Chapter Eighty-Three: The Achievement of Four Branches

In the haze of semi-consciousness, Lin Su'e felt a gentle warmth radiating from her navel, and her muddled mind gradually cleared. Her blood and energy seemed to be boiling, first at the soles of her feet, then at the center of her palms, and soon heat surged from every part of her body. Her face flushed crimson at once, for according to what she had been told, to break this state of apparent death required a master of internal arts to massage the major blood-acupoints: among them the Yongquan and Jiquan points—the former three inches forward from the center of the sole along the kidney meridian, the latter at the breast and armpit along the hand’s yang meridian.

As soon as her body responded, she sat up abruptly, her brain nearly bursting with blood, her face dizzy and disoriented, but thankfully the black mask hid her expression. After a long moment, only then did Lin Su'e recall the peril she had faced, and upon focusing her gaze, she saw that aside from bloodstains on his clothes, Kou Li bore no visible wounds.

"You're awake," Kou Li said, somewhat fatigued.

"Cousin—Brother Kou, what happened to those villains?"

"They’re all dead."

"So many people... all gone?" Lin Su'e’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Kou Li did not elaborate, merely nodding. He searched among the corpses of the Yamato assassins and selected one notably taller than the rest. Every plan has its risks, and the greatest flaw in his secret transfer scheme was the tall stature of Lady Huang—at least half a head taller than the ordinary assassins. Fortunately, the Yamato killers hadn't noticed this detail at the time. As for other features, Kou Li glanced at her flat chest and hips, and thought there were ways to handle it.

"Let's get aboard. We must leave this island quickly, and I have found the antidote for Lady Huang's poisoning."

"Are we leaving already?" Lin Su'e felt a surprising pang of sadness. The days of lacking food and clothing had not seemed so arduous or harsh; instead, there lingered a subtle sense of satisfaction—simple and pure, and with someone to rely on.

Kou Li, however, strode toward the ship without looking back.

Yes, his ambitions reached far beyond this.

"Lady Huang—no, it's Miss Lin!" The rescued servant of the Xu family greeted her, only to realize he had mistaken her for someone else. Once Lin Su'e removed her assassin disguise, her hairstyle and clothing were nearly identical to Lady Huang’s.

The master ninja had missed a trick: substitution, passing off the false for the genuine. Lady Huang had already fallen unconscious from poison; to lure her into the wild, they needed the ‘Phoenix Princess’ to appear, hence the ruse. The scheme to render them insensate with the Three Soul Palm came afterwards.

"How is your young master?" Kou Li asked. After capturing the ship, he had found the tortured, unconscious Xu Kaishan in the cabin’s cell.

"The external wounds are nothing serious, but he hasn’t woken yet."

"Then set sail. I fear the fire raging on this island will attract other pirates."

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"Yes, Master Kou," the sailor said, both respectful and fearful. In the minds of the Xu family retainers, Kou Li was a man capable of annihilating pirates single-handedly.

The fire on the island had spread into a single roaring inferno, smoke billowing to the heavens, pillars rising hundreds of feet before dispersing; the smoke and fumes permeated all around.

A complex expression flickered in Kou Li’s eyes. Not only did he worry about pirates, but more so about the immortals who cultivated strange trees and fruits, and bred monstrous serpents here. Should such a being arrive now, trouble would ensue.

“A flower planted with intent does not bloom; a willow sown by chance grows lush.” For once, he had stumbled upon the traces of the immortals, yet had to depart by a roundabout path. Judging by the demonic serpent raised by the immortal, it was unlikely to be a benevolent way.

……

Two days later, aboard the ship, Lin Su'e released her hand from Lady Huang’s pulse, glanced at her resting form, and said with delight, "Brother Kou, your serpent gall medicine truly worked. The poison has nearly dissipated; now she just needs to recuperate."

Kou Li nodded as expected. The poison afflicting Lady Huang was indeed that of the demon, and since the serpent demon shunned water, it had not devoured her corpse.

With nothing else pressing, Kou Li prepared to leave the cabin. Lin Su'e’s plain face blushed with a hint of shyness, hesitating, "Cousin—"

"What is it?"

"Nothing..."

Kou Li looked at her, puzzled, then turned and left. Lin Su'e unclenched her pale fist, stomped lightly, as if annoyed at her own timidity—coward!

