Chapter Fifty: I Am a Man Who Can Cook Eel Rice!

"Stop, stop! Don't hit me anymore! I'll talk, I'll talk, isn't that enough?" The Rainbow Eel cried out hastily.

Chen Xiang had no intention of stopping. The modified Dog-Beating Staff Technique had thirty-six moves, each guided by eight key principles, just like the original. He was only halfway through, currently executing the "stab" move, targeting the eel's rear. He hadn't even finished the full set.

"Waaah! You brat, you're still hitting me! Do you believe I'll fight back?" wailed the Rainbow Eel. It wasn't that it didn't want to resist—its attacks were simply useless! Its power had diminished tremendously, leaving only its sturdy body, and on top of that, it had run into someone as monstrous as Chen Xiang.

"Just wait a moment. I'll stop when I finish the set—ten more moves to go," Chen Xiang said with a mischievous smile.

Ten more moves? That would be its end! The Rainbow Eel couldn't care anymore. It opened its mouth and blew a chilling wind straight at Chen Xiang.

"Be careful, young master!" Li Qiner cried out sweetly, but it was too late. The cold wind instantly turned Chen Xiang into an ice sculpture, suspended motionless in the air.

"Hmph! Brat, now you know how powerful I am!" The Rainbow Eel darted away in a flash, reappearing more than a hundred meters away.

"I know!" No sooner had the eel finished its triumphant words than a voice responded.

Startled, the Rainbow Eel stared at the ice statue. The icy shell gradually faded, dissolving into glimmering starlight that dissipated into the air.

Li Qiner, hearing Chen Xiang’s voice, finally let out a breath of relief.

"Huh? Where did that kid go?" The Rainbow Eel hurriedly looked around.

"Right here!" a voice came from behind.

A chill ran down the eel's spine. It turned its head with great difficulty, only to see Chen Xiang grinning at it.

Then, a heavy blow landed squarely on its head.

...

Since the Rainbow Eel tried to resist, Chen Xiang rewarded it with a second round after finishing the thirty-six moves of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, starting over from the beginning.

With one foot stamping on the Rainbow Eel’s head and one hand leaning on the Coiling Dragon Staff, Chen Xiang stood like a triumphant conqueror.

---

The Rainbow Eel lay sprawled on the ground, its eyes vacant, looking as if it had been utterly ruined.

"Speak, Rainbow Eel. Who sent you—no, why can't you come with me? If you don't tell the truth, I'll give you another beating," Chen Xiang said sternly.

The Rainbow Eel’s pointed head twisted into a conflicted expression—quite a feat for it.

After a brief inner struggle, it hesitated... for a second, before saying, "It's not that I don't want to go with you. I'm afraid that person left a mark on me. If I leave the Frozen Valley, he'll sense it, come after me, give me a beating, and seal me in the Frozen Cavern for another hundred years. I’ve escaped many times before, but every time I was quickly caught and dragged back, so now I can’t be bothered to run anymore."

Chen Xiang glanced sideways. As he thought, the Rainbow Eel really was a perfect punching bag.

Who was that person? The eel had mentioned him several times, and since it knew where the Frozen Cavern was, that made things much easier—they wouldn’t have to search aimlessly.

"If that person could catch you every time, he must be formidable. You’re quite foolish too, though—why not remove the mark before escaping?" Chen Xiang remarked.

The Rainbow Eel shook its head. "It's not that I don't want to remove it, but I can't. The mark is linked to a restriction. If the mark disappears, the entire formation of the Frozen Valley will lock down. I can't break through it. And if I try to remove it myself, it'll take at least half a month. If I escape first and then try to remove it, I'd be caught long before I'm done!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Chen Xiang mused. Was the Rainbow Eel really that dangerous—enough to warrant such elaborate measures? If it were truly a threat, why not just kill it?

"I don’t even know who that person is. Every time, he covers his face and never tells me his name. I only know that he’s connected to somewhere beyond the continent," the Rainbow Eel added.

"Beyond the continent?" Chen Xiang was puzzled. He barely knew the Four Nations of this continent—what could lie beyond?

After pondering, Chen Xiang asked, "How long ago was your last escape?"

"About five thousand years ago," the Rainbow Eel replied nonchalantly.

Chen Xiang’s face darkened. Five thousand years? That person must have died ages ago! Why are you still obediently staying here?

"A new line appears on my body every thousand years. Now I have five more, so it must be five thousand years!" The eel noticed Chen Xiang’s grim expression and hurried to explain.

Chen Xiang took a closer look and grew indignant. "You have over a hundred lines on your body! Have you lived more than a hundred thousand years? Even a divine turtle wouldn’t live that long! Who are you trying to fool?"

Hearing this, the Rainbow Eel panicked. "Uh, I was born with eighty-one lines. Now I have ninety-seven, so I’ve only lived about sixteen thousand years!"

Hearing this, Chen Xiang calmed down. The Rainbow Eel wasn’t good at expressing itself, so it probably wasn’t lying. Still, the phrase "only sixteen thousand years" stuck in his mind, making him uneasy.

"Forget it, let’s leave this for now. I’ll deal with it after my business is done. For now, take us to the Frozen Cavern," Chen Xiang said with a wave.

---

"You want to go to the Frozen Cavern? Why? That place is protected by the same person’s restriction—you can’t get in," the Rainbow Eel said in surprise.

Without a word, Chen Xiang jabbed the eel’s head with his staff, making it wail in pain.

"Just lead the way and cut the chatter! You said you’ve been sealed there so many times—don’t tell me you don’t know how to find it!" Chen Xiang threatened.

"Waaah! You’re such a bully! Fine, I’ll lead the way—just stop hitting me!" the Rainbow Eel lamented.

Chen Xiang shuddered at its whining, moved his foot, and grabbed the eel by the neck, flying over to Li Qiner’s side.

"Qiner, look, I’ve subdued the Rainbow Eel! What do you think, am I amazing or what?" Chen Xiang laughed heartily.

The Rainbow Eel wanted to protest, but his grip was like iron pincers, and remembering the earlier beating—so like the times it was caught before—made it tremble and fall silent.

Li Qiner, still flustered from just now, blushed and lowered her head.

Not getting a response, Chen Xiang felt a little awkward, cleared his throat, and said, "Qiner, this Rainbow Eel has been sealed in the Frozen Cavern many times. He must know the way, so let’s head there straightaway!"

Hearing him turn to business, Qiner finally looked up and nodded slightly.

"Hey, Rainbow Eel, tell us—where is the Frozen Cavern?" Chen Xiang shook the eel in his hand, making the several-meter-long creature flop about, evoking all sorts of associations.

"Stop shaking me! I'm going to be sick! Just go deeper inside and you’ll find it," the Rainbow Eel said.

Chen Xiang and Li Qiner exchanged glances. Chen Xiang glared at the eel and warned, "Don’t try to trick me—I’m a man who knows how to cook eel stew!"

With that, the two of them flew further inward.

"To be continued..."