Return to the Sea

Su Xiaoxiao and the others had just set sail.

Su Xiaoxiao felt a pang of embarrassment as she apologized to Gu Yan, ‘I’m sorry, I overslept and forgot the time.’

Gu Yan quickly waved her hand, reassuring her, ‘No need to apologize for such a small thing. It’s good that you were able to sleep.’

‘Well, I did sleep exceptionally well last night; it was cozy in the bed,’ Su Xiaoxiao added with a smile.

She turned to Gu Yan and asked, ‘I saw you leave yesterday evening. Where did you go?’

A simple question, yet it made Gu Yan’s heart race. She tried to maintain her composure, ‘Oh, it’s just that I hadn’t been to the South Sea before, so I went out for a stroll.’

Gu Yan wondered if Su Xiaoxiao believed her, but she thought that if Xiyue had left so calmly that morning, it probably meant she hadn’t been discovered.

‘Just a three-hundred-year-old little mermaid,’ Gu Yan thought. ‘I should be able to trick her easily.’

However, Su Xiaoxiao simply stared at the sea without reacting. Gu Yan thought she had gotten away with it.

But then, Su Xiaoxiao spoke, ‘But it was raining at the time, and you looked like you were in a hurry. I thought you were meeting someone.’

‘What rumor is this,’ Gu Yan thought, ‘that says mermaids are naturally kind and easily deceived? Usually, Su Xiaoxiao seems innocent, but today she’s surprisingly perceptive!’

Gu Yan had gone to see Xiyue, who had arranged for shadow guards and demon soldiers to protect Su Xiaoxiao.

Gu Yan had gone out in the rain to tell them that once they set sail the next day, they wouldn’t need to follow anymore.

But Su Xiaoxiao had caught her leaving.

Gu Yan believed that as long as she wasn’t caught in the act, she could lie and say she hadn’t done anything.

Gu Yan smiled nonchalantly, ‘Yes, who knew you were so perceptive, able to sense the weather changing. It did start raining, and if I had known, I definitely would have listened to you and stayed in.’

Su Xiaoxiao replied without much expression, ‘I’m a member of the South Sea Merfolk tribe. We have a natural ability to sense changes in humidity.’

Gu Yan didn’t ask further, and Su Xiaoxiao didn’t continue the conversation.

The night before had been a storm, but the next day was clear and sunny.

Since they were using Xiyue’s treasures, Gu Yan had chosen a large ship that could easily accommodate twenty to thirty people, but in reality, there were only two people on board.

One was leisurely soaking up the sun, while the other used spiritual energy to drive the ship.

It was smooth sailing for two days, and Gu Yan could feel Su Xiaoxiao’s mood improving.

When they reached a seemingly empty stretch of sea, Su Xiaoxiao called out, ‘We can stop here.’

Gu Yan stopped the ship and asked, ‘Here? There’s nothing here.’

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t respond. Instead, she stood at the bow, facing the empty air, crossed her arms, and touched her forehead with her fists. Then she moved her hands down, keeping her fingers intertwined, and pressed her palms to her chest. She murmured ancient mermaid incantations passed down for millennia.

After finishing, she raised her left palm and circled her right palm twice around it, then gently pushed out with her right palm.

A crack seemed to appear in midair, and the previously calm sea suddenly churned. The water parted, revealing a barrier.

Gu Yan was astonished by Su Xiaoxiao’s actions and the sudden appearance of the barrier.

Su Xiaoxiao turned to Gu Yan and asked, ‘Can you lend me some spiritual energy?’

‘Oh! Sure!’

Gu Yan nodded, transferring a bit of spiritual energy to Su Xiaoxiao without even touching her.

Using that energy, Su Xiaoxiao transformed her legs into a beautiful blue and white tail. She leaped from the ship into the water and called out to Gu Yan, ‘The ship can’t enter. You’ll have to jump in and swim with me.’

Gu Yan followed her lead and jumped into the water, where they saw an open gate.

Beyond it was a different world, with more fish swimming beneath the surface. Breaking through the water, they found themselves on a giant island.

The island seemed serene and mysterious to Gu Yan, with vibrant coral reefs, lush green plants, and soft, white sand. Every corner exuded natural beauty.

This was the home of the South Sea Merfolk.

In the distance, Gu Yan could even hear the laughter of merfolk children.

Gu Yan was completely awestruck. The water seemed clearer and brighter than before, and the fish didn’t shy away. Some unfamiliar fish even swam up to Su Xiaoxiao, playing around her like happy puppies or kittens.

Soon, someone rushed over from a distance, calling out, ‘Small Small!!’

Breathless and lacking the dignity of an elder, the merfolk named Yunli hurried over, with others trailing behind, trying to keep up. Yunli had already started calling out Su Xiaoxiao’s name from afar.

‘Long…’ Su Xiaoxiao was taken aback, perhaps still in disbelief that she had actually returned home.

Yunli embraced Su Xiaoxiao, who stood there, dazed. ‘Good girl, it’s good that you’re back. We’ve all been worried about you.’

Yunli felt Su Xiaoxiao’s swollen belly during the embrace and realized she looked pale and weak, as if she had endured much hardship and hadn’t been taken care of properly.

Yunli wanted to take Su Xiaoxiao back immediately to examine her, but she noticed Gu Yan standing nearby.

The merfolk territory was protected by a barrier, and only a merfolk could lead someone in.

Since Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t been forced, it was clear she had come back of her own accord.

Yunli looked at Gu Yan with a hint of distance and coldness, ‘Thank you, miss, for returning our Small Small. We will send a generous gift later.’

Yunli recognized Gu Yan’s background and, though polite, made it clear that the merfolk didn’t usually interact with outsiders. She said, ‘We should host a banquet to express our gratitude, but our merfolk children might not be comfortable with that, so…’

Gu Yan couldn’t bear to listen anymore. Frustrated, she turned to Su Xiaoxiao, ‘Small Small, your elder is trying to send me away. Don’t you remember what we agreed on?’

Yunli had been troubled and anxious, knowing that Su Xiaoxiao, only three hundred years old, had been taken to the demon realm by the demon lord Xiyue.

Yunli had been so worried that she cried in front of the chief, ‘My little Small is so young. She’s only three hundred years old. She must have been deceived by that demon lord!’