Chapter 40

After more than a month, the second layer of the formation was finally broken, and the pressure was suddenly lifted. Hua Lian and the others let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground, sitting cross-legged to adjust their breathing.

But Zhu Mingyu didn’t stop to rest. After tidying herself up, she prepared to go find Yu Tao.

Lu Qingyu was puzzled. “Junior Sister Taotao is with Senior Brother Yu Li, so she’s safe. You should take this time to properly recover. With the pressure of the formation lifted, your cultivation will have increased a lot over this month.”

The day they woke up and found that Yu Tao was missing, they heard from Hua Lian that she had gone to find Yu Li. Since then, Zhu Mingyu’s expression had darkened. Over the past month, she had been particularly active in breaking the formation and lifting the restrictions, putting in a lot of effort.

“…I’m not worried about that.”

Zhu Mingyu’s expression remained grim. She pursed her lips tightly, her voice low and heavy.

The book had written that during this time, Yu Tao would develop feelings for Yu Li, leading to the tragic events that followed.

And she had been trapped by the formation eye for the past month, and she had no time to prevent this from happening.

“Then what are you worried about?”

Lu Qingyu also stood up and patted her clothes. “I’ll go with you. I’ve been thinking about Junior Sister Taotao too.”

Zhu Mingyu glanced at her. During the time she was trapped by the formation, Lu Qingyu had helped her several times when she was in danger.

It seemed that she also liked Yu Tao. She had even helped her teach Yu Tao not to be deceived before. Perhaps it would be simpler to inform her and have her help stop this?

Once they were a little farther from Hua Lian and the others, Zhu Mingyu spoke.

“Senior Sister Lu, what should we do if Yu Tao likes Senior Brother Yu Li?”

Lu Qingyu was taken aback, then laughed. “Isn’t that a good thing? Senior Brother Yu Li isn’t a bad person, and I’m not worried about Yu Tao being deceived.”

She pondered for a moment, then added, “The two of them seem quite well-matched.”

Zhu Mingyu lowered her gaze. “But Senior Brother Yu Li only sees her as a substitute for Su Liuli.”

Lu Qingyu raised an eyebrow. It seemed she had said something similar last time. “How are you so sure? Do you know something?”

Zhu Mingyu took a deep breath and recounted the story from the book. “A few years ago, Su Liuli entered the sect and became Senior Brother Yu Li’s junior sister. Su Liuli had feelings for him and pursued him, but he didn’t accept. After she died, he realized he had feelings for her, but by then it was too late.”

“Years later, Yu Tao, who looks somewhat like Su Liuli, became his junior sister, and he began to treat her as a substitute for Su Liuli, giving her everything he owed to her and treating her very well.”

Senior Brother Yu Li had indeed treated Yu Tao differently from others—he had given her the precious jade bell and let her stay at his Yunjing Peak.

It was only a few days ago that the black cat suddenly spoke with Hua Lian in Yu Li’s voice. That’s when she realized it was his primordial spirit, which meant he had indeed been very close to Yu Tao in the form of a spiritual pet.

But Lu Qingyu still felt something was off. “I’m not surprised that Senior Brother Yu Li rejected Su Liuli, but how do you know that after her death, he realized he liked her?”

“Let’s put aside the issue of authenticity. Su Liuli has been dead for years and can’t come back to interfere between them. Why are you so concerned about her?”

Zhu Mingyu’s words alone weren’t very credible, so she sighed and took out the book.

“When I was about to die, this book suddenly appeared before my eyes.”

Lu Qingyu took it with a puzzled look, flipping through a few pages before her expression turned shocked. “This…”

She spent half an hour reading through the book, her lips tightly pressed together. The events written in the book matched what had happened in reality, even down to the details, including the part about her being a side character. Many things that only she knew were written in the book as well.

Zhu Mingyu’s face darkened. “Now you see why I say what I do.”

Lu Qingyu pondered. Before Zhu Mingyu found this book, they weren’t familiar with each other, and there had been no mission to Xuanyue Sea at that time. Yet this book had written about the six of them going to Xuanyue Sea and encountering danger.

It had been written before the events happened, which proved… the authenticity of the book.

In other words, Yu Tao was really being treated as a substitute by Yu Li.

“Scumbag!” Lu Qingyu gritted her teeth and cursed.

