Ch 85: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Chu Xu, after all, was once a prince of a dynasty. Even if the dynasty had fallen, he still had loyal old retainers who followed him. He had rarely been scolded so directly to his face.

Even though he had the intention to be conciliatory, he couldn’t help but feel displeased with Mu Xing.

Suppressing his anger, he said coldly:
“What lies between Ying Luo and me is something you don’t understand. Since you don’t, you shouldn’t pass judgment so casually.”

Mu Xing: “Oh? Then explain it clearly to me.”

He tilted his head, his clear eyes—black with faint glimmers of blue—staring unblinkingly at Chu Xu.
“Then explain this: when your men locked Ying Luo in a dungeon, even threatening to burn him alive—what did you do?”

Chu Xu answered calmly:
“I know you feel protective of your clansman, wanting the best for Ying Luo. But put yourself in my shoes—my men are deeply loyal. For them to fear an outsider is normal. I couldn’t punish them indiscriminately. But of course, I would never actually let them harm Ying Luo. These past days, I’ve been working to persuade them, to make them accept him.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Mu Xing glanced around. As expected, Ying Luo was moved to tears, while the retainers behind Chu Xu looked fired up, as if ready to sacrifice themselves for their enlightened lord.

Bi Fei secretly sent a voice transmission to Mu Xing:
“Little Xingxing, this human is strange. What he says… it feels wrong, but I don’t know how to refute him.”

Mu Xing gave her a look of approval.
“Realizing something’s off is already right. These kinds of people are too good at words and playing with hearts. We don’t need to listen to their nonsense—just look at the outcome. Who ends up suffering—that’s what matters.”

Bi Fei suddenly understood.
“Right! Ying Luo was the one locked up and forced to send a distress signal to the clan.”

Clearly Ying Luo had been the one at a loss, even threatened with death. And yet, looking at him now, he was still hopelessly in love with this human.

Bi Fei shivered. Humans are terrifying. Better to stay in the sea.

From that moment, she resolved: in the future she would avoid coming onto land. Even if she had to deal with humans, she wouldn’t believe their words—only the results, and whether they benefited her.

And she didn’t keep this to herself—she passed the mindset to the clan. Translated on Hololo novels. From then on, whenever the merfolk dealt with humans, they always carried a measure of caution.

Mu Xing hadn’t expected that what began as an attempt to save foolishly lovestruck Ying Luo would end up teaching his clansmen a lesson.

Clearly, having a brain versus not having one made a big difference.

Mu Xing knew he couldn’t out-argue Chu Xu in rhetoric. But he hadn’t come here to reason with him anyway.

He swung his legs impatiently.
“I’m not going to debate you. All I know is, my clansman hasn’t lived well with you—he was forced to send a distress signal to the clan.”

He looked at Bi Fei.

Bi Fei understood at once, stepped forward, and with a faint, detached smile, said:
“We are here to take Ying Luo away.”

Chu Xu immediately looked at Ying Luo.

Ying Luo couldn’t speak or move, only widen his beautiful eyes and gaze at him with reluctance.

Chu Xu shielded him.
“You can’t do this! Ying Luo and I truly love each other—he doesn’t want to leave with you!”

“He’s just being stupid,” Mu Xing replied. “We’ll take him back, lock him up for two days, wash his brain with seawater, and he’ll be clear-headed again.”

Bi Fei: “…”

She almost wanted to laugh. How had she never noticed Little Xingxing was this funny before?

Mo Yu outright chuckled. Luckily he was in the back where no one was watching, so he quickly forced his face back into sternness.

Chu Xu snapped:
“I will never let you take Ying Luo away!”

As he spoke, a wave of soldiers suddenly surged in, surrounding the house.

Playing his role as the arrogant, imperious young clan leader to perfection, Mu Xing frowned lightly.
“What are you doing?”

Chu Xu said coldly:
“I was willing to welcome Ying Lou’s kin, but clearly you didn’t come to bless us. If you insist on taking him by force, don’t blame me for being rude.”

“‘Rude’?” Mu Xing sneered. He tilted his head back to look at Chu Xu, yet somehow the angle made him appear condescending.

“Just you?”

With a cold snort, an invisible wave of spiritual power burst from him. All the soldiers were struck as if by an unseen force, sent flying backward, collapsing to the ground, unable to rise.

Chu Xu’s confidants were horrified, rushing to shield him, staring at Mu Xing like he was a monster.

Surrounded, Ying Luo too was stunned, staring at Mu Xing. He couldn’t comprehend it—just a few short years away from the clan, and what had happened?

What technique had Little Xingxing just used?

Mu Xing hopped down from the chair. Facing the wary crowd, he laughed coldly.
“Why put on this act? If I truly wanted your lives, do you think you could escape?”

He turned to Chu Xu.
“You keep saying you love Ying Luo. So what can you give him?”

“In terms of status, we merfolk are the Sea God’s favored children, lords of the deep. In terms of silks and jewels, we have more than you could ever offer. In terms of beauty—well, you’re hardly impressive. And as for more…”

Mu Xing clicked his tongue, face full of disdain.
“Humans live short lives. In a hundred years, Ying Luo will still be in his prime, while you’ll already be a pile of dust.”

