The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 19
Zhao Shuqing took in her surroundings. This tree looked like the biggest one nearby—its branches were dense and wide, and the trunk was incredibly thick. At least a dozen people would be needed to wrap their arms around it.
Over the past hundred years, human activity had gradually decreased, causing some living things to change drastically. More and more plants grew taller and bigger. This tree beneath Zhao Shuqing’s feet was a perfect example.
“The branches look pretty sturdy,” Zhao Shuqing said. The spot where she was sitting was over a meter wide, and as long as she didn’t move suddenly, she wouldn’t fall. Still, she nervously leaned closer to the trunk, afraid of slipping.
Lin Feng looked worried, like she had something on her mind.
Zhao Shuqing reached over and gently touched her head, sighing softly. “It’s okay. We just ran into some trouble, but we’ll definitely get back in touch with Senior Sister.”
Suddenly, Zhao Shuqing remembered—Senior Sister Xu Tang should have gone to find her in Zhouling Township by now. Maybe she was already facing that group of foreign agents. Those people had guns. Zhao Shuqing hoped Xu Tang wouldn’t get into trouble.
“Oh no, where’s my phone?”
She hurriedly pulled out her waterproof bag and opened it. Everything inside was dry—no water got in. She breathed a long sigh of relief. If it had gotten wet, she would have been completely stranded.
Taking out her phone, Zhao Shuqing saw the battery was only about 40% left. Xu Tang had called over twenty times, the most recent call about three hours ago.
She quickly dialed back, and the call connected right away.
“Senior Sister, are you all right?” Zhao Shuqing rattled off everything that had happened today like a machine gun, then worriedly asked, “You haven’t run into those people, have you?”
There was a long silence on the other end. Then Xu Tang finally said slowly, “We already did. We lost three colleagues.”
Zhao Shuqing’s heart tightened. “How… how did that happen?” She furrowed her brow deeply. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…”
“That has nothing to do with you,” Xu Tang said softly. “It’s really good that you’re safe.”
“Senior Sister, what about you all?”
“We didn’t have any weapons with us. After meeting that group, we were chased. In the end, we managed to lose them, but if we want to go to Zhouling Township again, we’ll have to work with the local armed forces,” Xu Tang said. “Shuqing, don’t make any rash moves right now. Keep yourself safe. We’ll come get you within the next two days.”
Zhao Shuqing nodded. “Okay, I’m hiding in a dense forest nearby, something called Tuoluo Ridge. It’s huge and thick here. They won’t find us anytime soon.”
“Do you have enough water and food?”
“Yes. I bought some supplies in Zhouling Township before, and there’s still some left.”
Xu Tang sighed with relief. “Good. Please stay safe.”
Zhao Shuqing nodded again. “My phone’s running low. Senior Sister, I’ll hang up now.”
“Wait.”
Xu Tang called out to her, hesitating for over a minute before speaking. “If you get into danger, don’t worry about that ‘mermaid.’ You can leave her to them.”
“What?” Zhao Shuqing was stunned. “Senior Sister, how could you…”
“Nothing is more important than you,” Xu Tang said seriously. “That’s just a mermaid. If you can’t bring her back, whether she’s killed or released, as long as you come back safely, that’s all that matters. Understand, Shuqing?”
Zhao Shuqing opened her mouth but said nothing. She understood Xu Tang perfectly.
Mermaids could be captured again. They could always go back to the Pacific. Since they caught one, they could catch a second or third.
But Zhao Shuqing was unique. She was a member of the research institute—a talent cultivated with huge resources and money.
A mermaid’s life couldn’t compare to hers.
Even when they went out to sea, the mentor told Zhao Shuqing that human life was more important than anything else.
“…I understand.” Zhao Shuqing closed her eyes and said to Xu Tang, “I’ll bring Lin Feng back safely.”
Xu Tang was silent for a while, then sighed softly. “Hang up now. Save some battery for when we come to get you.”
After hanging up, Zhao Shuqing stared at the call screen, unable to calm down.
She understood the logic—but letting go of Lin Feng just like that was impossible.
Thinking about how many times Lin Feng had saved her—and how this time she had blocked a bullet for her—Zhao Shuqing could never hand her over.
Suddenly, Zhao Shuqing’s expression changed.
Wait…
Was Lin Feng hurt?
She quickly put away her phone and looked back at Lin Feng, who was sitting quietly nearby, watching her. Lin Feng sat obediently on her tail, wearing wrinkled pajamas that looked a bit messy and worn out.
“You…”
Zhao Shuqing moved closer, concerned. “Are you hurt? Where? Let me see.”
Lin Feng understood and rolled up her short sleeve to show her arm. On her beautiful, pale arm was a clear white scar that looked pretty deep.
Zhao Shuqing frowned and pulled her close, sitting down with her. She carefully examined the injury on Lin Feng’s upper arm.
“Looks like there’s nothing left inside,” Zhao Shuqing gently pressed the wound and concluded, “It should just be a scrape. It’s not serious.”
