Chapter 205 Identity "Have you ever thought... to you, I am...?"

When Jiang Yuhu woke up, her face felt a slight, tingling itch, as if she had been brushed by a feather.

She opened her eyes and saw Jia Yue's face so close to hers.

"You're awake." A kiss landed on the tip of her nose. "How did you sleep?"

The speaker showed no remorse for being caught, and instead stopped trying to control his tone.

With such a large piece of cold jade as his pillow, and his internal fire element soothed by the breath of the mermaid pearl, Jiang Yuhuo naturally slept very well, but...

She gently pushed Jia Yue away to get a clear look at his expression.

She was radiant, her eyebrows and eyes were full of tenderness, and even her hair had regained its luster, flowing with a watery sheen as it fell down.

"Your body has fully recovered?"

Looking at his face, Jiang Yuhuo felt that the mermaid pearl truly had extraordinary healing power.

Jia Yue nodded slightly, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. "Perhaps... but it's a new addition, we'll have to wait until next time..."

"When did you get a new one?" Jiang Yuhuo didn't catch the obvious implication in his words, "next time," and immediately frowned. "Someone's come knocking?"

She vaguely remembered Qingping saying that Jia Yue also had enemies in the Sea Kingdom.

As a result, Jia Yue lowered her gaze and looked down at his white jade-like skin, where many blue and red marks were clearly visible.

...It turns out that her "enemy" was herself.

Jiang Yuhuo looked away somewhat awkwardly.

After the first time, she cried her heart out, and even after she finished crying, she still felt a tightness in her chest. Having learned her lesson, she knew what to do, so she pushed him down and vented her sadness on him.

"Then I'll help you remove it."

Such marks could be quickly healed even without the mermaid pearl, but Jiang Yuhuo originally intended to heal him through dual cultivation, but instead she added "new wounds" to him. Feeling guilty, she raised her hand to activate the mermaid pearl.

Jia Yue knew she had shot herself in the foot; he couldn't bear to erase such a hard-won mark, so he quickly pressed her hand down. "No, don't move." He smiled and lowered his head to gently bite her lips. "I like it very much..."

"I love everything you've done for me..."

Jiang Yuhuo, her heart stirred by those deep blue eyes, tilted her head back and kissed him in return.

She likes it too...

Afterwards, Jiang Yuhuo leaned lazily on his shoulder, inhaling the cool fragrance of the udumbara flower emanating from him, and felt a sense of relaxation and peace. Suddenly, she realized that she seemed to have caught the scent as well. Even though he had carried her to the pool to wash, a faint trace of his fragrance still lingered, even after she had been washed in the pool again…

"What do you smell?" Jia Yue paused, her hand that was combing Jia Yue's hair, as she saw Jia Yue frowning and sniffing all over her. "Don't you like it?"

Jiang Yuhu shook her head, "I like it... but this is your scent, and it disrupts my balance."

That single word "I like you" was enough to bring joy. The merman simply lifted his robes and said innocently, "I have your scent on me too. You've disturbed me..."

Jiang Yuhuo immediately got off him, seemingly having indeed smelled the scent beyond the cold fragrance, and even his body was no longer as cold as before.

Aren't merfolk naturally cold-blooded? Could she possibly warm up his body?

"What's wrong with your body...?"

Before Jiang Yuhuo could voice her doubts, her hand was grasped.

"At this point, do you still want to argue with me?"

The merman's soft fingertips caressed her fingers, his voice like a sigh, "Have you ever thought about... what I am to you?"

Her fingers were clean; the old contract had been dissolved, making room for a new one.

"...Have you ever thought about giving me an identity?"

The hand was slowly withdrawn, leaving a feeling of emptiness in one's heart.

Jiang Yuhu remained silent for a long time. Of course she understood such a clear message, but she simply couldn't offer anything in return.

Isn't it good for us to be like this now?

She didn't know how much longer she had to live. A person born in the morning and dying at dusk cannot make eternal promises; even a moment of joy is a luxury.

The merman embraced the person from behind, the smile that hadn't faded from his lips turning bitter. "Good... this is good enough."

