The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 16

Lin Feng looked tough, but she seemed quite sensitive to pain. Just biting her tongue made her eyes well up with tears. Zhao Shuqing wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.

Better not to upset this ocean overlord—if she got mad, things would be over for Zhao Shuqing.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Zhao Shuqing said, reaching out to touch Lin Feng’s wound. Bright red bl00d stuck to her finger and seeped into her fingerprints. Zhao Shuqing didn’t pay much attention but vaguely noticed Lin Feng’s tongue felt soft and warm.

It was cool when she was in the water, so why was it so hot now?

Zhao Shuqing gently pinched Lin Feng’s tongue and felt worried. She feared that after these days of tough outdoor living, Lin Feng might get sick. Such a high body temperature was dangerous for a fish-like creature.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable?” Zhao Shuqing asked softly. “Have you been tired these days? If you don’t feel well, you have to tell me. Even if you can’t understand, you can rely on me for anything.”

Lin Feng stuck out her tongue, feeling Zhao Shuqing’s finger moving inside her mouth. Bl00d kept rushing up to her head.

The poking made her uncomfortable, and with red-rimmed eyes, Lin Feng whimpered twice, trying to pull away. But Zhao Shuqing, worried something was really wrong, caught her around the waist and held her tight.

“Don’t move,” she whispered.

Lin Feng looked up, staring at the person so close to her, feeling the firm grip on her waist and the rubbing of her scales. She couldn’t pull her tongue back and could only close her eyes and tremble slightly.

Was she… trying to do something intimate with her?

Seeing how docile and obedient Lin Feng was, Zhao Shuqing realized her worry was probably unnecessary. The small bite wound healed completely within seconds, helped by the saliva, as if it had never been injured.

Amazing.

Zhao Shuqing pinched Lin Feng’s tongue again, studying the wound with its faint white mark. She rubbed it softly with her thumb and whispered, “Lin Feng, you’re really amazing.”

With this kind of healing ability, no wonder mermaids can live for four or five hundred years.

Lin Feng heard her name and slowly opened her eyes, meeting Zhao Shuqing’s bright black eyes like polished obsidian. Her whole body stiffened, and she quickly pushed Zhao Shuqing away with her hands, blushing and wanting to jump straight into a river.

Only then did Zhao Shuqing realize how awkward she must have looked—holding Lin Feng in her arms, playing with her tongue for several minutes like some kind of weirdo.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Zhao Shuqing hurriedly explained. “I was just worried you’d get sick. Your body temperature is much higher than when you first came ashore. Are you feeling heatstroke?”

Lin Feng didn’t understand what Zhao Shuqing said and didn’t want to listen anyway. She just wanted to dive back into the water.

Zhao Shuqing tried to comfort her for a while, but seeing Lin Feng still wouldn’t respond, she could only helplessly cover her forehead. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the wheelchair she had bought earlier, jumped up, and pushed it over.

“Lin Feng, look, this is the ride I bought for you.”

Lin Feng slowly raised her head when she heard this.

Zhao Shuqing patted the wheelchair’s seat and said, “The moment I saw this wheelchair, I thought it would suit you. Your tail is too obvious right now. We need to disguise it a bit before we go look for Liang Yue.”

She took a nightgown out of her bag and gestured to Lin Feng, “This is your dress. When you get into human society, you’ll have to wear clothes. I also bought you a blanket—it can cover your tail. So when you sit in the wheelchair and I push you around, most people won’t notice anything strange. They’ll just think you have a leg disability.”

After explaining for a while, Zhao Shuqing helped Lin Feng put on the clothes. Seeing that Lin Feng was still dazed, she bent down and gently lifted the mermaid into her arms.

Lin Feng grabbed Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders tightly, startled. Watching Zhao Shuqing place her in the wheelchair and then cover the shiny tail with the blanket, she began to understand what was going on.

Zhao Shuqing adjusted the blanket to make sure Lin Feng’s little tail wouldn’t show, then snapped her fingers, satisfied.

“Not bad.”

Lin Feng looked down at the blanket covering her legs, then looked up at Zhao Shuqing and repeated, “Not bad.”

Zhao Shuqing bent over laughing, “Haha, you think it’s good too, right? I think it’s good. At least on our way back, we’ll be safe and no one will bother us.”

Lin Feng nodded, understanding.

“But seriously,” Zhao Shuqing knelt in front of Lin Feng and gently touched her cheek, whispering, “When we were on the ship, I could really feel that you’re a mermaid. But now that we’re on land, you seem more and more like a human.”

Her cheek in Zhao Shuqing’s hand was no longer cold but warm like a normal person’s skin. With the simple disguise, Lin Feng looked even more human.

Zhao Shuqing quickly shook her head, pushing away the unrealistic thoughts in her mind.

A mermaid is a mermaid—no matter how human-like, she’s still not human.

Lin Feng’s gem-like eyes calmly watched her. Zhao Shuqing had to force herself to look away, feeling she might lose control if she stared longer. She quickly stood up to pack their things and prepare to follow the map Liang Yue had given her to find her.

Pushing the wheelchair through the deserted small town, Lin Feng looked around curiously just like Zhao Shuqing.

Most houses were dilapidated, some only walls left standing. Out of ten houses, at least half were empty. The streets were almost empty, very quiet and lonely.

Following the map, Zhao Shuqing stopped in front of a repair shop. She saw a big golden crown sign on it and guessed this must be Liang Yue’s shop.

“Wait here,” Zhao Shuqing told Lin Feng, then walked inside to look for someone.

The repair shop door was wide open. Inside, two cars were being worked on. Leaning against the wall was the heavy motorcycle Liang Yue had taken to the convenience store.

“Is anyone here?” Zhao Shuqing called out. “Boss Liang, are you in the shop?”

Just after she called, a noise came from the open space behind the shop. Liang Yue walked over in high boots, glanced at Zhao Shuqing, and raised an eyebrow. “You came pretty fast. I thought it’d be a few hours.”

Zhao Shuqing gave a shy smile. “I came as soon as I finished. Is my phone fixed yet?”

“Not yet. I just took it apart and saw the problem isn’t big. It’ll be done soon,” Liang Yue said calmly. “Come in and have a seat.”

“Okay, I’ll bring someone with me,” Zhao Shuqing said.

Hearing this, Liang Yue raised her eyebrows with interest and looked out the door, spotting Lin Feng resting in the shade outside.

Liang Yue smiled and said, “Alright, bring her in.”