Chapter 96
Xing Nuo, his shoulder-length curly hair floating around him, his small face pale and bewildered, floated in the clear, blue water.
The fish continued to circle him, and, unable to shake them off, he swam towards a rock formation, seeking refuge.
The playful fish followed him, but before they could surround him again, they scattered, as if sensing something.
Xing Nuo looked up and saw a massive shark approaching, its shadow engulfing him, blocking out the light.
He had seen sharks at the aquarium, but they hadn’t been this big or this terrifying.
Panicked, he swished his unfamiliar tail, trying to hide behind the rocks.
The shark, its keen sense of smell picking up the scent of the little merman, its sharp teeth bared, turned and chased after him.
The rock formation offered little protection. Xing Nuo, not having time to think, swished his tail and swam as fast as he could.
The shark was faster, gaining on him. Just as it was about to catch him, a fish hiding in a giant clam shell pushed the shell open, gesturing for Xing Nuo to hide inside.
Xing Nuo quickly swam inside, just as the shark reached him.
The shark stopped in front of the clam shell, its teeth bared, annoyed by the hard shell.
It circled it, then, unable to resist the tempting scent of the little merman, decided to swallow the shell whole.
But just as it opened its massive jaws, an angry shout echoed through the water.
“Go away!”
A red-haired merman, his tail also a vibrant red, holding a sharp, shell-shaped knife, swam towards the shark.
The shark, sensing the adult merman’s powerful aura, quickly turned and fled.
The red-haired merman, seeing it retreat, snorted and turned to the clam shell, which was now surrounded by small fish.
“Little fishies, the shark is gone. You can come out now!”
The little fish, hearing the merman’s call, pushed the clam shell open and swam towards him, circling him playfully.
They formed a swirling circle above his head, like a colorful canopy.
The merman laughed, enjoying their company, and joined their dance.
Xing Nuo, cautiously peeking out of the clam shell, heard the laughter and looked up.
His eyes met the red-haired merman’s, who gasped, his eyes widening in surprise.
He quickly swam over to Xing Nuo, circling him.
“A little merman, all alone out here?!”
“Incredible! You weren’t born in our clan!”
“Such a small fishy! Smaller than any of our young ones!”
Xing Nuo, not understanding the merman’s language, his face filled with confusion, scratched his cheek as the merman chattered excitedly around him.
He thought for a moment, then asked:
“Merman Mister, you know…how go back to land?”
“Why I have tail? I can have legs again?”
He knew that the Little Mermaid in the fairytale had traded her voice for legs.
Had he also made a deal with a witch, trading his legs for a tail?
But he had no memory of it and could only ask the red-haired merman for help.
The red-haired merman, looking at Xing Nuo, his mouth moving, his voice sweet and childish, but his words unintelligible, tilted his head.
“Haven’t you learned to speak yet?”
“Were you just born?”
He had never raised a young merman and didn’t know when they learned to speak.
The little merman’s golden tail, its fins like a beautiful, shimmering skirt, caught his eye.
He had never seen a golden merman before, his hair also a shimmering gold, so bright and eye-catching.
“You’re so pretty! The other young ones in our clan will love you!”
The pursuit of beauty was ingrained in merpeople.
A sparkly little merman like Xing Nuo was a rare sight.
The red-haired merman, his eyes shining, offered an invitation:
“Little Merman, come back to our clan with me! It’s too dangerous for you to be alone out here!”
Xing Nuo, not understanding, seeing the merman gesturing, pointed at his ear and shook his head.
The red-haired merman hummed, swished his tail, and took Xing Nuo’s small hand.
“Come with me.”
Xing Nuo, being pulled along, finally understood.
Not knowing what else to do, he followed the red-haired merman.
Moments after they left, a transparent octopus, its tentacles flailing, appeared and slapped the shark that had been chasing Xing Nuo earlier.
The shark, not daring to offend the small, but powerful, octopus, quickly swam away.
The octopus, its transparent body almost invisible in the water, circled the clam shell a few times, then angrily flipped it over.
