Chapter 44

“……”

So, he really saw it.

Yu Tao stood by the bed, at a loss. The palm of the hand she had just secretly held felt incredibly hot, and she hurriedly tried to hide it behind her.

“S-Senior Brother.”

She nervously tried to explain herself, “Well, actually, I was just planning to put your hand back under the quilt because it’s cold.”

The young man lazily leaned against the headboard, his gaze slowly shifting to her. He suddenly chuckled lightly, then asked, “So, was the kiss to warm me up because you were afraid I’d be cold?”

Yu Tao nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at grain.

Her small face was serious, and she said earnestly, “I felt your hand was too cold, so I wanted to warm it up by blowing on it before putting it back. I accidentally touched it. Senior Brother, please don’t misunderstand.”

After hearing her explanation, the young man just kept his beautiful light gold eyes fixed on her. His expression was calm.

Yu Tao wasn’t sure if her excuse had worked. She forced herself to keep eye contact with him, but her heart was racing nervously, and the silence between them made her heartbeat feel even louder.

Finally, the young man opened his mouth, about to say something, but at this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Hua Lian’s voice came through the door.

“Uh… I really don’t want to interrupt, but the boat has arrived on the island.”

Hua Lian’s words immediately broke the strange atmosphere inside the small wooden house. Thinking of their fishing plan, Yu Tao felt like she had found a lifeline. She relaxed and turned to the young man, who was only wearing a white undergarment.

“Then, Senior Brother, I’ll wait outside for you. You get dressed first.”

After saying that, Yu Tao quickly opened the door and stepped outside, swiftly closing it behind her. She leaned against the door.

Hua Lian stood beside her with a smile. “Little Junior Sister, you seem very hot? Your face is so red.”

“It’s probably just too stuffy in the room.”

Yu Tao replied awkwardly, then quickly changed the subject. “Second Senior Brother, has the boat really arrived at the island?”

Since Hua Lian stayed behind, it meant he was aware of their plan. Although Hua Lian didn’t seem like the most reliable person, Yu Tao trusted his character and knew he wouldn’t reveal the presence of the mermaid here.

“It’s still a bit of a distance away. I saw it from far off while I was walking, so I hurried back to find you.”

When it came to serious matters, Hua Lian became more focused. “Song Hong and the others took the backup boat back. It should take at least a day for them to return, meaning they haven’t made it back to Yongning Town yet.”

“They haven’t returned yet, but someone’s already come… this means…”

Yu Tao furrowed her brows and spoke, “That means they’ve been waiting outside the secret realm from the start. After seeing Song Hong and the others return, they came in.”

The young man stepped out and calmly said, “Let’s go check who they are. Don’t startle them.”

Yu Tao and Hua Lian had no objections. After a brief discussion, they decided to hide in the shadows and conceal their presence until the boat got closer.

There was no moonlight tonight because of the rain, so they couldn’t make out the details of the boat, only its dark shape growing larger as it neared the shore.

Yu Tao listened to the sound of the anchor dropping and suddenly frowned.

Hua Lian noticed her expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Tao answered honestly, “The sound of the anchor chain hitting sounds muffled, like it’s made of a different material than the ones used on the ships from Yongning Town.”

“It could be they’re using a different ship to hide their tracks,” Hua Lian said, not paying much attention, and continued watching.

The boat anchored and stopped. Dozens of people skillfully jumped off without using a ladder, stepping onto the rocks, holding glowing night pearls that lit up the surroundings like daylight.

A few figures waved the night pearls around, then walked toward the island and disappeared into the dense forest.

Yu Tao froze.

According to Feng Mian, the previous boat had been specifically sent to catch them, without stepping foot on the island.

“Junior Brother, you stay here and keep an eye on them. I’ll go ask the mermaid.”

Yu Tao gestured with her hand and ran toward a hidden beach. She pulled out a blue spirit butterfly, crushed it, and the blue light faded, quickly revealing the mermaid’s form.

“You’re closer, so you must have seen what those people looked like. Are they the same ones you met last time?”

