Hu Yang was completely dumbfounded.
Other mermaids were whispering to each other:
“How did he get here?”
“It seems like he swam over…”
“Are you kidding me? He’s a human, and this is the deep sea!”
“Jiang Qingyue did say that he swims fast, but, uh…”
“So, he’s Ren Shuhan? I didn’t believe it when I heard it. Humans are really good-looking. This trip to the deep sea is not in vain.”
“No, did I misunderstand something about humans?”
“That’s why Teacher Zheng is right. We need to study more…”
Hu Yang had seen Ren Shuhan a few years ago and had a favorable impression of him. However, back then, Ren Shuhan was still a cute little child albeit a bit cold. Now he had grown into a tall, wild, and aggressive young man. This transformation posed a challenge to Hu Yang’s aesthetics, making Ren Shuhan a formidable rival.
Hu Yang had also heard Zheng Zhilai give lectures and knew that Ren Shuhan had been rescued from the sea by Jiang Qingyue…
But now, how was it different from what was agreed upon?
“Do you think I’ll be fooled by you? You probably took advantage of favorable currents and was nearby! Humans can’t breathe underwater. You won’t last long. I won’t bully the weak. Let me teach you a lesson while you still have air!” Hu Yang said to Ren Shuhan, but he was actually speaking to himself and his lackeys:
“Attack him together! He’s just a human. Even if he blows the conch shell, no one will come to save him!”
After he finished speaking, he deliberately moved himself, buying some time. Then, he slowly swam to Ren Shuhan. Opening his mouth with sharp teeth exposed, ready to launch an attack, he suddenly swerved away and performed a feigned move, swinging his tail…
Ren Shuhan grabbed his tail, and Hu Yang crashed onto the ground, landing on top of the mermaid Jiang Qingyue had knocked down earlier.
“Ah—!”
Hu Yang happened to fall on the mermaid who had been knocked down by Jiang Qingyue earlier. He didn’t get up again, and the two cries of pain overlapped. After that, there was silence under the sea.
The other mermaids looked at each other, filled with question marks over their heads:
“…”
“?”
“???”
Mermaid chieftains were selected based on their combat power, straightforward and brutal. Although Hu Yang might not be the strongest among the younger generation, being the only son of the Hu family chief meant inheriting the most powerful genes. Now, he was easily overwhelmed by Ren Shuhan?
Initially, the mermaids’ expectations were that this human might put on a show for a few moves, capable of dealing with ordinary mermaids. That’s why they dared to step forward. However, he would inevitably end up being suppressed by Hu Yang, who possessed formidable strength…
Was the result completely the opposite?
Several mermaids took a step back.
“Attack him together!” Hu Yang shouted in frustration. “He’s a human! He’ll run out of air soon. Even if all of you press him down, he’ll be crushed!”
Ren Shuhan gestured towards them with an indifferent expression: If there are a few of you, come at me together.
Hu Yang brought nine lackeys with him, making a total of ten little shark mermaids. One of them had been knocked down by Jiang Qingyue earlier due to underestimating his opponent. Now, seven of the remaining eight mermaids decided to charge at Ren Shuhan. They exchanged glances, measured the situation, and then collectively swam towards Ren Shuhan.
After all, it’s easy to pick on the weak. How long can a human be aggressive underwater?
They all ended up piling on top of Hu Yang, forming a small mountain.
Jiang Qingyue: “…”
Hu Yang: “…”
Another dead silence beneath the sea.
Jiang Qingyue: “…Brother?”
Ren Shuhan couldn’t speak underwater, but he tilted his head slightly, raised an eyebrow, and pointed to Jiang Qingyue with one hand while motioning with the other, indicating that it was Jiang Qingyue’s turn to be “dealt with.” Jiang Qingyue, understanding the gesture, hugged his precious pearl tightly, remaining quiet and obediently curled up on the side.
Hu Yang and his lackeys were defeated, leaving only one tall mermaid who had not spoken or taken action until now. He looked at Hu Yang and asked, “What’s going on with this guy?”
