Chapter 25: The Bet and the Shuraba
“Yunsheng, look at me…” Ling Xi’s blue fish tail slapped against the seabed restlessly, but the splashing water couldn’t extinguish the surging desire in his heart.
Gu Yunsheng’s pheromones were like a key, unlocking the shackles sealed within his body. That long-buried nature was gradually awakening along with the pheromones permeating the seawater.
“Ling Xi… it hurts…” Gu Yunsheng rubbed against his chest helplessly. His usually cold voice was now stained with a bit of hoarseness and charm, further inciting the hunger of the beast in Ling Xi’s heart.
“Damn it!” Ling Xi cursed in a low voice. This damned heat—how could he have forgotten about this!
As the overlord of the deep sea, Ling Xi’s pheromones naturally carried a domineering soothing effect, and only he could completely quell Gu Yunsheng’s pain.
What was infuriating was that he was actually full of anticipation for this!
“Yunsheng, look at me. Endure it for a bit; it will be over soon.” Ling Xi cupped Gu Yunsheng’s face, forcing him to make eye contact.
Those eyes, which were usually as clear as water, were now covered with a layer of mist. The corners of his eyes were flushed with a touch of crimson, and his pitiable appearance caused the last shred of Ling Xi’s reason to completely collapse.
“Ling Xi…” Gu Yunsheng called his name unconsciously, with a touch of dependence and pleading.
“I’m here. I’ve always been here.” Ling Xi leaned down and kissed away the teardrops at the corner of his eyes, transferring pheromones filled with a soothing intent.
Just then, a sudden commotion came from outside the palace. A cold and mocking voice pierced through the layers of seawater, clearly reaching Ling Xi’s ears.
“Ling Xi, why are you hiding from me? Are you afraid I’ll disturb you and your little Omega?”
This voice was like a clap of thunder, exploding between Ling Xi and Gu Yunsheng.
Ling Xi turned his head, a cold light glinting in his eyes.
The visitor was none other than the Lord of the Black Sea—A-Yuan—who was as incompatible with Ling Xi as fire and water.
Unlike Ling Xi’s deep-sea aura, A-Yuan emitted a rich scent of ink orchid. This fragrance was domineering and dangerous, carrying a shiver-inducing aggressiveness.
Gu Yunsheng forced himself to endure that nauseatingly sweet scent, alarm bells ringing in his heart.
[Damn it, it’s an Enigma’s pheromones!]
Ling Xi cursed inwardly. He shielded Gu Yunsheng behind him and stared vigilantly at A-Yuan. “What are you doing here?”
A-Yuan ignored Ling Xi’s hostility and walked straight toward Gu Yunsheng. His deep black eyes were full of possessiveness. “Yunsheng, come to me.”
“I don’t know you. Don’t call me Yunsheng.” Gu Yunsheng looked at A-Yuan coldly, his tone carrying unabashed disgust.
He hated this feeling of being treated like an object. Neither Ling Xi nor A-Yuan had the right to control his fate.
Hearing Gu Yunsheng’s refusal, A-Yuan didn’t get angry but instead laughed lightly. A flash of appreciation crossed his eyes. “Interesting. You are even more interesting than I imagined.” He found himself liking this little Omega more and more, not just because of his unique pheromones, but because of the unyielding spirit in him.
“Cut the crap,” Ling Xi shielded Gu Yunsheng behind his back. “A-Yuan, I’ll say it again: Yunsheng is mine. If you dare touch a single hair on his head, I won’t let you off!”
“Oh? Is that so?” A-Yuan raised an eyebrow. “It seems you care about him a lot. But are you sure you can protect him?” As he spoke, he released a hint of pressure belonging to an Enigma. Instantly, the entire undersea palace seemed to be shrouded in a suffocating shadow.
Ling Xi’s expression changed. He felt a powerful force suppressing his pheromones, making him almost unable to breathe.
Gu Yunsheng also felt this powerful sense of oppression. He was startled, realizing that A-Yuan’s strength was far above Ling Xi’s. He had to find a way to resolve the crisis before him!
“What do you want?” Gu Yunsheng took a step forward, standing in front of Ling Xi and looking directly at A-Yuan. “I’m warning you, if you dare hurt him, I won’t let you off even if I die!”
