Chapter 19: Flower Room

He skillfully led Jiang Yang to a hidden tree hollow connected to the sea on the island. At this time, Jiang Yang’s heartbeat was so weak it had almost stopped, her face as pale as a sheet of paper.

Chi Mei carefully stroked Jiang Yang’s colorless face, whispering her name softly: “…A’Yang?”

There was no response.

In the quiet tree hollow, only the sound of water dripping on rocks echoed, cold and brittle, amplifying and reverberating in the deathly silent space, much like the helpless panic in his heart.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he bent down, his wet, heavy black hair sliding down his thin shoulders, covering the tightly pressed lips.

The pearl entered Jiang Yang’s body, slowly repairing her internal organs that had been crushed by the seawater.

Chi Mei lay beside Jiang Yang, holding her hand tightly, watching over her for three days without sleep or rest. After three days, when Jiang Yang’s breathing and heartbeat returned to normal, he dragged his weakened body into the sea to search for food.

A merman without a pearl is just an ordinary fish-shaped human, unable to even see in the dark.

The sea was constantly turbulent, stirring up sand from the seabed, creating a murky environment. Chi Mei could only swim slowly, relying on his past experience. A clownfish swam quickly past him, and Chi Mei was stunned for a moment, realizing that not only could he not see in the dark, but his reactions were also much slower than before.

This island was discovered by Chi Mei while swimming on the sea surface. Not only did few mermen come here, but ships also rarely passed by. However, the island was rich in resources.

When he was still a small fish, Chi Mei often came here alone, swimming back and forth near the island, waiting for coconuts to occasionally fall from the coconut trees when they ripened, satisfying his cravings, and casually catching a few goldfish to fill his stomach. But now, he couldn’t even catch a clownfish. His eyelashes trembled, but he was more concerned about Jiang Yang’s safety.

He pried a few oysters from the reef, swallowed them whole without chewing, and hurriedly returned.

The waves were bigger than before. In the past, he could ride the waves at will, but now he could only be pushed around by the waves, not knowing where he was. His tail fin hit a reef, and the sea urchins on the reef with their long, menacing spines tore his fish tail. The pain, previously masked by the pearl, now came in waves. Chi Mei groaned and continued swimming towards the tree hollow.

Exhausted, he returned to the tree hollow. Jiang Yang was still lying quietly in her original place. The pain in his tail fin instantly vanished. Touching her warm hand, Chi Mei smiled softly: “In a few days, you’ll wake up. That’s great.”

Jiang Yang recovered much faster than Chi Mei had imagined. Just as he was resting on the rock to heal his wounds, the sleeping Jiang Yang suddenly sat up, looking lively and energetic, which put his mind at ease.

But his happiness didn’t last long. Jiang Yang soon noticed him pretending to sleep nearby. Instead of waking him up or gently stroking him as she used to, she turned and left.

Chi Mei felt a bitterness in his chest and called out to stop her, making up a lie about his tribe hunting her down to make her stay.

It wasn’t entirely a lie. His tribe hated humans intensely and had killed almost all the crew members on the ship. He had escaped with Jiang Yang, and knowing the temperament of the two elders, they would surely search for their traces throughout the entire ocean. Once they found Jiang Yang, her fate would be the same as the other crew members.

By then, without his pearl, how could he help Jiang Yang escape again?

Fortunately, Jiang Yang believed his words. This trust slightly eased the bitterness in Chi Mei’s heart.

Since her body had just recovered, Chi Mei wanted to find her some food. The goldfish he used to eat would be good – firm and tender meat, though a bit difficult to catch for him now.

Chi Mei spent an hour in the sea with his injuries before catching two fish. He returned excitedly, expecting a word of praise, but the empty tree hollow gave him a rude awakening.

He searched frantically in the sea, unable to find a trace of her in the vast ocean. Even if she swam, she shouldn’t have gone so far so quickly. Chi Mei had a bad feeling. He sank to the bottom of the sea, searching for Jiang Yang among the scattered reefs and corals, hoping to find her, yet afraid of finding her sunken at the bottom of the reef.

Chi Mei struggled through the dense reefs, the sharp rocks tearing open his fish tail, peeling off scales and cutting a long, horrific wound.

She wasn’t there.

Unable to find her after searching the entire sea area, fear consumed him.

Exhausted, Chi Mei returned to the tree hollow. Touching the place where Jiang Yang had lain, hot tears welled up and he cried out in anguish.

—

After finishing her meal, Jiang Yang tidied up a bit and looked at the beautiful fish-man.

The fish-man, having finished eating, had lazily flopped onto a rock and fallen asleep again. But from his slightly trembling eyelashes, it was clear he wasn’t really asleep, just pretending.

Hmm?

Jiang Yang was surprised to discover that her eyesight had significantly improved after being washed by the sea. Even from this distance, in the dim tree hollow, she could clearly see the fish-man’s trembling eyelashes. Indeed, surviving a great disaster must bring good fortune.

Leaning against the rock wall, Jiang Yang looked at the fish-man and asked, “…Why did you save me?”

Chi Mei’s thin eyelids fluttered. Without scales to protect the wounds, the exposed flesh stung constantly in the seawater, feeling like thousands of needles pricking him. Chi Mei endured the pain and said dully, “No reason.”

Jiang Yang said, “Regardless, you saved me, and I’m grateful to you.”

Chi Mei gazed at her deeply for a moment, then said in a hoarse, weak voice, “Saving you was my choice. I don’t need your gratitude.”

“Then don’t you-”

Chi Mei interrupted her: “Don’t mention capturing me for oil refining again.” As long as it wasn’t mentioned, he could pretend it never happened. Numbness was better than clarity.

Jiang Yang: “…” It seemed the beautiful fish-man was still holding a grudge against her, which was understandable. Who could let it go?

If she were a merperson, just swimming in her own sea and suddenly getting shot, she’d be very angry.

The human she liked had even planned to present her to the emperor as a pet. Even if it wasn’t successfully carried out in the end, and even if there were unavoidable circumstances, there would still be a trace of resentment in her heart.

Moreover, just before the ship capsized, she had rejected this beautiful fish-man, severely hurting his pride.

Karma came quickly. In less than a day, she had fallen from grace, and the fish-man had turned the tables, becoming the master. He had saved her life, found her a shelter from wind and rain, and even brought back food from outside. Truly noble and upright.