At the foot of Lutai Mountain lay a vast lake, where it was said that Gu Diao once hid to drag people under; hence, no one dared linger around it even now.
Xuanji and another carried the merman to the lake shore and gently placed him on the rocks. Zhong Minyan had sprinted all the way and had forgotten to regulate his breathing, now so exhausted that he couldn't speak, only squatting on the ground to catch his breath while sporadically saying, "Xuanji...you, you first...take care of him..."
Xuanji squatted next to the merman, seeing his body covered in wounds, with not a single area left intact, and couldn't help but sigh, "Does it hurt? I have medicine here that I can give you."
The merman just quietly watched her, seemingly unable to understand her words, without even blinking.
Xuanji tugged on Zhong Minyan's sleeve, "What should we do, he seems not to understand me?"
"You... why do you care if he understands or not! If it needs medicine, apply the medicine; if it needs releasing, release it!" Zhong Minyan finally collapsed on the ground, wanting to say no more.
Xuanji took out the antiseptic medicine exclusive to Shaoyang Sect from the pouch at her waist, staring at his wounds for a long while, covered in blood and liquid, filthy, with some parts even having the flesh flipped open and whitened by soaking.
She quickly tore her handkerchief in two, moistened it with lake water, and cleaned his wounds before applying the medicine. Fortunately, due to recent demon hunting, there were many injured people, so there was some leftover gauze and bandages in her pouch, enough to securely wrap him up.
After applying the medicine, Xuanji heaved a sigh of relief and simply imitated Zhong Minyan, sitting on the grass, chin resting on her knees, blankly staring at the merman.
Although this was her third time closely observing a merman, the previous two times had him in the water. Now without water, he appeared even more pale and disheveled. His long hair, like seaweed, was tangled and hung over his chest and back, unlike normal human hair color, as his was black like ebony wood, richly purple in sunlight.
His eyes were the pale blue of lake water, his eye sockets longer than those of humans, making his gaze seem deeper. Below his straight nose were thin lips, pale due to much suffering, his appearance quite haggard.
Nevertheless, no matter how one looked at him, he was a person of distinctive allure. Perhaps not as refined as Yu Sifeng, nor as handsome as Zhong Minyan, but anyone who saw him once could never forget him. They would not forget those faintly sorrowful pale blue eyes, nor the unique gentle calmness about him.
Xuanji, gazing at him, grew foolishly entranced, vaguely sensing a smile in his clear eyes. She suddenly jolted back to reality and tugged at Zhong Minyan's clothes, exclaiming, "Look, look! He's smiling! Could it be that he feels free and happy now?"
Zhong Minyan propped up his head to look at him, "Where is he smiling? You must be seeing things!"
He stretched his limbs, leaped up from the grass, looked around, and said, "Where is that Si Feng lad? Why hasn't he come yet? Could he have run into trouble? Xuanji, why don't you go ahead and check?"
Xuanji wasn't even listening to him, as she was already tenderly holding up a steamed bun to the merman's face.
"Are you hungry?" she asked cautiously, "Would you like to eat this?"
The merman still didn't speak, just gazing faintly at her. Xuanji put the bun to her lips, took a bite to show it was edible, then offered him the unbitten portion, her expectant eyes practically sparkling.
He still didn't move, sitting there as if he were made of wood.
"He doesn't like our food, does he!" drawn over by her actions, Zhong Minyan speculated, "He's a merman and should eat what merfolk eat."
Xuanji curiously asked, "What do merfolk eat then?"
"Uh..." Zhong Minyan pondered seriously, "Merfolk live in water, similar to fish... they probably eat little bugs or shrimp! You might as well dig up some earthworms to feed him!"
Earthworms?! Xuanji couldn't help but facepalm, and it seemed the merman across sweated a bit too, yet he still remained silent.
"Merfolk, and humans, eat the same, things," Yu Sifeng's voice sounded from behind.
Zhong Minyan quickly jumped up, "How did it go? Any discovery?"
