Yu Chen maintained his usual indifferent expression, as if nothing concerned him—but the hastened pace of his steps betrayed his emotions. He suddenly grabbed Mu Mou’s wrist and pulled him to the shore. 

During the process, Mu Mou had already woken up, his large eyes staring directly at Yu Chen. 

Yu Chen’s rapidly pounding heart finally steadied a little. He looked at the fish blankly and asked, “… What are you doing?” 

Mu Mou wore a pitiful expression and mumbled, “Yu Chen, I’m so hungry…” 

Yu Chen’s gaze drifted to the patch of grass by the shore, now nearly stripped bare, and then to the blades of grass clinging to the corner of Mu Mou’s lips. His thin lips pressed into a straight line. 

Without a word, he stood up, went back inside, and returned with a plate of fresh fruit, placing it in front of Mu Mou. 

Mu Mou stared at the fruit but didn’t reach for it. Instead, he hesitated before saying awkwardly, “Um… I don’t eat vegetables.” 

He was a carnivorous creature! 

Yu Chen’s eyes landed on the grass stuck to Mu Mou’s lips. “…Then why were you eating grass?” 

Following Yu Chen’s gaze, Mu Mou wiped his mouth, and upon seeing the grass on his hand, he was embarrassed and quickly explained, “This was for your koi fish! But they wouldn’t eat it.” 

Yu Chen: “…”

He stared at this difficult-to-keep fish, questioning for the first time whether bringing him back had been the right decision. 

After a moment, Yu Chen finally asked, “Then what do you want to eat?” 

Mu Mou glanced at Yu Chen shyly, hesitating for a few seconds. “Anything?” 

Yu Chen replied, “As long as it’s something I can actually get.” 

“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” Mu Mou waved his hands anxiously before speaking with uncertainty, “Can I… drink a little of your blood? Just a tiny bit, just a little…” 

Blood was the carrier of human spiritual energy—it contained the most essence. 

Yu Chen pinched Mu Mou’s cheeks and gently squeezed them. The little mermaid’s plump lips puckered up, his wide eyes blinking in confusion, silently asking why Yu Chen was doing this. 

Yu Chen held his face for a while, then let go without offering an explanation. 

Mu Mou looked at him expectantly, waiting to be fed. “Can I? I really just need a tiny bit.” 

He kept emphasizing “a tiny bit” repeatedly, hoping Yu Chen wouldn’t think he was too hard to take care of.

Yu Chen went inside, took a small knife and a bowl, rolled up his sleeve, and made a cut on his wrist. The bright red blood rushed out eagerly, flowing into the waiting bowl. 

“Hey! That’s too much!” Mu Miu quickly tried to stop him. Seeing the continuous flow of blood, he didn’t dare to cover the wound directly but instead grabbed Yu Chen’s hand holding the knife. “Hurry up and bandage it! It must hurt!” 

Yu Chen chuckled softly. “The knife cut me, but I haven’t even said it hurts. Why are you the one panicking?” 

“I’m sorry.” Mu Mou looked guilty—it was his fault Yu Chen got hurt. He was a bad fish. 

“I’ll try not to get this hungry again.” 

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a better solution. This was the only promise he could make—unless he was on the verge of starving to death, he wouldn’t ask Yu Chen for food again. 

Yu Chen was amused by his words. Maybe raising this silly little fish would make his otherwise dull days much more interesting. 

If that was the case… then this fish was his now. 

A fleeting glint of possessiveness and obsession flashed through Yu Chen’s deep eyes. He ruffled Mu Mou’s fluffy hair. “It’s just a little blood. It’s nothing. Next time you’re hungry, tell me.” 

At the same time, the wound on his wrist was healing at an inhumanly fast speed.

Mu Mou took the bowl of blood with both hands, his heart filled with gratitude, completely ignoring the strange way Yu Chen’s wound had healed. 

Yu Chen… was such a good person! 

Mu Mou secretly swore to repay his kindness. Tomorrow, he would catch the biggest and most delicious fish to feed this kindhearted two-legged creature in return. 

He had never drunk blood before. Although it smelled delicious, he wasn’t sure about the taste. Hesitantly, he stuck out his small tongue and licked the surface, just like a kitten drinking water. 

Delicious! 

His eyes lit up as he held the bowl carefully, drinking little by little. His beautiful tail swayed happily, the blue scales shimmering under the sunlight. The sight made the man beside him restless. 

Mu Mou suddenly felt warmth against his tail. Confused, he flicked it slightly, trying to move away. 

