Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Merfolk Cannot Intermarry with Outsiders

After bidding farewell to the Tiger Clan and the other Beastman tribes of the Northern Land, Yu An’s family set off for the Treasure Pearl Sea.

Feng Xuan had originally wanted to give up his position as Clan Leader, since he was away from the clan most of the year, but the elders didn’t agree.

After some back and forth, they decided to establish the position of Vice Clan Leader, which would be held by Feng Yue.

When it was time to part, Feng Yue was extremely reluctant to see them go. After his ten-thousand-and-first request to go along as his brother Feng Xuan’s "dowry" was rejected, he could only woefully clutch the snacks his nephews had given him and tearfully watch them leave.

After the family had traveled for a distance, Yu An sent the others into her space, and she and Lan Yin continued onward in the car.

Chun Nuan’s health was very poor. It was no exaggeration to say that if she weren’t hanging on by a thread, she would have gone to see the Beast God long ago. Yu An, worried that she wouldn’t be able to withstand the energy of the Divine Spring Water, diluted it before giving it to her.

Whenever she had time, Yu An would also use her superpower to gently nourish her body, at least preventing her from being in as much pain as before.

Thanks to their combined effects, Chun Nuan was able to walk on her own within just a few days.

Although she was blind, she couldn’t stay idle. Most of the time, she busied herself with what small chores she could manage and had even picked up a needle and thread, feeling her way as she made clothes for Yu An and the four little ones.

When Yu An was out of the space and on the road, Chun Nuan would stay by the four little ones’ side.

"Grandma, the clothes you made are so beautiful! I love them!"

Da Hu, Xiao Hu, and Xiao Yu chattered excitedly around Chun Nuan. The fourth Zaizai hadn’t hatched yet, but Chun Nuan hadn’t forgotten it; she made a little piece of clothing that wrapped around half of the egg.

"I’m glad you like them," Chun Nuan said, patting each of their little heads. "Grandma will make you more."

Nearby, Xiao Quan, who was turning a millstone, wiped away a tear. When someone asked what was wrong, he just said that his Female Mother had been very busy when he was young and had never made clothes for him. He was crying out of envy.

"An’an, we should reach the Treasure Pearl Sea tonight. Can we stay for a few extra days? There are so many beautiful places, and I want to show them to you."

Lan Yin gave Yu An a brief overview of the Treasure Pearl Sea, but he insisted that its beauty had to be seen in person.

Yu An thought for a moment. "Sure. We don’t have anything urgent to do, anyway."

"Oh, right. That time in the Endless Sea, how did you let me breathe underwater? Can Mo Yan and the others go in the water too?"

"I fed you a Water-Repelling Pearl, which lets you breathe underwater temporarily," Lan Yin answered truthfully. "The reason you could breathe underwater later on was because of my Shark Pearl."

He had given his Shark Pearl to Yu An at the time because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control Lan Ying, who might have taken over his body to harm her and the Zaizai.

Lan Yin shook his head regretfully and said, "There’s a limited number of Water-Repelling Pearls. Even as Clan Leader, I only have five at my disposal, and now I have four left."

Yu An frowned, hesitating. "I see... In that case, should we just go for one day?"

"No!" Lan Yin said at once. "An’an, the Merfolk Clan has homes on the shore of the Treasure Pearl Sea, too. We take turns living underwater and on land. Why don’t we have them stay there, and I can take you into the water to have some fun?"

He tugged on Yu An’s sleeve and said pitifully, "You promised you’d stay for a while. One day is too short! We won’t have time to see all the unique underwater sights."

"Xiao Yu just got home, and I want to show both of you around properly."

Unable to resist his pleading, and since she really did want to see the legendary Treasure Pearl Sea for herself, Yu An agreed to a stay of ten days.

Mo Yan and Feng Xuan didn’t have any objections, only reminding Yu An to be safe. Han Li and Ao Wu, on the other hand, were a different story. They threw a massive tantrum until Yu An promised she would only go out during the day and would come back home to them at night.