Yu Sifeng shook his head as he walked over, first checking the merman, seeing his body wrapped in bandages, he gently asked Xuanji, "Did you, do this?"
Xuanji nodded, "It's just that I don't know if human antiseptic medicine will work on him."
He smiled, "It'll work. Don't worry."
Seeing her holding the steamed bun, he smiled again, "However, merfolk, don't prefer, these snacks, so, don't bother, anymore."
Xuanji "Oh-ed" softly, seemingly disappointed, and resigned herself to packing up the steamed cakes to save as a snack for later in the evening.
Zhong Minyan looked around and said, "What should we do? Release him into this lake? What if someone discovers him?"
Yu Sifeng squatted in front of the merman as if seeing a familiar friend, gently smoothing his messy long hair, and whispered, "Don't be afraid. Stay here for a few days. Don't let anyone catch you. In a month, someone will come to pick you up."
The merman seemed to understand his words, blinking his eyes in agreement. Zhong Minyan couldn't help but be surprised, "He can understand Si Feng's words! Eh? Could it be that merfolk don't understand the standard Central Plains accent, but prefer the dialect from the west?"
Yu Sifeng sighed and shot him a look before turning back to the merman and said, "Remember my words. Someone will soon come for you."
Xuanji asked, "Si Feng, how do you know someone will come for him?"
Yu Sifeng paused before speaking lightly, "We at Lize Palace have people specifically responsible for handling injured and juvenile weak demons. Not every sect in the world is like your Shaoyang Sect, driven to exclude those who are different."
Zhong Minyan felt somewhat irate upon hearing this, but upon reflection, he realized Si Feng was right. If it were his master or senior uncle who had encountered this merman, they wouldn't have thought twice about capturing him.
Feeling guilty yet unwilling to admit it, he snorted and walked away in silence.
Xuanji said softly, "I don't exclude those who are different. I only help those who want help, whether they are demons or humans."
Yu Sifeng remained silent. After a while, he gently pushed the merman and said, "Go. Take this bottle of elixir with you. If you feel hungry, just take one. It's also beneficial for your wounds." He tied a small purple ceramic bottle around the merman's waist with a rope.
The merman looked up at him profoundly, then looked at Xuanji before suddenly raising his head and emitting a clear and melodious cry.
The sound was unimaginably beautiful; upon first hearing it, they got goosebumps all over, as every pore opened up, washed over by a refreshing and exhilarating sensation, leaving them completely relaxed.
After one last glance at Xuanji, the merman gracefully leaped into the lake, his silver fishtail flicking dreamily in the sunlight, spilling light all around, and slipped into the water without even causing a splash.
The three of them stared blankly as the ripples spread wider and wider, the merman's pale silhouette disappearing from sight as his song lingered in their ears—so entwining, drifting off into the heavens, intoxicating all the clouds in an instant.
It was unclear how much time had passed before Xuanji awoke from the dreamlike song, and when he looked back at the lake surface, not a single figure was in sight.
"Hmm, what was he singing just now?" Zhong Minyan was still somewhat dazed. "It sounded so beautiful; I've never heard anything like it before."
Yu Sifeng said flatly, "He was thanking us. Many say that merfolk use their songs to bewitch the mind. In reality, it's because they themselves have demons in their hearts. To merfolk, their voice is their most precious treasure. Thus, they offer this treasure to those who show them kindness."
Xuanji, still filled with a lingering thrill, touched her arms, where the goosebumps had not yet subsided.
After a moment, she suddenly smiled and said, "Does this count as a perfect completion of the pearl incident?"
The other two were first startled, then laughed together, three hands extending in unison as they exclaimed, "A perfect ending! We are heroes!"
We are heroes!
That afternoon, those words lingered over the lake surface.
Three teenagers, for the first time in their lives, tasted the joy of being heroes.
Back at the inn, their excited, flushed faces only prompted Chu Yinghong to incessantly ask what they had done that afternoon, but no one spoke, simply smiling.
This was their secret, a secret of friendship, from now on, for a lifetime.
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OK~ Today's second update completed~~
Continuing with two more updates tomorrow~