Feng Mian flicked his tail and shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen these people before. I looked carefully, and the ones left behind on the boat aren’t the ones who ran away last time.”

Yu Tao grew even more confused. The boat wasn’t the same, the people weren’t familiar, and they didn’t seem to be after the mermaids. So what were they here for?

With these questions in mind, Yu Tao returned to the others and shared what she had observed and her doubts.

The young man’s gaze remained fixed on the group of people. He spoke slowly, “They’re here to look for something.”

Hua Lian nodded. “I think so too. Look, Little Junior Sister, those dozen or so people ahead have already split up to search.”

He stroked his chin and speculated, “It seems like the ones ahead are the subordinates, while the man and woman in the back appear to be elders and their juniors.”

The three continued to observe in secret. The group searched tirelessly all night, combing the entire island. Finally, they gathered together to report their findings, and they happened to be near Yu Tao and the others. The three of them finally got a clear look at the man and woman at the front.

“Su Chengfeng?”

Hua Lian gasped in surprise, “What’s Su Chengfeng, the head of the Su family, doing here in this desolate wilderness, leaving his Yaochi behind?”

Yu Tao hadn’t slept all night. She rubbed her eyes in exhaustion and looked up at the two figures.

The girl beside Su Chengfeng, Yu Tao, felt she recognized her from somewhere, but couldn’t quite place it.

After thinking carefully, she remembered. She had seen her at the Grand Elder’s birthday banquet.

She was probably Zhu Mingyu’s younger sister, Zhu Qianying.

Su Chengfeng asked, “What’s the situation?”

The group of subordinates shook their heads one after another. “Master, we’ve searched the entire island, but there’s not a single trace of anyone.”

Su Chengfeng’s expression darkened. “Keep looking.”

“Yes, Master.”

The subordinates scattered again, continuing their search, leaving only Su Chengfeng and Zhu Qianying behind.

Yu Tao felt puzzled and whispered, “What are they looking for on this island?”

But within the secret realm, weren’t only their two Wuchang Sect disciples here? Could there be others who entered as well?

But if there were other people, Feng Mian should have known first.

Yu Tao lowered her gaze in thought, but Zhu Qianying’s next words suddenly provided her with the answer.

“Uncle Su, don’t worry. You see, the restriction on this sea area only has one layer left, which means Miss Yu must have found a way to break the restriction. She’ll be fine.”

Yu Tao froze.

The person they were looking for was… her?

Yu Tao felt a slight chill. Why was Su Chengfeng looking for her?

Hua Lian also seemed puzzled. “But doesn’t the head of the Su family not even know Yu Tao? Why is he suddenly looking for her, and acting so worried, deploying so many of his subordinates?”

Could it be that he thought Yu Tao looked somewhat like his deceased daughter, Su Liuli, and developed some strange feelings?

But Yu Tao was just Yu Tao. He had interacted with both of them before. At first glance, there might be some resemblance, but after getting to know her, he realized Yu Tao was entirely different from Su Liuli.

“But she’s so weak, what if she encounters danger…” Su Chengfeng’s expression became grave as he held a piece of jade in his hand, sighing. “We’ve wasted so much time at sea, it wasn’t until today that we found this place.”

Zhu Qianying slightly lowered her eyes, her gaze uncertain. “Although Miss Yu’s cultivation isn’t high, she has her seniors with her. It’s been over a month now, so it’s possible that Miss Yu and the others have already left.”

“…I hope so.”

Zhu Qianying smiled lightly and, while pretending to look at the patrolling people, casually glanced toward a certain spot.

“It will be,” she murmured.

It was all part of a script that had already been written.

How could it possibly go wrong?

Suddenly, the twin jade pendants in Su Chengfeng’s hand shattered. He froze for a moment, then smiled in joy. “Their ship has returned to Yongning Town!”

“Let’s go. We need to hurry back too.”

Su Chengfeng called his subordinates to board the ship. His movements were swift as he ordered the anchor to be lifted and the sails unfurled, leaving the secret realm’s sea area.

Yu Tao watched the ship’s shadow fade into the distance, feeling puzzled. This action confirmed they had indeed come to find her.

