Chapter 777 Reality and Fairy Tale (3.5k)
On the beach, under the bright sun, many people were bending down to pick up some shiny reflective substances. They appeared to be some marine products left behind by the receding tide, such as razor clams, crabs, and various kinds of shells.
“What are they doing?”
Su Jiu and the other two changed into grass shoes and followed Mr. Mu Qi, their steps cautious. After all, if they weren’t careful, they could easily step on the fragments of those emerald green wine bottles.
The two of them hadn’t chosen to stay in that dilapidated building. If they wanted to learn more from this mute uncle, they could only follow him and see what he intended to do.
Mu Qi was quite tall to begin with and walked faster than the two of them. In a short while, he crossed several large rocks and arrived at the front beach area. Then, to their bewildered gazes, he bent down with a small shovel and started to rummage.
The two of them couldn’t understand this action, so they could only stand there and watch. Su Jiu peeled a coconut candy and put it into her mouth, then took out her phone to check if there was a reply from [Li].
“Miss, let’s just watch here.”
Speaking softly, Bernice extended her palm. Blue butterfly phantoms emerged one by one, continuously condensed, and formed a blue double umbrella.
The Butterfly Girl quietly held the umbrella behind Su Jiu and continued to eat white petals in small bites. Her face was a little flushed. If one looked closely, one could see that she was actually a bit congested.
The white petals were the product of Bai Zhi’s further evolution and transformation. They had strong medicinal effects and were specially designed to enhance the mental power of races like the Blood Clan, which were specialized in that area.
Bernice made an estimation. After she finished eating the petals in her hands, she would at least be able to recover to the Intermediate War God level. As for the laws, there was no need to worry at all.
It was just retracing the steps they had taken.
Feeling the sky suddenly darken, Su Jiu was stunned. Noticing Bernice’s subtle action, she gently patted the latter’s head: “Little Sisi, I’ll take you to eat the local specialty tonight.”
“Okay.”
Bernice responded softly, still wearing a gentle smile on her face. She tilted her head slightly and looked forward. The trailing end of her hair, tied with a ribbon, fluttered in the wind.
Up ahead, Mr. Mu Qi was carrying a small wooden bucket and wandering around. He had been roaming for a long time, but unlike the residents looking for razor clams, he didn’t dig in the sand. He just scanned the beach with his eyes and then moved to another spot.
To put it metaphorically, he was like a lion patrolling its territory.
“Luofu Island? Is that the name of the first island? And also – [Waterbird Minghong].”
Looking at the word puzzle game on her phone, Su Jiu also reacted and quickly jotted down the answer in her phone’s notepad, then her mind kept replaying the last sentence.
Water, bird…
Hong?
“Could it be…”
Suddenly, a surprised glint flashed in her eyes. She turned to the Butterfly Girl beside her, gently patted her hand, and asked in a low voice, “Zhou Zhizhi’s father, I remember his name was Zhou Hong, right?”
“When the class leader of Class D filled out the school’s family member death benefits, I saw it. His name was indeed that.”
Bernice blinked. She thought for a moment, then nodded, and then looked at Su Jiu confusedly and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Her father…”
Su Jiu put away her phone. She suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of trust in this Lord Waterbird. To live incognito for more than ten years was not something an ordinary person could endure. She looked up at the beach ahead and continued slowly,
“He is very likely the Lord Waterbird we are here to meet.”
What kind of team is the White Crow, soaring under the cover of night?
“She is a very strong girl. As the class leader, she is strict with others and even stricter with herself. Perhaps because she comes from a single-parent family, she wants to do everything perfectly.”
Bernice nodded lightly and raised her hand, finding Zhou Zhizhi in the contact list. A smile appeared in her light blue eyes.
But after a moment of silence, she put it down.
Some information should be given by her father personally after everything is successfully completed.
“I’m going to see what that mute uncle is doing. Little Sisi, just sit down and rest for a while.”
