TRWSB – Chapter 144 Journey to the Sea Clan

The Lost Sea King Pearl

The Sea King Pearl was the Sea Dragon Clan’s most treasured artifact. Its loss had subtly altered the delicate relationship between the Sea Dragon and Mermaid Clans.

“Is the Sea King Pearl really that important?” Ariel asked, her tone conflicted.

Hailing turned to her with a sharp gaze. “Do you think the Sea King Pearl, the Sea Dragon Clan’s greatest treasure, is unimportant?”

Ariel bit her lip in frustration, then stormed out angrily. Watching her retreating figure, Hailing’s eyes remained calm and unmoved.

“Young Master, you’re being too harsh on Miss Ariel. She’s the mermaid princess, after all,” remarked Haixiao, Hailing’s shadow guard.

Hailing replied indifferently, “A mermaid princess—so what?”

The current mermaid royal family had seized power through less-than-honorable means, causing severe internal divisions within their clan. The mermaid’s prestige had waned significantly. Though Ariel was beautiful, her arrogance made her far from an ideal choice as the Sea Dragon Crown Prince’s consort.

“Young Master, is it because of the lost Sea King Pearl that you refuse to accept Princess Ariel? Or… is it because your heart already belongs to someone else?” Haixiao probed.

Hailing frowned. “Haixiao, you’re talking too much.”

Haixiao smirked and fell silent.

Hailing closed his eyes and reclined on his bed, his mind wandering. Someone in his heart? Could it be… that person?

His thoughts drifted back decades. He had once angered a whale during a mischievous escapade. The furious whale had chased him relentlessly, and as Hailing fled for his life, he had nearly given up hope. Then, out of nowhere, he heard a peculiar and off-key singing voice. Following the sound, he had arrived at a small, desolate island.

The whale, unable to leave the water, had abandoned its pursuit once Hailing reached the shore.

He still remembered the barren island with a small bamboo hut. A young boy lived there, isolated from the world.

Shortly after arriving, Hailing had fallen into one of the boy’s traps. He vividly recalled the delicate-looking boy standing above him, peering into the trap with curiosity, and asking what Hailing’s original form was—and whether he was edible.

When Hailing replied that he wasn’t, the boy’s face had fallen with visible disappointment.

“Young Master,” Haixiao’s voice interrupted Hailing’s reverie.

“What is it?” Hailing asked irritably.

Haixiao looked at him knowingly. “Forgive me, did I interrupt your thoughts? Young Master, could it be… that you’ve taken a liking to a mermaid?”

Hailing shook his head. “Not a mermaid…”

Mermaid youths couldn’t transform their tails into legs until after the age of twelve. That person had been a clumsy land-dweller, unable to swim.

Hailing still remembered how ridiculous the boy looked while flailing and nearly drowning.

Even so, in some ways, that person did resemble mermaids. Mermaids could use unique sound waves to kill fish, and that boy… could achieve the same effect just by singing.

Hailing recalled how the boy would sit by the lake, singing off-key until the fish floated belly-up. Then, with a large scoop, he’d collect his catch.

But how had a mere human child managed to survive alone on such a remote island? When Hailing had returned to search for him, the boy—and the bamboo hut—had vanished.

It was as if the entire experience had been a fleeting dream.

Years had passed, and while the boy’s face had become blurry in Hailing’s memory, those mischievous, jet-black eyes remained vividly etched in his mind. Those eyes were strikingly similar to Bi Liuyun’s.

In Another Room

Bi Liuyun entered, noticing the troubled expression on Qi Heng’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“A stunning beauty has come looking for the young master. She refuses to leave, no matter what we say, and it seems like she plans to stay indefinitely,” Qi Heng replied.

“A stunning beauty? Let me see how beautiful she is!” Bi Liuyun said with curiosity.

Qi Heng: “…” This guy completely missed the point.

Bi Liuyun stepped into the room and saw a woman with flawless, snow-white skin. He froze momentarily, then broke into a radiant smile. “Beautiful lady, what brings you here? Are you perhaps interested in our young master? Ah, what a pity—he already has someone he likes.”

Ariel stood up and scoffed disdainfully. “Qi Shaorong? He’s nothing. How could I possibly be interested in him?”

Bi Liuyun: “…” This woman really knows how to belittle people. If the young master heard this, he’d definitely be furious.

“If you’re not interested in the young master, that’s perfect. The young master already has Young Master Zhuang Hao,” Bi Liuyun said nonchalantly, seizing the opportunity to use Zhuang Hao as a shield.

Ariel snorted coldly. “If he already has someone he likes, then he should control himself and stay away from people he shouldn’t touch.”

Bi Liuyun asked curiously, “And who might these people be?”

“The young master of Tianlong Trading Firm—Hailing,” Ariel replied.

Qi Shaorong walked in just in time to hear this. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t be interested in him.”

