Shi Qing could hardly believe his eyes as he watched the dragon casually toss away the Dragon Pearl before him. Furthermore, this dragon was clumsily attempting to hide its guilt, moving its massive body conspicuously to block the Dragon Pearl's direction while trying to coax Shi Qing into venturing deeper into the sea.
"I've collected many precious pearls in the past, of various colors, hidden in the trench below. Shall we take a look?" it enticed Shi Qing, feigning nonchalance.
Shi Qing replied, "..."
The little mermaid waved his tail, pointing towards the direction of the Dragon Pearl and asked in his tender voice, "Isn't that yours?"
The golden dragon's face froze.
Except for the little mermaid, the hermit dragon had never communicated with anyone before, and his mind went completely blank. He stuttered, not knowing how to respond.
Should he say, "Yes, that's my Dragon Pearl, but it doesn't mean you're my offspring"?
No, he couldn't.
He decided not to admit it under any circumstances. His whiskers quivered nervously as he floated in the water, his tail stiff, and his two bright golden eyes staring earnestly at the little mermaid.
"I don't remember," he finally managed to say.
The moment Shi Qing saw the big golden dragon trying to be coy, he couldn't help but smile. He swam closer, embracing the dragon's nearest claw and nuzzling it with his youthful face. His voice was coy and playful, "Your memory is really poor. When I first saw you, it was in your mouth."
"Is this something important to you? Otherwise, why would you keep it in your mouth even while sleeping?"
The golden dragon stammered, "When I woke up, you were in my mouth."
So, in a way, you should be the important one.
After saying this, the dragon, who had never uttered such cheesy words before, blushed for the first time. Instead of curling his long tail, he let it lie flat and brushed it against the large underwater rocks one by one.
The marine creatures that had been swimming lazily near the rocks were suddenly startled when a massive dragon tail descended from the sky and slammed into the rocks, causing them to shatter silently, scattering debris all over the place.
These creatures were taken aback and didn't have time to think. They swam away hastily.
"Mom! There's a monster here!"
The golden dragon above was oblivious to the trouble he had caused by awkwardly brushing against the rocks. He continued to brush his tail, waiting for the little mermaid's response.
When he lifted his head, however, the little mermaid had already disappeared.
He quickly turned around and chased after the elegant silver-white tail that was swaying in the water. He didn't dare to move too abruptly and could only swim slowly to keep up.
Shi Qing swam to the Dragon Pearl.
The Dragon Pearl was indeed very large and round, although it was only about the size of a mermaid. But don't forget about Shi Qing's big tail. While his upper body had proportions similar to a human, including his arms, the tail, including the fin, was over two meters long. In other words, this round Dragon Pearl was over a meter tall.
At this moment, it lay quietly in the seawater, its round surface glowing with a fluorescent light.
Shi Qing swam down, extended his arms, and embraced it once again. Then, he turned to look at the dragon, which appeared imposing but oddly submissive.
In his melodious voice, the little mermaid asked, "What's the use of this thing?"
The golden dragon, now genuinely happy, replied, "It can provide illumination and be used for playing."
Shi Qing responded, "..."
Struggling to hold the large pearl, he swam up to the dragon's claw, tilting his fair face upward as he asked, "Doesn't it have any other purpose?"
The little mermaid lay on top of the pearl, trying to look inside. His beautiful long hair sparkled even more brilliantly under the pearl's light, and his crown gleamed with the pearl's radiance.
"I think there might be something inside," he said.
"Really?" The golden dragon curiously lowered his massive dragon head to take a look. After adapting to the light emitted by the pearl, he could vaguely make out something inside.
However, due to the pearl's brightness, he hadn't noticed anything inside for thousands of years during his dragonhood, and now he was curious. He blinked his large dragon eyes and asked, "What is it?"
Shi Qing swam up to one of the dragon's whiskers and played with it, teasing him. "Hasn't this Dragon Pearl always been with you?"
It had been with him, but he truly hadn't noticed anything inside.
In the inherited memories, every dragon had a Dragon Pearl, usually held in their claws or kept in their mouths while sleeping. As for why they did this, it was because they were afraid of other dragons stealing it.
Especially those little dragonlings who were too young for the older dragons to attack. They were mischievous and always trying to steal things.
Of course, it wasn't that they thought something terrible would happen if their Dragon Pearl was stolen. Every dragon knew that the Dragon Pearl was essential, but they didn't know why. They simply guarded it out of possessiveness.
Every dragon had the same thought when they were born:
"This is mine, and no one else is allowed to touch it. I passed by this sea area, so it's mine. I ate a large ice shrimp, so this iceberg is mine. If we extend this logic, the entire sea is mine because my dragon claw is touching the water."
In short, it all came down to one sentence: being domineering and unreasonable.
The problem was that there were many equally domineering and unreasonable dragons in the same family.
Tens of thousands of years ago, there were still many dragons in the dragon clan. When conflicts arose, they could fight it out, and possessiveness could be suppressed by their fellow dragons' force.
But when it came to the golden dragon...
