Mermaids Weep (27)
"Finished talking?" Zhao Zhao blinked in surprise as she looked at Ye Yingying emerging from the dungeon. "Your eyes are better?"
"Thanks to Yao Yao."
Just as Yao Yao had said, Ye Yingying's vision was finally clear. Light flooded her eyes, and everything around her became crystal clear. Although she could vaguely see things in the dark prison, it was far too dark, almost like when she was blind. Now, out of the prison, the surroundings were instantly filled with light, and Ye Yingying finally felt the reality of regaining her sight. Her heart raced for the first time in a long time, and the joy of regaining her sight crept onto her lips.
Ye Yingying noticed the surprise on Tu Zhao's face and smiled slightly at him: "Let's go back."
"Oh, of course." Tu Zhao instinctively reached out to take Ye Yingying's hand, but immediately realized that she no longer needed it, so he withdrew his hand and coughed twice in a serious manner, "Come with me, I won't hold your hand."
With that, she turned away haughtily, flicked her tail, and swam forward. Ye Yingying followed closely behind. Finally regaining her sight, she greedily surveyed her surroundings. Looking around, this territory built by the merfolk was filled with towering stone buildings, with coral and glowing pearls adorning the stones, making the austere buildings colorful.
"So beautiful..." Ye Yingying couldn't help but exclaim.
"Hmph, you have pretty good taste." Zhao Zhao turned to look at Ye Yingying, proudly raising her chin, then asked, "By the way, how's Yao Yao doing inside? She's not crazy, is she?"
Ye Yingying shook her head gently: "No, I'm full of energy."
After Yao Yao's inner conflict was resolved, the light shining in her eyes convinced Ye Yingying that she had regained her spirits.
"That's good." Zhao Zhao felt relieved and smiled unconsciously, but then she suddenly felt Ye Yingying's gaze and put on a serious face, saying, "I was just worried that she would go crazy, and I would still have to be the clan leader!"
"Oh, I understand."
Ye Yingying looked at her with a meaningful smile, which made Zhao Zhao blush immediately. She tried her best to defend her behavior: "It's true! The position of clan leader is rotated according to surname. If Yao Yao can't become the clan leader, I will be overtaken!"
"Okay, okay, I understand," Ye Yingying comforted her, her smile unwavering.
Zhao Zhao had no choice but to turn around angrily and speed up.
The two soon returned to the clan leader's place. Tu Zhao led her through the door, and Ye Yingying immediately saw that tall figure. He had his back to her, his black hair cascading down, his white robes whiter than snow, his tall and straight posture elegant and upright, just as she had seen him in her previous life, unchanged in the slightest. For a moment, Ye Yingying felt as if she had returned to the Xuanming Realm.
Hearing the noise at the door, Yun Yanqiu slowly turned around, and their eyes met. In that instant, time seemed to freeze, everything around them suddenly dimmed and blurred, except for Yun Yanqiu's figure, which became increasingly clear in Ye Yingying's eyes. The moment he saw Ye Yingying, his gaze was initially surprised, but it quickly transformed into gentle joy, like the thick snow on a high mountain melting under the warm sun, turning into a gentle stream that rippled through Ye Yingying's heart.
"Chief, the person has been brought back."
Zhao Zhao's words pulled Ye Yingying back to her senses. She nodded slightly to Yun Yanqiu as a greeting. Seeing her like this, the light in Yun Yanqiu's eyes softened even more.
"Ahem!" Pei Heng coughed, interrupting the increasingly ambiguous atmosphere between the two. She said coldly, "Have you seen Pei Yao?"
"I've met her," Ye Yingying said, looking at the dignified woman. "She's fine."
Upon hearing this, Pei Heng's cold expression softened almost imperceptibly, but she maintained her dignity as the clan leader and unceremoniously ordered the two outsiders to leave: "Now that you've met them, go back to Elder Turtle and face your fate. I know you two have taken good care of her on land, but the Merfolk have never welcomed land dwellers, and there can be no exceptions."
"Tu Zhao, take them away."
Ye Yingying wanted to say something to Pei Heng, but Tu Zhao blocked the clan leader's way without saying a word and solemnly said, "Gentlemen, the time has come. Come with me."
Ye Yingying opened her mouth, then closed it again, and finally bowed with both hands in Pei Heng's direction, saying, "Thank you for your magnanimity, Clan Chief."
Pei-heng closed his eyes and ignored them.
"Alright, let's go." Tu Zhao stretched out his arms, as if to push the two of them out of the house.
Yun Yanqiu didn't give her a chance. She took two steps forward, grabbed Ye Yingying's hand, and led her out. Tu Zhao snorted in dissatisfaction and followed.
Ye Yingying was now somewhat unaccustomed to Yun Yanqiu's initiative. Before, when she was blind, she could have easily accepted Yun Yanqiu's help, but now that her sight had returned, seeing Yun Yanqiu holding her hand tightly, Ye Yingying felt inexplicably nervous. She looked up, wanting to speak to Yun Yanqiu, but seeing his unquestionable expression, she could only awkwardly lick her lips.
