Things in the pond

Chapter 21

A smile suddenly appeared on the man's face, like ripples on a deep, still pool. He spoke, saying, "Sometimes I wonder, if I had done as you said, would things be different today?"

The catfish sighed, "That's how people always think."

"Yes..." the man still smiled, "I thought that once I cultivated to become an immortal, I would no longer have such thoughts."

The catfish looked at him and remained silent.

“However, this is for the best.” The man’s smile faded, his expression remaining calm and serene. “She has waited long enough…”

The catfish laughed, "As expected of the Immortal Path."

The man nodded. "I'm leaving."

Suddenly remembering something, the catfish spoke up, "Master Ji You, since we're both on the path of immortality, would you mind doing me a small favor?"

The man stopped in his tracks. "Go on," he said.

The catfish chuckled wickedly, "Heh heh, speaking of small favors, I once..."

"Old Catfish, you still like to change the subject..."

"Hey, you still remember?! Speaking of changing the subject, I once..."

"Um... don't change the subject..."

= =#

Chapter Thirty

It was a chaotic day. For example, the river shrimp, provoked, took out all its savings and went on a shopping spree at the Great Lake. For example, the catfish had a strange premonition, transformed into human form, and wandered off for quite a while before returning. For example, Tingcong came to the pond and exclaimed in horror that he had seen Jiyou in the bamboo forest. And for example, around noon, the fox arrived.

The fox's human form was a charming and lovely young girl. "How is it?" she asked, turning around to let the demons judge her.

"Hmm! As expected of the 'Elegant Lady' brand set, which requires ten years of cultivation, it is truly extraordinary!" the carp exclaimed.

"Hmm! And the 'Beautiful as a Fairy' brand rouge and powder, which requires eight years of cultivation, is indeed amazing!" Blackfish exclaimed in amazement.

“Hmm! Reddish hair color, that’s the trend right now!” the crab said.

"Hmm!...Anyway, it's great..." Chi thought for a long time before saying.

The fox was furious. "What do you want?! I'm asking about my appearance! 'A graceful lady,' 'A beauty beyond compare,' that's too much!!! Even though I spent a lot of time and effort to get this outfit, but, but, that's not the point at all... And my hair! I wanted it to be jet black and shiny, why is it reddish... 55555... I'm already so upset, and you're still saying all this nonsense... I hate you..."

The demons remained silent.

"Say something, Tingcong!" The fox turned its head and looked at Tingcong with teary eyes.

Ting Cong turned his face away almost immediately, "I...I'm fine..."

The fox grabbed him. "What do you mean 'nothing'?" She glared at him. "I'm asking you, is there anything wrong with your appearance like this? Isn't there something strange about it? Won't you get arrested by sorcerers if you go out like this..."

“Fox… allow me to interject, you’re human now, you won’t be caught by the sorcerer…” the catfish said helplessly.

The fox paused for a moment, then smiled and noticed that Tingcong was still turning his head away from her.

"What's wrong with you? You haven't been looking at me since just now?" The fox straightened his face, displeased.

Ting Cong's cheeks flushed crimson. "I...why should I be looking at you?"

"What do you mean!" the fox shouted, stamping its foot.

“That’s exactly right!” Ting Cong shouted in agreement.

The demons in the pool all sighed.

"Immortal path is still the best..." the blackfish and the carp said in unison.

Just as the fox and Tingcong were having a big argument, a sparrow flew over.

"Breaking news! Breaking news... There's going to be some excitement in town today..." A sparrow landed on the fox's head and said, "Hey, aren't you a fox? You've decided to become a human, congratulations..."

"What's all the commotion?" Chi poked his head out and asked excitedly.

"The young master of the General's Mansion is going to war today, and even the imperial envoy is here... It's going to be a great show..." Sparrow replied excitedly.

"Going to war? Are we going to fight?" the crab asked, climbing up the rock.

"No, it's just 'autumn protection'," the sparrow replied.

"Preventing autumn frost?" The demons were puzzled.

“Hehe, speaking of autumn protection, I once…” Catfish immediately chimed in.

“I know Old Catfish isn’t trying to change the subject!” Blackfish shouted.

The catfish was deeply moved. "Finally, someone knows!" It wiped away its tears and said, "Every autumn, when the grass grows tall and the horses are fat, and the Yellow River freezes, it's the perfect time for northern ethnic minorities to attack the Central Plains. So, every year at this time, the imperial court sends troops to reinforce the border defenses. That's why it's called 'Autumn Defense'..."

"oh……"

"Let's go see too!" the crab said, waving its claws.

"Yes!" Chi was very excited.

"Hey, this is the time when spring is coming. Where's my '纨绔子弟' outfit?" Carp was also very excited.

“Put it with mine! Come on, carp, let’s go welcome our spring!” the blackfish replied excitedly.

Before long, all the demons transformed into human form and were ready to go.

Catfish, adopting the standard pose of a wicked advisor, grinned wickedly, "Ahem, since there are quite a few people today, to prevent anyone from getting lost, everyone hold hands~"

Without a second thought, the blackfish and the carp clasped hands tightly and said, "Mmm!"