He seemed to be in his thirties, with muscles giving his face a rough appearance. A scar adorned his right eye, and his back slightly hunched. His voice was deep and resonant, and he showed great interest in Ren Shuhan.
“He’s quite good at fighting?” he inquired.
“I don’t… I don’t know,” Hu Yang replied, almost out of breath due to the pressure from the other mermaids. “He hasn’t left the mountains. Maybe Jiang Chen taught him a few moves? But he couldn’t have won against you, Brother Wang. Please help us vent our anger!”
Brother Wang then chuckled, swimming leisurely towards Ren Shuhan. “Jiang Chen is just average. I didn’t expect her to train a disciple who can spar with me. It’s interesting.”
“He’s Hu Wang,” Jiang Qingyue whispered to Ren Shuhan, coming close to him. “He’s Hu Yang’s cousin and caught a real shark a while ago. He brought it back with the fish still in its mouth, and that’s when he got that scar on his eye. He’s the designated next leader of the Hu family.”
Hu Wang could probably guess what Jiang Qingyue was saying. He laughed heartily, focusing on Ren Shuhan:
“So, you’re Qingqing that Hu Yang mentioned? We seemed to have met when you were little. You look even better now.”
Hu Yang’s expression worsened. “Cousin…”
He had initially not wanted to bring Hu Wang along because he knew Hu Wang was also lascivious. However, given the dangers of the deep sea, his family doted on him. Even if they formed a group, he had to bring Hu Wang along to help watch over things.
Hu Yang could only grit his teeth and say, “The male mermaids of the Jiang family are all good-looking. Once you take over the Jiang family in the future, there will be plenty of mermaids to choose from. You won’t need to form a partnership. Now is the chance, Brother Wang, show them some strength!”
“Take over the Jiang family?”
Jiang Qingyue’s heart skipped a beat, nervously turning to look at his little brother. He found Ren Shuhan pursing his lips, expressionless.
So cool >///<
Jiang Qingyue exhaled a stream of bubbles, feeling that his little brother was so reliable!
But in reality, Ren Shuhan was holding back his laughter.
Hu Wang1The characters for his name refer to expanses of water/pools of water, but it can also sound like an onomatopea for barking lol had chosen such a name, and combined with his somewhat dog-like appearance, he now looked like a sea dog in Ren Shuhan’s eyes.
This planet didn’t have dogs. Others wouldn’t get Ren Shuhan’s sense of humor, so he had to hold it in. Besides, he had been holding his breath since entering the water. Although he felt no discomfort after so long, he didn’t dare to push his limits and couldn’t laugh.
Underneath him, the mermaids in the pile were moaning in pain and clamoring:
“Brother Wang, go for it!”
“Show him what you’ve got!”
“Be careful, Brother Wang. This guy is unusually strong!”
“What nonsense are you saying? Brother Wang is an adult now. It’s not difficult for him to kill a human in the sea, right?”
Before and after mermaids reach adulthood, there is a huge difference in their combat abilities, especially when fighting against their own kind. Upon reaching adulthood, they can release pheromones to exert dominance, affecting humans who are receptive to these pheromones. The ones Ren Shuhan had just fought were, strictly speaking, still young fishlings.
So, Hu Wang didn’t take it seriously because he could easily defeat this group of young fishlings.
“They want to kill someone! Looks like they came here to pick a fight,” Jiang Qingyue became anxious, tugging at his little brother’s shorts and whispering, “Shall we run?”
Ren Shuhan awkwardly brushed away his hand, adjusted his waistband, and gestured for Jiang Qingyue to stay back.
During the day, Ren Shuhan had initially grabbed a harpoon from the system. However, in his haste to enter the water, he left it by the shore. Thinking that water resistance would require less force, and considering they were just dealing with young fishlings, he forgot to hold back while dealing with the mermaids who rushed at him. Without even using the system, he pressed them into the ground one after another, and now those mermaids were all groaning, likely with many tails broken.