Seeing Gu Yunsheng protect Ling Xi regardless of his own safety, a flash of playfulness appeared in A-Yuan’s eyes. “It seems you are very loyal to him. However, I’m even more interested in you now.” A-Yuan spoke as he retracted his pressure. “I won’t hurt him, at least not for now.”
“What do you want?” Gu Yunsheng looked at A-Yuan vigilantly.
“Come with me,” A-Yuan looked straight into Gu Yunsheng’s eyes. “Be my property, and I will give you everything you want.”
“In your dreams!” Gu Yunsheng refused without a second thought. “I won’t be anyone’s property!”
A-Yuan wasn’t angry because of Gu Yunsheng’s refusal. Instead, he smiled. “Interesting. The more you are like this, the more I want to possess you.” As he spoke, he reached out his hand, wanting to touch Gu Yunsheng’s cheek.
“Don’t touch me!” Gu Yunsheng turned his head away, dodging A-Yuan’s hand.
His eyes darted around, and a plan formed in his mind.
“A-Yuan, it’s not impossible for me to go with you.” Gu Yunsheng paused, meeting A-Yuan’s gaze firmly. “But I have one condition.”
“A condition?” A-Yuan raised an eyebrow with interest. “Let’s hear it.”
“I want you to help me eliminate those experimental hospitals on land that harm innocent creatures,” Gu Yunsheng paused, his tone becoming increasingly serious. “And that mastermind hiding in the shadows controlling everything, Mr. K.”
A-Yuan froze. The faces of those missing mermen flashed through his mind, and a trace of irritation flickered in his heart.
How could he not be aware of Mr. K on land? That fellow controlled a massive biological experiment empire. Many mermen from his own sea region had entered that hospital and never returned, without even a shred of news.
A-Yuan looked Gu Yunsheng up and down. His gaze was sharp, as if to see right through him.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of inquiry flashing in his eyes.
This Omega before him had a pair of clear and transparent eyes, which were now flickering with the light of determination and wisdom.
He wasn’t weak and timid like other Omegas; instead, he was full of power and courage. What surprised him even more was that Gu Yunsheng actually knew the secrets of that hospital on land and even knew of Mr. K’s existence.
This courage and insight made A-Yuan’s interest in Gu Yunsheng grow even more.
Beside them, Ling Xi had been watching the negotiation between Gu Yunsheng and A-Yuan. Following this, the worry in his heart slowly dissipated.
Ling Xi had stayed quietly behind Gu Yunsheng, his deep blue eyes reflecting Gu Yunsheng’s back.
His gaze was deep and focused, as if to carve every one of Gu Yunsheng’s movements into his heart.
Listening to the conversation between Gu Yunsheng and A-Yuan, his originally tensed body gradually relaxed, and the corner of his mouth hooked into an imperceptible arc.
Having lived for a thousand years, he had naturally seen countless people of all kinds, yet he had never seen such a special existence as Gu Yunsheng.
This human seemed weak, yet he had a resilient and brave heart.
Clearly afraid of him, he still stood up to protect him, and even dared to negotiate with a powerful Enigma. This courage and spirit moved him.
What comforted Ling Xi even more was that the conditions Gu Yunsheng proposed—maintaining the marine ecological balance and destroying those experimental hospitals that harmed mermen—coincided with his own long-held wish.
He finally understood that he had not misjudged the human he deeply loved. Gu Yunsheng had a kind and upright heart; he was worth Ling Xi giving his all to protect.
“Mr. K…” Ling Xi murmured in a low voice, a cold light flashing in his deep blue eyes.
That mastermind hiding in the shadows—he had been tracking him as well.
Sailuo was Ling Xi’s most loyal guard. If Gu Yunsheng hadn’t stepped in to save him back then, Sailuo would have died long ago. But even with his life saved, those inhuman tortures had left Sailuo riddled with countless scars, and the side effects of the drugs tortured him day and night.
Whenever he thought of this, Ling Xi’s heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He secretly vowed that one day, he would bring Mr. K to justice and avenge his innocent clansmen!
And now, Gu Yunsheng’s appearance seemed to point out a new path for him.
