IFILWMWMAE Chapter 2: No Crying, or I'll Eat You

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I am not a little kid. According to the way merfolk measure age, I am already nearly a hundred years old.

A merfolk needs to live a hundred years to grow into the appearance of a ten-year-old human child, and their intelligence develops at the same slow pace. Perhaps from soaking in the seawater for too long, most of my kind are slow-witted and dull.

Thinking of this, I felt sorrow rise in my heart again. My people had been slaughtered, my mother was gravely injured, and she spent years hiding with me, barely clinging to life. In the end, she still couldn’t hold on.

I became the last merfolk in this world.

“Why are you crying?” the young master asked.

I hastily turned my back to him, covering my eyes, whispering to myself, “Don’t cry, don’t cry…”

But I couldn’t hold it in. My tears spilled down like a broken string of pearls—like pearls, but not pearls.

Feeling the wetness on my fingertips, I suddenly remembered: I could cry freely now. Before my mother died, she had sealed my bloodline with the merfolk’s sacred treasure. No one could tell what I really was.

But I was terrified. Other than that one time when I was scared to tears by a wild dog, I had never cried, no matter how much Ren Luyan and his gang bullied me.

The trees around me stood about a hundred feet tall, their dense canopies fully spread, blocking out the sky. I stood beneath them and cried my heart out.

My sobs startled the birds, sending them flapping out of their nests in fright.

Through my tear-blurred vision, I saw the young master pinch my cheek, threatening, “No crying! Cry again, and I’ll eat you!”

I hiccuped in fear and took a long time to stop sobbing.

The young master crossed his arms and leaned lazily against the tree trunk, glancing at me from time to time.

I cautiously looked into his eyes, trying to hear his thoughts.

But I couldn’t. His level of cultivation was too high, and his emotions were as steady as a boulder. When Su Zezhou saved me last time, I had only caught his inner voice because his emotions had surged in that moment. Otherwise, I never would have heard anything.

Once I had stopped crying, the young master questioned me, “Who sent you?”

Before I could answer, he frowned and muttered to himself, “Lately, the beasts in the Abyssal Realm have been acting up. It’s extremely dangerous. A kid without any training in magic—are you trying to get yourself killed?”

I replied, “I was thrown down here.”

When the young master looked at me, I spoke louder, “Lu Yan from the Qingxu Sect, along with his lackey Lin Yunpu, kicked me off their flying boat.”

“The Qingxu Sect?” The young master chuckled and asked, “Why would they go after a little kid like you?”

For all his fierceness, the young master had a truly captivating smile. I had gone too long without talking to anyone, so I told him everything, from beginning to end.

When I mentioned Zezhou Immortal Lord, my face was full of admiration.

The young master listened, watching me with an ambiguous smile. His gaze made me uneasy, so I quickly changed the subject. “Who are you? And where is this place?”

The young master looked around for a moment, his expression turning wary. Using vivid words, he described the terrifying legends of the Abyssal Realm, deliberately lowering his voice and occasionally mimicking the cries of monsters.

While he spoke, mist crept into the forest. I could only see the nearest tree—any farther, and everything faded into obscurity. The rustling leaves only made the surroundings feel even more eerie.

I widened my eyes in fear.

Finally, the young master casually said, “My name is Xie Lin.”

He was about to leave, and I followed closely behind, struggling through waist-high shrubs, tripping over branches, and falling to the ground.

Xie Lin stopped, turned around, and said, "Don't follow me."

The fog grew thicker. I couldn't see his expression clearly and, worried that he would abandon me, anxiously pleaded for him to take me along.

Xie Lin remained silent.

I mustered the courage to lie, "I am the betrothed of the Immortal Lord of Zezhou. When I grow up, I will become his Dao companion. If you help me, he will reward you."

From within the mist, I heard Xie Lin laugh—a crisp, bright sound, surprisingly pleasant to the ears.

He said, "So you're Su Zezhou's betrothed? My apologies, my apologies."

Xie Lin couldn't stop laughing, even choking a few times.

I felt that he was mocking me and blushed with shame.

A moment later, the mist dissipated.

Xie Lin casually sat down, leaning against the thick stalk of a massive plant, crossing one leg over the other. He raised his chin at me, signaling me to come closer.

I shuffled toward him hesitantly.

Xie Lin said, "Your future husband injured me a while ago. While I was recovering, you also happened to hit me. Let's settle this debt."

Realizing that the Immortal Lord of Zezhou had fought with him before, my heart sank, and I foolishly asked, "Are you a bad person?"

Xie Lin replied indifferently, "Absolutely wicked. I eat at least a hundred of your kind a day."

He eats people?!

Terrified, my legs trembled. Slowly, I backed away. The moment he seemed distracted, I turned and bolted.

Behind me, Xie Lin called out, "Little one, why are you running?"

I ignored him, running for my life, dashing two miles ahead.

Branches whipped against me, thorns tore my clothes, and my face, arms, and legs were covered in wounds, beads of blood trickling down.

My legs felt numb. Leaning against a tree to catch my breath, I glanced back in fear.

Thankfully, he hadn't followed.

I rested for a moment, then turned my head to look ahead—only to lock eyes with a tiger.

It was just a step away. Its mouth gaped open, revealing a crimson tongue. Its heavy breathing sent waves of foul odor toward me.

The tiger took a step forward.

I was petrified, unable to flee.

Just as I thought I was about to die, I heard Xie Lin’s voice: "Qiongqi, come here."

The threat vanished instantly.

Xie Lin said, "With those tiny legs of yours, where exactly did you think you were running to?"

Realizing I had no chance of escaping his grasp, I gave up and slumped to the ground in despair.

Xie Lin strolled over to me at his leisure. Each time he stepped forward, the beast followed, looking utterly loyal.

It was a peculiar-looking tiger, massive in size, its body covered in quill-like fur resembling a porcupine. So this was the ancient beast Qiongqi?

I started to zone out.

Xie Lin lifted me from the ground, examining me up and down.

I trembled in fear, wanting to beg for mercy. But knowing this tyrant wouldn't let me off easily, I suddenly recalled a line from a storybook and shouted, "Kill me or skin me, do as you please!"

I had yelled too forcefully—my voice cracked, high-pitched and jarring.

Xie Lin nodded approvingly. "Such spirit. Then I'll kill you first and skin you afterward."

Tears welled in my eyes as I glared at him resentfully.

With a wave of his hand, all the stinging pain in my body vanished without a trace.

I froze, hastily wiping my face. There was no pain. I rolled up my sleeve and found my arm smooth and unblemished—every wound from the thorns had disappeared.

Thinking he had shown mercy and was sparing my life, my resentful glare turned into gratitude.

"What are you looking at?" Xie Lin raised an eyebrow and said, indifferent as ever, "Just a little end-of-life care from a villain."

Falling from heaven into hell—this must be what it felt like.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Lin snapped his fingers. Qiongqi immediately reacted, advancing toward me, then clamping onto the back of my collar and swinging me back and forth as if seeking praise from its master.

I could feel its saliva seeping into my back, and the stench was unbearable.

I dared not struggle, fearing that if I moved, the beast would open its jaws and swallow me whole.

But its drool was so foul that I felt like vomiting.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I pleaded, "I’m filthy. Can you not eat me?"

For once, Xie Lin was unexpectedly agreeable and nodded in response.

I had just opened my mouth to ask him to have Qiongqi put me down.

But before I could say a word, the villain smirked and said, "I’m taking you back to the Demon Realm as a hostage."

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