Mermaids Weep (13)
The fish-shaped tally was a token of authority for the Lin family, consisting of three pieces, each kept by one of the three heads of the family. Seeing the tally was like seeing the person, making it exceptionally significant. Lin Shiyou and Lin Xiaowen were both highly guarded and difficult to approach without close confidants. The third head, Lin Fang, however, enjoyed wandering the streets under the guise of patrolling, extorting money from the people. He was the easiest target. Furthermore, Lin Fang was careless and impulsive; losing the fish tally would undoubtedly cause him great anxiety, and he would inevitably seek someone of influence to plead for him. Among the Lin family members whose influence surpassed his, only Lin Shiyou and Lin Xiaowen held sway. It was obvious who would attend Lin Fang's banquet.
After receiving the news from Han Chengyu, Ye Yingying and the others came to Wanghailou to keep watch. Although the private room was equipped with a barrier to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping, the barrier was useless in front of Yun Yanqiu. So, the three of them used the Transformation Pill to change their appearance and sat openly in the lobby of Wanghailou, enjoying tea and snacks while listening to Lin Fang and Lin Xiaowen's conversation.
Once the sounds from the private room subsided, Yun Yanqiu rose and led his entourage away from Wanghai Tower. The three crossed several streets and reached the seaside, where Ye Yingying inquired about the situation: "Senior, did you hear any news?"
Yun Yanqiu remained silent, but Ye Yingying keenly sensed that his divine sense seemed to be searching for something.
Were they spies planted by the Lin family? No, those guys were dealt with by Yun Yanqiu long ago without anyone noticing.
Were they looking for Lin Fang or Lin Xiaowen? What did those two talk about in the side room just now? Why was Yun Yanqiu so concerned?
Just as Ye Yingying was about to ask, Yun Yanqiu's voice rang out first. He turned to Yao Yao and asked, "Does your clan have the concept of 'heart-protecting scales'?"
"Heart-protecting scales?" Yao Yao nodded. "They do exist, why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"They have a protective scale on their hands."
"What?" Yao Yao looked surprised. "Really?"
Ye Yingying had never heard of this thing before and asked curiously, "What's so special about it? Is it more precious than mermaid tears?"
“The Heart-Protecting Scale is the hardest scale on a merman’s body. If the scale doesn’t fall off, it can keep you alive,” Yao Yao said. “Although we sometimes give the Heart-Protecting Scale to the most important person in our lives, it is, after all, a life-saving item. Unless we have absolute confidence in our own strength, we will not do it easily.”
"What use is this thing for people on land?" Ye Yingying asked, puzzled.
"I don't know if the Heart-Protecting Scale is effective for land dwellers, but there was indeed a clan chief who used his own Heart-Protecting Scale to bring her child back to life. This is something even Dewdrop couldn't do, but it only happened once."
"Brought back to life!" Ye Yingying was shocked. If it was true, then this Heart-Protecting Scale was the most precious treasure of the Merfolk.
It was quite unexpected for Ye Yingying that Lin Shiyou and his group possessed such a rare treasure.
Can the protective scales of the heart be peeled off by external force?
Yao Yao shook her head, her face unusually serious. She said, "The Heart-Protecting Scale is like a mermaid's second heart. External forces will only damage the scale. Only by doing so can you remove the scale completely from your body."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yanqiu lowered his gaze slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to recount what he had heard: "But they killed that merman."
Yao Yao and Ye Yingying were both shocked. Since the Lin family had obtained the Heart-Protecting Scale, it meant that they had most likely taken the scale before killing the person. However, the Merfolk were always cautious towards humans. What reason could they have for the Merfolk to willingly give up the Heart-Protecting Scale? Moreover, the Lin family wanted to kill people to silence them after obtaining the Heart-Protecting Scale. Their hearts were truly vicious!
Thinking of this, Ye Yingying couldn't help but recall the image of the Ghost Calculator killing her. Even though his disheveled hair obscured his distorted face, Ye Yingying could still glimpse the excitement flickering in his turbid, blood-red eyes through the gaps. That ghostly madness left an indelible impression on her. In an instant, a piercing pain surged through Ye Yingying's chest again, and she lost her balance, feeling somewhat dizzy.
Her chaotic thoughts tried to break free of reason, but before Ye Yingying could recover, a large hand silently patted her back, and her escalating emotions suddenly calmed down. Then, Yun Yanqiu's steady voice entered her ears: "Lin Fang seems to have stolen Lin Shiyou's Heart-Protecting Scale and wants to use it to get Lin Xiaowen to plead for him."
Hearing this, Yao Yao could no longer suppress her anger and roared, "This is outrageous! They actually harmed my compatriots for their own selfish desires!"
"Why? How dare they do this!"
"Damn it, I'll make them all die in the sea! They'll all be buried with me!"
"Calm down."
"How could I possibly stay calm! I can't let these demons go! Absolutely not!"
Anger was rapidly consuming Yao Yao's reason, and even Yun Yanqiu's words couldn't reach her ears. Moreover, in her rage, Yao Yao felt Yun Yanqiu was utterly cold-blooded: "How could you...!"
