"Mr. Wu, what, what's wrong with you? As soon as you entered the room, you, you started acting strange..." Ni Taimèi asked, confused.
I knew the Whale God could hear me, so I had to be careful with my words.
"Xiao Mei, have you heard of the North Sea Whale God?" I asked tentatively, making a gesture for her to speak kindly.
"Of, of course. I'm a local 'wild chicken' from Changbai Mountain, I've heard of the Whale God's legends since I was little," she stammered.
I pointed to the next room and nodded slowly. Ni Taimèi gasped in horror, "Could it be, she..."
I made a "shushing" gesture, and the little wild chicken nodded repeatedly, covering her mouth.
I observed the Whale God's state again and noticed her two "iron towers" had collapsed, as if she had lain down. Was she going for a nap? That couldn't be right; it was only nine in the morning.
Ni Taimèi's forehead was beaded with sweat from fear. Even more cowardly than me, she retreated towards the living room. I followed her out.
"Mr. Wu," Ni Taimèi whispered, "Why don't we, we just leave!"
"Leave for where?" I asked.
"Ju, just leave this place!"
"But Ya Nan is still in the shower!"
Ni Taimèi gritted her teeth and made up her mind. "Then we'll wait, wait for her to finish showering before we go—I'll go downstairs first and wait for you guys!"
With that, Ni Taimèi's little feet trotted quickly towards the door. She opened it and ran, surprisingly fast.
Ya Nan was making a splashing sound in the bathroom, likely unaware of our conversation. Her breathing was stable.
I pulled up a chair and sat in the living room, facing the Whale God. I kept my energy-reading technique active, and her aura grew increasingly stable, as if she were truly asleep.
Are whales nocturnal creatures? I wasn't sure, and there were many species of whales. I knew the North Sea Whale Demon was a humpback whale, the kind that leaps out of the water and slaps its tail down. They don't do it for show, but to dislodge barnacles and other marine life.
But I figured the Whale God wouldn't need to do that. She could simply transform into a human to shake off anything on her, then change back, clean as a whistle.
Ya Nan emerged from the bathroom without clothes, saying she wanted to buy some. I offered to accompany her.
Ya Nan seemed to sense something, staring at the wall of the adjacent room, but detected nothing unusual. Wrapped in a long bathrobe and wearing hotel slippers, she followed me out of the room and downstairs.
The little wild chicken was good; she hadn't run off and was waiting for us on the first floor. Seeing Ya Nan without clothes, she voluntarily took off her school uniform jacket and draped it over Ya Nan. Ni Taimèi was wearing a white shirt and a camel-colored tight sweater vest, which made her figure look quite good. It was only her school pants that detracted from the image. If she had a short pleated skirt and thigh-high socks, it would have been perfect.
After the three of us left the hotel, I looked back again with my energy-reading technique. The Whale God's aura had become even more stable.
I guessed she knew what we were doing the entire time, and even knew Lin Xi was tracking her. But she simply didn't care about us, eating and sleeping as usual!
Right, Lin Xi hadn't returned yet. Ya Nan and Lin Xi were WeChat friends, so I sent her a message, but got no reply.
Never mind for now. Ni Taimèi was more familiar with this area, but Ya Nan and I found the nearest clothing store and bought a women's tracksuit, shoes, and socks.
Once dressed, Ni Taimèi asked me where I wanted to go. She could be our guide.
"Meihekǒu doesn't seem to have much to do, does it?" I asked. My uncle had told me it was just an ordinary small town in the Northeast with a few attractions, all artificially created and not worth visiting.
Ni Taimèi thought for a moment. "Th, there really isn't much to do. How about, I take you to, to my school to look around? To, to see some pretty girls!"
Female high school students? That was a good idea!
"But will they let us into your school?" I asked.
"You, you can pretend to be my, my parent!"
"Your dad?" I chuckled.
Ni Taimèi shook her head. "Dad, Dad is too old! Bro, brother-in-law!"
"Then I'll be your sister," Ya Nan said coldly. She was actually improving and learning about seniority!
"Hee hee, let's, let's go!"
It was quite far. The three of us took a taxi. Taxis were so cheap here, with a starting fare of only five yuan. What could five yuan buy nowadays?
It was probably not enough for a bowl of noodles...