Ying Lian’s voice was adorably naive. Expressionless, she stared at the big sisters surrounding her as she vigorously kneaded the little yellow chick in her arms.
Ao Tian was in agony, chirping for help. Ji Shiyu paid him no mind, completely treating him as emergency rations to appease the little aunt master.
“Mu Ying? Little girl, are you also a sword cultivator from the Shenhua Sect? Judging by your attire, you’re from Shenzhou. I heard the elders mention that there’s an ancient giant tree in the Outermost Sea, and many people live on it.”
“Don’t come closer! Senior Brother said I shouldn’t talk to strangers or eat anything they give me.”
“Pfft, so cute! I wouldn’t do something like that. Senior Brother is that boy in white? He’s not as handsome as Young Master Ji, but still pretty good-looking. Is he your Dao Companion?”
“What donkey? Ah Lian doesn’t understand. Senior Brother is my lord god.”
The female disciple of Tianyin Fang grew more and more confused. She didn’t understand a single thing. Were all sword cultivators this strange?
At the bow of the boat, Mu Shaohua softly introduced the Five Islands Faction. She cautioned the two young masters not to wander off after disembarking, and to be especially careful of the demonic sect fiends at Ghost Port and the pirates of Howling Fjord.
Because their destination was Qiongxiao Palace, and the reason the Tianyin Fang spirit boat could dock in merfolk territory was due to Mu Shaohua. The proud disciple of Tianyin Fang was also one of them.
Mu Shaohua gave a playful smile, revealing the transparent fin hidden under her hair. Her wavy hair was blue-green like waves.
“I almost forgot to introduce myself. You two young masters probably didn’t notice, did you?”
Ji Shiyu shook her head vigorously, eyes wide. She circled Mu Shaohua but didn’t see anything different from a human.
“So you’re also a salted fish—no, a merperson?”
While doing farm work, Master often told folktales that Black Slaves had never heard to pass the time. Even though they were for children, Ji Shiyu listened with great interest, like “Sleeping Beauty.”
The demon merfolk living under the sea were no different from the mermaids Mister had described.
Extremely curious, Ji Shiyu simply crouched down, lifted Mu Shaohua’s skirt, and touched her long legs.
“Young Master, you!?”
Mu Shaohua’s eyes were flustered. She stepped back shyly, her slender neck red, but her face showed no change—clearly masked.
“Um, sorry, sorry. Forgive my rudeness. I couldn’t help myself.”
Ji Shiyu quickly bowed in apology, realizing that she was now a man and couldn’t casually get close to girls like at Rosy Fragrance Pavilion.
“Ah, it’s alright.”
Mu Shaohua looked up and stole a glance at the golden-haired youth. As a famous appearance-obsessed fangirl in the original work, she had a very high natural affinity for handsome, powerful men like Ji Shiyu.
“A leopard can’t change its spots.”
Yun Liu yawned. He gave the mergirl a meaningful look but didn’t rashly expose anything.
How could it be such a coincidence? Missing the Ten Thousand Spirits Viewing the Sea because of the dragon slaying, only to stumble onto the Tianyin Fang boat—it was a dream start.
At this moment, he rather hoped that his foolish daughter would relapse into her old illness, seize the steady happiness, and stop dreaming about riding the master and defying ancestors. Otherwise, this great harem might end up benefiting other men.
Fang Ya of Chain Docks, Wu Lei of Sea-Severing Alliance, and that deeply scheming Child of Destiny of the Boundless Sea—all were love rivals of Ji Shiyu, each harder to deal with than the last.
An ancient saying widely spread in the Sea Market:
“He who gains the merfolk gains the Mirage Tower.”
This must be the protagonist’s halo.
And the key to opening the Mirage was right before his eyes—it had even delivered itself.
“Old… Brother Yun, it’s a living mermaid! Why aren’t you surprised at all?”
Ji Shiyu poked her “brother-in-law’s” waist.
Yun Liu mused, “Merfolk have special bones, limbs longer than humans. They don’t have a Qi Sea, but instead use a demon inner core as their Jade Mansion foundation. On land, their legs are no different from ordinary people, but one can still spot differences if you look closely.”
“Mister Yun is knowledgeable. It seems you discovered Shaohua’s true form long ago. That’s true, but we can’t leave the water for too long either.”
Mu Shaohua covered her mouth and chuckled, not taking it to heart. Instead, she found the term “mermaid” novel.
Was he complimenting her? This Young Master Ji was quite a character. If he saw her true form, he’d be even more surprised.
The salted fish girl thought proudly.
“Fairy Mu doesn’t seem to resent humans on land like other merfolk.”
Mu Shaohua stuck out her tongue and said, “Maybe it’s because I’ve been cultivating at Tianyin Fang for so long. I’ve heard many heroic tales from the Nine Provinces. I also admire the heroes and chivalrous warriors among humans.”
“I see.”
Yun Liu touched his nose. If she knew that the little yellow hair standing before her had just slayed an evil dragon, she’d become an instant fangirl.
When he looked up again, the bright moon hung in the sky. A massive whirlpool lingered overhead. Everyone had already sunk into the abyss. At the same time, a giant blade thrust diagonally came into view.
To be precise, it was a huge branch.
Not far away, a divine tree soared. Its branches were deeply embedded in the chaotic currents of the seabed. Mu Shaohua carefully maneuvered the spirit boat to avoid it.
“Last night, fierce winds raged. A cloud dragon descended, and the Kunpeng stirred the sea, angrily ramming the divine tree. Two ancient primordial beasts had a huge fight. It was terrifying.”
If it could be refined into a magical treasure, its power must be astonishing. But unfortunately, ordinary people couldn’t pull it out. Only Yinglong could cut off a section of the divine tree branch to use as a weapon. Even if they couldn’t enter Mirage City, this trip wouldn’t be wasted.
“We have also heard of it. The celestial phenomenon was breathtaking.”
“How strange. Yinglong is originally a deity of Yingzhou. Why would it offend the Boundless Sea?”
Mu Shaohua shook her head in confusion, unable to fathom the reason.
Ji Shiyu and Yun Liu exchanged a glance. Neither dared to speak. They could only hear Ao Tian’s crying sounds from the deck—his feathers were almost all plucked by Ah Lian.
“Everyone, hold on tight. We’re about to be submerged.”
Mu Shaohua took out a nautilus from her bosom. It was unclear what kind of treasure it was. She blew it gently, and a bubble was summoned.
The bubble grew larger and larger, gradually enveloping the ship, isolating the seawater.
Before the spirit boat could be shattered by the whirlpool’s bottom, Mu Shaohua drove the foam into the waves, taking the entire ship down into the underwater world.
Above was a dark deep sea, but from below came a faint glow. It turned out they were above a series of underwater jade towers, with night pearls embedded in the tops for illumination.
Surrounding them were colorful fish. Occasionally, a gentle giant sea demon slowly passed by, and the silhouette of a giant shark was faintly visible.
“Whoa!”
Ji Shiyu’s eyes sparkled. Her mouth hung open as she tugged at Yun Liu’s sleeve. She looked adorable, like a child visiting an aquarium with her father for the first time.
Yun Liu withdrew his gaze, steadied himself, and looked around for the Immortal Gourd Spirit Boat.
He had learned from Ao Tian that Li Su was safe and remained on the isolated island. Logically, Mister Canghai should have come out looking for his wayward disciple. Qin Xiang had lost track of Ji Shiyu and must be frantic.
Countless fish darted among the coral palace. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be a group of human-bodied, fish-tailed merfolk, all beautiful, radiating demonic spirit aura.
The bubble floated and descended, slowly docking at a Floating Glow Jade Tower.