The two had originally wanted to get the Zaizai to join their protest, but Lan Yin bribed Da Hu and Xiao Hu with two Water-Repelling Pearls.

"Be good. When the time comes, Beast Father Lanyin will have the Merfolk take you out to play. There’s lots of treasure underwater—you can go on an adventure~"

Da Hu perked up, Xiao Hu was no longer sleepy, and they started planning with Xiao Yu how to have as much fun as possible.

When they reached the territory of the Treasure Pearl Sea, they saw a large tribe in the distance. Beastmen adorned with pearl accessories were moving in and out.

Hearing the commotion, they all looked over. The Merfolk had never seen a vehicle like this and thought it was some kind of wild beast.

Just as they were about to call for others, a sharp-eyed Merfolk spotted Lan Yin in the vehicle.

"The King has returned! Quick, go get Elder Hai and the others!"

"Who’s that beautiful female sitting next to the Clan Leader? Is that his mate?"

"I heard the Clan Leader left to bring his mate and the Young Master home. That must be her... but where’s the Young Master?"

The Merfolk quickly brought Elder Hai over. By then, Yu An and Lan Yin had reached the entrance to the tribe. Elder Hai was overjoyed to see Lan Yin, but...

"Your Majesty, this must be our lady, then? But where is the Young Master?"

Only then did Yu An remember she’d forgotten to bring the others out of her space. She quickly made an excuse, saying they would be arriving shortly.

Lan Yin said without batting an eye, "My mate and I were worried you’d be anxious, so we came on ahead."

The white-bearded Elder Hai paused. "We weren’t that anxious."

He was only anxious to see the little Young Master and his lady. Who cared about seeing Lan Yin, a man he’d watched grow up?

Lan Yin rubbed the tip of his nose and whispered to Yu An, "An’an, Elder Hai can be a little... erm... direct."

Yu An couldn’t help but chuckle. She pulled Lan Yin away, using the excuse of checking on the others’ arrival, and they returned shortly after.

This time, Elder Hai’s face bloomed with a smile. Especially upon seeing Xiao Yu, he couldn’t stop grinning.

When they saw Xiao Yu holding Da Hu’s hand with his left and Xiao Hu’s with his right, the gazes of Elder Hai and the other Merfolk snapped to Yu An in unison.

One birth... three Zaizai?!

Elder Hai was in disbelief and shot a questioning look at Lan Yin. Lan Yin said proudly, "That’s right, it’s just as you see. Oh, and my mate gave birth to another Zaizai a few days ago. He’s still very small, so we won’t be showing him to you just yet."

Before the fourth egg hatched, Yu An had no intention of letting it out of her space. After all, to outsiders, her children were supposed to be born via live birth.

The Merfolk instantly abandoned Lan Yin and swarmed around Yu An, escorting her into the tribe. Their fanatical gazes stood in sharp contrast to the neglected Lan Yin.

Lan Yin gave a helpless smile and followed them into the tribe, along with the equally ignored Mo Yan and his three companions.

Elder Hai led the way to Lan Yin’s residence within the tribe. As they walked, he told Yu An about the Merfolk Clan, and the other Merfolk introduced themselves as well.

The Merfolk Clan was small, with just over five hundred members in total. They didn’t intermarry with other clans, which had led to their offspring becoming increasingly rare.

Xiao Yu was a male Zaizai. Had he been a female, Elder Hai wouldn’t have even waited for Lan Yin to retrieve him; he would have gone himself.

Yu An asked curiously, "Elder Hai, why don’t you intermarry with other clans? Is there a rule against it?"

’Fortunately, the Merfolk have long lifespans,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, given their current birth rate, they probably would have gone extinct by now.’

The Merfolk Clan only had three members who could be considered children, all born at different times with four or five years between them. This year, aside from Xiao Yu, not a single child had been born.

Elder Hai sighed. "It’s not because of any clan rule. If we could produce healthy offspring by intermarrying with other clans, we would have started interacting with the outside world long ago."

"You must have heard that the Merfolk Clan keeps to itself, my lady. That is to prevent our children from falling in love with Beastmen of other clans and thus avoid tragedy."