novelraw Chapter 278 - 146: Obtaining the Mermaid Tears
Chapter 278 - 146: Obtaining the Mermaid Tears
Hearing the Merfolk King’s words, Gu Qingqing and the other three exchanged glances, their eyes somewhat dim."We need the Mermaid Tears to make medicine to save someone very important to us, so you don’t have to worry about us deceiving you," Nan Hua took a deep breath and said to the Merfolk King.
The Merfolk King gave Gu Qingqing and the others a deep look and nodded.
Under the guidance of the Merfolk King, the four of them, Gu Qingqing included, braved the curious and astonished gaze of the other merfolk and arrived outside the Golden Palace. The Merfolk Clan also knew how to set up arrays, but their abilities couldn’t compare to Nan Hua’s. Under the Merfolk King’s guidance, Nan Hua walked around the Golden Palace, inspected the array’s condition, closed his eyes for a while, and then nodded to the Merfolk King.
"I need some materials, do you have them?" A large list of materials for repairing the array quickly flashed through his mind, and he turned to ask the Merfolk King.
"What do you need?" Instead of answering, the Merfolk King asked first.
"It’s not that many things—a bit of ninth-level Demon Beast blood, some Spirit Pattern Stones, Cloud Star Stones, Colorful Cloud Ash..." Nan Hua did not hide anything and directly mentioned a bunch of materials needed.
The Merfolk King thought for a moment and realized these were all available in their treasure house, breathing a sigh of relief. "All these are in our treasure house, I will have Xi retrieve them for you now."
He looked at Xi, who nodded and then turned around, walking briskly into the palace.
Soon, Xi returned carrying a Storage Bag. After obtaining the Merfolk King’s approval, Xi handed the Storage Bag over to Nan Hua. Nan Hua opened it for a quick inspection and, upon confirming everything was as it should be, nodded, then started working on repairing the array outside the Golden Palace. The Merfolk King instructed those among the merfolk who understood arrays to assist Nan Hua. Nan Hua simply glanced at him, not saying much more.
Gu Qingqing and the others, unable to contribute, went inside the Golden Palace to wait.
Originally, the merfolk had captured many people to practice on, intending them as sparring partners, but because Gu Qingqing and the Merfolk King reached an agreement, they let these humans pass out again temporarily, planning to release them after the array was repaired.
Above the sea, it was already bright. Those who had come seeking treasures began waking up. Upon realizing their companions had vanished, they were a bit panicked, especially as they couldn’t understand how they had fallen asleep without noticing. The atmosphere on the sea was tense.
After waking up in the morning, Jiang Xin also noticed Nan Hua and the others were missing. He instructed a search of the ship and the surrounding ships but found no trace of them. He concluded that Nan Hua and the others, like the previous members of the Jiang Family, had been captured by the merfolk, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Though he hadn’t known Nan Hua long, Jiang Xin felt Nan Hua understood him in a way nobody else did, which was why he had brought Nan Hua and his friends aboard.
In a brief moment of panic, people noticed the light beam, which had become much more transparent the previous day, had solidified somewhat today. Some attempted to attack the beam but to no avail, leaving them rather frustrated.
No one from the Jiang Family went missing this time, but they discovered some cultivators had taken the opportunity to hunt in their designated hunting area, angering them greatly. Unfortunately, those cultivators were extremely cunning, making it difficult for them to be captured, leaving the Jiang Family Head and Jiang Zhuo infuriated.
"These people are outrageous, causing trouble like this, and we can’t do anything about them, it’s infuriating!" Third Master Jiang slammed the table in anger, growling intensely.
"This time we were too careless, knowing full well they would seek to cause trouble yet failing to increase security. However, they will find it harder to get in next time," the Jiang Family Head rubbed his temples, speaking with a weary tone.
"Father, are we just going to let this go?" Jiang Zhuo, usually calm, felt very aggrieved upon seeing his family receive such injustice.
"Zhuo’er, I know you feel stifled, but now is not the time to confront those guys. Currently, all the forces in Tianhai City are here, and if we make a move, those already displeased with the Jiang Family will surely trouble us. We cannot let the Jiang Family fall into such a situation. You’ll have many opportunities in the future—it won’t be long before we can retaliate against how those people treated us," the Jiang Family Head spoke with a cold face.
Hearing these words, Jiang Zhuo moved his mouth but finally could only purse his lips tightly, knowing his father’s words were correct. Although dissatisfied, he had to endure.
...
Under the sea, Nan Hua quickly set to work. His attainments in arrays were already profound, and the array outside the Golden Palace was not especially formidable, merely complex, making it relatively uncomplicated for him. Additionally, with the help of the merfolk, over half of the array was repaired in one day.
Of course, extended work left Nan Hua feeling a bit fatigued, so he straightforwardly returned to rest.
