The Little Mermaid Fell for the Jiaoren

1 unlock every tuesday and saturday

—

[Jiaoren Gong x Merman Shòu]

Deng Xi lives on a planet that is all ocean, with no land.

He is the only merman on the entire planet.

Hugging his big tail and counting the days on his little fingers, the lonely little merman grew up day by day.

One day, he discovered another “merman”!

The other was injured and bleeding nonstop. His face was pale and weak—he looked so, so pitiful!

Deng Xi decided that he had to protect this precious, newfound member of his kind.

However, the other seemed to be a little mute and wouldn’t speak to him.

Deng Xi painstakingly nursed the “little mute” back to health, only to discover with a heavy heart that once he was healed, the little mute had disappeared.

The other had left him, and Deng Xi was all alone once more.

A long, long time later, the merman was captured by offworlders who invaded his planet. Star pirates began to live-stream an auction for this merman, the only one of his kind in the entire universe.

Inside a cramped water tank, a chain locked around his neck, the merman huddled pitifully in a small corner.

Factions from all corners of the universe were in a frenzy. Who would win the bid for this new species of celestial beauty? Just as the astronomical deal was about to close—the starship’s door was blasted open, and a man with features as sharp and cold as a blade stormed in, brandishing a weapon.

The Imperial Marshal, whose very name struck terror into the hearts of his enemies, apprehended all the star pirates and took the little merman home as a spoil of war.

The man gently and patiently taught the little merman everything about the interstellar age.

The sight of the Marshal’s features softening left the entire universe slack-jawed.

·

On the very first day he was brought back, Deng Xi discovered that the Marshal also had a large tail. He thrashed it in delight and threw his arms around him, exclaiming, “Little Mute!”

Deng Xi was overjoyed to have found one of his own kind again, so much so that he failed to notice the man’s slightly strange expression.

Si Jisheng held Deng Xi’s hand, swimming slowly with him in the pool. Actually, he thought, I’m not one of your kind.

I’m not a merman. I’m a Jiaoren.

The Jiaoren of the East are immensely powerful, every part of their bodies a lethal weapon.

Whereas the mermen of the West are weak and powerless—nothing more than useless beauties.

Tags: Devoted Love, Match Made in Heaven, Interstellar, Adorable Protagonist, Light-hearted

***

Jiaoren (鲛人): Mythological creatures from Chinese folklore, often depicted as powerful, warrior-like merfolk whose tears turn into pearls. They are distinct from the typically more gentle Western concept of mermaids/mermen (人鱼, rényú)