“Interesting, truly interesting.” A-Yuan’s low laughter interrupted Ling Xi’s thoughts. He looked at Gu Yunsheng with interest. “You, a tiny Omega, actually dare to negotiate conditions with me? Why do you think I would agree to you?”
“Because I know what you want.” Gu Yunsheng met A-Yuan’s gaze without fear, a confident smile hooking at the corner of his mouth. “You want me, right? But you want Mr. K even more, don’t you?”
A-Yuan’s pupils constricted slightly, clearly startled by Gu Yunsheng’s sudden sentence. He narrowed his eyes and looked Gu Yunsheng up and down, as if re-evaluating this Omega before him.
“You know Mr. K?” A-Yuan’s tone carried a trace of imperceptible coldness.
“I know more than you imagine.” Gu Yunsheng didn’t answer directly, but threw out an even more tempting chip. “You’ve wanted to catch him for a long time, right? I can help you, but in exchange, you must agree to my conditions.”
Gu Yunsheng knew well that a heart as ruthless as A-Yuan’s Enigma nature couldn’t be moved by just a surge of hot-bloodedness or so-called justice.
He had to grasp the other party’s weakness and play to their interests to win the greatest benefit for himself.
And Mr. K was the most advantageous chip in his hand.
“What do you want?” A-Yuan was indeed intrigued by Gu Yunsheng’s words. He pressed a step closer, his powerful Enigma pheromone pressure weighing down on Gu Yunsheng overwhelmingly, attempting to make him submit.
“I want you to destroy all research equipment in that hospital and release all mermen imprisoned by Mr. K,” Gu Yunsheng said word for word, enduring A-Yuan’s powerful pheromone pressure.
Gu Yunsheng used the mermen imprisoned by Mr. K as a chip so that A-Yuan would have no reason to refute.
As soon as Gu Yunsheng finished speaking, the sense of oppression in the air grew heavier.
A cold light flashed in A-Yuan’s deep eyes, and the powerful pheromone pressure bore down on Gu Yunsheng overwhelmingly, trying to make him yield.
“Interesting, truly interesting.” His low laughter carried a bit of mockery. “A tiny Omega like you actually dares to negotiate conditions with me? Why do you think I would agree to you?”
Gu Yunsheng wasn’t frightened by A-Yuan’s aura. He met A-Yuan’s gaze with calm composure, a confident smile hooking the corner of his mouth. “Because I know what you want.” His tone was steady yet held an unquestionable firmness. “You want me, right? But you want freedom even more—to escape Mr. K’s control, don’t you?”
A-Yuan’s pupils constricted slightly, clearly startled by this sudden sentence from Gu Yunsheng. He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Gu Yunsheng, as if re-evaluating the Omega before him.
“Do you know what Mr. K is researching?” Gu Yunsheng didn’t answer A-Yuan’s question directly, but threw out a more tempting chip. “He is researching how to control you mermen, attempting to turn you into obedient puppets. You shouldn’t be unaware of this, right?”
Ling Xi, who had been silent to the side, felt a shock in his heart when he heard this. His deep eyes locked tightly onto Gu Yunsheng. This human actually knew Mr. K’s secret?
A-Yuan’s expression changed slightly, clearly hit in a sore spot by Gu Yunsheng. Mr. K’s existence was a huge threat to all mermen, and as the overlord of this sea area, he naturally wouldn’t sit idly by.
Seeing A-Yuan’s reaction, Gu Yunsheng knew he had bet correctly. He paused and continued: “I can help you find Mr. K and destroy his laboratory in exchange for all the imprisoned mermen, including Ling Xi.”
A-Yuan stared coldly at Gu Yunsheng, complex emotions churning in his deep eyes. After a long while, he parted his thin lips and spat out a single word: “Fine.”
Translator’s Note: Hello everyone! It looks like things are getting heated. We finally meet A-Yuan, the Enigma! In the ABO world, an “Enigma” is a rare tier above Alphas that can even mark Alphas. Also, the term “Shuraba” (修罗场) comes from Buddhist mythology but is used in web novels to describe a scene of intense conflict, usually involving a messy love triangle or a confrontation between rivals. Gu Yunsheng is definitely using his “Green Tea” wit to navigate these two scary mermen! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Recommended Reads
