Scumbag!
You bastard!
Meng Shuo's expression of being cheated on was so vivid and sincere that Ruan Mingchu subconsciously wondered if he had really forgotten something.
He immediately dismissed the idea; his deal with Meng Shuo had long since ended. The current situation was entirely due to Meng Shuo's ambiguous insistence on following them.
"How about this, you just go see your old flame as usual."
Upon hearing this, Meng Shuo jumped up and retorted sharply, "Who has an old flame? You're the one who has an old flame!"
Ruan Mingchu turned around and kissed Mu Yu's forehead, proving with his actions that he did indeed have a lover.
Beneath Meng Shuo's unpleasant expression lay a flushed face of shame. He remained silent and did not stop Ruan Mingchu from leaving, clearly acquiescing to her decision.
Mu Yu shyly covered her face and shook Ruan Mingchu's hand before he left, her worry and concern unspoken.
The moment you open the door, you see the high priest pacing back and forth.
The high priest looked up at the noise, and Ruan Mingchu didn't miss the fleeting sense of relief that crossed his mind. He seemed very afraid that Ruan Mingchu would run away, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't hear what was happening inside that made him anxious.
Ruan Mingchu said, "Let's go."
As soon as he finished speaking, the high priest led Ruan Mingchu to the ice chamber.
There were some more things in the ice room than last time I came. Even though the person who placed them was very careful, they still couldn't escape Ruan Mingchu's spiritual power.
A hint of contempt flashed in Ruan Mingchu's eyes. People with no ability can only resort to these petty tricks.
The high priest said, "We will protect you outside and will absolutely not let you be disturbed."
He paused, then added hypocritically, "If it doesn't work, then back out. Your safety is the most important thing."
Ruan Mingchu hummed in response, but it was unclear which statement he was referring to.
As if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "What's your name?"
“Qingnuo,” the High Priest said. It was just a name, and he spoke with such composure. There was no such thing as witchcraft in this world that could curse someone simply by knowing their name.
Those can all be called Blue Priests.
Ruan Mingchu approached the ice coffin, sat on the warm stool prepared for him, closed his eyes and released his spiritual power to search for the entrance to Qingyao's spiritual sea.
He wasn't worried that Qingnuo and the other mermaids would ambush him at this time. He was confident in his own strength, but more importantly, they wanted Qingyao to wake up.
And I am now the person most likely to wake him up.
Everyone's mental sea has a barrier, and the strength of this barrier is directly proportional to their mental power. The stronger a person's mental power, the more difficult it is for their mental sea to be illegally invaded.
According to Qingnuo, none of them could enter Qingyao's mental sea, and even today, after he has been in a coma for twenty-eight years, they still cannot enter. The barrier of Qingyao's mental sea must be incredibly strong.
But when Ruan Mingchu tentatively entered, there was no resistance, and she went in very smoothly.
Having entered the spiritual seas of so many people, this was the first time Ruan Mingchu had ever seen someone's spiritual sea materialize into a boundless ocean.
Nguyen Minh Thu floated on the sea, with white clouds and the sun shining overhead, and all around him was seawater.
If one were to immerse oneself in the seawater, one would see a vibrant and colorful underwater world. If Ruan Mingchu did not know that he was in Qingyao's spiritual sea, he would have thought he was in the real ocean.
The fish, seaweed, rocks... all look too real.
Ruan Mingchu drifted aimlessly around. He couldn't spread his spiritual power as he would in reality. He could only use his consciousness to search for Qingyao's consciousness inch by inch.
Logically, since he is in a deep sleep, his consciousness should instinctively be placed in the safest place. In the ocean, an island should be considered relatively safe.
As Ruan Mingchu pondered, a black dot suddenly appeared in his field of vision. He sped over and saw the dot clearly.
It was a small boat, and a man wearing a sun hat and holding a fishing rod.
Suddenly he raised his head, revealing his face under the sun hat, a face that bore a striking resemblance to Ruan Mingchu.
Qingyao gave a cryptic smile: "You're here. Want to try sea fishing?"
Ruan Mingchu, who was not good at speaking in daily life, did not know how to get along with his father whom he had never met. Since he had spoken, Ruan Mingchu sat down and extended his hand to him.
Qingyao handed the fishing rod to Ruan Mingchu, openly sizing him up the whole time.
Ruan Mingchu felt so uncomfortable under her gaze that she wanted to find a shell to hide in.
Ruan Mingchu pretended to be engrossed in fishing, keeping his eyes fixed on the sea. In reality, he was keeping an eye on Qingyao beside him, waiting for him to speak.
Qingyao suddenly burst into laughter, "You and your father are really the same kind of person, both very reserved."
Ruan Mingchu glanced at him, completely missing the point of his joke, pursed her lips, and continued to look at the sea.
Qingyao shook his head and asked with a smile, "Nothing you want to know?"
Ruan Mingchu remained silent, like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, unable to find a way to speak.
"Alright," Qingyao shrugged. "Luckily it was me, otherwise I really couldn't stand your repressed and eccentric personalities."
Ruan Mingchu: ...
Qingyao continued babbling: "No matter why you came here, once you leave, pretend you never came in. Tell anyone who looks for you that you can't get in, understand? Don't get involved in these unreliable things, you're just a kid. As for how to get back, go look in Wangqin Bay. I think I left something there."
Ruan Mingchu said "Oh" and turned to leave Qingyao's mental sea.