After a few more tender moments, Jiang Yuhuo lay on her back, thinking about the war between Zhou and Yong, wondering how it was going now.

She left in such a hurry that day that she didn't have time to say goodbye properly. I wonder if her senior brother has returned to Kunlun? Will Xiao Jing secretly run to the military camp to find her, just like she said in a fit of pique?

besides……

The last person to appear in the forbidden chamber of the Heavenly Palace.

She saved Jia Yue with the Exile Seal in front of him; he must hate her to death... Since he can't kill her, will he go after the Great Zhou?

Jiang Yuhuo felt his mind was in complete disarray. The seabed was dark and there was no distinction between day and night. He had no idea what day it was.

Noticing her distraction, the person who had been hunched over in front of her raised their head, their lips a vibrant red, their deep blue eyes glancing at her before leaning down again.

Jiang Yuhuo realized something was wrong and quickly got up to cover his mouth.

"Enough! That's enough..."

The man asked her innocently, "What do you not want?"

The kiss touched his palm, which was wet and slippery, and Jiang Yuhuo quickly let go.

The man licked his lips with a satisfied expression. "I just wanted to help you fasten your belt. What were you thinking?"

Jiang Yuhuo was indignant, a thin layer of anger appearing in her eyes, "You clearly...you know perfectly well!"

Jia Yue smiled slightly, knowing that her expression meant she was on the verge of anger and she couldn't tease her any longer. She then apologized and comforted her, "It's my fault, I was too greedy."

He realized his mistake, straightened her disheveled clothes, and carefully tied the belt that had been repeatedly tied and untied.

"Would you like to come with me to see someone?"

In the deep sea, on scorched earth, lies a scene of broken walls and ruins.

Jiang Yuhuo only glanced at it briefly before being carried by Jia Yue to swim deeper into the sea. It was the first time she had ever seen an underwater city and its architecture, and the first time she had ever seen such a land. She remembered what Qingping had told her about the subterranean fire that had almost destroyed the sea kingdom a hundred years ago.

It was during this great fire that Jia Yue left the Sea Kingdom and was sent to the Heavenly Palace.

Now it seems that this catastrophe may be even more devastating than she had imagined.

They stopped on an even more desolate and scorched land, where blue flames were still rising from the cracks, and a similarly scorched mountain stood not far away.

"Jia Yue, where is the person you were supposed to take me to see?"

Jiang Yuhuo has a mermaid pearl inside her body, which allows her to breathe and speak freely in the water as she does on land. However, looking around, there is not a single person in sight, and even the fish deliberately avoid passing by.

Jia Yue remained calm, her gaze fixed on a slightly raised patch of ground in front of her. "That's it."

That is...

As Jiang Yuhuo swam closer, he realized that this was a burial mound. On the ground in front of the mound, several clusters of eerie blue flames were burning. He didn't know how long they had been burning or when they would go out.

This inconspicuous burial mound doesn't even have a tombstone.

Jiang Yuhu muttered to himself, but then he saw Jia Yue respectfully bow to the burial mound.

“Mother, I have brought her to see you.”

Jiang Yuhuo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly followed Jia Yue's example and bowed as well. However, he was puzzled and found it hard to connect this place with the previous Sea Emperor.

Jia Yue held Jiang Yu Huo's hand and stood in front of the grave. She then pricked her finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the blue flames in front of the grave.

Before long, a blue mist appeared in the ghostly fire. The mist gradually rose and spread, attracting the fish that were swimming around it to stop.

What is that?

Jiang Yuhuo suddenly felt very calm. This mist was even more comforting than the mermaid pearl.

"It is a wisp of her remaining divine consciousness that has been... guarding the Sea Kingdom."

Jia Yue had always known of the existence of divine consciousness, but since she was determined to dedicate everything to the Sea Kingdom, he never disturbed her. Even when he came here last time to retrieve the Earth Flame Vine, it was only to retrieve the medicine.

This time it was out of necessity...

Jiang Yuhuo watched helplessly as the wisp of blue mist covered her body and spread to the back of her head.

The wound from the body swap was slightly painful, but not as excruciating as when someone touched her before. Instead, it felt like flesh was growing back, and she couldn't help but tighten her grip on Jia Yue's hand.