When he turned his head, he saw Yu Chen’s hand resting on his tail, gently stroking downward along the smooth scales.

He seemed very interested in Mu Mou’s tail. After hesitating for a moment and glancing at the bowl of blood, Mu Mou decided to let Yu Chen continue touching it—after all, he owed him now. 

The dense forest on the mountain blocked out the sweltering summer heat, leaving behind a rare, refreshing coolness. 

As the cicadas chirped, drowsiness crept over Mu Mou. Half-asleep, he rested his upper body on the riverbank; as his tail soaked in the water, his eyes slowly closed in comfort. 

“You’re just going to sleep like this?” Yu Chen’s hands were wet as he rubbed the delicate tail fin at the end of Mu Mou’s fish tail. His gaze darkened slightly. 

He leaned in closer, his eyes tracing over the sleeping mermaid’s features—those soft, red lips, the delicate nose, the long, curled eyelashes… 

Mu Mou slept soundly, though he vaguely sensed an intense gaze on him. Uncomfortable, he instinctively shifted, sinking a little deeper into the water. 

Suddenly, a strong force pulled him up. 

Weightless for a moment, he soon found himself securely seated on Yu Chen’s lap. 

Mu Mou lazily cracked open an eye. Seeing that it was just Yu Chen, he let his guard down and drifted back to sleep.

“Yu Chen, stop messing with me… I’m so sleepy…” 

His voice was thick with drowsiness, soft and sticky like melted sugar. The way Mu Mou murmured in his ear made Yu Chen’s heart feel like it was being tickled by a feather—light and unbearably itchy. 

Yu Chen’s voice was a little hoarse. “Alright, I won’t bother you. Go to sleep.” 

Mu Mou nodded lazily, shifting around until he found a comfortable sleeping position. His head nestled against Yu Chen’s neck. Compared to cold, hard rocks, a human body was much softer. Instinctively, Mu Mou rubbed against him before falling into an even deeper sleep. 

Yu Chen couldn’t quite explain his actions. Maybe he just couldn’t stand seeing Mu Mou sleep so soundly, so he wanted to wake him up on purpose. But when the little mermaid whined at him, he lost all will to disturb him. 

Yeah… It was this fish’s fault for being too good at acting cute. That was what Yu Chen told himself. 

His gaze lowered, lingering on Mu Mou’s peaceful sleeping face. He had to admit—it made his long-frozen heart skip a beat. 

Time passed quietly. 

Mu Mou didn’t know how long he had slept before a voice in his mind suddenly jolted him awake.

[Beep—B-Level Instance “Misty Fishing Village” has officially begun.]

[Background Introduction: The Yu Family Village has lived off fishing for generations. This seaside village, isolated from the outside world, attracts people from all over. However, when night falls, a thick fog rolls in, and shadowy figures flicker through the mist, lurking in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.] 

[Number of Players: Five]

[Mission: Protect the Flame] 

[Mission Duration: Seven Days]

[Beep—NPCs are in position. Players are in position. The game has officially begun.] 

The cold, mechanical voice was nothing like 001’s. Mu Mou compared the two and found that his 001 still felt more advanced, more like an actual person. 

“You’re awake?” 

Mu Mou’s eyelashes were gently brushed by someone’s fingers. Only then did he realize that he was still sitting in Yu Chen’s lap. He shifted slightly, gazing up at him. 

“I’m heavy,” Mu Mou said. “Your legs must be numb from holding me for so long.”

Just as Mu Mou finished speaking, a knock came from the door. 

An elderly voice called from outside, “Ah Chen, are you home?” 

Yu Chen set Mu Mou back into the water pool, tapping his forehead lightly with a finger. “Get in. If you don’t want to be discovered, stay at the bottom and don’t stick your head out.” 

Mu Mou nodded obediently. “I’ll hide well.” 

Although he was a little slow to react, and his older brother often teased him for having an innocent, clueless look in his eyes, he wasn’t completely ignorant. 

Mu Mou knew that in this instance, his role was that of the “evil fish” NPC—the kind that ate people. Yu Chen might not want to kill him, but that didn’t mean other humans would show him the same kindness. 

If he were discovered, he might really end up as someone’s dinner. 

With that thought, Mu Mou quickly dove into the water and hid. 

Yu Chen gave him a deep look before turning to open the door. 

Outside stood an elderly man with graying hair. He leaned on a wooden cane, his face marked by deep wrinkles, the traces of time etched into his skin.

The old man tightened his grip on his cane upon seeing Yu Chen’s young, handsome face. He shuffled forward. “Ah Chen, you’re home.” 

