Chapter 31
“These things are a nightmare to deal with. Once they infest you, it’s pure torture.”
“I don’t know where these Blue Bugs come from. Every time this season rolls around, they start invading. It’s like they really see us as parasitic hosts.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it; that’s just how they reproduce.”
“What is our Silver Sea Empire’s Medical Research Institute even doing? They’ve been studying this for so long, yet they still haven’t completely wiped out the Blue Bugs.”
“Hah, can they even be wiped out? We haven’t even figured out where they come from.”
“It’s been over ten years.”
Two guards patrolling beneath the palace walls chatted as they walked, discussing the recent Blue Bug incident before the topic inevitably drifted to the General.
“Hey, have you heard? After our General returned in triumph, it seems the Princess has become even more infatuated with him. I heard the King intends to bestow the Princess upon…”
“Shh!” One of the guards, a chubby man, looked around nervously. Seeing no one else nearby, he finally relaxed his vigilance. “Don’t let the Vice-General’s guards hear you say that. They are fiercely protective of their own. If they hear us, they’ll get into it with us again.”
The skinny guard sighed, lowering his voice by several decibels, clearly taking the chubby guard’s warning to heart.
“What do you think goes through our General’s mind? Since he already has the Vice-General, why go and provoke the Princess? The Vice-General is pretty pitiful in all this.”
The chubby guard couldn’t help but mutter.
The skinny guard agreed, “Poor Vice-General.”
Crouched at the base of the wall, Ouyang Xiaoli held his breath. After listening for a moment, the two guards walked away.
He replayed the conversation he had just heard in his mind. So, the rumor about the King granting a marriage was true, not just hearsay.
But it seemed there was a Vice-General involved?
Ouyang Xiaoli was confused. He didn’t know the relationship between the Vice-General and the General mentioned by the two guards, nor why the Vice-General’s subordinates shouldn’t hear about it.
But right now, he didn’t have time to ponder General Song Chengbing’s private love life.
Saving Tang Si was the priority.
Tang Si was currently sitting in the Silver Sea Empire’s icy Sky Prison. The ropes on his body had been untied, but the cage here was high-tech; he couldn’t open it, and touching the iron bars would trigger an alarm.
So, he could only sit on the edge of the small bed, his face grim as he racked his brain for a solution.
An hour ago, someone had sent him a healing device and medicine. He was mostly recovered now.
But Tang Si felt uneasy. Song Chengbing had sent him so much medicine and even proactively helped treat his injuries—what exactly was he planning?
He wasn’t trying to recruit him, was he?
Impossible. It was said that every guard under Song Chengbing was an elite. How could someone like him catch the General’s eye?
Even if he did catch his eye, the General surely didn’t have a hobby of breaking the rules to recruit a thief into his ranks.
He came from the Underground City, and Tang Si knew just how intense the Silver Sea Empire’s hostility toward the Underground City was.
So what game was Song Chengbing playing? If he thought giving a few benefits would make Tang Si betray his Boss, he was dreaming. Tang Si was absolutely not a treacherous person; even if the sky collapsed, he would stand by his Boss!
Tang Si sneered internally.
Ouyang Xiaoli spent an hour moving undetected until he finally arrived at a side hall. He had a dagger hidden on the inner side of his boot; if he detected anything wrong, he would counterattack with maximum speed.
His heart rate remained relatively steady.
Everything was under control.
This was Ouyang Xiaoli’s first time infiltrating the Silver Sea Empire anywhere other than the research laboratories. It wasn’t easy; high technology created a difficult gap to bridge, and one careless step could lead him into a trap.
He heard faint voices speaking.
“Vice-General, still no news,” He Sui reported from outside the door to the person in the armory. “But orders have been given to keep searching.”
“Understood.”
The young man’s voice was cool and detached.
Xia Ni stood inside the armory, his emotions no longer calm. He closed his eyes to steady himself, deciding he would go to the main hall to find Ah-Bing personally.
Ouyang Xiaoli held his breath as the reporting guard left, minimizing his presence as much as possible. Once the person was gone, he let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard footsteps.
His heart jumped.
He immediately returned to his original position.
His mind raced. The guard had called the person inside “Vice-General,” which meant the person opening the door now was likely this Vice-General.
