Lu Zong encouraged him, "It's alright, you could always try stealing."

The Fatty waved his hand, "Forget it. Better not to risk failing to steal from others only to end up being their dinner."

Ma Xiong chuckled, "Let's stick to the dry rations. Even if they taste bad, at least eating them feels secure."

Lu Zong mused when these lads had become so steady and reliable. It must be from spending so much time with him, being influenced by his presence.

Saying nothing more for the moment, he took out a pot from his satchel, added a large amount of water, and began to boil it.

When the water evaporated, Lu Zong held the lid over the steam, quickly blocking the rising vapor. The temperature dropped rapidly, turning the steam back into liquid, which condensed and dripped from the edges of the lid. Ma Xiong quickly grabbed a clean plastic sheet to catch it, and in no time, the canteen was full.

Lu Zong extinguished the fire and ate some dry rations with the boiled water, then glanced at the Shamans. It seemed the seal had frightened them into a stupor; even after it dove into the sea, they remained kneeling, unable to rise for a long time.

Seeing their dejection, they decided to eat first.

By the time they finished eating, they realized the Shamans had already packed up and prepared to leave. Fortunately, Lu Sha and Han Chong were still there, not having been killed by them. Perhaps the seal's recent action had served as a warning—to not slaughter indiscriminately, especially beautiful women.

Lu Zong let out a breath of relief, "Thank goodness, they're still alive. That means we still have some time today."

The Fatty reminded him from the side, "We don't have a concept of day and night here; the angels won't darken."

Lu Zong considered this, then nodded, "At least according to their routine, they must have a time when it gets dark. They should be heading home now. If we catch a seal before their 'daybreak,' we can claim to be their spirits, and surely they’ll submit to us. Maybe we can even score a meal out of it."

Ma Xiong nodded vigorously, "That's an excellent plan. Let's go look for a seal right now."

The Fatty looked toward where the Shamans had been kneeling, "Those people have already left. We should go check that spot later to see if we can find any trace of that little seal. If we can catch that one, we can command them, and then we can snatch that dried corpse from their hands."

So, the three crept stealthily toward the area, hiding behind a rock and peering cautiously in that direction.

Only then did they discover that the Shamans had gone into the pit opposite the quicksilver, which was why they had vanished right before their eyes. Han Chong and Lu Sha must have been taken in there too.

Without further thought, Lu Zong quietly approached the entrance of the cave. No one was guarding the opening; they must have been captured deep inside the hollow.

Lu Zong felt a pang of deep sorrow in his heart. These two young women, in the prime of their youth, enjoying the sweetness of life, and he had forced them into a cave dwelling—he truly felt he owed them, especially since their lives were currently hanging by a thread.

Suddenly, Ma Xiong let out a muffled sound from behind, as if someone were clamping a hand over his mouth to stop him from shouting. He quickly turned to see Ma Xiong desperately covering his own mouth with one hand while frantically trying to pull off whatever was wrapped around his leg with the other. No matter how much strength they exerted, the thing was wrapped around his leg like a rope, impossible to remove, and he was clearly about to be dragged toward the quicksilver below.

Ma Xiong had a flash of inspiration and drew his dagger, slicing at the object. Instantly, the fibrous strands snapped away from his foot, and a spurt of crimson blood erupted from the break, staining the surrounding seawater red.

Ma Xiong jumped back in shock and cursed, "Damn it, this thing actually bleeds! This seaweed actually bleeds!"

Lu Zong corrected him, "No, this isn't seaweed. No plants can grow in this sea. I suspect this is an animal's whisker."

The Fatty casually remarked, "You mean, this belongs to the seal? How is that possible? So long and so thick—what kind of seal would have whiskers this massive?"

As soon as the Fatty finished speaking, the sea of quicksilver began to bubble with gurgling sounds, followed by a sudden, immense wave. The agitated mercury was tossed into the sky and then sprayed down, drenching the group like drowned rats.

What a refreshing downpour of liquid metal; the three of them stood stunned.

Then, they saw a smooth, round object emerging from below, and they noticed that around its snout, which was a meter and a half long, the whiskers actually stretched three or four meters. Ma Xiong answered the Fatty’s earlier question: "A seal this big."

The Fatty’s legs went weak with terror, and he groaned, "Oh dear god, what a gigantic seal! If we managed to catch it, it wouldn't even be enough to serve as a toothpick for someone!"

Lu Zong yanked the Fatty, who had sunk to the ground, to his feet. "Quick, hide! We're lying here waiting to be someone's dinner!"

The Fatty suddenly flared up, "Damn it, from now on, no one is to utter the word 'meal' in front of me. The meals we've eaten since coming here are fewer than the times we’ve almost been the meal!"

Ma Xiong started counting on his fingers, perhaps trying to tally whether they had been closer to being dinner or actually eating.

Lu Zong cursed, "Ma Xiong, are you scared witless or what? What are you counting now? Get into the hole first!"

Ma Xiong calmly turned back to look, and upon seeing the seal's tusks, which were taller than a man, his face turned deathly pale, and he scrambled into the cave.

The cave was intricate and bottomless. Who knew how deep the Shamans had burrowed? For now, they didn't have to worry about being caught by the Shamans.

Outside the cave, the seal roared, looking as if it were about to come ashore. The Fatty suggested, "If we trap the seal outside, won't it die of thirst?"

Lu Zong shook his head, "No, these seals are far too enormous. Even if we had the patience, it could probably survive several days without going into the water. We don't want to attract those Shamans again. We'll hide here for now and let this one go. Damn it, it's too big; we need to find a smaller one to target."

The Fatty nodded in agreement, "I agree, I agree. We aren't beast tamers. Who knows how long it would take to tame a monstrous seal this size? By then, Lu Sha and Han Chong might fall in love with a young Shaman and have a child. Then the four of us would be reduced to being their slaves, watching their baby—that would be terrible."

Ma Xiong chuckled twice upon hearing this, "Damn it, it's been a few days, and I actually miss those two girls. This feeling is quite strange; logically, I shouldn't be secreting hormones right now."

The Fatty also licked his lips, "You two are always muttering about Han Chong and Lu Sha. I'm curious to see if these two are actual fairies or just enchantresses."