CH 39.1

Wading sounds of swimming came from afar, and fragmented conversations of the merfolk reached Bai Lixin’s ears with the current.

“Is the little one awake yet?”

“It’s been so long, he must have rested enough.”

“He must have been sleepy, but he can’t stay asleep for very long. He’s still growing up, so let’s wake him up to eat.”

The sound of conversation was accompanied by the sound of tails swishing as they slowly approached the area.

The shell was in the resting area in the coral thicket, so it was relatively hidden.

Bai Lixin tried to remove the pearls around his wrist. He didn’t know what the pearls were strung with, but the strand was strong and sturdy and could not be removed from the wrist no matter what.

The merfolk had swum around the corner, and he soon saw a green wrist sticking out.

Just when helplessness flashed in Bai Lixin’s eyes, two thin shadows emerged from the butterfly on his back. Their tips had thin barbs, and with a gentle tug, the pearls were ripped from Bai Lixin’s body.

The black shadows pulled the pearls into the butterfly just when the merfolk had appeared.

The merfolk that came were all acquaintances; the scarred merman, the bald merman and Green Hair.

The scarred merman’s wrinkled face flashed with surprise when he saw that Bai Lixin was awake. He shouted from a distance as he swam to Bai Lixin’s side, “You are finally awake. Do you want to see the fruits of our labor?”

Bai Lixin straightened his hair, “How many crossbows have you made?”

The scarred merman, “Over sixty, some of the children are still too young, they aren’t allowed to touch this dangerous thing for now.”

He looked Bai Lixin up and down, “Why are your eyes red? Have you been crying?”

Bai Lixin’s back stiffened and he smiled dryly, “Ah, the light in the shell was too bright and it flashed into my eyes.”

The scarred merman glanced at the shell in confusion, “Bright? It’s quite mild; it’s a merfolk’s preferred brightness and color.”

The bald merman glared at the scarred merman, “Bai Lixin is a child of the Sea God. He doesn’t even look like us, so how could he have the same habits as us? It’s normal that his preferences are different.”

Scarred Merman, “You’re right.”

He looked at Bai Lixin once more. His gaze was scrutinizing and it was filled with confusion.

“So, this is the aesthetic of the Sea god? Skin as white as pearls, eyes as crystal clear as gems, tongue hidden and mouth tiny?”

He circled Bai Lixin, “Even the scales are more delicately and neatly arranged than ours.”

The scarred merman scratched his chin thoughtfully and concluded, “So much for the aesthetics of the gods of the sea, eh.”

“How do these tiny teeth eat prey? How can this delicate skin withstand the pressure of the sea? And this weak little body, tsk tsk. These claws can’t scratch prey; they look like they’d get broken by the prey’s hard skin instead. ”

Bai Lixin: “……”

Have you ever thought of looking for common ground when looking at differences and then reflecting on yourself?

Green Hair came over to smooth things up, “Why don’t we go to the back and see how the crossbows are being made?”

The gazes of the three mermen were immediately placed on Bai Lixin.

Bai Lixin, “Let’s go.”

The bald merman swam in the front.

He had witnessed the ceremony of changing the patriarch, but the bald merman’s status didn’t seem to have changed much after the ceremony. There was no crown on his head, nor was there any coronation ceremony.

The place where the crossbows were made was not far, and they reached it in a few minutes.

From a distance, Bai Lixin could see over sixty pure white weapons neatly laid out on the rocks.

“The lantern beast’s fish bones and spine are almost used up,” the bald merman pointed to the distant crossbows and the arrows next to it; the bones of the electric eel monster were still out there, but its body was soft and the bones had too many joints. Now that the lantern beast is also pretty much eaten, we’re ready to go out hunting.”

They had reached the crossbows while talking, and the bald merman picked up one. He skillfully played with it in his hand for a moment, and said, “We’re going to send out a mixed team of adult and elderly mermen this time. It can’t be all talk and no practice.”

Bai Lixin was noncommittal, “I’d like to go with you when you go.”

Green Hair, “We’re getting ready to go now. It’s not like before, when five mermen were enough to go to the East Sea. Now that all the creatures out there are in chaos, we need to go with more people.”

Bai Lixin, “How many are going?”

Green Hair, “I’ll take five or six young mermen, and Uncle Arthur will take a few older ones.”

Arthur was the name of the bald merman. The scarred merman originally planned to go too, but he was now the patriarch. In the event of danger, the merfolk would fall into chaos, so he had to stay behind as leader.

Bai Lixin swam over and inspected the crossbows they had made. They were all well assembled and carefully polished, and could be described as perfect.

He took two of them and tested them on the training ground.

The arrows easily penetrated the rocks.

After experimenting casually, Bai Lixin threw out another arrow while using the current.

