Chapter 56: Eternal Day (Twenty) Cang Yu
Wen Yin sat on the bed for a long time before she lifted the thin quilt and got out of bed.
She stood in front of the huge floor-length mirror and took off her soft nightgown.
The mirror still shows the fair and slender figure of a human being, and the line of sight goes from the neck to the collarbone, from the waist to the legs and all the way down.
Except for the lips which were slightly red from the kiss, the skin elsewhere was as smooth as before, without any abnormality.
Wen Yin put on her clothes, opened the door and glanced towards the bathroom.
Inside the frosted glass door, Cangli was still lying quietly on the edge of the bathtub, facing the vast ocean outside the porthole, as if something in the deep blue was deeply attracting him.
Sensing the movement in the bedroom, his blue tail fin immersed in the water swayed slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Wen Yin withdrew her gaze and briefly told 028 about her dream last night.
[Twins…] 028 exclaimed after hearing Wen Yin's story, [So they really are the source of the weirdness…]
[Well, Cangli and Cangyu, these two twins, connected by blood and intertwined by fate, together constitute the core anomaly of this small world.]
[Then, host, the difficulty of your mission has doubled...]
028's voice was filled with obvious worry.
"And if you continue to be fed that kind of blood, your body will definitely undergo an irreversible transformation. Look at the miserable state of those guests when they mutated... I'm worried about you..."
[The mutated mermaid blood that the guests drank should be different from Cangli and Cangyu's blood.]
Wen Yin was not particularly worried about 028's concerns. She instinctively felt that they would not have the heart to let her suffer such pain.
[Host, the source of the strangeness has been identified, but given the current situation, we're bound to the ocean for a while. We can't return to land to expose the evil deeds of some humans and the abuse suffered by the mermaids.]
028 continued to speak,
[Then how can we rectify this malice stemming from a deep blood feud...]
[Should we persuade them to let go of their hatred? That sounds... almost impossible.]
[Perhaps... the key is not to make them forget their hatred,
Wen Yin looked out the window at the sea thoughtfully.
[It's about... finding an emotion that can replace hatred...]
[For example...infinite love.]
-
Wen Yin packed everything and ordered two breakfasts which were also delivered to her door.
One is a typical human breakfast: perfectly fried sunny-side-up eggs, crispy bacon, grilled tomatoes, fresh juice and pastries.
The other one was a silver plate covered with crushed ice, on which were neatly arranged processed deep-sea fish with crystal clear flesh, exuding the unique sweet scent of the ocean.
Although Wen Yin knew that Cangli, as one of the "sources of weirdness", might no longer need to rely on such ordinary food to sustain life, she still picked up the silver plate containing the fresh fish and placed it on the island dining table in the middle of the living room.
The island is very high and there are several high stools next to it.
Wen Yin turned towards the bathroom and called out in a low but clear voice, "Cangli."
The figure in the bathtub moved.
Cangli turned his head and looked over with his dark blue eyes, with a hint of clear doubt in them, as if he didn't understand why Wen Yin called him.
Wen Yin didn't explain too much, but just gestured with her eyes to the plate of fresh fish on the dining table that was gleaming in the morning light, her tone gentle and calm.
"Want to...eat something together? Come over here."
Wen Yin's invitation made Cangli tilt his head in confusion.
He looked at the plate of fish, then looked at Wen Yin who was standing at the island counter, bathed in the golden morning sun, as if he could not understand the meaning behind this action.
He was used to being demanded and imprisoned, and had never experienced such an almost equal and daily invitation to share a meal with a human being.
The morning light shines through the clean portholes, filling the entire living room and outlining Wen Yin's soft and delicate profile.
She stood there, her eyes calm and with a strange sense of tolerance.
After hesitating for a moment, Cangli finally moved under Wen Yin's gaze.
There was a sound of splashing water.
His dark blue fish tail was the first to poke out of the bathtub, bringing out dripping water drops.
Then the entire tall body completely emerged from the water, using its beautiful tail to support its body, and slowly glided over like some ancient, elegant and mysterious creature.
Wen Yin did not retreat, but just watched him approach quietly.
Cangli finally stopped in front of the island platform.
The height of the island is slightly too low for Cangli, who has a slender figure and needs to use his tail to support himself when standing.
Wen Yin naturally sat on a high stool and looked up at him slightly in the golden morning light.
Cangli looked at the fish on the table, then looked at Wen Yin, as if confirming whether this was really allowed.