Yu Chen’s expression remained indifferent. “Mm. What is it?” 

The old man’s name was Yu Fan, the village chief of Yu Family Village. He was the one who made all the major decisions for the village. However, at this moment, he lacked the composure expected of someone his age. His lips moved as if to speak, but he hesitated. 

After a few seconds, Yu Chen’s patience wore thin. “If you have something to say, say it. I’m not a mind reader—I can’t guess what you’re thinking.” 

Yu Fan’s face twisted with embarrassment. “Ah Chen, some outsiders just arrived… I wanted to ask if we could let them stay…” 

His voice grew smaller and smaller until it was barely above a whisper. 

Yu Chen chuckled softly, his pitch-black eyes revealing nothing. “Do as you please.” 

With those words, he turned and shut the door. 

Yu Fan stood outside in silence for a long while before sighing. Leaning on his cane, he limped his way down the mountain.

The afternoon temperature remained high, perhaps due to the stifling weather. Few adults were seen outside in Yujia Village, while only a few restless children, unwilling to take an afternoon nap, ran around aimlessly. 

At this moment, they were all hiding by the wall, watching the outsiders. This time, there were more than a dozen of them, most dressed in tattered clothes, their faces covered in dust. They didn’t look like tourists—more like refugees fleeing from something. 

Among them, a young man wearing sportswear and a mask, full of energy, reacted with surprise when he saw the people around him—not because of their presence, but for a completely different reason. 

“Damn! Why aren’t you all wearing masks? What about red codes and green codes?” 

“Huh? What are you wearing? Is this cosplay?” 

Li Cong adjusted his mask and sized up the young man beside him. The guy looked about the same age as him but was dressed in a coarse, vintage-style gray-white linen outfit. 

Upon hearing his voice, the young man flinched, then immediately bent his knees as if about to kneel. “It’s my fault! Please don’t blame me, my lord! I beg for your mercy!” 

“What the—are you really about to kneel?” Li Cong quickly grabbed him, blurting out in shock, “Bro, the Qing Dynasty is long over!” 

Every move in this scene was being reflected in the central hall, where the audience were watching. Numerous floating screens displayed different players engaged in their respective game copies.

The veteran players only cast an indifferent glance at the commotion before looking away. 

Meanwhile, the children hiding behind the wall widened their eyes in curiosity. A few of them crossed their arms like adults, their faces showing clear disdain. 

“Ugh, more outsiders again. So annoying.” 

“Why do they all keep coming here? I hate these outsiders.” 

“Exactly! Are the cities out there so good that they can’t even accommodate them? They insist on coming here, then look down on us for being poor. So irritating. I wonder when this group will finally leave.” 

“Yu Kai, did your grandfather agree to let them stay?” 

The boy called Yu Kai appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old. As the village chief’s grandson, he was known as the most mischievous kid in the village. 

Right now, though, he seemed distracted. His friends had to call his name several times before he finally snapped out of it. 

One of them asked worriedly, “Yu Kai, what’s wrong? You’ve been out of it since this morning.”

Yu Kai, as if someone had hit a nerve, loudly protested in an attempt to cover up his emotions. “What’s wrong with me? You guys are so annoying! Just a bunch of little brats—I don’t want to play with you anymore!” 

With that, he turned and ran off. 

The remaining children exchanged bewildered glances, scratching their heads, unsure of what to do. 

Without realizing it, Yu Kai found himself on the rocky path leading up the mountain. He gazed up at it, recalling what he had seen that morning. 

He had been playing hide-and-seek with his friends here when he spotted Uncle Yu Chen approaching from a distance. Instinctively, out of fear, he had quickly hidden behind a tree. 

And that was when he saw it—Uncle Yu Chen holding a mermaid in his arms. 

His grandfather had always told him that those non-human creatures were all man-eaters, who drank human blood, and were ruthless and murderous. Not a single one of them was good. 

But the one in Uncle Yu Chen’s arms… was so beautiful. 

It looked delicate and fragile, with a stunning fishtail coiled around Uncle Yu Chen’s leg. Its small head was tilted upward, lips opening and closing as if speaking to the man holding it.

It was so well-behaved, nothing like the terrifying monsters Grandpa had described. 

Yu Kai was at the age where curiosity outweighed fear. He had always been fascinated by strange and magical creatures—let alone one as unbelievably beautiful as a mermaid. 

After a brief hesitation, he decided not to tell his grandfather about what he had seen. Instead, excitement bubbled inside him, and he couldn’t wait any longer—he turned and dashed up the mountain.