Chapter 145: The Mermaid Princess (15)

"These water ghosts have been endowed with a special kind of power. Although they aren't as strong as us, their speed is terrifying. If we were to be swarmed by them, our thick hides would protect us from any real harm. But you are different. You haven't fully evolved into your merfolk forms yet. Both in terms of physical endurance and combat capability, you are far inferior to us."

"That is why you must remain extremely vigilant. Especially when night falls and the lone moon hangs in the sky—the power of the water ghosts increases exponentially during those times."

However, Sanning left out just how much more terrifying the water ghosts could be.

She figured that since nothing had happened yet, there was no need to bring it up in advance and deliberately frighten them.

More importantly, Sanning believed that with the abilities of the merfolk clan, they were fully capable of protecting the half-merfolk when the water ghosts came to hunt them.

Therefore, mentioning it was naturally quite unnecessary.

"Tang Mu, it is mainly because your partner is not by your side. If you were to be killed, our chieftain, Sanwu, would also suffer a certain degree of backlash."

What did that imply?

Did it mean Sanwu was not currently suffering any backlash?

Never mind.

There were simply far too many secrets within the merfolk clan.

It was impossible to uncover them all in one go, so it might be better not to ask for now.

Just take direct action.

"Isn't it all because Sanwu went off to chase that human male?" Tang Mu wore an expression of utter innocence. "Perhaps in his heart, I am not that important after all. By the way, where are we actually heading this time? Can we swim a little faster? I'm a bit scared of the water ghosts you keep talking about. After all, if we get hunted down by them, we half-merfolk seem like we'd meet a miserable end..."

"This is already our maximum speed," Sanning replied. "We are moving according to the endurance limits of you half-merfolk. Any faster, and you would completely fall behind due to exhaustion."

"Then what if the water ghosts—"

"Rest assured. Even if the water ghosts come, all two hundred of us merfolk can easily take them down. But when the fighting starts, you must make sure to stay obediently within the safety perimeter and not run around blindly."

...

Oh.

The feeling of being forcibly protected was certainly quite a curious one.

How long had it been since she last experienced this sensation?

It felt as though you were a fierce tiger, yet you were being kept in a well-fed zoo, while your captors still regarded you as a foolishly cute little kitty that couldn't survive without cat food.

They cared deeply for your feelings and your personal safety.

What was even more absurd was that the ones providing this sense of 360-degree close protection were actually ferocious mermaids by nature.

Ah, this world was truly so colorful.

It proved an old saying: the longer you live, the more you see.

"We definitely won't run around blindly!" Compared to Tang Mu's bizarre feelings, Xi Hongwei's response was much more normal.

He hurriedly nodded his head like a rattle-drum, stopping just short of performing a full kowtow to Sanning. "By the way, where do these water ghosts even come from? Why does the ghost ship keep respawning? Do you know the reason behind all this?"

Seeing that Xi Hongwei had finally gotten back on track and started asking for clues about the ghost ship, Tang Mu wore a look of gratification. The expression was much like sighing: *Oh child, you've finally grown up.* Exactly like that.

Yet, at the mention of the ghost ship, Sanning could not help but sigh.

"We actually don't know when that ship first appeared. But ever since it emerged, this expanse of ocean has never known peace. What's even more absurd is that the memories of the water ghosts and the normal sailors are interconnected. They even remember which specific merfolk caused them severe harm."

"In order to uncover the secret of the ghost ship, Sanwu secretly sneaked aboard when the vessel was once again sailing across the surface of the sea. Unfortunately, he was caught by the sailors."

"The sailors used iron nets to trap Sanwu together."

"By the time we discovered he had been captured, he was already locked inside an iron cage. Um... exactly as you saw yesterday."

Tang Mu wanted to ask a few more questions.

To her astonishment, the water temperature around her suddenly grew quite a bit warmer.

Just as she was feeling puzzled, Sanning let out an exclamation: "Sanwu?"

She glanced around Sanwu and spotted no other humans. That must mean Sanwu had failed to capture the human male Tang Mu had mentioned.

Yet Sanwu approached with a formidable and aggressive aura. The ocean currents swirling around him were churning with abnormal and rapid intensity.

This was the turbulent wake left behind only when a merman traveled at top speed.

It could not be perceived with the naked eye.

One could only sense it using the fins of a merman.

"To think someone managed to escape from your grasp. Could it really be true that parting with a merpearl affects a merman's combat strength?"

Faced with Sanning's inquiry, Sanwu's gaze swept over Tang Mu with ambiguous intent.

Sanwu's fishtail was exceptionally athletic.

The scales on his body were also brilliantly lustrous. They possessed a more divine halo than the scales of ordinary merfolk, drawing the gaze of anyone who looked upon him.

Though his waist was narrow, it was packed entirely with muscle.

Even his pectoral muscles and biceps, though dusted with tiny, ice-blue fish scales, did not detract from his majestic physique in the slightest.

While speaking with Sanning, Sanwu kept his eyes fixed on Tang Mu.

His tone carried a peculiar edge to it as well.

It held a distinct undertone of insinuation.

"Humans are cunning after all. Their mouths are full of lies. To achieve their goals, they will say anything. Everything they do is designed to make your heart soften so that you lower your guard."

Ah? Was that really the case?

Sanning could not help but glance at her partner.

He looked completely foolish and dazed.

He bore a world of difference from the human traits Sanwu had just described.

Tang Mu opened her mouth, intending to offer some explanation. But upon second thought, she decided it was better not to explain at all.

Once a fissure formed, there was simply no way to repair it.

Just when she thought things between herself and Sanwu were undoubtedly finished, Sanwu suddenly surged forward, swimming instantly to Tang Mu's side and scaring her so badly her complexion changed.

"What... what do you want?"

After a brief silence, Sanwu spoke. "Nothing."

He deliberately displayed his vulnerability to Tang Mu.

"I just wanted to get closer and tell you—in order to catch up with you all, I forced myself to compress a full day's journey into less than an hour. My tail is extremely uncomfortable right now and requires rest."

Huh?

Tang Mu frowned in confusion. "How are you supposed to rest in the ocean?"

Sanwu did not reply.

It was Sanning nearby who kindly offered an explanation.

"When we merfolk need to rest, we generally lean against our partners and let them lead the way while swimming. That way, we don't have to make the main group stop, and we can still recover our strength."

Although Sanning was doing her best to explain, she still caught the look of profound displeasure Sanwu directed at her.

She shuddered. A cold sweat broke out all along her merfolk spine.

Within the merfolk clan, interrupting someone else's mating process was considered an extremely impolite act. It was even more impolite than desecrating their ancestral grounds.

She certainly did not want Sanwu to bear a grudge against her for interrupting his cozy moments with his partner.

Therefore, she had better run as far away as possible.

Lest Sanwu settle accounts with her later.

Consequently, Sanning grabbed Xi Hongwei by the neck, forcing him to flee outward with her. The posture made it look as though a vicious ghost wielding a scythe was hot on their heels, hunting them down.