“I really don’t know—what exactly does Ying Luo see in you?”

Those words left the people behind Chu Xu with mixed thoughts.

They had always looked down on Ying Luo, thinking this man relied on his beauty to seduce their lord, keeping him away from women.

But now, after learning his true identity, and hearing what his clansmen said…

Young Master Ying Luo turned out to be a being like an immortal. Following their lord almost seemed like a grievance for him.

Even Ying Luo himself widened his eyes.

These past few years, he had been subtly or openly excluded countless times. He often felt pained, believing his presence hindered Chu Xu and embarrassed him in front of his subordinates.

So whenever he was wronged, he never told Chu Xu, not wanting to add to his worries.

Yet in the eyes of his clansmen, he was the one who had been wronged?

He stared blankly, unable to quite turn the thought around, yet something within him quietly shifted.

How sharp was Chu Xu—of course he noticed his subordinates’ wavering thoughts.

He suddenly turned, staring firmly at Ying Luo.
“I don’t care what your clansmen think. I only care about your opinion. Ying Luo, if you want to leave, I will smile and watch you go. But if you don’t want to, then even if I, Chu Xu, die here today, I will never let anyone lay a finger on you!”

Ying Lou’s eyes widened, filling with tears. With a blink, strings of pearls fell, striking the ground with a crisp sound.

He looked at Mu Xing, pleading.

Mu Xing’s expression stayed cold. I’ve already given you so many chances.

He lifted the restraint on Ying Luo.

Freed, Ying Luo rushed to Chu Xu’s side and tightly grasped his hand.

Turning to his clansmen, he declared:
“I don’t want to leave him!”

Bi Fei, who had lived with him for over a hundred years, couldn’t help stepping forward to persuade:
“Ying Luo, won’t you think again? We used to live so happily in the sea. Look at what you’ve become now.”

Ying Lou’s face was resolute.
“You said it yourself—that was in the past. Now, only with Chu Xu can I be happy.”

Bi Fei looked at him in puzzlement, sighed faintly, and said no more.

Mu Xing stirred his thoughts, and a pale blue water-like barrier enclosed the four of them.

He looked at Ying Luo, speaking faintly:
“This is the second time.”

Ying Luo was stunned. “What?”

Mu Xing said:
“The last time you cried for help, it cost three clansmen their lives. This time, you cried for help, we came—and now you refuse to leave with us.”

“Why did you summon your clan in the first place?”

Ying Luo was speechless.

Mu Xing answered for him:
“You felt danger, so you called for your clan. We came, your danger was removed. You don’t need us anymore, so you return to that human.”

“You love that human. He says a few soft words, and you forgive everything. But your clansmen? What do you take us for?”

Bi Fei and Mu Yu both looked at Ying Luo, waiting for an answer.

Ying Luo flushed red, stammering:
“You are my closest kin.”

“Closest kin—so you can squander our kindness and care as you please?” Even Bi Fei could no longer hold back.

“Ying Luo, you are far too childish,” she scolded. “The High Priestess was right—you are not fit to be our clan leader at all. You’re not even as clever as Little Xingxing, who’s just a child!”

Ying Luo tried to argue:
“No, it’s not like that, I didn’t—”

But Bi Fei turned her face aside, refusing to look at him, unwilling to hear excuses.

Mu Xing too had no interest in excuses. He said flatly:
“This is the last time.”

Ying Luo froze, staring at him in confusion.

Mu Xing’s gaze was calm.
“If you return with us, you are still one of us. If you choose to stay here with this human, then from now on, no matter how you live, no matter what happens to you, we will never concern ourselves with you again.”

Ying Lou’s eyes widened, shocked and hurt.
“Why? Are you going to abandon me?”

“Why?” Mu Xing found it exhausting to reason with someone so foolish—and not only foolish, but selfish.

“You treasure your lover above all. But in my eyes, he’s not even worth a plate of Jadefish.” Mu Xing recalled the sweet, tender taste of Jadefish, rubbed his stomach, and felt hungry.

He decided to end it quickly:
“You know well what you did last time. This time, we came only out of kinship.”

“There will be no third time, Ying Luo.”

Ying Luo looked at the little merchild’s cold expression, then turned to the other two.

Bi Fei kept her face cold and refused to meet his eyes.

Mo Yu met his gaze, gave a foolish grin, and said:
“I think Little Xingxing is right!” His eyes held none of their former closeness.

As they left, Bi Fei couldn’t help asking one last time:
“You really won’t come back with us?”

Ying Lou’s eyes brimmed with tears. He bit his lip and said nothing.

Bi Fei sighed.

Mu Xing patted the gentle fish’s hand, then said to Ying Luo:
“For the sake of kinship, I’ll give you one last lesson. From now on, don’t tell your human lover about the merfolk. The more mysterious we are to him, the better for you.”

He said only that, whether Ying Luo understood or not, and then took Bi Fei and Mo Yu. The three turned into a streak of spirit light and vanished into thin air.

The barrier dissolved with their departure.

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