He could fool the guard just now, but this Vice-General surely wasn’t simple. Sitting in the position of Vice-General wasn’t easy; aside from courage, it required powerful perception. Ouyang Xiaoli knew that a single careless move would expose him. This wasn’t the Underground City; this was the Silver Sea Empire, a fusion of higher civilizations. Their high-tech and advanced AI were things he hadn’t even heard of.
A few minutes later.
Silence returned to the hall.
Ouyang Xiaoli didn’t try to peek at what the person looked like during this process, because even a tiny movement carried the risk of exposure.
He remained motionless.
He held this position for over ten minutes.
Only after confirming the person had walked far away did he quickly flash past the wall, darting in another direction.
Xia Ni slowly stepped out from behind a tree, his beautiful, cool eyes looking in that direction.
If he were truly just an ordinary Vice-General, he might not have discovered the person by the outer palace wall. That person’s concealment skills were excellent—the best he had seen aside from Ah-Bing. But under a merman’s psychic power, even the best concealment was futile.
Xia Ni didn’t make a move.
Because of the distance, he wasn’t entirely sure if the scent he had just caught belonged to Xia Yi. But as long as there was a sliver of a possibility, he wouldn’t let it go.
“Guards.” Xia Ni ordered the men behind him, staring at the distant corner of the wall. “Follow him.”
That person’s height and build didn’t look like Xia Yi. Besides, if Xia Yi saw him, he wouldn’t hide. That spoiled crybaby would only come rushing over in tears, acting coquettish and complaining that his big brother hadn’t come to find him.
A soft spot in Xia Ni’s heart melted, but his gaze toward the corner of the wall turned cold.
Ideally, he wouldn’t find out that his brother had any connection to this person. Otherwise, he would definitely make anyone who bullied his brother pay!
Song Chengbing’s palace was huge. Ouyang Xiaoli searched for a long time but couldn’t find the Sky Prison. However, he wasn’t discouraged. If he could find the Sky Prison on the first day, that would be suspicious. If the guards were truly that weak, the Silver Sea Empire would have been crushed long ago.
The first day was meant for familiarizing himself with the terrain and getting a thorough understanding of the palace layout.
He then circled back to the meeting point agreed upon with Xiao Mo. Xiao Mo hadn’t gone in; this was Ouyang Xiaoli’s requirement. One more person meant one more degree of risk.
As for Zuo Yinwan, Xiao Mo had already settled her in a residence in the Underground City, restricting her freedom.
Zuo Yinwan bore a large responsibility for Tang Si’s situation. Boss Ouyang hadn’t dealt with her yet simply because Tang Si hadn’t been rescued yet.
Once he was rescued, Zuo Yinwan wouldn’t escape a single ounce of the responsibility she bore.
This was called settling the score later.
Ouyang Xiaoli saw Xiao Mo at the Mermaid Market and walked over with a steady pace.
Before they split up, Ouyang Xiaoli had given him a task: to find the old master who had taught Zuo Yinwan. That person was likely not simple.
Seeing the Boss, Xiao Mo went up to meet him. “That place is already empty.”
Ouyang Xiaoli frowned. “I knew it.”
If he could be found that easily, wouldn’t it just be a matter of snapping fingers? And if it were a matter of snapping fingers, Tang Si wouldn’t have been caught.
Everything was within expectations.
“Let’s go back to the Underground City first,” Xiao Mo said, seeing that the reconnaissance in the Silver Sea Empire had yielded no results.
Ouyang Xiaoli shook his head, his gaze inadvertently glancing toward a direction behind him. “Wait a bit. I have a tail following me. Probably followed me out from the Vice-General’s place. Can’t shake them off for now.”
Xiao Mo didn’t look in that direction, asking calmly, “So what do we do now?”
Ouyang Xiaoli wore a faint, unreadable smile, looking at the merfolk swimming in the aquarium. “Let’s wander around for a bit. Don’t lead them back to the Underground City.”
If that Vice-General found out they were from the Underground City, the stability between the Silver Sea Empire and the Underground City might not be maintained.
Although the Silver Sea Empire had indeed rarely suppressed them in recent years, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t attack.
Perhaps they just hadn’t found the opportunity.
Xia Ni expressed his thoughts to Song Chengbing, saying he wanted to return to the sea to find his brother. Song Chengbing was worried and insisted on going with him.
Unable to dissuade him, Xia Ni helplessly allowed Ah-Bing to follow behind.