So, he had to be careful now.
It would be better not to harm any fish lives…
Ren Shuhan clenched one fist while wrapping the other around it, moving his wrist and fingers.
Hu Wang grinned, charging forward, mouth wide open, head tilted to reveal a mouth full of sharp teeth, trying to intimidate his opponent. Simultaneously, he raised his hands, backhand veins protruding, and his five fingers formed claw-like shapes, aiming to grab Ren Shuhan’s neck.
Ren Shuhan wasn’t interested in any showy moves.
He raised his fist, seemingly light, and lightly struck Hu Wang’s chin. With just one punch, he sent Hu Wang flying, disappearing quickly from sight. Only a few broken teeth sparkled in the distance.
“Hmm…”
Even Jiang Qingyue fell silent this time.
Hu Yang and his underlings on the pile: “…”
Silence continued to be the only response.
After a long time, one of Hu Yang’s lackeys asked quietly, “Who… who are you really?”
Another mermaid whispered, “What just happened? Brother Wang flying out like that looked like a coconut.”
Hu Yang: “Shut up.”
Everyone fell silent again.
Ren Shuhan, who was always concerned, felt a bit awkward for Hu Yang.
Other mermaids still had blank minds, but Jiang Qingyue quickly understood what happened. He affectionately rubbed against Ren Shuhan’s arm and said with a soft and sincere voice full of admiration, “Big brother, you’re amazing!”
In his heart, no matter how strong his little brother was, it was natural for him to be so.
“When we go back, I’ll tell everyone that you defeated Hu Wang…” Jiang Qingyue thought for a moment, then added, “In that case, you might become the leader of our tribe!”
Ren Shuhan felt that defeating such an opponent didn’t seem worthy of bragging. It was like kicking away a big dog…
He couldn’t help but hold back a laugh. He heard Jiang Qingyue saying something else, so he paid attention. Jiang Qingyue was showing off, and Ren Shuhan was pretending to take it seriously. They held each other’s arms intimately and were about to leave. Hu Yang, unable to bear it, shouted, “You… you guys, just wait!”
“Who’s waiting for you?” Jiang Qingyue made a face at him.
However, Ren Shuhan actually stopped.
He was curious. Hu Wang was already the strongest. Who else could Hu Yang call for help?
As a result, Hu Yang struggled for a while before awkwardly saying, “Wait for me to call my parents!”
Ren Shuhan and Jiang Qingyue: “…”
After saying that, Hu Yang blew his own conch shell.
In his current condition, with injuries to his tail and being in the deep sea, if he didn’t call for his parents, there was no way to get them back to the shore. And he wanted to threaten Ren Shuhan: “You human, heretic! Later, I’ll bring the mermaids to the Jiang tribe. If they don’t hand you over, I’ll make the entire Jiang tribe bury you!”
Jiang Qingyue hugged Ren Shuhan’s arm tighter, and Ren Shuhan patted his shoulder, writing a few words on his hand:
“I’m here now, just take care of them first.”
Wanting his parents to come? Alright, Ren Shuhan thought indifferently. Let them come, and when they do, he’ll take care of the parents as well. Besides, the seabed is a good place to bury the bodies.
Jiang Qingyue looked at him worriedly, “But, but you…”
Can he stay underwater for so long?
Ren Shuhan shook his head, indicating that it was fine.
He hadn’t tried holding his breath for so long, but he had never felt unable to hold it before. Even if he played for a long time and forgot about the time, he never felt any discomfort. Now, it was the same. He was even more agile and comfortable in the water than on land. It was as if the water flowed according to his command.
He raised his hand and clenched his fist, waiting calmly for the other side to call for help. Jiang Qingyue, not knowing what he was thinking, suddenly blushed and said, “Or else…”
Or else, try a true love’s kiss?
I’m thoroughly confused because Jiang Qingyue calls Ren Shuhan little brother in his mind, but he calls him big brother when talking aloud… Oh well lol