There was a small explosion in the water, and the end of the arrow flew out with a heavy pressure.

The smoothly polished arrow dug straight into the rock, the tail of the arrow sinking deep into the rock.

The Bald merman swam over at once.

He squinted one eye and placed the other in the small hole for a closer look.

The lantern beast’s spike was very thick, about as thick as a little finger. Arthur stuck his pinky through the hole and his whole finger went all the way in, but he still didn’t touch the end of the arrow.

“Give me an arrow!” the scarred merman shouted to Green Hair immediately after pulling out his little finger.

Green Hair hurriedly handed him an arrow.

The scarred merman aimed the sharp end at the hole and pushed the arrow inside.

The arrow went in two-thirds of the way before the scarred merman felt the tip of the arrow touch something hard.

Seeing this shocking depth, the scarred merman’s gaze as he looked at Bai Lixin changed.

At that moment, Bai Lixin saw worship in the old merman’s eyes.

“Good god,” the scarred merman drew out the arrow for measuring, “the young generation surpasses the old. How did you do that?”

Bai Lixin pondered for a few seconds, “Do you know the direction of the water’s fluctuations?”

The scarred merman and a few mermen looked at each other. While Green Hair was a bit lost, the scarred merman and the bald merman had a few moments of clarity on their faces.

The scarred merman, “I know.”

The perception of water currents was not known to the merfolk, but it was not unknown to them either.

Among the many merfolk, there were always those few keen ones who had once, consciously or unconsciously, felt the current.

Bai Lixin guessed that the previous invincible patriarch might have been one of those who knew the fluctuations of the current.

The scarred merman, “So you used the fluctuations?”

Bai Lixin, “Yes.”

“I see,” the bald merman understood, and had a clearer understanding of how powerful Bai Lixin’s consciousness was.

Sensing the fluctuations of water currents was, to put it simply, a gift.

Such things could not be understood by using words, but only through one’s enlightenment.

He was one of those warriors who could feel the current, but this perception only allowed him to swim faster through the water and throw a sharper punch. That was all.

The most powerful member of their clan was the Old Patriarch.

The Old Patriarch was the only merman he knew who could use the fluctuations of the water to make an effective enough attack.

He knew thousands of merfolk both from the past and present who were powerful, but of the thousands, only the patriarch could do that.

Now there is an additional Bai Lixin. How could such a rare talent not shock him?

Knowing the principle of Bai Lixin’s attack, the scarred merman was instead frank.

Using the currents was not something they, ordinary merfolk, could learn, but even if they didn’t, the power brought by the crossbow itself was enough for them to defend themselves and save their lives. There was no need for them to be obsessive.

The old merman let out a long sigh, “The old patriarch rarely spoke after his old age. No wonder he took out the Mermaid’s heart in exchange when he regained sanity.”

Bai Lixin, “What exactly is the Mermaid’s Heart?”

The scarred merman, “It is the treasure of our clan, and the treasure that our clan has guarded for ages. It represents the heart of us merfolk, and is our greatest treasure. The Mermaid’s Heart has always been carefully enshrined, so I don’t know what it actually is. Only when it is taken out and put in your hands will you know what it is.”

Bai Lixin was silent.

The reward prop for a gold S-rank hidden task would never be just a simple little prop.

He was really looking forward to it more and more.

Green Hair’s stomach suddenly growled.

Several pairs of eyes instantly glued themselves to Green Hair, who waved his tail in embarrassment, “Don’t look at me. I’ve given all the food to the children and the mermaids. I haven’t eaten for a day, so I’m so hungry.”

The bald merman’s face changed all of a sudden, “It’s time to hunt.”

……

Ten minutes later, five young mermen and five elderly mermen gathered at the entrance of the cave, plus a Bai Lixin.

The young mermen were all old acquaintances of Bai Lixin. He had gone hunting with Green Hair, the fat merman, and the other three mermen. He also knew all of the older mermen. He was most familiar with the bald merman, and had made crossbows with the remaining four.

From being a stranger at the beginning to knowing them now, Bai Lixin had become more and more familiar with these merfolk.

Still anxious, the scarred merman instructed them a few more times, and they began to travel through the tunnel.

They carried knives, shark skin bags, and nets in addition to their harpoons and crossbows.

They had to try to catch their prey in the net when they killed it and not let it touch the bottom of the sea in case it attracted split turtles. They also had to finish cutting it up in the middle of the water so that they could carry back the split prey.

Several mermen swam quickly. The older merfolk kept up with the younger ones even though their force was not what it used to be.

With the hopes of the whole clan in mind, they set off on their journey in search of food.

The light in front of them became clearer, and when they were about to reach the entrance of the cave, the bald merman, who had been swimming at the front, braked sharply, “Wait!”

