Ch 78: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Mu Xing couldn’t be mistaken.

He wondered in puzzlement: Could it be that on Shark Island, cultivators once lived?

But according to Xing’s memories, only merfolk resided on Shark Island—no other races.

“What are you thinking about?” Bi Fei noticed him dazing off. She smiled and tugged his arm. “Little Xingxing, we’re home!”

As she spoke, she gently took Mu Xing’s hand. With a light flick of her tail, in the blink of an eye, they crossed into the barrier.

Mu Xing, together with the oblivious merfolk, passed through the barrier.

The instant he entered, his body felt lighter—within this barrier was an incredibly dense spiritual energy!

Shark Island, called an island, was in fact mostly seawater, with countless reefs and small patches of land. After all, merfolk still preferred to live in the sea.

Mu Xing felt the spiritual energy continuously washing over and nourishing his body. He glanced around—his fellow merfolk all wore expressions of ease and comfort, clearly enjoying the environment, though they couldn’t sense it as distinctly as he did.

No wonder, Mu Xing thought with sudden clarity. No wonder Shark Island could remain like eternal spring, its flowers blooming year-round. It must be because of this spiritual energy—or rather, because of this barrier.

The returning clan had barely arrived when a few tiny figures swam over.

They were plump little merfolk.

Much smaller than Mu Xing—about the size of two- or three-year-old human toddlers. Their tails were still soft, scales not yet fully grown, tender and silvery-white.

“Sister Bi Fei, you’re back.” A little girl called in her crisp voice. “Grandma Priestess said she sensed something bad happened. She told you to go see her right away.”

Bi Fei bent down, scooped her up, and said softly: “Alright.”

The little girl’s eyes curved in a smile as she nestled against Bi Fei’s arms.

The other two little merfolk were also picked up by the adults.

Mu Xing stared wide-eyed at the merfolk toddlers. So… cute.

Then he suddenly felt something tugging his tail.

Looking down—ah, another toddler.

This one still seemed half-asleep, eyes misty, letting out a tiny yawn.

“Brother Xingxing, was it fun outside the big sea?” he asked, his soft curls bouncing as he spoke.

Mu Xing’s inherited memory told him this was the youngest child in the clan, only ten years old, named Sheng.

Sheng was the laziest child of the clan, loved sleeping, and even awake he was always sluggish, forever looking half-asleep.

Mu Xing realized at once: these four toddlers must have come together—this little sluggard was simply slow and lagging behind.

Mu Xing reached out and scooped him into his arms.

Mm, no wonder everyone loves holding merfolk toddlers—they really are soft and warm, the feeling is wonderful.

Sheng didn’t resist. He even wriggled a bit, finding a comfortable spot, yawned again, and nearly shut his eyes—but quickly forced them open, watery eyes staring up at Mu Xing, waiting for an answer.

Mu Xing couldn’t help but smile helplessly. He ruffled the little one’s soft curls.
“Go ahead and sleep. Outside isn’t fun at all—there are lots of bad people!”

“…Oh.” Sheng answered sluggishly, his little head bobbing in Mu Xing’s arms. Within seconds, his breathing became even.

Just then, his absence was noticed.

Sheng’s parents swam over.

His father, Mo Yu, was tall and handsome, skin snow-white, now wearing a stern face. “No wonder I didn’t see him earlier. So this rascal was here again—falling asleep?”

Mu Xing was about to speak up for the child when the beauty beside Mo Yu gave him a sharp look.

The beauty—utterly enchanting—flicked her long curls and huffed. “Rascal? Who are you calling that? He’s just sleeping a bit more, what’s wrong with that? He’s still so young.”

Mu Xing nodded in wholehearted agreement.

The surrounding adults chimed in:

“Exactly, toddlers love sleeping.”

“Little Sheng is so cute, let him sleep! Let him sleep more.”

“Mo Yu, how can you be so harsh to a child? Yan Ling, I don’t know how you put up with him.”

Yan Ling—that was Sheng’s mother, the beauty, Mo Yu’s partner. Translated on hololonovels.

A whole group scolded the big fellow until his face turned red, and only when he admitted fault did it end.

Yan Ling walked up to Mu Xing. “He’s heavy. Let me hold him.”

Mu Xing hesitated. The softness in his arms was hard to give up. Besides, merfolk were naturally strong—though Mu Xing looked no more than a ten-year-old child, he could easily lift a rock taller than himself with one hand.

After a moment’s inner struggle, he decided to follow his heart and use his “toddler privilege.”

He blinked his big eyes, flashed the sweetest smile only a child could make, and said: “Big sister, I like little Brother Sheng. I want to hold him.”

Yan Ling melted instantly. “Since Xingxing likes him, then keep holding him. Sheng also likes playing with you.”

Mu Xing’s wish was granted.

Merfolk, without natural predators and with Shark Island providing everything, lived without real threats.

