of absolute, soul-crushing shame flooded her mind.
On the floor beneath her, a wet patch rapidly expanded, accompanied by the rising, warm scent of ammonia.
The rapid-fire succession of events left Wang Yue stunned. It wasn’t until she smelled the urine that she snapped out of it, muttering, “She actually… got scared into wetting herself…”
Medeili suddenly burst into a frantic, wailing sob. She pressed her forehead against the floor, her hair disheveled and her face scrunched in agony. Snot and tears smeared into a glistening mess. Her gaze was vacant and lost, her face a mask of total despair as she seemingly contemplated the ruin of her future…
Clatter!
A long wooden plaque with a black lacquered base and gold-leaf patterns tumbled out of the wall vent.
At the same moment, the neural plug on the back of Wang Yue’s neck detached automatically. She shuddered, kneeling on the floor as the fog cleared from her mind. Once her sanity returned, she looked at her hands, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably as the memories of what she had just done played back in her mind.
What was I doing…
Wait, Plum asked me to do that…
But… why did her mind collapse so completely?
Her gaze caught the plaque by the vent, and the realization hit her like a lightning bolt. Only by doing this could they obtain the plaque!
Wang Yue understood now. The tongue-eating louse must have been Medeili’s deepest psychological trauma. She had used her own weakness to force a mental breakdown just to clear the objective.
A wave of profound admiration and respect washed over Wang Yue. She pushed herself up, bracing her hands on her knees, and declared loudly, “Plum, you’re incredible!”
At this point, any apology would be hollow and unnecessary. This had been Medeili’s choice. Wang Yue refused to insult her companion’s courage and sacrifice with mere pity. Instead, acting as a comrade who shared life and death, she moved with grim efficiency. She reached into Medeili’s mouth, removed the tongue-eating louse, and tossed it aside.
Then, she carried Medeili into the back room. She washed her, placed her in the hot water, added milk-scented bath salts, and finished the process with a snap of her fingers.
Medeili sat in the water, her expression vacant, her eyes unable to focus. Seeing her like this made Wang Yue’s heart ache. If we make it out of here, I have to be better to her. So much better.
Wang Yue leaned against the edge of the tub and began to sing softly, weaving a supernatural melody designed to soothe the soul.
Whether it was the song or the warmth of the water, Medeili gradually began to recover. Her eyes found their focus, and her consciousness returned. For Medeili, the mental breakdown was a secondary issue; the fact that she had lost control of her bladder in front of the person she liked was the true killing blow.
She didn’t have the courage to look at Wang Yue’s face. If she weren’t currently naked in a bathtub, she would have fled as far away as possible. She used to be a beautiful little blue fish; now, she was just a “pissing shrimp.”
(T/N: In Chinese, “pissing shrimp” (濑尿虾) is the common name for mantis shrimp. Medeili is using the name as a self-deprecating pun for her accident.)
“Uuu… I’m just a pissing shrimp…”
Medeili hugged her knees, dunking her head into the water and hiding between her legs. She wept silently underwater, adding a bit of salt to the bath.
Ah, so that’s what she’s worried about, Wang Yue realized.
She reached into the water and coaxed Medeili out. Then, with a dead-serious expression, she told her that losing control of one’s bowels or bladder in the heat of combat was perfectly normal. Having one’s stomach pierced, intestines ruptured, or waste spilling into the abdominal cavity were common occurrences on the battlefield.
“If that happened to me, would you throw me away in disgust just because of the smell? Would you refuse to treat my wounds?!” Wang Yue asked loudly.
Medeili’s spirit rallied, and she shook her head frantically.
“Then I feel the same way!” Wang Yue smiled and reached out, pulling her up from the tub.
Medeili understood the logic, but… but why did they suddenly sound like battle-hardened veterans? This isn’t the relationship I wanted! So stupid!
Medeili felt like she was going crazy. She had imagined Wang Yue teasing her wickedly until she was red-faced, then tenderly pulling her close and whispering that she loved everything about her, even the messy parts… instead, she got a lecture on battlefield medicine!
Medeili nearly had a second breakdown from the sheer frustration. However, on second thought, being able to fight alongside Wang Yue was enough. As long as she could be with her, the “how” didn’t matter.
Medeili stepped out of the tub. Droplets of water rolled off her fair skin like rain off a lotus leaf, leaving not a trace behind. After dressing, they returned to the outer room.
Wang Yue held the wooden plaque, her expression grave. “If your deduction is correct and the Hot Springs are where memories are wiped, there’s a high probability of a major battle ahead.”
I really want a hug… Medeili thought sadly.
Wang Yue took two half-inch bamboo tubes, fashioned them into whistles, and handed one to her. “I’ll teach you a Noise-Canceling Melody. It’s used to disrupt the supernatural power generated by other Melodies.”
To generate supernatural power through music, one needed at least a full scale; a couple of isolated notes wouldn’t suffice. A Noise-Canceling Melody worked by neutralizing specific notes within a scale, rendering the entire sequence ineffective.
After teaching her the tune, Wang Yue gave Medeili some time to practice. Meanwhile, Wang Yue went to the gazebo to retrieve the hanging Fueuduo. She stuffed the doll into a large glass jar, screwed the lid tight, and buried it in a hole she dug nearby.
With their preparations complete, Wang Yue took the plaque, and the two headed for the small door on the right. After showing the plaque to the large doll sitting behind the window, the door opened from within. They passed through a crawlspace and emerged into a new area.
A wave of warm steam hit them, carrying a thick scent of sulfur and medicinal herbs.
They walked along a red-lacquered gallery, passing a screen painted with maple leaves. Beneath their feet lay a stone path. As the mist thickened, the faint sound of music drifted toward them. Without hesitation, the two girls began to blow their whistles, playing the Noise-Canceling Melody.
Wang Yue focused on the tune coming from the mist. She recognized it as a melody designed to soothe and attract, making people relax involuntarily and walk toward the source like the living dead. The music sounded grand and resonant, likely produced by some sort of wind instrument. Strangely, the source seemed to move, sounding close one moment and far the next.
They pushed through the fog, and the view suddenly opened up.
Before them lay a vast hot spring pool, its irregular edges defined by rising white stones. The water was a deep, translucent green, shimmering under the rising steam.
Suddenly, a massive shadow swept across the transparent depths of the water!
Wang Yue’s face paled. She looked up at the sky. Above them floated a hundred-meter-long manta ray!