Several of the mermen stumbled to a halt just as the bald merman’s guarded voice rang out in the darkness, “Something’s not right out there. Stay back everyone and do not get so close to the cave entrance. Let’s move cautiously and take a look.”

In the darkness, the current next to Bai Lixin began to become chaotic.

It was the result of two different directions of flow colliding, and Bai Lixin’s eyebrows rose as he gazed at the entrance with vigilance.

Other creatures were swimming around this entrance.

He swam cautiously behind the bald merman, silently approaching the opening.

The light in front of them grew brighter and brighter, and just as they were about to reach the cave entrance, a huge dark shadow suddenly blocked their view.

There was a sound of debris falling from the rocky outer wall of the cave.

The mermen snapped to attention and moved with increased caution.

Something was slamming into the tiny, narrow opening.

Bai Lixin narrowed his eyes, and he could vaguely make out the blurred figure in front of him.

It was a huge shark-like creature.

The tip of its bulging snout plunged into the hole, its nostrils sniffing hard. As it sniffed, its body became more and more irritable. Its tail slapped the sand and rocks on the ground so hard that the sea sand swirled up and countless fine grains of sand spread into the hole along the gap.

The shark-like creature was so huge that the five-meter diameter of the hole could only accommodate its pointed nose.

The bald merman’s calm voice rang out in the cramped tunnel, “It’s the shark-tooth monster.”

“Isn’t this monster in the Western Sea area? It’s an existence second only to the ‘Ancient Gods’. What’s it doing in the Middle Sea area instead of going to the South Sea area?!”

A merman cried out in horror.

“Maybe it’s because it’s too hot in the South Sea area. It’s only been a day and it’s already this chaotic outside?”

“Is this shark-tooth monster crazy? This hole is so small, why is it still crashing into it? According to its habits, it shouldn’t do something so stupid.”

Bald merman, “We have to find a way out of here. We can wait, but those kids are waiting for us to bring food back.”

“On my command, set up the crossbows! It’s just in time for us to use it as a target!”

“Don’t shoot on your own, all come to me first and hold hands. Make sure your companions are beside you and not in front of you before you attack!”

The bald merman was the commander among them, and at his words, the mermen followed the command. One by one, they touched their companions around them.

With the bald merman at the center, more and more mermen gradually came up from left to right.

Bai Lixin also came up.

Green Hair was in front of Bai Lixin’s left, and when he felt a figure coming up, he subconsciously reached out to touch it.

In the darkness, a tentacle flew out from the butterfly seal on Bai Lixin’s hand.

Green Hair touched the tentacle and immediately grabbed a handful of goo.

It was slimy and a little disgusting.

His brow furrowed, and he shouted unhappily in the darkness, “Who’s on my right?”

In the darkness, a hand reached out for Bai Lixin’s arm. The black fog slid down Bai Lixin’s arm all the way to the wrist and gently grabbed his hand.

The back of the hand was gripped by a subtle force that seemed to comfort and tease.

Bai Lixin caught Dijia’s small movements, and he lowered his voice in the sea water and said, “It’s me, Bai Lixin.”

Green Hair, who was about to push his “arm” away in disgust, stiffened and was suddenly at a loss for words.

What had he touched? Was this Bai Lixin’s arm? Why was his arm so sticky?

In the darkness, Green Hair’s fingers couldn’t help but move down again.

He had actually touched Bai Lixin’s arm. If he went down a little bit more, wouldn’t he be able to grab Bai Lixin’s hand?

At the thought of this, a deer jumped in his heart, and his slightly trembling hand slowly slid downwards.

He tried cautiously, but did not receive Bai Lixin’s refusal.

The movement of his hand became even bolder.

But why was Bai Lixin’s arm so strange? Even if it was slippery and greasy, why did it still feel like there were lots of little prickly things on it?

Could it be that Bai Lixin looked so different from them that even his skin structure was different?

Just when Green Hair was testing further, the back of his hand was suddenly jerked heavily.

“Hiss!”

Green Hair let out a cry of pain and quickly withdrew his hand.

The back of his hand hurt hotly.

The bald merman, “What’s going on?”

Green Hair covered the back of his hand that was in severe pain and wanted to cry, “Nothing, I accidentally bumped into a stone just now.”

A cold voice came into Green Hair’s ears, “Touch it again and I’ll kill you.”

Green Hair’s body stiffened and his shoulders shook uncontrollably a few times.

Bai Lixin, who usually seemed gentle and soft, was now so fierce.

There was a violent impact, and a large gap had been etched into the narrow hole.

The bald merman looked to his left and right, “On the count of three, everyone together.”

“Three!”

“2!”

“1!”

Several sounds rang out as eleven arrows shot out in unison.