Chapter 22: Taking Liberties
From the Great Elder’s prophecy, Ouyang Xiaoli had long known that the little golden mermaid was the salvation of the underground city; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought the mermaid back with him.
Last time at the Starstone market, the little mermaid had displayed powerful healing abilities, saving that slave, and later clearing the impurities from the soil.
This was all within his expectations.
Moreover, he had observed the little mermaid for a long time and found that this little one seemed unfamiliar with his own abilities.
Whether it was clearing soil impurities, healing, or seeing the energy within the Starstones, the little mermaid was a stranger to it all, finding it novel and fascinating.
This indicated it was the first time he had used these powers.
So, before being fished out by him, had the little mermaid never used his abilities?
Ouyang Xiaoli looked at the little mermaid, recalling what he had just said about mental power. If the little mermaid had possessed mental power from the beginning, then during their first encounter, no one on that ship would have escaped.
It had to be said.
Everything had fallen into place perfectly.
Xia Yi looked timidly at the tall man before him. He didn’t understand why Ouyang was suddenly staring at him, and he couldn’t quite decipher the emotion in his eyes.
“Ouyang?” the little mermaid called out softly, his small hand reaching out to squeeze the man’s fingers.
Ouyang Xiaoli pulled his gaze back. “Are you sure you want to come with me to find Ke Da?”
Xia Yi nodded eagerly. “Yes!”
“Then let’s go.”
He turned and walked out the door.
Meanwhile, Ke Da was hanging by his wrists from a thick rope, his mouth bruised and stained with blood. After a long while, he groggily regained consciousness.
There wasn’t a single part of his body that didn’t ache. Remembering what had happened before he passed out, Ke Da pursed his lips.
He hadn’t expected to run into the same thugs who used to bully him. Those bastards had cornered him, punching and kicking him, trying to beat him to death.
He had been captured before he could even find the boss. Ke Da mocked himself; he was too weak.
Fortunately, he hadn’t let the little mermaid follow him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be the only one hanging here. Ke Da breathed a sigh of relief.
He remembered hearing a woman’s voice before he lost consciousness. It sounded a bit familiar.
Just as he was thinking, the warehouse door was pushed open. The blinding light made Ke Da instinctively shut his eyes. It took him a moment to open them again.
A few meters away stood a woman with a stunning face and a playful expression, slowly twirling a lock of her long hair that fell over her chest.
Ke Da gritted his teeth. “Zuo Yinwan!”
Ke Da struggled, but with his hands tied above his head, only the tips of his toes could touch the ground. It was an exceptionally cruel way to be bound.
He cursed, “Are you crazy? If the boss finds out, he’ll skin you alive!”
“Skin me alive?” Zuo Yinwan scoffed. Her high heels clicked sharply on the concrete floor, the sound echoing unnervingly in the empty warehouse, making one’s ears tingle.
“You think too highly of yourself. We’re all just Ouyang’s subordinates, no one is nobler than anyone else. But that little mermaid…”
She deliberately dragged out her words.
Zuo Yinwan held a specially made leather whip, tapping it idly against her palm, producing a dull, heavy sound.
It was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart.
Ke Da noticed the whip and his body flinched instinctively, but he quickly steeled his gaze, feeling that a man should have some backbone.
So he spat defiantly.
This Zuo Yinwan, she was here to brainwash him. Did she think he would be jealous of the little mermaid?
As expected, Zuo Yinwan smiled. “I don’t believe you don’t have any complaints, Ke Da. You used to be Ouyang’s closest and most trusted person.”
Ke Da snorted. “So what? Don’t make it sound like I’m in love with Boss Ouyang. I’ve only ever had respect for the boss.”
Zuo Yinwan raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
Ke Da paused. He struggled to free his wrists from the rope, but it was futile. He glared fiercely at her.
“Untie me!”
“Getting antsy?”
Zuo Yinwan chuckled.
Ke Da couldn’t take it anymore and spat hard in the woman’s face, feeling utterly exasperated. “Are you fucking sick? You’re a psycho!”
In love? In love with his ass. He really couldn’t understand why this woman would have such an idea.
His feelings for Boss Ouyang were purely of loyalty, admiration, and gratitude. None of those emotions had anything to do with love!
Did she really think he couldn’t tell the difference?
He was indeed stupid; the boss sometimes even called him as dumb as a donkey. But he could still tell the difference. This woman was just trying to stir up trouble between them.
Hmph, even dumber than him.
A sense of contempt rose in Ke Da’s heart.
Zuo Yinwan wiped the spit from her face, her expression turning ugly. She stared sinisterly at Ke Da, her fingers tightening around the whip.
“Are you looking to die?”
“Yeah, I want to die. If you have the guts, then whip me to death, you ugly hag!” Ke Da cursed loudly. He had always despised Zuo Yinwan.
