VIP Volume Chapter 30: The Man-Eating Blade

Zhao Yanping, following Hao Six Fingers as they dashed toward the cabin, had a courage barely larger than a sesame seed—hardly any braver than Hao. It was the two young women who, seeing their colleagues in danger, cast aside their fear of those mysterious creatures and, driven by the urgency of saving lives, sprang forward. Yet two figures moved even faster than they did—the Ye brothers.

Ye Dajun was a step late; when he reached the railing, the sailor had already been dragged beneath the ship. He was left holding a single shoe, which he tossed into the sea in frustration before turning to help another. Ye Xiaoxuan was just in time, grabbing the airborne legs of a second sailor and pulling him back with sheer force.

But the sailor’s neck was entwined by that long, snakelike thing. As Ye Xiaoxuan pulled with all his strength, the creature tugged just as fiercely toward the water. The struggle between them caused the unfortunate sailor’s eyes to roll back, his tongue lolling out as he nearly suffocated.

Ye Dajun rushed over, seized the bluish-white strip wrapped around the sailor's neck, and tried to loosen its grip. Unexpectedly, the thing was incredibly strong, writhing violently and dragging all three men across the deck toward the edge.

Ye Dajun clutched the creature tightly, feeling the slippery, thick-scaled surface beneath his fingers. The part wrapped around the sailor’s neck revealed a pair of triangular eyes that glared at him with a cold, sinister gaze, sending a chill through Ye Dajun’s heart.

The creature’s head was long and sharply triangular, over a meter in length. When its jaws gaped open, two rows of fine teeth were visible inside, chilling to the bone—reminiscent of a crocodile, it lunged at Ye Dajun’s only arm with its narrow, monstrous mouth.

Seeing his elder brother in danger, Ye Xiaoxuan released the sailor’s legs and, from the side, mustered all his strength to kick at the triangle-headed beast.

With a resounding thud, his kick actually knocked the creature’s head aside. It wobbled, seemingly dazed, and loosened its grip on the sailor. Ye Xiaoxuan quickly dragged the sailor back, finding him pale and barely breathing.

By now, Hua Lingluo and Wen Xiaoyu had arrived. Both screamed at the sight of the giant, writhing head on the deck.

Hua Lingluo was terrified by its hideous appearance, while Wen Xiaoyu pointed at the long strips crawling up the ship’s hull, shouting, “They’re man-eating ribbonfish!”

Ye Dajun frowned. “What’s a man-eating ribbonfish?” Hua Lingluo covered her mouth in shock. “Are there ribbonfish that grow so large?”

Ribbonfish—also known as cutlassfish—rarely exceed three or four feet in length; those growing to two meters are already extraordinary.

Yet these creatures emerging from the water were at least five meters long, as thick as a human arm, resembling giant water pythons.

“This is no time for questions—fall back!” Ye Xiaoxuan shouted, diving forward to tackle Wen Xiaoyu, rolling with her toward the center of the deck.

A giant ribbonfish’s maw crashed down where they had just been, missing them by inches. Its body slipped past, and the sharp teeth scraped the deck with a dreadful, grating sound that made everyone’s hair stand on end and their teeth ache.

Wen Xiaoyu’s heart pounded wildly; she was seized by terror. If Ye Xiaoxuan had been a moment slower, her head would surely have ended up half-devoured by the beast.

She wanted to thank him, but realized their pose was rather intimate. Ye Xiaoxuan’s bare upper body pressed against her, and her own clothes were soaked through, clinging tightly to her curves and leaving nothing to the imagination.

Held close by Ye Xiaoxuan, she suddenly caught a scent she had never experienced before—a potent, masculine aroma that made her heart race, like a jar of rich old wine uncorked or ancient sandalwood ignited in a secret chamber, drifting in slow waves...

Wen Xiaoyu felt herself utterly lost in this fragrance, unable to resist. She thought no woman could withstand such an intoxicating scent—it was as if she’d been poisoned, her body weak and powerless.

Yet deep within, an irrepressible urge surged: she wanted a tighter embrace from this man, more caresses, more kisses...

“Xiao San!” Ye Dajun suddenly shouted. A ribbonfish crowned with red wrapped around him and flung him high into the air.

Fortunately, Ye Dajun’s right hand clamped onto the beast’s pointed snout, preventing it from opening its jaws and sparing himself from being swallowed.

Ye Xiaoxuan, unable to savor the alluring embrace, pushed Wen Xiaoyu away with all his strength, rolling her to a safer spot before leaping up and rushing toward Ye Dajun.

Hua Lingluo also turned to flee toward the center of the deck. A ribbonfish behind her raised its head and whipped toward her like lightning.

Ye Xiaoxuan saw it clearly and shouted, “Get down!” Without thinking, Hua Lingluo tumbled to the floor.

Ye Xiaoxuan charged forward, ramming headlong into the beast. With a thunderous crack, the pointed head collided with his own. Anyone else would have been pierced through, but Ye Xiaoxuan was unharmed, while the ribbonfish’s mouth bent into a hook, its teeth falling out and scattering across the deck.

Without pausing, Ye Xiaoxuan dashed to the bow, planted his left foot on the railing, and soared into the air, arms raised like a furious tiger, pouncing on the savage beast before him.

A flash of lightning and a peal of thunder illuminated the sky. In that moment, Ye Xiaoxuan, suspended in midair, appeared godlike—his hair and beard bristling, he seized Ye Dajun by the shoulder and shouted at the ribbonfish, “Let him go!”

Ye Dajun, now purple from constriction, still managed to gasp, “Don’t...don’t waste your breath. You think…it understands human speech? Wait—what’s that on you…”

Standing on the deck, Wen Xiaoyu’s heart clenched as Ye Xiaoxuan pushed her aside. She had never imagined that this country bumpkin with no martial skills would risk his life so fiercely to save everyone at the critical moment.

When Ye Xiaoxuan soared toward the ribbonfish, Wen Xiaoyu couldn’t help but cry out, cursing inwardly, “You fool! You’re throwing your life away! Even if you escape the ribbonfish, you won’t survive if you fall into the water!”

She rushed toward the bow, but Hua Lingluo, who had just retreated, grabbed her. “What are you doing?!”

Wen Xiaoyu struggled desperately, shouting, “Let me go, Sister Hua—he’s in danger… How can this be?!”

A bolt of lightning struck again. In midair, Ye Xiaoxuan’s bare chest shone with the golden imprint of a dragon.

In the darkness, the mark was even more dazzling and mysterious, radiating a sacred aura that demanded reverence.

An astonishing sight unfolded: the surrounding ribbonfish, seeing the dragon imprint on Ye Xiaoxuan, all obediently sank back into the lake.

The red-crowned ribbonfish, clearly the king, respectfully placed Ye Dajun and Ye Xiaoxuan on the deck, then lay motionless like a tame earthworm, not daring to move an inch.