Chapter 8: Will the Fisherman Discover Ling Xi?
The scent of blood was thick and pungent, mixed with the salty dampness of the seawater, assaulting the young girl’s nose. Her body trembled slightly, and a spark seemed to flash within her dead, ashen eyes.
“What is that smell?” The girl frowned, her nose twitching slightly as if searching for something, trying to distinguish the strange odor. “It’s blood… and…”
Gu Yunsheng’s heart contracted violently. Before he could react, the girl stumbled toward them, guided by the scent.
“Don’t come over!”
He growled a low warning, but it was too late. The next second, the girl tripped over Ling Xi’s heavy fish tail and pitched forward. Without thinking, Gu Yunsheng rushed over and caught her tightly in his arms just a second before she hit the ground.
The girl was panic-stricken, her voice trembling like a withered leaf in the wind. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Gu Yunsheng realized his actions were too abrupt. He hurriedly let go and took a few steps back, stammering an explanation. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I… I was just afraid you would fall…”
He pointed helplessly at the unconscious Ling Xi on the ground, then at himself, trying to explain the situation in the simplest way possible.
But he had forgotten—the girl before him couldn’t see. She could only hear his incoherent voice, which only deepened her fear.
“Fall? Fall over what? Here… what exactly is happening here?” The girl’s voice turned shrill. Her hands waved helplessly in the air, as if trying to grab a life-saving straw.
“Don’t be afraid. There’s no one else here, just us…”
“No one else?” The girl interrupted him sharply. “Impossible! I clearly smell blood, and… and the smell of the sea! You… are you pirates? Is someone dead? Ah!”
The girl seemed to have been triggered. Her emotions suddenly surged, and she struggled desperately, wanting to escape this terrifying place.
Gu Yunsheng was stunned by her sudden outburst and forgot to react for a moment.
“Miss, calm down! There are no pirates here, and no one has been murdered!”
He tried hard to calm her down, but she wouldn’t listen, struggling even more violently.
“Let me go! You… you bad person! I’m going to find the Village Chief! I’m going to tell everyone!”
The girl possessed surprising strength. Caught off guard, Gu Yunsheng was pushed back several steps and nearly fell to the ground again.
“Miss, listen to me…” Disregarding everything else, he stepped forward again, trying to grab the girl’s arm, but she dodged him deftly.
“Calm down! I… I saved a merman. He’s injured…”
The girl was stunned by his sudden words. Her struggles ceased, and she asked blankly, “Merman? What merman?”
Seeing that she had finally quieted down, Gu Yunsheng breathed a secret sigh of relief and explained, “It’s… it’s a creature that lives in the sea. He… he was badly hurt, so I brought him back to treat him.”
The girl clearly didn’t believe his story, her tone full of confusion and suspicion. “You’re lying! How could there be mermen in this world? You… you must be tricking me!”
“Don’t be anxious yet,” Gu Yunsheng tried to make his tone sound sincere. “I really didn’t lie to you. If you don’t believe me, touch it. The fish tail is cold, completely different from a human hand.”
“Really…?” The girl’s eyelashes trembled, her empty gaze directed toward Gu Yunsheng.
Gu Yunsheng felt a tightness in his chest. He grabbed the girl’s hand and placed it against his own face. “If you don’t believe me, feel this. Does it feel like a loach?”
The girl’s heart pounded. She couldn’t see; the world to her was nothing but darkness.
Gu Yunsheng’s words sounded like a fantasy, yet they strangely brought her an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
His warm breath, the real tactile sensation of his face—all of it made it impossible for her to convince herself that this was just a lie fabricated by a stranger.
“I…” The girl hesitated, then timidly extended her hand. Her fingertips trembled slightly, as if she were reaching out to touch a beast rather than a fish tail.
Seeing this, Gu Yunsheng guided her hand, slowly moving it toward Ling Xi’s tail.
The girl’s fingertips first touched a cold, slimy surface, followed by sharp scales that felt nothing like human skin. She shrank back in fright and let out a scream. “Ah!”
Gu Yunsheng quickly comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, those are fish scales. Have you ever eaten fish? It feels just like that.”
The girl shrank back and whispered, “I… I have…”
Sensing her fear, Gu Yunsheng softened his tone. “Right, just like the fish you’ve eaten, only bigger.”
As he spoke, he took the girl’s hand again and gently placed it on the cold surface. “Touch it again. Isn’t it very cold, and a little sticky?”
The girl hesitated but obediently extended her hand again. Her fingertips lightly grazed the cold, slippery surface, and a chill went straight from her fingers to her heart. “It… it is very cold…”
“Is… is this really a merman?” The girl’s voice trembled slightly, carrying a trace of disbelief and inexplicable excitement.