Zuo Yinwan’s face flushed with anger. Her fingers gripped the whip so tightly that drops of blood fell to the ground. Suddenly, she started to laugh.
A very soft laugh.
“I know what you’re thinking. You want me to whip you, so that if Ouyang finds out, he’ll surely kick me off the team for your sake.”
“But I won’t give you the satisfaction.”
Zuo Yinwan dropped the whip. It landed on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. She didn’t even glance at it.
She continued, “I saved you earlier. If it weren’t for me, you would have been beaten to death by them.”
Ke Da was stunned. He remembered seeing a woman before he passed out. So, that woman was Zuo Yinwan. He had thought Zuo Yinwan was in league with that group, or that she had sent them. He had been cursing her out in his mind.
Zuo Yinwan saw what Ke Da was thinking and sneered, crossing her arms. “I’m not that stupid. No matter how much I despise you, I wouldn’t discipline you myself. If Ouyang found out, I’d be in trouble too.”
Ke Da thought about it and realized it was true. When it came to matters concerning Boss Ouyang, this woman had incredible patience. She wouldn’t be so foolish.
He snorted. But if she thought he was going to thank her, she was dreaming.
“Did you tie me up?”
“I can’t discipline you, I can’t whip you, but I can’t even scare you a little?” Zuo Yinwan stepped forward playfully and untied the ropes. “I thought you’d piss your pants, but you actually have some guts. Like a man.”
Ke Da cursed, “Psycho!”
The ropes were completely untied, and Ke Da collapsed to the ground with a grunt. Zuo Yinwan stood over him, showing no intention of helping him up.
She said, “You slandered me in front of Ouyang at the Starstone market before, and I let it go. But you shouldn’t have encouraged that little mermaid to seduce Ouyang. Consider this your punishment.”
Ke Da looked up to hear Zuo Yinwan say slowly, “There won’t be a next time.”
“Ouyang is mine. If that little mermaid doesn’t understand that, I don’t mind making him disappear like those black mermaids before.”
A chill ran down Ke Da’s spine. “You dare!”
Zuo Yinwan scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re important to Ouyang, so I won’t touch you. But that little mermaid has only been here for half a month, right?”
Just half a month. She didn’t believe Ouyang had already fallen for that little mermaid.
She couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time. “Let’s go back.”
By now, Ouyang must have returned from the Silver Sea Empire. For some reason, Ouyang rarely asked her to come along when he went out recently.
The warehouse door was kicked open with a loud bang!
Ouyang Xiaoli looked like a demon from hell. He scanned the area but saw no one. In the center of the warehouse, Ke Da lay motionless.
He rushed over. “Ke Da!”
Xia Yi trotted after him, crouching beside Ke Da in a panic.
He quickly used his still-unskilled healing powers, slowly mending Ke Da’s wounds. Ke Da was covered in blood, a terrifying sight.
“Brother Ke Da…”
Xia Yi’s voice choked with a sob.
Ke Da stirred. He painfully opened his eyes and saw the little mermaid. He grinned. “Don’t cry. Wait for Brother Ke Da to cook you potatoes.” As he spoke, he used his dusty, blood-stained hand to wipe the little mermaid’s face, turning him into a little kitten.
He laughed weakly.
“Ke Da!” Just then, a figure hurried in from outside the warehouse, extremely worried. “Oh my god, who hurt you like this?”
Hearing this voice, Ke Da reflexively opened his eyes and stared at the woman, speechless.
Zuo Yinwan seemed not to notice, her face still filled with concern for her comrade. “If Sha Sha hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have even known you were in trouble.”
Ouyang Xiaoli asked her, “What happened?”
Only then did Zuo Yinwan look at Ouyang Xiaoli and tell him the whole story, saying her friend had seen Ke Da being beaten by his old bullies.
She had searched for a long time before finding out Ke Da had been dragged to this warehouse, which was why she had rushed over.
Ke Da wanted to say, You’re full of shit. You act all cold and glamorous every day, what’s gotten into you today? What kind of act is this?
Unfortunately, he was severely injured, and just speaking felt like a needle piercing his chest.
He could only listen to this woman’s lies.
Ouyang Xiaoli also sensed something was strange. He gave Zuo Yinwan a couple of extra glances. Zuo Yinwan rarely cared about her teammates; her behavior today was highly unusual.
So Ouyang Xiaoli could only say, “Why don’t you go back first? I can handle things here.” He wanted to go over to Ke Da to check on his condition.
Just then, his hand was suddenly grabbed. The soft, boneless touch of a woman’s hand made him violently shake it off!
“What are you doing?”
He reprimanded her sharply.
Ouyang Xiaoli subconsciously glanced at the little mermaid crouching beside Ke Da. The little mermaid looked dazed, as if he hadn’t yet processed what was happening.
He looked away.
