Chapter 47: The Head in the Pond?

"Mimi, come here." Lin Chuyi smiled and beckoned to Mimi. Who would have known that the little cat simply glanced back at her, swished its tail with an air of aloofness, and continued walking toward the other side.

Seeing Mimi's reaction, Lin Chuyi burst into laughter. After a moment, she leisurely swam in that direction.

Just as she crossed a massive boulder, she spotted something black floating on the water in the distance. Obscured by the rising steam, it appeared somewhat indistinct and unreal.

"Huh? What is that?" Lin Chuyi murmured in confusion.

Puzzled, Lin Chuyi cautiously swam closer. But before she had gone far, the expression on her face changed drastically.

"Ah!" Lin Chuyi shrieked in terror and spun around to swim back.

She was on the verge of tears. That black object was actually human hair, and she could vaguely make out a human head in the water.

A corpse in the hot spring pool?!

At the thought of this possibility, Lin Chuyi panicked and scrambled back. In her frantic state, her arm scraped heavily against a rock, leaving a large, bloody gash. Fresh blood immediately welled up, staining a small patch of the pool water beneath her.

Yet at that moment, she could not care about such things; she simply swam back frantically with all her might.

"Meow." Mimi sat gracefully by the edge of the pool, swaying its little tail as it watched Lin Chuyi leisurely, looking very much like a spectator enjoying a good show.

Hearing Mimi's cry, Lin Chuyi panicked even more. Normally, she found those meows affectionate and cute, but now they sounded utterly chilling.

Could it be that Mimi saw something unclean, which was why it had lured her over here?

They always said a cat's eyes could see into the spirit realm—was that really true?

Faced with this possibility, Lin Chuyi's tears fell in a steady patter. Her face turned deathly pale, and her limbs grew so weak that she no longer had the strength to even cross over the boulder.

Swish.

There was the sound of something breaking the surface of the water. Lin Chuyi's body trembled instantly. Surrounded by the warm spring water, she was breaking out in layer after layer of cold sweat, a testament to the extreme state of tension she was in.

The one emerging from the water was none other than Mo Yu. He had accidentally fallen asleep and slipped deeper into the water earlier, and Lin Chuyi's commotion had naturally awakened him.

Mo Yu gently pushed his jet-black hair back over his head and cast his gaze toward the figure ahead. At just a single glance, he abruptly turned his body away.

This was a woman! He had unwittingly been bathing in the same pool as a woman?!

"I..." He parted his lips, but did not know where to begin. This was indeed his fault; had he not fallen asleep, how could such a thing have happened?

Furthermore, if word of this got out, the woman would inevitably be the one to suffer, and her reputation would be severely damaged.

Could it be that he would have to marry this young maiden?

Mo Yu sighed softly, feeling somewhat indecisive in his heart, yet he still spoke up, "Young lady, regarding this matter... I am willing to make amends."

To be honest, Mo Yu did not truly wish to marry the young woman before him; he did not want his marriage to be settled in such a hasty manner.

After waiting for a long while without hearing any response from behind, he grew somewhat puzzled. Then, he heard a bubbling sound coming from behind him, resembling the noise someone made while drowning.

Mo Yu was startled. He hurriedly turned around, but the young lady was nowhere to be seen in front of him. Looking down into the water, he saw only a wisp of dark, beautiful hair floating on the surface.

"Young lady!" Mo Yu cried out in alarm, swimming fiercely in that direction. "Offense taken."

With that, Mo Yu closed his eyes and pulled Lin Chuyi out of the water. Feeling the skin beneath his hands, which was as smooth as refined jade, Mo Yu's fingertips trembled slightly, but he quickly cast distracting thoughts to the back of his mind and swam toward the bank with Lin Chuyi in tow.

With a light leap, Mo Yu held Lin Chuyi and landed steadily on the ground. He quickly reached out to grab a long outer robe, wrapped Lin Chuyi's body in it, and laid her gently on the ground. Only after quickly putting on an inner garment of his own did he finally heave a sigh of relief.