Chapter 7: Recuperating
Although mermen were weak, they were easy to raise. Their appetites weren’t large. Deng Xi had already eaten a fish caught by Si Jisheng a few hours ago. He only ate a little seaweed, and his stomach was already full and round.
Deng Xi rolled the remaining seaweed into a ball and stuffed it into a clean little shell in a corner of the lair. With a “snap,” he closed the little shell, saving it for tomorrow. Now he wouldn’t have to go pull up grass tomorrow!
When he turned back, the silver-tail had also finished the small fish, eating it very cleanly, leaving only the stark white fish bones and the inedible entrails. He didn’t even mind the faint teeth marks Deng Xi had left.
From his expression, it seemed he was still wanting more.
Si Jisheng hadn’t eaten since falling to this planet. In the great white shark’s territory, he hadn’t had a chance to eat the fish he had killed before the sharks, drawn by the scent of blood, found him. Moreover, he had been swimming for a long time with his injuries, consuming a huge amount of energy.
One small fish had only slightly eased his hunger.
But since he was living under someone else’s roof, Si Jisheng simply closed his eyes after eating and rested, enduring the hunger. Only by fully recovering his energy would his injuries heal faster.
Jiaoren had a very strong self-healing ability for external injuries. If a normal person had his wounds, they probably wouldn’t have survived and would have closed their eyes forever. Even with medicine, an ordinary person’s injuries wouldn’t heal for a year or two, and even if they did, they would be left with lifelong after-effects.
But Jiaoren were different. In ten days to half a month, Si Jisheng’s injuries would be completely healed, and even the scars would disappear.
The wounds on his body were in constant pain. The deep sea was terrifyingly quiet, and the cold seawater eroded his body. The moment he closed his eyes, it felt as if he had fallen into eternal darkness.
This environment always created an illusion.
He would die on this obscure planet, sleeping forever alone in the cold, dark seabed.
Si Jisheng’s tightly shut eyes were filled with the forbearance of pain.
Just have to endure these ten-odd days…
The pain suddenly lessened.
Si Jisheng opened his eyes. The seawater was filled with a pale pink mist. The little merman passed through the pink mist, blinking his blue eyes, and held out his hands expectantly.
Deng Xi’s palms were covered in red marks from the strain, which were extremely shocking against his snow-white skin. He pulled his hands back and pushed over a pile of red medicinal grass. “Little Mute, let’s squeeze the juice into the seawater together.”
Si Jisheng was slightly stunned.
Because the injury to his tailbone had worsened, his tail couldn’t move. The silver-tail, lying in the exquisite shell, turned over and lay on his stomach on the seaweed, revealing his bare back. The lines were perfect, and a beautiful layer of thin muscle was clearly attached to his shoulder blades. His lean arms also hung casually outside the shell.
But what Deng Xi noticed were the dense wounds on the little mute’s back. His own palms hurt a lot, but the little mute was probably in much, much more pain than him right now.
Deng Xi was just about to say, Let me do it myself.
But Si Jisheng silently picked up the medicinal grass Deng Xi had pushed over and began to wring it without a word.
Deng Xi also sat on top of the upright side of the shell, his long blue tail hanging down. His fan-shaped tail fin accidentally brushed against the silver-tail’s waist.
Deng Xi froze.
Si Jisheng’s movements also paused.
“S-sorry!”
Deng Xi hastily changed direction and sat with his back to Si Jisheng.
He knew that among mermen, if one’s tail touched another’s, it was a request for mating. In other words, he had almost let his tail touch the little mute’s tail! He had almost made the little mute think he was courting him!
So embarrassing!
The tips of Deng Xi’s ears turned completely red.
Although the little mute’s tail was very pretty, just touching it was enough.
How could… how could they be so close? That was too much. He had brought the injured little mute back to his lair, but it wasn’t to raise a beautiful merman as a partner.
Although, Deng Xi glanced at the little mute who was obediently wringing the medicinal grass. The quiet little mute would listen to him attentively and do whatever he said.
So good.
Just keeping him around to relieve boredom seems pretty good too?
Deng Xi composed himself and turned his upper body back around, continuing to wring the medicinal grass over the little mute’s wounds.
The deep sea was not just silence and darkness.
For a time, the dim lair was filled with the rustling sound of wringing medicinal grass. Under the soft glow of the shell, the cool seawater also seemed to be filled with a pale pink mist, gradually deepening from a dreamlike pink to a light red.
For the first time, Deng Xi no longer felt lonely while idly staying in his lair.
The pain from Si Jisheng’s wounds also gradually lessened, and eventually, he couldn’t even feel it. Without the torment of pain, his furrowed brow slowly relaxed.
The second day, the third day…
The wound on Si Jisheng’s waist finally scabbed over, and his tail, which had been further injured in the fight with the great white sharks, could also move slightly.
