Chapter 41: The Mermaid Princess from Afar

The next morning, while eating with Lu Ran, Wei Yang kept thinking about what she should do today.

She could go visit the princesses again. She still needed to talk more with Namei to better understand Jiuzhou’s situation. And… she kind of missed that white dragon too.

Or maybe she could go find Lilith? As the actual ruler of the town, Lilith definitely knew a lot about the pearls and the negotiations—things Wei Yang herself didn’t fully understand.

But there was one issue that bothered her even more—

Where had Yu Tu gone?

Ever since she woke up at Lu Ran’s house, that rabbit hadn’t appeared again. Normally, she was always being teased by her, but now that she had suddenly disappeared, it felt… strange.

Wei Yang bit on her chopsticks and looked out the window.

Should she leave Fox Hidden Town for a bit, step outside the protective barrier, and go take a look at the Divine Capital?

After breakfast, Wei Yang changed into one of Lu Ran’s old outfits. After telling her she was “going out for a walk,” she ignored Lu Ran’s attempts to stop her and left.

As she walked through the streets of Fox Hidden Town, she kept thinking about Yu Tu—the mischievous rabbit who could control her body and always lounged on a somersault cloud watching the show.

Where on earth had she gone?

Before she knew it, Wei Yang had reached the edge of the barrier.

The massive black hemispherical barrier stood before her. Beyond it lay the Divine Capital.

Could Yu Tu be somewhere there?

Even those ear clips were gone. No one but her could see them anyway. Maybe something had gone wrong after the mission started, leaving them behind in the capital?

She decided to take a quick look.

Without hesitation, Wei Yang stepped through the barrier.

After passing through the water-like curtain, she arrived near the Divine Capital—and was instantly stunned.

There were far too many patrolling guards!

***

Hiding in the bushes, she peeked out. The streets were filled with soldiers, and there were wanted posters everywhere—with her face clearly printed on them.

“Harsh… Asagao…”

She had no choice. She needed a better disguise; otherwise, there was no way she could walk around openly.

Luckily, she soon spotted someone.

It was a girl wearing a dark hooded cloak, walking toward the bushes where Wei Yang was hiding.

The hood concealed her face, revealing only her chin. The cloak was long, reaching her calves, completely hiding her figure.

Perfect.

The moment the girl passed by—

Wei Yang launched a sneak attack!

With divine power infused into her strike, she knocked the girl on the back of the neck. The girl collapsed instantly. Wei Yang quickly caught her and dragged her into the bushes.

“Sorry about this… I’ll borrow your clothes. I’ll return them later… maybe.”

She laid the girl down and reached to unfasten her cloak.

The hood slipped back, revealing a delicate, almost doll-like face framed by long sea-blue hair.

On the back of the girl’s right hand was a deep blue gem.

Embedded into her skin, the gem shimmered with a flowing, fish-like light.

An artifact?

Wei Yang leaned closer to take a better look—

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist.

Wei Yang looked up—those eyes had snapped open.

The next moment, the world spun.

Before she could react, the back of her head hit something soft.

The girl had locked her in a grappling hold!

Her thighs clamped tightly around Wei Yang’s head, while her arms restrained her completely—like a koala locking onto its prey.

“Mmgh!!”

Wei Yang struggled to speak, but her face was buried, making it hard to breathe. A cool voice sounded above her.

“Are you a dragon assassin?”

Wei Yang shook her head frantically.

“Mmph—!”

“Not?” The girl loosened her grip slightly. “Then why did you attack me?”

“Haa—haa—I just wanted to borrow your clothes! Do you believe me?”

“Borrow clothes?”

“Yes! Borrow clothes!”

The girl tightened her hold again.

“You think I’d believe that?”

“Mmph! I swear!”

Wei Yang was nearly suffocating. Why were this girl’s legs so strong?

And this position was way too embarrassing…

Fortunately, the girl adjusted slightly, letting Wei Yang’s face out.

“Your face looks familiar… ah, you’re that wanted criminal.”

It was over.

Wei Yang tried to escape, but she was still restrained.

“You’re the fox demon wanted by Asagao, right? The entire capital is searching for you.”

“I—I’m not—”

“Stop pretending. There’s no way I’d mistake you.”

Wei Yang couldn’t argue.

‘I’m done… I’m going to get captured and handed over to Asagao… no way…’

But unexpectedly—

The girl released her.

Wei Yang fell to the ground, coughing as she rubbed her neck, finally catching her breath.

Looking up, she saw the girl smiling slightly—with a hint of mischief.

“Relax. I’m not going to capture you.”

“Huh?”

“For certain reasons, I also don’t want my identity exposed,” she said, pulling her hood back up. “We’re the same.”

“…Who are you?”

“Dragon hunter—Fu Ping.”

Fu Ping?

Wasn’t she one of the mermaid princesses who were supposedly wiped out during last year’s dragon uprising in Jiuzhou?

“You’re supposed to be dead! Did I just run into a ghost in broad daylight?!”

Fu Ping punched her lightly.

“Shh. Keep your voice down.”

“Ow! So you’re not a ghost!”

“What are you thinking? Of course I’m not. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I played dead back then to survive.”

She raised her left hand, showing the deep blue gem embedded in her skin.

“This is our mermaid clan’s inherited artifact—‘Water Six.’ It allows me to control the flow and form of water freely. But there’s a drawback—it requires a long recharge after each use.”

Wei Yang nodded in understanding.

“That sounds familiar…”

“So you’ve been troubled by something like that too?”

“…What do you mean ‘too’?”

“Anyway, that white dragon is ridiculously strong. I pushed myself to the limit fighting her last year, but even after exhausting all the energy of Water Six, I still couldn’t kill her. So I had no choice but to fake my death—otherwise, I would’ve been killed instead.”

Wei Yang clicked her tongue.

“So now you’ve come to the Divine Capital?”

“I heard the white dragon left Jiuzhou, so I came here to find her—and take revenge.”

Wei Yang’s instincts told her to stay far away from this person.

Without hesitation—

She ran.

“I—I have something urgent to do. I’m leaving!”

“Wait.”

Wei Yang ignored her and kept running.

Whoosh!

Something flew past her ear and embedded itself into a tree ahead.

It was an arrow made entirely of water.

Wei Yang slowly turned her head.

Fu Ping stood there, a green bow formed from her artifact, another water arrow already drawn and aimed at her head.

“This time, I won’t miss.”

Wei Yang immediately raised her hands.

Her divine power attacks had a wind-up time—if she tried anything now, her head would probably explode.

“O-okay, okay! Don’t get excited!”

Fu Ping lowered the bow slightly but didn’t dismiss it.

“I’ll ask you one thing. Do you know where the white dragon is?”

Wei Yang hesitated for a split second.

“I don’t know. Never heard of her.”

But Fu Ping caught that tiny pause and narrowed her eyes.

“You hesitated. That means you know.”