Chapter 21: Heartbreak

No wonder those merpeople capsized her boat so quickly and kidnapped the merman prince. That was unacceptable.

If it weren’t for the crazy Chun Jian today, she wouldn’t have known that the stupid fish actually had such an extraordinary identity.

“You hid it too deep. Why didn’t you tell me?” Jiang Yang asked after returning to the tree hollow.

“What difference would it make if I told you? You’d still cut off my flesh to refine oil and give me to your emperor as a pet.” Chi Mei glanced at her indifferently, his voice tinged with loneliness: “…With the identity of a prince, you’ll surely get more rewards.”

Jiang Yang was stunned for a moment. Indeed, even if she knew Chi Mei’s identity, she was powerless to do anything.

Seeing Jiang Yang’s silence, Chi Mei’s face turned even paler, as if the wound was throbbing again. Without the protection of scales and being in water for a long time, the wound on his tail fin had started to rot.

He frowned slightly and reached out for the phoenix flowers decorating the rock wall.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Yang asked.

“Packing up, getting ready to leave,” Chi Mei said.

Jiang Yang was slightly surprised, paused for two seconds, then nodded: “It’s good that you’re leaving. It’s good.”

Chun Jian had misunderstood the relationship between Chi Mei and her, but it wasn’t a complete misunderstanding. If he hadn’t developed feelings for her on the boat back then, he wouldn’t have shown his little bird to her, yet she had rejected him.

After Chun Jian’s words today, she realized that this stupid fish Chi Mei was actually the merman prince. One could imagine how much determination it must have taken for him to make the decision to expose his bird on the boat back then, going against his ancestors.

Although she didn’t know if the stupid fish still had feelings for her now, Chun Jian’s words, which seemed both a curse and a mockery, sounded quite harsh. No wonder the stupid fish couldn’t take the shock and was preparing to run away.

Now, if he returned to his clan and admitted his mistake, there might still be time. The stupid fish’s intelligence was too touching; it would be better for him to stay honestly in the sea where he wouldn’t be tricked or bullied.

For some reason, a faint sense of melancholy grew in Jiang Yang’s heart. After spending so long with this fish, she suddenly felt a bit reluctant to part.

Watching Chi Mei hurriedly packing his things, which were actually just the phoenix flowers she had picked, even remembering to take the flowers when running away, it was clear how much the stupid fish truly loved them.

Jiang Yang stepped on a protruding rock on the rock wall, helping him take down the last cluster of phoenix flowers and placing them in his hand: “Don’t swim near the shore in the future. There are many people there, be careful not to get tricked.”

Chi Mei took the phoenix flowers, the burning red color reflecting a hint of confusion in his clear eyes, then he nodded solemnly: “I’ll remember.”

Jiang Yang withdrew her hand, her eyes rippling with a gentle smile: “Alright, you can go now.”

Chi Mei was silent for a while, then suddenly changed, frowning coldly as he grabbed her hand and said fiercely: “You want to drive me away again?”

Jiang Yang: “…Huh?”

Chi Mei’s bright black eyes flashed with resentment at being abandoned, and he pulled her wrist down, causing Jiang Yang to fall into the pond: “I’m your lifesaver, you can’t abandon me.”

Jiang Yang widened her eyes: “I’m not.”

It was clearly you who was packing up, looking like you were ready to run away.

Chi Mei looked at her with resentful eyes, saying angrily: “We can’t stay on this island anymore. You have to come with me. I know another island with beautiful scenery too.”

Jiang Yang finally realized that this fish wanted to take her to a new base.

“But didn’t you say before that your people were hunting me at sea?”

Chi Mei paused, his eyes flickering: “They won’t come so quickly. We just need to leave early and run far away. That way, no one will find you.”

“So you were packing up to take me away?”

Chi Mei’s thick eyelashes, wet with water, hung heavily at the corners of his eyes, flickering slightly: “Yes.”

“Why?”

