Chapter 39
Xia Yi was woken up by the surrounding noise. He opened his eyes in a daze and saw many silhouettes surrounding him…
He woke up instantly!
Xia Yi backed away a few steps, staring timidly at the people outside the cage. That’s right, he was locked in a large cage. Many people were gathered around watching him, exclaiming in wonder at his golden tail.
This seemed to be a black market.
He had really been sold.
After a while, a staff member splashed water on his tail. Xia Yi dodged in fright, drawing laughter from the onlookers.
Xia Yi’s eyes reddened with grievance.
Wuwuwuwu, Brother, where are you? Xia Yi misses you so much. Xia Yi will never be naughty again. Xia Yi will definitely listen to you obediently.
Imperial General Song Chengbing was in disguise, which wasn’t difficult for him.
Recently, his beloved merman was pregnant and suffering from severe morning sickness. He needed to eat a type of grass to feel barely any relief. This grass was called Sea-scent Grass and only grew in the depths of the ocean. But his merman was pregnant, so he couldn’t let his merman take the risk.
Therefore, he came to the black market.
He heard that the items sold here were very comprehensive, though he didn’t know if they had Sea-scent Grass.
Seeing a group of people gathered in one place, letting out exclamations from time to time, Song Chengbing subconsciously looked in that direction…
His pupils contracted violently!
A golden merman was shivering while holding his tail, sniffling with a red nose. He looked timidly at the people around him, trying hard to hide himself.
His face was beautiful and elegant, with bright eyes and white teeth. His dark, curly eyelashes trembled slightly, and his small red lips looked like little cherries.
The youth’s skin was fair and smooth, possessing elasticity and a translucent luster, like an angel fallen to the mortal world. His purity made these evil humans around him pry and covet…
However, the reason Song Chengbing noticed the youth imprisoned in the cage was not out of amazement or anything else.
It was because—
This merman looked exactly like his lover!
Xia Ni had once told him he had a younger brother. In previous years around this time, he would accompany Xia Ni back to the sea.
Xia Ni had jokingly said that his brother, Xia Yi, was very stupid; he wouldn’t even dodge when he saw a shark.
His brother was also very timid and dependent on him. He would be scared if he didn’t see him, always clinging to him, and would cry terribly if scolded even slightly.
Delicate and clumsy.
He had originally wanted to bring his brother to the Silver Sea Empire, but he was afraid his brother would be deceived after coming here, as the little guy was very simple.
Song Chengbing stared tightly at the golden merman.
Although he had never seen Xia Yi, he had heard Xia Ni speak of him so many times that he was now very certain the one locked in the cage was Xia Ni’s brother!
Xia Ni had looked for his brother before but hadn’t found him. It turned out not because his brother ran off, but because he had been caught by humans and locked in a cage, waiting to be sold.
He slowly calmed down.
The auction had already begun. The atmosphere hit a fever pitch right from the start. The price rose from 200,000 Spirit Stones to 2,000,000 Spirit Stones. The number of bidders kept increasing, the shouters excited and agitated!
Xia Yi hugged himself silently.
Tears fell soundlessly inside the cage.
He looked fearfully at the middle-aged noble man closest to him. The thing in the man’s eyes scared him, as if he couldn’t wait to eat him up. Among these people, this man appeared the most lavish, and his desire for him was the strongest.
Every time someone bid.
The man would immediately double it.
Xia Yi felt utter despair. This man was lecherous and greasy, his eyes gleaming with lust. He could already imagine his miserable life in the future.
At the critical moment, his ability was gone too. Wuwuwu, why was he so unlucky? Even now, he didn’t know why his ability wouldn’t work at all.
I miss Brother so much. Brother, where are you?
“Ten million Spirit Stones!” The man seemed unable to wait, the price going higher and higher.
“Ten million, going once!”
“Ten million, going twice!”
“Is there anyone else bidding? This is a rare and precious golden merman, unseen in the Silver Sea Empire for hundreds of years. Ten million, go…”
“One hundred million Spirit Stones.”
A deep voice rang out steadily.
Everyone turned their heads in shock at that instant, wanting to see who had shouted this sky-high price… but they were disappointed.
