Chapter 239
Ika burst out of the water, extending his hands to grab Rong Heng, just as he had before. With his strength and speed, he would likely have pulled Rong Heng into the pool again.
“Stop.”
Rong Heng stretched out a hand and firmly pressed it against the little merman’s forehead. Ika’s forward momentum was immediately halted, his body suspended in place, unable to advance further.
The young merman blinked in confusion at the hand resting on his forehead. He couldn’t comprehend why he had suddenly been stopped, something he had never encountered before.
At that moment, Rong Heng withdrew his hand, releasing the control of his object-manipulation ability.
Having fought monsters earlier in the day and used his ability twice to swap positions, Rong Heng’s energy reserves were nearly depleted. He couldn’t hold the merman in place for long.
As soon as Rong Heng released his power, Ika fell back into the water with a splash, sending droplets flying all over. But Rong Heng, already soaked from being pulled into the water earlier, didn’t mind the spray.
The little merman resurfaced, energetically paddling back to the edge. Despite being pushed back into the water by Rong Heng, he showed no anger. His gaze remained joyful, his eyes curving into crescent moons of delight.
“Yang… Yang Yang.”
He reached out as if to hug Rong Heng again but hesitated. Remembering how he had been stopped earlier, this time he merely grasped the edge of Rong Heng’s shirt lightly, his expression tinged with a hint of grievance.
Rong Heng was about to speak when the sound of rapid footsteps approached from behind.
“Brother…”
Little Li Hua trotted over, softly calling out before hiding behind Rong Heng, peeking cautiously at Ika with a mix of curiosity and trepidation.
The way Ika had leapt from the water to attack her earlier had genuinely frightened her. She had thought he was some kind of child-eating monster lurking in the pool. But now, seeing him more closely…
This creature with a fish tail was… quite beautiful?
Little Li Hua had always had a weakness for pretty things. Seeing that neither she nor her brother had been harmed, her fear quickly gave way to forgiveness, though a trace of apprehension lingered.
As Little Li Hua peeked out at Ika, the merman’s demeanor shifted. His once-smiling eyes grew cold and vigilant again, and his lips pulled back slightly, revealing sharp teeth in a silent snarl.
Seeing his ferocious expression, Little Li Hua quickly retreated behind her brother again. “Brother…”
“Don’t be afraid.”
Rong Heng reassured her, then turned his gaze back to Ika. While he didn’t approve of the merman scaring people like this, his resolve softened when his eyes fell on Ika’s body, noting the bruises and marks marring his otherwise smooth skin.
His tone became gentler as he said, “This is Little Li Hua, my younger sister. She won’t hurt you.”
After a brief pause, Rong Heng’s brows furrowed, and he added sternly, “And you are not allowed to harm her. Understand?”
Though Ika’s beastly transformation left him unable to fully comprehend human speech, he could sense Rong Heng’s emotions and vaguely grasped his meaning.
The merman’s lips quivered slightly in a pout, but when Little Li Hua peeked out at him again, he refrained from displaying aggression.
Little Li Hua, emboldened by this, slowly grew braver.
She stepped out from behind Rong Heng, squatting down beside her brother. Her eyes were fixed on Ika’s enchanting and beautiful face, but soon her gaze wandered to his elegant fish tail, which gently swayed under the water.
“You’re so beautiful,” Little Li Hua said with a sweet smile.
Ika, who had been pouting with some reluctance, froze slightly when he saw the little girl’s sweet smile. His expression turned soft, the fierce look from earlier entirely gone, replaced by an almost adorable innocence.
Little Li Hua’s smile grew brighter. Her eyes returned to the gradient blue of Ika’s tail, shimmering under the clear water with a serene, ethereal beauty she had never seen before.
Then, she noticed something in the water—the paintbrush that the little monkey had thrown earlier, which had somehow rolled into the pool.
“Oh, my paintbrush!” Little Li Hua exclaimed anxiously, pointing at it.
Ika followed her gaze, then released Rong Heng’s sleeve, turned, and dove back into the water. His elegant tail glided gracefully, creating ripples that shimmered like light on crystal.
The lion siblings squatting by the pool were left mesmerized.
The young merman dove to the bottom of the pool, retrieved the paintbrush, and swam back to the surface with it in hand.
As he emerged, Little Li Hua beamed with joy, reaching out her hands. “Thank you!” she chirped.
However, Ika pulled the paintbrush back, keeping it to himself.
Little Li Hua blinked in surprise. “That’s my paintbrush…”
Seeing that Ika was fiddling with the paintbrush but refused to return it, she paused in thought, then reached into her spirit pouch and took out two candies.
“If… if you give me back my paintbrush, I… I’ll give you candy,” she said, holding the two candies toward the little merman.
Ika’s eyes flicked to the candies, their shiny wrappers sparkling like tiny gemstones in the sunlight. Enchanted by the sight, he quickly took them and, seeing Little Li Hua’s hopeful gaze fixed on the paintbrush, generously extended it to her.
Little Li Hua accepted her paintbrush with a bright smile and politely thanked him.
Watching the friendly exchange between the two, Rong Heng finally felt relieved. He extended his hand toward Ika, intending to examine the injury on his nail.
To his surprise, Ika placed the two candies he had just received into Rong Heng’s palm. The merman’s face lit up with a radiant smile, his joy pure and unrestrained.
