Chapter 227: Using Oneself as Bait

“Danger can’t be an obstacle that stops us from moving forward. Otherwise, our group wouldn’t be here!

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself. Besides, if I’m the one luring the Mermaid out, won’t you guys need to hide in the dark and wait for the perfect moment to ambush it?

“With you keeping watch nearby, I trust that you’ll rush out to protect me at the first sign of trouble.”

Xu Qingsui looked Lu Jingyu right in the eye, her words brimming with absolute trust in him. Feeling her unwavering confidence, Lu Jingyu’s resolve finally softened.

However, Shen Yan, who stood off to the side, was overwhelmed with a bitter jealousy. He felt like an outsider, forced to watch as Xu Qingsui expressed her deep reliance on Lu Jingyu. It was painfully obvious that their hearts were drawing closer, while he was being pushed further away.

In that moment, he couldn’t shake the feeling that, in the end, he was no match for Lu Jingyu. He had initiated a fair competition, but perhaps the outcome had already been decided.

His heart tightened, but suddenly, his gaze turned resolute once more. Since when had he become someone who gave up so easily? So what if Xu Qingsui trusted Lu Jingyu? After all, they had worked together so many times; it was only natural that they had built a foundation of trust. As long as they weren’t officially in a relationship, he still had a chance.

Desperate to leave a good impression, Shen Yan didn’t care that she was in the middle of a conversation with Lu Jingyu. He interrupted directly, “And me. If you’re truly in danger, I’ll protect you, even if I don’t remember anything else.”

The atmosphere had been perfect, and Lu Jingyu was just starting to bask in it when Shen Yan’s sudden interruption shattered the mood entirely.

Lu Jingyu couldn’t help but glare daggers at Shen Yan. After what Xu Qingsui had just said, he was already struggling to find a reason to refuse her. Now that Shen Yan had forcefully inserted himself into the situation, Lu Jingyu had no choice but to compromise.

“Qing Sui, then I’ll leave the hard work to you,” he said. “Rest assured, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Xu Qingsui nodded. She immediately looked toward the castle and said, “Then let me scout ahead this time! There’s no need to set up any safety ropes. You guys just wait for me here.”

Xu Qingsui was a woman of action. Without a moment’s hesitation, she broke away from the group and began making her way toward the castle. Lu Jingyu wanted to give her a few more words of caution, but as he watched her retreating figure, the words died on his lips, and he silently swallowed them back.

Xu Qingsui marched resolutely toward the castle to lure out the Mermaid. What Lu Jingyu and the others didn’t know was that she harbored her own hidden agenda.

She had already witnessed the massive gap in strength between herself and the Mermaid, a realization that had struck her quite hard. Right now, she desperately needed to improve her strength, and devouring the source of pollution was the fastest shortcut. The Mermaid before her was not just an enemy, but a stepping stone to aid in her advancement. She needed to find an opportunity to infiltrate the Mermaid’s spirit body and figure out a way to devour its pollution source.

Considering that the Mermaid was a Spiritual Mutation, its spirit body would undoubtedly be incredibly difficult to deal with. Xu Qingsui calculated her odds of winning, wondering if she could secure a victory through a surprise attack.

Lost in her thoughts, Xu Qingsui continued her steady advance toward the castle. After walking an unknown distance, she suddenly caught the scent of a foul, fishy stench.

Meanwhile, back where Lu Jingyu and the others stood, they had kept their eyes glued to Xu Qingsui’s retreating back ever since she departed. Lu Jingyu and Shen Yan in particular stared so intensely that their gazes were practically glued to her.

Right under their watchful eyes, a thick fog suddenly rolled across the ocean floor, completely enveloping Xu Qingsui’s figure. In the blink of an eye, she was swallowed up. All they could see was the dense, impenetrable fog. ⅇℓ.

Shen Yan’s expression drastically changed. He slapped his thigh and cried out, “Oh no! The Mermaid is here. I forgot to mention that a heavy fog always precedes the Mermaid’s appearance!”

When Xu Qingsui first vanished from sight, Lu Jingyu’s heart had leaped into his throat. His legs were already tensed, preparing to sprint into the fog. Hearing Shen Yan’s sudden shout in his ear, veins bulged on Lu Jingyu’s forehead. He instantly exploded into motion, charging recklessly into the mist.

Seeing this, Shen Yan hesitated for a brief moment before charging in after him. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Xu Qingsui. Shen Yan was acutely aware of his own unstable condition; he feared losing control in the fog and accidentally hurting her. But he couldn’t let Lu Jingyu play the hero alone. He had to protect Xu Qingsui too.

The moment she smelled the foul stench, Xu Qingsui halted her steps.

She had a strong premonition that the Mermaid had arrived. She turned to look around, hoping to spot the Mermaid, but a thick fog instantly filled her vision. In a single breath, visibility shrank to less than a foot. She even had to hold her hand right up to her face just to count her five fingers. At the same time, the putrid stench grew increasingly pungent, gradually closing in on her.

Xu Qingsui’s heart pounded in her chest. Even though she couldn’t see far, she carefully and meticulously scanned her immediate surroundings. Just as she focused all her attention on the environment around her, the melodious sound of singing drifted into her ears.

Her nerves were so tightly wound that she didn’t even notice anything amiss at first. She simply listened to the song while continuing her search.

Time ticked by. Exactly thirty seconds after the singing began, a figure emerged before her.

It was a creature the size of a normal adult human. Its head was broad at the bottom and pointed at the top, completely caked in foul sludge that still failed to conceal its razor-sharp fangs. It opened its gaping maw at Xu Qingsui, yet the sound emanating from its throat was completely at odds with its grotesque appearance—even its snarls sounded hauntingly beautiful.

However, the nauseating stench blasting from that bloody mouth shot straight to the top of her skull, thoroughly ruining the sweet melody.

But at this point, Xu Qingsui was in no condition to care. Her eyes instantly went blank, as if her spirit had been entirely siphoned out of her.

Seeing that Xu Qingsui was completely entranced, the humanoid-bodied, fish-headed Mermaid Mutant suddenly opened its deformed, scale-covered limbs that vaguely resembled arms and pulled her into its embrace. It rubbed its sludge-covered head against her body, greedily inhaling the sweet scent radiating from her.

As a Spiritual Mutation, it could smell the abundant Spiritual Power coursing through Xu Qingsui. If it could just absorb all of this Spiritual Power, it would experience a massive surge in strength.

After sniffing her greedily for a few moments, the Mutated Mermaid hoisted Xu Qingsui’s limp body onto its shoulder, ready to carry her back to its lair to savor her slowly.

But just as it turned to leave with its prize, a figure tore through the dense fog and materialized right in front of it.

Lu Jingyu immediately spotted Xu Qingsui slung over the Mutated Mermaid’s shoulder. Seeing her hollow, lifeless eyes, his pupils instantly flared a violent, blood-red hue. In a flash, Tan Lang, a longsword colored half-red and half-black, manifested in his grasp.

“Put her down! Then come over here and accept your death! I might just grant you a quick end!”