"Sacrifice?"
Standing hidden within the thick woods on the bluff overlooking the cove, Su Min narrowed her eyes as she observed the chaotic, desperate commotion on the beach below. The scent of brine and rotting kelp hung heavy in the humid air. Below her, the scene was not one of celebration, but of terrified, frantic appeasement.
"Great Sea God, Great Sea God…"
The shrill, chanting voices of the villagers rang out, led by the wild-eyed, paint-streaked priestess. A group of men and women were frantically praying and kowtowing toward the churning, gray sea. Their desperate actions seemed to coincide with the slow, ominous disappearance of a massive, dark whirlpool that had been spinning on the ocean's surface moments before.
"Demonic energy?"
At that moment, a powerful, final wave crashed onto the shore. As it receded, it left behind several silvery, pearl-like orbs that glistened on the wet sand. Each one exuded a palpable, heavy demonic aura that she could feel even from her vantage point. The villagers scrambled for them, pushing and shoving with raw desperation. They eagerly snatched the orbs and tossed them into their mouths without a second thought.
Almost immediately, their bodies began to convulse. Their skin bulged and split in places, revealing glistening, wet scales beneath that shimmered like oily glass. Their bones cracked audibly as their forms twisted and elongated into something gruesome and alien. Their legs fused into a single, powerful tail, slapping against the wet sand.
"Mermen?" Su Min's brows furrowed tightly as she watched the horrifying, rapid transformation unfold. "That creature isn't just killing them. It's turning the villagers into its own kind."
She observed the newly formed monsters, noting how they now possessed the strength to lift heavy boulders from the beach with ease as they tested their new, powerful bodies. Clearly, the monster lurking in the sea was no weakling. It had the power to actively convert humans into these half-human, half-fish horrors, building itself an army.
"Ahhh!!!"
Suddenly, several agonized screams pierced the twilight air. The half-human creatures clutched at their eyes, which were now overly large, bulbous, and painfully sensitive to the fading light. What truly terrified them was the last, weak glow of the setting sun. They scrambled frantically for the deep shadows cast by the cliffs. Their scaly bodies smoked slightly where the sun's dying rays touched them, sizzling like meat on a griddle.
"Trouble," she muttered. "This complicated everything."
"If that monster stays deep in the sea, my powers will be severely limited." Her original plan had relied on the local fishermen for guidance and the use of their boats to reach the creature's domain. "But now… they would be lucky not to turn against me and try to drag me into the depths the moment I show myself." The villagers were becoming the enemy.
Watching the grim scene unfold, her viable options seemed to shrink. If this were a river or a lake, she wouldn't care. During the dry season, she could simply force her way in, divert the water, or drain it. But this was the vast, deep, and unpredictable ocean. Even full-fledged Qi Refining stage cultivators would hesitate to confront a powerful foe in its own aquatic domain, where it held every advantage. For someone at her level, diving in to fight on its terms would be borderline suicidal.
Her Nanming Lihuo, a fire-based sacred flame, would be nearly useless underwater. Its power would be dampened to a flicker, and breathing was another critical problem. She did not know the Water Escape technique, an essential skill for underwater combat. She recalled old stories where even the great Sun Wukong needed to use one hand to form the Water Escape seal constantly while fighting submerged. She had no such skill.
"Do I need to find someone to help?" she wondered aloud.
She watched as the transformed villagers, now moaning from their sunburns, were hastily covered with thick, rough blankets and dragged into a nearby, windowless stone house for shelter from the hated sun. It seemed their new forms couldn't withstand daylight at all. She did not act rashly.
Instead, she allowed her eyes to scan the coastline rapidly, searching for any geographical advantage, a hidden cave, or a narrow inlet. After finding no immediate solution, she reluctantly decided to withdraw for now to regroup. She was operating with too little information, and charging in blind was a fool's gamble.
Her best course of action was to seek out the Fuding Merchant Guild's local branch in the nearby county town. They would have people specifically tasked with gathering local intelligence and would know the full scope of this disaster. Making up her mind, she slipped away quietly, using the cover of the deepening twilight and the villagers' distraction. Her form melted back into the dark tree line.
She moved quickly over the land, a blur in the growing dark, and soon arrived at the high walls of the county town. However, even though it wasn't yet fully dark, the city gates were already shut and locked tight. This was an hour earlier than curfew should dictate. She could see the flickering torches of many soldiers patrolling the walls. Such strict, early martial law posed no real problem for a Qi Refining cultivator. She easily located a dark, unguarded section of the wall between two watchtowers and slipped into the city as silently as a shadow.