In Xing’s memories, their daily life was simple: basking on the reefs, singing, dancing, playing instruments—nothing more.

Oh, when they were truly bored, the merfolk would even do some handcrafting—the finished products were the legendary, shimmering mermaid gauze.

It really wasn’t an exaggeration to call it a life of immortals.

Mu Xing laid little Sheng down on the fine white sand, watching the tiny cub sleep soundly, and couldn’t help yawning himself.

When Bi Fei came to find him, what she saw was two little cubs—one big, one small—leaning against each other, fast asleep. Little Xingxing’s tail was still half in the water, swaying gently with his breathing.

She considered for a moment, then decided nothing was more important than cubs getting their sleep, so she simply sat nearby to wait.

Mu Xing slept until the golden crow sank in the west.

He stretched lazily, opened his eyes, and in the distance a giant fireball hung low above the sea’s surface, as if about to fall, bathing the entire sea in golden light.

Still half-dreaming, he instinctively reached out, as if to touch that blazing glow.

Of course, all he grasped was a fistful of air.

“Xingxing, you’re awake.” Bi Fei’s gentle voice came from behind him.

Mu Xing rolled over on the spot and sat up. “Sister Bi Fei?”

Bi Fei said, “The High Priestess asks you to see her.”

Mu Xing recalled that, in his dreams, he seemed to sense a presence drawing near, but his body instinctively knew it wasn’t a threat, so he had continued sleeping soundly.

That must have been Bi Fei.

A little embarrassed, he said, “Why didn’t you wake me, Sister Bi Fei?”

She replied matter-of-factly, “You were sleeping. Cubs need their fill of sleep to grow well. Everything else can wait.”

Unconsciously, Mu Xing smiled. Setting aside the strange background of this world and its odd love story, the merfolk way of life really suited him.

He stood up. “Then I’ll go find Grandma Priestess.”

Bi Fei nodded, bent down to pick up still-sleeping Sheng, and said, “I’ll return him to his parents.”

The merfolk’s High Priestess was the oldest among them, her age already well past a thousand years.

Exactly how old, Mu Xing didn’t know—but for a seventy-year-old cub like Xing, it was an unfathomably large number.

The High Priestess was the clan’s eldest and most respected elder, serving a role much like a clan leader.

But unlike the stern and imposing elders of many tales, in the eyes of every little mer-child, Grandma Priestess was the gentlest, most beautiful elder of all.

What mer-child hadn’t once been carried by her to ride on the back of a great sea fish?

Her residence wasn’t any different from the others. Past a jumble of oddly-shaped reefs lay a patch of flower-covered land.

There, barefoot and clad in a flowing gauze dress, was a woman picking flowers.

Her figure was slender and graceful, her face young and beautiful. The only thing that set her apart from other merfolk was the ankle-length hair cascading behind her—all of it silver.

Mu Xing thought for a moment, shifted his tail into legs, and stepped onto land.

“Grandma Priestess,” he called.

The Priestess looked over with flowers in her arms, smiling. “Little Xingxing, you’ve come.”

Her smile was gentle—but unlike Bi Fei’s innate softness, hers came from a clarity born of having seen the world, mingled with a deep affection and indulgence toward the young.

She walked over, handed Mu Xing a flower, and led him to sit.

On the stone table before them were several plates of delicate foods, along with some snacks—all made from seaweed and sea fish.

The glistening slices of fish drew Mu Xing’s gaze at once. For a cub, eating, drinking, and sleeping were the most important things.

Clearly understanding, the Priestess used a small silver fork to spear a piece of fish and held it to his lips. “Prepared especially for you. Try it.”

Although merfolk looked wild and untamed in many ways, that didn’t mean they were truly uncultured.

They had their own heritage—they knew modesty, they knew how to use tableware, they could play instruments and dance, and they possessed a refined artistic sense.

—Though Mu Xing couldn’t fathom how a people who had always lived in the deep sea had learned these non-essential things.

And they spoke human language, too.

That, Mu Xing truly couldn’t figure out. But perhaps that was just how this world was set up.

Seeing him eat happily, the Priestess smiled in satisfaction.

She asked, “I’ve heard from Bi Fei about your experiences on land. Xingxing, did you really receive guidance from the Sea God?”

Mu Xing put down his dried squid, clapped his hands, ready to answer—only to have a slice of sashimi shoved into his mouth.

He stared blankly into the Priestess’s eyes, and she chuckled. “It’s nothing so serious. Don’t let it interrupt your meal.”

Mu Xing: ?

Weren’t they supposed to revere the Sea God? Was it really this casual?

He chewed mechanically, swallowed, then repeated the story he’d told Bi Fei earlier.

“So that’s how it was.” The Priestess’s eyes grew thoughtful. “I’ve never seen the Sea God. I always thought the Sea God had long since forgotten us.”

Mu Xing: …

Really? Saying that right in front of a cub—aren’t you afraid of shattering his awe and faith in the Sea God?

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