No matter how one looked at him, this fellow appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary scholar—yet here he was, floating effortlessly on the water’s surface as though he were some kind of mermaid.

This was, after all, directly beneath the cliff, the very stretch of sea where the waves crashed most violently, with no shallows in sight, the water plunging several fathoms deep. Setting aside entirely where this fellow had even come from, consider simply how extraordinary his aquatic skill must be to keep half his body afloat above the water’s surface, with nothing whatsoever to cling to, and yet appear so utterly effortless about it?

It couldn’t help but bring to mind that incident at Qinse Sea Valley—a man who’d clearly drowned, only to cough a few times and spring back to life entirely!

He tilted his head upward to look, but the jutting overhang of the cliff blocked his view entirely, revealing nothing.

He turned to gaze north instead, toward an endless, boundless expanse of water stretching without end.

“Could it be they still haven’t arrived?” he murmured to himself, his handsome brow furrowing, his body still half-submerged in the water, standing as though on solid ground, one hand absently stroking his chin, lost in thought!

Good grief—no matter how skilled a swimmer someone was, surely they couldn’t remain “standing” upright in the ocean water like that!

A rare moment of genuine seriousness settled over him as he mulled things over for a long while, then shook his head slightly and abruptly sank beneath the surface. The moment he vanished, a fresh wave crashed down hard, erasing every trace of what had just occurred, as though no one had ever been there at all.

The ocean surface churned violently above, yet the depths below remained perfectly calm. Baili Weisheng’s figure slowly sank downward, settling at last upon a massive coral formation.

The golden scales that had briefly vanished now spread outward once more, adorning his temples, lending his handsome features an untouchable air of nobility—yet that wasn’t all.

Gradually, his ears stretched longer and longer, transforming into two golden fins the size of open palms. He closed his eyes, and his long, flowing black hair, once bound high, suddenly billowed outward, turning entirely golden—and at that same moment, his white robes burst apart from the surging power erupting from within his body. Before anyone could even register what was happening, his bare upper body emerged, sculpted and captivating, every muscle sharply defined, his powerful arms dotted with glinting golden scales—while below, his legs had somehow transformed into a long, flowing fish tail, its golden scales shimmering brilliantly!

This—this was unmistakably a merman!

Merfolk were naturally beautiful, yet he was unlike any ordinary merman—his handsomeness, his beauty, radiated an untouchable, unapproachable nobility, as though he were a prince among his kind.

Gone entirely was that clean, pure, faintly mischievous scholar’s smile. In its place, his features had turned cold and severe, and with a single turn of his body, he shot away like a swimming dragon, vanishing within moments into the depths of the sea.

He too had been waiting—waiting just as Jun Beiyue was, yet finding nothing whatsoever…

At this very moment, Yanzi and her companions had only just arrived within Dongqin’s territory!

Xuanyuan Lige glanced back at Wuxie Ravine, clenching his jaw tightly to keep himself from erupting in fury.

That Yanzi. That man in black. To think they’d deceived him so thoroughly!

They hadn’t gone through East Sea Cliff at all—instead, they’d informed him at the last moment that they’d be crossing through Wuxie Ravine.

“And Han Ziqing—has she already crossed over?” he asked coldly, his displeasure unmistakable.

“Already crossed long ago. Don’t be angry now—it was just a little joke at your expense. Don’t tell me you’d actually prepared some sort of ambush waiting for us over there?” Yanzi teased, a look of disdain curling at her lips.

Even now, Xuanyuan Lige still hadn’t given up—wasn’t that rather ungrateful of him?

He ought to have known better—wounded so gravely and entirely at their mercy, he would never manage to pull off any real tricks against them. He would only ever be the one being played.

“Naturally we need to make arrangements. Which port do you intend to use? Only a Dongqin royal vessel can reach Yaoshun Island.” Xuanyuan Lige said coldly.

“Don’t worry, someone’s already handling the arrangements!”

