Empire, capital star.

"Brother!" Qiao You hadn't transformed into human form for almost a month, and his unique mermaid tail was becoming increasingly agile. "Here, your tea."

The tail was able to steadily lift the teacup and place it on Helian Jue's desk. "There are even people who like to drink bitter tea!"

"Sweet milk is so delicious!"

Qiao You held the milk cup in his hands and drank it in big gulps, describing the taste with great expression as he drank.

Helian Jue just smiled and remained silent. His little darling was holding a grudge, simply because he refused to accept the little darling's recommendations.

"Then let me taste it to see if it's really sweet?" Helian Jue put down his pen and moved closer to Qiao You.

Qiao You's eyes conveyed happiness, but her facial expression still showed disdain. Humph! Now you know that sweet is better, right?

But because he was the older brother, Qiao You handed over the cup. Little did he know that Helian Jue's purpose was not the milk cup at all, but Xiaoyu's lips stained with milk.

Qiao You's lips were soft and warm.

After the kiss, Qiao You, her face flushed, buried herself in Helian Jue's arms, feeling completely dazed.

"Baby, does not being able to transform into human form affect your body? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" This is the happiest thing for Helian Jue. At first, Xiaoyu said that he felt uncomfortable and very tired when he transformed into human form.

Helian Jue found a professional veterinarian from the spirit pet store to examine Qiao You, and there was nothing wrong with him.

Qiao You, who looked like a little mermaid, was always jumping around and happy, so Helian Jue didn't think much of it.

It took Qiao You a while to react before he said, "I should be fine. I feel like my tail is getting more and more powerful."

"Hmm... I can actually transform into human form, but it's too tiring."

In the past few days, whenever he had free time, Helian Jue had been searching through various materials to see if he could find any records about mermaids.

"Brother, I'm fine, don't worry." Qiao You patted Helian Jue's chest with her small hand and said confidently.

Helian Jue appeared more relaxed, but he kept it in mind.

"Let's go swimming with the baby."

Unable to calm down, Helian Jue got up, picked up Qiao You, and prepared to go downstairs to the garden.

As soon as they reached the first floor, a guard at the door reported, "Your Highness, someone requests an audience."

“An old woman, who claimed to be from Blue Water Star and surnamed Yu.”

The phrase "If we are destined to meet, we will meet again" automatically popped into Helian Jue's mind the next second. Eleanor, entrusted by him, went to Blue Water Star to find a craftsman to make a ring and brought back two tokens.

Helian Jue and Qiao You made a trip to Blue Water Star, but they didn't see anyone, only received this message.

Qiao You noticed Helian Jue's thoughtful expression and was somewhat puzzled. "People from Blue Water Star? Who are they? The ones who delivered the mushroom noodles?"

When Helian Jue first met Xiaoyu, he didn't think Qiao You had a bad memory. But as they spent more time together, it became clear that Qiao You's memory was just like Xiaoyu's.

"Have you forgotten what Eleanor brought back for us?" Helian Jue whispered to Qiao You.

"Please let this old lady in," Helian Jue instructed the guards at the door, then sat down on the sofa in the reception room, holding Xiaoyu.

Five minutes later, the guards led the old woman in.

The elderly woman, surnamed Yu, had her gray hair neatly combed and smooth, with her silver hair piled high. She wore a light blue dress with a slightly retro feel, and the buttons were the kind of Chinese knot buttons that were once popular around the world.

His face bore the deep lines of time, and he was probably around 120 years old, but still very energetic.

His steps were steady, and his eyes were sharp.

The moment she saw Qiao You, she couldn't hide the joy and emotion in her eyes. She took bigger steps and stopped directly in front of Qiao You.

"Your subject greets Your Highness!"

After speaking, the old woman crossed her arms and touched her shoulders, first bowing deeply to Qiao You, then kneeling down, placing her fingers together on her forehead, bending over and kowtowing, each time gently touching the ground with the back of her palms, repeating this five times, before standing up, crossing her arms and touching her shoulders again, and bowing.

Qiao You was stunned; he remembered the ceremony of bowing.

Every year during the Mermaid Festival, the Mermaid Palace holds a grand ceremony where the Emperor, Empress, and he sit on high seats to receive the worship of the Mermaid people.

"Please have a seat, you..." Qiao You found it unbelievable. This was a ritual unique to merfolk subjects, but this person was clearly human.

How could that be? Is he really a merman? But the gesture of bowing is exactly the same, without the slightest difference.

Seeing the old woman's age, Qiao You unconsciously addressed her with respectful language.

"Your Highness, you flatter me." The old woman was very agitated. "I am your loyal subject and cannot accept such a title."

"My surname is Yu and my given name is Peiyi. You can just call me by my name."

Qiao You's tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and he couldn't bring himself to say the name. "Grandma Yu, who are you?"

Yes, who are you? She claims to be his subject, but she's not even a merman, let alone a mermaid…

Yu Peiyi looked at Qiao You in surprise, seemingly wondering why he would ask such a question...

So the old man and the young man looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Oh! I forgot!" Yu Peiyi chuckled and slapped her forehead. The little prince was unaware of the changes in the merfolk over the past thousand years.

When the ancient Earth suffered a calamity, the little prince of the mermaid race went missing, plunging the entire mermaid race into a state of despair.

Mermaids possess a certain precognitive ability, which is actually a biological sixth sense and self-protection mechanism.

When the environment in which mermaids live becomes unsuitable for survival, the mermaid race will automatically lose its ability to reproduce.

Before Qiao You was born, the ordinary people of the mermaid race had not had a baby for many years, but Qiao You's birth brought new life to the entire mermaid race.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!