Xu Qian instantly understood that he wanted to capture the smallest mermaid.
He pointed to the sky, then to the mermaids. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the mermaids were lying on the rocks.
Seemingly to sleep?
Xu Qian nodded at him, indicating she understood.
Tang Zhishen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to have someone intelligent.
After another half an hour, the sky was fully lit, and the mermaids appeared to be fast asleep.
Tang Zhishen slowly parted the water and swam over, moving very quietly.
Xu Qian had a thought and a sound transmission talisman appeared in her hand. She tore it open and placed it in her spatial dimension, transmitting her thoughts through her sea of consciousness.
Fia’s voice was still groggy, clearly not fully awake.
“Sister Qian, what is it?”
Xu Qian spoke as she swam behind Tang Zhishen, not letting him suspect anything.
“Is your family’s hair color the same as yours?”
Fia instantly sobered up and said urgently, “Yes, it’s our family’s hair color. Sister Qian, have you found my family?”
“It should be them. You teleport back to the spatial dimension first. I’ll figure out how to let you out later.”
Fia’s voice choked up, and she immediately agreed.
Fia’s family was found, and Xu Qian was happy for her, but…
She glanced at the black nape of the head in front of her. The mission still had to be completed.
About two meters from the small mermaid, Tang Zhishen pulled open the fishing net with one hand and cast a glance at her with his dark eyes.
Was she supposed to catch it?
Fine.
Xu Qian raised her hand, intending to knock it unconscious, when suddenly an extremely piercing shriek rang out.
It made both of them feel dizzy.
“Humans! Trespassing into Haisler, and you want to harm my kin? What exactly do you want?”
Xu Qian had a thought and directly retrieved the fishing net from Tang Zhishen’s hand.
The two looked up. All the mermaids were awake. Their expressions were cold, their eyes blazing with anger, as if they wished to kill them.
Tang Zhishen’s face darkened. He had scouted the area many times and found that they liked to bask in the sun and sleep in the morning. After basking, they would return to the sea, only coming out in the morning.
That was why he had chosen to catch them in the morning. He hadn’t expected them to be so sensitive to sound, detecting even the slightest noise.
A glint of darkness flashed in the man’s eyes. He could only resort to a desperate, forceful grab.
There would be no next time. Even if they didn’t run, they would be even more vigilant.
Suddenly, the young girl chuckled, her eyes curving slightly, seemingly oblivious to the current situation.
The man glanced at her sideways, his expression unreadable.
“I’m here to bring you a surprise.”
The middle-aged merman above slightly bent down, his sharp eyes fixed on them, his gaze clearly conveying:
I don’t believe you.
Tang Zhishen raised an eyebrow and did not stop her.
He wanted to see how she would explain herself.
“You lost a child, named Fia, didn’t you?”
The merfolk tensed, looking at each other. How did this human know?
The middle-aged merman’s face turned ashen, and he said sternly, “Fia is in your hands?”
Xu Qian’s eyelashes slightly curved, and she nodded.
“What are your conditions?”
“What?”
“How can you spare Fia?”
The man beside her raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but was intercepted.
“Of course, there are no conditions. Fia is my friend, and I have an obligation to bring her back.”
The man pinched her tender arm hard, expressing his displeasure.
He didn’t know if she was telling the truth or lying. If she truly had a mutated mermaid, why would they have gone through so much trouble to capture her?
Furthermore, even if they returned her, wouldn’t they demand something in return?
Even mermaid scales, blood, and hair were excellent materials.
Xu Qian’s expression remained unchanged, completely ignoring how angry the man beside her was.