Chapter 1238: Little Aunt

Hearing the voice, Zu'an shivered, then a hint of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.

He glanced around, then, carrying Chiwen, who looked like a wriggling earthworm, flew directly towards the source of the voice.

The remaining people exchanged glances.

Tu Shan Yu instinctively looked at Yan Xuehen and the other two women.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were also bewildered; they instinctively looked at Yu Yanluo, as her relationship with Zu'an was closer.

Yu Yanluo looked just as confused; she didn't know either.

"Who was that?"

"It was a woman's voice."

"Judging by how happy Zu'an looked, their relationship seems unusual."

The few people instinctively discussed it briefly, then simultaneously fell silent.

They wanted to follow and see what was happening, but they were all people of status and couldn't bring themselves to do it, so they could only stay put and sulk.

Seeing the expressions on the women's faces, Tu Shan Yu was momentarily bewildered, unsure if he should also be angry.

Meanwhile, Zu'an flew several miles to a lake, where his attention was quickly drawn to a graceful figure.

A woman in a plain dress was sitting languidly on a tree branch, leaning against the trunk, staring blankly at the distant horizon. With the index finger of her other hand, she gently hooked a green wine gourd.

Zu'an couldn't help but smile; every time he saw her, the wine gourd would sway gently with her finger, as if it would drop to the ground with the slightest breeze, yet it always hung securely from her fingertip, never falling.

"Sister Shang, what are you doing here?" he asked in surprise, tossing Chiwen aside.

With a thud, Chiwen hit the ground and twitched, but ultimately didn't wake up; clearly, the beating had been too severe.

The woman on the branch was, of course, Shang Liuyu.

She didn't even glance at Chiwen. Instead, her eyes, as she looked at Zu'an, softened slightly: "It's been many days, and you don't even call me teacher anymore?"

Zu'an showed no timidity, smiling as he replied, "Speaking of which, I'm also a teacher at Brightmoon Academy, and I've called you 'sister' for a long time now."

"Is that so? Drinking too much can make one forgetful," Shang Liuyu said, a hint of a smile in her eyes, clearly not having truly forgotten.

Zu'an looked at her wine gourd: "It's been a long time since I've had your Sky-Illuminating Brew. I really miss it."

"Want a drink? Come up," Shang Liuyu gestured to him.

Zu'an pushed off with his toes, and his entire body flew up onto the tree.

Shang Liuyu's legs were naturally bent on the branch. Seeing this, she deliberately pulled them back to make space for him.

Her skirt billowed, revealing a pair of flawless, radiant white feet, truly smoother than silk and more lustrous than jade.

Zu'an couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister Shang still dislikes wearing shoes so much."

He had to admit, he knew many confidantes, but when it came to perfectly exquisite feet, Shang Liuyu was unmatched.

He specifically looked down and was surprised to find no shoes.

Shang Liuyu handed him the wine gourd: "I'm not used to wearing shoes. In Brightmoon City, I had no choice; I wore them to avoid being seen as an oddity. Here among the demon races, I naturally don't have those concerns... Ah, what are you doing?"

It turned out that Zu'an had gently lifted a section of her skirt and was looking at her foot.

Zu'an let out a sound of surprise: "I'm just curious, you're always barefoot, so why are your feet completely spotless?"

Shang Liuyu slapped his hand away and quickly pulled her foot back. A faint blush appeared on her usually serene and elegant face: "You're too presumptuous. Can a girl's feet be touched so casually?"

Watching her shy expression, Zu'an found it particularly novel: "I thought Sister wouldn't get shy. It's rare to see you like this."

"No wonder you have so many confidantes around you, young man; your methods of teasing women are indeed impressive," Shang Liuyu scoffed, but wasn't truly angry.

Zu'an cried out, "I was genuinely just curious, purely for academic reasons, no other intentions!"

