Jiang Yang swam deeper with the merfolk tribe. The deeper they went, the darker it became, and the marine life was not as diverse and colorful as in the shallow waters. Fortunately, since Jiang Yang had swallowed the mermaid pearl, she didn’t feel the fear of the unknown deep sea even in the darkness. Chi Mei, on the other hand, without the mermaid pearl, was like a blind fish, groping around aimlessly in the sea. His breathing was somewhat rapid. This place, which had been his home for over a decade, now felt utterly unfamiliar. He stretched out his hands, constantly feeling his way through the water.

Jiang Yang took his hand and wrapped her arm around his waist. At first, Chi Mei let out a surprised low cry, but after a moment of shock, he softly called out to her, “A’Yang?”

“Mm.”

Chi Mei’s nervous emotions seemed to be soothed in an instant. A smile bloomed on his face as he carefully pressed against her body, his tail fin occasionally brushing against her legs as they swam.

Jiang Yang didn’t resist and continued to swim forward with the main group.

But Chi Mei seemed to take her tolerance as permission, pressing closer to her body. A hammerhead shark slowly swam over them, watching the tightly intertwined pair.

At the rear of the group, several young unmarried merfolk, all pure and innocent little fish babies, saw them in a pose that wasn’t quite mating but seemed more intimate than mating. They all blushed and squealed softly, “Ahhhh, is this still our prince? I remember the prince used to be the most conservative, but now he dares to do this outside of the bedroom.”

The dull little merman who had previously stumbled upon Chi Mei and Jiang Yang exchanging the mermaid pearl said proudly, “Pfft, all fish are changeable. I’ve seen even more exciting scenes.”

“What? What? Little Lotus, what did you see? Quick, tell us, we want to hear too!”

Little Lotus vividly described the scene in the tree hollow.

The young merfolk who had never experienced such things, not even having read vulgar romance stories in books, couldn’t handle this kind of stimulation. They were almost as red as braised fish, as if they were the protagonists themselves.

Chi Mei, without the mermaid pearl, naturally couldn’t hear what the group of young merfolk behind him were saying, but Jiang Yang could hear, and she heard every word clearly. She thought these magical sea creatures were just too innocent. They couldn’t handle just a kiss? If they saw how she used to play in the brothels before, they might faint on the spot.

However, Jiang Yang thought again, the merfolk tribe was isolated from the world, and the little fish they raised were all without much scheming, each one more naive than the last, much easier to control than those old foxes on land.

On land, if a down-and-out scholar, whether intentionally or unintentionally, seduced a pure young master from a noble family, even if the rice had already been cooked into porridge, the clan leader would secretly have the scholar killed, and then announce to the outside world that the young master who had tarnished the family name had died of illness or had seen through the vanity of the world and become a monk. In any case, it would be impossible to easily manipulate a big family just because of a child in the belly.

In comparison, the Left and Right Elders, who had the worst attitude towards her, were actually being very merciful. Not to mention those younger ones, who were young and innocent, and could be made to yearn for it with just a made-up love story. In this situation, it was actually the most advantageous for Jiang Yang.

Therefore, although Jiang Yang heard the little fish chirping behind her, she just looked back once and didn’t bother with them anymore.

As for the young merfolk led by Little Lotus, they were as embarrassed as young masters who had been suddenly caught discussing ladies behind their backs, blushing and freezing in place.

“Did… did she hear what we were saying?”

“…I don’t know, she looked at us once.”

“She probably didn’t. If she had heard us, she would definitely have said something to us, but that woman didn’t say anything, did she?”

“That’s right, that’s right.” As soon as Little Lotus spoke, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“But our prince’s taste is still very good. Although that woman is human, she’s too beautiful, even more beautiful than the most attractive females in our tribe.”

“Of course, how else could she have easily conquered our prince? And even carry his child.”

“Are all human women as beautiful as her?” A young merman asked, his face red as he listened to Jiang Yang.

“I don’t know, but don’t think too much about it. Haven’t you heard what our elders said? Humans are cunning and cruel.”

“But I see this Jiang Yang as not cunning or cruel at all. The way she fought with the Left and Right Elders in the tree hollow, how gallant and heroic she was.” The young merman hugged his fantasy.

Little Lotus slapped the back of his head and scolded, “What gallant and heroic? Don’t be foolish! Have you forgotten the fate of the elder prince? Have you forgotten the fate of Chun Jian? Which one of them wasn’t abandoned by a woman, living a lonely life?”

The young merman covered the back of his head and said resentfully, “Won’t we be abandoned in the sea as well?”

At these words, all the fish suddenly fell silent.

Indeed, whether on land or in the sea, which woman doesn’t have three or four husbands? Especially in their merfolk tribe, where males outnumber females, multiple husbands surround and compete for favor, constantly giving birth, until they have a daughter, then striving for a second daughter, a third daughter. If they don’t want to be out of favor, their bellies must never stop bearing children. But even so, they still can’t hold a woman’s heart. They fall in love with every new person they meet, collecting one after another, bringing soft and beautiful new people into their chambers one after another.

And those old ones who have been giving birth for the sake of expanding their wife-master’s family tree, unable to maintain their figure and looks due to constant childbearing, become yellow-faced husbands. Their wife-masters don’t even want to look at them. Although they nominally still have a wife-master, how is that any different from being abandoned?

If they can’t give birth, it’s even worse. They don’t even have a nominal wife-master and will be abandoned without hesitation.

“When the elder prince was banished to the sea trench, I secretly went to visit him once. He told me that the woman he liked was graceful and held a high position. She not only saved his life but also took care of him tenderly and protected him, not letting other humans bully him. She even… even promised him that he would be her last man. How wonderful,” the young merman said with a longing expression.

Little Lotus stopped talking.