Chapter 170: Who is the Original Culprit?

Seeing Xin Yi like this, Liu Xia hurriedly stepped forward to ask if something was amiss, but Xin Yi only shook his head, frowning as he thought about other matters. After a long while, he finally spoke to ask Luoli: "I ask you, was it you who moved all the water from Fengwu Village to this place?"

Luoli nodded to confirm, and Xin Yi pressed him for the reason. Luoli sighed and looked toward Doukou in the water.

"If a Merfolk stays away from water for too long, they will die of exhaustion. Although I do not fear death, Doukou is currently hanging by a thread, and she relies entirely on my daily infusion of Spirit Power to sustain her life. If I were to die, there would be no one left to save her..."

Upon hearing this, Banxia put away the Talismans in her hand, straightened her body, and asked: "Isn't it said that Merfolk pearls can cure a hundred illnesses? Since you are a Merfolk, just make another one."

Luoli sighed again upon hearing this: "Merfolk pearls are not as easily obtained as words suggest. Some Merfolk may not weep a single pearl in their entire lives, and those who do, mostly spend their whole lives nurturing that one pearl. Moreover, this water is far too bland compared to the vast ocean; even if I had the heart to weep a pearl, I lack the strength to do so..."

"You mean you need saltier, fishier seawater?" Banxia interjected.

Luoli shook his head again: "What I call 'bland' does not refer to saltiness. In our Merfolk Clan, there has always been a saying that the earth was nurtured by the ocean."

"Before the earth existed, the world was a vast expanse of water. At that time, the sea and sky were one color, impossible to distinguish between clear and turbid. Later, a Merfolk appeared among them; it is unknown what power he used, but he actually separated the sea and sky, and afterward transformed himself into the earth, which is how the various scenes of the Chenjian world came to be. Therefore, the Spirit Qi in the sea is the most concentrated, and if the Merfolk Clan wishes to condense tears into pearls, they must be in such an environment surrounded by Spirit Qi for a long time to succeed."

"I never imagined that you would keep the name 'Ajin' for three hundred years!" the Mountain God said with a smile, "Still as easy to trust humans as ever."

"I also never imagined that after three hundred years, you would still be so good at deceiving people." Ajin leaned against a tree to the side, the branches obscuring his face, making it difficult to see him clearly, "Not only that, but you have actually developed the bad habit of meddling in other people's business."

"Mortals often say that the departed are like this river; for us, these three hundred years are but a fleeting moment. We have endured the long, slow river of time, so if we don't seek out some amusement, wouldn't it be boring?" The Mountain God said, then suddenly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, do you really think you can attain the right fruit from that doll?"

Ajin did not answer him, only let out a soft hum: "What exactly is going on with that head of yours?"

The Mountain God sighed upon hearing this: "Oh, it's been so many years, guarding a single head is quite dull. What does it matter if I let him play with it? It's not a big deal."

"Be careful that when the time comes, you won't be able to find it back, and I fear you will become the second Xingtian." Ajin said, turning into the shape of a cat, and turned to walk toward the deep pool on the mountain.

Behind him, the Mountain God muttered in a low voice: "So many years have passed, and you are still so annoying."

The Merfolk's roar continued for a long time without stopping. Everyone present felt their heads splitting with pain, and Liu Xia's ears had already begun to bleed. Just as the group began to reach their limit, a Fire Talisman suddenly flew over and struck the Merfolk directly on his back.

The moment the Fire Talisman stuck to the Merfolk's back, it exploded, forcefully driving the breath he was still using to roar back into his abdomen, after which he began to cough violently.

After a bout of heavy coughing, he looked back and saw Banxia, wrapped in a Talisman Robe, lying by the edge of the pool. She was now holding two Talismans suspended over the pool water, shouting at the Merfolk:

"If you don't stop now, I will drop this Black Mud Talisman into the water! I just don't know if the woman at the bottom of the lake can withstand the filth of the pool water!"

Upon hearing this, the Merfolk's eyes widened, and he roared at Banxia: "You dare!"

Banxia seemed completely unafraid, roaring back with great spirit: "Watch if I dare or not!" As she spoke, she made to release the Yellow Talisman in her hand.

Seeing that black mist had already begun to gather around the Yellow Talisman, the Merfolk's tone immediately softened: "Fine! Don't move! I won't attack anymore!"

Seeing him like this, Banxia knew her guess was correct, and hurriedly told him to put down his weapon and come ashore.

The Merfolk was unwilling to comply, but when Banxia saw this, she made a move to throw the Talisman Paper into the deep pool. The Merfolk had no choice but to throw his Trident into the pool and swim to the opposite bank from Banxia.

