Chapter 27: Ice Prison Island (Part 3)

Shuisheng took a moment to regulate his breathing, allowing his energy, which had been nearly depleted, to recover.

He then dragged the desiccated carcass of the white eagle-vulture onto the snow-covered beach. While the creature had originally stood nearly a meter and a half tall with a wingspan exceeding three meters and a weight of at least a hundred pounds, its moisture-less corpse weighed less than forty pounds.

The group of people in the distance who had previously refused to let him join them had noticed the battle and began to approach. By the time they arrived, the fight was over; they found only a young boy sitting on the ground, beside him a massive, featherless eagle-vulture and a patch of ground littered with feathers. Everything was soaked.

They hurried over to Shuisheng. Ignoring him, they gathered around the eagle-vulture to inspect it.

A man of about thirty, with a sallow face and squinted eyes, asked his companions suspiciously, "This looks like an Ice Prison Eagle, but how did the corpse become so withered? Wasn't it fresh just a moment ago?"

His companions were equally puzzled. One remarked, "Could the kid have used some strange technique or a magical artifact?" Only then did they all turn their attention to Shuisheng.

The sallow-faced man sneered, "Hey, kid! Did you kill this thing? How did you do it?"

"I don't know," Shuisheng replied. "It just turned into this for some reason." The miraculous effect of his "Water Pig" was too difficult to explain, so to avoid trouble, he played dumb.

The group was far from convinced. The sallow-faced man circled Shuisheng, looking him up and down. Seeing that he was barely fourteen or fifteen and lacked any visible weapons, he became even more certain that the boy had used some kind of treasure.

"You must have used some magical artifact or secret treasure to finish it off," he said with a sinister tone. "I don't know what kind of goodie it is, but why don't you bring it out and let us brothers from the Crocodile God Society have a look?"

*The Crocodile God Society.* Shuisheng quickly searched his memory. He vaguely recalled that it was a large gang of ability users entrenched in Fuling City, known for bullying, swindling, and general lawlessness. They had a terrible reputation.

The others dragged the "Ice Prison Eagle" to their feet, their intentions clear: they meant to claim it as their own. Seeing that Shuisheng was just a lone boy, they began to scheme. The carcass had clearly not been dissected yet, and it was highly likely to contain a valuable magic crystal. If the crystal held a specialized ability, it would be even more precious.

"Hey! That’s mine!" Shuisheng was genuinely angry now.

"Yours?" the sallow-faced man retorted. "Now it belongs to Old Man Liu Qing of the Crocodile God Society."

Shuisheng stepped forward, intending to reclaim the carcass. He had spent so much effort—nearly freezing to death in the process—that he could not simply hand over the spoils of his victory.

Liu Qing stepped in front of him, shoving him squarely in the chest. Shuisheng, slower than his opponent, was hit with such force that he landed hard on his backside.

Liu Qing’s companions whistled and cheered, as if robbing someone and bullying a child were honorable deeds. Seeing Shuisheng about to scramble up, Liu Qing swung his leg, intending to kick the boy into a state of serious injury so he wouldn't interfere further. If he killed him, so be it; in this otherworldly space, nobody cared about anyone else's life.

Shuisheng leaned back, and Liu Qing’s foot swept past his chest, narrowly missing.

"Liu Qing, you can't even land a hit on a brat? Did you exhaust all your energy at the Colorful Butterfly Club yesterday?" a companion mocked.

"I’m testing his methods! Let's see what he's got first!" Liu Qing snapped. "A brat? Can a mere brat easily kill an Ice Prison Eagle?"

Stung by the ridicule, he became determined to put the boy down in the next move. There were many people entering this place, and he didn't want to drag this out. Fortunately, the previous two moves had allowed him to gauge the boy's true strength and speed: he was around a Level 2 ability user, likely with water-based powers. Such combat strength was negligible to him.

He lashed out with another kick, faster and much heavier than the last.

But while his foot was still in mid-air, Liu Qing was shocked to see the boy disappear. He had to retract his leg, thinking his eyes had played a trick on him. Just as he was about to rub them, his companions shouted, "To the left!"

Liu Qing threw a punch to his left, and with a *thud*, he struck something in the empty air. Shuisheng’s form flickered into view.

Shuisheng had used the "Water Invisibility" technique left behind by Mei Yulang. This was his first time using it in actual combat. It had been effective, but Liu Qing’s companions had spotted him because he left footprints in the snow.

"That's not playing fair," Shuisheng said helplessly. "In a duel, who shouts out instructions from the sidelines?" He clutched his chest; although no bones were broken, the punch hurt immensely.

"What rules? The rules of the Crocodile God Society *are* the rules!" one of Liu Qing’s companions whistled.

"The kid has a cloaking ability... he must have something else good on him," Liu Qing said. "Boys, once we get it, we'll sell it and split the money!"

"You're generous, Boss Liu!" his companions cheered.

Liu Qing, confident he had the boy's measure, attacked again. Suddenly, a thorny green vine whipped across the space, separating him from Shuisheng.

A person leapt from the side, glaring at him. It was a woman in her late thirties with yellowish eyes, thin, tightly pressed lips, and a sallow, haggard face tinged with a sickly green hue. She held the thorny vine like a long whip.

"Inspector Ni!" Shuisheng recognized her as Inspector Ni Ximei from the Yan family's special task force. He vaguely remembered she was a Level 5 ability user. With her intervention, the Ice Prison Eagle might be saved.

"A bunch of grown men bullying a boy—have you no shame?" Ni Ximei faced Liu Qing and his group. "The Crocodile God Society, is it? Should I go have a word with your leader?"

"Who are you? Mind your own business," Liu Qing said, looking her over. The aura she projected made him wary. He was only a Level 3 Earth-type user, and her presence was clearly at a higher level than his own.

"Yan Garden," Ni Ximei said simply.

The expressions of Liu Qing and his group shifted instantly. While the Crocodile God Society was a major gang in Fuling City, it couldn't compare to the deep roots of the Yan family, one of the three great clans. He remembered seeing a large contingent of Yan family guards before entering the rift.

He glanced around, relieved to see no one else. His wavering confidence immediately began to recover.

"People from Yan Garden? My apologies. The matter here is a grievance between our Crocodile God Society and this boy; it has nothing to do with you," Liu Qing said, squinting at her. "You can't stick your noses into everything. You aren't the Heavenly Court organization—can you really manage it all?"

Ni Ximei lashed her vine against the ice, sending shards flying. "This boy belongs to my Yan Garden! If you don't like it, then we'll have to settle this with force. Come on, all five of you together!"

Liu Qing hesitated, ultimately afraid to engage.

"We can't afford to offend the people of Yan Garden, but our boss will settle this with you later!" he spat, signaling his companions to hoist the Ice Prison Eagle and prepare to flee. Since they couldn't gain an advantage against a Level 5 user, they decided to secure their current prize first.

"Put that down!" Ni Ximei’s vine slammed heavily onto the ice in front of them.