Or is it something else?
Fu Mingxu's mind raced, but his face remained impassive.
"Do you know what this is about?" He spoke with an air of familiarity, his face showing respect as he mentioned the Mermaid King. "I was quite nervous to be summoned by the King so suddenly, please forgive me."
He smiled shyly, a hint of anticipation subtly revealed in his eyes.
In Mengxin's eyes, he was originally a newborn merman. Although he gained the favor of the dragon leader, which made most mermen somewhat jealous, all the mermen quickly felt relieved after seeing his face.
"I don't know either, but when I came back from the palace, I saw Lord Meng Lian leading a merman into the royal palace." He thought about it carefully and felt there was nothing he couldn't say. "That merman used to be a human too."
As he led the way, he naturally didn't see that when he finished speaking, Fu Mingxu's face darkened, and even the way he flicked his tail stopped.
When he turned around, the other person still had a shy yet expectant look on their face, completely unaware of what had happened.
Fu Mingxu suspected that what he feared had come to pass. Initially, the wisp of demonic energy in Meng Baimei's heart kept him on guard, and even when he asked Zhang Anran to deliver the Shark-Breaking Pill, he told her not to reveal her identity.
Sure enough, some merfolk who were once human had long forgotten their origins under the control of demonic energy, and instead regarded loyalty to the merfolk as their instinct.
Despite the numerous speculations running through his mind, Fu Mingxu's expression remained unchanged. He quietly followed behind Meng Xin, shyly raising his head to greet the other merfolk, his behavior exceptionally respectful.
"I can only take you this far." Meng Xin looked at the wide-open palace gates and for some reason recalled the rumors circulating among the merfolk. He felt a little scared. Looking at Fu Mingxu's face, which was like a blooming divine flower, he couldn't help but remind him when he met the other's clear and innocent eyes, "The king's temper has been a bit bad lately. It's always better to be respectful."
Fu Mingxu was taken aback, then realized that he was being reminded, and asked calmly, "Since when did it start?"
Meng Xin answered instinctively, "A little over a month ago."
That coincides with the time when the Shark Pill appeared. Fu Mingxu had a guess in his mind, but still nodded with an innocent look and said, "Thank you for reminding me."
The fact that you can say this to him means that Meng Xin has not yet been controlled by demonic energy.
He made a note of this and, sensing the other party's growing concern, stepped into the royal palace.
Upon entering the hall, he saw Meng Lian standing below the throne, and the Mermaid King above him remained unchanged from the last time he had seen him.
Fu Mingxu took a quick, subtle sniff and immediately detected the putrid stench.
The hall was cold and damp. Although the stench was not obvious, it moved through the space like a venomous snake in the shadows.
Judging from the appearance, there was more than one of those dark, humanoid skins.
Yes, apart from the surviving dragon whales Xiao Ba and Xiao Qi, the other six dragon whales have already perished.
"Your Majesty." He lowered his eyes to suppress his thoughts, and like the merman at the banquet, he folded his hands in front of his chest. When he looked up, the pupils in his eyes had turned a deep blue.
Meng Lian was surprised to see the strange color in his eyes and said, "I didn't expect that the color of your pupils would turn into the color of a fish tail so quickly. It seems that dual cultivation with the dragon clan has been quite beneficial to you."
Her fair cheeks flushed red, and Fu Mingxu pursed his lips, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Silence speaks louder than words. He couldn't say how good it was to cultivate with Han Tao, so he might as well act shy and let them guess for themselves.
One palace lantern after another lit up the royal palace, and in the bright light, that shy smile was like a lotus in the sea, graceful even without wind.
Meng Lian suddenly remembered the Mermaid King's plan and for some reason felt a sense of regret towards the newly transformed mermaid.
But he remembered what was important and glanced at the Merman King before turning his gaze to Fu Mingxu, and said loudly, "It seems that the Dragon Clan leader treats you very well."
Fu Mingxu smiled and said, "Indeed."
So hurry up and show us what tricks you have up your sleeve.
“If it weren’t for the king, you wouldn’t have been able to interact with such a powerful dragon race.” Meng Xin’s expression suddenly changed, and his expression became solemn. “When you were a human, you were of mediocre talent and your spiritual energy was shallow. You must have been able to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage by using pills.”