Just as Ye Yingying was struggling with how to deal with Yun Yanqiu's proactive approach, he suddenly asked out of the blue, "How do you feel?"
"Huh?" Ye Yingying looked at him blankly.
I'm talking about eyes.
"Oh, it feels alright," Ye Yingying replied blankly, showing none of her usual relaxed demeanor.
Yun Yanqiu noticed her change and subtly tightened his grip on Ye Yingying's hand.
At this moment, Tu Zhao, who was leading the way, stopped, and the two of them stopped as well. Upon closer inspection, they realized they were back at the entrance to the territory. Zhao Zhao put his hands on his hips and said to the two of them, "Let's go quickly, and don't come back again."
"Thank you, Zhao Zhao," Ye Yingying said goodbye to her.
Zhao Zhao didn't reply, but just made a face at the two of them and watched them walk away.
On land, the atmosphere within the Han residence was far from harmonious. Ever since news of Han Chengjin's accident spread like wildfire, everyone in the household had been busy running around. The eldest young master had left behind only the words, "Take good care of him," before disappearing without a trace. All the affairs of the household had fallen on Steward Liu's shoulders. Upon hearing that the master might be returning, Steward Liu quickly sent people to clean the dusty courtyard and ordered the purchase of new utensils, instructing the servants to ensure everything was ready before the master's return. As for Han Chengjin, Steward Liu also instructed Azhuo to take good care of him. Seeing the young master's pale face and unconscious state, with a pile of talismans stuck to his body, Steward Liu realized that something serious had happened.
"Steward, the master's courtyard has been cleaned, and all the furniture and utensils you ordered have been arranged," a servant reported.
This was probably the first piece of good news that Steward Liu had heard since the manor had entered a state of tension: "Good, good, well done!"
After saying that, he hurriedly ran to Han Chengjin's courtyard to check the situation. As soon as he arrived at the gate, he found that the servants who should have been waiting inside were all gathered outside, staring at each other, and even Azhuo was inside.
"What are you doing?" Manager Liu stepped forward and questioned.
When the servants saw him arrive, they quickly explained, "Steward, the master and the eldest young master suddenly appeared, then chased us out and went inside themselves."
"Master is back?!"
Manager Liu was startled and stared into the courtyard. He saw that the young master's door was tightly closed and there was no sound. Fortunately, the courtyard had been cleaned in time, Manager Liu thought to himself with relief. He turned around and waved to the group of people, saying, "Alright, everyone can go now. Just go about your business."
Then, he called Ah Zhuo over and asked in a low voice, "When did the master and the eldest young master return?"
“Just now,” Azhuo answered honestly, “He rushed into the courtyard and told us all to come out.”
"Oh, I see." Steward Liu glanced at the closed door again, still worried about the young master. "Then I'll stay here for a while. Go check if the master's yard is missing anything."
After receiving the order, A-Zhuo took his leave. Manager Liu stood outside the courtyard gate, his hands unconsciously clenched together.
Time ticked by, but there was still no sound from inside. Manager Liu grew increasingly anxious. He had watched the young master grow up; he hoped nothing bad had happened to him…
Suddenly, the door was opened, and a simply dressed middle-aged man strode out. His long, flowing hair was loosely draped over his shoulders, his temples were slightly gray, and he had a scraggly beard, making him look like a reclusive hermit in the mountains. But Steward Liu recognized the unkempt man at a glance and excitedly exclaimed, "Master!"
Hearing the voice, Han Yaocheng turned to look at Steward Liu at the gate and laughed heartily: "Old Liu, it's been so long, your hair has turned completely white!"
“As people get older, they naturally lose their black hair,” Steward Liu replied. The two chatted like old friends catching up after many years. “How is the young master?”
Han Yaocheng grimaced and said, "It's hard to say. His breath is weak, and he's only keeping going with the last breath thanks to the talisman array on his body. I just used my spiritual power to extend the array for four hours. We'll see if those two experts Cheng Yu mentioned can bring back the life-saving medicine."
After hearing this, Steward Liu couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, who would have thought that the head of the Lin family would be so vicious, not even sparing children? It's a pity that the young master is suffering like this..."
"He's no longer a child. Lin Shiyou was already the head of the family when he was his age. Even if we treat him like a child, those wolves and tigers outside won't let him go easily," Han Yaocheng said seriously, then turned to ask about Lin Shiyou, "Is Lin Shiyou really dead?"
"Yes, after the young master told me to spread the news, the other families went to see him. He died on his own ship, and the way he looked was really..." disgusting.
"Sigh." Han Yaocheng clicked his tongue and said, "He was so wicked, coming up with that kind of way to cause trouble. It's no wonder he went mad. It's all retribution."
After saying that, Han Yaocheng sighed with some regret: "What a pity. I used to think that with his courage, he could challenge me in less than a hundred years."
Lin Shiyou was once a promising junior of his, but he never expected that during his seclusion, Lin would go astray.
Han Yaocheng suddenly remembered something and then asked, "By the way, what about those two experts Cheng Yu mentioned..."
Before he could finish speaking, A-Zhu rushed over from a distance, shouting, "The two guests from the Lingyun Alliance are back!"
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