Chapter 63: Chapter 63: He Is Destined to Be Unliked and Unloved

Yu An swam upward with Xiao Yu. As long as they reached the surface and met up with the others, they would be safe.

No Water Beasts bothered them on the way. Their path was unbelievably clear.

Xiao Yu put his hands on his hips and said proudly, "Beast Father said the Merfolk are the kings of the water, so I’m a little king! Female Mother, when I grow up and get a little stronger, I’ll let you walk sideways underwater!"

Yu An couldn’t help but laugh. "Female Mother isn’t a crab. Why would I need to walk sideways?"

"Oh, that’s true."

They had no idea how deep this lake was. They had been swimming for ages but still hadn’t reached the surface. Xiao Yu was so tired he was about to turn into a fish pancake.

Yu An was exhausted too. She stopped swimming and began to observe her surroundings.

A lake couldn’t possibly be this deep. Besides, Lan Ying still hadn’t caught up to them after all this time. ’Could it be that we haven’t left the lakebed at all, but instead—’

The moment that thought appeared, her surroundings suddenly became blurry and filled with a thick fog.

Lan Ying emerged leisurely from behind the fog. His eyes met Yu An’s grave gaze as he drifted toward her like a phantom, pressing himself against her.

"Have you had your fun, Female Master? If you’re done playing, come home with me. It’s dangerous outside."

"You’re the most dangerous one here," Yu An said, flinging his hand away. "Stay away from me. You’re disgusting!"

Lan Ying said plaintively, "Those words are truly heartbreaking, Female Master. The moment I learned you and Zaizai had left home, I rushed after you, terrified you might be in danger."

"It’s one thing for you not to appreciate my concern, Female Master, but to call me disgusting... Sigh, harsh words hurt a fish’s heart~"

A shiver of disgust ran through Yu An. She rubbed her arm and found it covered in goosebumps.

"See? It’s so disgusting I’m getting goosebumps."

With a wronged tone, Lan Ying’s hand conveniently snaked over to touch her arm. "Let me see..."

For once, Yu An went along with him and held out her arm, planning to say something to stall for time. But Lan Ying suddenly glanced to the east, his expression changing.

"Come with me!"

’I absolutely cannot let them take Yu An away. Otherwise, after all my long-laid plans, I’ll be sent back to that dark, sunless place, all alone once more!’

Wrapping his arm around Yu An’s waist, Lan Ying was lost in a daze for a moment.

’Why is it that even though we’re both masters of this body, Lan Yin gets to have control and possess such a wonderful Female Master and Zaizai?’

’Once my plan succeeds, everything that belongs to Lan Yin will be mine... No, it will be returned to its rightful owner!’

Xiao Yu didn’t understand why his Beast Father wouldn’t let him and his Female Mother go home, insisting on returning to that dark, shabby little place. But he did know one thing: his Female Mother did not want to go with him.

He was small, but he had a good set of teeth. He bit down hard on Lan Ying’s arm, leaving a very clear set of teeth marks.

Lan Ying cried out in pain and instinctively tried to fling Xiao Yu off. Yu An grabbed Xiao Yu and used the opportunity to escape from Lan Ying’s grasp.

Mo Yan and the others were just ahead. ’I absolutely cannot let Lan Ying take me back!’

"Trying to run?"

Lan Ying sneered. He threw all caution to the wind, and with a flick of his fishtail, he shot after Yu An like a lightning bolt.

Just as he was about to reach out and grab Yu An, the eyes of Xiao Yu, who was cradled in her arms, suddenly glowed with a blue light.

Meeting that gaze, Lan Ying fell into a trance. His eyes glazed over, and his speed involuntarily slowed.

Xiao Yu was still a cub, and his Talent Ability only lasted for a short time. For a male with Heavenly Level Spiritual Power like Lan Ying, it only took a few seconds to snap out of it.

But those few seconds were all she needed. When Lan Ying came to his senses, he could only watch helplessly as Yu An threw herself into Mo Yan’s arms.

"An’an, I finally found you!"

Mo Yan was so overjoyed he was on the verge of tears. He quickly checked Yu An for injuries. Feng Xuan also crowded around her, leaving Ao Wu unable to squeeze in.

"I’m fine." The weight on Yu An’s heart finally lifted. "Feng Xuan, Ao Wu, get him!"

