âLittle Xinxin, you are still as cute and naive as ever.â The white-scaled woman smiled at Lan Haixin as she spoke.
âYou... why are you here? I thought you were...â Lan Haixin was having difficulty composing her sentences. The situation was so incredibly unexpected that her mind was struggling to adapt.
The woman sighed and said, âSome unforeseen problems occurred during my evolution, and Little Yun tried to kill me. She forced my hand, and I had to put myself into the Siren Bottle to stay alive.â
Han Sen understood now. The Little Yun she had referenced was undoubtedly the Siren Elder. It seemed that she had never actually won over Bai Yiâs mother. The plan she concocted was actually just a part of Bai Yiâs motherâs grand conspiracy. Even when she failed to evolve, she had actually won.
The woman then looked at Han Sen. She still wore that soft smile, and she said, âMy son, I am glad to see you here.â
âYou must have heard what the Siren Elder said. Iâm not your son Bai Yi,â Han Sen said simply.
The woman nodded. âI know. Bai Yi wasnât my son, anyway.â
When the woman said that, Lan Haixin reeled in shock. Even Han Sen was astonished.
The woman explained, âI am the Siren Virgin. I must keep my body pure. I had no choice but to marry into the Extreme King, but I made a deal with King Bai. I would be known as his wife, but when it came to child-making, that would be done by another Siren woman that I kept close by.â
âThat person couldnât have been the Siren Elder, could it?â Han Senâs heart jumped.
The woman gave Han Sen an appreciative look. She spoke softly to him, saying, âYes. It was indeed Little Yun. And she only slept with King Bai once. She didnât actually know about my deal with King Bai, and she never realized that I was still a virgin.â
Han Sen shuddered, and he said, âBai Yi was her son?â
âKid, I like you more and more.â The woman smiled at Han Sen, but she didnât answer his question.
The realization felt like a chill sinking deep into Han Senâs bones. His guess had been correct, he assumed. The Siren Elder said she had given her son for this woman. But the white-scaled woman didnât actually have a child. Bai Yi had the blood of King Bai and a Siren. The only possibility was that Bai Yi was the Siren Elderâs son, but this white-scaled woman had used some trick to take the baby for herself. The Siren Elder had no idea, and she had believed for all this time that her son was dead.
âWhat a frightening woman. The Siren Elder never guessed that Bai Yi was her son. Itâs lucky she didnât find out; otherwise, she would have done everything for Bai Yi, and she probably would have exposed me to King Bai.â Han Sen looked at the womanâs sweet smile and felt relieved.
âKid, how about you and I strike a deal?â The woman smiled at Han Sen.
âWhat kind of deal?â Han Sen asked.
âYou know of my situation. My body is destroyed, and I live inside the Siren Bottle. If I do not find a body, I will fade away. You have disguised yourself as Bai Yi. He was not my son, but he was the son of King Bai. I assume you are aware of what might happen if King Bai learned that you killed Bai Yi?â The woman was straightforward, which Han Sen appreciated. âI can help you deal with that, and I can help you make use of the Siren Bottleâs power. But you will also have to find me a body to use. What do you think?â
âThat doesnât sound like a bad deal. I will agree to it,â Han Sen said.
The woman seemed surprised. She hadnât expected Han Sen to agree so quickly. Her smile deepened. âKid, I like you more and more.â
âI can help you, but I do have a condition,â Han Sen said.
âSpeak then.â The woman nodded.
âYou can call me by name, or you can just say âheyâ or âyoâ or whatever. Just stop calling me a kid,â Han Sen said seriously.
The woman grinned at Han Sen and said, âFine. I understand.â
âThen letâs go,â Han Sen said, nodding to the woman.
âIf you ever require my help, knock on the left side of the Siren Bottle.â The woman met Han Senâs eyes, and the Siren Bottle stopped shining. The rainbow drained back into the Siren Bottle, taking the woman with it. The Siren Bottle left the altar and flew into Han Senâs hand.
The light disappeared, and the Siren Bottle looked like nothing more than an ordinary crystal bottle.
Han Sen looked at the Siren Bottle for a moment, then put it away.
That woman was strong. She had the Siren relic, the Siren Bottle, as a base for her current existence. It was likely that not even the little red bird could deal with her.
They had a temporary agreement to work together, as they really had no reason to fight each other. If something happened that caused them to butt heads, things would turn very bad very quickly.
The woman had used the Siren Elder to bring the rest of the Siren there to be killed. She clearly required the blood of the Siren. Her plan had probably involved killing Bai Yi and Lan Haixin as well.
But because Han Sen had been present, he had foiled the womanâs plan. She was probably uncertain about Han Sen and his capabilities, so she had chosen to form an alliance with him.
She couldnât be trusted, though. He knew that. But right now, working for her was a good thing for Han Sen. So, he had decided not to expose her.
They both had something to gain, and they needed each other. So, they joined forces without much trouble or negotiating.
Lan Haixin looked bewildered. She had listened to the entire conversation leading up to the deal between Han Sen and the woman, and she still didnât really understand what had happened. It sounded like some strange sort of joke.
âWhat are you doing?â Han Sen approached, and Lan Haixin grew pale. She knew she was weak, and she couldnât escape.
Han Sen had a deified firebird. Even if he was alone, she couldnât hope to fight him.
âIâm taking my wife home. What else can I do?â Han Sen took Lan Haixinâs arm and smiled.
âDonât you dare! You killed all of my people. I will not be with you.â Lan Haixin tried to shake his hand loose, but she couldnât free herself. Han Sen began tugging her away from the palace.
âTheir deaths were a result of your stupidity. Even if I hadnât cut them down, the Siren Elder would have killed everyone here,â Han Sen said, his voice dispassionate.
Lan Haixin opened her mouth, but the words of response never came. She looked pale, and a desperate thought crossed her mind.
âIf you are going to commit suicide, I will not stop you. But think about this: you are the last Siren with virgin blood. You are the last hope of your people. If you die now, it will be game over for the Siren,â Han Sen said harshly.
Lan Haixin struggled to maintain her composure, and she did not speak.