When the word "elixir" was mentioned, Fu Mingxu keenly noticed that the Merman King's expression changed for a moment.
He gently shook his head, denying that he advanced by taking pills. Instead, he became embarrassed and said softly with a smile, "No, I once had a suitor who was much stronger than me and was willing to transfer his cultivation to me."
"Of course, his strength is naturally inferior to that of Lord Han."
With his affected manner and extremely natural tone, he fabricated a story about his cultivation level, and the two people in the hall actually believed him.
Of course, they couldn't think of any other way Fu Mingxu could come up with besides this reason.
Seeing that the two believed him, Fu Mingxu silently breathed a sigh of relief. He stood obediently in place, looking like he would do whatever they said.
Meng Lian stared at him for a while, and seeing that he still looked shy, she finally brought the topic back: "Your wedding with the Dragon Clan leader is in one day, and I have something to give you."
"What is it?" Fu Mingxu looked up, surprised. "Besides marrying him, what else do I have to do?"
At that moment, both the Merman King and Meng Lian fell silent.
Meng Lian suspected that before he transformed into a merman, he must have been a young master of a human family who never left his home, otherwise he wouldn't have asked such a question.
"I won't beat around the bush with you." Meng Lian felt that the other party probably wouldn't understand if he spoke in riddles. He received a urging look from the Merman King, so he simply got straight to the point and said, "I have a way to make him obey you forever. Do you want it? Of course, he may suffer a little, but it will only be temporary."
Sure enough, Fu Mingxu's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly asked, "What method?"
As soon as she finished asking the question, perhaps remembering what she was going to say next, she frowned slightly, "Is it very painful?"
Seeing him so engrossed in love, Meng Lian's eyes flashed with disdain, but she quickly relaxed and said earnestly, "Is temporary pain more important, or is eternal loyalty more important?"
He deliberately emphasized: "Dragons are incredibly powerful and indiscriminate in their consumption of both meat and vegetables. Do you think you alone can control them?"
Fu Mingxu frowned as expected, thought for a moment, and said firmly, "Please tell me the solution, Wang!"
The Merman King and Meng Lian exchanged a glance and knew that the matter was settled.
Although the merman prepared for Han Tao when he was invited was not the one in front of him, the effect was surprisingly good by a twist of fate.
“It’s very simple. Take this pill a day later. When you’re having intercourse with him, transfer the spiritual energy in your body, which contains the medicinal power, to him while you’re circulating with the dragon energy.” Meng Lian solemnly handed him a jade bottle, his tone becoming stern. “If you fail, I’m afraid you’ll never have the chance to make him loyal to you again in this lifetime.”
Fu Mingxu's expression hardened, and he said solemnly, "Okay, I will succeed."
"The marriage between the Dragon Clan and the Merfolk is of great importance, and you are very lucky." The Merfolk King sat on his throne, his aura chilling. "Your marriage point is set in the Merfolk Domain, where there is the largest Three Lives Stone in the Azure Spirit Continent."
"After giving him the medicine, have him carve your name and his name on the Three Lives Stone, and then no one can change your predestined marriage."
Fu Mingxu recalled the photograph Meng Shui had taken out at the auction house, and after a moment's thought, he understood what Meng Shui meant.
The Mermaid King's patient persuasion was nothing more than a means to make Han Tao obey a particular mermaid through marriage. Since all the mermaids in the clan already obeyed him, the ultimate goal was simply to make Han Tao work for him.
He wanted to control Hantao.
Fu Mingxu slowly retreated under the satisfied gazes of the two men, his expression impeccable, even revealing a hint of longing and excitement.
In his perfect performance, no one noticed that his hand, which was holding the jade bottle and hanging in his sleeve, was constantly tightening.
Perhaps because Pai Hantao discovered that the Merman King didn't dare leave his divine sense on him, when he returned to the Luoguang Palace, he only casually asked the Merman Meng Xin outside about the commotion outside.
“It’s the criminals in the water dungeon who escaped.” Meng Xin looked at the panicked fish on the dome, also puzzled. “I just don’t know who escaped. You’d better not go out. It’s not safe outside right now.”
