Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2696 - 2697: Four Elders

Gao Zhou’s eyes were slightly red, and his body was trembling. He had finally found Merfolk Island, finally reached Chushuang’s homeland, the place that had consumed his life’s efforts and tormented him throughout.

Bai Ruozhu felt a little uncomfortable watching this and quietly tugged at Jiang Yichun’s sleeve. Jiang Yichun quickly assisted Gao Zhou, gently squeezing his hand.

"Father, stay calm," he whispered.

Gao Zhou closed his eyes, trying hard to suppress his emotions. The merfolk were cunning; he couldn’t afford to show any weakness.

"This way, everyone." Wenyu led the way, and Bai Ruozhu and the others followed, moving eastward as if entering a paradise.

"Hey, are those outsiders?" A few girls were running and playing in the distance, and suddenly someone noticed Bai Ruozhu and his group.

"Indeed they are. If they were welcomed onto the island, they must be distinguished guests, right?"

"People from outside aren’t good-looking; they’re much worse than we are."

The girls chattered and laughed joyously, truly carefree.

Wenyu gave them a faint glance, "Go play over there."

They immediately quieted down and ran off, though some were bold enough to glance back, even noticing Bai Ruozhu.

"That woman walking in the front must have a special status, right?"

"Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a banquet tonight, and we’ll find out then."

The conversation among the girls was overheard by Bai Ruozhu, but these young maidens were too young to know anything significant.

Yet compared to the Golden Wings Clan, there were indeed more merfolk females.

The group followed Wenyu for a while and gradually saw rows of neatly arranged houses, simple bamboo houses, closer to human customs than the Golden Wings Clan.

Some merfolk were busy outside their houses, and some were even weaving.

"They are weaving Jue Lingsha. Madam Bai must have heard of it?" Wenyu suddenly spoke.

Bai Ruozhu nodded, "I’ve heard that Jue Lingsha is priceless. I imagine it’s not just because merfolk are rare to encounter?"

Wenyu smiled, "Jue Lingsha is extremely difficult to weave. It takes three years or even longer to produce one piece, but Jue Lingsha can keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, impervious to water and fire, hence its preciousness."

As he spoke, he secretly observed Bai Ruozhu’s reaction, seeing her only nod with approval, her eyes showing little surprise or desire, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

He originally thought that women would love dresses made of Jue Lingsha, and Bai Ruozhu would surely show interest, allowing him to tease her a bit.

Unfortunately, Bai Ruozhu didn’t take the bait and remained calm, which made Wenyu marvel at the knowledge of the Jiuli Clan; it seemed the Jiuli didn’t lack treasures.

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and not far away, a woman exclaimed. Her spinning wheel was about to topple over, and if it fell, her Jue Lingsha would surely have a flaw. At this moment, she had one hand holding the merthread and the other holding the shuttle, unable to spare any hands.

Bai Ruozhu quickly signaled to Fo Lanying, who understood and threw out a mechanical puppet. The puppet rushed forward swiftly, transforming with a series of clicks into a half-human-sized humanoid puppet, reaching out to stabilize the spinning wheel.

The female merfolk stood there in a daze, taking quite a while to regain her senses. She stood up and saluted, "Thank you, mistresses."

She appeared to be in her twenties, very beautiful, with eyes like a clear spring.

Someone inside the house walked out in large strides, presumably the woman’s husband, "Ayi, what’s happened?"

"The spinning wheel almost fell over, thanks to the guests for their assistance." The woman immediately recognized Bai Ruozhu and his group as guests.

The man bowed to them, "Thank you all."

Wenyu smiled, "I have always heard that the Jiuli Mechanism Technique is famed worldwide, and indeed, it lives up to its name."

"Left Guardian, you flatter us. My little sister is young, and she doesn’t have many puppets." Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile.

Fo Lanying cooperatively said, "I only have eight puppets, which can’t compare to the elders."

Wenyu’s thoughts started racing again. If such puppets numbered at eight, each capable of combat, wouldn’t that be impressive? And the elders had even more, the Jiuli Clan was indeed recorded as a godlike existence within the clan.

Afterward, he continued leading the way. Ayi and her husband watched them leave. Ayi sat down again and said softly, "Luckily the Jue Lingsha wasn’t ruined, or these years would have been for naught. I hope I can finish a piece of Jue Lingsha before I die, leaving something for our daughter."

The man’s voice was a bit hoarse, grabbing Ayi’s hand, "It’s my incompetence. If only we weren’t so poor, maybe we could have kept you alive."

Ayi shook her head while smiling, "What meaning is there in me surviving alone? It’s better to leave it all for the child."

When their daughter was mentioned, the man’s expression stiffened, and he lowered his voice even more, "I heard the tribe is selecting a Holy Maiden again, I’m afraid..."

Ayi’s face changed dramatically, her voice trembling, "No, it can’t be. Our daughter is so ordinary..."

Bai Ruozhu, with her keen hearing, though walked afar, could vaguely hear the couple’s conversation, especially the mention of "selecting a Holy Maiden," which piqued her entire attention.

But unfortunately, Ayi and her husband didn’t speak further, and Wenyu led them far away.

In front was a palace, which compared to the ordinary merfolk bamboo houses, was quite luxurious, having a touch of the Gold Palace’s shadow.

The merfolk seemed to favor gold, not at all modest in their extravagance.

"Our tribe does not have a chief; several elders discuss matters collectively." Wenyu explained.

At the palace entrance stood two rows of guards. Wenyu showed a token before they let them pass.

Inside the palace, four elders greeted them with smiles.

"Welcome to the honored guests of the Jiuli Clan visiting Merfolk Island," the oldest elder with the most amicable smile said, his face glowing and his smile kindly, like a benevolent old man.

But Bai Ruozhu was stunned on the spot; how could there be elderly people here?

Could it be that the merfolk have already found a way to live past thirty? Her heart began to race with excitement, which might mean Achun’s own mother survived?

"Greetings to the elders. I am Bai Ruozhu of the Jiuli Clan." Bai Ruozhu composed herself and bowed to the four elders.

The great elder chuckled, "There’s no need to stand on ceremony, young Bai. You have remarkable skills for your age; the Jiuli Clan indeed produces talents."

This moment was ripe for exchanging compliments, and Bai Ruozhu picked a few flattering words, praising the uniqueness of Merfolk Island and the vibrant spirits of the four elders. While both parties seemed to be engaging in delightful conversation, in truth, each harbored a degree of suspicion.

Jiang Yichun and Gao Zhou felt as though they were on an emotional roller coaster, but they had to refrain from alarming anyone, forcing themselves to remain composed.

The great elder’s gaze fell on Jiang Yichun and Duannian, "Your merfolk servant is of age."

He implied there were a few years left until the age of thirty. That sweeping glance seemed to diminish some of his suspicions.

This was why Bai Ruozhu had Fang Luo hide for now. If the merfolk saw Fang Luo, it would be easy for them to recognize that he was nearing thirty and to suspect the purpose of their visit.