Wen Yin picked up her cutlery, pointed at the plate of fish, nodded slightly to him, then picked up a small piece of fried egg with a fork and put it into her mouth as a demonstration.
After hesitating for a moment, Cangli finally stretched out his pale and slender hand and carefully picked up a crystal clear little fish.
His movements still carried a natural grace, and the sunlight fell on his wet long hair and dark blue scales, reflecting a dreamy and hazy luster.
Wen Yin ate her breakfast quietly, occasionally looking up at Cangli in front of her.
Watching him quietly eat, watching his blue eyes occasionally narrowing slightly because of the delicious fish meat, watching his huge fish tail swaying slightly to support his body, which contained great power but was also covered with scars...
Looking at his eyes that looked at her from time to time, like blue gemstones.
In those eyes, there was no despair or pain, no gloom or tears, only the reflection of her tiny human body.
Wen Yin lowered her head and blinked her slightly sore eyes.
-
Half of the month has passed in the blink of an eye on the one-month sea voyage.
After Wen Yin and Cangli finished their breakfast, they went out to the busy deck.
The slightly salty sea breeze brushed across her cheeks, blowing up a few strands of her black hair. In the distance, the sea and the sky merged into one, a boundless azure, tranquil and magnificent sight.
Just as her eyes inadvertently swept across the noisy crowd on the deck, they suddenly stopped on a familiar figure.
It was the lady who had abnormal scales behind her ears and later transformed into a blue mermaid in front of her eyes.
She was now standing not far away, intact, chatting with several guests.
She was wearing a gorgeous dress and an exquisite mask, and her gesture of raising the glass seemed elegant, but upon closer inspection, one could detect an indescribable sense of incongruity.
Her movements were too stiff.
The curve of his smile was so perfect it looked like it was drawn with a ruler, and there was a mimetic emptiness deep in his eyes.
Like... an exquisite puppet.
Or rather... an unidentified creature in human skin.
Wen Yin's expression didn't change, but she called 028 in her mind.
[028, immediately check the bottom of the hold. Is the mermaid still inside container number 001?]
028 quickly responded with the answer.
[Host, that cyan mermaid is still sitting in container 001. It looks a little weak, but it's still there!]
Wen Yin frowned slightly under the mask.
Since the person who caused the mutation is still trapped in the bottom of the cabin, then what exactly is this thing in front of me, wearing the other person's skin and walking in the sun?
Wen Yin suppressed the fear in her heart and glanced at the crowd.
One, two, three...
She quickly recognized that several of the "guests" who she had confirmed through 028's perspective had mutated and were sent to the bottom of the cabin were now safe and sound among the crowd.
Although mostly hidden by masks, they still carried that subtle, indescribable sense of stiffness and inhumanity.
Wen Yin exhaled lightly, with a concerned smile on her face, and walked towards the lady naturally.
"What a coincidence," Wen Yin's voice was soft and pleasant. "The skin behind your ear is allergic. I wonder if it's better now?"
When the lady heard Wen Yin's voice, she instinctively turned her head. The moment she saw Wen Yin, the pupils under the mask seemed to shrink slightly.
The next second, she even swallowed uncontrollably, as if she was suppressing some instinctive desire for "deliciousness".
But then, the smile on her face stiffened, and she even subconsciously took a step back.
Wen Yin pretended not to notice these abnormalities at all and still maintained a concerned expression.
The other party seemed to have taken a lot of effort to calm down, and a forced smile appeared at the corner of his mouth under the mask.
"Thank you for your concern. I'm already... I'm fine now. It's nothing serious."
Her voice sounded similar to before, but it lacked some of the human emotional ups and downs and was a little flatter.
After saying that, she seemed not to want to stay any longer and quickly found an excuse.
"Sorry, I suddenly felt a little stuffy and wanted to go over there to get some fresh air."
After saying that, he turned around and left in a hurry, his steps even showing a hint of panic.
[Host, she seems... very afraid of you?] 028 said in surprise.
[Not afraid of me,]
Wen Yin looked at the back that was almost fleeing in panic, recalled Cang Yu's deterrent effect on the strange derivatives, and continued.
[Maybe they are afraid of the blood of Cangli and Cangyu in my body.]
[I suspect these subcutaneous objects are all strange derivatives, and the aura of their source has an absolute deterrent effect on these 'lower-level products' derived from their power.]