Then she looked at Lin Feng with soft eyes. “Next time, if something like this happens, don’t block bullets for me, okay? This isn’t a TV show. If you really get hurt, how am I supposed to live?”
Lin Feng tilted her head as if she understood Zhao Shuqing’s worry. She shook her long, beautiful tail and, like a sad little kitten, leaned on Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder and softly said, “It hurts.”
Zhao Shuqing smiled. “You still know what ‘hurt’ means?”
Lin Feng looked at her seriously, then softly complained, “It hurts.”
“All right, all right, I’ll blow on it for you,” Zhao Shuqing said, blowing a cool breath onto Lin Feng’s arm, then gently rubbing it. She spoke softly, “When humans get hurt, they blow on it. Just one blow, and it’ll get better.”
Lin Feng’s eyes widened slightly, looking at her in confusion.
Zhao Shuqing continued, “We’ve known each other for so long, you’ve saved me so many times, plus I even gave you your name. Doesn’t that mean our relationship is pretty special?”
Lin Feng tilted her head, “Zhao Shuqing.”
Zhao Shuqing tilted her head too, “Hmm?”
Lin Feng shook her arm a little and whispered, “It still hurts.”
Hurts what? You just want me to blow on it again.
Zhao Shuqing smiled helplessly but fondly, blowing on the white wound a few more times. Lin Feng seemed to find it amusing and said “It hurts” over ten times, and Zhao Shuqing blew on it just as many times.
By the end, her mouth was numb from blowing, and Zhao Shuqing finally stopped her.
“Enough,” Zhao Shuqing said annoyed, “If I blow any more, I’ll look like a blowfish.”
Lin Feng pouted in a little grievance, rubbing the warm spot where she had been blown, then happily leaned against Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder.
After confirming Lin Feng was okay, Zhao Shuqing felt much better herself. She grabbed her backpack and took out the food they bought earlier, handing Lin Feng a rice ball and showing her how to eat it.
In the pitch-black night, the two ate the rice ball under the moonlight to fill their stomachs a bit.
Zhao Shuqing glanced at her phone—it was already past eleven at night. Lin Feng was starting to get sleepy, yawning halfway through the rice ball. Worried she might drop it, Zhao Shuqing pulled her into her arms and casually draped a jacket over both of them.
What a shame about the blanket and wheelchair, Zhao Shuqing thought softly.
Lin Feng fell asleep peacefully in her arms. Zhao Shuqing gently patted her shoulder like comforting a child. Before she knew it, she too drifted off, and the two of them leaned against a tree trunk, asleep in each other’s embrace.
They hadn’t been asleep long when Zhao Shuqing felt someone shaking her.
“Hm?”
She rubbed her eyes and looked up at the moonlight, now almost overhead, guessing it was still early morning. Quietly, she asked Lin Feng, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Feng was now fully awake. She stood on a tree branch, her tail supporting her body as she stretched up high. Her eyes were alert, watching the dense forest ahead. She pointed and said sharply, “Go.”
“Go?”
At first, Zhao Shuqing didn’t understand, but she quickly got it. Earlier that day, Lin Feng said the same word when they saw the black cars. Now, pointing toward the dense forest, she said “Go” again. Could it mean those people were chasing them again?
Thinking this, Zhao Shuqing immediately sobered up and frowned, asking, “Is it the same group from earlier today?”
Lin Feng nodded slightly, grabbed Zhao Shuqing’s clothes, and repeated, “Go.”
Zhao Shuqing hurriedly stuffed her jacket into her backpack, slung it on, and said to Lin Feng, “Okay, let’s go.”
Just as Zhao Shuqing was wondering how to get down from the tree that was over ten meters high, Lin Feng tugged on her clothes again, turned around, crouched down, and looked back at Zhao Shuqing.
“You’re…” Zhao Shuqing looked surprised, “You want to carry me?”
Lin Feng nodded, signaling for her to climb up quickly.
Zhao Shuqing looked at Lin Feng’s slender arms and legs and worried if she could carry her. But then she thought of how this mermaid could fly, dive, tear apart wild boars, and block attacks with her bare hands. She felt a bit silly for doubting the ocean queen’s strength. Without hesitation, she strapped on her backpack and lay down on Lin Feng’s back.
No sooner had she settled, Lin Feng swiftly flicked her tail and descended from the tree in less than five seconds—faster than an elevator.
Once on the ground, Lin Feng didn’t stop but quickly “swam” toward the dense forest ahead. Her long tail swung constantly, wiping away all traces they left behind. Zhao Shuqing glanced back and saw no sign they had passed.
Even wiping away tracks—no wonder she was called the ocean queen.
Carrying Zhao Shuqing, Lin Feng moved quickly and soon left the resting forest behind. They reached an unknown clearing before slowing down.
Zhao Shuqing saw Lin Feng looked tired and gently patted her shoulder to signal she could get down. Lin Feng then put her down.
“We ran so far, they shouldn’t catch up to us now,” Zhao Shuqing said, looking at the low bushes in the clearing. She put down her backpack and patted the spot next to her. “Come, let’s rest a bit.”