Mermaids Weep (2)
Overjoyed to receive permission, Han Chengjin repeatedly expressed his gratitude and quickly displayed the hospitality of a host. The carriage arrived at the Secret Sea amidst Han Chengjin's incessant chatter, and Han Chengjin led the two straight to the Han residence.
Along the way, Ye Yingying sensed that the spiritual energy fluctuations in the Secret Sea were on a completely different level from those in Zhi County. Perhaps it was because the spiritual fish in the sea were rich in spiritual energy, and people on land accumulated spiritual energy in their bodies after eating the fish. Even ordinary people without any talent had much stronger spiritual energy in their bodies than those in other places. Among these spiritual energy fluctuations, there were some with similar strength to those in Yun Yanqiu, but she was already familiar with the spiritual energy in Yun Yanqiu, so it didn't bother her.
The Han family of Mihai was a well-known and prominent family in the area. Before the group even reached the gate, a servant came up from the front of the Han residence and shouted, "Second Young Master, you're back!"
"Ah Zhuo!" Han Chengjin exclaimed excitedly as he ran a few steps upon seeing the servant. "Is my brother home?"
"Young Master went to the Yihai Hall to discuss matters again and won't be back until later," Azhuo replied, her gaze noticing the two people behind Han Chengjin. "Young Master, did you bring friends back?"
"These two are my helpers, distinguished guests from the Lingyun Alliance. They've been staying at our house for the past few days. Go and tell Uncle Liu to prepare their rooms. I'll take them to the front hall for a seat first."
"Okay." After receiving the instructions, A-Zhuo turned around and went to find Steward Liu to pass on the message.
Han Chengjin turned around and introduced his family to the two of them: "That was Azhuo, Uncle Liu's adopted son. My mother passed away early, and Uncle Liu manages all the household affairs. If you need anything in the future, just ask him."
As Han Chengjin spoke, he led the two to the front hall. The Han residence was a beautiful place, with birds singing and flowers blooming along the way, stone bridges spanning clear waters, and a gentle breeze blowing. The servants they encountered on the way all bowed and greeted them, which Ye Yingying found quite novel.
After all, in her previous life, she had lived with Ghost Calculator on Michen Mountain since she was old enough to understand things. They were the only two living people on the mountain. Even when she traveled all over the country searching for treasures, she mostly went to desolate wilderness areas. Occasionally, she would visit a noble family to collect a debt, and they never gave her a kind look.
Now that she was being treated as an honored guest of a prominent family, Ye Yingying felt quite flattered.
Yun Yanqiu, however, remained calm and asked, "Does your father really entrust all the affairs of the manor to you?"
“My father has been in seclusion for many years and has not been involved in worldly affairs,” Han Chengjin explained. “My brother has always been in charge of handling all family matters. I am not very capable and can only assist from the sidelines.”
As Han Chengjin spoke, he led the two to the front hall to sit down. The steward Liu, whom they had just mentioned, also appeared in the hall, bowed and greeted them, and then asked a few questions about the guests' preferences before leaving to arrange their rooms.
A moment later, a maid from the manor came up to make tea for them. Taking advantage of the break, Han Chengjin asked about their plans: "Do you two have any plans regarding the search for the mermaids?"
Yun Yanqiu replied, "We will charter a ship that will sail out to sea at night, and when the merman surfaces and sings, we will meet him at sea."
Upon hearing this, Han Chengjin paused in his tea-serving motion, inwardly marveling at the audacity of this guest elder from the Lingyun Alliance. After all, if the mermaids who chanted at night were as easily approachable as he described, the people on land wouldn't be so afraid of them. Han Chengjin hesitated for a moment before voicing his doubts: "As far as I know, when mermaids chant, there are often undercurrents beneath the surface of the sea. Coupled with the dim light at night, ships at sea are easily capsized, making it difficult to approach the location of the mermaids."
“The sea is the domain of the merfolk; venturing in rashly could lead to unforeseen dangers. On the other hand, there is more room for maneuver at sea.” Yun Yanqiu calmly picked up his teacup, exhaled lightly, and created ripples on the water’s surface.
"...That's not wrong." Han Chengjin lowered his head in silence and thought for a moment, feeling that Yun Yanqiu's analysis made sense.
People on land already know very little about merfolk. Although approaching merfolk who sing on the surface of the sea is considered extremely dangerous, it is the most likely way to see merfolk nowadays. After all, no one knows how merfolk will treat them if they go into the sea.
"Fellow Daoist Han, there's no need to be nervous. Since Senior Yun has said so, he must have come prepared," Ye Yingying said with a smile, trying to comfort him.
Han Chengjin quickly looked up, somewhat flustered, and said, "It's not that I don't trust you two. Since I've chosen to travel with you, I will definitely follow your arrangements. Senior Yun is right. I'll have someone prepare a boat right away. Recently, we've often heard mermaids chanting at night. If we're lucky, we can go and see them tomorrow night."
"That would be wonderful, thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Han." Ye Yingying smiled even more brightly.
Just as the atmosphere was peaceful, Ah Zhu rushed in, excitedly shouting, "Second Young Master! Second Young Master! The Eldest Young Master is back!"
"Brother's back?!" Han Chengjin exclaimed excitedly, jumping up from his chair.