The small fish scattered, and the octopus, alone, searched for his little brother.
After getting used to his tail, Xing Nuo could swim much faster than he could walk.
He followed the red-haired merman to a large, open area.
This area was even more beautiful than where he had been before, with shimmering corals and crystals, and rows of small crystal palaces made of an unknown material.
Some areas even had signs made of shells, with symbols Xing Nuo didn’t recognize.
It looked like a small underwater city, with a large palace made of stones and crystals in the center.
Having received the red-haired merman’s signal, the elder merman, the clan leader, and the other merpeople were waiting outside the palace to welcome the little merman.
Other curious merpeople also emerged from their crystal houses, their tails swishing, gathering around to see the newcomer.
“Wow! He’s so small!”
“He’s not even as long as my tail!”
“My fins are taller than him! Is he really a wild merman? How did he survive?”
The merpeople, their eyes like sparkling gems, their faces beautiful and delicate, looked at Xing Nuo with curiosity.
Xing Nuo, surrounded by so many merpeople, still seeing himself as a human, shrank back, trying to become invisible.
The clan leader, sensing the little merman’s fear, said sternly:
“The rest of you, go back! Don’t scare him!”
The other merpeople reluctantly dispersed.
The clan leader led Xing Nuo and the red-haired merman into the palace.
Xing Nuo, looking around, his head tilted up, fascinated by the merpeople, swished his little tail, thinking, So mermaids are real.
Big Brother didn’t lie!
And they really live in palaces!
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice the merman in front of him and bumped into his tail.
“Oof!” He tumbled head over tail.
The clan leader gently caught him with his tail, righted him, and patted his head reassuringly.
“Don’t worry, this is the merpeople’s palace. No monsters or sharks here.”
As one of the strongest creatures in the ocean, merpeople had few enemies.
Except for that octopus that had been sleeping in the deep sea.
Whenever that monster woke up, it would come and steal their shiny gems.
They had tried to fight it many times, but they could only watch helplessly as it took their treasures.
Fortunately, the octopus hadn’t been seen in years, and the merpeople lived in peace.
Xing Nuo, not understanding a word, just shook his head.
The red-haired merman quickly explained: “Clan Leader, the little merman doesn’t understand us! He can’t speak our language!”
The clan leader nodded, his icy blue eyes softening as he looked at the little merman.
“It’s alright. Merpeople are naturally gifted. He’ll learn our language soon.”
Xing Nuo, still confused, watched as the blue merman and the others talked, their gazes occasionally falling on him.
When they were done, Xing Nuo swam forward and asked politely:
“Hello. You know where witch is?”
He thought he must have been cursed by a witch or accidentally traded his legs for a tail.
He had to find the witch, get his legs back, and go home.
But the merpeople, their minds on something else entirely, didn’t understand him. An adult merman, experienced in childcare, seeing Xing Nuo’s confused expression, nodded knowingly.
“The little one must be hungry! Let me take care of him! I’ll make sure he gets nice and plump!”
The clan leader patted the merman’s shoulder approvingly. “Lia, you’re so thoughtful. I’ll leave him in your care.”
Lia nodded and, taking the little merman’s hand, nuzzled his tail affectionately with hers, leading him away.
Xing Nuo, looking at the beautiful mermaid, let himself be led away, his little hands gesturing as he swam.
“Find witch…go home.”
But Lia just smiled, thinking the little merman was adorable, and pinched his cheek.
“There, there. You’ll have something to eat soon.”
She took Xing Nuo to a smaller crystal palace and prepared a plate of finely sliced fish.
The merpeople lived in various crystal houses. Adult merpeople had their own houses, while the young ones all lived together in this smaller palace.
Smelling the fish, the other young merpeople, who had been playing, rushed over.
“Lia! Lia! Is it dinner time?!”
“Wow! Two lunches today?!”
Unaware of the newcomer, they swam too fast and bumped into Xing Nuo, knocking him over.
The other young merpeople, unable to stop in time, also tumbled, their tails tangled.
