The Left Elder, at her advanced age, looked disheveled after being fished out of the water. Her hand trembled as she pointed at Chi Mei: “You! You’re actually siding with this human woman! Heavens above, what sin has our mermaid race committed! The Crown Prince had an affair with a human, bore a child, and ran away. Now even the Second Prince is entangled with a human woman, and, and even gave away the mermaid pearl!”

Chi Mei lowered his head: “Left Elder, the mermaid pearl wasn’t taken by deceit. I willingly gave it to Yang’er.”

“……” The spectator fish were dumbfounded.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!” The Left Elder wailed to the sky: “Heavens, just let me die!”

The Right Elder patted the Left Elder’s back and sighed: “Try to be open-minded. We expected this, didn’t we? There must be something wrong with our education, otherwise we wouldn’t have raised two princes like this.” The Right Elder reflected sadly.

“Mermaid pearl? What’s that?” Jiang Yang asked.

“You don’t even know what a mermaid pearl is?” The Right Elder said: “The mermaid pearl is the very essence of our mermaid race. Without it, if we’re injured, it’s like walking through the gates of hell. Our sight, hearing, and smell become worse than humans’. More importantly, if a merperson loses their mermaid pearl, they’ll die from loss of vital energy within seven years. When you were dragged underwater by our people, you nearly died. Our prince could only save you this way, otherwise you’d be nothing but bones by now.”

Jiang Yang looked at Chi Mei, who was looking down, not daring to meet her eyes: “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Chi Mei tremblingly touched the hem of her skirt, saying softly: “I was afraid you’d feel guilty about it.”

“She won’t feel guilty. She’s probably overjoyed!” The Left Elder said with extreme resentment: “Look at you, sacrificing everything for this woman, even willing to give up your life. But look, is your sacrifice worth it?”

Chi Mei said: “I don’t care if it’s worth it or not. I only know that I’m willing to give my mermaid pearl to Yang’er. I’m willing to exchange the latter half of my life for her health and well-being.”

“Have you gone mad or become a fool! To obtain a mermaid pearl, the current holder must be willing to give it up. You willingly offered your mermaid pearl to save her back then. But you suffered such a severe injury, and without the mermaid pearl your life hangs by a thread, yet she didn’t return the mermaid pearl to you at all! You’ve given your heart and your mermaid pearl to this ungrateful wretch!” The Left Elder wished she could eat Jiang Yang to vent her anger.

Chi Mei stood in front of Jiang Yang, defending her: “That’s because I never told Yang’er that I gave her the mermaid pearl. She didn’t know. Yang’er isn’t a bad person. You’ve all misunderstood her. She’s good, really good, and she’s been good to me too.”

The Left Elder sneered: “She might not have known before, but now she knows. Let’s see if she’ll return it to you.”

“I don’t care mmph—”

Jiang Yang held Chi Mei’s slender neck, her lips pressing tightly against his. A warm force flowed from her body into Chi Mei’s, nourishing his body like a gentle hot spring.

Jiang Yang didn’t know that the mermaid pearl had such miraculous effects, nor did she know it was inside her. No wonder that stupid fish was so weak before. Really, he should have said something earlier. It’s not like she wouldn’t have given it back.

Why did this stupid fish torture himself like this, keeping it to himself? Making it all seem like some tragic love story.

Chi Mei: “……”

Left and Right Elders: “……”

The spectator fish covered their faces in embarrassment, peeking through small gaps, their little mouths blooming into smiles.

Chi Mei’s eyes instantly brightened. Then, realizing what was happening, he tightly hugged Jiang Yang’s waist, looking smug and proud. Even the luster of his tail improved.

As the kiss ended and their lips parted, the mermaid pearl returned to its original owner.

Chi Mei: “See? I told you Yang’er is good.”

“That’s because we’re here backing you up now!” The Left Elder was nearly driven to death by Chi Mei’s love-addled brain: “If she hadn’t returned it to you, we would have attacked her together, torturing her in various ways until she willingly handed over the mermaid pearl. She’s not stupid. Of course she’d hand it over before we got serious!”

Chi Mei listened quietly, but his eyes remained fixed on Jiang Yang, filled with nothing but deep affection.

