Shackles of Humanity

One day, raindrops began to fall from the sky. It was the first time they had seen rain in the more than half a month since they’d been trapped.

Luo Kai stood in the rain. As the raindrops neared him, they immediately slid gently away. He looked up at the sky, slowly closed his eyes, and let his consciousness merge completely with the rainwater. Gradually, it climbed up to the clouds. Below, a thick Mist swirled, obscuring everything from view. He sighed inwardly and began to summon the surrounding water molecules.

Following the guidance of his consciousness, more and more water molecules gathered. What had been a sporadic drizzle turned into a torrential downpour.

Lu Qing had already grown accustomed to life here. She sat in the warm cave, humming a little tune and using a bone needle to mend a piece of clothing made of Snake Skin. Her voice was soft and sweet.

Luo Kai stopped resonating with the water flow and returned to the cave. He saw Lu Qing clumsily mending the Snake Skin clothing, making it look rather misshapen, so he went over to give her detailed instructions. As the saying goes, master one thing and you master all things. Luo Kai’s current control over his body had reached a sublime level. His mind would first formulate a plan, and his body would execute it perfectly, like a pre-programmed machine. Even a simple task like making clothes would become an exquisite work of art in his hands.

Lu Qing seemed to have no intention of learning at all. Her big eyes stared at him unblinking, and they seemed to swim with moisture.

Gradually, Luo Kai stopped talking and looked up at Lu Qing. He saw her pretty face was flushed, her expression incredibly Charming and alluring. His heartbeat uncontrollably began to quicken, his breathing grew heavy, and he couldn’t help but grasp the small, delicate hand before him.

Lu Qing’s body trembled slightly. She instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but her entire body felt as weak and limp as if it were melting.

Just then, a hint of struggle appeared on Luo Kai’s face. He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue, turned his head away, and said in a hoarse voice, "We’re running low on food. I’m going to go catch a few more snakes." With that, he rushed out into the heavy rain.

Lu Qing stared blankly for a moment, then covered her flushed cheeks and huffed in annoyance, "What a blockhead!"

Luo Kai stood in the downpour, letting the rain wash over him. The cold water gradually cooled the heat in his body. He was no amateur when it came to romance; how could he not understand Lu Qing’s feelings? But a deep-seated panic always lingered within him. This panic stemmed from his experiences over the past two years, from what Big Beard had said about the Celestial Killer Star, and even from Li Hong’s description of an Evil Demon upon first seeing him.

On the surface, he seemed to have accepted it, but in reality, he was far from it. Whenever he woke from a dream in the middle of the night, an uncontrollable urge to kill would rise in his heart. This instinctual bloodlust was constantly at war with his own Spiritual Will. As time went on, he found it increasingly difficult to resist this impulse.

It reached a point where he was growing more and more terrified, afraid that one day in the future he would lose control of himself, afraid that he would become a bloodthirsty monster. He looked up at the raindrops in the sky, and Li Hong’s words echoed in his mind: "All who resonate with Evil Energy will ultimately be unable to escape their fate as a puppet. They are called Evil Demons. Evil Demons use resentment as Power and feed on hatred, venting their endless solitude through the deaths of all living beings. This is your destiny..."

The heavy rain lasted for a day and a night. At first, Luo Kai was a little worried the lake would overflow, but the small lake remained the same size, showing no signs of expanding. This indicated that the small lake was connected to an underground water system.

Since the outside was blocked by the Mist, could the underwater system at the bottom of the lake be a possible way out? Luo Kai was tempted to go down and explore, but an underground water system was bound to be intricate and complex. He could dive for long periods, but Lu Qing couldn’t. If he went down alone and got trapped or lost, Lu Qing, left alone on the surface, would surely die.

Time passed bit by bit. The two of them had now been trapped in this valley for a month. The surrounding Mist was still as thick as clouds, and food had become the biggest problem. Lu Qing was fine, as she didn’t eat much, but Luo Kai had a huge appetite. They had nearly eaten all the venomous snakes in the lake.