Qingyao grabbed Ruan Mingchu's arm just in time, but the force was too great, and he fell onto the boat.
They even turned the tables and said, "Your balance is terrible. Remember to practice more when you get back."
"What's wrong with you? I'm your father! Are you really planning to abandon me? Waaah! Your father has been alone in his chambers for so many years, don't you feel sorry for him?"
Ruan Minh Thu said he was speechless and didn't know how to react.
So what exactly do you want him to do?
Do I really have to make him guess?!
We're all family, can't we just be straightforward?
Qingyao howled for a long time without shedding a single appropriate tear. Seeing that Ruan Mingchu had a blank face and no reaction, he stopped playing.
"Fine, I wonder how your wife will put up with you in the future." Qingyao muttered, "Qingnuo, they must be the mermaids who came to find you and let you in. They took my soul pearl and trapped me in the spiritual sea."
"Actually, I'm not that sleepy, it's just that the Soul Pearl isn't here. If I leave those filthy things, they'll run around."
"So, my good son, whether you cheat, swindle, or simply steal it, you have to get your old man's soul pearl back."
Qingyao patted Ruan Mingchu on the shoulder, entrusting him with an important task.
Ruan Mingchu: ...
"So what was the point of all that initial nonsense?"
Qingyao clutched his chest and sobbed, "I'm your own father, don't you even keep in touch? My heart is broken, I need a kiss."
Ruan Mingchu: "You're covering your stomach."
“Oh,” Qingyao instantly moved the person up a bit, “I always get the anatomy of mermaids and humans wrong.”
Qingyao was met with Ruan Mingchu's merciless departure.
Ruan Mingchu never expected that the mermaid who looked so cold and noble lying in the ice coffin was actually a whiny chatterbox.
But when placed next to his father, who was frugal and felt that saying even a single extra word was a waste, they actually seemed quite well-matched.
Inside the ice room, Ruan Mingchu slowly opened his eyes.
Qingnuo, who had been watching him the whole time, noticed this and immediately reached into the ice coffin to check on Qingyao's condition inside.
After staring for a long time without seeing any signs of waking up, Qingnuo had no choice but to sit up in disappointment.
He also comforted Ruan Mingchu: "It's alright, we'll see what happens next, we'll definitely be able to wake your father up."
Ruan Mingchu showed no outward emotion, as if to him, the person lying in the ice coffin was not his blood relative, but a complete stranger.
This attitude chilled Qing Nuo to the bone. If he needed to exchange Ruan Mingchu's life for Qing Yao's awakening, how could he get Ruan Mingchu to agree?
Qingnuo thought of her companion who had come to the Mermaid Continent with Ruan Mingchu, wondering how important that person was to Ruan Mingchu.
Regardless, let's arrest them first, just in case.
Qingnuo tentatively asked, "Do you want to stay here with your father for a while?"
Ruan Mingchu shook his head: "The temperature is too low."
Qingnuo felt as if an arrow had pierced her heart. Damn it, this is your own father! Your own father whom you haven't seen for nearly thirty years, don't you even want to spend some time with him?!
Cold-hearted and ungrateful, I don't know who he inherited it from.
Qingnuo only focused on this point, but failed to consider that Ruan Mingchu had never met his biological father since birth, so where did the affection between them come from?
Qingnuo said, "You've worked hard. I've prepared a sumptuous dinner for you. Let's go eat together."
Ruan Mingchu did not refuse again and followed Qing Nuo to leave the ice room.
The ice chamber is located underground, leading directly to Qingnuo's palace. The stairs leading up are very smooth, clearly a frequently used path, demonstrating how much he values Qingyao; he probably checks on him every day, only able to sleep peacefully when he sees Qingyao still unconscious.
The meal was indeed lavish, with plates piled high on an eight-person round table, where various delicacies from the sea were served after careful preparation, and only Nguyen Minh Thu and Thanh Ngoc were to eat them.
This also means that most of the food on the table will be removed, and they may be eaten by the servants, but they have to do it secretly, because in the master's mind these things are to be thrown away.
Extremely extravagant and wasteful.
It represents Qingnuo as a person.
Although he wore a plain-colored robe, every piece of clothing, from the silk thread used for the embroidery to the small accessories, was of the highest quality. The person who could create such a work of art must have been no unknown figure.
In just a short time, Ruan Mingchu had already seen through Qingnuo, the mermaid.
He had great ambition and desire, but lacked the strength to match them. Before Qingyao stepped down, he had been secretly envious, jealous, and resentful of him.
Although I dislike Qingnuo, I have to admit that the meal was quite good and suited Ruan Mingchu's light taste.
During the meal, Qingnuo left once. Although he said he was going to the restroom, the spiritual power attached to him could see his movements clearly.
Qingnuo's subordinate said, "Sir, both rooms in the inn are empty, but their belongings are still there. The mermaids guarding the area said they didn't notice when they left."
Suppressing her anger, Qingnuo asked, "Have you searched the hotel?"
The subordinate nodded: "We've searched inside and out; it's like the person vanished into thin air."
Qingnuo said, "Stop the hotel and have someone guard it until I give the next order."
The subordinate accepted the order and left.
Qingnuo was furious. Could it be that Ruan Mingchu had been wary of him from the very beginning? Impossible. He believed his performance was flawless and he hadn't done anything to harm Ruan Mingchu. There was no reason for him to be wary of him.