The bidder was just an ordinary man with ordinary looks and ordinary clothes, his expression faint. He wasn’t any high-ranking noble they knew. One had to know, there were very few nobles in the Silver Sea Empire who possessed one hundred million Spirit Stones—only about two hundred people.
Must be a newly risen nouveau riche.
Spending one hundred million to buy a merman was equivalent to going bankrupt. No matter how much they wanted it, the people shouting bids around him instantly sobered up a lot.
Although the lecherous man was unwilling.
He still silently shut his mouth.
Even though the auctioneer on stage had seen big scenes, he had never encountered someone opening with one hundred million. He was so stunned he forgot to close his mouth.
He cleared his throat, gripped the small hammer in his hand firmly, and told himself not to tremble.
“One… One hundred million, going once!”
The fervent atmosphere of driving up the price had vanished, replaced by exceptional silence. One hundred million! Who the hell uses that many Spirit Stones to buy a merman? Isn’t that having more money than sense!
The people below were as quiet as chickens.
Everyone looked at each other.
The auctioneer brought the gavel down for the second time, the sound crisp and decisive!
He had composed himself. “One hundred million, going twice. Any higher?”
He just asked symbolically according to procedure. Everyone knew the winner of this auction was most likely this gentleman.
One hundred million!
Could there be any higher?
“One hundred million, going three times! Sold!” The auctioneer’s voice was slightly agitated; despite his restraint, his voice cracked. “Congratulations to this gentleman, this beautiful natural golden merman now belongs to you! Our staff will guide you through the subsequent procedures and processes. If you wish to bid on other items, after the event ends, our staff will…”
“No need.”
Song Chengbing said faintly.
He gave a look to the guard beside him. The guard immediately understood his meaning and hurriedly went to handle the transaction handover.
People around whispered, their gazes landing intentionally or unintentionally on the ordinary-looking man, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy.
“If it were me, I’d definitely be impatient to be intimate with the beautiful little merman right now. After all, I spent a hundred million!!”
“Right, right!”
“With such a stunner, who has the mind to bid on other things?”
“Exactly.”
“It’s a pity. We low-level nobles can only watch, not eat.”
“Alright, alright, stop regretting. Look at that small box on stage… I heard that thing was called a ‘mobile phone’ on Ancient Earth. It’s a communication tool.”
“What kind of thing?”
…
After the final hammer blow, the top of Xia Yi’s cage was covered with a layer of large maroon silk cloth, and it was lifted by several people simultaneously.
Heading toward the backstage.
The cage swayed unsteadily. Xia Yi nervously grabbed the iron bars to stabilize himself. Along the way, he vaguely heard people around discussing him.
He became even more afraid.
Although his buyer looked normal, much better than the greasy lecherous man, Xia Yi was still scared.
This man couldn’t have bought him just to admire or look at, considering he spent so many Spirit Stones. Having stayed in the Underground City for a while, Xia Yi knew very well what the concept of one hundred million was.
He couldn’t help but cry softly.
Song Chengbing watched the cage being carried past him. Lowering his head slightly, he glimpsed several crystal-clear pearls rolling on the ground…
Backstage, the guard officer used the General’s authority card to transfer one hundred million Spirit Stones to the other party, then turned and ordered his men to carry the cage.
This was also the General’s intention.
On the way back to the hover car, several of Song Chengbing’s guards carried the cage. These men were his close guards and knew of Xia Ni’s existence.
Song Chengbing protected Xia Ni very well. Very few people in the Silver Sea Empire knew he was married, let alone knew of Xia Ni’s existence.
In the eyes of the common people of the Silver Sea Empire, their brave and battle-skilled General was still a perpetual bachelor. This bachelor had even refused the King’s bestowed marriage a while ago. The princess was infatuated and heartbroken for him, even threatening a hunger strike, yet she still couldn’t shake the General’s heart. Some said the General’s heart was made of iron.
Only the General’s close guards knew that the General’s tenderness was reserved for only one person.
Song Chengbing had considered opening the cage, but Xia Yi inside was in merman form and would need to be held. Moreover, Xia Yi might not obediently let someone hold him; he might run, struggle, or scream, making things much more troublesome.
