Chapter 245: Lan Cangming and Anan 2

Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Lan Cangming and Anan 2

In the deepest chasm of the undersea canyon, the current was stagnant, like dead water.

A colossal statue of Poseidon stood upon a circular stone dais, its surface covered in constantly writhing deep-sea moss.

It was as if countless tiny black tentacles were breathing.

The statue’s eyes were two murky black crystals. Dark red veins were faintly visible within, pulsing slowly like blood vessels.

Stranger still, the statue’s abdomen was slightly distended.

A viscous black fluid oozed from between the scale-like patterns on its surface, as if something were gestating within.

Chi Ya knelt before the statue, holding a bowl of scarlet liquid in both hands.

His fox ears had mutated into translucent, fin-like appendages, and several slender tentacles protruded from the back of his head, swaying grotesquely with the current.

"Drink."

The statue’s deep voice didn’t come from without, but bored directly into the mind:

"You will receive the power you desire."

Chi Ya tilted his head back and drained the bowl, a pained whimper escaping his throat.

His pupils instantly dilated into black voids, then rapidly shrank to the size of pinpricks.

The corners of his mouth stretched into a vicious grin, revealing sharp canines. "Su An’an! Lan Cangming!"

He snarled hoarsely, "This time, you won’t escape."

The statue’s eyes suddenly glowed, projecting an image.

In the Water Prison, Su An’an was curled in a corner, the golden patterns on her wrist glowing faintly.

And in the shadows not far from her, Lan Cangming stood silently, the scales on his silver tail unconsciously flaring and then settling.

"How interesting," the statue’s voice rasped with twisted amusement.

"They have clearly forgotten one another, yet their bodies still remember."

Chi Ya’s tentacles quivered with excitement. "They won’t escape, will they?"

The black fluid in the statue’s abdomen suddenly churned, vaguely revealing a humanoid silhouette.

The silhouette possessed Hong Chengtian’s signature narrow eyes, which were slowly opening.

"Of course."

The statue’s voice grew colder, more sinister.

"When Lan Cangming kills her with his own hands, my child will awaken completely."

「In the council hall of the Mermaid Clan」

Twelve Luminous Pearls bathed the water in an ethereal blue light.

The moment Lan Cangming entered the hall, the Sea Witch swam up to meet him.

He was a massive sea turtle, his carapace covered in dark green markings, with a Coral Bead Chain hanging around his neck.

A grayish-white film covered his murky eyes, leaving him able to see only with his right.

"Marshal, has the half-breed confessed?"

The Sea Witch’s voice was as raspy as sandpaper. His single eye was fixed on Lan Cangming’s expression.

"No."

Lan Cangming swam toward the head seat, a gentle sweep of his blue tail stirring a faint current. "She seems to have genuinely lost her memory."

The Sea Witch sighed, and a Memory Shell slipped from his sleeve.

"I’m afraid it’s not that simple."

He tapped it with a fingertip, and the shell projected an image.

Su An’an was conversing with several shadowy figures in a remote reef area. One of them handed her a Jue Sha Map wreathed in black mist.

"This was recorded by the patrol last night,"

The Sea Witch said, his voice laced with grief, "She has been stealing the defensive layout of the spawning grounds."

Lan Cangming stared at the projection.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto something.

In the projection, Su An’an wore a blue pearl on her wrist.

The Calming Pearl. It was a keepsake from his mother, lost on the battlefield three years ago.

’How does she have the Calming Pearl?’

A sharp pain lanced through Lan Cangming’s head. He realized he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the Calming Pearl.

A cunning glint flashed in the Sea Witch’s single eye.

"So, not only did she steal intelligence, she also stole your treasured possession?"

The elders in the council hall erupted into a commotion.

"Ever since she infiltrated the spawning grounds, the birth rate of our young has plummeted, and every traitor she has come into contact with has contracted a rotting sickness."

The Sea Witch tapped the Memory Shell again, showing an image of a traitorous mermaid whose tail scales had completely rotted away.

Lan Cangming’s silver tail tensed. His eyes swept over the traitor’s wounds. "The edges of these sores are too neat," he said coldly. "They look intentionally inflicted."

"Then how do you explain this?"

With a flick of his finger, the Sea Witch projected a new image from the shell.

It showed several deformed young, their scales curled back, their tail fins mangled.

"The parents of these infants all went near the areas she frequented."

Lan Cangming was silent for a moment, then suddenly lunged for the Sea Witch’s sleeve.

The Sea Witch recoiled, and a dark red stain bloomed from his sleeve, clouding the water.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The Sea Witch’s voice grew shrill.

Lan Cangming stared at him. "Your sleeve smells of Red Coral Powder."

Red Coral Powder grew abundantly only near the caves of the spawning grounds.

The Sea Witch’s single eye constricted violently, but he quickly regained his composure.

"You’re overthinking it, Marshal. It’s merely residue from when I passed by the spawning grounds earlier."

Lan Cangming gave the Sea Witch a long, hard look.

The Sea Witch’s single eye swept over the restless elders, his dark green carapace glinting coldly.

"This half-breed mermaid is the source of the curse. I propose we execute her at once."

"Seventeen infants in the spawning grounds have been born deformed!"

An octopus elder slammed his tentacles on the stone table. "We must offer her blood in sacrifice to appease the Sea God’s wrath!"

"The images the Sea Witch found are irrefutable proof!"

Another elder’s voice trembled. "She met in secret with those shadowy figures from the black mist, and she stole the Calming Pearl!"

"That is the Marshal’s token for protecting the spawning grounds!"

Lan Cangming’s tail slowly tensed behind him, his ice-blue eyes catching the faint red glow on the Sea Witch’s wrist.

The eye-shaped brand was strikingly similar to the insignia he remembered from the corner of a Black Priest’s robe.

"Before dawn tomorrow, I will verify this myself."

He cut through the clamor, his voice ringing with authority through the council hall.

"Until then, no one is to touch her."

「In the Water Prison」

As the chill crept up her tail fin, Su An’an was staring blankly at the golden patterns on her wrist.

The cell door slid open with a CREAK.

Lan Cangming entered carrying a glowing seaweed basket. Inside was a shimmering kelp paste.

It was dotted with plump pearl-fruits, and its warmth sent plumes of white steam into the cold water.

"Hungry?" He set the basket down by the edge of the pool.

Su An’an lifted her eyelids, flicking her tail fin impatiently in the water.

"Here to interrogate me again? I already told you..."

"A thousand times, and you still don’t remember, right?"

Lan Cangming crouched down and sat, tapping the edge of the basket. "But the elders don’t believe you. They say you’re the source of the curse."

"Any infant exposed to your aura is born deformed, and any mermaid who comes into contact with you develops the rotting sickness."

The sweet scent of the kelp paste and pearl-fruits wafted into her nose.

Su An’an’s stomach betrayed her with a growl.

She turned her face away. "Let them say what they want."

"They want to execute you. Tomorrow, at dawn."

Lan Cangming’s voice was flat, as if he were commenting on the water temperature.

"They’re going to use the Holy Stone from the spawning grounds to shatter your tail fin and let your blood seep into the coral reefs. They say it will ’purify’ the curse."

Su An’an whipped her head around, her tail fin thrashing in the water and sending up a spray.

"What did you say?"

"The food isn’t poisoned." He pushed the basket toward her, his ice-blue eyes devoid of emotion.

"Eat up. You’ll need your strength to wait for death."