She had defended him so much, believing that he could never do something like that, but it turned out she truly didn’t know him well enough.

In the vast, quiet ocean, a massive underwater palace appeared before them, grand and magnificent.

Feng Mian was forced to open the door for them, his body bound by an enchanted rope, the other end held by the young man. Even in the water, he didn’t dare to move easily.

Yu Tao glanced at the merman, feeling a bit regretful. She hadn’t expected him to be the one hiding in the shadows, setting up the formation.

She had thought she was walking alone, unaware that a spell was about to be cast on her. But unexpectedly, her little senior brother had been right beside her, catching the culprit red-handed.

However, this merman’s strength was indeed weak. Yu Tao felt like she could probably spar with him, which explained why he had set up the formation to suppress her cultivation.

She withdrew her gaze and walked into the underwater palace.

Before entering the water, her little senior brother had taught her spells for breathing and speaking underwater. The magic worked wonders, making it feel just like being on land. She no longer needed to hold her breath until she became dizzy.

At the center of the palace, there was a statue, clean and spotless, as if it was regularly polished. The statue depicted a young woman wearing a veil, her face obscured, but her expression was one of immense tenderness.

Yu Tao stood before the statue, staring at her features, feeling a sense of familiarity as if she had seen her somewhere before.

Feng Mian sneered. “You humans don’t deserve to see our goddess. It’s an insult to her!”

Yu Tao was confused and pointed at the statue’s legs. “But your goddess seems to be human too.”

Feng Mian choked. “Anyway, you don’t deserve to see her.”

Yu Tao didn’t argue with him, but brought up another matter. “Before we arrived, there was another ship. Where did the people on that ship go?”

They had almost searched the entire island but hadn’t seen any trace of them.

Feng Mian seemed to find this question amusing, raising an eyebrow. “Of course, they’re dead.”

Unable to move his hands, he blew two bubbles out of his mouth, one turning into a reef and the other into a ship.

“Just like this… boom!” The two bubbles collided quickly, shattering into tiny bubbles.

He laughed maliciously. “Do you think anyone could have survived that?”

Yu Tao’s expression suddenly turned strange. “Are you sure?”

She stood in front of a door, gently pulling it open, revealing the scene inside.

Five or six large bubbles were encasing unconscious people, floating mid-air in the room. It was clearly the disciples from the previous ship.

Feng Mian: “….”

Wasn’t he supposed to have hidden them?

So they were just hiding here?

Yu Tao checked their bodies. They only had some scrapes and bruises, and there was no immediate danger to their lives. She and Yu Li then sent them back to shore.

Once they woke up, she pointed them in the direction where Hua Lian was and told them to regroup with her.

The two of them then returned to the underwater palace.

They searched through the area where the formation’s core was located. In the end, the two of them, one person and one merman, stood in front of a tightly closed door. Yu Tao pushed it, but it didn’t budge. It had been sealed with a formation. They couldn’t break it by force, it could only be opened with the corresponding key.

The young man’s tone was cold. “Open it.”

Feng Mian curled the corner of his lips. “I don’t have the key.”

He was telling the truth. Only the person in charge of the formation had the key. No one else, including her, could open it. If they tried to force it open, it would trigger an even more dangerous formation.

This was also why he was confident in letting them come in.

Yu Tao stared at the empty space on the door for a long time, hesitating for a moment, before pulling out a fish scale about the size of a palm from her storage bag.

The fish scale was a brilliant gold, transparent and dazzling, as if it were as radiant as the sun.

After a brief hesitation, Yu Tao placed the golden fish scale into the empty space.

With a soft “click,” the door automatically opened.

Yu Tao stood there stunned, her breath slightly caught.

Feng Mian was also stunned. Clearly, only the Goddess had the key to open it, it should have been impossible for anyone else to do so.

“How do you have…?”

The formation inside the door was operating. This was the main formation, and the closer they got, the stronger the pressure of the formation became. The young man’s brow furrowed slightly.

Anyone capable of setting up such a powerful formation could not possibly be the merman standing beside her. It was more likely the Goddess he had mentioned.

Yu Tao suddenly asked, “Little Senior Brother, can you feel the pressure from the formation?”

Yu Li glanced at her and lightly replied, “Mm.”

“If it’s too uncomfortable, step back a bit. I’ll take care of it.”

