Chapter 202 The Vast Ocean: "Is it a transfer of qi?"

"Xiao Hai, I'll take you home."

As the last incantation faded, Jiang Yuhuo hugged the cold body in her arms tightly.

In an instant, the calls of a flock of birds suddenly reached my ears, accompanied by a deep, clamorous roar. The sound was vast and distant, signifying the immensity of the space. A strong wind blew, carrying warm, moist air.

Completely different from the freezing cold of the previous moment, this is another world.

Jiang Yuhuo opened her eyes.

The setting sun painted the entire world with vibrant colors, stretching across the vast sky and the boundless waters. She and the mermaid fell between these two worlds...

A gust of wind stirred, causing strands of dark blue hair to tumble and intertwine, and two pairs of eyes silently gazed at each other.

They fell together into the shimmering, golden sea.

The moment she fell into the water, she looked into those deep blue eyes and a childlike, contented smile bloomed on her face.

The promise I made as a boy has finally been fulfilled at this moment.

She did it.

In a life filled with regrets, there was one thing she accomplished perfectly.

Her long-tense mind suddenly relaxed at this moment. The injuries she had sustained in the battle at Tianque, the exhaustion from the Mermaid Pearl and the Jie Zhe Seal... all rushed towards her like the sea. In the bottom of the water, where all sound was cut off, Jiang Yuhuo's hands loosened weakly, she slowly closed her eyes, and sank endlessly.

In the unseen depths of the sea, a pair of soft hands supported her body. Those scarred hands held her waist, locking her in their embrace. A powerful, long tail swayed, carrying her like an arrow to the deeper reaches of the sea.

Jiang Yuhuo was awakened by the heat, not knowing how long she had been unconscious.

The familiar heat inside her body scorched her, and she subconsciously hugged the coolness in her arms tightly. Their skin touched, and their bodies felt like they were experiencing two extremes of heat and cold.

My waist feels heavy, as if something is pressing down on it.

Jiang Yuhuo opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a large, open chest with clearly defined muscles. The second thing she saw was a tail covered with fish scales on its waist. Then she looked up and saw the owner of the tail. He was leaning against a huge white seashell, his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

A luminous pearl the size of an adult's fist hung above Jiang Yuhuo's head, its faint light illuminating only a very small area.

Jiang Yuhuo could only see Jia Yue and herself; the rest of the world was shrouded in darkness.

She left the cold chest that had been used as a pillow, and with just a slight movement, the tail wrapped around her waist tightened even more. Jiang Yuhuo looked up, his handsome face contorted in pain.

Did I hurt him?

Perhaps his wound was accidentally touched.

Jiang Yuhuo became even more cautious. She slowly freed herself from his tail's entanglement, but as soon as she left that icy touch, the burning sensation on her body immediately returned, causing her to freeze in place.

A wisp of pale blue mist spread out from his tail.

The breath of the mermaid pearl... So he had been using the mermaid pearl to suppress the backlash for her all along. No wonder her complexion looked worse than before.

Jiang Yuhuo carefully placed his tail down and then cut off the healing process. The wound was no longer visible on the surface of the tail, and the scales had regained some of their luster, but this was far from enough; he needed to conserve his spiritual energy for himself.

Jiang Yuhuo quietly stepped off the bed. All around them was endless darkness, so dark that it seemed as if only the two of them remained in the world.

Where is this?

She ignited a flame in her palm.

After falling into the sea, she lost consciousness and didn't know where the currents had taken them, or whether there was any danger in the darkness.

Jia Yue is seriously injured now, so she must protect his safety.

The firelight illuminated a wider area, and Jiang Yuhuo saw the seashell-covered ground beneath her feet. There seemed to be some patterns carved on the smooth stone walls. She groped her way closer, wanting to see more clearly.

In the darkness behind her, a pair of eyes opened silently.

The wall is carved with figures, including a girl with her hair in two buns, holding a merman who is larger than herself...

She moved with the firelight, and on the smooth wall, there were different scenes of the girl and the mermaid.

The wall shifted, revealing a woman with a high ponytail wielding a sword...

What are you looking at?

A question suddenly came from behind her ear, and Jiang Yuhuo's heart skipped a beat. She immediately sensed danger and turned around to take a big step back.

The firelight dispelled the darkness, revealing Jia Yue's face. He was leaning against the wall, his fishtail transformed into legs as he stood, his face pale, and it was unclear when he had gotten up.

"Why are you up? Lie back down, you need to rest." Seeing that it was Jia Yue, Jiang Yuhuo's heart, which had been pounding, relaxed again.

Jia Yue shook her head. "You still have a fever. Come here, let me soothe you."

Jiang Yuhuo's energy was greatly depleted from transporting the mermaid pearl, and he was in no condition to withstand it. "Don't worry about me, I'll go... to check out the surroundings."

Recalling the scenes she had just witnessed, Jiang Yuhu hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, "Jiayue, do you know... where this is?"

The merman in the dim light was silent for a moment, then said, "This... is my lair."

Merfolk typically build their nests upon reaching adulthood, but he built his from a very young age. Disliking the gazes of the Sea Kingdom's royal palace, he hid himself in his dark lair. Later, he went to the Heavenly Palace, and his lair was abandoned for many years, until, after reaching adulthood, he was forced to return...

He hid many things here, and on certain special days, he even needed to hide himself here.

nest?

Jiang Yuhuo didn't quite understand the significance of the nest, but he assumed that this was his home and there should be no danger. He felt relieved and said, "That's good, we're safe."

