Chapter 208: Mermaid Reef 09

Ye Xi'an felt she couldn't be too harsh either: I promise you.

The cat and fish had just finished their conversation when the dog hurried over: "Wife, what did he say?"

He said I can only bring one person to the Mermaid Nest.

Yi Yang hadn't even reacted yet when Bao Jing said: "An'an, I'll go with you."

Yi Yang also got anxious, his voice booming: "Why not! If anyone's going, it's me! I can fight! I'm thick-skinned and tough!"

Although Ji Jiangci didn't speak, his lips moved, then he pressed them tight, but the worry and longing in his eyes were just as clearly directed at Ye Xi'an.

Ye Xi'an's gaze swept over the three, her brow faintly furrowed, as if she also felt a bit troubled.

The Mermaid King leisurely observed them, a hint of hard-to-detect interest flickering in his golden eyes, as if he enjoyed seeing their internal dispute.

"Or let Jiangci go with me." Ye Xi'an made the decision; she felt Ji Jiangci was steadier and more capable of managing things, and when they went to the Mermaid Nest they might find something useful.

Ji Jiangci's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected Ye Xi'an to choose him. He grabbed one person with each hand, pulling Bao Jing and Yi Yang apart, and took Ye Xi'an's hand: "Wife, let's go!"

Bao Jing narrowed his narrow eyes, and Yi Yang puffed out his lips, both looking at Ji Jiangci with envy, but there was nothing they could do; since Ye Xi'an had already chosen, they were deemed losers.

The Mermaid King felt a bit regretful, never expecting the beastfolk's conflict to be resolved so quickly; he spread his webbed hand, and two teardrop-shaped transparent beads lay lonely in his palm.

Ye Xi'an picked them up, placed one in her mouth, and then shoved the other into Ji Jiangci's mouth.

Ji Jiangci felt a fleeting warmth on his lips, and the tips of his ears, hidden beneath his hair, quietly turned red.

Having done all that, Ye Xi'an hesitated not at all, executed a neat flip, and plunged into the icy seawater like a bolt of purple lightning, following the Mermaid King's party into the deep sea.

As depth decreased, visibility in the water grew poorer, the seawater temperature kept dropping, the pressure weighed on mortal flesh, making one feel a bit suffocated, but still within tolerable limits.

The mermaid squad ahead gradually slowed; Ye Xi'an weaved through the fish and, in the dim seabed, spotted a patch of blood-red coral.

The Mermaid King swam up beside Ye Xi'an: "Stay close later; if you lose me, prepare to die here."

His blunt words made Ye Xi'an's mouth twitch; indeed, his wild nature remained, speaking so harshly to companions who would later help them rescue the fish fry.

The path through the coral thicket twisted seven ways and eight; suddenly the view opened up, and although Ye Xi'an had seen all sorts of strange architecture on Zhu Shen Xing, seeing the Mermaid Nest still made her eyes widen like a cat's.

Like a divine sea‑stabilizing needle, a colossal stone pillar rose from the coral thicket's center; looking up its arm, one could see no end, the pillar's surface riddled with countless holes, and the tunnels inside were just as labyrinthine.

The mermaids darted nimbly through the caverns, and Ye Xi'an hurried to follow them into the pillar's interior.

Inside the light was dim, but as they went deeper, a faint blue glow began to emanate from the strange minerals and luminous seaweed embedded in the walls, brightening the previously gloomy sight.

Ye Xi'an floated in the seawater at the pillar's center; beneath her lay an unfathomable abyss, above her a weak shaft of sunlight filtered down, various schools of fish drifted lazily by, and the stone walls grew assorted corals and seaweed.

"How beautiful." Ye Xi'an couldn't help but exclaim; the splendor of nature truly is something no supernatural craftsmanship can match.

"We like it; we can set up a fish tank at home later." Ji Jiangci gazed tenderly at Ye Xi'an; as long as she was happy, he was happy.

Ye Xi'an shook her head: "A fish tank can't compare to this place at all, and we're always on missions—who has time to tend to them?"

As she spoke, Ye Xi'an scanned the surroundings and suddenly saw a familiar figure in a nearby cavern.

Just as Ye Xi'an was about to approach to see if it was someone she knew, the Mermaid King suddenly stepped in front of her: "I've already brought you to the nest; what's your purpose?"

Ye Xi'an had no choice but to tell the Mermaid King: "No particular purpose—I just want to take the Heart of the Ocean; it's only found in your cavern, and I'm just sightseeing along the way."

The Mermaid King frowned, puzzled: "Heart of the Ocean? What's that?"

Ye Xi'an: "Um, it's your feces."

After Ye Xi'an spoke, the Mermaid King's gaze toward her instantly changed; although he felt disgusted and speechless, he still said: "If you'd said so earlier, I would have had them give you a sample...."

Ye Xi'an: "……Not necessary."

The Mermaid King breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he'd encountered a pervert; before he could take a second breath, he heard Ye Xi'an continue.

"I want something older."

Mermaid King: …….

Ye Xi'an: …….

She had no choice; the Heart of the Ocean increases in value with age.

With a flick of his tail, the mermaid said: "Then go find it yourself—remember to return to land within three hours." Having said that, he swam off without looking back, as if he'd stepped in excrement and rushed home to wash his feet.

After the Mermaid King left, Ye Xi'an was finally able to approach that cavern to inspect it.

A tall figure lay curled in the coral thicket, motionless.

His head of red hair was messy and half‑covering his face; even unconscious, his brows remained tightly knit, as if he were enduring great pain.

The pair of qilin horns on his forehead, which should have blazed like fire, now looked dull and lackluster.

It really was Gu Feng!

He seemed also trapped in some terrible nightmare, his body twitching lightly now and then, his face slick with cold sweat, his lips moving as if silently shouting something.

Ji Jiangci also saw Gu Feng, and without waiting for Ye Xi'an to act, he stepped forward and patted Gu Feng's cheek.

No matter how he patted, the person showed no reaction; helpless, he could only look up to Ye Xi'an for help.

"Gu Feng must have fallen into a nightmare as well."

Ye Xi'an gave a faint smile, stepped forward gently, enfolded Gu Feng in her arms, pressed their foreheads together, and a burst of white light flared between them, rendering her already delicate face pure white.

Ji Jiangci stared, entranced, at Ye Xi'an's profile; he felt that since emerging from the nightmare, she had become like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon, radiating a light that made one want to draw near, yet getting close made her seem unattainably lofty—he truly had cultivated eight lifetimes of fortune to be able, when matched, to join Ye Xi'an's family.

As the white light gradually faded, Gu Feng flung open his crimson eyes, and the next instant locked gazes with Ye Xi'an, then lunged at her like a madman.