The wooden door slammed shut, and Kou Li locked it. The cabin's decor was in the style of the Yamato nation: simple and cramped, tatami mats, sword racks, vibrant ukiyo-e prints, and hidden compartments springing from nowhere, filled with rows of secret weapons and poisons.

But none of this was his main concern. After confirming no one was outside, he glanced at the sword rack, where the Child Cutter Fish Gang blade rested. With a gentle push, a secret compartment slid open beneath the rack.

He had discovered this mechanism by chance, initially expecting some special weapon inside, but instead found a large bottle of fruit wine—apparently, the original owner was quite the drinker.

There was also a bag, something alive inside, thumping and rustling, and a faint children's rhyme came from within: "The big rabbit is sick, the second rabbit looks, the third rabbit buys medicine, the fourth rabbit stews, the fifth rabbit dies, the sixth rabbit carries..."

Kou Li reached inside and pulled out a strange ‘peach’. The song issued from its mouth.

It was called a peach, but it was larger than a typical honey peach, its skin a purplish-red, shimmering with a glow. Strangely, four emerald-green limbs grew from it, like arms and legs, stretching nearly half a foot, with a slit on one side forming a mouth from which the song emerged.

This was the fruit from the bizarre tree; after falling to the ground, not only had its appearance changed, but it had grown limbs and a mouth.

He had suspected it could walk, and indeed, it not only walked but sang. The thousand-faced python kept on the island was surely the demon guardian of this fruit.

This, without doubt, was his greatest gain—a treasure even more valuable than the demon sword.

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But now Kou Li was troubled: how should this ‘peach’ be eaten, or could it even be eaten at all? Given the nature of the thousand-faced python, the fruit might not be an immortal’s delicacy.

Sensing Kou Li’s menacing gaze, the fruit shivered, abruptly halting its rhyme, and spoke in a childish voice, "Are you going to eat me?"

Kou Li paused, countering, "Can you be eaten?"

"You actually doubt whether I can be eaten!" The peach crossed its limbs, apparently furious.

Kou Li’s eyes twinkled. "It’s not doubt, it’s disdain. You’re so hideous—eating you must be poisonous."

"Ah! How dare you say that! I am Jade Sprite, specially cultivated by Lady Lingling. Consuming me beautifies skin and body, lightens the frame, strengthens bones, nourishes the organs—I am the finest spirit fruit among the forty-nine immortal islands of the sea. You mere mortal, kneel and apologize at once!"

"Sorry, my mistake."

"Hmm, I’ll reluctantly forgive you. Ah, what are you doing? Don’t bring that filthy mouth near me—I don’t want to be eaten—"

With a few bites, Kou Li devoured the peach. Instantly, a cool sensation flooded from head to toe, swiftly permeating his body, organs, and limbs. Clumps of body hair fell away, and his skin grew visibly finer and whiter, with a jade-like luster, translucent to the bone. His disordered hair smoothed and darkened like ink, his organs felt cleansed, almost as if he were made of flesh and jade.

Now, he could distinctly sense every bone and tendon, as though his entire body held no secrets from him.

Without hesitation, Kou Li fetched another Jade Sprite and chewed it voraciously. As for the fruit’s screams, he treated them as children’s songs.

Finally, after the third fruit, the cool, transparent feeling vanished. Kou Li understood—the transformation by the Jade Spirit fruit was complete, and eating more would be pointless.

The last fruit, still tinged with green, seemed too young to speak, only uttering ‘ya ya’ sounds. Kou Li smacked his lips and spared it.

After consuming three Jade Spirit fruits, Kou Li gained no legendary true energy or magical powers; as the fruit had plainly stated, it beautified, lightened, strengthened, and nourished the organs—a cosmetic for female immortals.

Yet, aside from enhancing appearance, its effects on mortals were equally profound.

The tongue is the tip of flesh, teeth the tip of bone, nails the tip of tendon, and hair the tip of skin and blood.

If the tongue can crush teeth, teeth can break tendons, nails can pierce bone, hair can stand upright—when all four tips exert force, one can change their nature, possessing the strength to move mountains and swallow wolves and tigers.

Kou Li tapped his nails, producing a metallic ring, curled his tongue, now extraordinarily sensitive—he could taste even saliva. With a pull, his tongue could extend nearly three feet, like a ghost.

"Does this mean I’ve mastered the four tips?"

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