The Little Mermaid Fell for the Jiaoren 1

Chapter 1: Found a Big Fish

A scattered cluster of reefs jutted out from the endless surface of the sea. This was a great spot Deng Xi had recently found.

The reefs here had no sharp edges that could scratch Deng Xi, and there were no large fish nearby—only a few gentle, small ones.

Deng Xi was safe here.

Deng Xi lay prone on a reef, his damp golden hair draped smoothly over his fair back. His tail was a blue that neared the color of the sky, a pale shade that gradually deepened to a dark blue at the fin, blending in with the deep blue of the ocean.

Deng Xi’s tail slapped against the seawater repeatedly as he whispered with a cheerful smile, “I saw a pile of really pretty little stones on the seabed yesterday. I’ll take you to see them later, okay?”

No one answered him, because Deng Xi was speaking to a small fish that had swum up to his hand. This little fish seemed to like Deng Xi a lot and had been lingering near him for a long time.

Deng Xi continued to talk to himself, “After you’ve seen the stones with me, I’ll make you my dinner for today.”

The little fish: “…”

The little fish didn’t understand. It just blew bubbles.

Deng Xi rolled over, plopped into the sea, and blew bubbles too.

This planet had no land, only ocean, and in this ocean, he was the only merman. He was very weak and couldn’t win a fight against the larger fish, so he could usually only catch these small fish to eat.

But the weak merman couldn’t even outswim a small fish. Deng Xi often went hungry, usually subsisting on a bit of seaweed. If he managed to eat some meat, it was a grand feast!

The little fish swam above Deng Xi, affectionately nudging his nose. The flick of its tail popped all the bubbles Deng Xi had just blown.

For Deng Xi, whose sole source of entertainment was blowing bubbles, this was cause for alarm. “?”

Deng Xi puffed up his cheeks. “I’m going to eat you in a minute.”

The little fish: “…”

The little fish rubbed against Deng Xi’s cheek.

The little merman, who had been all bluster, turned his face away uncomfortably and rubbed his stomach again.

So hungry.

The gentle little fish in this area were few and far between, and they never stayed for long. Deng Xi could only seize the opportunity to catch a few to fill his stomach before watching them swim away.

The one rubbing against him now was a dopey little fish that had gotten separated from its school and was sticking to Deng Xi, refusing to leave.

The little fish was clearly unaware of Deng Xi’s intentions. It blew a bubble, which was popped by the tip of Deng Xi’s nose.

Deng Xi waved a hand impatiently to shoo it away, his little face set in a pout as he muttered, “Before I regret it…”

The little fish was pushed away, but it just swam back again.

Deng Xi: “…”

Deng Xi’s stomach started to rumble again.

Fine. If it wouldn’t leave, it could be his emergency food supply.

“Don’t think I can’t bear to eat…” Deng Xi hadn’t finished his sentence when a sudden, deafening “BANG” echoed from the distance.

Startled, a dizzy Deng Xi swam to the surface and looked in the direction of the sound. He guessed it was the sound of some large fish leaping out of the water, but Deng Xi hoped he was wrong. Those large fish had such big mouths and such sharp teeth, they could swallow three of Deng Xi in one gulp!

Deng Xi really couldn’t fight them. He usually fled the moment he saw one from afar.

But finding a new place to live was also very hard work. Deng Xi was reluctant to leave this cluster of reefs he had just found.

Deng Xi craned his neck to look, but he saw nothing but the still-churning waves.

Deng Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Wait! His dinner!

Deng Xi instantly dove back under the surface, swishing his tail fin as he looked around. That dopey little fish was actually incredibly smart. While Deng Xi was still stunned, it had already made a run for it.

By the time Deng Xi looked, he could only see the tiny silhouette of the little fish swimming away at high speed in the distance.

Deng Xi: “?”

Deng Xi regretted it. Deng Xi instantly gave chase.

The frightened little fish swam more than twice as fast as usual. Deng Xi was panting with exhaustion but still couldn’t catch up. Compared to the other creatures of the deep, the weak merman was at the very bottom of the food chain.

In the vast, empty seabed, only a dejected, blue-tailed little merman was left, looking around. The gills behind his ears, which he used to breathe underwater, flared open and shut in anger.

