Leng Xiang placed Jiu Li on the clamshell bed in his office. The petite young mermaid remained motionless, as if he were asleep.

The young mermaid's body was slender; in the overly large clam shell bed where adult mermaids slept, he occupied less than a third of the space, giving the illusion that he was just a child. His once calm, purplish-blue fishtail rested quietly on the bed, curving slightly upwards along the shell's contours.

The beautiful scales shimmered with a faint purple light, and along the streamlined fishtail net was a light green casual t-shirt, covering the junction between the fishtail and the body. Slender, long arms rested comfortably at her sides; who would have thought that these slender arms could so easily lift a large table?

The young mermaid looked too young; his pale face lacked the sinister aura that often enveloped him when he was awake, instead revealing a sense of peace. This made the fish realize that this mermaid was actually quite beautiful.

Despite his notoriously short temper, the mermaid reveals a vulnerable side when he closes his eyes and sleeps peacefully. Just looking at him softens the fish's heart.

Leng Xiang stood quietly by the bed, his cold eyes fixed intently on Jiu Li. After a long while, he bent down, gently extended his finger, and carefully touched the young mermaid's left eye from a distance.

That blue-green eye.

...

"So, you don't know why Xiao Li turned out this way either?" Jiu Xiao had calmed down and asked softly.

"Speaking of which, it seems like the first time the boss lost control was when he came of age, right?" Ye Ling said, looking at Kasai with a questioning gaze.

“Yes.” Kasai affirmed his words, then looked at Yin Chen: “Ah Chen knows best.”

Yin Chen scratched his cheek with his index finger helplessly, thought for a moment and replied, "It was probably more than ten years ago. That day was the boss's coming-of-age ceremony. A few of us got together and decided to give the boss an unforgettable coming-of-age ceremony. We probably went too far, and the boss got angry. Just like what happened, he suddenly lost control of himself."

"So, if Xiao Li gets too excited, she'll end up like that?" Jiu Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. Just a few days ago, when he and Jiu Li had just reunited, Jiu Li was also very excited. If Jiu Li had been as out of control as she is today... just look at Lan Qi lying on the ground now. That's what happened to the mermaids who were there back then.

“It’s not excitement, it’s anger.” Li Qi shook his head and added, “Actually, if anger alone could trigger his innate bloodline, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Jiu Li’s poison attribute would at most cause other mermaids to fall into a daze for a while; the toxicity isn’t severe. But if left unchecked, it could harm him, and might even…”

As a woman, Li Qi couldn't bear to say that word.

Jiu Xiao silently clenched his fists. He had finally found his younger brother, so how could he have such a strange disease?

Xi Huayue sat there stiffly. Even her posture was perfectly measured, as if she had been measured. But looking at her, it was like she was attending a serious military meeting.

In stark contrast to him was Yin Chen on the other side. That guy was so lazy that he was like a boneless pile of rotten meat, lounging lazily on the bubble sofa. He kept making small movements, gently nudging Long Xun who was "listening attentively" next to him. Fortunately, Long Xun was well-mannered and calm enough, and Shen Fan Chen's previous three lives had earned him enough goodwill. Otherwise, Yin Chen would have been knocked away by his tail long ago.

Xi Huayue said seriously, "We have previously speculated that Jiu Li's unknown bloodline might be the reason for his current condition. However, if Jiu Li gets angry, we must subdue him quickly, otherwise it will be life-threatening, so we cannot be certain further."

"Bloodline identification?" Dongjun's indifferent voice rang out.

With the development of mermaid technology, the call for equality between mermaids has grown louder. Since the reform and opening up three thousand years ago, the technological level of mermaids has greatly improved, and the individual quality has increased. The barriers between different races and status among mermaids have also faded. After the catastrophe a thousand years ago, apart from the ancient seven royal families that still maintain a high status, other mermaids have determined their positions based solely on their individual abilities, rather than their bloodline.

Therefore, without the concept of social status in marriage, mermaids began to freely choose their partners, resulting in a vast number of hybrid mermaids. Furthermore, since mermaids reach adulthood at two hundred years old, while ordinary mermaids reach the end of their lifespan at three thousand years, and with a little effort can even live to four thousand years old, and royalty lives for five to seven thousand years, it's not uncommon for mermaids to remain virgins for one or two thousand years without engaging in romantic relationships. However, if their ancestors were in a hurry, a mermaid could be born knowing more than ten generations of their ancestors…

Therefore, in the world of mermaids, a mermaid of high lineage who is thousands of years old and of ancestral status may fall in love with a mermaid who has just come of age. The complexity of the relationships in mermaid society can make any creature that tries to understand them want to bang its head against a wall and die.

In such cases, some mixed-race mermaids will activate a bloodline of unknown origin when they reach adulthood, which is why the bloodline identification service was created.

The genetic information of these hybrid mermaids is determined by the genetic remains of ancient or even prehistoric mermaids found at large sea burial sites.

Kassa scoffed, "I thought of that a long time ago, but it was no use."

Dongjun silently shut his mouth.

Suddenly, all the fish shivered. Long Xun looked up and saw Leng Xiang slowly swimming down from above, followed by a cold voice: "You don't need to worry about it anymore."

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