What surprised her most upon entering was the eerie, profound silence that gripped the entire town. It was the hour when dinner should be cooking and families should be talking, but every household was shuttered. Their windows were boarded up from the inside. Despite this being a once bustling port city, it felt as silent and foreboding as a ghost town. The air was thick with dread.
"Fuding Merchant Guild?"
With the last faint light of dusk to guide her, she located her target, a large, fortified compound with the guild's sigil discreetly displayed. She quickly disappeared into the dark alley leading to its heavily reinforced side entrance.
Later, inside the guild's torch-lit courtyard...
"Hey, who is in charge here? Take me to see him."
Facing a confused servant who had been dozing by the door, Su Min did not waste time with explanations. She simply walked right past him. Her presence commanded immediate attention. Soon enough, a fully armored middle-aged man emerged from a back room with a heavy, spiked mace held ready in his hand.
When he saw it was just a young woman, he paused. Then his eyes fell upon the unique golden token she held up. His expression changed instantly as he recognized the token's immense significance. This token represented the prince's direct, ultimate authority. He was one of the few people in this outpost who knew the deeper, secret workings of this merchant association, and he quickly deduced Su Min's likely identity from the reports that had preceded her. He rushed over, his previous wariness gone.
"Long time no see! Quickly, come in, come in!" he said, bowing slightly. He then turned and kicked a servant nearby who was too slow to react. "Fool, hurry up and prepare tea and wine! Our most honored guest is here! The best we have!"
He then enthusiastically ushered her inside a private, warmly lit study, away from prying eyes.
"What is going on?" she asked without preamble, taking a seat in a comfortable chair. "Why is the city so heavily guarded, and why is everything shut down so early? The air here is thick with fear."
"Alas…" The man's expression soured as he closed the door. He was the local branch master.
He led Su Min into the room, waving for a woman—who seemed to be either his concubine or his wife—to bring over some simple refreshments before dismissing her with a look.
"Over a year ago, many fishermen started dying at sea, their boats found smashed and empty," he began. "The governor, a good man, reported the matter to the court, formally requesting that the Demon Slayer Division be sent to deal with the monster. We all had hope then."
"I know about that part," she nodded, sipping the tea. It was of mediocre quality. "The survivors barely made it back, escaping with their lives and a tale of a giant clam. The mission was a failure."
She was aware of the initial events. The Demon Slayer Division had some effect, but clearly, it wasn't enough to stop it. The monster was at least a Qi Refining level creature, and it operated on its home turf. Even the best Body Refining cultivators were at a severe disadvantage in the water. Their strength and speed meant little against a creature that could swim and crush them with water pressure.
"Yes, but after that day, something in the beast changed," the man explained. "It seems that after consuming the blood and flesh of those from the Demon Slayer Division, it gained new, terrifying powers.
Now it can mass-produce those half-human monstrosities you must have seen.
These creatures are incredibly strong, and even a seasoned Body Refining cultivator can be overwhelmed and killed by them if they aren't careful, especially at night."
"This is quite normal," she replied. "Body Refining cultivators may be stronger than ordinary people, but they aren't invincible. They can be drowned, torn apart, or simply outnumbered. Only a rare few, like I was, are truly exceptional, capable of feats far beyond the norm."
"Every night now, these creatures come on land to raid," the man continued. "They capture any villagers they find outside the walls and drag them back to the sea, either to eat or to transform. Several outlying villages have been completely wiped out, their populations gone. Now, anyone with any connections or money has gathered here behind the walls. The creatures are highly sensitive to light, which is why the entire city has its lights off after dusk. We live in darkness to avoid attracting them, like mice hiding from a cat."
"Is that so?" She squinted, thinking for a long moment as she analyzed this new information before replying slowly. "What if we knew the exact location of their lair, the monster's home? Would the governor dare to send his forces, what remains of them, to wipe them out in a single, decisive strike?"
"What? You know where it is?" the man asked.
"I saw something unusual on my way here, a specific pattern in the currents and the behavior of the transformed beings," she said. "But my identity and situation prevent me from acting directly and openly. I can't lead a charge for the governor."
"No need to worry about that!" the man said, waving a hand. "The governor is one of us. He was once too righteous for his own good, openly opposing the emperor's excesses in court. As a reward for his loyalty, he was 'promoted' to this desolate seaside town. He hates the court as much as we do. I will introduce you to him first thing in the morning. He will be eager to listen."
"Alright," Su Min said, a plan finally beginning to form in her mind. "That will do."