Mermaids Weep (9)
Four days have passed since Han Chengjin and his group left. During these four days, Han Chengyu sent people to closely monitor the actions of Lin Shi's several confidants, but those people showed no abnormality. Lin Shi's arrogance remained undiminished, and he continued to pressure and provoke him in the Yihai Hall.
With no word from the three who had gone out to sea, it would be impossible for Han Chengyu not to be anxious. He just hadn't expected them to return so suddenly.
Han Chengyu led everyone to the study to exchange information. Han Chengjin recounted their experiences at sea in detail, from encountering giant waves and eddies to being rescued and meeting Old Turtle.
Upon hearing their story, Han Chengyu patted his younger brother on the shoulder and sighed, "It's good that you came back safe and sound."
“Brother,” Han Chengjin continued, “we did indeed see a merman there, she…”
Recalling what they had said at Yunyan Hill in the cave, Han Chengjin was momentarily at a loss for how to introduce Yao Yao.
Unexpectedly, Yun Yanqiu took the initiative to mention Yao Yao's identity: "This is Pei Yao, a girl from the Merfolk. She is only coming ashore with us to take care of some business. I will send her back after we finish."
Upon hearing Pei Yao's identity, Han Chengyu's expression flashed with surprise, but he quickly greeted her politely: "So you are a girl from the Merfolk. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Han Chengyu, the acting head of this household."
Yao Yao hadn't sorted out her thoughts yet and didn't know how to face Han Chengyu. She could only stare silently at the familiar yet unfamiliar man in front of her, trying to find some shadows of her memories in him.
The scene suddenly fell silent. Yao Yao felt several gazes on her at the same time, and felt very uncomfortable, so she took two steps to hide behind Ye Yingying.
This action was seen by everyone present, especially Han Chengjin. He was puzzled by Yao Yao's rather unusual behavior. She was so excited before, but why did she become so listless after seeing Han Chengyu?
Even though Ye Yingying couldn't see it, she sensed the subtle atmosphere at the moment, so she changed the subject, saying, "Many of the rules of the Merfolk are different from those on land. Yao Yao still needs some time to adapt. Let's talk about our next steps first."
Han Chengjin was still pondering Yao Yao's actions when he heard Ye Yingying bring up serious matters. He immediately came to his senses: "Now that the truth is clear, I will go to Yihaitang with my brother tomorrow to inform them."
The disappearance of the rogue cultivators was not the work of the merfolk. Once this point is made clear, the powerful families will abandon their plans to attack the merfolk and instead look for the real culprit in the disappearances from other angles.
Han Chengjin had this in mind, but Ye Yingying interrupted his enthusiasm: "Brother Han, when you face them tomorrow, you have to lie and say that we encountered a suspicious person's attack at sea before we even saw the merfolk, and in the end we had no choice but to turn back."
"Why??" Han Chengjin was puzzled by this sudden request.
Ye Yingying remained calm and composed, instead putting on airs and questioning Han Chengjin: "Now I am Lin Shiyou, and I need you to provide evidence that merfolk are not aggressive. What can you give me?"
Han Chengjin was taken aback: "We went to the sea and met the merman and the old turtle. The old turtle also said that they would not attack land people unless provoked. Besides, we came back safely. Isn't that proof enough?"
"Who knows if you're just pretending to go out to sea and actually just going around in circles before coming back? If you say you saw merfolk, then show us some proof."
"This..." Han Chengjin was speechless. Ye Yingying's words made sense. They had only seen and heard with their own eyes and ears, but they had not found any physical evidence to prove their experience.
Actually, it wasn't that there was no physical evidence... Han Chengjin glanced at Yao Yao's half-exposed head and, seeing that she looked absent-minded, quickly dismissed the thought that had just popped into his mind.
He knew all too well the dangerous waves that would be stirred up if this most compelling evidence were released.
