Chapter 509 - 506: A Great Gulf Between Them

Chapter 509: Chapter 506: A Great Gulf Between Them

At almost the same time, Jiao Yin also spotted the brilliant crimson figure in the sky and the unusual fleet of rafts on the sea.

He immediately raised a hand to halt the patrol, his sharp gaze piercing the distance to land precisely on Bai Wanwan as she peeked out from the Phoenix’s back.

In an instant, an unconcealable joy and a brilliant light erupted in his ice-blue eyes. He immediately led his clansmen, swimming swiftly toward them.

The two groups of Beastmen drew closer and closer.

"Wanwan! Hua Han! You’ve returned safely!" Jiao Yin’s voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

He quickly approached the sea’s surface beneath Yin Ze, looking up at Bai Wanwan with a genuine smile. "I knew you were all okay."

’In truth, this whole time, while he was dealing with clan affairs, he had been worried about Bai Wanwan and the others, wondering if they had run into any other dangers.’

"We have the Beast God’s blessing, so of course we’re fine!" Hua Han greeted him with a cheerful laugh.

Jiao Yin smiled and nodded. "That’s good. It’s been a long journey for you. My Royal Palace is nearby; you can rest there for a while."

They had indeed been adrift at sea for too long and needed some rest.

After much persuasion from Hua Han, Bai Wanwan agreed to stop and rest.

Only then did Jiao Yin notice his own people.

"How did you all end up together?"

The rescued Merfolk eagerly recounted to Jiao Yin in detail how Bai Wanwan and her companions had saved them from the claws of a descending Eagle Beast, and how they had kindly traveled with them and taken care of them.

After listening, Jiao Yin’s expression turned solemn. He swam to the side of a raft and, facing Bai Wanwan and her Beast Husbands, performed a deep bow—a gesture of the highest gratitude in the Merfolk Clan. "Wanwan, and everyone, thank you so much for saving my people! This kindness is a debt that I, Jiao Yin, and the entire Merfolk Clan will never forget!"

Bai Wanwan, still in mid-air, heard him but did not respond.

Below, Xin Feng answered with a smile, "There’s no need to be so formal. You’ve saved Wanwan before, haven’t you? The Merfolk Clan will always have our gratitude."

Jiao Yin had saved Wanwan, and in doing so, saved their entire family.

This wasn’t a debt that could be repaid by saving them once or twice in return.

The Merfolk Clan would be their eternal friends. If they were ever in trouble, they would never stand by and do nothing.

Jiao Yin subconsciously looked up, but he could no longer see the head that had been peeking out.

’Why is this happening?’ He had a faint feeling that Wanwan had become much more distant.

During the journey back, the other Beastmen said very little. Hua Han took the initiative to chat with Jiao Yin, asking how things had been since he returned.

After more than half a day, they finally arrived at the magnificent and beautiful Coral Palace.

After he gave them the Mermaid Pearls, the Land Beasts could also breathe freely in the sea.

Jiao Yin deliberately slowed his pace, trying to walk beside Bai Wanwan and casually ask her for more details about her situation. However, he found that she had already turned her gaze away, lowering her head to play with the little cub in her arms.

The words he had prepared were instantly caught in his throat. The joyful, genuine curve of his lips faded almost imperceptibly, and a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

Because Bai Wanwan was deliberately avoiding him, Jiao Yin couldn’t strike up a conversation. Furthermore, her Beast Husbands were all by her side, overtly or subtly positioning themselves between her and Jiao Yin, leaving him with no opportunity to speak with her.

Jiao Yin personally arranged the most comfortable and luxurious guest rooms for them, with everything provided being of the highest standard.

After politely thanking him again, Bai Wanwan walked into the large, prepared room with her Beast Husbands as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She didn’t talk to him, not even an extra word.

It was as if the days they had spent together were nothing but a fleeting illusion.

Hua Han, being perceptive, noticed Jiao Yin’s lonely figure standing by the door.

He found an excuse to come out and patted Jiao Yin’s shoulder. "Wanwan is probably just really tired from the long journey. Let her rest first. Later, you can bring over some unique underwater delicacies, and I’ll find a chance for you to see her alone and exchange a few words, how about it?"

A flicker of hope rekindled in Jiao Yin’s eyes, and he nodded.

He immediately went to personally prepare the most sumptuous and exquisite underwater delicacies, which he had delivered in a giant seashell.

However, the one who opened the door and took the food was Yan Lie.

Yan Lie grinned, his smile as bright as the sun. "You’re too kind! Thanks! I can just take this inside."

Just then, Hua Han squeezed through. "Yan Lie, you take the food inside. I have something to say to Jiao Yin."

Yan Lie glanced at him, and thinking that Wanwan was still hungry, he went inside first.

"For the sake of you being willing to help me back then, I’ll help you this once. Do you want to come in?"

Jiao Yin hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Yes."

’Hua Han knew it,’ he thought. ’No one could say no to Wanwan.’

Jiao Yin followed Hua Han into the room.

"Hua Han," Jiao Yin stopped, his ice-blue eyes looking at him earnestly, his brow slightly furrowed. "Tell me, did something happen after I left?"

’The change in Bai Wanwan’s attitude towards him was too drastic. Her deliberate avoidance and distance made his chest feel tight.’

"I feel like Wanwan... she seems to be deliberately avoiding me."

Looking at him, Hua Han felt incredibly glad that he hadn’t had the burden of his clan back then; by staying with Wanwan, he had gotten his chance.

He gave Jiao Yin a rough account of what happened after Bai Wanwan returned to the Flood Dragon Tribe, including the cruel scheming of her Mother, Lan Yi, and the truth about her two female cubs being swapped.

After Jiao Yin finished listening, a tempestuous storm instantly raged within his beautiful ice-blue eyes. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

’He never imagined that Wanwan had gone through something so cruel!’

’To be treated like that by her own birth Mother... What must she have gone through as a child? How sad and helpless must she have felt back then?’

A powerful wave of heartache and rage washed over him.

’If he had stayed just a little longer back then, if he hadn’t rushed back because of the rebellion in his clan, would he have been able to stay by her side when she was most heartbroken and needed company the most?’

But just as this thought arose, it was crushed by an even greater sense of helplessness.

At that time, his people were also in dire straits, waiting for him to save them.

He was the King of Merfolk. He had a responsibility he could not shirk.

The internal struggle and bitterness almost drowned him.

His steps gradually slowed. From Wanwan’s behavior on the way back, he could clearly sense that she did not want to see him.

She seemed to be actively and clearly drawing a line between them.

He was an Ocean Beastman, the King of Merfolk of the deep sea. Wanwan was a Land Beastman; her home, her lovers, and her ties were all on that vast continent.

Between them lay not only the vast ocean but also an insurmountable chasm of race and environment.

His people needed him; he couldn’t leave the deep sea to be with her for long.

And she, clearly, would not abandon her Beast Husbands and cubs for him to come live at the bottom of the deep sea.

At that moment, he understood Wanwan’s intentions.