Yan Mo didn’t like leaving questions unresolved until the next day, so he decided right then and there to go see the merfolk High Priest. He wasn’t exactly afraid that the other party might try to pull a fast one or anything—his abilities were more than enough to protect himself. Besides, Jiufeng was back, and as far as those merfolk were concerned, Jiufeng was their natural enemy.
Jiufeng landed beside Yan Mo, burrowed his head into Yan Mo’s chest, and cuddled up to him for quite a while.
Yan Mo had a flood of questions he wanted to ask, but with an outsider present, he had to hold them back for the time being. He then instructed Da He to inform Yuan Zhan that the merfolk High Priest wished to see him.
Da He accepted the order and departed.
Whoosh! Beads of rain as big as beans poured down, soaking them through in the blink of an eye.
Before the downpour began, the guards had already draped a prepared raincoat over Yan Mo.
Yan Mo was worried about Jiufeng, but when he touched its body, he felt a slight resistance. He then realized that the heavy rain wasn’t hitting Jiufeng at all—it was as if a tiny ring of air currents had formed around its body, blocking the rain entirely.
Was this the use of wind abilities? Judging by Jiufeng’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like it was doing this on purpose. Perhaps this was some kind of instinct that awakens as the Human-Faced Kunpeng matures?
“Jie?” Jiufeng tilted its head to look at him.
“Nothing. I just think you’re getting more and more powerful.”
Jiufeng proudly lifted its head, but its expression quickly changed. “Jie jie!” Fish! So many big fish! I really want to eat them.
Seeing food, Jiufeng forgot what he’d been about to say. He stared at the merfolk warriors on the riverbank, drooling so heavily that the merfolk warriors all went on high alert.
Yan Mo wanted to laugh but felt too embarrassed to do so. He quickly diverted Jiufeng’s attention. “These are Jiuyuan’s companions. Haven’t you met them before? Have you forgotten? You promised me that as long as they don’t harm us, you won’t eat them.”
Ramon, feeling threatened, gave a wry smile, turned, and dived into the water. A moment later, he surfaced holding several plump fish. Seeing this, some of the other merfolk warriors quickly dived in as well, and soon they too emerged with fish in hand.
All the still-living fish were placed on the riverbank.
“Is this for Jiufeng?”
The merfolk warriors nodded vigorously.
“Thank you.” Before Yan Mo could finish his thanks, Jiufeng had already begun devouring the offerings presented to it by the merfolk warriors.
“Gulp!” Not enough!
“Uh, well, Jiufeng is hungry. It thinks these fish are delicious.”
The merfolk warriors understood. Ramon waved his hand, and all the nearby merfolk warriors dived into the river to catch more fish for Lord Jiufeng.
By the time Da He returned, Jiufeng had already used its claws to push two of the plump fish—offered by the merfolk subordinates—toward Yan Mo, gesturing for him to join in.
Yan Mo patted it. “No rush. Whatever you don’t finish is all mine.”
Jiufeng was satisfied. Though massive in size, it didn’t have a big appetite; there was no way it could finish this pile of nearly a hundred fish.
Yan Mo was surprised to see that only Da He had returned. He’d assumed Yuan Zhan would have come along as well, and had been wondering how to persuade him not to come. Instead, Da He simply relayed a message: the chief had told him to go and return quickly.
Though surprised, Yan Mo didn’t give it much thought. Little did he know that Yuan Zhan, not wanting to see him upset or disappointed, was secretly putting all his efforts into tracking down the thief who had stolen the Earth Elemental Fruit.
By then, Ramon already had the merfolk warriors bring over a raft. This wasn’t the one Yan Mo had given them last time, but one they had built themselves later.
“Lord Mo, please.”
Yan Mo patted the well-fed Jiufeng, signaling it to fly into the sky, but Jiufeng saw the raft as if it were a fun toy and insisted on jumping aboard.
Ramon, facing his natural enemy up close, struggled to suppress the unease he felt at the sight of it. “Lord Mo, could you please not let Lord Jiufeng come along?”
“I wish I could, but it’s the Mountain God—it certainly doesn’t always do as I say.” Yan Mo said with a helpless expression.
Did Ramon believe him? Regardless of whether he did or not, he knew there was no way to drive that human-faced bird away. Still… he suddenly found himself looking forward to seeing the High Priest’s expression when he laid eyes on the human-faced Kunpeng.
This was a fairly large island, and one of the forbidden zones Ramon had pointed out to him back then.
