Chapter 126

Chapter 126: The Miracle of the Merfolk Clan
Yu Zhao flipped her hand and took out another white pearl from her Storage Space. She placed the two pearls side by side. Other than the size, their color and luster were almost exactly the same.

She looked in surprise toward the place where the tiny pearl had appeared out of thin air.

Had a new merfolk already been born in the Merfolk Clan?

However, whether it was because the Merfolk Race had a special constitution or because there was some kind of barrier between them, Yu Zhao could feel that someone was watching her, yet she could not find any trace of the other party.

It was just like the first time she came to the Sea Palace. She could sense the presence of merfolk but could not find their exact location.

The only one who could probably find the merfolk was one of their own clansmen.

So Yu Zhao handed the tiny No-Medicine Pearl, as small as a grain of rice, to the merfolk in front of her.

The merfolk’s voice stopped, and then his whole heart started trembling.

“Where did you pick this up?” he asked.

Yu Zhao raised her hand and pointed.

The merfolk rushed past her like a whirlwind to the place she was pointing at and shouted loudly.

He was speaking in the unique language of the merfolk. Yu Zhao and Ji Han Zhou could not understand it, but they could feel faint ripples spreading through the space as his voice rose and fell.

At last, several Space Rifts tore open in the air. One after another, water-blue round eggs the size of a fist floated out from the cracks.

Through the transparent outer shell, they could clearly see the Little Merman curled up into a ball inside.

Yu Zhao and Ji Han Zhou widened their eyes and held their breath, afraid that even the slightest sound would disturb the unhatched Little Merfolk.

The merfolk seemed to have the same concern, and his voice grew softer.

After the forty-eighth merfolk egg drifted out of the Space Rift, no new eggs appeared for a long time. Yu Zhao and the merfolk both grew more and more tense.

The small No-Medicine Pearl Yu Zhao had picked up earlier had clearly come from a successfully hatched Little Merman. But now the Space Rifts were about to close, and no Little Merman had appeared. Had something gone wrong?

“Yi!”

A childish cry suddenly rang out. A Little Merman only as long as an arm swam out of the Space Rift and wrapped herself tightly around the merfolk.

She looked about three or four years old in human terms. Her cheeks were two soft little buns, and her bright blue eyes were full of innocence and curiosity.

She pressed herself against the merfolk, listening to his wild heartbeat. She giggled and called out in a clear, milky voice, “Elder brother! Elder brother!”

The merfolk was so moved he could not speak.

He stared blankly for a long time before he finally stammered back, “Elder brother is here. Elder brother is here.”

“Elder brother, don’t cry. It hurts.”

Those few childish words almost melted the last remaining heart he had left.

Because of his special body, he could not shed tears even when he was in the deepest pain, so no one had ever told him not to cry.

This was his clansman.

This was his little sister.

After they enjoyed the joy of welcoming a new life, the merfolk, Yu Zhao, and Ji Han Zhou all grew busy.

Before they prepared to hatch the rest of the Little Merfolk, they had to help Xuan Ling, the merfolk who had been left with only a single heart, regain his body.

Nothing like this had ever happened in the Merfolk Clan before, but the clan’s treasury held many rare and precious items. After Yu Zhao awakened the memories of the Water Spirit Jade, she gained a strong sense for everything related to water, so they decided to give it a try.

The entire process lasted for a month. They failed dozens of times. Even Xuan Ling no longer dared to hope. It was Yu Zhao’s stubbornness, along with the company of the merfolk’s little sister, that forced him to keep going.

In the end, half the Merfolk Clan’s treasury was emptied, but they succeeded.

Xuan Ling rebuilt his body. According to him, his new body was even tougher than before.

Once he recovered, Xuan Ling began a painful but happy life as a stay-at-home dad.

Back then, the Old Merman had hidden the merfolk eggs in the Sea Palace instead of hatching them. It was not that he did not want to; it was because there were many requirements for hatching merfolk eggs.

The most important one was that merfolk eggs had to be placed inside a merfolk’s hatching pouch to hatch. The Old Merman was already very old, and his hatching pouch had long since degraded, so he could no longer complete the hatching.

However, merfolk eggs that could not be hatched for a long time had to be kept alive by a merfolk using a special kind of magic arts.

And only the Old Merman could do that.

So the contradiction appeared. The Old Merman could maintain the life force of the merfolk eggs, but he could not hatch them.

Once the Old Merman died, the remaining merfolk eggs would die with him.

This was why, when the Old Merman learned that Yu Zhao was the Merfolk Clan’s only hope of survival, he chose to sacrifice himself without hesitation to protect her. He knew he had no way to pass on the Merfolk Clan. All he could do was stake everything on one desperate gamble to win Heaven Above’s pity.

As for Xuan Ling’s little sister, the Little Merman who had hatched on her own without going through an adult merfolk’s hatching pouch, she was a miracle, a miracle of the Merfolk Race.

…

“Yu Zhao, have a safe trip.”

“Safe trip, Elder Sister. Safe trip.”

On the boat, Yu Zhao stood on the deck and waved toward the two figures in the sea, one big and one small: “You should go back now. The next time I come to the Nanming Sea, I will definitely come see you again.”

“Alright, we’ll be waiting for you,” Xuan Ling said. Then he suddenly remembered something and turned to Ji Han Zhou beside her: “You are welcome to visit too.”

Ji Han Zhou thought: [Heh. Don’t think I did not notice you completely forgot about me just now.]

Xuan Ling gave a sheepish smile.

He really had not done it on purpose.

Ji Han Zhou had helped him a lot in the Sea Palace.

But strangely, when he looked at Ji Han Zhou alone, he felt the young man was spirited and handsome. Yet the moment Ji Han Zhou stood next to Yu Zhao, his presence seemed to disappear, and people would instinctively overlook him.

Xuan Ling thought it over and finally could only blame it on Yu Zhao’s aura being too strong, making it hard to notice anyone else.

Jokes aside, Ji Han Zhou still seriously said goodbye to Xuan Ling and the little merfolk girl.

After they exchanged a few more reluctant farewells, Yu Zhao steered the boat toward the shore.

The little merfolk wrapped both arms around Xuan Ling’s arm. She still did not understand what parting meant, and asked her elder brother curiously, “Elder sister, coming back, how long?”

Xuan Ling gently stroked her soft hair, his gaze full of warmth. “Very soon,” he said.

The world was big. They would meet again one day.

…

“Immortal Maiden Ye, this is Yin Flower Honey, a specialty of the Marsh Forest. When a female cultivator uses it, it not only makes her more beautiful, it also gives her body a natural fragrance. I spent almost half a year in the Marsh Forest to gather this half jar. It is my heartfelt gift. You must accept it.”

“What is Yin Flower Honey compared to this? This is a holy medicine that nourishes yin and replenishes qi, an Essence-Replenishing Yang-Restoring Pill. It takes effect as soon as you take it. It’s much better for Immortal Maiden Ye to use to nurse her body.”

“Immortal Maiden Ye, come take a look at my treasure…”

“…”

When Su Ming returned to the inn, he saw his own junior sister surrounded in layers of people inside and out. His brows shot up. He stepped forward, grabbed two of them, and flung them outward.

“What are you doing? You dare harass my junior sister? Are you tired of living?”