Chapter 141: The Little Mermaid (11)

"No! It is utterly impossible for me to lose!"

Zi Yushu simply could not accept his defeat. From childhood to adulthood, he had never lost a single time. His journey had been unimaginably smooth. His mental power was so formidable that it was peerless, leading him to look down upon everyone. He regarded himself as a god, while others were merely mortals meant to be manipulated and entertained by him.

And he had always believed that was the absolute truth.

Even when his opponent was Tang Mu, he still refused to believe that any flaws could possibly exist in his mental and intellectual framework!

"What on earth did you do to me?!"

For the first time in his life, Zi Yushu suffered a crushing blow, and his self-confidence was teetering on the verge of collapse. Yet, because his mental power was at the S-rank, he had not yet completely shattered.

"What did I do to you?" Tang Mu covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Unlike you, I wouldn't foolishly display my trump cards out in the open just to show off. The S-rank item, Golden Plum Dunjia, isn't it? What a coincidence, the system mall has a precise description of this item."

"[Golden Plum Dunjia (S)]: The ultimate fusion of shield and armor. It carries a certain probability of causing an enemy's attack to become lost within the esoteric arts. However, it also carries a simultaneous probability of forcing the user to suffer 100% of the damage. The probability of suffering 100% damage is 0.0001%."

"You would definitely say that a mere 0.0001% probability doesn't count as a flaw at all. Even if there were a flaw, your ability is entirely capable of guarding against it."

"But what if the opponent is someone who understands the esoteric arts of Dunjia? And what if that opponent also possesses an S-rank offensive item of equal caliber?"

"Impossible!" Zi Yushu still refused to believe it. "Your Red Thread Bell is only of A+-plus rank!"

Who said she only possessed the [Red Thread Bell (A+)]? Did she not also have the [Linlang Phantom Melody (S)]?

An offensive weapon! Upon its use, everyone and everything—humans, ghosts, objects, and NPCs within a radius of ten miles—would be immersed into an illusion! It constituted the absolute domain of the user!

Therefore, in reality,

Zi Yushu's [Golden Plum Dunjia (S)] had not truly been exploited for a flaw by Tang Mu. A probability of 0.0001% was simply far too low.

This was an illusion.

It was a trick designed to make Zi Yushu believe that his [Golden Plum Dunjia (S)] had been broken by someone else and had lost all defensive efficacy.

In this way, during his fall, Zi Yushu would deem the use of [Golden Plum Dunjia (S)] utterly useless and thus refrain from employing it.

This perfectly increased the probability that he would be smashed to pieces.

"I wanted you dead, and I've wanted it for a very long time."

She retrieved the tightly clutched dagger from Zi Yushu's hand and coldly, indifferently pushed him off the cliff.

"So, to fulfill my wish, go and die."

There was no sea beneath the cliff.

It would take Zi Yushu a very long time to break free from the illusion while immersed in it. But once he finally broke free? By then, he would probably be thoroughly and completely dead.

As for Zi Yushu's dagger...

She gazed with indifference at the exquisitely crafted dagger, its hilt already worn down—clearly an item Zi Yushu had used for many years.

She regarded this dagger as a burial offering bestowed upon Zi Yushu.

Extending her arm, she coldly released her grip.

The dagger, along with its master, plummeted down beneath the precipice.

"Old classmate, I don't have any special gift to give you. But your dagger happens to carry my blood."

"How about I present my blood to you as a gift? So that when you cross the Naihe Bridge, you won't be too lonely for lack of any decent trinket to accompany you."

"Don't thank me too much."

"Compared to you, I can still be considered human."

Having finished all this,

Tang Mu turned around with utter indifference.

Yet what Tang Mu did not expect was that

Yan Xingwen was actually standing right at the edge of the cliff, quietly watching her.

She had no idea how long Yan Xingwen had been watching. Nor was she certain whether he had witnessed the entire scene from beginning to end, clearly grasping the truth of the whole matter.

Therefore, Tang Mu made no move to acknowledge him.

Her business was concluded. Between her and this merman, no entanglements of love or hatred existed whatsoever.

Yet as Tang Mu indifferently walked past the merman, the merman blocked her path.

A pair of damp eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated innocence, alongside a deep yearning and devotion toward her.

Tang Mu drew back her arm with a cold face. Her brows furrowed, the corners of her mouth turned downward, every single feature radiating impatience toward the merman.

"What is it?"

"You are my mate."

The merman's eyes were so clean and pure that they did not contain a single speck of impurity.

"Did swallowing half of your jiaoren pearl make me your mate?" Compared to the merman's purity, Tang Mu suddenly turned cold-blooded. "Are all you mermen this naive? Don't you know that every single word humans utter, even every single syllable, could be a lie? You are of no use to me anymore. So from now on, let the bridge be the bridge and the road be the road. We shall mind our own business and never interfere with each other."

Seeing that Tang Mu still intended to leave,

The merman blocked her path once more.

He pointed at Tang Mu's heart. "The jiaoren pearl possesses resonance. It tells me that this is not what you truly think."

Thus, Tang Mu simply stood there and gazed at him in silence.

A long silence hung between the two of them.

Until Tang Mu finally could bear it no longer, bursting into a tearful, broken cry with an audible sob.

Tears streamed down her face.

"I hate pure people!!!" she suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Innocent people make me mad with jealousy!!!"

"My hands are stained with blood, and my soul is utterly vile!!!"

"Do you know? The cleanliness deep within your soul makes me feel exceptionally filthy! Yet at the same time, I crave the light. Just like a moth lost in the darkness that can never find a way out, it always instinctively yearns for the light source."

"Given your current abilities, if you recklessly draw close to me, you will inevitably be devoured and tainted by my darkness."

"Once you are tainted by me, you will no longer be the light. And I will no longer like you either."

"Do you understand?"

The young girl before him suddenly grew frantic and shrill. Although she was screaming at the top of her lungs, it still could not conceal the fragile reality of her existence.

With that, Sang Wu pulled Tang Mu firmly into his embrace.

"I can be your light forever."

"No, you aren't. Nor will you ever be. You won't understand." Tang Mu's tears fell in a relentless stream, dampening the merman's shoulder. The ice-blue scales on the merman's shoulder gleamed brilliantly under the illumination of the sunlight.

After all, the merman was not Yan Xingwen.

He did not possess Yan Xingwen's formidable mental strength.

She could be with Yan Xingwen without any reservations precisely because Yan Xingwen was equally powerful, immune to being dragged down into the abyss by her various negative emotions.

Her world was already bitter enough; why should she drag another unrelated person down to rot in hell together with her?

Yet Sang Wu did not understand what Tang Mu was saying.

In his world, innocence and purity remained so absolute that nothing was left save for mating and propagating offspring with his female counterpart, along with the other half whom he would risk his life to guard in the future.

He believed that as long as he tried hard enough, he would be able to walk into Tang Mu's world.

"I can protect you."

Sang Wu made a solemn vow.

A merman never makes casual promises.

Once a promise is made, he will use his very life to protect it.