Fu Mingxu's heart stirred slightly. After receiving Han Tao's telepathic message, he thanked Meng Xin and then closed the door tightly.
Half an incense stick later, Han Tao appeared in the room. Seeing that his expression was a little off, he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Seeing that he had casually set up a defensive formation, Fu Mingxu did not hide anything and told him everything about his previous trip to the royal palace.
Upon learning that he had released Dragon Whale Xiaoqi, he even suggested, "Go and steal the skin he took off tonight."
"Aren't you angry?" Fu Mingxu asked unhappily when he saw his indifferent expression. "I've looked at the pills in here, and there's actually a demon seed hidden inside. This demon seed is extremely similar to the demon seed in your Dragon Soul, so they should have the same origin."
Han Tao brushed aside the strands of hair that fell beside his cheek, his rough fingertips brushing against his delicate skin. "You're angry, but you're worried about me, so this anger is nothing."
Fu Mingxu paused, then glared at him: "Smooth talker."
Han Tao looked down at him. The shadow of the demon seed did not affect him. His golden eyes were full of relaxed smiles.
As the two gazed at each other, the light from the palace lanterns fell upon their brows and eyes, and the air seemed to be filled with a warm and tender atmosphere.
...
The following day, news came from the Mermaid King's palace that the Mermaid King was unwell and should not be disturbed.
The other merfolk thought their king was old and needed to rest, but only Fu Mingxu and his companion knew that his physical body had been stolen and he was unable to come out to see people.
Fu Mingxu was secretly pleased and instructed Han Tao to make sure the skin was well hidden.
The two spent the rest of the day peacefully, except for the mermaids who became increasingly busy.
Zhang Anran brought over the list of merfolk who had leaked the information about the broken merfolk pills, but Fu Mingxu just smiled and ignored it. The other new merfolk had already taken the pills before the palace guards found them.
Within half a month, their merman features will gradually fade away.
Because of this incident, Meng Lian, who couldn't find the mastermind, was extremely busy and also had to endure the wrath of the Mermaid King, who remained locked up in the palace.
As evening fell, the waters of the deep sea churned violently, various lights flashed above the floating city, and several giant dragons descended into the city, attracting the attention of many merfolk.
Ao Yushu was assigned to handle matters at the city lord's mansion, and Han Tao sent only his trusted confidants this time.
Han Zhengzhi was the first to find the two, and when he saw the fish tail under Fu Mingxu, he suddenly realized what was going on.
After four days of explanations of the dragon clan's secrets and instruction from the priest, he specially sent a telepathic message to his city lord: "City lord, you guys really know how to play!"
Human form is not allowed, but mermaid form is perfectly fine.
At this moment, Han Zhengzhi understood his city lord's profound and far-sighted plans.
"Master Fu, don't worry," he said, patting his chest. "Your wedding will definitely be a grand and lively affair!"
Then he went on to describe a long wedding ceremony, leaving Fu Mingxu completely bewildered.
Fu Mingxu watched as he volunteered to communicate with the merman about the matter, and asked in confusion, "Did he misunderstand something?"
Wasn't this supposed to be a calculated move to uncover information about the Witch Clan and the Demon Seed?
Han Tao straightened his slightly disheveled hairband, smiling without saying a word.
A note from the author:
Han Tao: Don't worry, I'll only let you ride it.
Fu Mingxu: ?
Chapter 75
Inside the secret chamber of the Merfolk King's Palace, a dark, humanoid figure was curled up inside a coffin. Wisps of cold air emanated from the ice beneath the coffin, dancing with the burning candlelight and seeping into the coffin little by little, eventually permeating the dark, humanoid figure.
After an unknown amount of time, the Mermaid King, who had kept his eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them. His thin face twitched violently, and the pain in his eyes was palpable.
“Get out…get out…” His fingers slowly traced patterns in the coffin, making a grating sound.
Perhaps his movement was a bit too loud, for the dark humanoid figure stirred and then slowly sat up. He looked down at the merman king beneath him, his features now unrecognizable, yet exuding a chilling coldness.
"What? You still haven't figured it out after all this time?" His tone was laced with undisguised ruthlessness. "You think just because you had someone steal my body, I can't get out?"