Zu Anâs entire body trembled when he heard the voice. Then, a hint of pleasant surprise appeared on his face. He looked all around him. Then, he picked up the earthworm-like Chi Wen and flung him toward the direction of the voice.
Meanwhile, everyone else looked at each other in dismay. Tushan Yu inadvertently looked toward Yan Xuehen and the other two women. Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were also confused. They turned toward Yu Yanluo, because she was a bit closer to Zu An than they were. However, Yu Yanluo was also confused. She didnât know what was happening either!
âWho is that person?â
âIt was a female voice.â
âJudging from how happy Zu An looks, they seem to have a special relationship.â
They tossed out a few offhanded comments, then coincidentally all stopped talking at the same time.
You have successfully trolled Yu Yanluo for +233 +233 +233â¦
You have successfully trolled Yan Xuehen for +233 +233 +233â¦
You have successfully trolled Yun Jianyue for +233 +233 +233â¦
They really wanted to follow along and see what was happening themselves, but they were all individuals of high status. Their pride wouldn't let them do something like that, so they just sulked in place.
Tushan Yu was a bit stunned when she saw the womenâs expressions. She didn't know if she should feel angry along with them.
â¦
Meanwhile, Zu An flew over to a lakeside several meters out. His attention was quickly drawn by a beautiful sight.
There, a woman dressed in silk was sitting on a tree branch, leaning against the trunk. Her eyes carried a vacant expression as she stared into the distance, one finger gently hooked around the strap of a blue-green wine gourd.
Zu An quickly became happy. That wine gourd always gently swayed on her forefinger whenever he saw her, as if it might fall if the wind blew even a bit harder. He tossed Chi Wen to one side and asked with pleasant surprise, âBig sis Shang, why are you here?â
There was a loud thud. When Chi Wen made contact with the ground, he twitched, but he still didnât wake up. The beating he sustained had clearly been rather fierce.
The woman on the tree branch was naturally Shang Liuyu. She didnât even give Chi Wen a single look. Instead, her eyes conveyed a trace of gentleness when she looked at Zu An. She replied, âItâs been a while, but now, you arenât even going to greet your teacher properly?â
Zu An didnât take the bait and instead said with a smile, âIâm now a teacher at Brightmoon Academy too, after all, and I already called you big sis for a while back then.â
âIs that so? The alcohol mustâve made my memory fuzzy,â Shang Liuyu replied. A smile appeared between her brows. Of course, she hadnât really forgotten.
Zu An looked at the alcohol in her gourd and said, âItâs been a while since Iâve drank your Blazing Heavens alcohol. Iâve actually missed it quite a bit.â
âYou want some? Come up here then,â Shang Liuyu said, gesturing toward him. Zu An kicked off with his feet, instantly landing on the tree.
Shang Liuyuâs legs had initially been curled up casually on the tree branch; when she saw that, she shifted them a bit to give him some room. Her dress fluttered around, revealing her sparkling white feet. They really were more gentle than jade and more sleek than satin.
Zu An gave her feet a look and was surprised to discover that she wasnât wearing shoes. couldn't help but say with a sigh, âBig sis Shang still doesnât like wearing shoes, like before.â He had to admit that even though he had many attractive female friends, none of their feet were more beautiful than Shang Liuyuâs.
Shang Liuyu handed the gourd hanging off her finger to him, saying, âIâm not used to wearing shoes. I had no choice before in Brightmoon City, so I wore them to avoid drawing any suspicion. Now that Iâm with the fiend races, of course I donât have such misgivings anymore⦠Ah, what are you doing?â
It turned out that Zu An had gently brushed aside a part of her dress and raised her feet to take a look. He voiced his surprise, saying, âIâm just curious. Youâre usually always barefoot, so how are your feet so clean?â
Shang Liuyu smacked his hand away and quickly pulled her feet back. Her usually calm and indifferent expression gave way to a faint blush. She replied, âYouâre way too insensitive! Are womenâs feet something you can randomly touch?â
When he saw her bashful expression, Zu An actually found it new and interesting. He remarked, âI thought big sis didnât get embarrassed. Itâs not often I get to see this side of you.â
âNo wonder a brat like you has so many beauties at your side. Your skills at teasing women really are formidable.â Shang Liuyu harrumphed, but she didnât actually get angry.
