The Storm Through The Tide

Splash!

A sharp glint caught Shui Yi's eye, sending a thrill of excitement through her.

Treasure!

She darted toward it, eyes widening at the long, elegant shaft sinking rapidly. Its silver edge gleamed, almost calling to her.

Oooh, a relic!

It had to be perhaps a lost artifact from the surface world. A sacred statue? Maybe even-

Before she could finish the thought, the object shot past her, embedding itself into the ocean floor. Thunk.

Shui Yi stared at the spear.

Silence.

Then she shrugged. Well, that was dramatic.

Before she could investigate, something else crashed into her.

A mass of solid weight slammed into her arms, knocking her backward. Her tail flailed as she struggled against the force. Heavy. Warm.

Her fingers instinctively curled around the figure, preventing it from drifting away.

Her breath hitched-Not treasure. Not a relic.

Shui Yi's hands immediately went to work, patting his face, jawline, nose, and cheekbones. She squinted. Why was he sculpted like that?

A deep brow arching over closed eyes. A high, elegant nose. Full lips—kissable lips. The jawline was perfectly chiseled, tapering into a long, sculpted neck.

Shui Yi gulped.

Her fingers drifted lower, tracing his shoulders. Strong. Defined. Her hands swept down further—

Her eyes widened. No fins.

Her brows furrowed as she felt along his waist. Where was his tail?

She frowned. Was it a deformity? He was too perfect to be deformed.

Her hand landed on his chest. Firm. Warm.The steady rise and fall beneath her palm made something strange flutter in her stomach.

Then, realization struck.

He is struggling to breathe.

Panic shot through her. He is dying!

She rushed to breathe air into him.

Warmth surged between them.

A strange pulse of energy spiraled around her, emanating from the very core of her being.

Her breath caught in her throat as the sensation intensified as a flow of qi guided her pearl essence into his body. It was as though something deep inside her was being shared, given freely without resistance.

Her lips tingled with the contact, and a soft, ethereal glow enveloped them both, shimmering like light through the water. She could not understand how this could happen.

The moment stretched on—she could feel the connection deepening, her essence intertwining with his.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her. She pulled back, her breath shallow and erratic.

She could not comprehend what is happening.

Her fingers flew to her mouth, feeling the strange tingling lingering on her lips.

A soft gasp escaped her. She felt different. Something is missing.

Her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of flowing white. My hair!

The dark strands she had always known had vanished, replaced by long, flowing locks of silver.

Her fingers trembled as she touched her new hair, her breath quickening.

She had never heard of hair turning white in their youth.

Her eyes darted back to the man who lay unconscious before her. His breath was shallow, his body still heavy in the water, but his energy was starting to stabilize.

Oh, Father is going to kill me. He will know I did something wrong. Anybody who can see will notice.

The finless stranger stirred.

His brows twitched before his golden eyes slowly fluttered open.

Shui Yi stiffened.

His gaze locked onto hers—deep, piercing, and far too knowing.

She was still holding onto him.

Her hands were still on his chest.

Long Fei exhaled, his body still sluggish. He registered warmth—the lingering sensation of lips pressed against his.

His first kiss. He can feel his face heating up.

He took in the mesmerizing woman before him—hair like woven moonlight cascaded down while caressing her naked body. He quickly averts his eyes towards the ground, surprised to see that her fish fins.

"Sorry."

"YOU."

They spoke at the same time, then immediately clamped their mouths shut.

Shui Yi clutched her head. This is a catastrophe.

Her father would kill her. He has a grudge against non-merfolks!

"You—You can't stay here! My father—if he sees you."

Long Fei pinched the bridge of his nose. She doesn't even realize what she's done.

He had never experienced romance before, but even he understood the gravity of what she had done. Yet here she was, more worried about hiding him than the bond she unknowingly formed.

He hasn't recovered fully yet and needs to rest longer.

His sigh was barely audible.

"Then I'll make it simpler for you to hide me."

Before she could respond, a white light emanated from him as he shrank to a sleek, petite eel coiled in the water before her, resting its eyes in deep slumber.

Shui Yi froze. What just happened?

She reached out and poked him. Squishy.

She poked him again.

"Did I accidentally curse you?"

The eel sighed and continued to sleep.

Shui Yi gasped, clutching him against her chest.

"Oh no, what if you're stuck like this forever?!"

The eel did not respond.

Shui Yi listened to his heartbeat to check that he was still alive.

She frantically swam toward the palace, holding the eel to cover her face.

If I don't see you, you don't see me. She kept repeating to herself.

Merfolks stared as she dashed past.

Whispers spread like ripples in the water.

"Is that… Princess Shui Yi?"

"What's with her hair?"

"What is she holding?"

"Mama, why is the princess acting weird?"

She finally reached her bedroom chamber.

After gently placing the eel on a pillow by her bedside, she jumped on her bed, burying herself beneath the covers.