At the shore, Xia Ni took off his complicated human clothes as usual and jumped into the sea. His golden tail leapt above the blue surface, a breathtaking sight.
The sea returned to calm.
A quarter of an hour later, Xia Ni broke the surface, the bright moonlight spilling over his snow-white skin. However, his expression wasn’t very good.
“He’s not here.”
Although the Guard Officer He Sui had previously confirmed that his brother wasn’t in the sea, Xia Ni had still held onto hope. This time, he verified it personally.
Xia Ni swam to the shore and stood up.
Song Chengbing stepped forward and draped a coat over him, afraid he would be cold. Xia Ni didn’t refuse.
“An outsider intruded into the palace today. I seemed to smell Xia Yi’s scent on him.” Xia Ni was embraced in the man’s arms. Even though he said he wasn’t cold, the man still held him tightly. “I already had someone follow him this afternoon, but his concealment skills are excellent. I feel he isn’t simple. Ah-Bing, do you…”
“I know.”
Song Chengbing interjected.
Xia Ni was surprised. “You know that person?”
Song Chengbing nodded. He had increased the palace defenses that afternoon and had indeed sensed an intruder, but the person had slipped away unnoticed.
“Likely someone from the Underground City. A few days ago, someone who broke into the research lab was captured. The one who came this time probably wants to save his companion.”
Xia Ni paused. “The Underground City…”
His brows furrowed tightly. “I recall people from the Underground City rarely come to the Silver Sea Empire.” Xia Ni suddenly thought of someone.
Xiu Di.
Could the person at the corner of the wall today be him? He had Xia Yi’s scent on him. Could he have mistaken Xia Yi for himself? Did he… do something to Xia Yi…
Xia Ni’s expression grew increasingly serious.
On the other side, Xia Yi, still unaware that his brother was worried to death about him, was currently distressed, applying a band-aid to Ouyang and leaning in to blow on it gently.
Xiao Mo sat on the sofa, silently shifting his gaze elsewhere, feeling a bit awkward.
Ouyang Xiaoli glanced across at him. “Xiao Mo, stay in the Underground City for the next few days. Leave Tang Si’s matter to me. And keep a close watch on that woman, Zuo Yinwan. Don’t let her cause any more trouble.”
Xiao Mo agreed and rose to leave. As he closed the door, he glanced at the little merman beside the Boss.
He had wandered around the Silver Sea Empire’s Mermaid Market today. Of all the merfolk there, not a single one had a tail as beautiful as the Boss’s merman. It was stunning.
He silently closed the door.
Xiao Mo compared them in his heart. He had no improper thoughts, but he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
Watching the person leave, Xia Yi naturally sat on Ouyang’s lap, touching the man’s wound. “Why don’t you take better care of yourself?”
Although the injury was tiny, just a red scratch, it still pained him to see it.
Ouyang Xiaoli leaned back against the sofa. His thigh muscles were solid, firm, and powerful, unlike the fragile softness of the little merman.
His little merman wasn’t shy at all, sitting in his embrace as if it were the most natural thing in the world, not moving an inch.
“What is this little scratch? Just scraped the skin on a branch, it’s nothing,” the man’s deep, magnetic voice resonated as his arm wrapped around the slender waist.
Xia Yi’s small face turned red.
“I’ll blow on it for you.” Saying this, he leaned in to blow on the red mark on the man’s neck.
Ouyang Xiaoli raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. “Blow where?”
“……”
Xia Yi curled his toes in embarrassment.
Having teased enough, Ouyang Xiaoli stopped messing with the little merman. He kissed him, rubbed him, then placed him on the sofa and tucked him in.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
Xia Yi’s eyes lit up. “Me too!”
“What for?”
Ouyang Xiaoli picked up a towel.
“To… to soak my tail!” Xia Yi twisted shyly, too embarrassed to say the more shameful reason, so he settled for the next best thing, planning to seduce him a little.
Ouyang Xiaoli laughed out loud.
Deliberately ignoring the little merman, he grabbed the towel and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower to start washing.
Moments later, Ouyang Xiaoli walked out of the bathroom and, sure enough, saw the little merman sullenly drinking a nutrient solution, his brows knitted tight.
“Angry?”
Ouyang Xiaoli walked over.
“No.” Xia Yi gave the man a resentful look, but his words were duplicitous, his voice soft. “It’s just that the nutrient solution tastes terrible.”
Ouyang Xiaoli: “……”
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