But since Miss Ying'er has already thought of this, why didn't she ask Old Turtle for a token while they were in the sea?
Thinking of this, Han Chengjin immediately protested to Ye Yingying: "Why didn't you ask for one when you were at Old Turtle's?"
Ye Yingying crossed her arms and patiently explained, "Even if you get the token, so what? Will you spread the word that merfolk won't attack land people? What will the other families think? Will Lin Shiyou change his tune and incite everyone to attack in order to seize the treasure from the merfolk?"
At this point, Han Chengjin suddenly realized that the reason Lin Shiyou had so easily agreed to his flawed sea voyage plan was that he had no intention of accepting the conclusions he brought back.
Whether or not the merfolk were found, Lin Shiyou had a set of arguments to convince the aristocratic families to continue to agree with his claims, while also using this as an opportunity to criticize the Han family.
Han Chengjin felt a chill run down his spine; now he truly understood the other party's cunning.
Han Chengjin looked at Yun Yanqiu and Han Chengyu from left to right, and seeing their calm expressions, he couldn't help but ask, "So, you knew all along?"
The two remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Han Chengjin then realized that he was the only one who had been kept in the dark from the beginning. This conclusion inevitably made him somewhat disappointed, but when he thought about how insidious Lin Shiyou was, he couldn't help but feel fortunate that he didn't know, so that the other party could lower his guard.
"This trip wasn't entirely fruitless," Han Chengyu comforted his younger brother. "The biggest gain is that you've confirmed the merfolk won't attack cultivators. The rest is to quickly gather evidence of Lin Shiyou's wrongdoings."
“Exactly, so what you need to do next, Brother Cheng Jin, is of utmost importance.” Ye Yingying said solemnly, “You need to lie and say that we were attacked at sea, and point the finger at the Lin family, so that other families will doubt Lin Shiyou and shake his prestige in the Yihai Hall.”
After hearing this, Han Chengjin scratched his head somewhat guiltily: "But, you just mentioned that words alone are not enough..."
How can you accuse someone without evidence?
"I've already sent someone to obtain the token from one of his trusted confidants. You can use this as evidence later." Han Chengyu took out a fish-shaped tally with the character "Lin" clearly engraved on it.
Before Han Chengjin could even process what was happening, he had already taken the fish-shaped talisman. He stared at the talisman blankly, feeling as if he had been completely taken care of.
"Don't be afraid, I'll be there to help you." Han Chengyu patted his shoulder again to encourage him.
Having been entrusted with such a serious task, Han Chengjin felt that he had no choice but to accept it.
But he still hesitated: "Even if we point the finger at Lin Shiyou in the missing persons case, we don't have any direct evidence to prove that he did it."
"It's alright." Ye Yingying said confidently, "There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Let's dig into what secrets he's hiding."
After talking for a while, the group dispersed. Yao Yao remained silent the entire time, not saying a word from beginning to end.
Yun Yanqiu and Ye Yingying led Yao Yao toward the guest courtyard, while Han Chengjin stood still, watching the three of them go. As he watched, his gaze unconsciously fell on the mermaid girl's back, and he remained motionless for a long time.
"What are you doing?" Han Chengyu stood beside him with his hands behind his back, following his younger brother's gaze, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "What happened between you and that merman girl?"
Han Chengjin trembled and repeatedly denied it: "No, it's nothing."
He was just a little concerned about Yao Yao and his own brother, wondering what exactly happened... Before they came back, Yao Yao's eyes would light up whenever Han Chengyu was mentioned, and her joy was genuine. But when she actually saw Han Chengyu in person, she seemed listless.
Han Chengjin was certain there was some inside story he didn't know, but judging from his brother's expression, it seemed as if he had never seen Yao Yao before, which was quite puzzling.