"If you had any ill intentions, I would have disciplined you long ago," Shang Liuyu said, finally recovering her usual calm demeanor. "Not getting dirty isn't difficult; you just need to use water elemental power to create a barrier between your feet and the ground."

Although she spoke lightly, the level of water elemental control required was far beyond what an ordinary person could achieve.

Zu'an raised the gourd and took a sip. The strong liquor flowed down his throat like a ball of fire, and he felt his spirits lift: "Still the taste I remember."

He returned the wine gourd to her, and at the same time asked, "Is it because you're from the mermaid race that you can do that?"

Shang Liuyu took the wine gourd. She didn't gulp it down like Zu'an, but delicately took a sip before replying, "So you already know."

Zu'an hummed in acknowledgment, seemingly lost in thought, a hint of melancholy in his voice: "That strange jade pendant you gave me back then, I later learned it was a mermaid heart-protecting scale, and only royalty possesses it."

Shang Liuyu was a little surprised: "Since you know, it seems you've already used it. Was it that dangerous back then?"

"Yes, it was a near-death experience. So, Sister, you saved my life, and I don't know how to repay you," Zu'an said earnestly.

Shang Liuyu pursed her lips and smiled: "I've heard in plays that in such a situation, shouldn't you say that a life-saving kindness can only be repaid by pledging oneself?"

Zu'an replied, "If Sister doesn't mind, I would, of course, be willing to offer my humble service."

Shang Liuyu scoffed, "Pah, who needs that?"

After a moment, she sighed: "You really are a good guy, and I quite like your personality. It's just a shame you're so promiscuous, with so many confidantes around you. Our mermaid race, on the other hand, seeks exclusive and devoted love."

Zu'an was momentarily stunned. He had just made a casual joke, yet she seemed to be analyzing it seriously.

Shang Liuyu also snapped back to reality and quickly changed the subject: "No wonder you've grown to this extent; facing life and death is the best way to temper a person."

The two reminisced for a while about various events since their last parting. Zu'an then asked again, "Why are you here?"

Shang Liuyu replied, "Didn't the Demon Emperor summon all races to the Royal Court? The people of my tribe are quite lazy and don't want to leave the ocean, so they sent me."

Zu'an was secretly astonished. The Demon Emperor wasn't a fool; he summoned the kings of each race. For her to represent the mermaid tribe, her status was clearly not low. However, he wasn't in the habit of prying.

Just then, Shang Liuyu finally glanced at Chiwen, who lay on the ground like a dead pig: "I was passing nearby and sensed the power of the trident, so I came to investigate. I didn't expect it to be this scoundrel."

Zu'an suddenly recalled Chiwen's lineage—said to be the offspring of a Dragon King and a fish. Could it be...

Shang Liuyu nodded: "He's my sister's child. Since I was passing by, I couldn't just leave him to die, so I asked you to be lenient."

Zu'an sighed: "Since he's your relative, I naturally won't trouble him further. However, with his scoundrel nature, he's bound to cause trouble again someday. You can't always save him."

"I'm well aware of that. If something truly happens in the future, he'll only get what he deserves," Shang Liuyu said, her delicate brows furrowing in a rare display of evident dissatisfaction with her nephew.

As she spoke, she jumped down from the tree. With a casual wave of her hand, a stream of clear water splashed directly onto Chiwen's head: "Are you dead? If not, get up quickly."

Zu'an also jumped down. He specifically looked at the soles of Shang Liuyu's feet and noticed a faint blue shimmer of water circulating, preventing her feet from actually touching the ground.

As if sensing his gaze, a slight blush appeared on Shang Liuyu's neck, and she instinctively pulled her feet further into her skirt.

At that moment, Chiwen finally stirred awake. Upon seeing Shang Liuyu, he was both surprised and delighted, reaching out to hug her leg: "Auntie, you must stand up for me!"

He directly slammed into a water barrier, falling sprawling on his back.

Shang Liuyu's face turned cold: "Stop yelling. Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"