Chapter 206: Merfolk Reef 07

In an instant, the merfolk, who had been ferociously vicious, had pupils that gradually dilated, their gaze became vacant, the luminous tail went limp and pointed straight down, its tip continuously dripped water, and soon a pool of water accumulated on the reef.

The merfolk's expression flickered with a few strands of pain; Ye Xi'an was reading this merfolk's memory.

After the reading finished, Ye Xi'an withdrew her spiritual power, and the merfolk instantly reverted to its original ferocious form, baring fangs and claws, trying to tear Ye Xi'an apart.

Bao Jing stepped forward; for some reason, he now subconsciously only dared to stand behind Ye Xi'an, as if a superior's oppression emanated from her—perhaps the rank gap was too great.

An'an, how's it?

Ye Xi'an glanced at Bao Jing: "Our previous ordeal was indeed caused by this group of merfolk."

"Their songs trap listeners in the most terrifying memories, and they stay guard at the spatial gate; whenever someone emerges, they begin to sing, impossible to defend against."

"So we were caught the moment we stepped out of the spatial gate, and you happened to enter my most dreaded memory."

Ye Xi'an felt some guilt; had it not been for her, Bao Jing and the others wouldn't have been tormented so badly. Yet she was relieved that Bao Jing stayed by her side, otherwise she would surely have died in the nightmare.

Yi Yang, furious beyond measure, grabbed a merfolk from the crowd and held it in his hand.

The merfolk, bound all over, could not resist; it could only express its current anger and resentment with an extremely wicked expression.

Yi Yang, displeased by the merfolk's beautiful face, swung a fist at its eye socket.

The merfolk, being hit like this for the first time, had its ferocious expression instantly freeze, looking dazed; once it recovered, it became even more ferocious, as if it wanted to bite Yi Yang alive.

"Dead fish, you're that pretty just to tempt my wife, huh?" Yi Yang, seeing the merfolk not only injure others but also act so arrogantly without any remorse, grew angry and clanged several blows onto the merfolk's face.

Only when the wet face was completely unrecognizable did Yi Yang feel satisfied.

Ji Jiangci stepped forward, puzzled: "But why do they voluntarily guard the spatial gate? Is it specifically to hunt Zhu Shen Xing's beastmen?"

Ye Xi'an gave Ji Jiangci a strange look, with a hint of question: "You don't know?"

Ji Jiangci shook his head. What does he know?

Ye Xi'an's gaze was calm, yet carried a heaviness that Ji Jiangci could not comprehend.

It must be said, cruelty is not exclusive to humans; even she can be extremely cruel at times.

"It's all because of the merfolk's tears."

Ji Jiangci's brows slightly furrowed, clearly not understanding the connection.

Bao Jing and Yi Yang also wore puzzled expressions, while only Ye Xi'an's demeanor remained complex.

"The merfolk's tears possess a very special power."

"They can boost beastmen's ability levels, similar to the effect of our Ice Grass; moreover, holding merfolk tears in the mouth allows one to hold breath underwater for three hours."

Ji Jiangci nodded: "I know that, so Zhu Shen Xing merfolk's tears are pricey, but I've learned that the ability‑boosting effect isn't as good as Ice Grass."

"But what does this have to do with the merfolk wanting to kill us?"

Ye Xi'an continued: "Although merfolk tears are precious, merfolk are naturally emotionally indifferent and almost never weep."

Ye Xi'an's voice carried a hint of coldness, as if stating a cruel fact.

"They do not understand sorrow or joy; to them, tears are virtually non‑existent."

"So how did the beastmen who completed previous missions obtain the tears?"

Yi Yang couldn't help but speak up, having a guess in mind but not daring to say it.

Ye Xi'an's gaze swept over the bound merfolk, still glaring ferociously at them.

"Therefore, to obtain merfolk tears, some Zhu Shen Xing beastmen resort to the most extreme methods."

"They employ every means to make them feel ultimate pain, forcing them to shed tears."

"Some even deliberately slaughter their children to obtain tears."

The air was dead silent.

Ji Jiangci's lips moved a few times, yet no sound emerged.

It's hard to imagine that those beautiful‑looking merfolk whose songs create hallucinations would endure such treatment.

What difference is there between these beastmen who abuse merfolk and that pervert Lin Si!

The naive air on Yi Yang's face vanished, replaced by a shock mingled with anger and bewilderment.

He recalled his recent assault on that merfolk, his face burning.

He thought: I really deserve to die! How could my hand be so fast.

Bao Jing sighed: "So they hate us."

"They guard here, using songs to create nightmares, dragging down every passerby, then hunting them."

"It's a form of indiscriminate retaliation."

"In their eyes, every beastman is a past or potential abuser."

Ye Xi'an looked at the three's sorrowful faces, laughed, and tossed a few sarcastic remarks at their foreheads: "What's with your expressions, we didn't abuse them, no need to feel guilty."

"On the contrary, these merfolk actually dared to attack me; even if I don't kill them today, I'll still give them a good lesson."

Ye Xi'an changed the subject: "But if these merfolk give me some respect, I could let it slide."

Speaking so, a strand of spiritual power immediately pulled several merfolk over.

Ye Xi'an communicated with them using spiritual power.

Ye Xi'an: "I'll give you a chance—give me ten tears and I won't punish you."

Merfolk: "Dream on! We'd rather die than let you succeed."

Ye Xi'an curled a smile, from the channel: "Even if I help you rescue the fry, you still won't give me tears?"

This was what Ye Xi'an saw while probing the merfolk's memory: after a family from Zhu Shen Xing arrived here, they settled on a reef island, captured several small merfolk, and daily coerced the merfolk to offer tears to them, to boost their abilities.

Although merfolk have hallucinogenic songs, that family possessed a radio‑wave jammer, rendering the songs useless to them.

The fierce merfolk paused, hesitating: "Can you help us rescue the fry?"

Ye Xi'an nodded: "If you don't want rescue, fine, I won't force you."

After finishing the conversation, Ye Xi'an tossed the merfolk into the sea, then pretended to step toward the spatial gate.

「Awoo—」（We promise you！）

Ye Xi'an's footsteps halted, she just knew these mermaids would agree.

She lazily turned around: "Okay, then you give me four teardrops and take us to your nest; after I rescue the fish fry for you, you then give me the rest."

The reason Ye Xi'an wants to go to the mermaids' nest is because there is a Heart of the Ocean in the mermaids' nest.