“It’s the absolute truth,” Gu Yunsheng said with a smile. “Why would I lie to you?”
The girl fell silent. She slowly withdrew her hand, but her mind kept replaying the sensation of that cold, slippery touch.
Although she couldn’t see, she could feel that the fish tail was enormous.
“Is he… is he still alive?” The girl’s voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.
“Mmh, still alive, just very heavily injured.” Gu Yunsheng’s tone lowered, carrying a trace of imperceptible sadness.
The girl’s heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something, and an inexplicable sorrow welled up. She didn’t know why, but she felt that this merman was very pitiful and lonely, as if abandoned by the whole world.
“Why… why is he injured?” the girl couldn’t help but ask.
Gu Yunsheng was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “It was an accident. It’s a long story.”
“Humans? Was it pirates?” The girl’s tone was full of confusion and anger. “Why hurt him? What did he do wrong?”
Gu Yunsheng gave a bitter smile and didn’t answer. Indeed, why hurt him? Just because he was a merman? Just because he was different?
“Will… will he die?” The girl’s voice carried a sob.
“He won’t,” Gu Yunsheng said hurriedly. “I’ve already treated him.”
Gu Yunsheng’s tone was so firm that the girl’s uneasy heart gradually calmed down.
“Really?” The girl raised her head, her empty eyes looking in Gu Yunsheng’s direction, as if she could see the expression on his face through the endless darkness.
“Really.” Gu Yunsheng smiled gently, reached out, and lightly stroked the girl’s cheek. “Trust me.”
His hand was warm and dry, forming a sharp contrast with the coldness she had just touched. The girl’s heart beat wildly out of control, and a strange feeling spread through her.
“You…” The girl’s voice trembled a little, as if making a big decision. “What… what is your name?”
“I’m Gu Yunsheng. And you?” Gu Yunsheng asked softly, seeing that the girl’s panic had temporarily subsided.
The girl paused, seeming not to have reacted yet, then answered subconsciously, “I… I’m A-Ling.”
“A-Ling,” Gu Yunsheng repeated her name, a hint of a smile in his tone. “A very beautiful name.”
A-Ling’s cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her head and whispered, “Thank you.”
Gu Yunsheng looked at the helpless girl before him, his heart feeling like it was being pricked by needles, hurting so much he could barely breathe.
No, I can’t hesitate anymore. If… if those greedy people were attracted here, he, A-Ling, and this merman… But how was he going to take away such a huge merman? Gu Yunsheng felt a wave of despair. Was this their fate?
No, he couldn’t just give up! He had to take Ling Xi away, immediately!
“A-Ling,” he paused, as if using all his strength to squeeze the words out of his throat. “I have to send this merman back to the sea. Can you help me?”
“Send him back to the sea?” A-Ling paused, repeating his words.
“Yes,” Gu Yunsheng nodded, his tone pleading. “He is badly hurt and needs to return to the sea to heal.”
A-Ling fell silent. She knew Gu Yunsheng was telling the truth, but how to send him back? “But,” she bit her lip, “how do we send him back? He… he is so big…”
“I have a way,” Gu Yunsheng said quickly, seeing her concern. “You just need to tell me which path from here to the seaside is the closest and safest.”
A-Ling raised her head and looked toward him, her clear eyes full of worry. “Is it really possible? Can you really send him back?”
“Trust me,” Gu Yunsheng’s tone was firm and gentle. “It will definitely work.”
A-Ling finally nodded and fumbled toward another door in the room.
“Big Brother, this way…” A-Ling’s voice drifted through the empty boat shed. Following the sound and relying on the dim light, Gu Yunsheng saw A-Ling standing in front of a slightly ajar door, waving timidly at him.
Gu Yunsheng felt a pang in his heart. He walked over in a few steps. The salty sea breeze hit his face, sobering him instantly. He took a deep breath, bent down, and picked up the unconscious Ling Xi from the ground.
Ling Xi in his arms was ice-cold, lifeless, and heavier than imagined, pressing down on him like a giant boulder, making it hard to breathe.
Gu Yunsheng gritted his teeth, bowed his body, and practically dragged Ling Xi toward A-Ling.
“A-Ling, thank… thank you…”
Gu Yunsheng was pale and breathing rapidly, yet he managed to force a smile.
A-Ling didn’t look at him, simply saying faintly, “No need. I can handle things myself. The merman is hurt so badly; you should hurry and take him back to the sea.”
Huh? I didn’t expect this blind girl to be so kind, Gu Yunsheng thought to himself.
A-Ling fumbled with the door latch and struggled to push the heavy wooden door open. A wave of humid air mixed with the smell of the sea rushed in. At the same time, the sound of waves hitting the reef reached their ears more clearly.
“Big Brother, go quickly…”
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