When he leaped from the pool at the bank, under the moonlight, his fish tail shimmered with five-colored light, turning into two legs in mid-air before landing steadily on the ground, only...

Only he was completely naked!

The sound of the Merfolk's roar seemed to linger in everyone's ears, and even now it had not calmed down; they only felt a burning pain in their ears and kept covering them.

However, Xin Yi was, after all, at the Golden Core stage of cultivation, so even though he had been extremely uncomfortable just moments ago, he recovered faster. But just as he recovered, he saw a naked man standing on the bank, while Banxia was currently holding up her hand, staring at him without blinking.

A sigh rose in Xin Yi's heart: Are women these days really this fierce?

Just as he was astonished, he heard Banxia shout loudly: "Turn around! It's an eyesore!"

It just so happened that Liu Xia recovered at this moment, and it just so happened that he heard this sentence. Even more coincidentally, when he stood up and looked forward, the Merfolk very honestly turned his body around.

Liu Xia seemed to have forgotten the pain from just before; his eyes were filled with shock. He never imagined that Banxia was such a formidable person, actually able to make a Merfolk obey her every word! What surprised him even more was that Banxia, facing a naked man, showed no shyness at all, but instead looked over quite openly...

This...

This...

This is no longer what a young girl should look like!

Liu Xia hurriedly took off his Outer Robe and threw it at the stark-naked Merfolk, saying nothing more, only vaguely telling him to put it on quickly.

The Merfolk picked up Liu Xia's robe, and just as he shook it open, he heard Banxia sternly urge: "Hurry up! I still have questions for you!" Upon hearing this, the Merfolk's hands trembled, and he hurriedly put on the Daoist Robe and wrapped himself up.

But after all, it was only an Outer Robe; no matter how tightly he wrapped it, there were gaps in the hem. Now, as the Merfolk walked, the white flesh of his legs was exposed, which looked truly comical.

As soon as the Merfolk turned around, Banxia asked viciously: "Speak! Whose girl did you abduct!?"

Hearing Lingxiang ask this, the Merfolk was filled with sorrow. He glanced at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, which looked as if it had been cut in half by a sharp blade, and sighed: "She is my wife."

Banxia was greatly shocked upon hearing this. The person in the water looked like an ordinary human woman; how could she be a Merfolk's wife?

She was stunned for a moment, then swung the Yellow Talisman in her hand and roared at the Merfolk: "Do you think I look like someone who hasn't read books? How dare you spout such nonsense and try to deceive me with such an outrageous lie? Why would a perfectly good girl marry an old monster like you!"

Xin Yi and Liu Xia looked at each other. Although they knew Banxia was usually free-spirited, they had never imagined she could be this fierce. What was so strange about a woman being willing to marry a Merfolk? Why was she so angry? Shouldn't she be surprised as to why this woman was staying in the water?

Hearing Banxia's roar, the Merfolk was also startled. The women he had known in the past were mostly gentle and submissive, and even the women of the Merfolk Clan were very soft-spoken; he had never seen such a fierce woman. But surprise aside, his wife was now in someone else's hands, so he ultimately had to answer.

Looking at the Yellow Talisman constantly waving in Banxia's hand, the Merfolk hurriedly said: "Please mind the Talisman in your hand and listen to me slowly; this is a long story..."

But Banxia gave him no face at all, shouting viciously: "Then make it a short story!"

The Merfolk sighed: "My name is Luoli, and I come from a Merfolk tribe in the East Sea..."

The world says that Merfolk weep tears into pearls, but little do they know that Merfolk pearls are also divided into different grades.

It is true that Merfolk tears can become pearls, but most of the time they shatter during the crystallization step before becoming a pearl. Even if a Merfolk pearl is formed, various factors must be considered, including the day, time, and location of the weeping, as well as the cultivation and mood of the Merfolk who wept.

For instance, when ordinary Merfolk commoners weep pearls, they are mostly not round. Although they count as Merfolk pearls, they are of the lowest grade. Medium-grade Merfolk pearls, while round, may lack luster or smoothness. Only those that are round, smooth, and possess five colors can be considered top-grade.

Moreover, Merfolk pearls can also grow. Once a pearl is formed, it will gradually grow larger by absorbing the Mysterious Radiance and the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth, until it stops growing when it reaches the size of an adult man's fist. Therefore, many times, many Merfolk will surface when the moonlight is just right, walking on the waves to nourish their Merfolk pearls on nearby beaches.

It was on one such night while sunning his pearl that Luoli met Doukou.

