Steam rose from the fire, and a huge iron pot sat atop the bonfire, the water inside boiling and bubbling.
Zhou An (Brother Chao) was bound hand and foot and hung directly above the iron pot. Sweat mixed with fear slid down his forehead and dripped into the pot, creating a faint sound.
His face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with despair.
All around, a group of merfolk, spear in hand, glared menacingly with bloodthirsty smiles on their faces.
"Put me down! You can't do this!" Zhou An roared in human language, his voice hoarse.
"Hehe, why not? You're our delicious food!" Although Fishman B couldn't understand, he could guess what he was talking about. He grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.
It licked its lips, its eyes gleaming with greed. "Come on, let us taste you!"
Fishman B brandished his spear, about to put Zhou An into the pot.
"Stop!" A sharp shout came from afar.
Fishman A swam over quickly and blocked Fishman B's path.
"What are you doing?" Fishman B asked, puzzled.
"The Deep Sea Convention has just been signed, and the Deep Sea Humans have been recognized as members of the Deep Sea Race. We can no longer eat them," Fishman A said in a deep voice, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"What?" Fishman B's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "This is impossible!"
A surge of joy welled up in Zhou An's heart, as if he had returned from hell to the human world.
He looked up at Fishman A, his eyes filled with gratitude.
"This is the final ruling of the Deep Sea Court, and all Deep Sea creatures must abide by it," Fishman A emphasized again.
It turned to look at Zhou An, a hint of resentment flashing in its eyes.
"Put him down," Fishman A commanded.
Although unwilling, Fishman B had no choice but to obey orders. It angrily put Zhou An down and threw him on the ground. "Who is it?! So capable, managing to get the entire Deep Sea Clan to acknowledge this bunch of idiots!"
"One is named Gu Xi, and I heard there's another one named Lorraine." Fishman A said through gritted teeth as he mentioned the two.
"Hmph! I'll kill them every time I see them again!" Fishman B said angrily.
"Who wouldn't want to kill them!" Although Fishman A kept saying he wanted to deal with Gu Xi and Luo Lin, his eyes kept lingering on Zhou An, as if he had a deeper meaning.
Zhou An collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat. He looked up at Fishman A, feeling both relief at surviving the ordeal and an indescribable bitterness.
It's Gu Xi again!
She indirectly saved him!
This damn deep-sea convention, this damn woman!
He would rather be eaten by the fish-men than owe Gu Xi a favor.
Zhou An, a dignified and trendy guy, when did he ever need a woman to save him?
This is an utter disgrace.
He gritted his teeth inwardly, his hatred for Gu Xi deepening even further, like a leech clinging to his bone, impossible to shake off.
He vowed that one day he would make Gu Xi pay the price and make her understand who the true master of this deep sea is!
Zhou An felt resentful, but he also knew that this was not the time to act impulsively.
He suppressed his anger and began to secretly observe his surroundings.
Although the merfolk had lowered their guard, they still surrounded him, making it almost impossible for him to escape directly.
He noticed that the group of fishmen seemed to belong to the same tribe, with fishman A holding the highest position and the other fishmen obeying him.
He pretended to comply, carefully moving his limbs, which had become numb from being bound for so long, while secretly thinking of a way to escape.
He discovered that although Fishman A looked fierce, he seemed quite wary of the Deep Sea Convention, which might be something he could exploit.
An hour later, the fishmen led Zhou An to an underwater cave. The cave was dark and damp, and emitted a fishy stench.
Zhou An was pushed and shoved into the depths of the cave, where he found a water prison at the end.
The water prison was made of hard coral reefs and held a dozen or so humans, all of them pale and emaciated with dull eyes.
Zhou An's heart sank, realizing that he could not escape for the time being and could only be imprisoned in the water dungeon, waiting for an opportunity.
Over the next few days, Zhou An pretended to comply while secretly observing the situation.
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