She pointed at Lan Ying, and Ao Wu, who had been bottling up a stomach full of rage, was instantly ignited. He clenched his fists and charged at Lan Ying!

Ao Wu and Feng Xuan were at a disadvantage underwater. Lan Ying had his Poisonous Fog Talent Ability, and he actually managed to fight them to a standstill.

Lu Lu, who held a serious grudge, also sneakily joined the fray. When Lan Ying saw Lu Lu dart out from behind Mo Yan, he felt a pang in his heart.

’So she was just talking to me to stall for time!’

Yu An handed the exhausted, unconscious Xiao Yu to Mo Yan. After a moment’s thought, she pulled Mo Yan and started swimming toward the surface.

When Lan Ying saw this, he ignored the two he was fighting and went after Yu An first.

Feng Xuan and Ao Wu exchanged a look and followed Lan Ying at an unhurried pace. Whenever he got close to catching up, they would make a move to block him.

By the time they swam out of the water, Lan Ying finally realized what they were planning. He tried to turn and escape back into the water, but his path was blocked.

Mo Yan joined in, and the three of them surrounded him. Yu An also kept a close watch; the moment he tried to release his dense fog, she would pull out a super-high-powered fan and blow it all away!

No matter how powerful Lan Ying was, he couldn’t use his Talent Ability repeatedly. After several rounds of being ganged up on, his spiritual power was nearly depleted.

"Lan Ying, surrender."

Yu An clenched her fist. "And one more thing. Let Lan Yin out."

The three of them—Mo Yan, Feng Xuan, and Ao Wu—instinctively glanced at her. They didn’t understand. What did she mean, "Let Lan Yin out"?

Also, why was Yu An calling him Lan Ying?

Unlike the other two’s confusion, Ao Wu seemed lost in thought.

’It seems the thing inside Lan Yin’s body could no longer be suppressed. That thing gained the upper hand and is suppressing Lan Yin instead.’

"On what grounds..."

Lan Ying lay wretchedly on the bank and gave a hollow laugh. "This body belongs to me, too. Why should I be the one to give it up!"

He pushed himself up. New wounds appeared on his fishtail, and the ones that had yet to heal split open again.

"Yu An, I won’t give it up."

Lan Ying’s lips curled into a smile. "You want to let him out? Only if I die!"

Yu An was silent for a moment. She suddenly remembered the Shark Pearl that Lan Yin had given her back in the Endless Sea. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He had said the Shark Pearl could decide his life or death. ’Could it help Lan Yin take back control of his body?’

"An’an," Ao Wu said, taking Yu An’s hand. "Why don’t we take him back first? Look in the manor’s storeroom. There’s a black chain that can lock down spiritual power."

Yu An rummaged around and found the chain, putting it on Lan Ying.

Lan Ying felt deeply humiliated. Seeing Yu An so determined to help Lan Yin, a sense of indignation rose within him.

’He and Lan Yin have the exact same appearance and spiritual power. My Talent Ability is even stronger! So why is it that Yu An, just like everyone else, only cares about Lan Yin and won’t show me even the slightest bit of favor!’

’It was like this when we were children, and it’s still the same now. Am I destined to be disliked, to be unloved?’

Resentment churned in his heart, accompanied by a dull ache.

The place where they were was not the previous lake; the rivers and lakes in the exiled land were all interconnected. To get back sooner, Ao Wu transformed into his beast form and reluctantly let the other males hitch a ride.

...

Meanwhile, Kong Qingqing and her Beast Husband had joined forces. Bai Rong, holding her two children, was completely powerless to resist. Just as her Zaizai were about to be snatched away, Da Hu suddenly transformed into his beast form and leaped from Bai Rong’s arms.

Bai Rong’s face fell in alarm. "Da Hu, come back!"

Da Hu didn’t look back. He charged straight for Kong Qingqing, his small claws leaving a series of shallow, bloody scratches on her exposed skin.

Relying on his small size, he nimbly dodged Kong Qingqing’s attempts to grab him. For a moment, she was actually unable to do anything to him.

"Grab him! Hurry up and grab this little brat for me!"

Kong Qingqing shrieked in frustration, ordering her Beast Husband to catch Da Hu first.

Da Hu snorted and tried to use the same trick again, but he wasn’t as fast as an adult male. Kong Qingqing’s Beast Husband caught him and held him tightly in his grip.