Chapter – 61
Picking Up a Merman and Bringing Him Back to the Tribe
Li Yue stood with her hands on her hips. “You’re accomplished now. Naturally, I should put down my burdens.”
No one knew when, but the relationship between the two had improved again. Chi Chenyang wrapped an arm around Li Yue’s waist. “From now on, you’ll be an adult who can stand on her own.”
The Grand Priest quickly added, “Let’s continue the ceremony.”
Li Yue and Chi Chenyang stepped down from the altar, giving up their place to Li Qingqing.
Li Qingqing knelt to heaven and earth.
Below, the people all knelt toward her.
“Greetings to the new chief!”
“Greetings to the new chief!”
—
After Li Yue stepped down from her position as chief, she often went out traveling with Chi Chenyang. Sometimes they disappeared for days.
Li Qingqing moved into her tree cave, and even called An Xuan over to help handle the tribe’s affairs.
But she never stopped secretly collecting clues about Xing Qi’s whereabouts—still no news.
“System, check favorability and prestige.”
【Ling Mo: 50
Feng Hao: 50
Bai Yuan: 100
Xiao Ziye: 80
Chi Lin: 80】
【Prestige: 50】
“Why are Feng Hao and Ling Mo’s favorability values still half-dead?”
She had been busy recently and had no time to “strategize” these beast husbands.
But Bai Yuan… she hadn’t done anything. How did he end up “self-conquering” himself?
“Chief, bad news! The river’s flooding even though it hasn’t rained. The Grand Priest says it’s a bad omen!” An Xuan rushed in anxiously.
“Flooding?”
It really hadn’t rained recently.
She followed An Xuan to the riverbank.
The river really had overflowed.
“What do we do? I’ve never seen anything like this,” the Grand Priest sighed as he arrived.
Li Qingqing scooped up a handful of water and tasted it—salty.
Was there a sea nearby? This was clearly seawater. Could it be a tidal surge?
She decided to walk further downstream.
There she saw Ling Mo with two little furballs standing and curiously watching the water.
She immediately called out, “Ling Mo, come with me.”
An extra helping hand—even better, a chance to raise his favorability.
She was the chief now, so Ling Mo didn’t dare refuse.
The four of them followed the river downstream.
Ling Mo never knew the river stretched this far; he had never explored where it led.
After about two hours, Ling Xiaotuan already couldn’t walk anymore.
“Brother, carry me, I can’t walk.”
Ling Mo was about to pick him up when Li Qingqing stopped him.
“Wait. You can’t spoil him like this.”
“Your sister isn’t asking to be carried. How can you be worse than your little sister? She’s younger than you!”
Ling Xiaoyu lifted her chin proudly. “Exactly~ I don’t need brother to carry me.”
Ling Xiaotuan, competitive as ever, immediately straightened. “I don’t need to be carried either! I don’t need it!”
They bickered the entire way.
Before long, night had fallen.
Li Qingqing smelled a heavy salty scent in the wind—the sea must be close.
Ling Xiaotuan and Ling Xiaoyu squinted against the ocean breeze. The smell of fish filled the air.
“There must be lots and lots of fish here!”
Li Qingqing regretted not arriving during the day—she might have enjoyed the ocean scenery.
But the moon hanging over the sea was huge and beautiful.
She and Ling Mo were momentarily enchanted by it.
Meanwhile, the two little troublemakers had already jumped into the shallows.
Li Qingqing grew concerned. “The wind and waves are strong at night. Don’t let them get swept away.”
Ling Mo shouted anxiously, “You two can’t even swim! Why jump in?”
“Brother, why is there a beastman here?”
A beastman? Out here by the sea?
Curious, Li Qingqing jumped down as well.
The water wasn’t deep—only to her ankles.
She walked toward where the two little ones were waving.
There really was a beastman—a male—lying there.
His skin was pale, his long blue hair curled slightly, and his eyes were shut tight.
“Is he dead?” Ling Xiaotuan poked the man’s cheek.
Li Qingqing saw the faint rise and fall of his chest. “He’s alive.”
Ling Mo came over and froze when he saw the man. “This is… a merman?”
Li Qingqing immediately looked at the man’s lower half—sure enough, a fish tail.
“A merman? What’s that? Is it a kind of fish you can eat?” Ling Xiaotuan asked curiously.
“He’s a beastman like us, but they prefer water and are excellent swimmers. I heard it from Grandpa.”
They couldn’t leave a living person lying outside.
“Let’s bring him back.”
Ling Mo disagreed. “We don’t know whether he’s good or bad. Bringing him back may cause trouble for the tribe.”
Li Qingqing considered it, but looking at the half-dead merman, she said, “Still, let’s take him back and check.”
Ling Mo had a bad feeling, but knowing she wouldn’t listen, he simply hoisted the merman onto his shoulder.
Back at the tribe, Li Qingqing placed him in her tree cave.
An Xuan teased her at first. “Chief, where did you pick up this pretty man?”
Then he caught a whiff of the sea smell and wrinkled his nose. “Why does this merman stink so much?”
Li Qingqing leaned closer—indeed, he did smell a bit unpleasant.
With no choice—she still had to sleep here tonight—she fetched water and wiped his whole body clean with a soft hide.
After finishing, her gaze lingered on his handsome brows. She couldn’t resist touching his nose.
“What are you doing?”
He suddenly opened his eyes, startling her.
“I saved you! You don’t thank me, fine—but why scare me!?”
The merman coughed hard, propped himself up on the stone bed, and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
“Who are you? Where is this?”
Seeing he was injured, Li Qingqing patiently explained, “This is the Silver Tiger Tribe. I’m Li Qingqing, the chief.”
“Li Qingqing?” He repeated her name softly.
“Yes. And you?”
“Su Han.”
He coughed again—and this time, blood splattered.
Li Qingqing quickly wiped it. This merman was as frail as her father.
Then she used her healing technique on him.
“You know healing?” Su Han looked shocked.
Li Qingqing had lost count of how many people had reacted this way.
“Feeling better now?”
Su Han did feel much improved, though the poison in him wasn’t completely gone.
“Thank you. I will repay this great kindness one day.”
At that moment, all five of Li Qingqing’s beastmen arrived.
Ling Mo had told the others she brought home a merman, so they all came to see.
Bai Yuan looked Su Han over, eyes filled with scrutiny and hostility.
“Who are you?”
Su Han found their reactions strange, their gazes unfriendly.
He shot back, “Who are you?”
