82: Chapter 82 "Cause and Effect"

In a relatively quiet residential area for commoners in the west of the city.

They soon found that household.

Inside the low courtyard wall, the scene made one's heart heavy.

The old dog "Dahei," which had just been enlightened by Cang Mingyue and had regained a glimmer of spirit in its eyes,

was currently being fiercely beaten with a broom by a drunken man.

"Get out, you plague-ridden dog!"

"I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let you in during the day."

"The whole city is talking about sea demons harming people, but the way I see it, you land demons aren't any good either."

"You beast, your eyes didn't look right during the day. Are you just like those sea demons, trying to kill my whole family?"

"Get out! Don't ever come back!"

Behind the man stood a trembling little boy, with faint, visible scale-like markings at the corners of his eyes.

In his arms, he held a pretty little black-and-white dog, which was also a dog demon.

Obviously, the man didn't truly want to stop keeping dogs.

He was simply fickle and preferred the new over the old.

While cursing, the man kicked and stomped forcefully.

The old dog "Dahei" whimpered in pain as it was beaten, yet it refused to leave.

It only looked sadly at its former master with eyes that had become a bit clearer, its tail hanging weakly.

Dogs are inherently loyal animals.

Especially now that it had been granted intelligence by Su Chen, it possessed even more human-like emotions.

It was just a pity that the human emotion it had learned was blind loyalty.

Cang Mingyue's eyes instantly turned red at the sight, and she subconsciously wanted to step forward to stop it, but Su Chen gently grabbed her wrist.

"Don't be impulsive."

Just then, hushed discussions came from behind the cracks of the windows of several neighboring houses:

"Serves it right. They say this big black dog was picked up by Old Zhang from the roadside. This kind of beast of unknown origin should have been driven away long ago!"

"I heard that sea demons can control these demon beasts with their singing. This dog was thrown out and ran back on its own; maybe there's a sea demon behind it. Who knows what its intentions are?"

"Old Zhang is the sensible one. In this day and age, it's better to kill by mistake than to let one slip through!"

These words, like cold needles, pierced into the depths of Cang Mingyue's heart one by one.

Her delicate body trembled slightly, and tears finally couldn't help but fall, dripping onto the ground.

In the end, the man slammed the courtyard gate shut with a "clang," completely locking the old dog out.

The old dog paced and whimpered at the door for a long time, seemingly completely exhausted, before collapsing at Old Zhang's doorstep and falling into a deep sleep.

Cang Mingyue turned abruptly, threw herself into Su Chen's arms, and began to sob in a suppressed manner.

"Why, Master, did you not let me step in to save that old dog..."

Su Chen shook his head.

He didn't stop Cang Mingyue from acting not because he was really afraid of being discovered by the Penglai Sect or the government.

The key point is...

"Do you think you can really change anything by acting?"

"Look at the eyes of that man and his neighbors. Do you think they are wrong?"

"Perhaps you think that man is fickle."

"But right now, there are rumors in the city about sea demons controlling demon tribes, and that man's child is still ill. If you were him, would you choose to let an old dog that you abandoned, which came back after becoming 'different,' into your home?"

Cang Mingyue was stunned and subconsciously shook her head.

"Furthermore, do you really think you can change anything by acting?"

"If you were to force that old dog back into the man's house, even if he agreed now due to our influence, he would still throw it out again after a while."

"Take the old dog away? But what it wants is to serve by its master's side. Taking it away would instead be against its own wishes."

Su Chen said no more.

The Mermaid Maiden was innocent and pure.

This also led to her not understanding many of the rules of human society.

She understood even less that one should not rashly interfere with the karma of others.

Since the old dog had been granted intelligence, that was its own choice from the heart, and others had no obligation to interfere.

Su Chen looked at the maiden in his arms.

In her beautiful eyes, there seemed to be a bit more enlightenment.

He knew that simple comfort and encouragement appeared pale and powerless before Cang Mingyue at this moment.

"But... what have we merfolk done wrong?"

"Why do they keep slandering us?"

"Miss Yue."

Su Chen said in a deep voice.

"Tears cannot wash away slander; only strength and truth can."

"The more they slander you, the stronger you must be."

"Your ability is not for seeking their approval, but for protecting the things you believe are right, for protecting those lives that, even if ignorant, are still worth saving."

"Imagine if you were more powerful than all of them, and you acted uprightly and behaved correctly."

"Reasonably and logically, no one would ever slander you again."

Cang Mingyue raised her tear-stained face and nodded vigorously.

Su Chen did not say anything more.

Experience teaches people, and once is enough.

Bringing her here to see the complexity of human nature could be considered a good result.

He wanted to stir up Cang Mingyue's desire for power.

But he could not be too extreme, lest the Mermaid Maiden go directly down an evil path.

Just as Su Chen was concentrating on thinking about how to continue guiding Cang Mingyue tomorrow,

he did not notice that, several tens of feet away, behind a dilapidated earthen wall, another slender figure was tightly covering her mouth.

It was Ye Jingjun.

She had struggled all the way here.

The jealousy, anger, grievance, and sense of betrayal in her heart devoured her heart over and over again.

She watched Su Chen intimately embracing the blue-haired girl, watched him whispering gently to her, and watched that girl crying in his arms.

That was treatment she had never enjoyed.

Who was that woman?

A mermaid? A sea demon?

A rush of hot blood surged to her head; Ye Jingjun almost wanted to rush out immediately and demand an answer.

But as soon as her feet moved, she stopped abruptly.

In what capacity could she question him?

As a disciple?

Although she always called Su Chen "Master," Su Chen had never officially acknowledged it.

As a friend?

They had only known each other for a few days; she didn't even understand Su Chen's background.

A close female friend? Or perhaps some other, more intimate relationship?

Heh...

These were things she dared not even imagine in her dreams.

Moreover.

If she rushed out to question him directly, given Su Chen's personality, he would likely never see her again.

Her father, Ye Ye, had just "abandoned" her.

Could she afford to lose this only "Master" who could guide her and make her feel a glimmer of warmth and hope?

Right now, for her.

Enduring the "connection" between Su Chen and other women, and continuing to pretend she knew nothing, had actually become her best choice.

This realization made her feel incredibly aggrieved and powerless, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

She bit her lip hard, tasting a faint hint of blood.

In the end, she just leaned weakly against the cold earthen wall, letting her tears fall silently.