Chapter 105 – Sea Monster (Extra 8, Chapter 5)
Title: 谁把谁当真 (Winner Takes All)
Author:水千丞 (ShuiQianCheng)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists :黎朔 (Li Shuo), 赵锦辛 (Zhao Jinxin)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
֍֍֍
Li Shuo was stunned and his body immediately became stiff all over. He stared at Jinxin in a daze. The scenes of when the two met and the times they spent together appeared in front of his eyes. He couldn’t believe that Jinxin had lied to him…
Why did he lie?
Before Li Shuo had time to ask questions, the islanders rushed over with their torches and long knives.
Jinxin hated fire very much. He flicked his long tail and tried to stir up the sea water to splash towards the torch. But this place only has a shallow beach after all so he could not make big waves with the water. The blazing fire could not be put out.
Li Shuo looked at the ferocious islanders and finally came to his senses. No matter what, he couldn’t let them hurt Jinxin! He stood up in front of Jinxin and put up his crude weapon fearlessly to protect him like a knight. He then said loudly, “Jinxin, go!”
Jinxin stared blankly at Li Shuo. His eyes showed some gentleness. But when his eyes landed on those islanders, he became extremely ferocious again. He let out a soft groan from his throat and twisted his neck strangely. He then made a clicking sound.
The eyes of the islanders turned to look terrified.
Li Shuo turned his head to look. His hair stood on end for an instant.
Something was moving under the skin on Jinxin’s smooth back. Colourful scales spread from his lower body to the sides of his ribs. It gradually gave birth to two rows of fins. His slender and beautiful hands turned into thick claws. In the next moment, something on his back broke out from the skin and stretched out in the air. It turned out to be two huge wing-like fins.
Jinxin grabbed the rock below him with one claw. The hard rock was easily crushed by him! The fins and scales all over his body expanded. Each piece was like a sharp blade. He bared his sharp fangs fiercely towards the islanders. His beautiful face was distorted and ferocious. He had turned to look like a real monster!
Li Shuo’s legs were weak immediately. His grip on the weapon in his hand weakened. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He couldn’t believe that the gentle, lovely Jinxin who always hugged his waist and acted like a baby turned out to be such a monster.
The old man shouted: “Kill him. Use fire. He is afraid of fire. Quick!”
Despite being afraid, the islanders rushed forward with the torches in their hands.
Jinxin let out a low growl and flapped the fins on his back vigorously. He soared into the air and threw himself at the islanders without hesitation. With one claw, he crushed a person’s chest. His huge fishtail swept them all away.
An islander screamed and threw a torch at Jinxin. Jinxin couldn’t dodge and was burned by the torch on his shoulder. He let out a hiss and was completely enraged. He flew into the crowd like a demon. He was like a wolf rushing into a flock of sheep, wantonly killing every single one of his prey.
Sound of screams filled the cave. It was like a terrifying legend being performed in the dark night.
Looking at the bloody scene before his eyes, Li Shuo became completely clear-headed. His emotion shifted from fear to panic. He shouted: “Stop it!”
But no one could hear him. The scene was chaotic.
Li Shuo rushed over and slammed a young man away before being hit by Jinxin’s tail. So, instead of the young man, he was the one sent flying by Jinxin’s fishtail. His back hit the rock wall. His eyes were filled with pain and his whole body seemed to be falling apart.
Jinxin looked at Li Shuo in surprise. His gaze immediately sank.
Li Shuo gritted his teeth and said, “Jinxin, stop… That’s enough.”
The old man who was guarded by everyone shouted: “Go away quickly. He will kill you too.”
Looking at the crazy and ferocious monster, Li Shuo’s eyes were hot and he was about to cry. He thought what he had come across was a beautiful dream. But he didn’t expect it to turn into a nightmare in the end. Nonetheless, he still wanted to stop this nightmare. He was the one who brought Jinxin here. It was him who brought disaster to the people here.
Jinxin turned to the old man coldly and started to attack him.
Li Shuo endured the pain and tried his best to get up from the ground. He rushed over. When Jinxin was about to reach the old man, he stood in front of the old man: “Jinxin!”
