Shapeshifters - Chapter 17
"Hehe." Shui Sheng laughed, which reminded me of something.
"Tell me quickly, what's with all those pornographic films and AV magazines in your room?" I said, not chuckling to myself.
Unexpectedly, Shui Sheng blushed upon hearing this. He glanced at Su Ying, then at his companion in front of him, and said shyly in a low voice, "Actually, I heard from my predecessors that they weren't good enough, and I only found out what happened after I arrived. In order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances after turning into humans, so... so we made preparations early to avoid repeating the same mistakes."
"Oh... did it work?" I asked him with a smile, finally solving this major mystery.
Shui Sheng shook her head awkwardly, deliberately turning her head away so that Su Ying wouldn't see her.
"It's alright, I can just become human again. By the way..." I remembered something else and asked, "Could you tell me a little bit about how you sea people cultivate your power? Could you teach me?"
"The people of the sea are completely different from humans, so how can we teach them? But this beautiful woman named Lu Yun, whom you've never mentioned, is so amazing, even stronger than us. Why don't you learn from her?"
"Oh, well, hehe." I chuckled and then fell silent.
I hadn't walked far when I thought we were almost there, but then I heard Lu Yun call out, "Na Duo, look!" I caught up and saw that the alley was brightly lit, but it had been cordoned off. When I got to the alley entrance, I saw a lot of people working on the well, and Ruan Xiuwen was standing there directing the work.
I had a bad feeling. “It’s someone from Organization X,” I said to Lu Yun. “And the person in charge has seen me before and has been suspicious of me for a long time. We can’t let him see us.” With that, I led the other three out quickly.
Organization X is not a simple organization; its operational capabilities are comparable to those of a military force. Even pedestrians outside the alley could be their people. Moreover, if they are found to be suspicious, they will quickly and efficiently find out your identity and take decisive action if necessary.
Moreover, Ruan Xiuwen is already wary of me, and if he finds out, we'll have no chance.
It seems that Organization X has already located the instrument. It's actually quite simple; I can deduce it, and Ruan Xiuwen, who should have known the inside story long ago, certainly could too. I couldn't help but feel anxious. Once Organization X obtains that instrument, Shui Sheng will absolutely not be able to become human peacefully.
"I'll go find out what's going on. Don't worry, it'll be fine," Lu Yun said to me, then gracefully walked into the alleyway alone. I secretly felt a pang of worry for her.
After a while, she came out and said, "There's no use in worrying now. Let's go sit in the coffee shop across the street for a while." She seemed confident, so her husband's family had no choice but to comply.
"They're working on it, trying to clear the well. It's so old, the well's been clogged for ages," Lu Yun explained after the other person sat down. "There's no point in us going in now, so we might as well wait and see what happens after they clear the well."
I agreed, secretly guessing that Ruan Zhenshan was probably the true ancestor of the Ruan family, the so-called powerful clan that dealt with mysterious events. He was the first to initiate contact between the Chinese and the supernatural world, so it was only natural that his descendants would engage in such work. Ruan Xiuwen certainly knew what was going on from the beginning and came for his mysterious ancestor's "treasure." But the mysterious instrument was not at the archaeological site in Zhidan Garden.
We chatted in the coffee shop for a while, and I learned more about the lives of the underwater people. About two hours passed, and it was already dark outside. Shui Sheng became impatient and stood up, saying, "I'll go check again."
"Don't do anything reckless," Lu Yun said.
Don't worry.
"I'll go too," Su Ying said hurriedly, and quickly followed.
"Won't something bad happen?" I asked Lu Yun worriedly.
“It’s alright. Shui Sheng’s skills are extremely powerful, and he also knows how to stay calm,” said another underwater person.
I breathed a sigh of relief, though I was a little worried about Su Ying. Ever since we left Su Ying's house, Shui Sheng seemed to be deliberately avoiding her. I wondered why, but it must have made Su Ying unhappy, considering how many years she had waited for him. To be honest, I felt a pang of sadness.
"I need to use the restroom," I said, and left my seat.
"Be careful." Lu Yun looked at me with a mischievous grin.
"I know." I felt a little embarrassed that Lu Yun had seen through my intentions, but I still quickly walked out and secretly followed Shui Sheng and Su Ying not far behind.
The two sat down by a flower bed. Coincidentally, there was a row of holly trees on the other side of the flower bed. I sat down comfortably under the trees, and I could still clearly hear their conversation through the bushes.
"I really didn't expect that," Su Ying said softly.
"I'm sorry," Shui Sheng said apologetically. "I have no choice but to keep my promise, but I really can't find anyone to share it with."
“That’s not what I meant,” Su Ying said. “Actually, I’ve always felt like someone is watching me, following me. After I regained my memories, I thought it was just my imagination, but now that I think about it, could it be you?”
Shui Sheng remained silent.
"Actually, just for one sentence, you don't need to force yourself to stay with me," Su Ying added. This tone made me suspicious for a moment.
“No, that’s not it. It was my own choice,” Shui Sheng quickly said.
Then he sighed and said, "You must think we underwater people are stupid, that we would fight for someone else for something like that, only to make a wasted trip. But I understand their feelings very well."
"oh?"
"You're right, I've been watching you from the shadows. I can also change my appearance at will so you won't recognize me. But gradually, I realized that you don't need my protection, and my existence is not important to you."
"That's not it, it's..."
"Let me finish speaking first," Shui Sheng said firmly.
“I should have gone back, but I found I was unwilling. What was I unwilling about? Was it that I couldn’t protect you, or that I was meaningless to you and would be forgotten by you? I think it was the latter. So I settled down, fixed an appearance, and came to you.”
"I really didn't expect it to be you," Su Ying said with a light laugh.
“I find myself very happy with you, and every day is fulfilling. Despite the immense pain my body is enduring, I don’t care at all. And in doing so, my lifespan could be about the same as yours, which makes me even happier. So I think, this is probably what they’re talking about.”
Su Ying exclaimed softly, "From...thousands of years...to decades?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Is that so..." Su Ying's voice gradually lowered, and I felt a surge of tension, so I leaned forward slightly.
“I still don’t quite understand,” Shui Sheng said. “I think I’ll only truly understand everything once I become human. This time, I’m determined to succeed no matter what.”
Hearing this, I made up my mind to help him fulfill his wish.
"There seem to be fewer people on the other side; it must be dinnertime. We need to seize the opportunity. Let's go back first."
I quickly ran back to the coffee shop before they did.
"What a long trip to the toilet," Lu Yun joked.