The next day, he continued his work.
As the array was progressively repaired, the view of the light beam from outside grew increasingly indistinct, making those waiting outside anxious, but they were powerless against the beam, only able to watch as it eventually reverted to its previous rainbow hue.
It took about three days for Nan Hua to repair the entire array outside the Golden Palace. Once he restarted the array, the towering light beam vanished, and the Golden Palace disappeared from the seabed, concealed from view.
"Thank you, here are the tears you wanted." The Merfolk King personally witnessed the repaired array, even more formidable than before, and expressed his profound respect and gratitude to Nan Hua as he handed over the promised Mermaid Tears.
Nan Hua took the bottle given by the Merfolk King, carefully put it away, and looked at the Merfolk King and said, "Now that the deal is complete, we should take our leave."
They came here precisely for the Mermaid Tears. Now, being able to peacefully obtain the Mermaid Tears, Nan Hua and the others were very satisfied and eager to return; they did not want to stay any longer.
The Merfolk King nodded, thought for a moment, and handed Nan Hua a blue scale, "This is a token of our Merfolk Clan. Since you have helped us repair the array, you are an esteemed guest of our clan. If you visit the Heavenly Illusion Sea in the future, simply infuse Spiritual Power into this scale to enter the Golden Palace."
Hearing this, Nan Hua was a bit surprised at the scale in the Merfolk King’s hand, but did not refuse, as it was beneficial for them, "Thank you, I will keep it well."
Carefully putting away the scale, Nan Hua and the others left the Golden Palace together. The humans who had been brought into the Golden Palace with them were also sent out, and after they departed, the palace completely vanished into the sea. If not for the Mermaid Tears and scale they held, everything in the Golden Palace would seem like a dream.
"Good, now that we have the Mermaid Tears, it’s time to return." Nan Hua took a deep breath and transmitted his voice to Gu Qingqing and the others, his voice brimming with joy he couldn’t restrain.
Gu Qingqing and the others were equally delighted; having obtained the Mermaid Tears brought them closer to healing Yue Zhao, which naturally made them very happy.
To avoid attracting attention, they did not return to the sea surface from the same spot as before but swam directly to the shore, returning to Tianhai City.
Upon returning to Tianhai City, they changed their clothes, rested for a while, and the next day, boarded the Flying Artifact to return to Lingxi Sacred Land.
...
In Lingxi Sacred Land, since Gu Qingqing and the others left, Wen Guiyun visited Yue Zhao’s room daily to apply acupuncture, suppressing the spread of toxins within Yue Zhao.
Today was no exception. After finishing acupuncture on Yue Zhao, Wen Guiyun looked at Yue Zhao’s significantly thinner body and paler face. Wiping sweat from his forehead, his expression wasn’t good either. After tucking Yue Zhao in, he instructed the disciple looking after Yue Zhao to take good care of him, and headed outside to his courtyard to handle Lingxi Sacred Land’s affairs.
Just as he reached the courtyard gate, a disciple came running over, panting heavily. Seeing him, the disciple’s eyes lit up and quickened his pace.
"What is the urgency?" Wen Guiyun asked the disciple.
"Reporting to the Saint Master, Senior Brother Nan and the others have returned." The disciple hurriedly reported to Wen Guiyun.
"Really? Nan Hua and the others have returned?" Wen Guiyun asked with a surprised expression.
"Yes, they will be here soon." The disciple nodded excitedly.
Upon hearing this, Wen Guiyun didn’t rush back inside but waited at the gate.
Soon, Nan Hua brought Gu Qingqing and the others in, and upon seeing Wen Guiyun, they were all quite excited.
"Master, we have fulfilled our task and brought back the Mermaid Tears!" Nan Hua said excitedly to Wen Guiyun.
"Really?" Wen Guiyun asked in astonishment.
"Master, please see, this is the Mermaid Tears." Nan Hua took out the Jade Bottle containing the Mermaid Tears and carefully handed it to Wen Guiyun.
Wen Guiyun accepted it, opened it for a look, and nodded.
"Excellent, now we just await the return of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus; hope for Yue Zhao’s recovery is imminent." Despite Wen Guiyun’s usual composure, he couldn’t help but express his excitement.
"Master, has there been any progress with Senior Brother Si Lin and the others?" Gu Qingqing asked, thinking of Si Lin and his team.
The smile on Wen Guiyun’s face faded slightly as he shook his head, "No, we have yet to receive any news from your Senior Brothers."
The smiles on Nan Hua and the others’ faces dimmed, and the previously lively atmosphere turned somber.
"I believe Senior Brother Si Lin and the others will certainly bring back the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus. We just need to wait," Gu Qingqing quickly said, seeing everyone’s spirits were low.