Yu Tao suddenly grabbed his hand. “Little Senior Brother, wait a moment.”

Her expression was somewhat difficult to describe, and her tone was gentle. “I know the person who set up this formation. I think… she doesn’t mean any harm.”

No wonder everyone else was affected by the formation, but she hadn’t felt anything. She had thought it was because of her low cultivation, but it turned out to be something else.

At this moment, a water arrow suddenly shot toward them. Yu Li quickly pulled her out of the way, and the water arrow exploded into dark ink, instantly dyeing the seawater black, making everything invisible.

Yu Li’s eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the subtle movement of the water currents, drawing his longsword.

Moments later, the seawater cleared up again, and a red-tailed, golden-haired mermaid was pinned to the palace floor by the sword, her thick hair pierced by the blade. Feng Mian, who had been saved, was lying next to her.

The little mermaid quickly tried to pry her hair off the sword, attempting to escape, but it was too late. The blade was incredibly sharp, and her golden hair drifted in the seawater.

Yu Tao approached and grabbed her arm.

The little mermaid panicked. “Bad guy! Let me go!”

“Don’t move yet.”

Yu Tao gently brushed aside the hair tangled around the sword. “There, it’s done.”

The little mermaid glared at her. “Hypocrite!”

The little mermaid stiffened her neck. “Since you’ve caught me, you can kill me or carve me up as you please, but not a single tear will fall from me. You might as well give up on that idea!”

Feng Mian looked at her with deep disappointment. He had taught them countless times to hide when danger approaches, yet it seemed none of it had sunk in.

He turned to face Yu Tao, his tone softening from its earlier defiance. “She’s just a child. Can you let her go?”

Yu Tao, feeling a bit lost, bit her lip and then reached out to untie Feng Mian’s binding spell.

Feng Mian was taken aback.

Yu Tao glanced at the ripples in the shadows, likely caused by other mermaids, and asked, “Have you all been living here all this time?”

The mermaid helped Feng Mian up and quickly answered, “Other than here, we have nowhere else to go.”

Yu Tao asked, “Is it because… people from outside want to capture you?”

Feng Mian stepped in front of the mermaid, his voice tinged with sarcasm, “What else could it be?”

Yu Tao lowered her gaze.

The book described that when mermaids died, they left behind a tear, which would transform into the world’s most beautiful pearl—rare and priceless.

In order to obtain these mermaid tears, humans hunted and killed them.

Yu Tao turned to Yu Li. “Little Senior Brother, although this is sudden, could we not destroy this formation?”

Yu Li’s tone was calm. “Alright.”

Yu Tao was slightly stunned. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

Yu Li closed the door again, handing her the golden fish scale, his expression as serene as ever. “Why would I ask?”

He lifted his pale golden eyes. “A spiritual companion only needs to listen to their master.”

Yu Tao’s face flushed slightly. She knew he was teasing, but she still felt a bit embarrassed, responding with a soft, almost inaudible “Mm.”

Feng Mian: “…”

More talk of spiritual companions and Little Senior Brother… Your relationship is complicated.

No wonder humans are so crafty and deceitful—they even play such intricate games.

Yu Tao handed the golden fish scale to Feng Mian. “The key is in your hands now.”

“By the way, if there’s a main formation, the sub-formation should be able to be repaired, right?”

“It can be…” After all, the sub-formation was something he added himself on top of the main formation.

However, Feng Mian was a little surprised. Was he really just handing over the key so casually?

Yu Tao smiled lightly. “The person who set the formation is someone I know. Her original intention was to protect you all, so it’s only right that I leave the key with you.”

“However, the repair of the sub-formation should probably wait until after we leave the island.”

Feng Mian held the fish scale, looking at the girl’s smiling face, momentarily lost in thought.

Once everything was done, Yu Tao and Yu Li left the underwater palace, while Feng Mian was surrounded by a group of little mermaids, all of them crying and wailing around him.

As they passed by the central statue of the goddess, Yu Tao paused.

She looked up again, meeting the gentle gaze of the goddess smiling down at her, and she smiled in return.

When they finally returned to the shore, it was already deep into the night. Instead of going straight to meet with Hua Lian, Yu Tao glanced at the moon and asked Yu Li, “Little Senior Brother, would you mind accompanying me for a walk on the beach?”

