Gu Qingqiu was awakened by hunger. She had not eaten for a day and a night, and she suspected that even if someone untied her, she would not have the strength to run away.
The sea breeze made her shiver uncontrollably. She trembled, her lips turning pale from the cold, and opened her heavy eyelids. She noticed that a group of people had gathered around her, all dressed in black robes. They were not wearing masks, but their appearances were all very ordinary; at least, Gu Qingqiu would not remember them after just one glance.
A brazier was placed in front of Gu Qingqiu, its firelight illuminating the dark night and bringing her a faint warmth.
The wizard began chanting something, and Gu Qingqiu couldn't quite tell whether he was just being mysterious or if he really had some skills. But when he finished chanting for twenty minutes, she actually heard the sound of the seawater churning, as if something on the seabed was responding to the wizard.
A black-robed figure stepped forward from behind the wizard, pulled a dagger from his robes, and, to Gu Qingqiu's horror, slashed open the skin on her arms and thighs.
The feeling of being cut by a knife terrified Gu Qingqiu, but she could sense that the other person's movements were very skillful. The wounds on her body were not deep, but they were enough to keep bleeding.
And all of this was clearly just the beginning. Gu Qingqiu felt herself being carried around the brazier with her limbs outstretched and head down.
Gu Qingqiu, who was already so hungry that she was seeing stars, was even more dizzy and lightheaded at this moment, feeling as if all the blood in her body was rushing to her brain.
For a fleeting moment, Gu Qingqiu wished that these black-robed monsters would just throw her into the fire and roast her.
No wonder they weren't letting her eat; they were afraid she'd throw up...
Gu Qingqiu really felt like vomiting, as if her internal organs were protesting in discomfort, and the blood seeping from the cuts on her limbs had even stained her clothes red.
After dragging Gu Qingqiu around the fire pit dozens of times, the group of black-robed monsters chanted strange incantations as they carried her towards the sea. The journey was bumpy, and Gu Qingqiu felt as if the wounds on her limbs had been torn open even wider.
The whole town could probably hear it, but every household along the way had their doors and windows tightly shut, and no one lit any candles. They tacitly accepted the sacrifice of Gu Qingqiu.
Just as Gu Qingqiu had guessed, she was thrown into the sea, and along with the cross, her hands and feet were restrained, eliminating any possibility of her swimming away to escape.
The seawater at night was bitterly cold, which cleared Gu Qingqiu's somewhat muddled consciousness. She opened her eyes and saw the blood seeping from her limbs merging and drifting in the seawater, attracting many fish to swarm around her.
One of the large fish had even started trying to bite Gu Qingqiu. Fortunately, the fabric she was wearing was thick enough, otherwise she would probably have been swallowed up by the fish immediately.
Just imagining that scene terrified Gu Qingqiu. She wasn't unfamiliar with dying, but she didn't want to die so miserably and tragically! Couldn't she just have a quick death? Even having her neck bitten off would be better than being eaten piece by piece like this.
And... I don't know what this wizard did to her body, but she can still breathe underwater! She can't even drown.
"Ah!" Gu Qingqiu cried out in pain. It was some fish that had gotten angry from chewing on the fabric that had bitten her exposed cheek.
"Am I going to be disfigured?" Gu Qingqiu felt a sharp pain in her cheek, but now was not the time to worry about that.
Heavy objects sink when they fall into water. Gu Qingqiu felt herself sinking into the deep sea at a constant speed. The pressure of the seawater increased, making it hard for Gu Qingqiu to breathe. She felt as if her internal organs were about to explode at any moment.
Blood began to seep from the corners of her eyes, mouth, and nostrils, as if she couldn't withstand the pressure.
She must look terrifying right now...
Gu Qingqiu thought in despair.
Just then, the school of fish in front of her scattered in all directions like startled birds.
A light seemed to appear before her eyes. Gu Qingqiu squinted at the light, and when she opened her eyes again, she was stunned.
It was a mermaid so beautiful that it was impossible to tell if she was male or female. She had long, curly silver hair, exquisite features, a pitiful expression, and an inhuman divinity. Her upper body had well-proportioned and powerful muscles, and her skin was as smooth as jade and glowed white.
Its eight-pack abs are neatly arranged, its body is slender and elegant, and its lower body is a fish tail that is being swung, covered with dense, shiny scales that reflect all kinds of light in the water, like colorful gems shining in the sunlight.
His eyes were a deep, ocean-blue color, breathtakingly beautiful, and filled with an aura of mystery and danger.
So beautiful... That was Gu Qingqiu's only thought at the moment.
Even though she had seen many good-looking people, this was the first time she had felt such an overwhelming and intense visual assault.
No wonder people think of mermaids as dangerous creatures, spirits of the ocean, and one of the most enchanting symbols of the sea.
Anyone who sees such a beautiful creature would surely feel a sense of fondness for it.
But this handsome merman didn't seem to like Gu Qingqiu. Although his expression didn't change, Gu Qingqiu could still sense his disgust.
The mermaid circled Gu Qingqiu once, seemingly sizing up this strange human who had been thrown into the sea.
His tail drew a graceful arc in the water, like an artistic performance, as elegant as dancing in the water, but his behavior was exceptionally rude.
In the instant Gu Qingqiu was stunned and admiring him, his thick and powerful fish tail slapped against Gu Qingqiu's waist with a "smack," causing Gu Qingqiu to vomit a mouthful of blood with a "whoosh."
The mermaid crossed her arms, seemingly enjoying Gu Qingqiu's miserable appearance. The next second, her tail lashed out at Gu Qingqiu's back.
The intense pain caused Gu Qingqiu's brain to short-circuit for a moment. She felt her vision go black and almost fainted.
But the mermaid didn't give up. He seemed to enjoy tormenting the human. The more frightened and pained Gu Qingqiu appeared, the more excited he became, and the more forcefully his tail twitched.
[A host life form has been detected in danger. Activate defense mode or use an item?]
Just as Gu Qingqiu was about to faint, System No. 057 sounded in her mind.
"Open! Open!" Gu Qingqiu immediately responded, "What props do you have? Buy them! Hurry up!"
She no longer cared about looking disheveled; she just wanted this torment to end quickly.
Since Gu Qingqiu was no longer aware of selecting and purchasing items in the system shop, she handed everything over to System 057.
The moment the agency relationship was established, Gu Qingqiu's vision went black, and she completely fainted.
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