A Fateful Reunion in Three Treasures Bay

Three Treasures Bay truly lived up to its reputation as the largest marketplace in the human territories. Merchants and fishermen bustled through its thoroughfares.

Stepping into the main street, one immediately noticed a stark contrast to the docks outside. Shops lined both sides, their vibrant, colorful signs gleaming brilliantly under the sun.

The street itself was a vibrant tapestry of life. Pedestrians moved shoulder to shoulder, a constant stream of carriages and carts filling the thoroughfare.

It was a sea of people, alive with the cacophony of hawkers’ cries, the chatter of voices, and the calls of various livestock. Innumerable small stalls, laden with dazzling arrays of goods, spilled out from the shopfronts, creating an extraordinarily lively scene.

At a street corner, a group of children chased and played, their joyous laughter echoing to the heavens.

Fortunately, Su Xiaoxiao had used a disguise, changing her hair color. Yet, even with her altered appearance, she still drew considerable attention and caused a minor stir.

Ruoli, cradled in Su Xiaoxiao’s arms, was as beautiful as a porcelain doll. Along the way, many women with children couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a beautiful child!”

The Mermaid clan was known for having no unsightly members. Ruoli’s sweet and adorable demeanor would earn her praise even among her own people, let alone outside the Mermaid clan.

Feeling helpless, Su Xiaoxiao sought to buy a hat for Ruoli from a street vendor. However, when she offered a pearl as payment, the vendor refused to accept it.

He claimed such a fine pearl for a mere hat must surely be a trick, believing Su Xiaoxiao was trying to deceive him.

He advised Su Xiaoxiao to pawn the pearl at a pawnbroker’s. Su Xiaoxiao, feeling parched, and seeing Ruoli’s face flushed with heat, decided to follow the vendor’s suggestion and headed to the pawnbroker’s.

To her surprise, the seemingly ordinary pearl caused the shopkeeper to examine it repeatedly. Finally, seeing Su Xiaoxiao with her child, he haggled a bit before offering a high price of a thousand taels.

Su Xiaoxiao, somewhat bewildered, accepted the money and finally bought a hat for Ruoli. Noticing the child was thirsty, she stopped at a roadside tea stall, ordered some pastries and water, and took a short rest.

While there, she inquired about the address Gu Yan had given her, wondering where exactly it was located.

Although Three Treasures Bay was vast, Gu Yan’s location was not difficult to find. Su Xiaoxiao received directions immediately upon asking.

As she departed, Su Xiaoxiao overheard the person telling a bystander: “She was asking for the Divine Physician’s clinic, carrying a child, her cheeks so red.

“‘She didn’t utter a single sound, so she must be mute, bringing her child for treatment.'”

Ruoli was still too young. Though she walked on her own legs, she couldn’t go for long before complaining of pain.

The weather was scorching, the sun beating down intensely, making it very unpleasant for them.

Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t noticed at first, but when she spoke to Ruoli later, she realized the child’s face was wet with tears.

“What’s wrong?” Su Xiaoxiao asked, kneeling down in a panic.

“My feet hurt,” Ruoli whimpered, her voice filled with grievance.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know how much further they had to go. Just as she was about to pick Ruoli up, a person emerged from a crowded shop across the street. “Xiaoxiao?”

Su Xiaoxiao turned her head slightly at the sound, a smile gracing her lips as she recognized the familiar figure. “Gu Yan, I’ve finally found you.”

Gu Yan looked at Su Xiaoxiao, then at the child, observing that both the larger and smaller mermaids seemed utterly exhausted. She quickly urged, “Just now I thought I saw you and believed my eyes were playing tricks, but it truly is you! Come in, quickly.”

Gu Yan gestured for the queue of onlookers to step aside. With a touch of excitement, she called into the clinic, “Look who’s here! Why aren’t you coming out to help?!”

Su Xiaoxiao felt a flicker of surprise. As she carried Ruoli inside, however, she saw no one else apart from the patients seated for diagnosis.

Gu Yan questioned the person who had just been diagnosing: “Where is the one who was standing there earlier?”

The patient replied, “They ran off.”

Gu Yan exclaimed, “What?! She actually ran away?!”

Gu Yan wore an expression of exasperated disappointment, leaving Su Xiaoxiao perplexed. ‘She… ran off?’

Gu Yan truly didn’t know how to answer. As she hesitated, a young woman with fair skin and a beautiful, striking appearance emerged from within.

“I only went to fetch something just now,” Gu Yan said. “Is this an old acquaintance of yours?” The young woman showed little emotion, merely glancing at Su Xiaoxiao with a cool tone.

“…Yes,” Gu Yan replied.

“Isn’t this the old acquaintance you’ve been longing for… day and night?!” Gu Yan pressed.

Even though Su Xiaoxiao had changed her appearance and hair color, Gu Yan could easily sense her mermaid aura. How much more so could Xiyue?

Gu Yan paid it no mind, yet she said nothing.

Ruoli: “Mommy, I’m so thirsty, and so hot…”

Ruoli, who had been hiding behind Su Xiaoxiao out of shyness, finally spoke up. Only then did Xiyue notice her.

****

Three years had passed since the great calamity.