“Cheng Jin, those plans I just mentioned weren’t something I didn’t tell you beforehand because I didn’t trust you.” Han Chengyu felt somewhat guilty about hiding things from Han Cheng Jin, so he explained, “It’s just that since you decided to get involved in these things, it was inevitable…”
"Brother, it's okay, I understand." That wasn't what Han Chengjin cared about most right now. He cautiously asked, "Brother, have you ever seen a merman before?"
"Hmm?" Han Chengyu raised an eyebrow, looking at his younger brother with a puzzled expression. "Why would you ask that?"
"N-nothing," Han Chengjin stammered.
He suddenly panicked and hurriedly made an excuse to leave, leaving Han Chengyu alone in the same spot, lost in thought.
Ye Yingying and the other two returned to the guest courtyard. There were only two rooms in the courtyard, so Ye Yingying suggested that she and Yao Yao share a room so that they could look after each other.
Yao Yao was still in a daze, immersed in her own emotions, and even her simple responses sounded weak and listless.
Ye Yingying couldn't see her expression, so she naturally didn't know exactly when the change had occurred. But Han Chengyu's respectful attitude in the study earlier might have been the reason for Yao Yao's low spirits. Thinking of this, Ye Yingying couldn't help but sigh.
"Is Han Chengyu that important to you?" Ye Yingying asked.
Yao Yao, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. She said softly, "He was the first friend I made on land."
"If you were to reunite with him, what would you say to him?"
What should I say? Yao Yao pondered this question silently in her heart for a long time.
Actually, she wasn't sure what to say. Perhaps she should share the new things she had encountered in the sea over the years, or perhaps she should confide in him the pent-up resentment she had accumulated under the strict upbringing of the adults in her tribe, just like when she was a child.
For her, her childhood with Han Chengyu was the most secret treasure in the world. There was no annoying teaching or discipline, and she built a wonderful bond with the person she thought she would never meet again. The joy in this bond was irreplaceable, and Han Chengyu's image from her childhood was deeply imprinted in her mind, becoming one of her most precious memories. She has never given up on the idea of rekindling this bond.
She had assumed the other person, like herself, cherished that memory, and that they could smile at each other like they did in childhood whenever they met. But now it seemed that she was the only one who treasured that memory.
“I thought that as long as he saw me or heard my familiar name, he would remember me.”
"But he doesn't resemble the Han Chengyu I remember at all..."
Yao Yao felt a little wronged. In her memory, Han Chengyu was gentle and kind, like a ray of sunlight shining into the deep sea, bright but not scorching.
Han Chengyu would talk to her endlessly about everything about himself, such as his parents, his studies... They talked about everything, and it would last for most of the night, until all around was quiet, with only the whisper of the waves gently caressing the shore.
But when she saw Han Chengyu again, his eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of ice. Even though Yun Yanqiu had revealed her identity to him, that thin layer of ice did not dissipate. His words and actions were full of aloofness towards her, as if he had never known her before.
"He's not the Han Chengyu I know anymore, so is there any need for me to acknowledge him?" Yao Yao was confused. She didn't know how to sort out her chaotic thoughts, and her thoughts just slipped out unintentionally.
Hearing this, Ye Yingying didn't know how to respond. In her previous life, she had "died young," and this life had just begun. In both lifetimes, the number of old friends she could truly be considered close to was only a handful.
Now that she has encountered Yun Yanqiu again, she is unsure whether she should acknowledge him as her father.
At first, she was worried that the other party was there to "collect a debt" and dared not reveal her identity. But after spending more time together, and seeing how much he had helped her, especially with the matter of Yinyou Reef, it would be a lie to say that she was not wavering.
But what happens after I reveal my identity to him? Do I admit that I have betrayed his trust and used him repeatedly?
How disappointed he must be in himself.
Thinking about this, Ye Yingying actually felt a sense of fear.
Would he accept me as I am? This question kept popping into Ye Yingying's mind, and the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.
Just then, Yun Yanqiu suddenly said, "How can you know what he's thinking if you haven't even asked him yourself?"
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