He was the only dragon left in the dragon clan, and there were no sea creatures stronger than him. No creature could challenge him.
Therefore, in the golden dragon's heart, the entire ocean belonged to him.
The little mermaid lived in the ocean.
Naturally, it belonged to him as well.
No problem with that.
Thinking this way, the golden dragon's guilt turned into self-righteousness again. He widened his dragon eyes and shook the Dragon Pearl earnestly with his claw.
Sitting in the water, Shi Qing was looking at the dragon's curiosity as he shook the enormous Dragon Pearl. The little mermaid playfully swam closer, hugged the pearl, and rubbed his slender, pointed nose against it. He said to the golden dragon, "It smells like you."
That wasn't surprising at all.
After all, he had been holding the Dragon Pearl in his mouth before.
The golden dragon lost interest after shaking it a few times without anything happening.
He pretended that nothing had happened and continued, "Shall we go and see the large pearls I've collected?"
However, Shi Qing shook his head, and his beautiful hair floated gently as he expressed his eagerness, "I want to see my human friend."
The golden dragon sighed, forgetting about this part.
He was not at all pleased that his little mermaid wanted to go see other creatures, and the golden dragon reluctantly said, "What's so fun about humans? If you want to play something, just tell me, and I can play with you."
As he spoke, he quickly reached up and grabbed a passing jellyfish, holding it up to show Shi Qing, saying, "Look, this little fish is fun too."
The poor jellyfish struggled with all its might to escape from the dragon's grasp, but the dragon's hard claw held it tightly and presented it to the mermaid.
"Look, it dances so beautifully," the golden dragon said, as he watched the jellyfish wave its tentacles in an attempt to find an escape route. At the same time, he imitated what other dragons in the ancient tales did tens of thousands of years ago and threatened, "Keep dancing, or I'll eat you."
The jellyfish: ...Punctured and dead.
Shi Qing glanced at the pitiful jellyfish, sat on the Dragon Pearl, and extended his arms to hug the large dragon claw, pitiful yet coquettish as he said, "I want to see my human friend, not watch it dance."
The golden dragon immediately let go of the jellyfish, swaying his tail uneasily as he tried to explain the downsides of humans, though he truly had no idea what those downsides were. After all, for tens of thousands of years, he had mostly been sleeping, occasionally surfacing to eat.
With great effort, the golden dragon mumbled, "You're so small, what if they bully you?"
Clearly, he had conveniently overlooked the fact that humans were even smaller than the little mermaid in front of him.
The little mermaid, still hugging the dragon's claw, hummed, "But I just want to see."
"I really want to see."
"I want to see, I want to see."
In this world, no dragon could resist Shi Qing's coquettishness, even though there was only one dragon in the world.
The golden dragon gave in, reluctantly, and escorted his little mermaid up to the surface of the sea.
Shi Qing had been sitting on the Dragon Pearl all this time. When he emerged from the water, he saw a boat struggling to row towards their location on the sea.
Calculating the time, they had been underwater for about five hours. So, was it the female lead and her group coming to fish?
Shi Qing sniffed the air and detected a strong scent of blood mixed with the sea breeze. It was different from the fishy smell of fish and made him feel uncomfortable.
The nature of a sea monster was to kill, and this smell was making his teeth itch for some reason.
Although the female lead had encountered danger before, she had been saved by a sea monster and had gradually let her guard down. Then, she was killed by the sea monster.
Quite unlucky.
Zeng Nan was indeed unlucky.
In the nearby waters, she couldn't find any food, maybe because of the unknown creature's roaring sound. They couldn't find anything to eat today, which wasn't a big deal, but her subordinates said that there would likely be a heavy rain tomorrow.
That wouldn't be a day without food, but Zeng Nan's crew was worried. They were out of options, so Zeng Nan had to grit her teeth and take her subordinates out to sea.
But then they ran into pirates.
Now, their ship being hijacked wasn't the worst part; she was more worried that the pirates would kill them.
There were no laws here now.
Zeng Nan didn't know whether to be relieved or not that no one knew she was a woman. If the pirates, who hadn't seen a woman for a long time, found out her identity, she might not only die but also suffer something disgusting before her death.
Currently, she was bound and kneeling on the ship. She gritted her teeth and listened to the pirates behind her, who were searching their ship while making various sneering remarks.
"These guys are quite tender, especially their leader, who looks rugged but still tender."
"That's right, especially their leader. He looks rough but quite tender."
Zeng Nan's hatred grew deeper in her heart.
Clearly, this time they had encountered pirates who would eat anything with two legs. She knelt silently on the ground, but quietly slipped a dagger from her sleeve, which silently fell onto the ropes binding her hands.
They had been careless this time because in this area, there had only ever been her group. When fishing, it was just her and five others. The enemy outnumbered them and were skilled swimmers, catching them off guard.
But in the end, it was unclear who would come out on top.
Zeng Nan was silently cutting the ropes, and suddenly she heard a sound coming from the water.
Splash!