According to Bi Liuyun, Hailing was part of the Sea Clan. Marrying into the Sea Clan meant living underwater and eating raw fish. Qi Shaorong had no interest in such a miserable life.

Ariel glanced at Qi Shaorong. “So, you’re the new lord of Bihai Plains?”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes.”

Ariel sneered. “The position of lord of Bihai Plains isn’t so easily held. You’d best watch your back.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Qi Shaorong watched Ariel’s retreating figure with a furrowed brow. “What’s up with that woman? She seems so angry.”

“She’s probably frustrated. Judging by why she came here, it’s likely she’s infatuated with Hailing, which explains her behavior,” Bi Liuyun said.

“You’re saying Hailing is from the Sea Clan? Does that girl also belong to…?”

“She should be from the Mermaid Clan. Judging by her status, she must be quite high-ranking,” Bi Liuyun answered.

“That girl has some decent qualities. I wonder why Hailing rejected her,” Qi Shaorong remarked.

Bi Liuyun stroked his chin thoughtfully, “The Sea Dragon Clan and the Mermaid Clan often intermarry. Hailing might be from the Sea Dragon Clan.”

Qi Heng, observing both men, said, “That woman might be mistaken. I think Hailing seems more interested in Liuyun.”

Bi Liuyun shot a surprised look at Qi Heng. “A Heng, what are you talking about?”

Qi Heng grinned. “You’ve always praised how handsome he is. Not many people can earn such compliments from you!”

Bi Liuyun: “…”

Qi Shaorong spared no expense on the construction of the city lord’s mansion, and work proceeded efficiently. Within a month, the mansion was completed, though the project had cost more due to the rush.

Zhuang Hao had sent a hundred-man guard from his family’s estate, ensuring the mansion was well-guarded.

Qi Shaorong entered the underground laboratory and asked, “How’s it going?”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “It should be ready now.”

Zhuang Hao activated a magic array, which emitted a beam of light onto a cosmetics package on the opposite side. The box immediately began to glow.

Qi Shaorong picked up the cosmetics. “Hmm, I can feel the water-repelling aura.”

To market cosmetics to the Sea Clan, the first issue to address was waterproofing.

If they employed water-mage spellcasters to individually cast water-repelling spells on each product, the manpower and cost would be too high.

In this situation, Zhuang Hao proposed a solution: create a special array that could continuously release the water-repelling spell, which could be maintained with crystal stones. This way, the problem would be solved.

Qi Shaorong had initially thought it was impossible, but he was impressed that Zhuang Hao had actually designed the array.

“I never expected you to be skilled with arrays,” Qi Shaorong praised.

Zhuang Hao smiled. “I know a lot of things. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. The more you interact with me, the more you’ll realize just how knowledgeable I am.”

Qi Shaorong: “…” Zhuang Hao was impossible to compliment; once you praised him, he’d start boasting.

“I’m thinking of visiting the Sea Clan,” Qi Shaorong said.

Zhuang Hao narrowed his eyes. “Why are you going to the Sea Clan?”

“I just want to see the situation there for myself,” Qi Shaorong replied.

Zhuang Hao nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

Qi Shaorong was surprised. “Huh? You’re not going to stop me?”

“I know you’ve wanted to go for a while. Stopping you wouldn’t help,” Zhuang Hao said.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

When Qi Shaorong told Bi Liuyun about his plans to visit the Sea Clan, Bi Liuyun immediately supported him.

Looking at Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao’s disguised appearances, Bi Liuyun said, “You two look like the Shrimp Clan.”

“How does the Shrimp Clan rank within the Sea Clan?” Qi Shaorong asked, inspecting his disguise in the mirror.

“At the bottom,” Bi Liuyun replied.

“What do you mean, at the bottom?” Qi Shaorong asked, displeased.

“Well, they’re often treated like slaves by the Sea Clan, and sometimes they’re fed to sea beasts,” Bi Liuyun explained, tilting his head.

Qi Shaorong looked at Bi Liuyun. “The Shrimp Clan is so lowly—why are we disguising ourselves as them?”

Bi Liuyun looked at both Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao and said, “From the information we’ve gathered, given your current circumstances, disguising yourselves as the Shrimp Clan is the best option.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“We? You said the Sea Clan royals look similar to humans, didn’t you?” Qi Shaorong asked, not pleased.

“Young Master, if you disguise yourself as a royal, it’ll be too obvious. For this trip, it’s better to pose as lowly commoners and investigate the situation first,” Bi Liuyun replied, his eyes twinkling.

Qi Shaorong: “…” Lowly commoners!

“Younger Master, here’s a Water-Breathing Pill. With this, you’ll be able to stay underwater for three days. Remember, you only have three days! You need to make the most of your time!” Bi Liuyun said, his expression serious.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “I understand.”