Yan Mo estimated that this island was likely the largest in Qingyuan Lake. The island was lush with vegetation, and as the heavy rain pounded the ground, faint wisps of white mist rose due to the temperature difference, giving the entire island a beautiful and mysterious appearance.
Ramon and the other merfolk warriors pushed the raft, carrying him and Jiufeng to the sandy beach on the southern side of the island.
The sand on this beach was exceptionally fine and pure white. If not for the familiar scenery visible in the distance, Yan Mo might have even suspected he had arrived on some coastal island.
“Lord Mo, please wait here for a moment. Our tribe’s High Priest resides on this island. We cannot stay here long without permission. Once you’re ready to leave, the High Priest will naturally send word for us to come and fetch you.” After saying this, Ramon and the other merfolk warriors quickly pushed the raft away as soon as Yan Mo stepped ashore.
Jiufeng paced back and forth on the beach, seemingly quite pleased with the sensation of his claws sinking into the sand.
Yan Mo stood on the beach and looked up at the island. Behind the beach lay a dense forest. Should he wait here, or venture into the woods to explore?
This was a good opportunity to scout out the island, but… Yan Mo bent down and scooped up a handful of sand.
Fine, silvery-white grains slipped through his fingers.
Had this place once been the sea? Otherwise, why would there be sand like this? Yan Mo deliberately scanned the surroundings but saw no white rocks or layers of soil—which made the formation of this silvery-white beach seem rather strange.
Yan Mo took off his straw sandals and tossed them aside, then walked a few steps barefoot across the sand. He even scooped up some sand and put it in his mouth to taste.
“This is sea sand formed from ground-up shells and coral reefs.” A voice tinged with laughter came from behind him.
Yan Mo dropped the sand from his hand, clapped his palms together, and slowly turned around.
Jiufeng suddenly soared into the air, staring intently at the person who had just appeared below.
A handsome man with long hair that fell to his feet, about the same height as Yuan Zhan, stood there on the beach, in the pouring rain.
The man had an excellent physique, wearing nothing but a loose piece of burlap tied casually around his waist. His muscles were sleek and natural, not exaggerated; his eight-pack was sharply defined, and his beautiful V-line sparked the imagination. His long legs were half-hidden by the burlap, revealing only his slender calves and perfectly shaped feet.
Yan Mo’s gaze instinctively swept over the linen cloth at the man’s waist, now clinging tightly to his body from the rain. It was an impressive size—almost as substantial as that beast Yuan Zhan. Hmm, no, that wasn’t the point. The point was that the linen looked familiar; its texture appeared identical to the burlap clothes he wore.
And he remembered that not long ago, he had given a piece of his finest, freshly woven hemp cloth as a gift to the merfolk.
“The High Priest of the merfolk?”
“The Little Priest of Jiuyuan.”
Yan Mo pretended not to hear the word ‘Little’; his eyes were fixed entirely on the man’s legs and feet.
The man smiled and walked step by step toward Yan Mo. “Surprised by what you see?”
“Yes. I thought the merfolk couldn’t manifest legs. Is this the High Priest’s power, or can all merfolk do this?”
The man didn’t answer him, but instead extended a slender finger to lift his chin. “Interesting. Your knowledge and your language skills don’t seem like those of a junior priest.”
What does that mean? Yan Mo tried to pull away from the man’s hand, only to discover that his seemingly slow movements were actually anything but. He had clearly seen the hand reaching toward him, yet he couldn’t dodge it no matter what.
Yan Mo raised his own hand, intending to push away that disrespectful touch.
The hand didn’t budge an inch.
Yan Mo immediately summoned his golden needles, aiming them at the pressure points on the man’s hand.
But! The man showed no reaction—or rather, he did react. He glanced at his hand, then squeezed Yan Mo’s chin slightly tighter. “Naughty boy, what are you trying to do?”
Merfolk pressure points are different from those of humans. That was Yan Mo’s first thought.
But immediately afterward, he realized it was more than just that.
“How could a mere third-level warrior like you possibly hurt me?”
“What level are you?” Yan Mo skipped the formalities and retorted bluntly.
The merman High Priest, whose beauty seemed almost unreal, burst into laughter, seemingly too disdainful to even bother answering the question.
“Kyeh—!” Jiufeng, apparently feeling that his little two-legged creature was being bullied, immediately spat out three wind blades in rapid succession.
The High Priest didn’t bother to dodge; the three wind blades vanished before they even reached him.
Yan Mo’s throat twitched slightly.
