Chapter 254: Anan Gives Birth to a Mermaid Baby (Part 2)

Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Anan Gives Birth to a Mermaid Baby (Part 2)

The Pregnancy Spirit Coral had been glowing pink for seven nights straight.

Su An’an’s and Lan Cangming’s tails remained entwined, but there was still no good news.

"Why is this happening?"

Lan Cangming glared at the crystal ball floating in front of him, his blue tail slapping impatiently against the bedchamber’s pearl floor.

"Stop looking."

Su An’an snatched the crystal ball and turned off the glaring "Not Conceived" display.

Seeing how upset Lan Cangming was, her pink tail gently coiled around his fin. "What’s the rush? We have plenty of time."

"You were pregnant the day after you were with Big Cat, and it didn’t take more than two days with Big Goose or Big Fox."

Lan Cangming lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes hiding the turbulent undercurrents within them, his tail fin swishing restlessly in the water.

"Could it be... that my bloodline is too weak?"

This ever-proud and confident Mermaid King was now trembling so much that even the scales on his fin were shaking, clearly terrified that he would fail.

Su An’an cupped his face and gently kissed his tense brow. "Who said your bloodline is weak? Maybe our baby just takes after you and is naturally taking its sweet time."

"It’s been seven days. No matter how slow, there should be some sign by now." Lan Cangming’s brow furrowed even deeper. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into his embrace. "Let’s go see the Priest."

"Didn’t the Priest already... pass on?" Su An’an raised an eyebrow. The previous Priest, a great sea turtle, had died of old age after the spawning-ground pollution incident.

"A new Priest has taken the post. She’s a thousand-year-old female Old Clam Spirit."

Lan Cangming held her as they swam toward the deep sea, his tail fin slicing through the water. "She’s no ordinary clam spirit."

"They say she has Thousand-year-old Pearls on her shell and can see the very flow of one’s bloodline."

He paused before adding,

"It’s just that she’s incredibly lazy. She has spent over nine hundred of her thousand-plus years asleep in her shell."

"The clan has to be on the brink of extinction before she’ll grudgingly open her shell and save the day."

Su An’an was intrigued. "So she was forced out this time, too?"

"After the Sea Witch died, the seas fell into turmoil. The clan elders had to ring the shell bells for three days and nights straight to finally wake her from the Deep Sea Sand Bed."

Lan Cangming took her hand, pressing it to her lower abdomen, his voice filled with expectation. "She’s lived for a thousand years; she’s wise beyond measure. She’ll definitely be able to see what the problem is."

"Sounds like a real master who keeps a low profile."

Su An’an laughed, poking his cheek with her fingertip. "Maybe our baby will start stirring the moment the Old Clam Spirit opens her mouth, hmm?"

Deep within the Deep Sea Sand Bed, a giant clamshell stood silently, half-buried in a grove of coral.

The shell was covered in layers of seaweed, with only a few enormous white pearls at its peak emitting a soft, warm halo in the dark water.

"Priest! Priest!"

Lan Cangming swam before the clamshell and raised his hand, knocking lightly on its surface, producing a dull THUD-THUD sound.

The clamshell remained motionless. Only the light from the pearls flickered faintly, as if they were dozing.

Lan Cangming gave Su An’an a helpless look. "She’s a slow riser. We’ll have to wait a little longer."

The words had barely left his mouth when the clamshell made a soft CLICK, followed by an ancient, lazy yawn. "Which bastard is waking me up?"

The clamshell opened, revealing the Old Clam Spirit seated primly inside.

She was small and slender, wrapped in a shawl made of pink pearl strings. She squinted, sizing up her visitors. "The Mermaid King? A rare guest, indeed."

Her gaze shifted to Su An’an. "And is this the Divine Female who has you so utterly distracted?"

"Anan pays her respects, honored Priest."

Su An’an was just about to bow when the Old Clam Spirit’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she shot out of her shell.

She circled Su An’an three times, her nose twitching constantly. She finally stopped in front of her lower abdomen, eyes wide as saucers.

"What a potent life aura... huh? Why hasn’t the baby taken root yet?"

"That’s the very question we came to ask."

