458: Little Fish

“My name is…my name is Xiao Yu’er…” the mermaid girl said timidly.

“Xiao Yu’er?” Yun Mo didn’t expect her name to be so casual, then he asked curiously, “Xiao Yu’er, are you the legendary mermaid?”

“What’s a mermaid?”

The mermaid girl looked puzzled.

“You don’t even know what a mermaid is?” Yun Mo looked at her strangely, then enthusiastically explained, “A mermaid is a Jiao-ren. In my hometown, there are many legends about mermaids and Jiao-ren…”

He told several stories in one breath, and the mermaid girl listened captivated.

But after listening, her expression darkened.

“But…there are no Jiao-ren in the sea.”

“I’m just a hybrid born from a fish tribe and a sea demon, abandoned as soon as I was born. I don’t even know who my parents are, let alone being a mermaid.”

She lowered her head somewhat self-consciously. A half-fish, half-demon like her was considered a freak and an anomaly by both the fish tribe and sea demons, simultaneously rejected by both races, and anyone could bully her.

“Half-human, half-fish, and can even speak Human Race language, how can you not be one?”

Yun Mo looked her over doubtfully, then suddenly asked, “Oh, by the way, don’t Jiao-ren’s tears turn into Jiao-pearls? Try crying?”

“Ah?”

Xiao Yu’er was stunned. “I…I can’t cry.”

“Think of something sad, like how you were abandoned by your parents as soon as you were born, barely survived alone, all alone, everyone bullied you, you suffered from cold and hunger every day, and you haven’t had a full meal since you grew up…”

“I hunt for myself, so I won’t go hungry.”

Xiao Yu’er quickly said.

“Are you going to cry or not? If you don’t cry, I’ll catch you and sell you to a restaurant in the city. I heard the dignitaries in the city like to eat mermaids like you!”

Yun Mo immediately put on a menacing expression.

“Wah…wah…”

Xiao Yu’er was immediately scared and burst into tears.

Her tears were like a string of broken pearls, rolling down her cheeks, falling continuously.

“No way, so timid?” Yun Mo leaned closer, observing her tears. They looked ordinary, no different from human tears.

Nor did they turn into Jiao-pearls.

“Perhaps Jiao-ren weeping pearls really is just a legend.”

“Don’t…don’t eat me!”

Xiao Yu’er saw him approaching and retreated repeatedly in fear.

“Alright, alright, stop crying. I was just scaring you. Nobody wants to eat you, why did you take it seriously?”

Yun Mo looked helpless. He gently stroked an ancient ring on his left index finger, and a large roasted chicken immediately appeared in his hand, golden in color, fragrant, and seemingly still steaming.

“Stop crying. How about I treat you to roasted chicken, little crybaby?”

Xiao Yu’er smelled the aroma of the roasted chicken and immediately stopped crying, crystal tears still hanging from her eyes, her gaze fixed on the roasted chicken.

Yun Mo smiled gently and handed the entire roasted chicken to her. “Eat it, little crybaby.”

Xiao Yu’er glanced at him but still couldn’t resist the temptation of the roasted chicken. She immediately reached out and took it, hugging it and gnawing at it, wolfing it down.

Her smooth, fair face was quickly covered in grease.

A plump roasted chicken was completely gone into her stomach in no time, not even bones were left.

“What strong teeth you have.”

Seeing her look up at him, Yun Mo spread his hands. “It’s gone. That was all my rations for today, and I gave it all to you.”

“Ah, then won’t you be hungry?” Xiao Yu’er’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. “Wait, I’ll go catch something delicious for you.”

With that, she dived directly into the water, a flick of her tail, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared into the vast ocean.

In less than fifteen minutes.

She surfaced again, one hand clutching a large red fish, the other grasping a big green shrimp.

“Brother Yun Mo, you treated me to roasted chicken, so I’ll treat you to something too. These are Vermilion Dan Fish and Green Spiritual Shrimp, both are my favorite things to eat.”

As she spoke, she stuffed the fish and shrimp in her hands into Yun Mo’s arms.

“This…”

Yun Mo looked at the still wiggling fish and shrimp and asked, “You don’t just eat them raw like this, do you?”

“No, I usually kill them before eating.”

“…”

Yun Mo placed the fish and shrimp on a flat reef, then took out a small knife, gutted them, scraped off scales, and removed gills, his movements extremely skilled.

After cleaning them, he started a fire to roast them.

Xiao Yu’er watched his actions curiously, and when a burst of aroma wafted out, her eyes immediately lit up.

Yun Mo smiled slightly. After the fish was cooked, he shared half of it with her. This fish weighed several pounds and tasted extremely delicious. They both ate with great relish.

With this meal as a bond, their relationship immediately became closer.

In the days that followed.

When Yun Mo came to the seaside to practice, he often saw Xiao Yu’er.

Each time, she would bring a large amount of sea specialties, and then Yun Mo would prepare them into delicious food for them to enjoy together.

This day.

Yun Mo held a gleaming treasure sword in his hand and excitedly showed it to Xiao Yu’er:

“Xiao Yu’er, look! This is a birthday gift from my father, a Fine Gold Profound Iron Sword!”

Swish, swish!

Yun Mo struck the sea reef with several consecutive sword strokes, and large fragments of rock clattered down.

“Brother Yun Mo, is today your birthday?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Yu’er thought for a moment, then took out a pigeon egg-sized pink pearl from her person. “Brother Yun Mo, Xiao Yu’er will also give you a birthday gift. This is a clam pearl I got while hunting before. I kept it because I thought it was pretty. It’s not very valuable, I hope Brother Yun Mo won’t dislike it.”

“My goodness, Xiao Yu’er, you’re a little rich woman!” Yun Mo’s eyes widened.

“Such a large pink pearl is very valuable among our Human Race, definitely something hard to find even with ten thousand gold. With this treasure sword in my hand, buying a thousand of them wouldn’t be a problem.”

“As long as Brother Yun Mo likes it.”

Xiao Yu’er smiled happily.

Yun Mo shook his head slightly. “No, this thing is too precious, I can’t accept it.”

“Brother Yun Mo, please accept it. Such clam pearls are very common in the sea. They don’t have any Spiritual Qi and are worthless among the sea tribes.”

Xiao Yu’er quickly said. As she spoke, she took out several more pearls from her person.

There were pink, purple, silvery-white, and even light golden ones, all very large, only slightly smaller than the pink pearl.

“See, I have many more.”

Yun Mo was speechless for a moment, silently accepting the pink pearl she handed him.

The difference between this sea area and the land really is vast. No wonder they all say the ocean is an boundless treasure trove.

“Thank you, Xiao Yu’er.”

Yun Mo put away the pearl, smiling as he ruffled her head. “Oh, by the way, Xiao Yu’er, when is your birthday?”

Xiao Yu’er’s eyes dimmed. “I don’t know when my birthday is…”