Chapter 530 Love-Obsessed

Meng Qingyin learned the name of the mermaid from Jiao Ze: Jiao Ruxue.

The moment she heard that name, the image of that silver-haired merman unexpectedly flashed into her mind.

Those silver hair strands were indeed as dazzling as snow.

Could it be a coincidence?

"Is Jiao Ruxue's hair silver?" Meng Qingyin asked.

Jiao Ze denied it outright, his eyes filled with a hint of infatuation: "No, her hair is pure black, like the finest silk."

Meng Qingyin was somewhat disappointed; it turned out that wasn't the case.

"I have one more question." Meng Qingyin had already heard Jiao Ze's love story, and now she only wanted to know, "Why did Jiao Ruxue take your mermaid pearl?"

Each merfolk has its own merfolk pearl, and these pearls are born with a spirit. Their vibrant life force cannot be absorbed by other members of the same race. This eliminates the possibility that Jiao Ruxue deliberately approached Jiaoze to trick him into giving her merfolk pearl for her own use.

But if it wasn't for power, why would Jiao Ruxue take Jiao Ze's pearl?

As a member of the Merfolk, she must have known what Jiao Ze would face without the Merfolk Pearl, yet she still did it. Could it be... that she hated Jiao Ze and wished him dead?

“Tell me honestly,” Meng Qingyin suddenly said with a serious expression, “you didn’t steal her away, did you?”

So Jiao Ruxue had no feelings for him at all and wished him dead?

Jiao Ze vehemently denied it: "I didn't! When I was pursuing Xue, she didn't have a lover at all!"

Meng Qingyin stroked her chin. "That's strange... What reason would she have to be so determined to kill you?"

Although he knew that Jiao Ruxue didn't care about his life, Jiao Ze still felt a sharp pain in his heart when he heard Meng Qingyin say that.

"Besides, if she wanted to kill you, she clearly had many more opportunities. Why did she have to take such a roundabout way as taking the mermaid pearl?" Meng Qingyin murmured.

Jiao Ze shuddered, his voice trembling as he asked, "You mean... she didn't actually want me to die?"

Meng Qingyin glanced at him. "I'm not her, how would I know what she's thinking? But I can't rule out that possibility."

Jiaoze's eyes suddenly lit up with hope. "You must help me find her as soon as possible! And..." Jiaoze reminded him patiently, "You must not tell any member of the Jiao Clan about the loss of my Jiao Pearl."

If her own clan finds out that Jiao Ruxue took his pearl, she will definitely not have a good ending.

But the truth eventually came out. He grew weaker and weaker after losing the mermaid pearl, and the matter could no longer be kept secret.

To protect Jiao Ruxue, he must retrieve the Jiao Pearl before things are exposed, otherwise she will become the target of everyone's ire.

Meng Qingyin assured her again, "I won't reveal it, you can rest assured about that—now think back, who else does Jiao Ruxue have in terms of relatives and friends? Ask them, maybe they will have some clues."

Jiaoze fell silent.

Meng Qingyin's brow twitched: "What?"

Jiaoze: "She's an orphan, she has no family. As for friends... I've never heard her mention them."

Meng Qingyin almost knelt down before him, "You love her to death, yet you don't even know who her friends are?"

Jiaoze was speechless for a moment.

Meng Qingyin asked again, "You just said that every adult merfolk must receive the blessing of their ancestors, otherwise the merfolk pearl will gradually dim and eventually lose its vitality. In the three years since Jiao Ruxue disappeared, has she not received any blessing? Then she…"

Is she already dead?

Facing Jiao Ze's gaze, Meng Qingyin did not speak.

Jiaoze smiled wryly, "I know what you mean, but I'm pretty sure she's still alive. Merfolk have a special connection with their mates, and I can sense her presence."

For the past three years, he has stood on the high platform during every sacrificial ceremony, searching for that familiar figure, but each time he has ended in disappointment.

Meng Qingyin pressed further, "Can you sense even more?"

Jiaoze shook his head.

Meng Qingyin: "Do you have a photo of Jiao Ruxue? With a photo, it will be easier for me to find her."

Jiaoze shook his head again.

Meng Qingyin: "..."

"Forget it, I see you don't know anything, I'll figure it out myself." Meng Qingyin had given up on getting clues from Jiao Ze. "By the way, I wanted to confirm with you, is it okay if the other Jiao clan knows about Jiao Ruxue? As long as I don't reveal the Jiao Pearl, it'll be fine."

Samezawa: "Hmm, what do you want to do?"

Meng Qingyin rolled her eyes: "You know nothing about this, so of course I'll ask other merfolk to help me find people."

Jiaoze hesitated for a moment, "Okay, but this shouldn't be done in a big way."

He was afraid his mother would guess something.

His mother was unaware of Jiao Ruxue's existence. He wanted to introduce Jiao Ruxue to his mother, but she was somewhat afraid of her, who was still the leader's mother. He understood her feelings; his mother always had a stern and unsmiling demeanor, and sometimes even he was afraid of his mother, let alone Jiao Ruxue, who was not related to his mother by blood.

He promised her that they would take it slow and that he would take her to see her mother once she had overcome her fear of her.

Therefore, his mother must not find out that Jiao Ruxue took his pearl.

"I understand." Meng Qingyin left without looking back.

She returned to Sacred Square, where it was still bustling with activity.

Meng Qingyin found Jiao Ling'er without any effort.

While the other merfolk were dancing, Jiao Ling'er sat on a rock, resting her chin on her hand, looking utterly bored, which was too conspicuous.

Meng Qingyin swam up to her and waved in front of her, "Hey!"

Jiao Ling'er smiled as soon as she saw her, "I thought you'd forgotten about me since the leader invited you to dance!"

"Are you free right now?" Meng Qingyin asked.

Jiao Ling'er raised her chin. "What, you want to invite me to dance? I'm bored right now, so I'll reluctantly agree."

She had barely finished speaking when Meng Qingyin grabbed her wrist.

"Since you're bored, why don't you do me a favor!"

Meng Qingyin led Jiao Ling'er away from the sacred square and stopped at a place covered with red coral.

Jiao Ling'er looked puzzled. "What kind of help?"

Meng Qingyin glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before leaning close to Jiao Ling'er's ear and saying, "Find me a merfolk, her name is Jiao Ruxue."

Jiao Ling'er was the first mermaid she met here. She was warm and kind, so she probably wouldn't refuse to help.

"Jiao Ruxue?" Jiao Ling'er thought for a moment, then shook her head. "But I don't know her. Who is she? What do you want with her?"

Meng Qingyin had already prepared her explanation: "She is my friend's partner. Three years ago, she suddenly left without saying goodbye. My friend searched for her for a long time but couldn't find any trace of her. Do you know how my friend has been these past three years? He lost his appetite and became increasingly thin, almost unrecognizable. So I thought I would help him find Jiao Ruxue."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Jiao Ling'er said, "Your friend is so affectionate."

Meng Qingyin wholeheartedly agreed: "Top-tier love-obsessed brain."

Jiao Ling'er readily agreed: "I'll help you find someone! I have a wide network of connections, I'm sure I can find your friend's partner!"

Meng Qingyin hurriedly said, "Ahem, don't let too many people know about this. I'm afraid that if we can't find the person, my friend will be disappointed."

Jiao Ling'er said confidently, "Don't worry, I will definitely help you find the person!"

Suddenly, she frowned. "Something's not right!"