Zu An cried out in protest. âI really was just curious! It was just for the sake of research, nothing else!â
âIf you really did have evil thoughts, I would already have taught you a lesson a long time ago,â Shang Liuyu said, finally managing to recover her usual indifference. âItâs not that hard to keep them clean. All I need to do is to use the water element to separate my feet from the ground.â
Even though she made it sound easy, the control over the water element needed for that was definitely not something an ordinary person could achieve.
Zu An raised the gourd and drank a mouthful. The strong alcohol rushed down his throat like liquid fire, and he felt his mind tremble. He remarked, âItâs the same taste as I remember.â He returned the alcohol to her and asked, âIs it because youâre from the Mermaid race that you can do that?â
Shang Liuyu took back the gourd. She didnât gulp it down fiercely like Zu An did, and instead took a graceful drink with pursed lips. She replied, âSo you already knew.â
Zu An voiced his agreement. He sighed and reminisced about the past, saying, âThat strange jade pendant you gave me⦠I eventually found out that it was the Mermaid raceâs Heart Protection Scale. Furthermore, itâs something only the king race has access to.â
Shang Liuyu was a bit surprised. She asked, âYou actually know about that? It looks like you already used it. Was the situation really that dangerous?â
âIt was. I barely made it out alive. Thatâs why, big sis, I owe you a life-saving debt. I donât know how to repay you,â Zu An said with a serious expression.
Shang Liuyu said with a smile, âAccording to the plays and shows, arenât you supposed to say âI am unable to repay this life-saving debt, so I can only devote myself to you fullyâ?â
Zu An replied, âIf big sis is okay with me, of course Iâm willing to work like a dog or a horse for you.â
Shang Liuyu harrumphed. âHmph, who would want something like that~â
A while later, she sighed and said, âA guy like you really isnât bad, and you match my temperament. Unfortunately, youâre too fickle and have too many female companions at your side. Meanwhile, our Mermaid race has always pursued only single-minded love.â
Zu An was stunned. He had just been making a joke, but why did it now seem as if she had actually seriously considered it?
Shang Liuyu also snapped out of her daze. She quickly changed the topic, saying, âNo wonder you were able to grow to this level. Life and death situations are the best for tempering someone.â
The two of them chatted about various things that had happened after they were separated. Zu An asked again, âWhy are you here?â
Shang Liuyu replied, âHasnât the Fiend Emperor summoned the various races to the Fiend King Court? Our clanâs people are rather lazy and donât wish to leave the sea, so they sent me over.â
Zu An was alarmed. The Fiend Emperor wasnât a fool; the ones he had summoned were the kings of the different races. If Shang Liuyu could represent the Mermaid Race, then her status clearly wasnât low. However, he didnât have a habit of being overly nosy.
Shang Liuyu finally gave Chi Wen, who resembled a dead pig, a look. She said, âI was just passing by when I sensed the power of the Trident, so I came to take a look. I didnât expect it to be this idiot.â
Zu An suddenly recalled Chi Wenâs background. He was the descendant of the Dragon King and a mermaid. Donât tell meâ¦
Shang Liuyu nodded and said, âHeâs my big sisterâs child. Since I was passing by, I couldnât just let him die, so I asked you to spare him.â
Zu An sighed and said, âSince itâs your relative, I obviously wonât trouble him anymore. But his disgraceful nature will be the end of him one day. You canât just save him every time, right?â
âOf course I know that. But if anything happens in the future, that will be what he deserves,â Shang Liuyu said. Her brows actually furrowed, something that didnât happen often. She was clearly quite unhappy with this nephew of hers.
She leaped off the tree after speaking. With a wave of her hand, a blast of water hit Chi Wenâs head. She called out, âYou dead? If not, get up already.â
As Zu An jumped down, he made sure to look at Shang Liuyuâs feet. Sure enough, there was a layer of light blue, radiant water swirling around, making it so that her feet never truly touched the ground.
As if she sensed his gaze, a faint blush appeared on Shang Liuyuâs neck. She subconsciously pulled her feet into her dress.
Chi Wen gradually began to wake up. When he saw Shang Liuyu, he was surprised and happy. He reached out toward her legs, pleading, âAuntie, you have to take responsibility for me!â
Bang!
He slammed into a wall of water, ending up sprawled on his back.
Shang Liuyuâs expression was ice-cold as she snapped, âStop shouting already; have you not embarrassed yourself enough yet?â