Only when they were wholly clear of the reef—

did Old Zhang swallow down the last of the pills in his mouth and, propped up by their warm medicinal potency, work hard to steady his breathing.

As a cultivator who ran cargo up and down these waters for a living, he knew exactly what sort of trouble he had landed in.

The Hongze Dragon Palace's daily patrols ran to a fixed number. Two hours at the outside and the disappearance of two water-kin would be known.

He would not be passing through these waters again for a good ten years and more.

"My thanks, Senior. This Zhang was truly blind…"

Old Zhang held the hand-signs and glanced at Shen Yi beside him, whose face had not changed at all. He could not help a surge of admiration.

To have offended the water-kin of Hongze and still be this composed.

Either the man had backing every bit as formidable, or he had long been in the habit of this sort of thing — kill, shake out the sleeves and go, leaving no trace behind.

From the clean economy of Shen Yi's movements just now, and the smoothness with which he had destroyed the corpses and wiped away the evidence, Old Zhang leaned toward the latter.

Though of course, from the overbearing strength of that cultivation, the backing could hardly be poor either.

But at a time like this, Old Zhang was not about to ask a single question more.

They were all tangled in the same net now; but for a man as ruthless as this to have borne with them so long, and not silenced the lot of them, was already a rare mercy.

"No need. It was self-preservation."

Shen Yi shook his head and looked ahead.

So long as he still needed demon lifespan, offending the water-kin was only a matter of time.

Better to get used to it early.

Only, out here it was best not to carry the Nanyang Sect's name. The people inside the treasured site could not stand much upheaval just now.

"Senior Shen, is…