Beware Of Chicken v7c33: Beach Episode

A beach excursion was exactly the prescription required.

Meimei stated directly our destination for the day.

Yet prior to arriving, reaching it demanded effort. Numerous beaches close to the city buzzed with activity and clamor, particularly under this splendid weather; folks washed clothes, angled for fish, and simply carried on with daily routines… however, a thronged shore wasn't our aim. We sought a more serene spot.

Thus, we enlisted the aid of our dependable allies, the Azure Jade Trading Company, who lent us a vessel to leisurely cruise the lake.

We opted for a compact vessel over their enormous luxury cruiser. It was petite and agile, yet retained certain amenities.

“Set sail!” Meimei exclaimed, gesturing ahead, one foot planted on the bow of our modest craft.

“Se! Saaaaaaa!” Zhuye yelled, arms lifted skyward. He jigged in the wrap against Meimei’s back. The sight proved so adorable that I couldn't resist. My recording crystal tinkled, seizing the instant.

“Aye, aye, captain,” Wa Shi announced, conversing ordinarily now with fewer onlookers present. He saluted with flair, then plunged under the surface. The surrounding water surged independently, and a breeze began to gust.

Certain advantages arose from befriending a prince of tempests, streams, and ponds.

Our boat glided from its dock with uncanny elegance, then surged into the swells. Meimei cried out in delight, and I hollered alongside her. Zhuye joined the uproar, bees humming near him, while Babe positioned himself by us to emit a deep, melodic bellow. He seldom vocalized so vigorously, or produced typical bovine sounds for that matter. The herd at home stayed rather subdued overall.

Zhuye gaped at Babe in astonishment. Then he faced forward again. “Mooooooo!” he bellowed, glancing back at Babe with expectant eyes.

The ox appeared somewhat shy amid the fervor over his utterance, yet he indulged our child, unleashing another extended moo. Zhuye smacked his palms in thrill.

Perhaps the fowl faced some rivalry?

“Hey-yo~” An elegant call sounded from nearby, and I swiveled with mild shock. Lady Wu seemed vastly entertained, hands formed into a megaphone. “That’s the phrase I’ve caught yelled frequently.”

Teacher chuckled. “One utters that upon voyage's return, my dear. The proper expression is ‘!”’ he roared, raising his tone to thunder over the lake.

“That's the outdated version. ‘Ridin’the Moon’ is the current hit, from what I recall,” Yanjing remarked from his spot reclined on a plush lounger, towel draped across his eyes. The fellow was lounging maximally, and frankly, I couldn’t fault him.

“Oh, this differs greatly from our home lakes! It’s enormous! And the boat seems far sturdier than our canoes!” Meiling hopped in place like a jiangshi, eyes alight with awe and eagerness. “The sea expands even vaster and profounder? I’m thrilled! Suyan, Xue Ji, does your homeland have anything similar?”

“No, Mistress,” Suyan replied from her perch, sketching the right-hand shore with charcoal—or starboard, was it? Nautical terms sometimes baffled me. “The biggest lake in the Howling Fangs might scarcely reach one-eighth this one’s expanse.”

“We’ve never witnessed the ocean ourselves. We might be the initial Su clan members to behold it and recount the adventure… well, ,” Xue Ji chimed in, beginning to display excitement. Suyan halted at that revelation, then a faint grin appeared on her features.

“Gratitude for showing us these wondrous views, Master, Mistress,” she expressed, tone sincere. I recalled her sketches of the Ironfields too. They were basic, yet depicted her visions splendidly.

Silence fell as we gazed outward while our vessel sped forward.

We’d hug the coastline today, and I sensed we traversed the stark, tattered remnants of Tianlan’s ravaged Dragon Veins.

The devastation in this area was genuinely horrific.

I envisioned it clearly in my imagination. The Ironfields, despite their barrenness, paled against this. I pictured a colossal tidal wave surpassing any footage from the Before era, akin to a meteor’s splash. A watery barrier exploding outward, annihilating all in its path. Devouring, pulverizing, reducing to powder without mercy or remainder. Such ferocity fractured Tianlan’s Dragon Veins more severely than elsewhere. The elements of Fire, Earth, Wood, and Metal couldn’t rival Water’s ruinous force.

I pondered. and And still, approaching it now, lingering at its brink—the pull on our link felt far milder than the tension I endured nearing the Howling Fang Mountains’ perimeter.

Tianlan noted. “”

I sensed it as well. A spectral murmur.

I responded eventually.

Tianlan answered.

I hesitated.

Tianlan’s cheeky grin radiated through.

Very well then. Apparently, tomorrow I’d embark on a stroll—reminiscent of those roguish Caribbean figures. Though sans the undead vibe.

I began whistling the melody as we pressed on. The soaring strings matched the undulating waves.

I transmitted a vivid mental picture to Tianlan: her sporting a wooden leg and eye patch, Chunky roosting on her shoulder parrot-style.

Her mirth at the ridiculous vision resounded in my mind.

I snickered, my chuckles breaking my tune. Meimei glanced over, brow arched.

“Tianlan and I were debating what share of my rear you two claim,” I informed her solemnly.

Meimei spluttered, then burst into giggles at the nonsense, before pondering and rubbing her chin. “The calculations check out. I claim fifty percent of your buttocks, Tianlan claims fifty percent of your buttocks; but you claim fifty percent of buttocks, with Tianlan taking the rest. And we jointly possess Tianlan’s buttocks. Thus, each of us holds two complete cheeks; a full posterior.”

Her reasoning stood flawless; her insight wise and deep.

“My love, you are indeed the cleverest woman ever,” I proclaimed.

