A Royal Rescue and a Risky Bargain

As the girl departed, she let out a soft hum.

She didn’t look back, never once shifting her gaze towards the shadows, yet this did not mean she was unaware of the Ghost King’s subordinates lurking there.

As she rounded the corner, she overheard someone approaching to inform the vendor:

“Boss, the Ghost King’s people are here. They want you to go over for a moment…”

The vendor weighed the jade token, a vibrant azure, in his hand. He chuckled, saying,

“What a string of good fortune! I was just wondering how I’d manage to pay my respects to the Ghost King, and now the opportunity has presented itself.”

The girl, holding the little Mermaid, entered a room and immediately instructed the others not to disturb them.

The man who had led her in, his mind filled with salacious images of two women entangled in passionate embrace, let out a lewd chuckle and said, “May our esteemed guest enjoy herself.”

As he turned to leave, the girl took an item from her pocket and tossed it to him.

“Stay far away later. I don’t appreciate eavesdroppers.”

“Thank you, esteemed guest! I’ll be sure to keep my distance and absolutely won’t disturb your night of pleasure.”

She merely gave a noncommittal hum in response.

Once the door closed, she shut her eyes and gently raised her hand, causing a golden light to gradually brighten and expand.

The little Mermaid was utterly stunned by this sight, even forgetting to be afraid.

The girl scanned her surroundings, and once certain they were alone, the golden light extinguished.

She stepped forward, pulling a small, palm-sized box adorned with a dragon motif from her robe. With a single-handed incantation, two sets of clothes immediately materialized before her.

The little Mermaid still couldn’t comprehend her intentions. The girl, however, had already spoken:

“If you want to live, quickly change into these clothes and come with me. If not, stay here and endure another beating.”

The little Mermaid was terrified of being beaten again.

She never wanted to suffer the lightning whip even once more; the mere thought sent uncontrollable shivers through her.

She nodded, but then felt too shy to change clothes in front of the girl. The girl, in turn, couldn’t understand why she was so bashful, given they were both women.

The girl, still too young for romantic inclinations, urged impatiently:

“Hurry up, what are you dawdling for? Do you really think I *want* to save a burden like you?! If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a Mermaid, I wouldn’t bother.”

The little Mermaid dared not hesitate any longer. She quickly turned her back and changed her clothes.

Even after changing, her tail remained a tail, refusing to transform into legs.

The more she panicked, the less it would change back. “My… my legs…”

This was the first time the girl had heard her speak. With a slight ‘tsk’ of annoyance, she waved her hand, and with a flash of golden light, the fish tail transformed back into legs.

“Th-thank you, m-master…”

The vendor had brainwashed her daily, telling her that whoever bought her was to be called master, and she must be obedient.

She stumbled over the words, but the girl hastily interrupted.

“Don’t call me that! I told you, I only saved you because you’re a Mermaid. What’s with this ‘master’ nonsense?!”

The girl thought to herself, ‘If my mother ever found out I bought a Mermaid, and that Mermaid called me master, the consequences…’

The little Mermaid dared not speak further, quickly clamping her mouth shut.

At that moment, the girl twitched an ear, catching a faint sound.

She picked up the dragon-emblazoned treasure box again, pulling out some unknown item. Then, grabbing the little Mermaid, she tossed them both upwards, and golden light flashed.

In an instant, a group of Ghost Soldiers pushed open the door.

They found the room empty; there was no trace of the Fox-Masked Girl or the Mermaid.

****

A short while later, the Ghost King sat on the main throne, gazing at the vendor who knelt on the ground, his arms broken, the same man who had been so boisterous on the arena stage just moments ago.

“Mercy, Ghost King…”

“I hear you bribed the steward of the Exotic Pavilion, which is how you managed to sell your wares here,” the Ghost King stated sternly.

The Ghost Tribe member kneeling on the ground could only plead for mercy, repeatedly stammering, “I truly didn’t know the rules, Ghost King, mercy, Ghost King, mercy…”

How could he not know?

For thousands of years, the Ghost Realm had never had any conflict with the Mermaid tribe. As the largest market, claiming to encompass all Nine Provinces, how could items related to Mermaids have never appeared?

The reasons behind this were surely not unknown to him.

It was simply that before the Ghost King ascended to her throne, she had developed feelings for a Mermaid from the Southern Sea.

Alas, it was a fleeting affection, leaving her indebted to the Mermaid tribe. For the thousands of years that followed, she secretly protected the Mermaids, a recompense for the romantic debt she had once incurred.

