Chapter 58: You’re Leaving Again?
After Lanxing took Nan Zishi away, he left behind a trail of gurgling sea bubbles and a group of mermaids staring at each other in confusion.
"So that was our Princess Consort... She is, she is the Prince’s female master?!"
"Oh heavens, was I rude just now?"
"You weren’t, but you did try to court her."
"How is courting rude? At most, it’s just appreciating beauty. The Princess is so gorgeous!"
"Yeah, the Prince’s female master is so beautiful!"
After whispering amongst themselves for a moment, they finally noticed the little mermaid cub left outside the palace.
The mermaids kindly greeted her.
"Little Princess. You’re back!"
"Where did you go? You have no idea, the Prince has been searching frantically for you these past few days."
"That’s right, a five-year-old mermaid baby is much too young to be running around everywhere. Back when Prince Lanxing was five, he was still drinking milk."
The golden mermaid, Little Fu, waved her chubby arms. "Daddy... Mommy... fighting..."
The mermaids: "...?"
"Little Princess, what are you saying? We don’t understand."
’The Prince and the Princess are fighting?’
’How is that possible?’
’But if it’s true...’
’If Prince Lanxing were to be abandoned by such a beautiful Princess, how heartbroken he would be.’
...
"You’ll stay in this room." Lanxing’s tone was cold.
Nan Zishi was the type to make the best of any situation. She swam a lap around the room.
Inside the room, dozens of Luminous Pearls were embedded in a coral frame, their cold light filtering through Jue Sha curtains.
In the center was a giant clamshell. The clamshell bed was exuding pearl liquid, its translucent luster winding through the seawater like a flowing galaxy.
After swimming a lap, Nan Zishi suddenly swam up to Lanxing and asked curiously, "Lanxing, where’s the bathroom?"
"Bathroom?" Lanxing didn’t understand. "What’s a bathroom?"
Nan Zishi explained, "A bathroom is where you relieve yourself."
Lanxing’s expression became complicated, and a faint blush crept onto his face.
"Nan Zishi, are you really a mermaid? You have to ask where to excrete?"
Nan Zishi suddenly swam closer. The moment she drew near, Lanxing jumped in surprise, his body leaning back slightly in nervousness.
"I thought you knew I was a Land... Beastman when we bonded."
Lanxing’s cheeks were slightly red. He glanced at her beautiful, large tail in confusion.
"Ahem. I’ll explain that to you later." Nan Zishi straightened herself and said.
’He’s still trying to get a divorce right now. I’m not about to tell him everything.’
Lanxing temporarily set aside his doubts and followed her lead. "Do you land creatures have to be particular about where you excrete? Fish just do it anywhere."
Nan Zishi: "...? Do it anywhere?"
"Mhm," Lanxing nodded.
Nan Zishi was shocked. Her imaginative mind instantly went into overdrive...
’So you’re telling me they do it in the water, and then they drink that same water?!’
"If you really must be particular..." Lanxing stammered, leading Nan Zishi to another room. "If you do it here, it will flow outside."
Nan Zishi: "...Oh. I see."
Lanxing still explained, "Many small sea creatures will like to eat your... waste. When they grow up, we eat them."
Nan Zishi: "..." ’I shouldn’t have brought this up. Thinking too deeply about this is just disturbing.’
"Lanxing, I’m hungry. I want to eat something."
Nan Zishi looked at him expectantly.
Lanxing’s lips tightened slightly. His expression was hard to read.
’So what? As her Beast Husband, am I really not going to give her something to eat?’
...
Lanxing went out to hunt.
Nan Zishi swam over to the large clamshell bed and lay down inside out of curiosity. It was surprisingly soft!
Nan Zishi rolled around on the clamshell bed a few times. Once comfortable, she spread her arms and lay there, staring up at the palace ceiling.
Her somewhat scatterbrained mind suddenly remembered the problem with her superpower.
Her Moon Attracting Starlight Ability only worked when her Beast Husband was within 50 meters. He was swimming farther and farther away. Didn’t that mean she was about to turn back into her human form?
