Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng couldn't believe what was happening right before their eyes.
The beast let out a low rumble, like how a whale would sound under the ocean.
"Holy shit." One of the disciples say.
Lan Wangji's eyes shook, remembering the features of the beast from a book he read back in Cloud Recesses.
"That's Xuanwu of Slaughter. Not the real one, but a demi who fed on resentful energy throughout the centuries."
And now, that said beast is growling like a tamed animal in front of the redhead.
The disciples let out a stifled gasp, still staring at the scene that was happening right before their eyes.
Its head neared to Cale, as the redhead slowly reached to pat Xuanwu's head.
The beast let out another low sound, like it was happy.
"I'm not dreaming, aren't I?" Jin Zixuan suddenly asks, which where the others collectively agrees.
"Do you want to check?" Wei Ying asks, still leaning on Jiang Cheng.
Before Jin Zixuan could answer, he was slapped straight in his face by Wei Ying who asked that question then leans back again to Jiang Cheng with a triumphant smile.
"There. This is reality, not a dream. Is it clear now?" Wei Ying says while snickering, which Jin Zixuan could only scowl at him when he sees Lan Wangji glaring at him, as if warning him to not do anything funny.
"If that monster is really the Xuanwu of Slaughter as Second Young Master Lan says, then shouldn't we kill it before it kills us?" A disciple suddenly asks, who now they found that it was Su Minshan.
"Can't you see that Wei Xianghuan had already tamed it? The monster wasn't attacking him at all." A disciple from Ouyang reasons.
"Yeah? Then why isn't he saying a word at all? For all we know the monster have hypnotic ability or something!" Su Minshan, Su She retorts.
The reason why Cale wasn't speaking, is because he was talking to Xuanwu in his head.
- All I remember was chaos. The earth, seas, and sky were burning with unquenchable flames. Your pained cries echoed throughout the barren world with no one to listen to your pleas. Even the Gods who took interest to you, turned their backs on you when you had lost their attention to be their source of entertainment.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Jiang Cheng screams, glaring at Su She who have his bow drawn.
"Trying to save him if possible." Su She states, which earned a scowl from Wei Ying.
"You're gonna kill him! Lan Zhan! Stop hiㅡNO!"
- When you couldn't bear to live anymore, you asked a God to kill you.
The sound of an arrow echoed.
- And they did. You died while I couldn't do anything to protect you, as I was still an inanimate object back then.
Just before Cale could further listen, he felt something sharp hit him on his back.
Xuanwu howled, its head supporting Cale who staggered to him.
- Young Master! What happened? Why do I suddenly smell blood on you?! Young Master Cale!
Xuanwu couldn't see clearly in the cave after all, only relying to its remaining senses as it sharpened its hearing.
"You fucking bastard! Save him? You fucking shot him in the back you prick!" Jiang Cheng screams, not knowing if he should punch the bastard straight into his face or run to where their gege is, leaving Wei Ying.
Most of all, Xuanwu could smell another substance mixing with the redhead's blood as it let out a low growl.
Poison. The human who shot him deliberately smeared the arrowhead with a poison.
Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying looked at the beast who was growling, like it knew that its owner was injured.
It does know, when golden slitted eyes looked at the person who have their bow drawn.
Xuanwu bellowed, its snake-like head rushing forward to where Su She is.
The said man is starting to tremble in fear as Xuanwu is focused to him.
Out of fear, some disciples also had their bows aimed at the beast, forgetting what happened earlier with the redhead.
"Stand down." Jin Zixuan orders the disciples from his Sect, the same goes to Gusu Lan and Yunmeng Jiang disciples.
"Gege! Jiang Cheng, we need to go to him..." Wei Ying yells, his conciusness flickering.
"No need to tell me." The younger says before Lan Wangji caught Wei Ying at the other side, helping the two to go towards the redhead.
As the three arrived to where the redhead is slump against a wall, they could see how Cale was writhing in pain as cold sweat started to fall on hid forehead.
"Who the hell shot me with a poisoned arrow?" Cale managed to say, scowling.
"It was poisoned?!" Wei Ying yells despite his blurry eyesight.
"It was Su Minsahan." Lan Wangji informs, his lips formed into a thin line as several thoughts ran through his mind.
Such several thoughts include; Brother would be hurt to see him like this, he would be restless and walk around him like a worried husband who have his wife delivering a baby, must save him so brother won't be sad.
What a caring brother he is.
"That bastard again?" Cale asks as he coughs out blood, starting to get annoyed.
While Xuanwu continued to glare at the human who hurt Cale, the four of them continued to talk like nothing was happening at the other side of the cave.
"A-Ying, you have the qiankun pouch from earlier right? Put some to your burn." Cale says as he groans.
"What about you? You said the arrow was poisoned!" Jiang Cheng asks worriedly.
"Then save some for me." Cale says, deadpanned.
As Cale looks at Xuanwu, he grins in mischief.
'Hey, make that shithead faint in fear as revenge for the arrow.'
Xuanwu tilts its head for a while, but the beast follows the redhead nonetheless.
So it roared, loud enough that the whole cave shook with just the sound.
Su She faints on the ground, his mouth bubbling as Xuanwu huffs in pride.
The beast then started trudging its neck back to where the redhead is before letting out a low growl, waiting to be praised.
Cale snorts, "You might have broken his eardrums in the process, but good job."
The redhead then pats Xuanwu's head, its small tail from behind wagging.
Just then, something glowed between Cale's hands and the beast's head.
The ball of light danced around the redhead for a while, like it was happy.
"Can you remove the arrow in my back?" Cale asks Lan Wangji, since Lans are famous for their arm strength.
The younger was reluctant at first. But when he saw the tired yet confident look coming from the redhead, he followed.
He was similar to his older brother, Lan Wangji assess. But there's something about the redhead that makes you comply to all his words.
Pulling the arrow in one swift, Cale had no time to groan in pain as he coughed out dark blood. The wound in his back slowly healing yet the poison in his system still remains.
That is when the white orb went inside him, a warm feeling starting to spread out.
Cale let out a shuddered breath before clutching his head.
- Cale!
- Oh thank God!
- It's nice to see you again!
- Hell yeah!
- Fucking finally!
- Waaaaaahhhhh! Why is it that even in another world you're still injured?! Wait, you're poisoned?!
- What?!
- Who poisoned him?!
- I'm gonna beat their ass and cripple their legs the moment I see the person who hurt our Cale.
- Behave, all of you.
The redhead felt dizzy at the sudden onslaught of voices inside his head.
"Gege, are you alright?" Jiang Cheng asks, since Wei Ying had already fell unconscious.
Xuanwu growls softly, as if sorry.
"It's fine. Get ready, we're leaving this cave."
The beast froze, as if dreading a reality that it'll be alone again once the redhead leaves.
"Is there another exit on this cave?" Cale asks as he softly patted the beast's snout.
- There is.
- Holy shit! Is that a turtle?!
- Stop shouting you dipshit!
"Mount the islet in its back, we're going home." The redhead says to Jiang Cheng with a grin.
- Home? I'm coming?
Cale snorts, repeatedly patting Xuanwu, "Of course you are."
'You may no longer be the Henituse's golden turtle, but you'll be Yunmeng's Xuanwu as long as I'm here.'
It'll be nice to have a pet turtle back in Lotus Pier. Besides, there's a lot of rivers around Yunmeng Jiang.