Following Han Chengjin's gaze, Yun Yanqiu saw a man in a light-colored, wide-sleeved robe slowly walk into the hall. His features were extremely similar to Han Chengjin's, but the feeling he gave off was quite different, especially his eyes. If Han Chengjin's eyes were like a pool of flowing clear water, then the eyes of this man were like a calm, deep pool.
The man entered and immediately spotted the guests in the hall. He walked straight to Yun Yanqiu and Ye Yingying, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Han Chengyu, the acting head of the Han family of the Secret Sea. I just heard that distinguished guests from the Lingyun Alliance have arrived. I apologize for not being able to welcome you properly."
Yun Yanqiu nodded slightly in acknowledgment, while Ye Yingying stood up to return the greeting, saying, "Young Master, you are too kind. We just happened to meet the Second Young Master on the road and got along well, so we had this opportunity to visit. The Second Young Master is very hospitable, arranging accommodations and preparing tea. We are truly grateful."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Han Chengyu glanced at Han Chengjin, who was standing obediently beside him, with some surprise. He added a smile to his words, "Chengjin is a bit rash. I hope he won't cause you two any trouble in the future."
"Brother, I didn't!" Han Chengjin felt a little embarrassed when he heard his older brother make such a comment about him in front of outsiders, and he protested weakly.
Han Chengyu just smiled lightly, turned around and sat down, and started talking with Ye Yingying and the others: "The scenery in the Secret Sea is vast and the spirit fish are delicious. Are you two here to relax and recuperate?"
“No, brother, I invited them to help me find the merfolk,” Han Chengjin answered first.
Upon hearing this, Han Chengyu visibly paused in his tea-serving motion, but quickly regained his composure: "You two have come for the merfolk?"
"Yes." Ye Yingying nodded. "As you can see, I have some problems with my eyes, so I came here specifically to find mermaid tears to cure this eye ailment."
A hint of surprise flashed in Han Chengyu's eyes. He did not answer immediately. As if he thought the tea was too hot, he gently blew on the surface of the water before taking a sip. Then he said, "Mermaids are treacherous. Throughout history, countless talented people have perished in the Secret Sea because of them. You two must have heard similar rumors."
"Of course I know, and I've come prepared," Ye Yingying said confidently. With Yun Yanqiu there, what was there to fear? "But you, of all the powerful families in the Secret Sea who want to wage war against the merfolk, only you haven't yet expressed your opinion. Since those merfolk are so ferocious, why not quickly unite with the other families and take the initiative to attack?"
Han Chengyu looked up and asked with a hint of wariness, "Did Cheng Jin tell you this?"
“Of course, it was said by the Second Young Master himself.” Ye Yingying smiled. “The Second Young Master was worried that you couldn’t make up your mind, so he wanted to come with us to meet the merfolk, see if they were good or bad, and then come back to report to you.”
Upon hearing this, Han Chengyu's face darkened considerably, while Han Chengjin, standing to the side, was extremely excited, his eyes shining, and said to his older brother, "Brother, Senior Yun is a guest elder of the Lingyun Alliance, and his strength is extraordinary. We were just talking about how to meet the merfolk."
Han Chengyu ignored him, staring at the ground in front of him as if he was thinking about something. He put down his teacup, stood up and said, "Cheng Jin is outspoken and said some nonsense in a moment of excitement. You two must be tired after your long journey. Why don't you go back to your rooms to rest first, and I will send someone to invite you to dinner later."
As quick-witted as Ye Yingying was, she immediately understood the hidden meaning in Han Chengyu's words. She jumped up from her chair and said, "Young Master, you are too kind. We are indeed a little tired, so we will take our leave first."
Ye Yingying softly called out "Senior Yun," and Yun Yanqiu stood up and left the front hall with her. Manager Liu, who had been there earlier, was already waiting at the door. As soon as the two stepped out, he led them to the guest rooms that had been arranged for them.
Even the slow-witted Han Chengjin realized his brother was a little angry. He didn't dare say anything more, but silently stood up and watched the two leave with Han Chengyu. After they had gone far away, Han Chengyu sighed, put his hands behind his back, and spoke with suppressed anger: "The matter of attacking the merfolk is still under discussion. How could you bring it up to outsiders? Especially people from the Lingyun Alliance."
"Brother, I..." Han Chengjin realized he had done something wrong, but the words were already out and there was no going back. He could only lower his head and wait for his elders' scolding like a child who knew he had made a mistake.
"The merfolk are not something you should worry about. Your cultivation is still shallow; how could you possibly handle the complex situations at sea?"
"That's why I went out to find help!" Han Chengjin hurriedly defended himself.
To his surprise, Han Chengyu became even more displeased upon hearing this. He frowned and scolded, "If I had known you went out for this reason, I wouldn't have let you out in the first place!"
Han Chengjin fell silent, his eyes darting away, unable to meet his brother's gaze. He lowered his head, pursed his lips, and unconsciously tightened his shoulders, looking somewhat aggrieved. Seeing him like this, Han Chengyu's words of reprimand caught in his throat, turning into a long sigh instead.
"We'll continue to serve the guests as usual. I'll make things clear to them tonight: you're not allowed to mention going out to sea to find merfolk again."
After saying this, Han Chengyu strode away from the front hall. Han Chengjin, who was left inside, was unwilling, but dared not provoke his brother any further, so he could only watch him leave the hall.
Han Chengjin lowered his head, his gaze falling on the pearls hanging around his neck. He gently picked up the pearls and rubbed them, remaining silent for a while before deciding to find a helper.
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