Jinxin stopped and looked down at Li Shuo: “Get out of the way.”
Li Shuo tremblingly said: “Stop killing people. They are not your opponents. They can’t hurt you.”
“They wanted to kill me.” Jinxin then said, “They asked for it.”
“You have already won. This killing is meaningless!”
“Meaningless?” Jinxin shook his head and said coldly, “Killing doesn’t need any meaning.”
Li Shuo had tears in his eyes: “What about me? Will you kill me too?”
Jinxin frowned: “…Li Shuo, get out of the way.”
“Jinxin, just go.” Li Shuo’s tears flowed down his cheeks, “I don’t want to ask why my ship encountered the storm. I also won’t ask why you lied to me. I’m just asking you to leave.”
An angry look appeared on Jinxin’s face: “Then, you come with me.”
Li Shuo choked up and said, “You can kill me if you want. But I won’t go with you.”
Jinxin let out a low growl. He gritted his teeth and said, “You are indeed a human being.”
Li Shuo looked at Jinxin with fear and estrangement clearly written in his eyes. Jinxin swung his tail angrily at first. But he finally gave Li Shuo a look like he was wronged by him. He turned around and flew out of the cave. He then jumped into the sea with the sound of a plop and disappeared instantly.
Li Shuo’s knees softened. He knelt on the ground. His heart ached so his tears fell like rain.
~Half a month later~
At the southern pier of Vokas Island, a small sailboat was shaking its mast slightly against the sea breeze.
Li Shuo stood on the shore, accepting the farewell from the people of Vokas Island.
The elder said earnestly, “Young man, do you really want to go to the sea at this time? Those sea monsters have a strong desire for revenge.”
Thinking of Jinxin, Li Shuo still felt pain in his heart. He said calmly, “I have to go home. My parents and relatives are all waiting for me. I can’t imagine how sad they will be without me.”
The elder nodded: “You must be from a noble family. A kind young man like you shouldn’t have suffered all of this.”
Li Shuo said with a faint smile, “At least I’m still alive. And I’ve met you who are willing to help me. I think I’m still blessed by God.”
The elder sighed: “This ship is the only thing we can prepare for you. Thank you for saving us. I hope you will not lose yourself to lies again. I hope you can find your way home.”
Li Shuo said guiltily: “No. I was the one who brought him to this island. It was my fau…-“
“-Young man, don’t blame yourself. It was not your fault.” The elder muttered his own words silently. He then placed his palm on Li Shuo’s forehead, “May God always bless you.”
Li Shuo bowed to the elder. He then boarded the small sailboat without hesitation. He took the compass, food, fresh water, and some necessary supplies as he set off to find his way home.
According to the elder, this place is close to the southwest of the Red Earth Continent, about 400 nautical miles away from the Lambert Sea. If he is lucky enough not to encounter any storms, considering various uncertain factors such as wind direction and wind speed, it will take at least a month for the small sailboat to take him home. Although he brought enough food and fresh water, the possibility of him drifting in such a small boat on the endless sea alone is actually very high.
But he had no choice. He would rather risk his life to return to his parents and people rather than spend the rest of his life on an island.
Sea voyages are extremely boring, especially when Li Shuo is alone. He would think of Jinxin from time to time. He remembered the wonderful days and nights he spent with that merman at sea and their final goodbye.
During the period of him recuperating on the island, the elder told him a lot about merpeople. Or rather, they called them sirens or sea monsters. It turned out that the islanders’ ancestors had passed down more detailed legends about these sirens. The sirens are a group of powerful, very fierce and brutal creatures who dominate the sea. Many creatures will be confused by their dream-like beautiful appearance and heavenly singing voice. In their demonised form, they can have the ability to fight on land for a short time. The thing they feared the most is fire. And what they liked the most was to tease human beings.
The elder told him that he was just another plaything targeted by the siren. Once the siren got tired of playing, he would drag him into the sea and drown him, leaving his dead body in the sea forever.
Li Shuo was still unwilling to believe that Jinxin was just playing with him. Those affectionate looks, sweet interactions, gentle kisses and lingering nights were all just him as a sea monster teasing him? He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that the joy and affection he saw in those blue eyes were all fake.