The dragon and the crab held hands, smiled, and nodded, "Okay."

The catfish took the sparrow off the fox's head, grabbed the sparrow's wing, and said, "I'll do it like this."

The fox and Tingcong exchanged a glance and laughed simultaneously.

"Let's go," Tingcong said with a smile, extending his hand.

For some reason, the fox blushed and hesitated for a long time before taking that warm hand. Once it held it, it didn't want to let go.

"Let's go..."

The demons strode confidently and proudly toward the town.

...

...

The river shrimp had just arrived at the great lake when it found it deserted. Upon inquiring, it learned that the demons had all gone to town to watch the general's departure for war. The river shrimp's anger could not be quelled without a bloody battle. It immediately gathered its belongings and headed straight for town.

The town was bustling with activity. People said that seeing an imperial envoy in this town was a grander event than the New Year. Firecrackers and firecrackers were going off everywhere, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

The river shrimp noticed that none of the town's vendors were doing business; they were all busy watching the spectacle. Its spirits plummeted. Then, it saw the protagonist being surrounded by the crowd.

He always had a smile on his face, appearing harmless. However, when he put on his battle armor, he exuded an indescribable air of heroism. Especially his icy, frosty expression, which was even more intense than the ice of the Yellow River.

The river shrimp frowned. "So, he's the son of a general after all this time. Humph!" it muttered to itself as it squeezed into the crowd.

Those around him were praising the general's son for his literary and military prowess, and how his steed could travel a thousand miles a day.

The river shrimp found it strange. Were these people blind? Didn't anyone notice that his eyes were empty, devoid of anything? He had no interest in achieving anything great. He had said he just wanted to spend his whole life like this, lying on the grass, watching the blue sky and white clouds, doing nothing...

Doing nothing is unambitious. But why do people think it's okay for him to lack ambition?

This was a very strange idea. The river shrimp squeezed out of the crowd and shook its head.

"Miss He, is that right?" A calm and pleasant voice rang out beside it.

The river shrimp turned its head and saw an exceptionally handsome man.

"Who are you?" the river shrimp asked.

“I am a friend of Young Master Yinming,” the man replied. “Since you’re here, why not go and say hello?”

"I don't even know him, why should I greet him?" River Shrimp scoffed.

“Once he leaves, he may never come back,” the man said calmly.

The river shrimp felt a jolt in its heart. This feeling seemed to have always been related to the sound inscription.

"If they can't come back, they can't come back. What does it have to do with me!" River Shrimp shouted through gritted teeth.

"It's okay if we never see each other again?"

The river shrimp didn't know why it was so agitated. It continued shouting, "There's no point in seeing him anyway! I'll tell you, I'm a fairy! He's a human, and he'll die sooner or later! These mere decades are better left unseen! I'm going to the ocean; I don't have time to waste on him!" As it shouted, it felt its eyes welling up with tears. Just 100 years short... His words echoed quietly in its mind.

A handsome smile appeared on the man's calm face. "Young lady, it's precisely because it only lasts a few decades that it's wasted, which makes it all the more regrettable. The ocean won't disappear, will it?"

The river shrimp suddenly paused. The ocean will not disappear, but it will grow old and die. One day, it will be gone forever.

"I...I don't want to! I'd rather be lonely and miserable for hundreds of years than spend these few decades. I'm not that stupid! It's best if we never met in the first place!" The river shrimp's words seemed to be directed at itself.

The sounds of firecrackers and poppers completely drowned out its noise. The surrounding area remained festive.

The man's smile remained on his face. "I think I would have been even more lonely and miserable without these decades." After saying that, he took out a bamboo jar and murmured a few words.

"A demon-binding spell!" the river shrimp exclaimed, but it had no time to resist before it was trapped inside the bamboo jar.

The people around didn't notice anything unusual and continued to watch the spectacle with excitement.

The man squeezed back into the crowd and walked up to Yinming.

“Young Master Yinming,” he nodded and said.

Yin Ming saw him and a faint smile appeared on his face. "Master Ji You."

Ji You handed over the bamboo jar in his hand, saying, "Young master is on a long journey, and I have nothing to give you as a parting gift. This is a protective magic treasure from our temple. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can open it, and it will surely be of great help to you."

Yin Ming nodded and accepted the bamboo jar. The jar trembled in his hands. He hesitated for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Thank you, Master Ji You."

Ji You also smiled, "Young master, this bamboo jar must be opened when no one else is around, remember that."

"I've got it." Yin Ming put the bamboo jar into his arms, and a sudden warmth spread through his chest. It felt like the carefree and leisurely days when he lay by the pond, watching the blue sky and white clouds.

Ji You smiled and walked away.

He suddenly remembered something from a long time ago.

When they first met, it was a fox, and he was a human.

The second time they met, it had cultivated into a human form, while he had cultivated into an immortal body.

The third time they met, he was a demon with a thousand years of cultivation, and she was a highly respected immortal.

Between them, there was always just a tiny difference, and that tiny difference felt like the ends of the earth. Decades of companionship versus centuries of longing—which is better? He could no longer tell. But the boy from back then stubbornly insisted on having the same amount of time.