I was puzzled. "Didn't you say this is a legend? If it's a legend, shouldn't the female protagonist have a conventional name? The name Xiaoqing always reminds me of a snake demon."
He glanced at me. "The legend is too long, I can't remember her name. She was wearing a blue dress back then, so she was called Xiao Qing."
Lou Xiyue remembered complicated names like "Donghai Mozu," "Lingshui Lizu," and "Libei Jun," and even the color of the heroine's clothes, but she couldn't remember her name. I felt inexplicably sad for the heroine of the story.
Lou Xiyue continued, "Li Beijun was healing and needed to shed his skin, so many dragon scales fell off. Xiaoqing thought the little snake was going to die, and she felt sorry for him, so she strung the dragon scales together with thread to make a snakeskin coat, which she then draped over Li Beijun's body." He paused, as if lost in thought, "Xiaoqing likes to laugh a lot."
I asked him, "And then?"
He looked at the vast East Sea before him. "After Li Beijun recovered from his injuries, he returned to the Heavenly Realm. He was only gone for a day, but ten years had already passed in the mortal world. Li Beijun thought that ten years later, Xiaoqing would be a beautiful woman, and he would marry her as his wife."
I said, "The legend that humans and immortals cannot form a bond is a tragedy."
He turned around and stared at me intently. "It seems Xiaoqing has left the fishing village. Li Beijun hasn't been able to find her."
I said, "No way, is he a god? He can't find someone if he wants to?"
Anyone who tells a story must first move themselves before they can move others. Although Lou Xiyue's story was largely illogical, he poured his own emotions into it, becoming completely immersed in the role. I saw a fleeting look of dejection in his eyes, and a faint sorrow seemed to linger between his brows. "Later, he found out that Xiaoqing had always only seen him as a little snake, and she had fallen in love with someone else."
I was stunned. "Normally, at this point, shouldn't it be that Li Beijun uses his immortal power to transform into a handsome young man and win Xiaoqing's heart? Afterwards, because humans and immortals cannot be together, the two suffer greatly. In the end, either Li Beijun abandons his immortal position to become a mortal and stay with Xiaoqing, or Xiaoqing is enlightened by Guanyin and becomes a divine couple with Li Beijun in heaven, or the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are separated by the sea."
To sum it up, "Your legend lacks any of the classic elements of a legend. Moreover, the claim that Li Beijun is a deity serves no purpose whatsoever."
Lou Xiyue raised her eyebrows, looked at me with a smile, her gaze gentle, and said, "I made it up."
I patted him on the shoulder. "It's not your fault this story lacks originality; there are just too many stories like this about humans and demons, immortals, and ghosts. But when telling a story, you need a framework, and yours is too disjointed. You could change it to: In a fit of rage, Li Beijun killed Xiaoqing's beloved, transformed into that person, and grew old with Xiaoqing. By the time Xiaoqing died, the heavens had only been in turmoil for five or six days. Li Beijun returned to heaven to continue being a high god, only occasionally thinking of Xiaoqing. That's what you call 'better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to cling together in hardship,' a touch of melancholy."
Lou Xiyue chuckled and said something cryptic, "Li Beijun only left for a day. He didn't expect that Xiaoqing would disappear as soon as he turned around."
The waves crashed against the shore, washing over the rocks one after another.
"Seventh Young Master, the wind is strong today. I asked the fishermen, and they said it's not advisable to go out to sea," Ji Jiu suddenly appeared and said cheerfully.
Lou Xiyue shrugged. "Time is of the essence. Third Uncle is waiting for the medicine to be introduced."
He looked at Ji Jiu and smiled, "Since you're not used to swimming, you can stay here and wait for us."
Ji Jiu frowned. "The sea is dangerous, young master, please be careful."
Lou Xiyue looked at me and smiled indifferently, "Even if I die, someone will accompany me on my journey."
I subtly moved closer to Ji Jiu. "Actually, I'm not good at water either. To minimize the risk, I'll show you a picture of the Bloodstone Grass. Go find it yourself."
Lou Xiyue glanced at me, grabbed me by the collar, and led me onto the boat. "It's even better since you're not good at swimming."
The master's notes state: Bloodstone grass mostly grows in the crevices of coral reefs. It is named "bloodstone grass" because the coral is blood-red. This grass is hot in nature, has tendril-like structures, and is dark blood-red.
Lou Xiyue and I rowed our boat. The wind picked up and the waves grew bigger. When we reached shallow waters, the sky was already getting dark. The boat was unstable, so I held onto the plank and sat at the stern, trembling with fear.
I said sincerely to Lou Xiyue, "Lou Xiyue, I really can't swim. If you let me go down, I will surely die."
Looking at the surging waves nearby, I closed my eyes, steeled my resolve, and said, "If you don't want me to live, I'll jump in."
Lou Xiyue laughed. I opened my eyes to look at him. He took off his outer robe and threw it to me. "You wait on the boat. Don't let the waves wash you away."
I said, "Are you going to jump into the sea by yourself?"
He stopped smiling, narrowed his eyes, and said to me seriously, "Wait for me here, don't be afraid."
I quickly grabbed him, "I'm your master, I'll go with you."
Lou Xiyue leaned closer, pressed her forehead against mine, and teased, "Are you worried about me?"
I moved aside to make way, "..."
He laughed and said, "Don't go down there and cause me trouble."
No sooner had I finished speaking than I heard a splash as Lou Xiyue leaped into the sea.
One wave crashed in after another, making the small boat look extremely frail on the sea. Looking out, the boundless sea stretched endlessly, meeting the dark sky, as if it wanted to swallow one whole.
The sea breeze howled past, tearing open sharp cuts in my ears.
Lou Xiyue had been submerged for nearly half an incense stick's time, and apart from the churning waves, there was no other movement in front of her.
I tried calling out, "Lou Xiyue."
The sound was drowned out by the waves, not a trace of it was heard.
As darkness fell completely, the once azure sea turned a dark, inky color.
I rowed the boat, trying my best to circle in the undulating waves.
The boat shook violently. Before I could even sit up properly, a huge wave crashed into me. I lurched to the side and fell into the sea. Seawater surged in from all sides, and the waves that had just surged several meters high collapsed with a roar. I felt my chest tighten, struggling to breathe, my mouth and nose submerged in water, and the pain of suffocation overwhelmed me.
My mind was a complete blank, my clarity was fading, and it felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on my chest, causing my body to sink downwards.
It felt as if seawater was being forced in. Someone pressed down on the back of my neck, pulling me closer. A soft, wet object pressed against my lips, and I felt a breath flowing through his mouth. I felt a little better, but it wasn't nearly enough. It felt like something was blocking my chest and lungs, making it unbearable. I struggled in the water, kicking and thrashing against the seawater, desperately trying to surface.
He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me tightly against his chest; with his other hand, he grabbed my wrist and wrapped it around his neck. His tongue slipped inside, parting my teeth, and his breath became much richer. I opened my mouth and sucked hard, as if grasping a ray of dawn.
The hands on my waist used force to lift me up.
Finally out of the water, I took a deep breath of fresh air, panting and feeling weak all over. I coughed a few times to try to expel the seawater that had just entered my lungs, and my mind cleared up a little.
My waist tightened, and I barely opened my eyes to look to the side. Through the blur, I could vaguely see Lou Xiyue, her eyes and brows covered in water, pulling me toward the side of the boat.
Lou Xiyue sat on the boat, put his arm around me from behind so I could lean against his chest, and asked, "How are you?"