The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

The journey back was perilous, and Xi Ya had just woken up with a weak body, needing a few days of rest. During this time, He Dongchen memorized the books in the library and took a thorough tour of the Merman Palace, both inside and out, to avoid another trip in case something came up.

As the saying goes, ‘One who walks by the river may end up with wet feet.’ The Merman Palace was their ancestral land, holding secrets tied to their identity. It was best to avoid coming here unless absolutely necessary, to prevent anyone from noticing their tracks.

(T/N: One who walks by the river may end up with wet feet = there are risks in life, and you shouldn’t be surprised when things don’t go your way/ or; whether you want it or not, your environment rubs off on you.)

He Dongchen planned to diversify the Mermaid Clan’s ventures upon returning, to mislead others.

That afternoon, he had just come out of the library.

“Dongchen.”

A voice called out from the side. He Dongchen looked over to see Xi Ya swaying her beautiful tail as she slowly swam towards him. Her upper body was clad in a small garment made of pearl shells, clinging to her slender yet toned waist, gently swaying. Her long golden hair floated softly like seaweed.

“Give me your hand,” Xi Ya said, swimming up to He Dongchen and extending her hand towards him. In her other hand, she held a small golden seashell, which contained a lump of green paste that remained solid in the seawater.

He Dongchen raised an eyebrow slightly and extended his right hand, the two rows of teeth marks on his wrist still clearly visible.

Xi Ya evenly applied the green paste onto the bite marks, her downcast eyes full of regret. “I had just woken up that day, unable to distinguish friend from foe, and I hurt you.”

He Dongchen felt a cool sensation on his hand and gently nodded. “It’s just a small injury. I’m surprised you remembered.”

Hearing this, Xi Ya blushed, embarrassed. “This herb was gathered from your Mermaid Palace’s medicinal garden, but the preparation method is a secret technique of my Xitu Clan!”

“I made a little extra. You can take it with you and apply it slowly. It will come in handy for future injuries as well,” Xi Ya said as she took out a tightly closed small seashell from the pearl bag on her back, the contents of which were self-explanatory.

He Dongchen accepted it, played with it in his hand for a moment, then said regretfully, “Things from the deep sea are hard to explain if exposed on land.”

Xi Ya was stunned for a moment, then rubbed her forehead with a bitter smile. “A sleep of 10 years, and I feel completely out of place.”

The healing ointment their clan used to make was once so sought after, but now it had become almost useless.

“It’s okay, take your time to adjust; it’s a process we all go through,” He Dongchen comforted her, turning to place the ointment in the library. “Your kindness will be well preserved.”

Xi Ya opened her mouth, incredulously pointing to the place He Dongchen had just exited. “Th-that’s the library?”

“Yes,” He Dongchen nodded.

Xi Ya’s face turned bright red. She flicked her rose-gold tail and quickly left.

He Dongchen was puzzled. Suddenly, a merman popped out from the side, winking at him. “Clan Leader, you’re moving too fast! You’ve already put Princess Xi Ya’s things in the library?”

He Dongchen was slightly stunned, then rubbed his nose.

There weren’t many books in the library, but there were plenty of other miscellaneous items. These were gifts brought by the merfolk from other clans who had married into the clan, meant to showcase the glory of their clans.

He Dongchen chuckled, re-entered the library, and placed the delicate little seashell back in its rightful spot.

***

A few days later, Xi Ya’s body had mostly recovered, and the group set off on their return journey.

Before leaving, Xi Ya stared blankly in a certain direction, a trace of sorrow appearing in her eyes.

He Dongchen apologized, “There’s an urgent matter on the mainland that needs to be handled. If there’s another chance, I’ll accompany you back to the Xitu Clan.”

“Thank you,” Xi Ya replied with a carefree smile. As she turned, a tear escaped from her eye, and with a flash of white light, it transformed into a pearl. The pearl was full of luster, its color matching Xi Ya’s tail, a golden hue tinged with pink, making it exceptionally beautiful.

He Dongchen reached out and caught the pearl, carefully putting it away as he watched Xi Ya’s departing figure.

The journey back wasn’t smooth, as they encountered several attacks. Fortunately, each time they managed to escape unscathed.

Xi Ya, unwilling to be outdone, wielded a trident made of fish bones and fought various sea monsters with practiced skill. Her slender arms possessed astonishing power, able to pierce through the hard heads of fish with ease.

The other merfolk watched in awe, casting sympathetic glances at their clan leader.

After living on the mainland for years and growing accustomed to delicate human women, they found it hard to adjust to seeing Xi Ya being so fierce.

Xi Ya furrowed her thin eyebrows, pulled the trident from the fish’s head, and with a flick of her tail, the fish, its skull shattered, quickly sank to the bottom of the sea, disappearing from sight.

“Is this thing so fragile?” Xi Ya frowned at the cracked trident, her expression dissatisfied, as she hadn’t had her fill of fighting.

He Dongchen swam over and handed her a new trident.

“Getting ashore is our priority, no need to linger.”

Xi Ya nodded, reluctantly glancing at the distant school of fish.