But whether it’s true or not, Jinxin really lied to him. He pretended he couldn’t speak. He pretended to be naive and ignorant. He pretended that his ‘inside’ was as beautiful and charming as his appearance. But he finally turned into a murderous monster right in front of him.
Li Shuo desperately wanted to clear out the horrific appearance that Jinxin left him at the end from his memory. Even if it was all a nightmare, it had a good beginning. He would rather only remember the good memories that were left by Jinxin rather than remembering the bloody images.
This was because he was really tempted. For the first time, he had a vague experience of being in ‘love’.
But he couldn’t do it. Even just a thought of it causes his body to tremble.
Li Shuo sighed sadly and looked into the distance absently. Apart from sea water, there was nothing else to be seen. He thought that the most terrifying thing in the sea was the storm and deadly waves. But only now did he realise that maybe the most horrifying thing was loneliness.
After sailing like that for half a month, Li Shuo became lifeless. All kinds of things that he remembered and felt about Jinxin tortured him repeatedly. It was hopeless to think of him. It makes Li Shuo become haggard and embarrassed.
Just as he was beginning to feel desperate, he suddenly noticed some strange fluctuations on the sea surface. He ran to the side of the boat and looked down. He found that groups of fish were swimming fast forward. Under the dark blue sea, shadows could be seen in clusters, with different sizes and shapes. There were also countless fishes jumping out of the water. They seemed to be fleeing for their lives.
Li Shuo’s heart was beating wildly. He raised his head and looked at them. The fishes were so abnormal that they were either being hunted or the weather was about to become bad. But it was obvious that the sky was clear at this time. If the weather was about to be really abnormal, there could be no warning about it.
Could it be that there is something under the sea…?
Li Shuo felt a burst of fear. He stood on this lonely small sailboat, not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, something bumped onto his sailboat. He was unprepared and fell on the boat. He struggled to climb forward and grabbed the side of the sailboat.
Another collision struck again. The sailboat was hit over and over. His fingers lost strength and his feet rolled left and right like a cloth bag. There was only a creaking sound and Li Shuo watched helplessly as the bottom of the sailboat leaked.
He climbed to the door of the inner cabin and grabbed a knife. He was about to grab some food to get ready to evacuate when there was another fierce impact. The poor little sailboat was knocked over and Li Shuo also flew out while screaming.
At the same time as he fell into the sea, his boat also turned upside down on the sea surface.
He fell into the unfathomable sea water and his body sank inertially. He widened his eyes and searched for the terrifying creatures at the bottom of the sea. In the end, he saw a kind of familiar figure—a shadow with a human body and a fishtail.
The shadow circled around the sailboat and rushed straight towards him.
Li Shuo felt turbulence in his heart. But when he took a closer look, it was not Jinxin. It was a black-haired and black-tailed merman. But he clearly had a face sort of similar to Jinxin. Nonetheless, even though he had a handsome face like a God, he was full of murderous intent. He bared his fangs with a ferocious expression. It was as if he wanted to swallow Li Shuo alive.
Li Shuo turned around to swim away. But only after swimming for a few metres away, he realised how futile it was. Compared with his speed to that of a merman, it was like a child and an adult running a race. He had already caught sight of the merman right behind him from the corner of his eye. He suddenly turned his waist in the water and slashed at the merman with his knife.
The merman easily avoided his knife and grabbed his neck with one claw.
Li Shuo, who was barely holding his breath, was forced to open his mouth and the sea water poured down his throat. The pain of suffocation made his whole body twitch.
The merman grabbed his neck and rushed all the way out of the water. He jumped onto the overturned board, and threw Li Shuo down heavily.
“Cough cough… Cough cough…” Li Shuo covered his neck as he coughed and retched forcefully. He spat out several mouthfuls of salty sea water.
The merman sat on the other side of the boat plank with his fishtail submerged in the water, looking at Li Shuo coldly.
Li Shuo waited for a long time before raising his head and looking at the other party warily: “Who… are you?”