For these two days, because Si Jisheng was injured, the sleeping shell had been occupied by him. Deng Xi usually slept in a newly piled-up heap of seaweed in the corner.
The first thing Si Jisheng did after he could get up was to leave that exquisite shell. He looked at the entrance of the lair and frowned slightly.
That blue Jiaoren was coming back later and later every day. As a Jiaoren, did hunting really take that long? Or was most of the time spent on the journey?
“Ta-da—”
At the entrance of the lair, Deng Xi’s energetic voice came first. He swam in with a small fish. “This is what I caught today!”
Because the only light in the lair was the faint glow from the shell, the increasing number of bruises on Deng Xi’s body were hidden by the dimness.
I crashed into things again today, and it really hurt.
While the little mute was eating the fish with his head down, Deng Xi lowered his head and blew on a small cut on his arm that had been made by a sharp rock. The wound had stopped bleeding, but it still hurt a little.
Deng Xi blew on it lightly. The moment the disturbed seawater touched the wound, it instantly hurt even more.
Deng Xi put his hand down with a troubled expression.
Blowing on it doesn’t make it stop hurting. It’s all a lie to trick fish.
When he looked up, Si Jisheng had already finished eating. He carried the fish bones to the entrance of the cave and threw them outside.
Deng Xi belatedly realized and said in pleasant surprise, “Little Mute, you can move!”
Si Jisheng nodded, then pointed at the shell and shook his head.
Meaning, he didn’t need it anymore.
Deng Xi frowned. “But your injuries?”
Si Jisheng continued to shake his head.
It’s fine.
Then Si Jisheng pointed at the small shell where Deng Xi kept the edible seaweed. He hesitated for a moment before tilting his head slightly, mimicking the gesture Deng Xi usually made when he was confused, then quickly returned to his expressionless state.
Deng Xi couldn’t help but smile, then said, “I already ate outside.” Although he had eaten seaweed, it didn’t matter. In the past, when Deng Xi lived alone, he rarely got to eat fish.
Because catching fish was really, really, really hard!
Deng Xi would rather chew on grass.
But in order for the little mute to recover quickly, Deng Xi now had to go catch fish every day.
He really thought he was amazing, being able to catch a fish every day. The old Deng Xi wouldn’t have even dared to dream of it.
Si Jisheng nodded slightly.
That would explain why he was coming back later and later.
Si Jisheng swam towards the outside of the cave.
Deng Xi: “Wait!”
Deng Xi spread his arms to block the entrance of the cave and asked in a panic, “Where are you going? You promised not to go back on your word.”
Si Jisheng, who had been hungry for three days, remained silent. He opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word. He didn’t know how to express that he wanted to go out and catch fish, not to go back on his deal with Deng Xi.
The Marshal of the Empire was by no means a man who broke his promises.
Seeing the silver-tail remain motionless for a long time, Deng Xi, who thought the little mute was eager to leave as soon as he could move, felt more and more wronged. The bruises on his body were also throbbing with pain.
He worked so hard to catch fish every day, and he couldn’t even bear to eat the fish he caught himself. If he was going to leave, he had to at least give him the hundred fish he had promised—
“Grrr…”
Deng Xi’s ears perked up. His blue eyes widened, and his gaze slowly moved down, landing on the silver-tail’s streamlined waist and abdomen with their distinct, thin muscles.
That was the stomach that had just rumbled.
Even if Si Jisheng’s skin was incredibly thick, he couldn’t remain completely unfazed. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he pursed his lips.
Deng Xi asked in confusion, “Are you hungry?”
Si Jisheng nodded.
Deng Xi’s eyes were blank. “But didn’t you just eat a fish? Little Mute, aren’t you full?”
Si Jisheng nodded.
Deng Xi was shocked and confused. “But, you ate the same way yesterday and the day before.” He suddenly thought of something. Could it be…
“Little Mute, have you not been full all this time?”
The little mute nodded silently.
“So you’re going out to find food now?”
Another nod.
Deng Xi lowered his eyes guiltily and picked at his hands, at a loss. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
The little merman, who could be satisfied for a whole day with just one fish, really didn’t understand. In the end, Deng Xi moved aside from the entrance of the lair and agreed to let the little mute go out to find food, but on the condition that he had to go with him.
The beautiful excuse was that the little mute had gotten injured before because he didn’t know where the territories of the large creatures were. If he boldly caught fish in their territory, he would be caught by the owner and get into a vicious fight.
Now, Deng Xi was going to teach the little mute how to catch fish in a territory not occupied by large creatures.
—
Author’s Note:
Deng Xi: Raising a beautiful and obedient big fish as a wife.
The Marshal himself: Who are you referring to?
Don’t be too absurd.
