You Don't Know Love (Fanfic)

Chapter 27: Pulled

The decks were cleared. The locals of Caiyi hid behind shut doors and once a bustling place turned into a quiet town and was swallowed by dreadful tranquility. Some goods and pottery were left indiscreetly at some stalls, it was awful. Amidst the silence, and on the surface of the lake were several boats floating and drifting to the thick fog that unexpectedly welcomed the Lans when they arrived for the hunt.

"Xiong-zhang," Lan Wangji turned to his brother who's in another boat not far away from where he is.

"I know Wangji. The silence after a storm isn't always a good result. Where could've they gone to? Those water ghouls? We have been making the rounds for some time now. And we've got nothing." Lan Xichen explained, his eyes lingering to the almost black surface of the water, not even a single living being seems to live in it. What happened to Biling Lake?

Few hours had passed already and Lan Wangji felt guilty for thinking that somehow they are wasting their time at the lake. He's worried and in his mind, the memory of the frightening occurrence that morning still lingers. His hand slightly trembled and he unconsciously felt up the pulse on his wrist, as if that will chase the nightmare away. Wei Ying not breathing, peaceful, and just silent, don't sit right to Lan Wangji. He suddenly has the urge to hop on Bichen and fly to where the jiaoren's at, just to make sure that he's safe and out of harm. But Lan Wangji is a Lan. He has responsibility in his clan. There are rules that he bowed to follow and laws he pledged to protect. However, Wei Ying will always be an exception, he had accepted that fact a long time ago.

Once his mind became clearer, his eyes inadvertently traveled to the hull of Lan Xichen's boat. Without warning, Wangji shifted and used the oar he's holding to turn the boat over. His older brother knows that he will never subject to mischief acts, so he instantly leaped out of the vessel to Wangji's boat way before it overturned. The Lan disciples' calls and shouts for binding nets buzzed around and soon the three creatures that were clinging to their young master's ride were purged.

"Thank you Wangji." Lan Xichen said and gave a gentle pat on his little brother's shoulder.

"Young-master, the water..." A Lan disciple named Su She blurted loud enough for everyone to hear. The water of the lake turned murky and shadows seem to dash around underneath. The blue glowing sword plunged into the water followed by Shuyue's blinding light. Both jades of Lan possess prowess that is blindingly strong and great. A lot of cultivators from different clans, look up to the twin jade and what more from the same clan. After witnessing such an act of greatness, Su She summoned his sword and followed suit. He concentrated enough to control it underwater. Not even three seconds had passed, Su She is already turning pale. No matter how hard he tried, his sword never resurfaced. He always had the desire to be on par with the Jades, so he acted rashly and copied them. Since he's weak and his golden core's strength isn't even half as strong as them, the sword never resurfaced while Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen already had their spiritual swords. Su She felt like he's going to be sick, he felt bitterness bubbling from the pit of his stomach.

The black tendrils that were circulating around their boats became darker and darker, until an abyss-like image formed in the middle of the lake not so far away from them.

"It led us here on purpose." Lan Xichen spoke when the realization hit him like a wave. It isn't a simple case about water ghouls like last time. This is far more serious than what was reported to them. "Everyone, get on your sword!" Lan Xichen ordered before hopping on Shuyue and levitating to the air.

The water from the lake began to swirl like a storm. From up above, they can see the eye of it...raging and terrifyingly wreaking havoc. The boat that they used had crashed into each other and were swallowed by the waterborne abyss, a monster that has the body of water. They were borne out of resentful energy that was gathered and formed as a creature of the water.