The merman has the same pale skin as Jinxin. But he has long black curly hair like ebony. His fishtail is covered with black scales. They’re shining with a mysterious and solemn lustre like a black pearl. This merman looks naturally noble and full of momentum. He was like a king of the seven seas. No wonder the fishes all ran away when they saw him.
The merman said grimly, “You are that human being.”
Li Shuo took a deep breath: “You are…Jinxin’s clansman. How did you find me?”
“You have my brother’s smell on you. The smell that belongs to after having sex with him.”
“……What are you here for?”
“Tell me. Where is the island that caused his body to be burned?”
Li Shuo laughed at him: “You are so powerful that you can find me hundreds of miles across the sea. But you can’t find the island?”
“I can’t find it.” The merman said coldly, “Only the smell of sex is the strongest.”
Li Shuo couldn’t care less about being embarrassed. He was about to die anyway. He stared at the merman: “The islanders saved me. And they already paid the price. I won’t tell you where that island is.”
The merman sneered: “The price? The death of a mere few humans is not enough to pay the price for hurting our Siren Prince. You lowly human. Do you know that he is the only merman of the Siren Clan with a colourful tail?”
“What’s so special about that?”
“It’s very beautiful.”
“…”
The merman’s gaze was cruel and indifferent. It was as if he was looking at an insignificant fish or shrimp instead of a human: “I can let you die an easy death. Or let you live a life filled with torture for hundreds of years. Tell me, where is that island?”
Li Shuo’s eyes shone with determination and bravery: “You will never hear a word of betrayal from a true warrior.”
The merman was enraged. He smashed the ship plank under him with one of his claws.
All of a sudden, the sun-drenched sea reflected a dazzling light. Li Shuo was stunned. He was very familiar with this dreamy colour. The black-tailed merman also paused in his track.
In the next moment, a merman with long golden hair and a colourful fishtail popped out of the water gracefully. He was beautiful under the sun. Each scale is like a rainbow.
Li Shuo’s eyes felt hot and his heart ached.
With his familiar stunning face slowly emerging from the sea, Jinxin looked at Li Shuo. There was sadness in those blue eyes.
Li Shuo opened his mouth. But he couldn’t utter a word. He didn’t know how to describe his mood at this time. It’s not that he hadn’t imagined seeing Jinxin again. But he couldn’t figure out how to deal with it if he were to see him. But when he saw Jinxin’s shoulders, waist, and even the fishtail having burns of varying degrees, his strongest feeling was heartache.
The black-tailed merman said something loudly to Jinxin in their own language.
The two mermen quarrelled fiercely. But the black-tailed merman was more authoritative and his tone was full of reprimands.
In the end, the black-tailed merman rushed towards Li Shuo angrily. Jinxin swam towards the sailboat like an arrow. When the black merman was about to catch Li Shuo, he knocked over the sailboat again. Li Shuo fell into the water.
This time, what surrounded Li Shuo was not only the cold and dark sea, but also the blond hair that was more dazzling than the sun coupled with Jinxin’s warm and powerful chest.
They surfaced together.
Li Shuo and Jinxin looked at each other unwaveringly. They seemed to have thousands of words but were unable to speak any of them.
The black-tailed merman was furious: “You have become so stupid for a mere human being!”
Jinxin pleaded without backing down even for a bit: “Brother Emperor, please let him go.”
“We never show mercy to creatures that harm our people. This is the reason why the Siren Clan has been in power for thousands of years. “
“He didn’t hurt me.” Jinxin said, “I have already killed the human being that hurt me. Please let him go. I will…go back with you.”
The black-tailed merman narrowed his eyes at him: “You promised to go back with me?”
Jinxin said in a low voice: “I promise.”
“Before sunset, I will come to take you away.”
“Okay, Brother Emperor.”
The black-tailed merman gave Jinxin a contemptuous and cold look before turning around and diving into the water. He soon disappeared without a trace.
֍֍֍
*Translator’s Note: That Brother Emperor is none other than our mighty scum Shao Qun from ‘Sissy’. Hahahaha. You’ll also see Li Chengxiu soon in this AU. -K
☝🏻Fanart from Weibo
Next update: 2023.08.04
֍֍֍