Logically speaking, people of Chenjian, except for those night watchmen, are mostly asleep in the dead of night, and it is rare to see anyone on the beach.

But things were just that coincidental. When Luoli came ashore, he happened to meet Doukou, a fisherwoman who was wandering on the beach in the middle of the night, muttering something to herself as she wandered.

At first, Luoli was naturally startled. Although he was nearly a hundred years old and had heard of land mortals from the elders in his tribe, he had never seen one.

But at the time, he had already stepped on the waves and come ashore, and in his swaggering state, there was nowhere to hide. However, strangely enough, even though he was right in front of her, Doukou seemed not to see him at all, continuing to walk back and forth as she pleased, chanting words.

Luoli immediately became curious. He carefully approached, tapped Doukou lightly, and then immediately dived back into the water, but Doukou had no reaction at all, still walking back and forth barefoot over and over again.

Seeing this, Luoli grew bold, transformed his human feet, and walked in front of Doukou, waving his still-webbed claws in front of her eyes, but Doukou ignored him entirely.

This is extremely strange; could it be that I have encountered someone who is both deaf and blind?

But since he had come for the sake of sunning his pearls, Luoli saw that this person had no effect on him, so he set his mind at ease and began to sun his Merfolk pearls on the side.

Mortals all treat Merfolk pearls as a kind of treasure, yet they do not know where the true value of Merfolk pearls lies; most treat them as a type of ornament, or cultivate them into a magical artifact because they have absorbed the Mysterious Radiance and the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth. However, the true value of Merfolk pearls is that they are actually a supreme medicinal ingredient, capable of both healing the sick and enhancing cultivation.

Naturally, the higher the quality of the Merfolk pearl, the more outstanding the effect.

Although Luoli was a pauper among the Merfolk, the pearls he wept were very strange, yet he had never mentioned this to anyone, which is why he would always travel thousands of miles alone to the mortal coast to sun his pearls, simply because his Merfolk pearls were more superior than those of anyone else in his tribe.

Merfolk pearls like Luoli's were truly rare; their surfaces were round and lustrous, which was no different from other superior Merfolk pearls, but most ordinary superior Merfolk pearls were green or red, or perhaps a mix of red and green, whereas his Merfolk pearls were actually blue, the color of the sea.

This had never happened before and must absolutely not be known by others, otherwise it would surely invite unnecessary disaster!

He had once heard the Elders say that a long time ago, some tribes were invaded and exterminated by other tribes because they possessed Merfolk pearls of excellent quality.

That is why he would always run very far away each time.

Previously, he had found a good place to sun his pearls; it was an uninhabited area that looked as if no one had ever been there, so he had always sunned his pearls in that place, but once, while sunning his pearls, he was discovered by other Merfolk, which was why he had sought out this place.

The first two times there was nothing unusual, but he had not expected to encounter a mortal woman this time; however, it was fortunate that this woman was both deaf and blind, so he set his mind at ease.

But what he did not expect was that every time he came to sun his pearls afterward, he would encounter this woman, and this woman would also walk back and forth as usual, muttering incessantly.

However, when he came again one time, he did not see her, and this made Luoli feel suspicious.

Doukou approached Luoli as she spoke, which made Luoli feel strange; logically speaking, when mortals saw such a situation, they should treat them as monsters, or run away, or scream in alarm, but this woman did not show the slightest sign of fear and was actually walking toward him.

And when Luoli heard Banxia's question, he let out a sigh: "I only found out afterward that Doukou had suffered from Night Walking Syndrome since she was a child. The first time we met, she was sleepwalking, but later she was woken up by me; yet, upon seeing my appearance, she dared not make a sound and had to pretend to continue sleepwalking."

"However, only the first time was it truly sleepwalking; the subsequent times were all faked, as she was deliberately waiting for me."

"The two of us later gradually developed feelings and ended up together, but for some reason, someone found out about my Merfolk pearl matter and brought people to capture Doukou."

"At that time, Doukou was already pregnant, but they fed her Demon Poison to force me to hand over the Merfolk pearl. After I handed over the Merfolk pearl, they actually went back on their word and wanted to kill her. I used all my strength to save her, but I was powerless to escape. Just then, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, and when I regained consciousness, I was already in this place..."

Xin Yi was startled upon hearing this and asked with a frown: "Do you mean to say that you were brought here by someone else, rather than coming here intentionally?"

Luoli shook his head: "Those who can manipulate lightning either possess divinity or are mortals who possess the power of borrowed gods; how could a minor demon like me have that kind of power..."

Hearing him say this, Xin Yi felt a sense of foreboding in his heart, yet for a moment he could not think of exactly where the danger lay...