Ch 89: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

But Ying Luo turned out to be more ruthless than Mu Xing had imagined.

It wasn’t that one day he suddenly snapped and killed Chu Xu.

The resentment had built up, little by little, and long before, he had already begun planning.

Chu Xu died quietly, leaving behind a mess of chaos.

The princes fought endlessly for that supreme seat.

At this time, the Empress—who had always been low-key and uninvolved—suddenly stepped forward. With thunderous methods he suppressed all the restless factions and supported the new emperor’s ascension.

He became the most powerful person in the new dynasty.

Old ministers left behind by the late emperor who dared to oppose him were no longer tolerated. One by one, he sent them “home to farm.”

Once his position was secure, Ying Luo began frantically “supplementing his maiden family.”

Rare treasures, exotic curiosities, and tributes from small vassal states—whatever was finest naturally ended up in his hands.

And Ying Luo unceremoniously collected them all in his storehouse, then every few months personally led people to return them to the sea.

Perhaps when a person reaches a certain age and has lived through much, the mind grows clearer. Translated on Hololo novels. At times Ying Luo would think how foolish he had once been—falling in love with Chu Xu, he had turned into an utter fool.

Now he missed his homeland. He also knew the clan had already been more than kind to help him twice; he could not expect more.

If merchant ships could not approach Shark Island, he simply ordered boxes of treasures to be dumped directly into the sea. If the clan wanted them, good; if not, he was happy just to scatter them—such things were useless to him anyway.

Because of Chu Xu, Ying Lou’s body had been severely damaged.

Even so, he still lived far longer than ordinary humans.

Decades passed, yet he remained that young, lofty, hidden sovereign. Whenever people looked at him, there was always fear mixed into their reverence.

But Ying Luo never cared. Decades ago, people had looked at him the same way—and now? They were nothing but dust.

When bored, he had raised a few children, carried from the harem, who by seniority had to call him great-grandfather.

He raised those little ones to adulthood. Some grew obedient and filial; others, once grown, developed little schemes of their own.

Living long brings wisdom, or at least experience. In his eyes, the petty tricks of the young were transparent.

And the more it was so, the more he missed his days on Shark Island—how happy everyone had been! At that age, he had only been a carefree young fish.

But now…

He lowered his head, seeing that his hair had somehow turned completely white.

He was old.

Though his appearance was still youthful, inside he was already dying bit by bit.

One night, without a sound, he left the splendid palace. No entourage, no ornate treasure-laden ships. Just as the very first time he came to the human world, he slipped into the moat, flicked his beautiful tail, and swam toward his homeland.

---

Mu Xing was telling stories to the little merfolk.

He had long since reached adulthood, and there were new younglings in the clan, but they still loved to cling to him.

Who told their Brother Xingxing to be so handsome?

The merfolk loved beautiful things most of all. Not just the children—when Mu Xing had just come of age, he had already received wave after wave of confessions.

Faced with pairs of watery, expectant eyes, Mu Xing only smiled gently. “If you can beat me, then we can talk about it.”

The merfolk: “…”

Damn it! Was this how the strong rejected fish?

Just then, Mu Xing heard a sorrowful song.

He focused for a while, then stood up.

One after another, clansmen also gathered, standing quietly, listening to that voice.

It was Ying Luo—singing, and confessing in his song.

He said he was dying, and wished, after death, to rest with the ancestors in the place where merfolk had slept for generations.

“Why has it come to this?” Yan Ling’s gaze looked into the distance at the merfolk sitting on a reef, his head of snow-white hair shocking to behold.

She murmured, “He clearly still looks so young.”

She lowered her eyes, a few round pearls rolling down.

The merfolk were pure and kind. Even with all the past misunderstandings, seeing such a young companion about to pass away still made them deeply sad.

---

Far away, the mists shrouding Shark Island parted, and from within came an ethereal answering song.

His people had forgiven him, and welcomed him home.

Ying Luo froze, then tears streamed down his face, falling into the sea.

He leapt lightly, plunging into the water, swimming toward that familiar place.

Here he had spent the happiest, most carefree days of his life.

After that, he lived in confusion—tasting the sweetness of love, then its bitter fruit. He had made many mistakes, and suffered many hardships.

But in the end, it was alright.

He was forgiven.

He would rest in peace, blessed by his clan.

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