Ch 77: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

If the living beings of this world truly were creations of the gods, then the merfolk were without doubt the most perfect of them all.

And yet such beautiful creatures existed in this world only to serve as the backdrop for someone else’s romance.

But why?

No matter how great or moving the love between Ying Luo and Chu Xu was, did the lives of dozens of merfolk weigh so little, count for nothing at all?

Mu Xing blinked underwater, sending out faint ripples.

He thought, Ying Luo had the freedom to pursue love if he wished.

But he himself would never sacrifice his life for it.

Not only his own life. He lifted his gaze, eyes lingering with appreciation on these beautiful beings before him.

Also the lives of his people.

Life was worthy of awe and respect. They did not deserve to suffer such baseless, bitter fates.

Suddenly he remembered something, and lowered his head to look at his legs.

As expected, from the waist down his body had already turned into a sleek, graceful fishtail.

Like his clansmen, his tail was silver-blue, each scale like a meticulously crafted work of art, shimmering with lustrous light in the water.

Curious, he reached out to touch it. It was not slimy or cold as he had imagined, but warm and smooth, like the finest white jade.

With a mere thought, the tail swayed gently, sending out ripples that carried him far ahead.

The movement woke his slumbering clansmen.

Bi Fei swam to his side, her soft hand brushing his forehead.
“Little Xingxing is awake. Do you still feel unwell anywhere?”

Mu Xing shook his head—just as his stomach growled.

Bi Fei’s face filled with guilt.
“I forgot. We haven’t eaten in so long. Xingxing must be hungry.”

Adult merfolk could go days without food, but not the young ones. They were growing, and their appetites were large.

Mu Xing rubbed his small belly in puzzlement. What did merfolk eat again?

Before he could dig through his memories, Bi Fei swept her hand through the water, so fast it left an afterimage.

In moments, a fish appeared in her grasp.

Never having left the sea before, Bi Fei tilted her head down at it in confusion.
“What kind of fish is this? I’ve never seen it.”

Before Mu Xing could answer, the gentle beauty lifted the fish naturally to her lips and gave it a lick with her tongue.

Mu Xing: !

“Pah! Pah!” Bi Fei spat immediately, flinging the fish aside.

It thrashed wildly, terrified, before darting off into the water.

“So fishy,” Bi Fei grimaced. “And not sweet. Nowhere near as tasty as those in our seas.”

She looked troubled, turning to Mu Xing.
“The waters on land have no flavor, and the creatures taste bad too. How can a little one eat such things?”

Another merfolk nodded in agreement.
“Yes, yes, I realized it yesterday. I caught several kinds of fish here, and none of them tasted good.”

At last Mu Xing remembered what merfolk ate.

In the ocean, every creature could be their food.

But their favorite was a kind of fish called white jade dish—oval-bodied like a plate, translucent milky-white all over, with even its organs visible. A merfolk only needed to slit it open, remove the innards, and it could be eaten raw.

Xing had eaten many. Its flesh was crystal-clear, tender, not only free of fishiness but even slightly sweet.

Just the thought made Mu Xing’s stomach grumble again—louder this time.

Now all around him, dozens of eyes turned to his belly.

Bi Fei hesitated.
“Why don’t you make do with this, for now, Xingxing?”

Already a male merfolk had caught two carp, holding them up.
“They don’t taste great, but they’re not poisonous. They’ll fill your stomach.” Translated on hololonovels.

Mu Xing stared in horror at the two carp, shaking his head.

He had eaten plenty of carp before—but only when prepared with exquisite cooking.

Plenty of ocean creatures could be eaten raw, but freshwater carp raw? That was a test of endurance he couldn’t pass.

The merfolk misread his rejection as dislike.

That male merfolk, who also looked reluctant, let the carp go and scratched his long hair with a frown.
“But if you don’t eat, you’ll stay hungry…”

Mu Xing thought a moment, then swept his gaze across the waters. Merfolk sight was excellent—he could see very far.

He spotted a cluster of water plants he didn’t recognize. Swimming over, he sliced a piece off with his nail and stuffed it in his mouth.

Mm. No particular flavor—but edible.

He chewed slowly, thinking: better to eat plants than raw carp.

He didn’t realize his actions were breaking the hearts of the others.

At the corner of Bi Fei’s eye, a pearl welled up and fell.

Merfolk were carnivores. They did eat plants, but rarely.

The young one had followed them out here, and it was their duty to protect and care for him. Yet Xing had not only been forced to find his own way to escape danger—he now had to resort to eating grass.

Ah… how useless they were.

Wait.

Bi Fei suddenly remembered something important.

She watched Xing chew mouthfuls of water grass until he looked full, then her eyes lit up.

“Xingxing, earlier—up above, there was suddenly that huge—”

She held her hands wide to show the size.
“—that huge lightning bolt, and all that fog! What happened? Was it truly the Sea God protecting us?”