Unaware that the candies were edible, Ika simply treated them as precious “gems” to offer to his beloved Yang Yang.
Rong Heng was briefly taken aback, glancing between the candies in his hand and the little merman’s delighted expression. In the end, he kept one candy for himself, unwrapped the other, and held the milk candy out to Ika.
“Try it,” Rong Heng said gently.
Ika blinked, sniffed the candy curiously, then opened his mouth and took it straight from Rong Heng’s hand, placing it into his mouth.
The moment the sweet, creamy flavor spread across his tongue, Ika’s blue eyes lit up with amazement.
It was delicious!
Rong Heng curved his lips slightly and handed the other piece of candy to Ika. “You can eat this,” he said.
Ika looked at the candy, then at Rong Heng. But instead of taking it, he shook his head and gently pushed Rong Heng’s hand back, his bright eyes sparkling with a smile. It seemed he wanted Rong Heng to enjoy the candy instead.
Who could possibly refuse such an endearing little merman? Especially when he was making such an effort to show kindness.
In the end, Rong Heng accepted the candy and took hold of the little merman’s hand to examine the injury on his right ring finger carefully.
“How did this happen?” Rong Heng asked with a frown.
Ika didn’t respond, his trusting eyes fixed on Rong Heng as if waiting patiently. Instead, Little Li Hua spoke up. “It looks really painful! Did someone hit you?”
She continued, “Are you a new cub like us? What’s your name?”
At this point, Little Li Hua had realized that the boy with the fish tail wasn’t a monster but a beast-blood cub, just like Qian Qian and Mu Bao. He must be new here too.
Ika still didn’t answer, but his face lit up with a bright and cheerful smile.
Seeing that, Rong Heng didn’t bother engaging in Little Li Hua’s one-sided conversation. Instead, he reached into his spirit pouch and pulled out a medical spray and waterproof bandages. Since he often went out to fight, he always carried first-aid supplies with him.
He held the spray and carefully applied it to Ika’s injured finger. The slightly stinging scent of the medicine made the little merman scrunch up his face in displeasure.
From a distance, Creek had been quietly observing the scene. He held his breath.
Every time they added healing medicine to Ika’s tank, it would provoke extreme agitation—he would thrash around violently or slam into the tank walls. Watching Rong Heng apply medicine directly to Ika’s hand, Creek couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Fortunately, Ika only wrinkled his face in protest and made no other movements. He didn’t even pull his hand away.
Rong Heng carefully treated the wound, then wrapped it with the waterproof bandage. The little merman, who had been frowning, seemed lost in thought as he watched Rong Heng’s focused expression, his bright eyes dimming slightly.
“All done,” Rong Heng said, letting go of Ika’s hand. He then glanced at the boy’s upper body, noticing the bruises scattered across his pale, unscaled skin. The contrast between the marks and his fair complexion made them appear even more painful.
Yet the young merman seemed completely accustomed to it, as if it no longer mattered.
It was hard to reconcile this battered figure with the little boy who used to cry over the smallest scrape, begging for hugs.
After Rong Heng released him, Ika pulled back his hand. He curiously sniffed the bandage on his finger, then wrinkled his nose in dislike once again. Clearly, he still hated the smell of the medicine.
Rong Heng softened his voice further and asked, “Are there any other injuries I should treat?”
Ika looked up at him, blinking in confusion.
Rong Heng sighed and pointed to Ika’s shoulder and his scaled arm, then held up the medical spray in his hand. “Swim over here, and I’ll help you apply some medicine.”
Understanding his meaning, Ika shook his head in resistance. Instead of moving closer, he swam toward the center of the pool, clearly showing his strong dislike for the medicine.
As Rong Heng pondered what to do next, Li Sinian approached and said, “Xiang Yang, you should go change into dry clothes. Don’t catch a cold and get sick.”
Recalling how Lu Li had been bedridden for two days after falling ill, Rong Heng decided not to argue. He waved at the little merman and let Li Sinian take him away in a flash.
Although Ika had swum away, his eyes had been fixed on Rong Heng. Seeing him suddenly vanish, the young merman froze for a moment, then swam back to the edge of the pool in a panic.
“Yang… Yang Yang!”
The little merman reached the edge, his face full of fear and urgency. He frantically touched the spot where Rong Heng had disappeared, searching for something—anything—but his hands found nothing.
Fragmented memories flashed through Ika’s mind.
They were memories from his childhood, moments when he had played with Rong Heng. Most of the scenes were now shattered and unclear, but one particular memory remained vividly intact.
“My little sister’s full-month celebration is tomorrow,” young Rong Heng had said. “Mom says after that, she can come play with us.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll bring her to see you.”
A small Ika had nodded and said okay, standing on the steps of his house as he watched his best friend, Yang Yang, leave with the family butler.
Even as Rong Heng disappeared around the corner of the street, little Ika remained standing, reluctant to look away. Only after some time did he turn and walk back into the house, empty except for him and the household robot.
Though they had only just parted, Ika was already counting down the hours until they would meet again the next day.
That evening, he went to bed early, rising the next morning with eager anticipation. He sat on the steps in front of his house, staring at the corner of the street, waiting for Rong Heng to appear.
Ika waited and waited, from daybreak until nightfall, then for many more days after that, until all the colorful memories of their time together faded into gray.
His best friend, Yang Yang, never returned, vanishing forever from his lonely life.