A beautiful mermaid's face appeared on the surface, and her slender fingers grabbed onto the small boat. She floated there in the water, gazing at the dumbfounded pirates. Her beautiful eyes turned to Zeng Nan, her head tilted to the side.
Zeng Nan: "..."
How could she forget about this fellow?
However, the pirates had no idea that mermaids existed and were shouting:
"Why is there a person in the water?"
"There really is a person, and he looks quite handsome. Hey kid, is this one of your people?"
The pirate leader stood up, looking at the beautiful young man with excitement.
"I didn't expect to find such a beauty in such a remote place. Hurry up, capture him, and let me have some fun."
Zeng Nan was wary of mermaids because she believed their innocence was an act. In this deep sea, if mermaids were as innocent as they appeared, they wouldn't survive.
However, looking at the fair face that seemed genuinely unaware of the situation about to unfold, she couldn't help but feel compassion.
Zeng Nan gritted her teeth and said to the mermaid, "What are you waiting for? Run! If they capture you, you're done!"
She knew very well what would happen if a mermaid fell into human hands – it would likely end up being dissected for research, and that wasn't a pleasant fate.
The mermaid, however, continued to look at her with a blank expression.
Still looking pleased, he picked up a diamond necklace hanging around his neck and handed it to Zeng Nan. His voice was soft and sweet, just like when he called her to play by the sea:
"Look, isn't it pretty?"
Zeng Nan: "..."
Now she truly felt that this was an utterly harmless mermaid.
She bit her lip and continued to urge him, "Are you being silly? Run quickly!"
"Hey! What are you muttering about?"
The pirates were skilled in underwater activities and weren't worried about their prey escaping. One of them kicked Zeng Nan and reached out to grab the beautiful merman, who was by the boat.
Splash!
Under the sunlight, a long, shimmering silver fish tail appeared in front of the pirates.
"Mermaid?!!"
※※※
In the end, Shi Qing, much like Zeng Nan, was bound hand and foot and sat against the boat, watching the pirates excitedly discuss how much they could sell him for.
There was even a suggestion to eat some of his flesh, but the pirate captain rejected it.
"Want to eat meat? Go eat a two-legged sheep! I'm going to make money with this beautiful merman!"
He sat quietly, his beautiful face showing no emotion, as if he were truly unaware of the situation.
"Hey!"
Zeng Nan, who was sitting nearby, called out to him in a low voice. When the mermaid turned to look at her in confusion, she spoke softly:
"You grew up in the sea, so you must have some abilities, right?"
"How about this? Can you do something to help us? I promise to repay you, I promise!"
"Don't stay silent! Do you know where they're planning to take you? They want to sell you, and it's going to be terrifying!"
But no matter what Zeng Nan said, the mermaid just looked at her quietly, his beautiful eyes shining like a crown on his head.
Bright they might be, but why wasn't he reacting?
One of the injured crew members lying on the ground chimed in with a trembling voice, "Boss, it's not working. Look at him; he doesn't look like he has any abilities."
"Yeah, Boss, his hands are even softer than mine, his nails are shorter, and his teeth are smoother and whiter. He may be pretty, but he doesn't look like he can fight. Boss, we might as well try to save ourselves."
Zeng Nan furrowed her brow and muttered to herself, "This shouldn't be..."
Had her judgment been wrong?
However, any creature living in the sea should have some abilities, right?
"What are you guys chattering about? You're about to die, and you're still talking so much!"
A pirate walked over, scolded them, and noticed the crown on the mermaid's head.
"A fish wearing this thing..."
He reached out to take it but was dodged by the mermaid.
The pirate sneered and tried to grab it again, this time succeeding.
The mermaid's beautiful face gradually darkened.
Zeng Nan's heart leaped. "Are you angry now? Quick! Quick, attack them!"
She knew it!
A mermaid that could survive in the ocean must have some fighting skills!
Then she watched as the mermaid stared directly at the pirate.
Taking a deep breath...
He began to cry—sobbing pitifully.
While crying, he shouted, "You bullied me! I'm going to tell my daddy, and he'll beat you all up!"
Zeng Nan: "???"
Zeng Nan: "..."
Sobbing??? Calling for daddy???
A mermaid's daddy...
Is a dragon???
※※※
Underwater, the golden dragon, who had been waiting patiently for his child to return, was initially taken aback. Then he became furiously angry and rushed toward the surface.
Zeng Nan, who was half in a daze, saw a brilliant golden form above her. She looked up, continued to look up, and kept looking up until she met the gaze of an immensely long, golden dragon body and the huge dragon head that seemed to cover the sky.
The golden dragon angrily opened its mouth:
"..."
A long dragon roar shook the people on the boat to the ground, and even the seawater rippled in response to the dragon's cry. Zeng Nan realized that even their ropes had snapped.
Then, she witnessed the small and pitiful mermaid, standing before the colossal golden dragon, stretch out his delicate arms and cry out pitifully:
"Daddy."
Zeng Nan: "..."
The crew members on the boat, who were almost scared to death, murmured:
"..."
Teasing them???
A mermaid's father...
Is a dragon???
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