“That crazy Chun Jian, he wants to hurt you,” Chi Mei blurted out: “When we were at the seaside, I saw him trying to stab you with a dagger. Luckily I was quick, and randomly grabbed a pufferfish to throw at his face. That’s why you weren’t hurt. But it’s no longer safe to stay here. Who knows if that crazy man will try to harm you again, so we should leave quickly.”

Jiang Yang pursed her lips, her smile particularly gentle, and flicked a splash of water on his face: “Stupid fish!”

Chi Mei blinked his eyes, his bright eyes dripping with water, staring at the tender and lingering smile on Jiang Yang’s face, somewhat stunned. Then he realized what she had said and lowered his eyes, complaining in a small voice: “I’m not stupid. My mother often praises me for being smart.”

“Your mother must be a very kind mother,” Jiang Yang smiled meaningfully.

Chi Mei nodded seriously: “Yes, yes, not only my mother, my father is also a kind father.”

Jiang Yang laughed heartily and flicked his forehead: “You stupid fish!”

Chi Mei let out a yelp and covered his forehead, only then belatedly realizing, and looked at her with a resentful face.

Jiang Yang took the opportunity to stroke his back, her slender fingers following his spine from top to bottom, like a weak electric current, instantly spreading a tingling sensation throughout his body. Chi Mei’s eyes changed instantly, his face turning frighteningly red.

“What, what are you doing?” Chi Mei clung to her hand, his flickering eyes under the coquettish phoenix flowers suddenly showing a hint of shyness.

“Let me touch you,” Jiang Yang said shamelessly.

“You…” Chi Mei pushed Jiang Yang’s arm with a red face. Just a moment ago he could easily pull her into the water, but now his strength was like that of a kitten.

Feeling this tickling strength, and seeing the expectation flickering in the stupid fish’s bright eyes, four words instantly filled Jiang Yang’s mind: ‘pretending to refuse’.

At a time like this, he was still thinking about doing it? Was there really no concept of modesty among the merfolk? Resisting the urge to give this stupid fish two big slaps, Jiang Yang flipped him over, pressing his front against the rock wall, his back facing her.

The stupid fish was a bit confused by this smooth series of actions, but still obediently lay on the rock wall, with an air of ‘I’m at your disposal, hurry up and do it’.

Jiang Yang was speechless, her hand continuing downward.

The merman’s silk was as thin and transparent as gauze. With the help of the faint light and her suddenly improved vision, Jiang Yang quickly discovered that the previous wound on this stupid fish’s back showed no signs of improvement. A long, large gash stood out starkly on his smooth, delicate back.

She gently pressed on the wound, and the stupid fish let out a painful moan.

Jiang Yang frowned. Logically, this wound wasn’t deep. For an ordinary human, it would have scabbed over in one night, let alone for a merman with amazing recovery abilities.

But why, after a day, had this wound not only failed to scab over, but was still seeping blood at the slightest touch?

“Your wound hasn’t healed. Why didn’t you tell me?” Jiang Yang pressed on his shoulder, her legs in the water accidentally touching his fish tail. The stupid fish’s face instantly turned pale, and cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

Jiang Yang immediately dove into the water, her hands supporting his tail fin. A wound as large as two palms, stripped of scales, was exposed. A large chunk of raw flesh looked as if it had been torn off alive, a sight that made one’s hair stand on end.

It was unknown when this wound was sustained, but not only did it show no signs of healing, it had begun to fester and spread to the surrounding area. Other uninjured scales also showed signs of swelling and bursting. With a slight press, a semi-turbid, pus-like liquid oozed from the wound. Such a severe injury, and he didn’t make a sound, stubbornly enduring it himself. This stupid fish really wasn’t afraid of dying quickly!

Jiang Yang surfaced, not even taking time to catch her breath before angrily scolding: “Do you not want to live anymore? Why didn’t you say a word about such a serious injury? I could have found medicine for you. Do you know the wound has festered?”

Chi Mei hung his head as he was scolded, not making a sound, looking pitiful and miserable, like a new daughter-in-law who had just entered the door and was being disciplined by her mother-in-law.