[That's not bad, is it?] 028 tried to think positively, [At least none of these small fry dare to covet you, the host!]
After the lady left, several guests who had just talked to her seemed to start whispering.
"She feels a little different today?"
"Yeah, he was quite enthusiastic a few days ago, but today he seems cold and doesn't talk much."
"It's like he's become a different person..."
These whispers further confirmed Wen Yin's guess.
She seemed to approach several other "guests" who behaved abnormally unintentionally. As expected, all the guests she confirmed to have been replaced showed varying degrees of fear and avoidance when approaching her.
It was as if she was something that made them instinctively fearful.
[Judging from the current situation, the ship owner deliberately spread the word among these 'high-class people' about the valuable uses of mermaid blood to lure these humans aboard.]
[After these humans transformed into mermaids, the strange creatures they derived from replaced their identities and returned to human society, which is why the guests' personalities changed drastically.]
[The humans who had transformed into mermaids remained on the cruise ship, waiting for the next group of "superiors" to board. In their mermaid form, they would experience firsthand the cruelty they had inflicted.]
[Experience the pain and feel the despair yourself.]
Wen Yin's tone was low and slow.
[This is Lai Cangyu's punishment for these people.]
[Once enough strange derivatives have been integrated into human society, this small world will be completely destroyed.]
Wen Yin took a deep breath and felt a little stuffy in her chest.
She stood at the edge of the deck and suddenly felt like she was being watched.
[Host, this is the ship's owner, Cangyu.] 028 immediately prompted, [He is in the observation deck on the upper deck, watching you.]
Wen Yin raised her head naturally and looked in the direction she felt.
Sure enough, in the shadow of the upper deck, Cangyu was standing by the railing.
He was still wearing the well-tailored black suit, with half of his face covered by a mask, but Wen Yin could still clearly feel his gaze on her.
Seeing Wen Yin looking at him, he did not dodge at all, but just nodded at her very slightly as a greeting.
Then, he turned his head slightly and whispered something to a servant standing behind him.
In just a few minutes, a servant appeared silently beside Wen Yin.
Wen Yin turned her head and her heart trembled slightly. The person in front of her was the servant who had revealed his distorted form in the bathtub.
But at this moment, he lowered his eyebrows and looked submissive, his posture was extremely respectful, and even his breathing was extremely light.
He bowed deeply, his voice extremely humble.
"Ma'am, the boat owner invites you to enjoy the beautiful scenery."
Wen Yin followed the waiter who kept his brows lowered to the private terrace on the top floor of the cruise ship.
The view here is excellent. The entire cruise ship is at your feet, and in front of you is the endless vast ocean that is sparkling with golden light under the bright morning sun.
The sea breeze was stronger than the one below, blowing Wen Yin's skirt and hair, bringing a pure and free atmosphere.
In the middle of the terrace, the boat owner Cangyu was standing by the railing with his back to her.
His tall figure was as straight as a pine tree, and his well-tailored suit made his shoulders broad and his waist narrow.
But in this vast and magnificent sea and sky, his back, standing alone, inexplicably reveals a loneliness and solitude that penetrates deep into his bones.
It is out of tune with the bright scenery around it.
Hearing footsteps, Cangyu slowly turned around.
Hidden behind the half-face mask, only his jaw and deep eyes were exposed.
He gave Wen Yin a gentlemanly and elegant smile, his voice low and pleasant.
"You're here."
Wen Yin's gaze involuntarily fell on the mask.
The pitch-black mask shone with a cold and hard luster in the sunlight, instantly reminding her of the powerful inky black fish tail that appeared in her room last night.
While she was observing the other person, she could also feel Cangyu's gaze lingering on her face for a moment, then sweeping across her legs extremely quickly.
He looked away for only half a second and returned to the vast sea.
Wen Yin walked to his side against the sea breeze, stood shoulder to shoulder with him, and together they looked at the sparkling blue sky.
“The scenery here is never boring.”
Cangyu spoke first, his tone sounding like a small talk.
"I just saw from afar that you seemed quite popular on the deck, chatting happily with many guests."
His tone was flat, without much emotion, as if he was just saying it casually.
Wen Yin tilted her head slightly, and a perfect smile appeared on her face.
"It seems that the boat owner really pays special attention to me..." She paused and looked back at the rolling waves in the distance.
Without waiting for the people around him to respond, Wen Yin continued, "I guess it was because I was tossed around on the sea for too long. I had a dream last night."