Yu Li looked at her steadily for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

The mist had cleared, and the beach was quiet and vast. Looking out across the sea, the moonlight spread endlessly, as if it could reach forever, like seeing eternity itself.

Yu Tao skipped lightly over the rocks, jumping onto the largest one, and sat down to quietly watch the calm sea.

Yu Li sat beside her, his gaze fixed on her.

Suddenly, Yu Tao swung her feet, her tone tinged with regret. “Still nothing… no blue spiritual flowers.”

In the over a month she had been here, she had never seen the sea covered with blue spiritual flowers. It seemed she was just too unlucky.

They would be leaving the island tomorrow, and it seemed like she wouldn’t get another chance to see them again.

Yu Tao sighed softly, a trace of regret in her expression.

A gust of wind blew through, causing leaves to drift down. Yu Tao tilted her head back and caught a small, delicate leaf. Its shape was quite unusual—it was heart-shaped.

She twisted the leaf’s stem a little, then looked up and offered it to Yu Li. “This leaf…”

Her gaze suddenly reflected a vast expanse of blue, as one blue spiritual flower after another bloomed on the surface of the sea. They floated gracefully, ethereal and lively, glowing under the cool white moonlight. It was like a dreamscape, a scene from a dream itself.

Yu Tao’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at the incredible and magnificent scene before her.

It was real…

“Little Senior Brother, look…”

She immediately wanted to share the joy with Yu Li, but when she turned to speak, she suddenly collided with a pair of light golden eyes. She froze, momentarily stunned. The usual coldness in the young man’s eyes was replaced by warmth, with a slight hint of indulgence. Yu Tao felt a little dazed.

Had Little Senior Brother… been looking at her this whole time?

The two of them were sitting on the same rock, very close together, and Yu Tao could even smell the clean, refreshing scent on the young man.

Out of nowhere, she remembered the kiss from more than a month ago, deep underwater. She lowered her head slightly, feeling embarrassed, and unexpectedly noticed the young man’s throat move as his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Yu Tao,” the young man’s voice was husky.

Yu Tao looked up, and suddenly warmth pressed against her face. The young man had one hand on the rock for support, while the other gently lifted her chin.

…Just like the time before.

The distance between them grew closer, their breaths heavier, and the warm air brushed against her cheek. Yu Tao felt a little dizzy and slowly closed her eyes.

“Junior Sister Yu!”

“Junior Sister Taotao!”

Two simultaneous calls brought Yu Tao back to her senses. She suddenly pushed the young man away, and he paused, slightly stunned.

She turned to see two figures approaching—it was Zhu Mingyu and Lu Qingyu.

With her face turned bright red. In a fluster, Yu Tao hurriedly scrambled down from the rock, not even sparing a glance at Yu Li, and rushed over to the two of them.

She silently prayed that they hadn’t seen anything, and in a small voice, she asked, “Classmate Zhu, Senior Sister Lu, is there something you need from me?”

Zhu Mingyu and Lu Qingyu both saw the scene that just unfolded. If they hadn’t interrupted, it was likely that they would have already kissed.

The two exchanged a look, then grabbed Yu Tao and pulled her into a small grove to interrogate her.

“Do you like Senior Brother Yu Li?”

“How far have you two gone?”

Yu Tao’s face instantly turned as red as a tomato, burning with embarrassment. They had seen everything, after all.

She shyly nodded. “Yes, I like him.”

As for the latter question, Yu Tao paused, unsure herself. After a moment, she answered hesitantly, “We… just sleep together…?”

Zhu Mingyu gritted her teeth and spoke seriously, “Tao, didn’t I tell you? Before you’ve made any kind of commitment, any physical contact is just being a jerk! He’s a scumbag!”

Lu Qingyu nodded in agreement. “Junior Sister Zhu told me. When you two first met, he was already hugging and holding you, leaving bite marks on you. That’s the classic behavior of a scumbag. Junior Sister Taotao, you’re being foolish!”

Zhu Mingyu added, “And you said you sleep together? How old are you two? A grown man can’t sleep by himself? He’s just fooling around with a young girl like you!”

Yu Tao was completely confused by their barrage of words. She scratched her head, feeling awkward. “Classmate Zhu, I think you’ve got it wrong. These things… I was the one doing them to him.”

Zhu Mingyu: ?

Lu Qingyu: ?

Yu Tao: So… I’m the scumbag?