But they didn’t even know her. Why were they looking for her?

Once she confirmed they weren’t the group that was after the mermaid, Yu Tao relaxed. She was exhausted from staying up all night. Yawning, she dragged her tired body back to the cabin and collapsed into bed, falling asleep immediately.

Hua Lian nudged Yu Li with his elbow. “Junior Brother, do you think Su Chengfeng gone a little crazy, mistaking Junior Sister for his deceased daughter, Su Liuli?”

Yu Li lifted his eyelids. “Who is Su Liuli?”

Hua Lian was momentarily taken aback before replying helplessly, “She was a disciple that Master took in a few years ago—our junior sister. She was Su Chengfeng’s daughter.”

“She used to follow you around every day. You’ve turned around and completely forgotten her now?”

Hua Lian’s words triggered some memories in Yu Li.

A few years ago, there was a mysterious female cultivator who always accompanied him on missions. At first, he thought it was a coincidence, but after the third time, he realized it was intentional, so he started avoiding her. After that, he never saw her again.

Yu Li frowned in confusion. “Why would he mistake Yu Tao for her? Are they related?”

“Because Junior Sister looks a bit like Su Liuli,” Hua Lian said, puzzled. “Haven’t you seen Su Liuli before?”

Yu Li replied nonchalantly, “I didn’t pay attention.”

Hua Lian twitched his lips. “Well, whatever. I guess you also don’t know about those rumors circulating in the sect? They say Master took Yu Tao as his disciple because she resembles Su Liuli.”

“That’s nonsense.” The young man’s tone turned cold.

“Yeah, I think so too. I don’t know how that rumor even spread, but it’s been passed around like it’s the truth.”

Hua Lian expressed his frustration, “I already had Master Qiu Chao delete those posts, but to clear things up, we’ll have to wait until Master comes out of seclusion.”

Yu Li slightly furrowed his brows. “Does Yu Tao know about this?”

“Don’t worry, Junior Sister Zhu said that Junior Sister Yu was very busy at the time and didn’t have time to check the posts, so she doesn’t know about it.”

Hua Lian lazily yawned. “Alright, Junior Brother, no more talking. I’m going to catch a nap.”

On the third night, another ship arrived at Xuanyue Sea.

This time, it was a ship from Yongning Town. It didn’t dock but stopped on the surface of the water with clear intent, and people dived into the water, using spiritual power to search.

Feng Mian told Yu Tao that it was the same group from last time.

Yu Tao nodded. Based on the timing, it was after Senior Brother Song Hong had returned. That confirmed it: this group was indeed using them to break the restrictions and capture the mermaids.

Hua Lian clicked his tongue. “Really not good people.”

A quarter of an hour later, Yu Li captured all of them and lined them up on the beach.

Yu Tao froze when she saw a familiar face. “Town Chief Miao?”

Looking at the people next to him, most of them were fishermen from the town, with only three cultivators. It really was them trying to capture the mermaid. Yu Tao had initially thought that their ship had simply been taken by someone else.

Yu Tao was deeply confused. “Why are you trying to capture the mermaids? The town has been developed so well, and everyone’s living comfortably. Isn’t that enough?”

Could human desire really never be satisfied?

Town Chief Miao’s face was haggard. “Immortal, we had no choice.”

He glanced at the three cultivators who were tightly bound. Even in this situation, they remained calm, disdainfully glancing at Town Chief Miao, as if certain he wouldn’t dare speak the truth.

Town Chief Miao gritted his teeth, looked at the several desperate-looking youths beside him, and was about to risk his life to reveal the truth. Before he could open his mouth, Hua Lian covered his mouth and fed him a pill.

“So it’s such a low-level little thing,” Hua Lian sneered. “Alright, speak. Don’t worry, the poison won’t take effect.”

Town Chief Miao was stunned, his expression changing to one of excitement. “Thank you, Immortal!”

With the threat to his life gone, Town Chief Miao quickly explained why they had been capturing the mermaids.

More than three months ago, several cultivators suddenly arrived in the town, poisoning everyone. They told the people in the town that if they didn’t follow their orders, they would die from the poison.