There was a hint of melancholy in Wen Yin's voice.
"In my dream, I turned into a jet-black mermaid, imprisoned in a glass cage by humans."
"I witnessed my family and tribe members die tragically one by one in human laboratories."
"I couldn't leave and ended up dying in a fire..."
After Wen Yin briefly described the dream, she slowly turned her head and looked directly at Cangyu, the boat owner beside her.
Her eyes were clear and calm, without any evasion.
It was a kind of temptation based on some kind of intuition and almost certainty, which was certain that Cangli and Cangyu, the twin sources, had a love for her that went beyond reason and instinct.
She took a deep breath of the salty air and decided to play her cards right.
"Also," Wen Yin's voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the sea breeze, "I seem to have accidentally discovered some little secrets on this ship."
From the moment Cangyu heard about Wen Yin's dream, the corners of his eyebrows under the mask moved slightly, but he still maintained his calm demeanor and spoke with interest.
"Oh? I wonder what interesting secrets you discovered?"
Wen Yin's eyes seemed to accidentally sweep over the servant not far away, then she pretended to think and gently raised her hand and pointed at him.
"He seems to be just like the guests I just talked to," she chose her words carefully, her gaze returning to Cangyu's face, "whatever is underneath the skin is not a human being."
The moment the words fell, the waiter raised his head in shock.
But when Cangyu looked at him with cold eyes, he quickly lowered his head again.
Cangyu did not immediately respond to the servant's gaffe. He just slowly refocused his gaze on Wen Yin.
After a while, he suddenly laughed softly, and the laughter mixed with the sea breeze carried a meaningful, even appreciative meaning.
“It’s an interesting discovery.”
He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them, and lowered his voice, with a hint of bewitching danger.
"So, since you suspected this ship was full of this 'thing', and even suspected my servant... why did you dare to follow him alone to my secluded top deck?"
"Aren't you afraid... that I'm one of them?"
The strong sea breeze made his black clothes rustle, and a few strands of black hair slid down from his forehead, brushing against the edge of the cold metal mask.
His tall figure cast a thick shadow in the sunlight, shrouding Wen Yin, full of oppression, yet strangely mixed with a fatal attraction.
Wen Yin looked up at him and was not intimidated by his aura.
Her eyes remained calm, and there was even a faint curve at the corner of her lips.
"Because I found that they seemed... to be afraid of me."
She paused, correcting her wording.
"No, to be more precise, they're not afraid of me, but... of you."
Wen Yin's amber eyes looked straight into the inky pupils, her voice soft and light.
"You marked me. Do you want to turn me into one of your own?"
Cangyu's gaze suddenly became deep. He stopped talking and just stared quietly at the human girl in front of him.
It was as if he could look through her eyes and see into the deepest thoughts of her soul.
"Can you... take off your mask?"
Wen Yin spoke again, and the question she asked was abrupt and direct.
The person in front of him seemed stunned for a moment. He stared into Wen Yin's eyes, and there was a strange sense of bewitching in his voice.
"Take off the mask..."
He reached out his hand and lightly brushed his fingertips across the cold, smooth black surface of his face.
"But there's a price to pay. Are you... ready to pay that price?"
His words were like an ancient curse, yet also like a tempting invitation.
Wen Yin didn't hesitate at all. She met his inquiring gaze and nodded slightly.
A smile appeared on Cangyu's lips.
He said no more.
A slender hand with distinct knuckles slowly rose and landed on the edge of the black mask that covered most of his face.
Apply slight pressure with your fingertips.
There was only a very slight sound of the buckle popping open.
He slowly took off the exquisite black mask that symbolized mystery, distance, and control.
The sea breeze instantly blew across his true face without any hindrance.
The sunlight streamed down, illuminating his face clearly.
Wen Yin's breath was barely noticeable.
This is an extremely handsome face, but with a cold and hard feeling.
A clean-cut jaw, a high nose bridge, thin, pale lips...
All of this is more than seven points similar to Cangli.
Especially those eyes, which were also narrow and upturned peach blossom eyes, but different from the enchanting sea blue in Cangli's pupils.
Cangyu's dark pupils were more like the black ice condensed at the bottom of the sea, deep and containing endless power.
This is the true appearance of the boat owner.
The elder brother of the twins, the inky black mermaid who died in the sea of fire in the dream, and the true master of the Eternal Day.
Cang Yu.
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