Tianlan’s agreement pulsed through, along with her admiration for Meiling’s reasoning via our connection.

Our vessel forged ahead. Washy vaulted from the depths over us, his arc scattering iridescent spray behind.

Our chuckles reverberated across the lake.

=================================

In time, we discovered an ideal shoreline.

The lake formed a perfect circle, yet fringe islands dotted the borders; minor formations, but they granted seclusion. We selected one featuring a gentle, arcing beach shaded by foliage.

Typically, such a locale swarmed with mosquitoes… but Bane of the Black Lances and her swarm swiftly and fiercely opposed their intrusion.

With other creatures, I might have intervened… but damn those pests. Purging one beach won’t disrupt nature’s balance.

Rather than their drone, croaking frogs greeted us as we donned swim attire.

“Here. Put this on,” Meimei ordered me.

My beloved spouse, , had crafted me a speedo. Upon emerging from my changing spot, I encountered my teacher, who had also completed his swap.

Into the identical garb.

“The sacrifices we make for our spouses,” he quipped, voice feigning woe.

I whistled approvingly. I’d long known Teacher’s prowess; beholding him thus remained striking. The Lord Magistrate evidently trained hard, dude. His build resembled Yun Ren or Bi De’s more than mine. Not as flawlessly sculpted as the cultivators, but toned, fierce, and purely earned; his frame narrowed triangularly—from wide shoulders to slim midsection—and he never neglected lower body workouts.

His form bore minor scars and lines from sun and years… but wow.

“” I stated, affirming with a nod. Teacher blushed, yet a satisfied, almost vain smile spread across his visage. “Shall we debut dramatically?”

“Indeed.”

In unison, we strode forth in our snug swimsuits, legs apart, hands akimbo, and physiques tensed.

There stood our companions and kin.

Meimei donned a red bikini—astonishingly not pioneering, as certain cultivators preceded her. Crafted from silk, it accentuated her graceful hips and revealed her freckles fully—across her upper bosom, shoulders, and legs. Her locks were tied in a straightforward ponytail.

My partner noticed me alighting from the boat and halted. Her jaw slackened at the view. A somewhat lewd ” escaped her.

“Oh,” Lady Wu uttered, eyes widening. Her fan flicked open to conceal her mouth’s base, gaze darting between the Lord Magistrate and me. “Meiling, such indecency,” she reproved… while sporting a bikini herself—a deep ebony piece Meiling fashioned for her.

She appeared breathtakingly lovely. Her glossy tresses spread around her on the seat; her limbs stretched in expansive, smooth, ivory skin.

On the shared mat sat Suyan and Xue Ji. They chose conventional coverings for decorum, in dudou tops and loin wraps. Suyan had positioned a spearing rod nearby, seeming eager to submerge, whereas Xue Ji had loosened her hair from its coil. Freed, it tumbled in undulations and soft spirals, shifting her from stern to untamed.

Both ladies gawked at us, golden eyes agape. Xue Ji seemed poised to devour the Lord Magistrate.

“Mistress, your creations surpass this one’s understanding,” Suyan declared.

Xue Ji nibbled her lip, a lone fang visible. “Lady Meiling, could we adopt these patterns? They’re… marvelous,” she murmured.

All the bees ceased pursuing biters and pivoted toward us.

Sheng Yanjing at last propped up to inspect the stir, lifting the towel from one eye. He observed us briefly.

“Huh. ,” he observed. Washy, looped around Zhuye, commenced chuckling. Babe, already submerged, merely shook his head.

=================================

Zhuye toddled independently, paddling in the shallows with enormous eyes and joyful cries. His gait remained unsteady, often dropping to his knees to proceed, but the sand softened landings—and with each tumble, I’d grin and encourage. Any welling tears vanished swiftly, and he soon disregarded the mishaps entirely.

He’d stagger to intriguing stones or lake mollusk casings, hoisting them aloft with a “dah!”. My grasp soon brimmed with his finds, prompting Washy to fetch a satchel for them all.

Meiling assisted, highlighting dragonflies and water striders, even snaring a frog for Zhuye’s wonder.

He extended a hand and softly tapped its crown twice, whereupon Meiling released the creature back to the waves, where it bolted away. Zhuye applauded the velocity, evidently delighted by the amphibian.

Thus, I crouched on hands and knees, bounding along myself. Meiling promptly participated.

Zhuye pursued us, howling with mirth, attempting bounds too. He lacked coordination, but relished the fun, which sufficed.

He dashed to mom, then to dad; sculpted in the granules, stacking them with Washy’s aid. He applauded and whooped as Babe and Sunny sliced the surface, carving temporary troughs revealing the lakebed depths before resurfacing with splashes.

Suyan secured our meal—the vixen emerged from the depths laden with catches and a satisfied grin. To my astonishment, Yanjing aided preparation, grumbling throughout about his mother’s method for grilling that fish type. Washy served as his keen helper, anticipating the novel taste.

The Lord Magistrate, Lady Wu, and Xue Ji merely strolled jointly or reclined under cover… and their understated courtship grew increasingly overt as time elapsed.

At last, the bees, having eliminated all nippers, relaxed. I fashioned them small grass orbs, crafted minuscule webs… and prepared tiny beach volleyball. They relished it, their abdomens shimmying wildly.

Tautness in everyone’s postures gradually dissolved, as we savored fine cuisine, chanted tunes… and permitted all to relax.

The sun dipped. Fireflies emerged, twirling over the lake. Celestial lights gleamed from above.

Zhuye dozed off cradled in my hold.

“It's so beautiful,” Meiling whispered, observing the glows flicker across Pale Moon Lake.

It truly was.