The moment Yanzi finished speaking, a group of horsemen came galloping out of the forest in the distance. Seeing the sheer scale of their approach, Xuanyuan Lige was genuinely startled—he hadn’t expected it to be her, of all people!

The arrival was none other than Xuanyuan Lige’s own younger sister, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi!

Xuanyuan Zhaoxi shot her brother a dismissive glance, then dismounted, warmly extending her arms toward Yanzi. “Heh heh, Yanzi, we finally meet in person!”

Yanzi accepted the embrace generously. Despite having connected with Xuanyuan Zhaoxi only recently, their relationship had already grown remarkably close—rather than trust a man who loved Han Ziqing, she’d sooner place her faith in a woman who hated her.

Whatever assistance Xuanyuan Lige could offer them within Dongqin, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi could provide just as easily.

“The ship’s all arranged. Let’s go, I’ll escort you there personally!” Xuanyuan Zhaoxi said, getting straight to the point without wasting words. Xuanyuan Lige stared at her coldly, saying nothing—only to suddenly begin coughing.

Once he started, he couldn’t stop, his face turning ghostly pale, nearly doubling over from the force of it!

“Brother, you should take your medicine.” Xuanyuan Zhaoxi offered helpfully, reaching toward him—only for Xuanyuan Lige to jerk back violently, glaring at her with fury.

“Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t reported you to Mother Empress—that’s already more mercy than you deserve.” Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s expression darkened at once. Xuanyuan Lige should have been stationed at the Northern Frontier, and yet he’d gone to the Solitary Island instead, only to be gravely wounded by Han Ziqing. If Mother Empress ever found out, would she spare him?

She understood this well, and so did Mother Empress—in his heart, Han Ziqing’s importance had long since surpassed even Great Qin itself.

“Oh, come now, what’s the matter? Lige, I brought your sister along to help—aren’t you pleased?”

Yanzi, well aware of the full situation, smiled innocently as she stepped in to mediate. “Why do siblings always fall into conflict the moment they meet? You’re both here to help me, we’re all on the same side—what’s there to be unhappy about? Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll judge who’s right and who’s wrong.”

“It’s nothing. My brother’s health isn’t good, and I was just urging him to take his medicine!” Xuanyuan Zhaoxi said with a smile.

“Is that so? Well, both Lishang and the human gu are counting on you—you’d better not let anything happen to you!” Yanzi teased, pulling Xuanyuan Zhaoxi over. “Everything’s ready, shall we go?”

Had Xuanyuan Zhaoxi not come, perhaps along the way to the port, Xuanyuan Lige might still have found some means of escape—after all, this was Dongqin, his home ground!

But Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s arrival had shattered every last hope he’d held. Now, all he could pin his hopes on was Yaoshun Island—his final chance!

Mother Empress’s people had already gone to Yaoshun Island as well, but everything there remained under Nanny Qin’s control. He could only pray that Nanny Qin wouldn’t disappoint him.

They boarded the carriage, and the group headed straight for the port!

Throughout the journey, the man in black remained as tight-lipped as ever, tucked away in a corner, contributing nothing either way. Yet Xuanyuan Lige understood clearly that everything Yanzi did was carried out under this man’s orders—this man was the true formidable adversary here. Just who exactly was he?

It wasn’t until Xuanyuan Zhaoxi brought up Han Ziqing that Xuanyuan Lige finally looked up.

“Once the human gu is fully cultivated, won’t that be absolutely terrifying?”

“Exactly, which is why you’d better watch over her very, very carefully for me!”

“Don’t worry, she’s already been sent aboard the ship. I guarantee no one can get anywhere near her!”

Xuanyuan Zhaoxi hesitated for a long moment, then added, “Those venomous beasts have all been loaded onto the ship too. Are you really planning to raise the gu out at sea?”

At these words, Xuanyuan Lige’s heart skipped several beats at once. Yanzi… what exactly was she planning?