Now, even when they walked to the lake’s edge, no venomous snakes would come out to attack. So, Lu Qing boldly began exploring the shoreline, gathering more and more herbs. Some of the milder ones were eaten directly as vegetables.

Ever since that day, Lu Qing had been giving Luo Kai the cold shoulder, clearly angry with him. Luo Kai didn’t explain anything. While the teachings of Astrology were certainly vague and ethereal, his current situation was indeed developing toward a predetermined fate. If he didn’t suppress his murderous intent in the future, he would inevitably become a so-called Evil Demon. When that time came, he would surely bring harm to those around him. This was the main reason he didn’t dare to accept Lu Qing’s feelings.

’Maybe it’s from eating too much snake meat, or perhaps from soaking in herbal baths and eating herbs every day, but I feel like I’m becoming more and more effeminate. Sometimes I unconsciously raise my pinky finger delicately, and my voice is growing higher and sharper. If I live here like this for much longer, will I actually turn into a woman?’

’The moment the thought arose, a chill ran through me, and I quickly stamped it out. It was only because the Power of my Spirit is too strong; if I keep thinking about it, it’s not impossible for it to come true in the future. Hermaphroditism exists in many creatures, including humans.’

’Of course, there is a good side to it as well. My body has become more flexible, and I’m even closer to the Water Element. Now, I don’t need to actively stimulate my conscious frequency. Merely having a casual thought is enough for a large mass of water to float from the lake into the stone pot in front of our small cave.’

Food was growing increasingly scarce. Things couldn’t go on like this; he had to explore underwater. Luo Kai caught many of the strange snakes and smoked them into dried meat. Then, he gathered a large pile of dry firewood in the valley, estimating it would be enough for Lu Qing for a long time.

His growing affinity with the Water Element made his underwater survival skills far surpass those of ordinary aquatic creatures. He could even manipulate water currents to directly toss the strange snakes onto the shore.

One day, Luo Kai placed the Severing Blade next to Lu Qing and said softly, "Qing’Er, I have to go explore underwater. Take this blade for self-defense. If you run into danger, don’t be afraid. This blade is extremely sharp. As long as you stay calm, an ordinary animal is no match for a person with a weapon in hand."

Lu Qing’s eyes reddened. She didn’t say anything, just nodded silently.

"Alright, I’m leaving now. You be careful."

Luo Kai had only taken two steps when Lu Qing suddenly rushed up and hugged his waist, her sobs suppressed. "You... you have to come back."

Luo Kai turned back and kissed her snow-white forehead, saying gently, "There now, you’re not as pretty when you cry."

He turned to leave, but Lu Qing still held him tightly, refusing to let go. Her face flushed red as she whispered, "Can you... not go down today?"

Luo Kai instantly understood her meaning. He gently broke free and said, a little unnaturally, "Um... If I’m quick, I could be back today."

Lu Qing shot him a hateful glare, snatched up the long blade at her feet, and walked toward the cave, muttering, "Is there something wrong with your body? You shouldn’t be shy about seeing a doctor for it."

Her voice was loud, intentionally so he would hear it. It made Luo Kai extremely annoyed. ’It’s so hard to be a good person!’

He changed into a set of clothes made from Snake Skin, took a deep breath, and leaped into the lake. With a mere thought, the surging currents immediately pushed him down toward the bottom of the lake.

Water molecules continuously permeated his skin. The rich oxygen contained within them was filtered and absorbed by his body, allowing him to stay deep underwater for a long time.

During this process, absorbing water and filtering oxygen was easy, but expelling the deoxygenated water was a problem. Having to simultaneously absorb water for oxygen and expel the waste water placed a great burden on his body. Once his Spiritual Power was depleted, he wouldn’t be able to maintain the process. Therefore, it was still difficult for him to survive in deep water; he was no match for creatures with gills. At best, he was amphibious, similar to a frog that can breathe through its skin.