"And then what?" I asked. The sparse raindrops had begun to fall on me. The weather was cold, and the rain was even colder!
"Get in the water!"
"Huh? Why?" I asked, confused. Wouldn't it be even colder?
"Ah, hurry!" Lin Xi came over, grabbed me, and pulled me towards the water. At a small platform built of stones, she let go of me and, using the momentum of her run, executed a beautiful dive into the Tianchi. While I was still stunned, Chen Ke and the transformed Ya Nan also jumped into the water from either side of me, splashing me in the face. I touched my face and suddenly understood why Lin Xi had told me to get in the water!
The water was surprisingly warm!
A hot spring?
With a splash, the downpour arrived, hitting me so hard I couldn't open my eyes. I could only follow them and jump into the water.
Instantly, a warm embrace enveloped my entire body. I even had an illusion of returning to the womb.
My head broke the surface, and the biting storm lashed down again, as if returning to reality from a beautiful dream. I took a breath and submerged myself again. Opening my eyes, I saw they were all gathered around me, perhaps worried I couldn't swim.
Fine, I'll just pretend I can't. I flailed a few times and swallowed some water. The three of them actually reached out, guided me together, and squeezed me in the middle, all of us surfacing.
After swallowing so much, I realized the water was salty. This was underground volcanic water, likely rich in minerals. It also had significant buoyancy. I didn't need to tread water much to keep my head above the surface. Even someone who couldn't swim, as long as they didn't thrash about, could float and wouldn't drown.
"Wow! It's so warm!" Chen Ke exclaimed.
"You haven't been in before?" I shouted, the noise of the heavy rain being too great.
"Tourists are forbidden from entering the Tianchi!"
Right, it was thanks to Lin Xi that I got this experience.
The four of us huddled together, enduring the rain, soaking in the hot spring, and slowly swam towards the shore. We found a shallow spot, where they settled me, and then they all returned to the deeper water, swimming back and forth.
I regretted pretending I couldn't swim. Although I had taken advantage of them quite a bit during our huddle, I had no more opportunities now!
Fortunately, Chen Ke returned after swimming around and asked if I wanted to learn to swim.
"Sure, teach me!"
One minute later, I "geniusly" learned to swim and joined their group, playing in the water together. If our heads got cold, we'd dive under and soak for a while.
I estimated the water temperature here to be around 40 degrees Celsius, likely not exceeding 41 degrees, because I had experienced artificial hot springs, and 41 degrees felt hot to me. Below 36 degrees, I would feel cold. This temperature was just right.
As we swam and played, in the darkness, I noticed someone new had joined our group. Although I couldn't see her face clearly, I could tell from her facial contours that it was the Whale God. I don't know where I got the courage, but I actually wanted to challenge the authority of this ancient great demon. I dove underwater, circled behind the Whale God, grabbed her legs, lifted her out of the water, and threw her heavily onto the surface, laughing heartily and calling out Ya Nan's name, pretending I had mistaken her for someone else.
The Whale God probably had no defenses and was firmly thrown onto the water's surface by me. Her posture was a bit awkward, and her body sank. I couldn't help but feel nervous. Would she transform because of my provocation? Then the four of us would be in danger. Not only would we face her attack, but her enormous transformed body could crush us to death at the bottom of the water.
After waiting for a while, nothing unusual happened. But then I suddenly felt something amiss underwater. Someone was behind me. I exhaled and ducked my head into the water, turning to look. I collided with the grinning Whale God. She was mimicking my actions, but instead of lifting my legs, she placed her hands under my armpits and shot me out of the water, flying tens of meters high. At the apex, she still wasn't done playing and pushed me away with a palm strike.
My heart turned ice cold. At such a height, even with water below, I would be severely injured! Did the Whale God think that because she wouldn't be killed by the fall, I would be fine too!
In a moment of desperation, I shouted, "Ya Nan!"
Before the words had even left my lips, I felt something appear beneath my feet, supporting my body. My legs buckled, and I sat down on it. I thought it was the Eagle Demon's broad back, but the feel of the skin on my legs told me that the body beneath was not feathers, but a layer of fine, smooth down—it was a whale!