Deng Xi rubbed his eyes, his rims turning red.

That was his last chance for dinner.

He had been hungry for a whole day, hadn’t eaten a thing, and his stomach was rumbling from the emptiness.

Although he had been the one reluctant to eat the little fish earlier, there was still a difference between choosing to go hungry and being forced to go hungry.

Deng Xi sniffled. If only he weren’t the only merman in the ocean. If only he had a kinsman to help him catch fish.

Deng Xi paused to catch his breath, then turned and swam back in a huff. He was going to see just what had scared his dinner away! Didn’t it know how much effort it took for a weak merman to catch a single fish?!

Deng Xi was going to make it his new dinner.

The sound had come from a larger cluster of reefs. To prevent his guess from being wrong and running into a large fish, Deng Xi dove down and stealthily swam behind a reef to peek.

The sea surface was calm.

Deng Xi swam deeper. The further down he went, the more an inexplicable chill grew in his heart, as if some extremely dangerous creature was hiding in the depths.

He looked around warily.

The light underwater was scarce, blocked by the currents. As the water pressure increased, it grew dimmer. There were many reefs below, a mass of black shadows, and dark green seaweed swayed gently with the current.

At a glance, all Deng Xi could see were the black silhouettes of the reefs. No one knew what dangerous creatures hid beneath those shadows.

Deng Xi was starting to regret coming to check. He had been hungry for so long anyway; being hungry a little longer wouldn’t make a difference.

Forget it, forget it.

It was just one fish.

Deng Xi tried to convince himself.

He flicked his tail fin and quickly swam toward the surface.

Deng Xi had no idea that mere seconds after he left, one of the black shadows moved. It rose slowly, swimming upward in the exact same direction as Deng Xi, its tail silently trailing a long, thin current behind it.

Where is that bloody scent coming from? I’m not hurt.

Deng Xi twitched his nose and swam faster, but the metallic smell clung to him, refusing to dissipate.

After breaking the surface, Deng Xi immediately swam behind a large reef. He stared warily at the spot where he had just emerged.

Who was following him?

At some point, the sun had become mostly obscured by clouds. The sea surface no longer sparkled, and the sky had suddenly darkened. Both sky and sea were a sheet of gray. Deng Xi held his breath.

It was a silver merman.

A pale arm gripped the reef tightly, veins bulging. His fingertips were white from the force, and he was single-handedly dragging his entire body out of the water, slowly climbing up.

Long, curly, platinum-blond hair clung wetly to a back covered in wounds. His skin was just as pale, and faint blue veins rose and fell on his exposed, lean muscles with each shallow breath.

His other hand also braced against the reef, and he hauled his whole body up, revealing the lower half that had been in the sea.

It was a tail nearly two meters long. The silver-white fin spread out as thin as a wing, even shimmering faintly as the water flowed over it.

But at first glance, all one could see was a bleak, ashen color. The wounds had been soaked white by the water.

But without the seawater washing them, the countless wounds all over his body began to ooze with visible, bright red blood.

Droplets of blood, mixed with the salty seawater, slid down the lines of his taut muscles, leaving behind crimson trails. The pallor of his skin was instantly painted with rich, dark color.

Deng Xi was a little dumbfounded.

Was this… was this one of his kind?

Deng Xi had lived alone in the ocean for many years and had long ago accepted the fact that he was the only intelligent being, the only merman, in the sea.

Was this really one of his kind?

Deng Xi couldn’t believe it.

The other’s tail was so, so much longer than his, and it was silver. Deng Xi looked down at his own blue tail, then back at the big silver one with an envious gaze.

If he had a tail that long, he could swim a little faster. He would have been able to catch that little fish just now!

He seemed to be hurt. Was he bullied by some large fish? He looked so pitiful.

Deng Xi held onto the reef, peeking out secretly.

Was that loud noise from earlier caused by this silver-tail? Was he the one following Deng Xi in the sea? Deng Xi thought about it, then dismissed his own guess.

No, the silver-tail hadn’t noticed him, so he probably wasn’t following him either. It was purely a coincidence that just as Deng Xi finished his inspection and left, the silver-tail also wanted to swim to the surface.

The silver-tail’s head was bowed. He seemed to sense something and propped himself up slightly, his shoulder blades curving into a smooth, powerful arc. He turned his head slightly, looking in the direction of the reef where Deng Xi was hiding.