Yao Yao abruptly looked up, about to denounce Yun Yanqiu's cold-heartedness, but when she met his eyes, her raging anger seemed to crash against a thick layer of ice. The spiritual pressure emanating from Yun Yanqiu, intentionally or unintentionally, was like a cold wind, blowing a wisp of reason out of her raging fury. Calling it reason wouldn't be entirely accurate; it was a natural fear arising from the face of absolute power, an instinct cultivated over many years of survival in the deep sea.
Merfolk are the overlords of the Secret Sea, but there are still beings like the Turtle Elder who can rival them with their millennia of cultivation. In the process of dealing with these forces, the merfolk's ancestors inevitably clashed, and through years of struggle, they naturally developed the ability to foresee danger. Although the merfolk have established a peaceful coexistence with these equally powerful beings over the past century, the instincts ingrained in Yao Yao's consciousness still remind her that this person before her must not be provoked.
This is so strange. A thought suddenly popped into Yao Yao's head: His spiritual power is clearly not as profound as that of the Turtle Elder, so why is the sense of pressure he brings to her comparable?
She stared at Yun Yanqiu, completely puzzled. Then she saw Yun Yanqiu's thin lips move as he spoke to her in an extremely calm voice, "Your transformation is about to give way."
Yao Yao was startled and looked down at her hands in a daze, just in time to see a few light-colored fish scales on the back of her hands that were faintly visible in the sunlight.
Fortunately, there was no one else around except the three of them. Yun Yanqiu looked at her and said, "Your emotions are out of control and your spiritual energy is disordered, which has affected the effect of the Transformation Pill."
"There are many vicious people in the world, and anger is understandable, but you must not let it take over your mind, otherwise it will breed inner demons." As he spoke, Yun Yanqiu raised his hand and unfolded a talisman, silently reciting a mantra. In an instant, he transformed the talisman into spiritual power and injected it into Yao Yao's brow. "This calming mantra can help you stabilize your mind. Recite it a few more times in the future when this happens."
Yao Yao reached up and touched her forehead, discovering that a phrase she had never seen before had indeed appeared in her mind. She looked up at this senior in a daze, feeling that he was more unfathomable than any elder she had ever met before.
At this moment, Ye Yingying, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, "Since Lin Fang is going to offer up his treasure, why don't we do something about it?"
"What do you want to do?" Yun Yanqiu asked.
"Just take the stuff away, so he has nothing to offer."
If the Heart-Protecting Scale is stolen, then the deal between Lin Fang and Lin Xiaowen will fall through, and no one will speak up for him. Lin Fang will naturally not have a good ending.
"However, robbing people on the street in broad daylight will inevitably give others something to say. It would be better to steal the things from Lin Fang's residence."
Yun Yanqiu hesitated. It wasn't that the method was unsuitable, but he wasn't entirely comfortable with who should do it. The safest approach would naturally be to return and have Han Chengyu send someone to infiltrate Lin Fang's residence and retrieve the treasure. However, Yun Yanqiu had already used his divine sense to detect Lin Fang's return, and Lin Xiaowen needed to see the treasure before sunset. If he went back now to inform him and then acted, he would definitely miss the opportunity. Yun Yanqiu took out the communication talisman he had given to Han Chengyu beforehand. He tried to activate the talisman, but received no response. It seemed that Han Chengyu was still negotiating with Lin Shi at the Yihai Hall.
Seeing Yun Yanqiu's solemn expression, Yao Yao suddenly volunteered, "I'll go steal it!"
Yun Yanqiu looked up, her gaze slightly surprised.
“Sister Ying’er has difficulty moving around, and you always have a stern face, so you seem difficult to get along with. It’s more appropriate for me to do this kind of infiltration.”
Yao Yao spoke bluntly, and her evaluation of Yun Yanqiu made Ye Yingying, who was standing to the side, chuckle. Yun Yanqiu didn't refute her verbally, but his gaze towards Yao Yao clearly showed that he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Instead of arguing with the girl, Yun Yanqiu simply asked her, "How do you plan to sneak in and steal the things?"
"This is not simple. Disguise yourself as a servant working in his mansion, then follow him to find the Heart-Protecting Scale, and then take the item out when the guards are not paying attention."
"...Where did you learn that?"
"That's how it's written in the storybooks," Yao Yao said righteously, hands on her hips. "Besides, I often use this trick to sneak out and play, I'm very good at it!"
Yun Yanqiu frowned, and his gaze toward Yao Yao became hesitant and unspeakable.
"Senior, let her give it a try," Ye Yingying advised from the side. "Anyway, we'll stay nearby and rush to help if there's any danger. Besides, doesn't Yao Yao also have a Heart-Protecting Scale? Isn't it said to be able to save one's life?"
Yao Yao's eyes widened slightly, but she immediately responded, "That's right! I'm fine!"
The two tried to persuade Yun Yanqiu, but when Yun Yanqiu met Yao Yao's hopeful gaze, he finally sighed helplessly, "Fine, you go."
Having received Yun Yanqiu's approval, Yao Yao was overjoyed. She excitedly tiptoed twice, and then heard Yun Yanqiu say, "But don't forget that we have a prior agreement with Elder Gui."
"No problem!" Yao Yao nodded emphatically. "Watch me!"
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