Zuo Yinwan had only touched the man’s hand for an instant. The man’s palm was dry and warm, broad and strong, giving a complete sense of security.
This was the first time she had touched him.
It was a very subtle feeling.
Although she had only touched a small part of his fingers, she was already content.
Zuo Yinwan stood up, looking innocent. “Sorry, Ouyang. I… I didn’t do it on purpose. My foot just slipped.”
Ouyang Xiaoli frowned.
He looked at Zuo Yinwan and saw that she was indeed wearing high heels. The heels were very thin, making it difficult to maintain balance and easy to fall.
Ouyang Xiaoli looked down at his own fingers. The feeling of discomfort intensified. It was very unpleasant, but there was no water here, so he could only endure it.
“Don’t touch me casually in the future.”
Although he didn’t have severe mysophobia, those who knew him knew he disliked physical contact, especially skin-to-skin. It was disgusting.
Except…
The little mermaid was an exception.
The next second, Ouyang Xiaoli’s hand was grasped by two small hands, which rubbed it back and forth, not even missing the spaces between his fingers, taking liberties in broad daylight.
Ouyang Xiaoli: “…”
He raised an eyebrow at the little mermaid, waiting for an explanation. The little mermaid huffed, “Only I can touch Ouyang’s hand!” His cheeks were puffed out, clearly very angry.
Ouyang Xiaoli’s mouth twitched.
After the little mermaid had had his fill of touching, he slowly pulled his hand back. “If you take any more liberties, I’ll chop off your hands.”
“Big meanie.”
The little mermaid felt wronged.
“Ahem!” Ke Da, who had just woken up, was force-fed a mouthful of public display of affection. He struggled to sit up, and the little mermaid ran over to support him.
“Brother Ke Da, are you okay?” Xia Yi asked with a worried expression.
Ke Da touched his chest, feeling the stuffiness that had accumulated there suddenly disappear. In fact, when the little mermaid was healing him earlier, he could feel it—a very warm power that seemed to reshape his bones and meridians.
It was like being reborn.
Ke Da shook his head. “I’m fine now.”
He turned his head to look at Zuo Yinwan on the ground not far away. Zuo Yinwan wasn’t looking at him; her eyes were fixed on the little mermaid, and he couldn’t tell what she was plotting.
Ke Da had a bad feeling.
“Boss.”
Ouyang Xiaoli naturally knew that Zuo Yinwan was hostile towards Xia Yi. He said coolly, “You go back first. I’ll take care of Ke Da here.”
Zuo Yinwan smiled. “Alright.”
The act was over. There was no need to stay here any longer. She glanced at Ke Da, a subtle warning in her eyes.
Ke Da didn’t say anything.
Ouyang Xiaoli carried Ke Da back on his back. Ke Da groaned and moaned the whole way, and Xia Yi couldn’t help but look up at him again and again.
“Brother Ke Da, does it hurt?”
Ke Da hissed twice. “It hurts, it hurts a lot. More than when I was bullied before.” He was exaggerating a bit, but he really couldn’t move.
Ouyang Xiaoli ruthlessly tossed him onto the sofa and sneered, “So you know it hurts, yet you still dared to run around.”
Ke Da grumbled, “Well, wasn’t I worried about you, Boss? You just went to the Silver Sea Empire yesterday, and you went again today, like you’ve gone crazy.”
“Who’s crazy?”
He looked down at him from above.
“Me, me, me, I’m the craziest,” Ke Da said, speechless. He sat cross-legged on the sofa and stretched a little. There wasn’t much pain.
The little mermaid’s healing power was incredibly strong. He had been beaten black and blue by those thugs, covered in bloody wounds. A little later and he would have been dead.
Ke Da marveled at his own good fortune.
The living room fell silent for a moment. Ouyang Xiaoli also sat down opposite them. He glanced at the little mermaid, who felt too guilty to look at him.
“What are you hiding from?”
Ouyang Xiaoli’s voice was faint.
“I’m sorry, Ouyang,” Xia Yi said in a small voice, taking the initiative to admit his mistake. “I shouldn’t have run out, and I got Brother Ke Da hurt.”
Ke Da sat up. “You ran out?”
Xia Yi hummed in agreement and told Ke Da what had happened. Ke Da sucked in a cold breath. “Weren’t you afraid they’d eat you alive!”
Xia Yi silently lowered his head.
Ouyang Xiaoli saw the little mermaid’s self-blame and dejection. “Ke Da’s injury isn’t because of you. He had already gone out to look for me before you ran out. It has nothing to do with you.”
He had heard that mermaids were prone to depression. Once they fell into a certain mood, they could refuse to eat or drink, hiding in coral reefs and letting themselves waste away.
Mermaids were very delicate.
Ke Da came back to his senses. “Right, right, how could this be your fault? I went out because I was worried about the boss.”
Xia Yi’s head remained bowed.
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