His face was obscured by the shadow of his hair, his expression unreadable. All that was visible was a pair of silver, slitted pupils, icy and devoid of emotion, yet not calm and composed. The whites of his eyes were shot with blood-red veins.

The moment their eyes met unexpectedly, the hair on Deng Xi’s body stood on end. He felt as if he’d been locked on as prey by a massive, starving beast, and that the next moment, the other would pounce and sink its teeth viciously into his neck. He was exceptionally ferocious.

Deng Xi didn’t dare to move a muscle until the silver-tail, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, turned his head back.

Deng Xi instantly ducked back behind the reef, covering the lower half of his little face in lingering fear. He controlled his breathing, taking small, shallow gasps of air.

So fierce.

He no longer found the silver-tail pitiful at all. Instead, he wanted to cry but had no tears. Although Deng Xi had always wanted another merman to talk to, he wasn’t the least bit happy right now.

The merman’s danger radar was going off like crazy, telling Deng Xi that this silver-tail was far more terrifying than those large fish!

Curiosity really could kill a fish.

However, the silver-tail’s injuries seemed very severe; he probably couldn’t harm him. Deng Xi’s eyes were full of curiosity as he watched the silver-tail without blinking, the little bit of his face peeking out from behind the reef still bearing a red mark from where he had pressed it.

Even from a distance, Deng Xi could clearly see that the silver-tail’s exposed body was covered in wounds. There were bruises, nearly black, from impacts, and countless lacerations from a sharp weapon. Even his silver tail had quite a few injuries.

The blood flowing from the silver-tail had nearly dyed the clear seawater around him crimson.

Moreover, Deng Xi looked at the silver-tail’s rigid tail.

From the moment the silver-tail had climbed out of the water and into Deng Xi’s line of sight, his tail hadn’t moved. It just hung there, naturally limp. He didn’t even make the subconscious motion of flicking his fin or slightly swishing his tail.

Was his tail injured too?

Mermen were naturally drawn to shiny things. Deng Xi really, really liked the silver-tail’s sparkling tail.

What a pity.

Deng Xi watched the silver-tail with a look of reluctance.

The silver-tail was struggling to climb onto the reef. He relied almost entirely on the strength of his arms to haul his entire body onto the rock. In doing so, the wounds on his arms tore open even wider, and fresh blood gushed out ceaselessly.

It looked painful even to Deng Xi, but the silver-tail endured it from beginning to end without once crying out in pain.

Once he was on the reef, the silver-tail’s strength gave out. He collapsed onto the rock and didn’t move again. The rise and fall of his breathing was pitifully faint.

Deng Xi watched as the silver-tail closed those beast-like, ferocious eyes.

Did he pass out?

Deng Xi’s little face was troubled. Although his kinsman was pitiful, badly injured, and seemed to be on the verge of death…

But…

Deng Xi touched his own stomach, which was still rumbling with hunger.

If he really acknowledged this kinsman, Deng Xi couldn’t even support himself, let alone an additional silver-tail.

They would probably starve to death together.

Deng Xi quietly turned to leave.

Sorry.

A moment later, Deng Xi swam back.

He swam to the unconscious silver-tail’s side, his gaze fixed on that big, sparkling tail.

Deng Xi whispered, “Let me touch it, just once! And I’ll save you, okay?”

Deng Xi poked the silver fin with his fingertip.

Then, his pink-tinged fingertips avoided the wounds and gently stroked the silver tail.

Again and again.

Deng Xi, lost in the bliss of stroking the tail, didn’t notice the silver-tail’s eyelids flutter.

A Jiaoren’s tail is a natural-born lethal weapon, but it is also the most sensitive part of their entire body, like a dragon’s reverse scale—it should never be touched. If the silver-tail’s tail hadn’t been injured, Deng Xi would have already died from the Jiaoren’s subconscious counterattack.

The unconscious Si Jisheng felt an unignorable, tingling numbness in his tail. It was like a weak electric current, yet it came in wave after wave, stimulating his consciousness, which had been drifting in and out of a chaotic darkness.

Si Jisheng’s fingertips twitched slightly. He faintly heard two words by his ear: “So good.”