That was why he wasn’t in a rush to open the cage.
Xia Yi didn’t dare to fall asleep. Although he was a bit sleepy after crying for so long, he forced his eyelids to stay open.
Vaguely.
He felt the cage being set down.
“Go back.”
There was a man’s voice.
“Route set! Estimated arrival at destination in three minutes!” The artificial intelligence’s mechanical voice sounded, automatically planning the route.
“Adjust the temperature.”
The man said unhurriedly.
“Ding! System detects a merman-form species inside the hover car. Temperature adjusted to suitable level. Does the master have any other instructions?”
“Is there food?”
“There are two boxes of milk and one bread.”
“Send them to the merman.”
“Okay.”
Before long, Xia Yi heard the faint sound of wheels rolling outside the cage. He instantly tensed up.
Having heard the conversation between the man and the AI earlier, he was mentally prepared, understanding that this robot was here to bring him food.
So he calmed down quickly.
Sure enough, the next second, a small silver robot dragged a tray over. The maroon silk cloth covering the cage was pulled down.
Xia Yi shrank back subconsciously.
Seeing only a cool-toned robot in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief, took the bread and milk, and immediately began to wolf them down.
Song Chengbing looked back.
Indeed, Xia Yi was as simple and guileless as Xia Ni had said. Give him food, and he doesn’t even suspect anything. So silly, easily deceived.
No wonder he was sold.
Song Chengbing sighed slightly.
From being kidnapped by Zuo Yinwan to waking up in the cold cave, and then being auctioned, no one had given Xia Yi a bite of food.
The taste of hunger was not pleasant.
Xia Yi had been hungry in the ocean before, but later his brother taught him to hunt, so he rarely went hungry. In the Underground City, he endured eating only potatoes. To please Ouyang, he had drunk nutrient solution not long ago. Although nutrient solution could replenish physical energy, Xia Yi really couldn’t stand that awful taste!
He had only eaten bread once.
It was brought back from the surface by Ouyang last time.
Only when he came to the surface did Xia Yi realize how wonderful life was. Song Chengbing casually gave him milk and bread.
These were luxuries in the Underground City.
Xia Yi never mistreated himself.
After eating and drinking his fill, the hover car slowly landed at the destination. Xia Yi felt anxious, afraid to look at the magnificent palace in front of him.
Although the palace was beautiful.
Xia Yi still felt uneasy.
The cage was no longer covered by the silk cloth. It was carried by several guards into a room. By this time, Xia Yi’s tail had turned into legs.
He subconsciously curled up his legs.
Song Chengbing paused. He ordered the guards beside him to find two pieces of clothing. The guards were fast and brought the clothes over in no time.
Xia Yi’s bare legs were covered.
This was Song Chengbing’s palace; everything was under his control. Therefore, he wasn’t afraid Xia Yi would escape when the cage was opened.
After thinking about it, Song Chengbing walked forward.
The key to the cage was in Song Chengbing’s hand. He lowered his head and unhurriedly unlocked it. The iron door of the cage slowly opened…
He looked up at Xia Yi.
Xia Yi hugged his knees tightly, the fear in his heart instantly reaching its peak.
Being locked in the cage earlier had restricted his freedom, but it also protected him, giving him a slight sense of security.
With the cage opening, Xia Yi roughly guessed what he was about to face.
He looked at the man in terror.
“You…”
Song Chengbing was just about to speak.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” Xia Yi finally broke down and screamed.
The merman’s voice was piercing, releasing his fear and dread. The guards in the room were instantly at a loss.
“Don’t come over!”
“You are all bad guys!”
“Wuwuwu… Brother… wuwuwuwu where are you!” Xia Yi’s eyes were teary as he tried his best to hide himself. “Big bad guy! You are all big bad guys! Don’t come over, or I’ll let the sharks eat you… wuwu…”
However, the cage was small.
There was nowhere for him to hide.
“Xia Yi is so scared wuwuwu…”
“My brother is very amazing. If you bully me, my brother will beat you to death!” Xia Yi shouted nonsense to scare them.
“Ouyang, Ouyang…”
Thinking of Ouyang, Xia Yi couldn’t help but shed tears, his chest hurting as if he were dying.
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