’Oh my god, I actually let Lanxing go hunting?’
’No, that’s not right. I needed to eat, so there was nothing wrong with him hunting.’
’But I should have gone with him, stuck to him like glue! Otherwise, if I turn back into a human, I’ll be a goner!’
’Turning back to human form at the bottom of the sea... forget about breathing, I wouldn’t even be able to withstand the pressure.’
Just as she thought of this, Nan Zishi indeed felt a sense of sluggishness. Her heart tightened with anxiety, and she quickly swam out.
"Lanxing, Lanxing!"
But in the vast, open sea, she couldn’t see any sign of him.
’It’s over! It’s all over!’
’Calm down! Nan Zishi, calm down!’
’Remember what the Beast God said. The Moon Attracting Starlight Ability can be maintained for a quarter of an hour even after the male leaves.’
’A quarter of an hour should be enough time for me to swim to the surface!’
Nan Zishi hurriedly swam towards the surface. She swam faster and faster. She was already starting to feel her breathing become difficult, as if her gills were about to disappear. Her tail also began to feel unstable.
’I’m really turning back into a human!’
’Faster!! Faster!!’
Beneath the blue sky, Nan Zishi finally broke through the surface of the sea, her large tail flicking in a beautiful arc above the water.
Nan Zishi gasped for air.
"Hah! I almost died."
’The bottom of the sea isn’t like the land. Losing my mermaid form is too dangerous. I can’t be so careless next time. Wherever Lanxing is, that’s where I need to be.’
’Stick close to him, never leave his side!’
Just then, a flash of blue-violet light shot up from the seabed like lightning, stopping right in front of her.
The golden threads on the edge of Lanxing’s caudal fin sliced through the water’s surface, kicking up a spray of waves.
Nan Zishi was captivated by his graceful mermaid form and followed it with her eyes. In an instant, he had swum before her, his fair hand gripping a large, entirely blue fish that was about two meters long.
At that moment, the young mermaid’s expression was terrible. He said angrily, "Nan Zishi, are you trying to leave again?"
’She really does hate me.’
’She told me to go hunting not so I would fulfill my responsibilities as her Fisherman, but because she wanted to get rid of me!’
’She doesn’t want me, she wants to leave!!’
At this thought, Lanxing’s heart constricted painfully, as if being squeezed tight by a giant hand.
’As expected, she leaves the very second she gets a chance...’
’If she wants to leave so badly, why won’t she break the partnership contract?’
’Why make a seven-day agreement?’
’Why lie to me?’
’Does she have to humiliate me like this?’
"No, no, what are you thinking? Don’t misunderstand!
I wasn’t trying to leave!
You know I’m actually a Land Beastman. I was about to suffocate! I came up for air because I was about to die!"
The instant before her tail was about to vanish, Nan Zishi swam to his side.
The Moon Attracting Starlight Ability stabilized, and her huge, rainbow-colored tail firmed up.
Lanxing gave her a sullen look, then turned and swam back down toward the seabed, still distrustful.
This time, Nan Zishi didn’t dare separate from him again. She hurriedly followed him back into the Mermaid Palace.
Lanxing tossed the fish into Nan Zishi’s room, then looked at her.
"Eat."
Nan Zishi was a little speechless. "...What do you mean? You don’t expect me to just eat it like this, do you?"
The two-meter-long Blue Fish trembled in the Mermaid Palace, not daring to move.
"You’re not going to eat?" Lanxing frowned.
This deep blue-spotted fish was already the most tender and best-tasting fish on the seabed.
’If she won’t even eat a fish like this, what will she eat?’
Nan Zishi: "..." ’So he really thought I could eat such a huge fish raw.’
’How horrifying! I never eat live fish!’
Nan Zishi said, "Lanxing, slice it up. I want to eat fish slices."
"Fish slices?"
"Yes, cut its meat into thin slices. Prepare it properly, with no blood."
Lanxing thought she was being a bit troublesome, but he still looked toward the Blue Fish.
The Blue Fish was terrified!