“You, you, you!” The Left Elder was on the verge of a heart attack, lamenting in anguish: “This human woman gives you a little sweetness and you’re as happy as can be. Have you forgotten how humans have treated us? She was planning to catch you to extract your oil! Do you know what extracting oil means? It means cutting your flesh piece by piece and frying it in a pot to extract your oil!”

Chi Mei mumbled very softly: “But she hasn’t done it yet.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” The Left Elder was nearly driven mad, gasping for air: “Quick, kill this woman! She knows witchcraft. Yes, she must have used witchcraft to bewitch the prince. Quick, kill her!”

“You’re not allowed to kill her. If you kill her, I won’t live either.” Chi Mei spread his arms, trying his best to protect Jiang Yang.

Jiang Yang looked at his frail body, not yet recovered from illness, yet exerting all his strength to shield her from danger. She crouched down and whispered in his ear: “Actually, I never intended to kill you, nor did I ever think about catching you to extract oil. Capturing you wasn’t my original intention. I only wanted to do my best to save your life, then find a chance to let you return to the sea.”

“Really?” Chi Mei’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy, as happy as a child. He said with a choked voice: “I knew it. You wouldn’t do that to me. You all see now? Yang’er is truly a good person. I absolutely won’t allow you to harm her.”

“She’s deceiving you! Right now we’re in a strong position and she’s weak. Of course she’d say that to save her life. You absolutely can’t be fooled by her few words. If she really wanted to let you go, why didn’t she release you for so long? In the end, weren’t we the ones who rescued you!” The Left Elder was so angry she could spit blood.

Chi Mei looked at Jiang Yang, then at the Left Elder who was about to explode with rage, and said: “Yang’er must have her reasons.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” The Left Elder, like a loyal minister trying to persuade a foolish ruler to stay away from an evil concubine only to be executed, let out a prairie dog-like shriek and fainted from anger.

“Quickly, take the Left Elder outside for some air. It’s too stuffy in here,” the Right Elder said.

A group of young merpeople immediately carried the unconscious Left Elder out of the tree hollow.

The Right Elder shook her head at the completely fainted Left Elder and said softly: “Old Stone, you see? I told you back then we should have advised the old Mermaid King to have more children.”

Though the voice was very low, Jiang Yang heard it clearly. Although it was a bit cruel, it was indeed quite right.

“Prince, we’ve come a long way to find you. Come outside with me for a chat. If this young lady is truly as upright and kind as our prince says, then please stay where you are,” the Right Elder said.

Jiang Yang nodded: “No problem.”

The Right Elder’s temper was clearly much better than the Left Elder’s, and she was more steady. She led Chi Mei out of the tree hollow and spoke frankly: “Prince, you are the only bloodline of our Mermaid King now. We warned you countless times to be careful of humans, but we never thought you’d still fall for their tricks. But it’s alright. As long as you sever all ties with that woman, the mermaid race can still tolerate you. This is already our greatest concession.”

According to tribal rules, anyone who had intimate relations with humans, be they commoners or princes, would be expelled from the tribe. That’s why they were merciless towards the Crown Prince back then. They thought the Second Prince was obedient, at least able to carry on the Mermaid King’s bloodline. They never expected… Mermaid King, your fate is bitter indeed.

The Crown Prince had gone ashore and probably wouldn’t return. This remaining bloodline of Chi Mei must be protected, even if it meant making an exception to tribal rules.

The Right Elder’s temper wasn’t as fiery as the Left Elder’s, but she wasn’t a pushover either. Having said both the good and the bad, her actual attitude was clear: ‘We’ve already compromised. Don’t be ungrateful.’

She thought the tribe’s concession would make Chi Mei yield, but she never expected the usually docile Second Prince to be so unyielding.

“If I don’t agree to your demands, you’ll kill Yang’er, right?”

The Right Elder nodded: “Yes.”

“But even if I agree to your demands, you’ll still kill Yang’er, won’t you?”

“Yes.”

That single word made Chi Mei’s heart as cold as ice. He wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, supported his waist, and pushed out his belly slightly: “But I can’t let my child grow up without a mother.”