The Thirst of a Mermaid

It wasn’t until the very last cup of water remained in her hand that Yu Lian finally conceded, setting the glass down with a heavy heart. Her eyes, now bloodshot, fixed on her reflection as she clutched her face, murmuring questions to herself.

“Why…?”

“Why am I suddenly so thirsty?”

“Water isn’t working, so what exactly do I need to drink to quench this thirst?”

Yu Lian was utterly bewildered by what was happening to her. Since yesterday, she hadn’t consumed anything unusual—only plain vegetables that were perfectly seasoned, not salty enough to induce such an intense thirst.

Even if they had been overly salty, the symptoms wouldn’t be manifesting only now.

Could Bai Lingyi have put something in her food?

Yu Lian immediately felt ashamed of the thought. Bai Lingyi had always treated her with such kindness, and to suspect her of poisoning was truly inexcusable.

A searing fire seemed to rage in her throat, burning her vocal cords and making her voice hoarse with every word.

“What should I do?”

“If this continues, I’m truly going to die.”

She had gone through so much to be reborn into this life, only to die of thirst instead of a lightning strike. What a pathetic end that would be—certainly not the fate Yu Lian desired.

Her taut nerves and swirling thoughts were suddenly pierced by a flicker of clarity. Yu Lian’s breathing hitched, and she clapped her hands together.

‘That’s right! I’m a mermaid. My current identity is a mermaid! Isn’t it normal to feel thirsty after leaving the ocean?’

‘But why isn’t drinking water working?’

‘Because it’s freshwater. Is seawater fresh? Clearly not.’

Yu Lian mentally retraced the past few days. It had been five days since she left the ocean and stepped onto land: three days swimming, one day walking, and one day staying in the Bai residence. Five days in total.

This meant she hadn’t been in a saline environment for five days.

‘If I were a sea fish, living in freshwater, could I survive this long?’

Yu Lian gasped. ‘Fortunately, I’m not a sea fish, or I’d be long dead by now. How could I be alive and well like this?’

But…

Even with this knowledge, how could she return to the ocean?

Would the Second Miss, Bai Muya, ever release her?

Certainly not.

What if she confessed?

That would only hasten her demise. The mermaid, rumored to grant eternal life with a single bite, was a creature everyone would covet, their eyes red with greed.

Yu Lian feared that the moment she spoke the truth, the Second Miss would be the first to kill her. Even Bai Lingyi, whom she adored, would abandon her gentleness, joining forces with the Second Miss to carve her flesh and drink her blood.

The more Yu Lian pondered, the deeper her despair grew.

Was there any hope left now?

Both paths led to certain death.

Yu Lian began to feel her lungs burn, suffocating her. Her face took on a faint purplish hue. She sank back onto the bed, yearning to weep.

This mermaid existence offered absolutely no advantages.

She might as well slowly wait for death.

Yet, as she resigned herself to her fate, a brilliant idea suddenly struck Yu Lian.

‘Dried seawater is salt. So, if I make “fake” seawater with salt and drink it, could that alleviate this thirst?’

Driven by the thought, she immediately stood up and walked to the door, swallowing hard to compose herself before speaking as if nothing were amiss.

“Is anyone outside the door?”

Yu Lian’s act was surprisingly convincing; she even managed to suppress the hoarseness in her voice, making it sound entirely normal.

A maid’s reply quickly came from outside the door.

“May I have some salt?”

“Salt?”

The maid outside the door paused, wondering why she would need that.

“Yes, I need a whole cup of salt.”

Unsure how much salt would accurately mimic the ocean’s salinity, Yu Lian could only ask for more. She figured adding it in a one-to-one ratio would be best; after all, it wouldn’t kill her no matter how salty it was.

“I’ll need to ask the butler first before I can respond to you,” the maid replied. She dared not give Yu Lian such a thing without permission. If Yu Lian intended to use the salt for something nefarious, the immense responsibility would be too heavy to bear.

“Alright, please go and return quickly. I need it fast.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment; I’ll be back soon.”

The sound of retreating footsteps faded.

Yu Lian sat down on a chair, closing her eyes to regulate her breathing. All she could do now was wait, hoping Bai Lingyi wouldn’t withhold her salt.

Not long after, a knock sounded at the door.

Yu Lian quickly walked over and opened it.

“Miss Yu, here is the salt you requested.”

The maid respectfully presented a cup of salt.

‘Bai Lingyi didn’t block it!’

Yu Lian felt tears welling up at the sight of the cup of salt. ‘As expected, Bai Lingyi truly cares for me.’ She carefully took the cup from the maid’s hands, expressed her gratitude, and then closed the door.

The maid stood frozen, astonished to have been thanked. ‘How unbelievable. This Miss Yu is so polite.’

Yu Lian was oblivious to the maid’s thoughts outside the door. She held the life-saving cup of salt, adding it spoonful by spoonful to the last cup of water. Her movements were steady, fearing to waste even a grain of salt or a drop of water.

Once all the salt was added, she stirred it to accelerate dissolution. However, there was simply too much salt; the water couldn’t dissolve the excess, leaving a significant amount at the bottom of the cup.

Yu Lian paid no mind to this, raising the cup and guzzling the contents without any regard for decorum.

‘If I’m about to lose my life, worrying about my image would be foolish.’

It worked!

Saltwater was effective!

The conclusion about simulating seawater was viable!

Yu Lian’s eyes brightened. She could feel the burning sensation in her lungs and throat slowly receding. Compared to drinking so much freshwater with no effect, this was undoubtedly a great success.

Dong.

Setting down the now-empty cup, Yu Lian used her agile tongue to lick the residual salt from her lips. She had even consumed the undissolved salt at the bottom of the cup, leaving nothing behind.

“That feels good.”

“It’s good to be alive.”

Yu Lian never wanted to experience that torment, worse than death, again. She mused that compared to seafood that caused nausea and vomiting, seafood was still preferable.

At least it wouldn’t kill her, right?

Yu Lian lay back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling, silently thanking Bai Lingyi. If it had been the Second Miss, she probably wouldn’t have obediently allowed the maid to deliver the life-saving salt.

As she pondered this, in another brightly lit small room, the Second Miss, Bai Muya, rose from a bath filled with purple medicinal liquid. She lowered her head, taking a soft breath, and pressed her right shoulder, lost in thought.

Bai Lingyi stood respectfully by her side, a fleeting hint of heartache in her eyes. She fetched a dry white towel and gently wiped Bai Muya’s unclothed body, which was still dripping with the medicinal solution.

“How many days have passed since I left?”

“Second Miss, it has been a day and a half.”

“A day and a half? That’s good.”

Bai Muya had expected five or six days to have passed, so the result was better than anticipated. She had initially thought she’d be confined for ten days.

“Second Miss, you…”

“Let’s not talk about that. Is she behaving herself in the Bai residence?” Bai Muya was naturally asking about Yu Lian.

Bai Lingyi tightened her grip on the towel, a hint of reluctance in her expression. She had been interrupted again, unable to ask her question, just like before.

“Watch your hands.”

Bai Muya glanced down, seeing a significant portion of her fair skin clutched in Bai Lingyi’s hand, slightly indented, causing her considerable discomfort and pain.

“My apologies.”

Bai Lingyi released her grip and whispered.

“I asked you a question. Is Yu Lian behaving herself?”

“She has always been very well-behaved, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Miss Yixiya privately…”