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Chapter 463: Chapter 464: Old Affairs
As the next clan leader of the Mermaid Clan, Hai Qin had to undergo a necessary ordeal - traveling to the human world. This was his first time on land, and he was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
He should have been quite excited, however, his face currently looked rather horrible—
A young girl was chattering non-stop behind him, "Aqin, look, what kind of beast is this? It can even fly!"
"Aqin, Aqin, I’m so tired. Can we rest for a while?"
"Aqin, are you hungry? I brought some baby squid, it’s even still moving, very fresh! It should taste pretty good!"
"Aqin, Aqin..."
The sudden sharp turn of Hai Qin’s head, with a cold expression, he said, "Aqi, you should really head back. If our father finds out you snuck out, he’ll be really angry!"
Aqi abruptly stops, puffing herself up as she glares at Hai Qin, "Anyway, I have already sneaked out. If I return now, wouldn’t father scold me the same? Might as well wait until I have had enough fun before going back."
Hai Qin: "..."
Hai Qin was rendered speechless by Aqi’s words, he stopped speaking and allowed her to follow him.
After a while, it was already getting dark.
Hai Qin gathered some dry branches to make a small fire. The fire light mirrored on their faces, bringing momentary brightness and some warmth.
Aqi crouched by the fire, shivering from the cold, despite it already being in the warm season, the nights were still quite chilly.
Hai Qin calmly stoked the fire to make it burn brighter. He looked at Aqi’s pale face and mocked.
"Isn’t it better to stay in the sea? Rather than sneaking around to come ashore with me, what exactly are you trying to do here?"
Aqi puffed out her chest, "Of course, I’m here to protect you. I am, after all, your big sister!"
Hai Qin looked dismissively at Aqi, "Save me? If we really encounter danger, I bet you’d run faster than anyone!"
Aqi’s face reddened in embarrassment, "Nonsense! I am your sister, how could I abandon you and run away?"
Hai Qin glanced at her with a cool undertone, "Not too long ago in the sea, at the Wuyang Strait..."
"Ah!"
Aqi suddenly cried out, interrupting Hai Qin, her face flushed, "That time, that was an accident, I was just startled. But don’t worry, from now on, if we face any danger, I’ll make sure you escape first!"
Hai Qin found this somewhat amusing, he shook his head helplessly, casually adding a few more pieces of firewood into the fire.
"If you keep screaming like this, be careful to attract ferocious beasts! Don’t come crying to me then."
Aqi snorted in dissatisfaction, "You’ve changed, Aqin. Don’t think I didn’t hear your conversation with father. Father was clear, you must light a fire at night to keep the wild beasts away."
Hai Qin sneered, "Well, you seem to remember that pretty well..."
The two sat shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing, oblivious to the giant shadow moving closer to them from the forest behind.
The moon hung high in the treetops. Aside from the crackling of the burning firewood and the sound of their laughter, the entire Firefly Forest seemed as if it were in deep sleep - quiet, peaceful, and smooth as a still lake.
"Snap——"
The sound of a breaking twig echoed.
Hai Qin immediately lost his smile, his face turned serious as he glanced around.
The light from the fire only provided limited brightness, the rest of their surroundings were still engulfed in darkness.
Hai Qin couldn’t see a thing.