They ordered Town Chief Miao to go to Xuanyue Sea to find a mermaid. Town Chief Miao had never seen a mermaid before, but he had no choice but to comply. He sent out all the young people from the town to search the seas.

For a month, they searched like this, when suddenly a ship disappeared on the sea. Everyone initially thought it had encountered a disaster, but after a few days, the ship reappeared, though the fishermen on board had lost all memory.

Several cultivators immediately deduced that it was the work of mermaids. They sailed around the nearby sea area, searching back and forth, and finally found this secret realm. There, they discovered a young mermaid.

They were about to capture it, but due to the restrictions in place, they had to temporarily retreat. After returning, they came up with a plan to release poisonous mist and have other cultivators come to break the restriction.

As for Town Chief Miao and the others, because of the poison, they couldn’t reveal the true reason to the newcomers, let alone ask for their help.

“How heartless,” Hua Lian gritted his teeth.

With the truth now fully revealed, Hua Lian gave the culprits several kicks, provided Town Chief Miao with enough detoxifying pills, and instructed them to board the ship back. That night, they also left the secret realm using a backup ship and returned to Yongning Town.

Feng Mian, following Yu Tao’s instructions, reactivated the restriction formation after they left the secret realm.

Once they were out of the secret realm, Hua Lian contacted the Immortal Alliance. They quickly sent people to capture the culprits and also arrested their accomplices left behind in Yongning Town, subjecting them to severe punishment.

The cultivation world prohibits any cultivator from harming innocent civilians. Just the act of poisoning the innocent was enough for them to face imprisonment.

That night, the sea breeze was cool. Yu Tao leaned on the ship’s railing, letting the wind blow through her hair. The things she had been worried about had finally been resolved. The toxic fog that had been lingering on the surface of the sea had dispersed, and she felt a sense of relief.

The cold, clear moonlight suddenly dimmed. Yu Tao looked up to see that the moon had almost vanished, leaving only a faint glow on the horizon, with Xuanyue now in the sky.

She paused for a moment, her gaze shifting to the sea. One by one, blue spiritual flowers bloomed on the surface of the water, surrounding the ship and forming a beautiful, dreamlike sea of flowers.

So beautiful.

The last time, she had only seen it briefly, but now, she had the chance to truly appreciate it.

Ripples appeared in the center of the flower sea, as though something was beneath the surface. Yu Tao focused her gaze, but suddenly, her hand was gently taken by something warm.

She turned her head to meet the young man’s light golden eyes.

Her attention was instantly drawn to him, and she completely ignored the ripples in the blue flower sea.

“Little Senior Brother?”

She looked at her hand, which he was holding, and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

The Xuanyue flower sea was widely believed to be the most dreamlike scene in the world. Many had spent hundreds of years searching for it in the ocean, but few had ever seen it.

Because this was the courting ritual of the mermaid clan.

The young man glanced indifferently at the blue-tailed mermaids playfully splashing in the flower sea. Slowly, he lifted her hand to his face, exhaling a soft breath of warmth, and a gentle heat spread through her.

“The wind is cold tonight. It’s not good to stay out in it for too long.”

Yu Tao felt warmth in her heart. Little Senior Brother really cared for her.

She smiled softly, “Little Senior Brother, thank you…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the young man’s soft lips brushed against the knuckles of her finger, gently leaving a mark on her delicate hand.

Yu Tao’s face instantly turned bright red, and she stammered, unable to say anything.

The young man slowly lifted his eyelashes. His light golden eyes shimmered with a dreamy blue halo, and he spoke softly, almost helplessly, “It was an accident. Don’t misunderstand.”

Why did those words sound so familiar?

“I… I’m tired. I’m going to sleep!”

Yu Tao’s face was burning, and after she spoke, she dashed off, shut the door, and buried her head in the quilts in one swift motion, letting out a deep breath.

Because of this unexpected event, Yu Tao tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep the entire night.

As she looked out the window, the moon had returned to its pure, bright state. She suddenly remembered something different.

Last time, the moon above the flower sea on the island hadn’t turned into Xuanyue, had it?