Few in the Ghost Realm truly knew what transpired between the Ghost King and that Mermaid thousands of years ago.

However, the prohibition against Mermaid-related items appearing in the Ghost Market was a written rule, one that had been upheld for millennia.

But Mermaids were rare, a creature encountered perhaps once in millennia, and by sheer chance, he had captured one.

A Mermaid of inestimable value, he was blinded by greed. He also thought that with so much time having passed, he could gamble on his luck, figuring perhaps nothing would happen.

He had even made plans to flee the Ghost Realm the moment the Mermaid was sold.

Yet, how could he have known that even after thousands of years, the Ghost King’s stance remained unyielding?

“Ghost King—” His trusted subordinate, who had led the troops to search for the Fox-Masked Girl and the Mermaid, had returned. He reported nervously, “Ghost King, they’re gone…”

In the main hall, the vendor, whose hands had been severed, bled profusely onto the floor, a truly gruesome sight.

Xiyue had not allowed Su Xiaoxiao to accompany them, fearing she would be sickened and distressed by the scene.

The Ghost King naturally shared this consideration, so she ordered a screen to be brought in.

Su Xiaoxiao could not see the gruesome scene, yet she could hear their conversation with perfect clarity.

After the subordinate delivered his report, Su Xiaoxiao truly could not sit still.

She stood up, unsure of what to do, but instinctively took Xiyue’s hand. “The little Mermaid is gone! What are we going to do?”

Xiyue did not appreciate her being so concerned about other people and matters.

Xiyue thought, ‘If she’s gone, she’s gone. She’s just a Mermaid; what concern is it of mine?’

However, she didn’t voice her thoughts, instead changing the subject.

“Have you forgotten what Gu Yan told you when we came to the Ghost Realm? She said not to get too emotional, and to think of the little… fish-spawn in your belly.”

Su Xiaoxiao knew this, of course, but she couldn’t control herself.

“But I can’t calm down, Xiyue. Please, think of something!”

It was rare for Su Xiaoxiao to show such vulnerability. Xiyue was about to speak.

Suddenly, a Demon Soldier rushed in from outside, announcing, “Reporting to the Ghost King, the Fox-Masked Girl and the little Mermaid have been found!”

“Where were they found?”

“Th-they came here themselves. The Fox-Masked Girl said she knew the Ghost King desired the Mermaid and was willing to present her as an offering, but only in exchange for an item from the Ghost King…”

Though the Ghost King felt bewildered, she still instructed the Ghost Soldiers to bring them in.

Just moments ago, the little Mermaid had been wearing barely enough clothing to cover herself in the vendor’s establishment.

Now, she was adorned in a fitted, elegant brocade dress, plain yet embroidered with auspicious golden patterns, clearly worth a fortune. It bore a striking resemblance to the attire of the Fox-Masked Girl, suggesting it must have been a gift from her.

Typically, those who met the Ghost King were either fawning, timid, or offered obsequious bows and flattery.

Yet this girl strode in with confident steps, utterly unfazed, radiating an air of elegant composure and nobility in every movement.

The little Mermaid, by contrast, resembled a timid maidservant, dutifully trailing behind her.

“From which immortal household does this young lady hail? What brings you here today?”

The Ghost King, though outwardly calm, instantly recognized her extraordinary origins. Despite her mask and concealed aura, only someone of immortal lineage among the Nine Provinces could possess such extravagant means.

“A minor matter, merely a request from the Ghost King,” the girl replied, neither haughty nor humble.

“I once heard that the Ghost King is on good terms with the Mermaid tribe. Just now, I happened upon some insolent fool trying to embarrass you on your own territory, so I rescued this Mermaid to return her to you.”

The little Mermaid, who had been timidly standing behind her, turned even paler upon hearing she was to be given to the Ghost King.

She spoke weakly, “I don’t want to…”

The little Mermaid’s voice was so soft that no one but she and the girl could hear it. Yet, the Fox-Masked Girl did not turn.

Instead, she thought, ‘Is this little Mermaid stupid from being locked up and beaten?’

Even as a child, she had heard her mother speak of the relationships and interactions between the various tribes of the Nine Provinces. She knew well that the Mermaids and the Ghost Tribe shared an unspoken, delicate relationship.

The Ghost Tribe never considered the Mermaids enemies; in fact, they secretly protected them.

How could this little Mermaid be so foolish? If she presented her to the Ghost King, the Mermaid would receive her protection, and no insolent creature would dare to covet her again.

Moreover, within three days, she would be able to return to the Mermaid tribe’s sea territory.

Yet she still refused. Truly, she was unbelievably foolish.