"Jia Yue..."

Jia Yue covered her eyes, "She wants to heal your wounds, don't be afraid."

Sensing no malice, Jiang Yuhuo was completely at ease, closed her eyes, and obediently allowed the mist to heal her.

In a place where Jiang Yuhuo could neither see nor hear, a conversation was taking place, using a secret communication unique to merfolk.

A faint merman silhouette emerged from the mist, its voice as solemn and gentle as ever, "Child, I'm so glad you're back. After all these years, are you finally willing to shoulder your responsibilities?"

"Yes, I will reclaim the throne of the Sea Emperor."

The person in the mist felt a slight sense of relief. "They have been waiting for you all along. I have wandered through many places on the seabed and can hear their longing for you."

"They" are naturally the merfolk of the Sea Kingdom, hoping that he can lead the merfolk to the divine realm, and also hoping that he can save them from the sea of ​​fire when the catastrophe comes.

In such an exchange, it is impossible to hide emotions like a human being, and Jia Yue made no attempt to conceal the sarcasm in her heart.

“I didn’t come here to save them, I just want the fallen star.”

That ring contains the power of the Sea Gods of all ages, and is also a symbol of the Sea God's authority.

"The one who holds the Fallen Star is the Sea Emperor. To wear it is to assume the Sea Emperor's throne. This is your destiny, and you cannot escape it."

Jia Yue did not refute.

Wu Ying turned to the person beside him, "Is this child your partner? Your life pearl is circulating smoothly within her body, so she must be your beloved."

"yes."

He didn't need to hide it, nor could he.

A mermaid's life pearl will never enter another's body, let alone be used by them, unless the person is willing to sacrifice everything to save them. If it is taken by someone with ulterior motives to exploit it, the mermaid pearl will become no different from an ordinary pearl. Only a mermaid's wholehearted love can make the life pearl be controlled by another.

"So, you brought her here, what do you want me to do for her?"

The mist enveloped Jiang Yuhuo's entire body, and apart from the wound on the back of her head that the mermaid pearl could not heal, she was completely unharmed.

only……

"So she's a winged person..." Wu Ying glanced at her indifferently, the mist passing through Jiang Yuhuo's body. "You should know that the fire in her blood is with her, and no one can extinguish it."

“I know.” Jia Yue shook her head. “I came to ask you to bestow upon her a merfolk mark.”

With the mark of the merfolk, he could extend her lifespan by using the meteorite, giving her half of his lifespan.

Asking for the merfolk mark for a foreigner—the intention couldn't be clearer: "You gave her your life pearl, and now you want to give her your lifespan too?"

“I owe her.” Jia Yue looked at the calm and trusting face of the person beside her. “I can’t watch her die. If she dies, I can’t live either.”

"But if you give your lifespan to her, you will age rapidly, your appearance will fade, and your body will decay... while she will remain young and stay young for a very long time. Would you still be willing to do that?"

"...I don't care."

"She is not a mermaid, she will not be as loyal as a mermaid."

"My only wish in life is that she lives in peace."

After a long silence in the fog, a low sigh finally broke the silence: "So be it."

No merman would abandon saving their partner, and neither would she.

But the price is too high...

The mist began to dissipate, but before leaving, he turned back for one last look at his bloodline, "You know what? I originally thought you would never experience differentiation in your life."

"I don't regret splitting myself for her sake."

The hand covering her eyes finally came off, and Jiang Yuhuo opened her eyes.

The mist had completely dissipated, and she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

She vaguely felt a drop of water fall on her forehead, but she was in the sea, surrounded by water. How could water penetrate the water and drip onto her?

Are you feeling better?

Jia Yue smiled at her.

Jiang Yuhu tried touching the wound on the back of his head, and sure enough, it had healed without even a scar. It felt the same as the rest of the wound.

"It doesn't hurt anymore!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. She would never be controlled by anyone again because of this.

"That's good."

The merman cradled the back of her head and lowered his head to kiss her forehead, where a mark was left.

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Author's Note: I'll try to update one more chapter, but it will probably be very late, so please don't wait.