Watching Gongsun Liu and the others leave, Gongsun Chen spat angrily, "What bad luck!"
Only after it was over did he remember that Long Han was still there, and he gave an awkward laugh.
In public, Long Han maintained his cool and aloof persona. He frowned and asked Tian Ning, "Did you sense anything strange about those two women?"
Upon hearing this, Gongsun Chen perked up and listened intently.
Long Han said, "They have a rotten and foul smell about them. It's strange. It's not the resentment caused by the evil deeds of demonic cultivators, but I don't think they're anything good either."
"Ah! That won't do either. We have to report this to the head of the family and have them arrested..."
Gongsun Chen reacted strongly, his mind filled with the thought that fortunes change and those two mermaid mother and daughter were doomed!
Before he could even take a step, he was met with a cold glare from Long Han and too scared to move.
Long Han felt a deep-seated disdain for Gongsun Chen and the child. Going along would be useless, even a burden. Before he could say anything more, Tian Ning spoke:
"It wasn't that they did anything evil; rather, it was like some kind of rot from the depths of their souls."
Tian Ning pondered for a moment: "Don't you think the central city where the Western Continent is located is too humid?"
"This place is by the sea, making it suitable for merfolk to live in. What you're describing is perfectly normal, because even I, as a dragon, find this place very comfortable and suitable for living."
More than what Tian Ning said earlier, Long Han was more concerned about what Tian Ning had said earlier: "What do you mean by 'rottenness deep within the soul'?"
"It's just a guess." Tianning wouldn't jump to conclusions about things she wasn't sure about, but she was certain of one thing: "Let's set off tomorrow. We should find the answer among the merfolk."
...
The next day.
For some reason, Gongsun Liu suggested that Gongsun Wan'er come along.
He said, "Wan'er has never returned to her hometown sea area since she was born. It just so happens that this opportunity has come up. I would like to ask Senior Long Han to allow Wan'er to go with us."
He figured that since Long Han was willing to bring along even his good-for-nothing son Gongsun Chen, he might as well bring along Gongsun Wan'er as well.
"You've got quite a big face," Tianning said out of the blue while she was eating breakfast.
Gongsun Liu: "..."
Oh, you know what, it's really great to stand on Tianning's side.
Long Han didn't mince words either: "The Gongsun family really knows how to pick their timing! Could it be that your Gongsun family is somehow involved in the case of the missing dragon clan?"
Gongsun Liu: "..."
He only spoke up because he couldn't resist the pleas of his beloved and daughter. How dare these dragon people randomly pin accusations on the Gongsun family!
While Long Han was speaking, Tian Ning asked Gongsun Chen, "Your father said that Gongsun Wan'er 'never returned to the Mermaid Sea.' Why did the Gongsun family allow her to leave the Gongsun family and go to the Mermaid Sea before?"
Tianning was simply curious. Logically speaking, the ten great families should have strictly controlled the mermaids they gave birth to. Why would they easily allow them to return?
"You're overthinking it. These merfolk are never allowed to leave their families from birth. The ten great families are terrified that these precious gems will run away or be stolen. They rarely let their family's merfolk go out. Yesterday was the first time Gongsun Wan'er went out. Only Gongsun Lian, who has the means, is an exception. She took advantage of the family head's guilt towards her mother after her death and became arrogant. In the end, she was still unlucky enough to be captured and thrown into the auction house. If it weren't for the guy who was so infatuated with her and did everything he could to buy her at auction, she would have been dead long ago!" Gongsun Chen didn't hide anything and told Tian Ning everything he knew.
"As for Gongsun Wan'er's second return to the Mermaid Sea, it's because the mermaids born from humans and mermaids are extremely weak and basically don't live past 18. After all, such a depraved product goes against the natural order, and even if the ten great families try their best, they can't make the mermaids born from humans and mermaids live past 18."
"However, things took a turn for the better later. It is said that an extremely nourishing substance was found deep in the ocean that could make up for this deficiency."
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