The other merfolk crowded around too, cheeks flushed with excitement, staring at him with bright, expectant eyes.

Mu Xing was now certain—he hadn’t been mistaken earlier.

Merfolk… were adorable.

A pity, though—he had no idea whether the Sea God really existed, but at least he knew those things hadn’t been caused by any Sea God.

Back in the dark chamber, he’d already discovered that merfolk, as a deep-sea race, were born with innate affinity for water and the ability to cultivate water techniques.

In his past life, he had seen many aquatic clans in the South Sea—those people were all born with water spiritual roots, their combat power in the ocean unmatched.

Merfolk were the same.

Unfortunately, in this world no one seemed to know how to cultivate. The merfolk, despite their talent, could only fight by instinct.

This body of his had never cultivated. In that emergency, he had been able to stir only a tiny bit of water spiritual energy.

That lightning bolt was little more than a bluff—flashy, but in truth the general had probably lost nothing more than some hair.

The fog, at least, hadn’t cost much strength, but in mortal eyes, it was terrifying enough.

Even so, that was already Mu Xing’s limit. The lightning strike had nearly drained him dry—he couldn’t even stand, and had quickly told Bi Fei to carry him away.

But how was he supposed to explain all this to these merfolk?

No matter how naïve they were, for a mere child suddenly to display such powerful things—it was bound to be suspicious.

Mu Xing thought for one second, then decisively dumped it all on the Sea God. Whether or not the Sea God existed, none of them had ever seen Him anyway.

The little jade-carved child blinked his big eyes, face all innocent purity, and under the hopeful gazes of his clansmen, nodded vigorously.
“Mm! The Sea God told me to do it!”

At once, he was surrounded by a crowd of stunning merfolk, receiving ‘admiring looks’ ×56.

Mu Xing solemnly began spinning his tale:
“When I was unconscious, I vaguely felt myself enter a towering, majestic palace. The halls were paved with jade and jewels. At the highest point, on the throne, sat a figure I couldn’t see clearly.”

The merfolk exclaimed in unison:
“That must be the Sea God!”

Mu Xing went on:
“That unclear figure—”

Bi Fei corrected him:
“It’s the Sea God! Xingxing, you must not be disrespectful to the Sea God.”

Mu Xing quickly corrected himself:
“The Sea God knew we were in danger, so He told me how to escape, and even taught me a way to cultivate.”

“Cultivate?”

A delicate, soft-eyed mermaid, snowy skin and flowerlike beauty, blinked her glistening eyes and asked in a crisp little voice:
“Do you mean the lightning and fog you just made?”

Perfect cue. Mu Xing gave the pretty sister a look of praise.

He nodded seriously.
“That’s right.”

The merfolk burst into excitement.
“Then can we all cultivate?”

Mu Xing feigned hesitation, thinking a moment before saying:
“The Sea God didn’t say. Only that the clever ones could cultivate.”

The merfolk looked at each other, then began chirping away:

“I can! I’ve always been clever!”

“Not sure about me. Mother always says I’m lazy, slow to act…”

“When we get back, I’ll ask Granny Priestess how to become smarter.”

…

They happily chattered for a long while, until Bi Fei remembered something important and asked Mu Xing:
“Did the Sea God give you any other oracle?”

Mu Xing, playing the role of an innocent child without pressure, shook his head blankly.

Fortunately, none of the merfolk doubted him. If not for the Sea God, how else could Xing have known so much—or summoned such terrifying lightning?

Immersed in the joy of “the Sea God has revealed Himself,” the merfolk decided to return to the sea as fast as possible, so the whole clan could hear the news.

Because Mu Xing had said the cultivation method should be shared once they were back in the sea, not a single one tried to question him in secret along the way. They all obediently waited until they returned to their homeland.

Truly, a group with not half a scheming thought in their heads.

But what surprised Mu Xing was that, in the days that followed, the merfolk really did focus only on rushing back to the ocean, without anyone mentioning Ying Luo.

He didn’t bring him up either.

Two days later, Mu Xing finally followed the clan into the sea’s domain.

Merfolk were extremely sensitive to aura. Even the wind here carried the scent of the ocean. The familiar taste filled Mu Xing with instinctive delight.

Not only him—every face around him lit with joy and relief.

For them, this first journey onto land had been full of peril, with several companions lost. It had been no happy adventure.

They had traveled in constant fear, but now, at last, returning to their familiar homeland, every merfolk let out a long breath.

Mu Xing was shielded in the center of the adults as they sped through the deep sea, soon arriving at the merfolk’s territory.

It was a vast sea island.

Because of the clan’s sacred treasure, the entire island was veiled in a barrier invisible to mortal eyes.

But Mu Xing could see it.

On that glowing barrier shimmered the flicker of spiritual power.

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