Speaking softly, Su Jiu glanced at Bernice, then withdrew her gaze. Leaning on a large rock nearby, she stepped over it and walked for more than ten yards, finally stopping not far from Mr. Mu Qi.
Here, she could clearly see what was inside the small wooden bucket.
“Shells? Are all the shells in the bucket blue-toned?”
Su Jiu exclaimed in surprise, her gaze swept across the front. She noticed that many of the shells on the ground were of various colors, like small pebbles scattered on the ground.
As if sensing Su Jiu’s arrival, Mu Qi placed a shell that emitted a blue light, like glaze, into the wooden bucket. He slowly stood up, opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, it all turned into—”ah ah—”.
Soon, he seemed to realize that he couldn’t speak. His eyes darkened, and he took out his phone, tapping on the virtual keys:
“Let’s go back. The tide has caused very few Flowing Light Shells to wash ashore, and the ones with plump flesh are hardly visible.”
“Plump flesh?”
Su Jiu blinked and looked at the wooden bucket again. She looked at the beautiful shells emitting faint streams of light under the sun and felt a sense of contrast. Was this really for eating?
“Let’s go. There are no other shells. I’ll make you seafood soup when we get back. Adding some coconut shreds makes it our specialty of Zhusha, which you outsiders have definitely never tasted before.”
The electronic voice sounded again. The tall figure walked towards where they were. In the setting sun, his shadow was infinitely elongated, looking somewhat lonely.
After Su Jiu revealed her identity as a Night Watcher, this uncle didn’t seem as unfriendly as before. Was it a natural affinity for law enforcement officers or due to other reasons?
“What a strange person.”
Looking at his back, dressed in beachwear and shorts, Su Jiu felt that he wasn’t as reclusive as she had imagined. In fact, he could even be said to be inexplicably gentle.
Even if such a person were mute, he wouldn’t end up being “reclusive.”
The three of them stayed there for the entire afternoon before returning to the dilapidated “Hong Kong-style” apartment. The setting sun slanted through the window and shone on the sofa, where Su Jiu and the other two sat side by side.
Mr. Mu Qi didn’t rush to cook. Instead, he pulled out a box of shells from under the large map and carefully compared the styles in the small wooden bucket.
He was like a meticulous watchmaker, selecting exquisite watches suitable for collection, his movements gentle yet cautious.
“Mr. Mu Qi…”
Looking at his movements, Su Jiu was really curious. She stood up and approached him from behind, her hands clasped behind her back, watching for a long time. She could only tell that he was selecting particularly blue shells, then shook her head and asked a more crucial question:
“Do you know where Luofu Island is?”
With such a large map, he must be familiar with the surrounding terrain. If he led the way, they could reach the Waterbird’s destination earlier.
Upon hearing this, Mu Qi put down the shells he was holding, took out his phone again, and stood up straight. His gaze inadvertently swept over Su Jiu’s slightly pointed ears, and then he gently tapped on the keys:
“It’s very far, in a more southern region. If you need me to lead the way, you can wait until tomorrow. The place where Iron Turtle Immortal appears is a necessary sea route to Luofu Island.”
“That’s great. It’ll be much more convenient if it’s on the way.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu smiled. Now she had navigation, and it would be much easier to get things done by following them.
“You two are not actually human, are you?”
The electronic voice sounded. Mu Qi lowered his head and continued typing, “I heard that professions like civil servants do not recruit half-demons or their partners who are half-demons. How did you pass the interview…”
“This…”
Su Jiu turned to look at Bernice, only to see that the latter also looked confused, not understanding why he would ask such a thing. However, she still replied quite sincerely:
“I am a half-demon, and she is actually my beast pet. As for joining the establishment, I was recruited before I was infected.”
“That’s really nice.”
When the electronic voice sounded, Mu Qi crouched down again and began to process some of the shells with poor color, taking them to the kitchen to handle. A wisp of water-attribute external qi floated above the phone on the table, as if replacing the latter in tapping the phone:
“The story from last time wasn’t finished. Guess what happened next?”