After some time, the light above grew stronger, and marine life became more abundant. Schools of fish in various colors swam by, swaying their beautiful tails in unison.

“We’re almost there.”

The merfolk cheered, their tails wagging more joyfully as they headed toward the spot where they had originally dived into the sea.

“Wait, did you all hear that?” He Dongchen suddenly stopped, closing his eyes to listen. From above, a faint singing could be heard; a mermaid’s song, seemingly filled with urgency.

“Not good! A long snake formation!” He Dongchen suddenly opened his eyes, immediately changing direction. “The ship’s detectors have picked up a swarm of sea snakes heading straight for us.”

During reproduction, sea snakes gather together, forming a long snake formation that can stretch for tens of kilometers. They cover the sky and block out the sun, leaving nothing in their path, not even a single fish.

Although merfolk were powerful, even the strongest could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. A swarm of venomous sea snakes was more than enough to force them to retreat.

He Dongchen led Xi Ya and the others to swim in a direction perpendicular to the approaching sea snakes. The ship had already avoided the swarm and was waiting to pick them up on the other side.

The group swam with all their might, their powerful tails propelling them forward by several meters with each stroke. Suddenly, darkness descended from above. Xi Ya glanced back, her golden eyes narrowing as her movements stalled for a moment.

“Don’t look back.” He Dongchen grabbed Xi Ya’s arm, his gaze resolutely fixed ahead as he continued to swim forward.

Xi Ya snapped out of it, still shaken, but the warmth from her arm reassured her slightly.

The long snake formation approached rapidly, overwhelming everything in its path.

He Dongchen and the others didn’t pause for a moment as they fled, with other schools of fish joining the frantic escape, crashing into one another in chaos.

In the confusion, Xi Ya was suddenly shoved aside by a lightning-fast fish that burst out from behind her. She fell behind, and in almost an instant, was engulfed by the mass of sea snakes.

“Xi Ya!” He Dongchen immediately turned back, diving into the swarm of sea snakes without hesitation. He ordered the other merfolk to keep going and not to come back, as they would only slow him down.

The sea snakes were slippery and highly venomous. Even with the merfolk’ formidable resilience, a single bite could paralyze them for a moment. And in that brief instant, a mermaid could be doomed.

He Dongchen wielded his fish fork, clearing a small space around him.

“Xi Ya!”

“I’m here!” A voice called out from within the swarm ahead. It sounded strong, unharmed.

He Dongchen’s heart lifted as he continued to forge a path with his trident, narrowly avoiding one attack after another.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a trident falling below; the very one he had given to Xi Ya earlier.

“Xi Ya! Are you still there?”

There was no response from ahead, and He Dongchen’s face darkened, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.

Suddenly, with a swift motion, the scene before him opened up. Xi Ya emerged from the swarm of sea snakes, her golden hair flowing wildly, her gaze sharp. She had a sea snake clamped between her teeth, and with a fierce tug from her hands, the snake snapped in two, blood spraying out and quickly diffusing into the seawater.

It was a brutal sight, yet on Xi Ya, it was breathtakingly beautiful, a sight that captivated the soul.

In an instant, He Dongchen focused, hurling his trident past Xi Ya’s hair, skewering a sea snake that had been attempting a sneak attack from behind.

Then, he grabbed Xi Ya and swiftly pulled her away from the swarm of sea snakes.

The two of them didn’t know how long they had been swimming, but gradually, the sea snakes around them became fewer, and the light above grew brighter.

***

“Clan Leader! Princess Xi Ya!” A few anxious merfolk swam towards them from the front, surrounding them with concern.

Xi Ya glanced back at the retreating swarm of sea snakes, letting out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure hidden among the seaweed, with only a part of its tail visible.

Xi Ya was furious. She borrowed a trident, quietly approached, and then hurled it with force, pinning that tail deep into the mud.

This was the culprit! The one that almost cost her life!

The lightning fish thrashed wildly, the trident shaking. Xi Ya swam over and slammed her tail down on it, sending the sea snake to its demise.

He Dongchen chuckled at the sight, thinking to himself that she certainly held grudges.

But it was beautiful.

After escaping the danger, the group didn’t dare to linger. They followed the direction of the song and swam toward the surface.

With a few splashes, they broke through the water’s surface, spotting the ship not far away. The other merfolk cheered as they boarded the ship.

He Dongchen held Xi Ya back. “Stay in the water for a bit. I’ll go aboard and bring you some clothes.”

Xi Ya blinked. “Alright.”

He Dongchen instructed her not to wander off, then quickly climbed aboard, wrapped a towel handed to him by one of his clan members around himself, and borrowed a dress from a mermaid named Ah Yue.

The merfolk on the ship were puzzled.

The merfolk who had gone underwater began to chatter excitedly; “We found a giant clam outside the Mermaid Palace!”

“There was a sleeping mermaid inside the clam!”

“She’s Xi Ya, the Princess of the Xitu Clan! Her tail is rose gold! So beautiful!”

By this time, He Dongchen had already returned to the water’s edge with the dress. Xi Ya’s eyes lit up when she saw the beautiful black dress adorned with sparkling rhinestones. She instinctively put it on without needing any guidance.