But those images... whenever Jiang Yuhuo thought about them, she felt a strong sense of unease, as if she were being spied on.

Did he do it? Or was she seeing things? She was indeed feeling dizzy from the burning fire within her body.

You must have seen wrong. How could he do such a thing?

"Jia Yue, why is it so dark here? I'd like to see your home," Jiang Yuhuo asked tentatively.

The merman didn't immediately grant her request, but instead moved closer to her with difficulty, supporting himself against the wall. "Xiao Jiang, call me Xiao Hai."

The firelight reflected in his blue eyes, which were fixed on her, as if flames were burning in the seabed.

Jiang Yuhuo didn't move or call out to him. Her throat was a little dry, and she swallowed unconsciously. Despite his weakness, she instinctively sensed a hint of danger.

It's no wonder she was suspicious; she woke up in a completely unfamiliar place and discovered that people she once knew had a completely different side to them...

"Xiao Jiang, what do you want to see?"

The merman finally moved in front of her, standing just inches away. He wasn't angry at her cold stare; his blue eyes were filled with tenderness and affection.

He grasped her wrist and blew out the flame in her palm.

Darkness descended suddenly, and Jiang Yuhuo felt him press his hand against his cheek.

"Your body is so hot, it must hurt a lot, let me help you cool it down..."

Just as her other hand was about to touch her lower abdomen, Jiang Yuhuo suddenly pulled her hand away and took a step back. "Jiayue, where exactly is this place? You... don't hide it from me."

A soft chuckle rang almost next to her ear, and as she stepped back, he moved even closer.

“I didn’t hide it from you.” The merman’s cool, damp breath brushed against her ear, making that spot burn even hotter. “This is my lair. But a merman’s lair… is a place where one spends time with their mate after reaching adulthood…”

As soon as the words were spoken, countless luminous pearls hidden in the darkness slowly lit up, finally illuminating the entire space.

Jiang Yuhuo raised her head in the cramped space he had confined.

The room was covered with murals, from the four walls to the ceiling, densely packed with countless scenes, each depicting a unique moment of their meeting and time together.

The merman placed one hand on her lower abdomen and, taking advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration, channeled the power of the merman's pearl to quell the flames ignited within her body by the previous battle.

With his other hand, he gently patted her back, then leaned over her, half-hugging and half-leaning, pressing his body weight onto her.

Jiang Yuhuo was shocked and her body stiffened with shock, unable to say anything.

"Are you scared?" Jia Yue patted her back gently to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, I'm just afraid I'll forget..."

Her intuition was accurate, and her fear was understandable, after all, he had once considered imprisoning her here, trapping her in the deep sea, so that she could never leave him.

But such thoughts were quickly dismissed.

"...When?" Jiang Yuhuo asked, still incredulous. "Why...why carve these?"

Jia Yue smiled bitterly, recalling those darkest days.

"When I thought you were dead in the spirit-suppressing array, but then my memories returned," he unconsciously tightened his grip, pulling the person close to his chest, "I thought... you were no longer in this world. So, I can't forget, I absolutely can't forget you again..."

In utter despair, he returned to this deep-sea nest that no one could destroy. No one knows the despair and regret he felt as he painstakingly etched down the memories of his brief existence with her, as if as punishment.

Carved into metal and stone, unwavering in purpose.

I never imagined that she would come here one day.

His lair is different from other merfolk's; he has no mate, only countless memories of his mate, which he cherishes here, stroke by stroke.

After a century of wandering on land, his companion brought him back to his homeland by the sea, and finally back to this most secluded place in the world.

Here, they have been waiting for her arrival.

Jiang Yuhuo was held so tightly by him that, like the murals filling the room, she could hardly breathe.

After the pearl light shone, the entire space was exposed to Jiang Yuhuo's eyes, and many pearls in the corner were also revealed. She was very familiar with those pearls; they had fallen into her collar and palms, and she had also given them to Xiao Jing.

She could almost see how he had carved those images back then.

Jiang Yuhuo looked at the scenes from the past, many of which she thought he had never cared about, and many of which she could no longer remember.

She really didn't know him very well.

Jiang Yuhuo slowly raised her hand and hugged the person in front of her back. "Yes, I'm not afraid..."

When she regained her senses, the presence of the hand on her abdomen became strong. Realizing what he was doing, Jiang Yuhuo hurriedly pushed him away.

"Are you out of your mind?"

In the heat of the moment, he lost control of his strength, and the push caused his already weak body to sway backward. So Jiang Yuhuo went to help him up, but forbade him to use his spiritual power again.

The merman grabbed her hand that was trying to stop her, his eyes darkening. "There is another way."

"What method?"

Jiang Yuhuo had barely uttered a question when her mouth was covered by someone.

Soft, cool lips rubbed and nibbled against hers repeatedly, then eagerly craved and plundered after penetrating...

After they parted, they could hear each other's panting breaths.

Jiang Yuhuo asked, "Is it about transferring qi?"

The long, suffocating kiss made her body even hotter.

Jia Yue looked down at her, her fair cheeks flushed, a fine layer of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose, and her bright red lips glistened with moisture. She was breathing softly with her lips slightly parted, but her eyes were bright and clear as she looked at him, determined to get an answer from him.

A hand touched his waist, and Jiang Yuhuo heard Jia Yue's answer.

"……more than."

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Author's Note: I finally got to the scene where I'm embracing a merman as we fall into the sea! This scene has been lingering in my mind for so long, I think it's so romantic [laughing]

And it doesn't just mean passing on breath, cough cough... those who know, know [food emoji]