Jiufeng plunged downward, clawing at the merman High Priest.
The High Priest raised his hand and, to great astonishment, grabbed both of Jiufeng’s claws, flinging him forcefully to the ground.
Thud! Jiufeng’s massive body hit the ground, his wings kicking up a huge cloud of dust. The bird was thrown so hard he couldn’t get back up for a long time.
“Jiufeng!” Yan Mo’s heart ached. He flipped his wrist, sending dozens of wooden needles flying toward the High Priest’s face.
All the needles turned to dust, except for one. The High Priest pinched the remaining needle between his fingers, examined it, and even put it in his mouth to bite down on it. He raised an eyebrow. “Maple Clan thorns? Are you human, or are you of the Everlasting Tree Clan?”
He’d hit a tough nut! Yan Mo raced through possible responses in his mind. He could sense that the other party didn’t intend to kill him, but he had to demonstrate something sufficiently intimidating—otherwise… their conversation wouldn’t be on equal footing as the other was still gripping his chin.
But just as he hesitated over whether to unleash his ultimate move, the High Priest —whose combat prowess was beyond measure—reached out with his other hand to stroke Yan Mo’s cheek… “It’s the Warrior Mark,” the High Priest said in a tone tinged with nostalgia and surprise. “It’s been so many years since I’ve seen one of these. I thought I’d never see another. Little Priest, haven’t you learned how to hide the Warrior Mark yet? This won’t do. You won’t live long with that mark on you.”
Yan Mo remained silent, then after a long moment, said, “Could you let go of me? I don’t think this position is suitable for conversation.”
The High Priest laughed—a laugh that was both wicked and lewd. He pinched Yan Mo’s cheek, snatched the straw raincoat off his body and tossed it aside, then pushed him down onto the sand. “Boy, satisfy me first, and then we’ll talk.”
Damn it! Yan Mo had no choice but to unleash his ultimate move.
The High Priest probably never expected that a mere third-level priest—who seemed so insignificant in his eyes—could actually hurt him. After knocking the boy to the ground, he ripped off his own burlap robe and pressed down on the youth.
But just as his body closed in on the boy, his hand already gripping the boy’s waist as he prepared to flip him over and have his way with him, the merman suddenly let him go and leaped back a good distance.
Yan Mo scrambled to his feet, pulled down the sackcloth robe that had been flung up, and without glancing at the merman High Priest, hurried over to Jiufeng, who was still struggling to get up.
Jiufeng let out a grumble of indignation; in all his life, he’d never been humiliated like this!
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Yan Mo ran his hands over Jiufeng’s body, giving him a quick check.
“Jie.” I’m not hurt, just knocked out by the fall. That big fish is so powerful!
“Big fish? You know he’s not human?”
“Jie jie.” He’s a big fish, not a two-legged monster. I’m going to eat him!
“…I don’t think you can beat him yet.”
“Jie!” If I eat him, I’ll become even stronger.
“Pfft!” A derisive snort came from the distance. “Even your bird ancestor might not be able to touch me, and you—a little birdling whose down feathers haven’t even fallen out yet—think you can eat me? If it weren’t for your bird dad begging me to keep an eye on you, do you think I wouldn’t have plucked every last feather off you and eaten you raw?”
“Kyaaah! Woosh, woosh, woosh!” Jiufeng attacked again and again in a rage.
“You disobedient little bird.” The High Priest waved his hand, and Jiufeng suddenly flew up, landing with a ‘splash’ in the lake.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yan Mo rushed into the water.
“It won’t die. I’m just teaching it a lesson so it won’t drool over our clan’s young fish every time it sees them.”
The lake water took the shape of a giant hand, grabbed him by the neck, and flung him onto the shore.
Meanwhile, a whirlpool formed where Jiufeng had landed, swiftly swallowing his body whole.
Yan Mo stared at the spot where Jiufeng had vanished, and to the merman’s surprise, green tendrils began to rise from the whites of his eyes, converging toward his pupils.
“What a bold little rascal. To dare keep the Fruit of Shamanic Fortune inside your body—who taught you that?”
With a swish, the green tendrils retreated, and Yan Mo’s eyes instantly returned to normal. “High Priest, can we have a proper talk now?”
“Ha! Do you really think that’s enough to threaten me? Child, I told you: satisfy me first, or else you’ll have to go back with nothing but a bellyful of questions—oh, and a bellyful of merman sperm. Besides, don’t count on the merfolk helping you ever again.”