Su An’an was secretly amazed. ’As expected of an Old Clam Spirit who’s lived for a thousand years,’ she thought, ’she saw the heart of the matter in a single glance.’

The Old Clam Spirit shot Lan Cangming a sidelong glance and suddenly changed the subject.

"Your Majesty, what level of the Mermaid Love Treasure Book have you mastered?"

Lan Cangming frowned, answering with uncertainty, "I should have reached the final level, I think?"

"Let’s have a look."

The Old Clam Spirit clapped her hands. The Big White Pearls atop her shell immediately began to glow softly. As the light swept over the couple, it suddenly emitted a jarring POP-POP-POP sound.

"What does that mean?" Lan Cangming’s tail froze instantly, his ear fins trembling slightly. ’Is it really a problem with my bloodline?’

"You haven’t finished the Treasure Manual."

The Old Clam Spirit unrolled an ancient, coral-encrusted tome. Its title page was strikingly illustrated with a pattern of entwined mermaid tails.

"The fusion of spirit and flesh is merely the foundation. It is far more crucial for your hearts and minds to be truly connected..."

"Anan and I are truly in love! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with our connection!" Lan Cangming interrupted her sharply, his face flushed red and his ear fins flared, as if she’d struck a nerve.

Su An’an, seeing the Old Clam Spirit’s expression darken, quickly patted Lan Cangming’s arm before turning to ask softly,

"Respected Priest, Cangming and I have been through life and death together. We believe our hearts are truly connected. In what way are we falling short?"

Seeing her sincere attitude, the Old Clam Spirit’s expression softened slightly.

She pulled a fist-sized golden pearl from her shawl. Inside it, what looked like a heart pulsed gently, sending out concentric ripples.

"This is the Heart Inquiry Pearl. Complete its three questions of true love, and we’ll know in an instant if your hearts are truly connected."

She raised an eyebrow at the pair. "Do you dare to try?"

"Why wouldn’t we dare?" Lan Cangming lifted his chin at once, his gaze resolute. "Ask away!"

Su An’an also gave a gentle nod.

"First question!"

The golden pearl spoke in an adorable, cutesy voice: "If your partner turned into a fat-headed fish, would you still love them?"

Lan Cangming: "..."

"Yes!" Su An’an poked him in the side. "Answer it!"

"Yes," the Mermaid King squeezed out the word through gritted teeth.

"Second question! Are you willing to learn the seaweed dance for your partner?"

The golden pearl projected a screen of light, showing a cringey seaweed dance that was too horrible to look at.

Lan Cangming’s face darkened, and he turned to leave.

"What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll learn it with you."

Su An’an grabbed Lan Cangming’s tail fin.

Her pink tail swished comically as she raised her hands above her head and waved them wildly, completely ignoring her image.

Lan Cangming’s ear fins turned crimson. He squeezed his eyes shut and stiffly began to dance along with Su An’an.

"Loosen up a bit," Su An’an said, taking his hands and swaying with him. She could feel the searing heat of his palms on her fingertips.

Watching her, so comical and yet so radiant, Lan Cangming felt his embarrassment begin to fade.

He found himself actually swaying along with her, a smile spreading across his lips unconsciously.

"Third question." The golden pearl’s voice suddenly grew solemn.

"State the darkest thought in your hearts."

Su An’an thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don’t have any dark thoughts."

Lan Cangming, however, instantly went rigid. His thin lips pressed into a tight line, and his tail fin went ramrod straight.

"What’s wrong?"

Su An’an swam over, concerned. "It’s alright. Just say it! No matter how dark it is, I can take it."

Lan Cangming suddenly yanked Su An’an into his embrace, his arms tightening fiercely as if trying to merge her into his very bones. "I’m jealous of them."

Su An’an froze.

"I’m jealous of how good you were to them. Jealous that they got you pregnant so easily." Lan Cangming’s voice was a knot of anguish. "Am I hideous? For having thoughts like these..."

"How could you be?"

Su An’an gently patted his trembling back. "You’re jealous of them, but they’re jealous of you, too. After all, right now, I love you with all my heart. My eyes and my heart have room for no one but you."

She tilted up to kiss the corner of his lips. "Isn’t this unique, devoted love more than enough?"