Su Jiu looked at this wisp of external qi. She clearly couldn’t sense any aura from him earlier, so how could he have such control over external qi?
Before Su Jiu could speak, Bernice put down her painting, rubbed her chin, and a dreamy look appeared in her light blue eyes:
“They should be together, right? If the Little Mermaid liked Ugly Egg, Ugly Egg could have directly contracted the Little Mermaid. Mermaids can completely combine with humans and give birth to half-demons…”
She liked romantic stories like this, just like princesses and knights. Although classic, they gave a sense of beauty.
Su Jiu glanced at Bernice and nodded lightly. She knew what the latter was talking about. Wasn’t this their own story?
Very melodramatic, but extremely real.
“Together? You overestimate Ugly Egg and underestimate the cruelty of reality.”
The mechanical voice sounded. Although it lacked emotion, it carried a self-mocking tone:
“The Little Mermaid fell in love with that handsome man who wore a mask and was skilled at singing and dancing, not Ugly Egg, who, after taking off the mask, revealed a dry, sallow, upturned-eyed appearance.”
Listening to these words, Su Jiu pursed her lips but didn’t interrupt. This story was somewhat interesting to listen to.
The electronic voice continued:
“It was already winter, but it wasn’t very cold here. The Little Mermaid, as if having made up her mind, said she wanted to go to the human world with Ugly Egg to see it. Hehe, they really went.”
“In the time that followed, returning from trips, they actually developed affection…”
“Ugly Egg’s father discovered this anomaly and hoped that Ugly Egg would contract the Little Mermaid. After all, Ugly Egg’s family did not allow him to have a forbidden romance with a beast pet.”
“Wait…”
At this moment, Su Jiu seemed to realize something and suddenly looked towards the kitchen, but then shook her head. Their appearances and behaviors didn’t match at all!
The mechanical voice didn’t stop talking:
“After much helplessness, Ugly Egg had to tell the Little Mermaid about this. The Little Mermaid was silent for a very, very long time, only making one request: she wanted to see Ugly Egg’s true appearance, to see how handsome the person under the mask was.”
“Ugly Egg tentatively asked: What if I’m not as handsome as you imagine, maybe even very ugly, would you still be willing?”
“At this, the Little Mermaid fell silent again, only nodding lightly. So, Ugly Egg, for the first time in front of his beloved, removed the mask that concealed his face.”
“When the mask was removed, he saw shock in the Little Mermaid’s eyes, and then many complex emotions appeared in her sea-like eyes.”
“Before Ugly Egg could speak, the Little Mermaid politely declined the contract. After that, the two rarely met. Even when they did meet, she would only listen to a few of his songs and then quickly leave…”
At this point, the voice abruptly stopped. Mu Qi came out carrying a pot of thick white hot soup. This was the soup base he had been preparing before going out, with visible bits of chicken, shells, and coconut shreds floating on top.
It was full of South Sea flavor.
…
Deep beneath the sea, several figures were traveling through a building with a distinct Atlantean style, filled with laughter and a touch of childish innocence.
“Hey! Why do you think Auntie has never gotten married?”
A figure dressed in opulent attire stopped. Its ears were fin-shaped, and its face had a few scales. If Su Jiu were present, she would definitely recognize this as the Siren Princess she had rescued.
“I don’t know. I heard she refused many royalties from other regions and also rejected the talented young men from our area.”
“She doesn’t fancy so many handsome guys inside, so her standards must be quite high.”
Beside her were several older children, whose opulent attire clearly indicated they were not from ordinary families.
A relatively older Siren young man looked around to make sure no one else was there, then said in a low voice:
“You guys don’t understand. The eldest princess has always had an alchemy recording box. She often plays it late at night to listen to songs, and sometimes she cries alone. It’s said she fell in love with the owner of that singing voice…”
“Then… that singing voice owner must be very handsome.”
The Siren Princess put her hands behind her back, her mind already conjuring an image of a tall, cold male god dressed in white, as if he were snow. Only someone like that could make her aunt miss him so dearly.