When she had reunited with Gu Yan, the latter had told her, “Xiaoxiao bore you a daughter.”

At the time, Xiyue had struggled even to maintain her human form, so there was little surprise. After a long silence, she had weakly asked, “Does she resemble me?”

Xiyue had only hoped she wouldn’t resemble her. She wished the child would be like Su Xiaoxiao, a mermaid with a beautiful tail, obedient and well-behaved.

Only then would Su Xiaoxiao love her, and not, in moments of distress, harbor even more resentment towards Xiyue herself.

What she truly wanted to ask, neither Gu Yan nor others had told her. The child was a mermaid, yet she was born without the traits of a demon, nor did she have a tail.

It was said that children of the Mermaid clan were often like this: some were born with tails, while others, whose parents possessed powerful cultivation, were born with legs.

“I’ve seen her,” Gu Yan had said. “She’s very well-behaved, seemingly without a trace of demon blood.

“She doesn’t cry much, is quiet, and remarkably beautiful and adorable.”

Xiyue seemed to let out a breath of relief. Then she heard Gu Yan continue: “After I left, the Mermaid clan’s Patriarch and Elders jointly named the child.

“‘Apparently, it’s a tradition in the Mermaid clan for this generation of children to bear the character ‘Ruo’ in their names. Your daughter’s name is Ruoli.'”

Gu Yan rattled off a great deal about the child, yet she overlooked Xiyue’s own lack of significant expectations regarding her daughter.

From initial resistance and threats, Xiyue had gradually moved towards compromise. Deep down, she genuinely disliked children; even in her current solitude, she remained indifferent.

Gu Yan continued to speak of how adorable the child was. However, Xiyue, growing weary, interrupted her to ask, “How is Xiaoxiao? Is her health well?”

“Not very well, I’m afraid. She endured a great deal of hardship,” Gu Yan replied to her. “Even I, a Ghost Physician, didn’t realize the perilous situation during her childbirth.”

Recalling it now, Gu Yan still felt a cold sweat. It was fortunate she had been within the Mermaid clan at the time. Had it not been for…

She thought of Yunqing. At that critical moment, Yunqing had used her own blood to protect Su Xiaoxiao.

Coupled with the abundant spiritual energy of the Mermaid clan’s sacred land, both mother and daughter had been able to emerge safely.

Had it happened within the Demon clan, Gu Yan could barely imagine the outcome.

“I hadn’t foreseen it.”

Shayue spoke softly.

“What do you mean?” Gu Yan asked, bewildered, wondering if it was a gamble…

Shayue’s eyes, however, were clouded with a dark hue, as she slowly began to speak. “I had not considered that far.

“It was simply that Xiaoxiao had been under immense pressure, even contemplating suicide. Unwilling to see her suffer so, I allowed her to leave.”

Gu Yan fell silent.

After a long moment, she finally addressed Shayue: “Why had I never noticed before that you were such a devoted woman?”

Gu Yan stated with certainty: “A single thought could have changed everything. If you had insisted on keeping her in the Demon clan back then, now, perhaps…”

She left the sentence unfinished, but Shayue understood.

Though the Heavenly Tribulation hadn’t reduced Shayue to ashes, she hadn’t fared well either. Only a few wisps of her remnant soul remained, discovered first by Beimuxue, who had come searching, and later by Gu Yan.

They had all concealed the news of Shayue’s survival, providing her with immense assistance.

Shayue had successfully transformed into a dragon, but only a few remnant souls remained. If discovered by the Immortal clan or other malevolent races, the consequences would be unimaginable.

They fiercely guarded this secret, allowing Shayue’s three souls and seven spirits to return to their rightful places. This enabled her to reshape her physical body and adapt anew to her current form and cultivation.

She was now a dragon.

She was the only one, besides Weili and Young Mistress Cailin, who had, through her own cultivation and strength, ascended from a low-ranking demon snake to a dragon after overcoming tribulation!

Should this news ever break, the entire Nine Provinces would likely plunge into unprecedented chaos.

Shayue’s cultivation had always been unfathomable. Now, having ascended to an even higher level, her true power remained unknown to all.

Even someone as seemingly indolent as Beimuxue had once asked Shayue: “What are your plans for the future? Do you intend to reclaim the Demon clan and turn the Upper Heavens upside down?”

Shayue harbored no such intentions. She could no longer truly be called a demon; having spent nearly three years, she chose instead to remain hidden and nameless.

She had even sought out Gu Yan, becoming an unassuming errand girl in her clinic.

Beimuxue couldn’t fathom her true thoughts, and Gu Yan was equally perplexed.

As a dragon now, the Mermaid clan’s meager barrier could not possibly stop her. Yet, Shayue did not go to disturb Su Xiaoxiao.

When Gu Yan questioned her about it, she received only one reply: “The time is not yet right, and… she will not forgive me.”

Such words were utterly unlike anything Shayue would typically utter. Gu Yan could only marvel at the immense power of the Heavenly Tribulation, capable of even altering the disposition of a Demon Venerable.

Shayue had only been at this clinic for a month. Unexpectedly, instead of her seeking out Su Xiaoxiao, fate had intervened, and Su Xiaoxiao had appeared before her first.