"Being able to continuously produce Merfolk Pearls, Merfolk Silk, merfolk fat, and other treasures, it's no wonder Senior Sister Xie promised them a cultivation method and requested they follow in cultivation."
"I would agree too, this deal is indeed a profitable one."
When Tao Qian's mind flickered with this thought,
the Mermaids, led by the Mother Mermaid, hearing the terrible news, all started wailing together.
Their voices were eerily terrifying before, but now they were mournful and pitiful.
It was not grating to the ear; on the contrary, it was extremely melodious, although listening for a long time could unintentionally make one feel sad. Meanwhile, the sound of 'ding ding dong dong' was constant, and soon the cliff area was filled with large and small Luminous Pearls, lighting up the area as if it were daylight.
The originally panicked little ones, now cried while simultaneously wanting to go out and pick up the Treasure Beads.
Tao Qian felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but think a few thoughts to himself.
Then, he spoke out to stop them: "Stop crying."
It was strange, indeed!
When this Mother Mermaid mutated and fell, she was extremely ferocious.
Now that she had regained clarity, she seemed like a wronged little bride.
Scolded by Tao Qian, she subconsciously stopped shedding tears, but there were still some remnants left, sobbing occasionally, and a few smaller Merfolk Pearls still fell.
Seeing her change from before and after, Tao Qian couldn't help but find it amusing, but still had to ask,
"Are you their leader? How many in your clan are there now? Is there anything unusual about where you live? Is it connected to the water veins within the island?"
Several questions in a row caused the Mother Mermaid to pause.
However, she quickly composed herself.
Wiping her tears, she said intermittently, "Replying... replying to Master, I, I am the leader, our clan consists of five hundred and eighteen individuals, we live in the water caves at the bottom of these black reef rocks, those water caves are indeed connected to the Immortal Island's water veins, but we cannot go to the island, there's a group of ferocious Jiao Dragons guarding it, and should we enter, they would capture and eat us."
Towards the end, she no longer stuttered.
Tao Qian pondered and then asked, "What is the deal that my Senior Sister Xie made with you? Are there specifics of the agreement?"
Hearing this, the Mother Mermaid seemed to see hope again, her deep blue mermaid eyes lighting up, as she quickly responded:
"Initially, Master Xie chanced upon our Merfolk Island and thought that the Merfolk Silk I wove was the most beautiful, so she promised as long as I led my clan to follow her in cultivation, she would find us a cultivation method suitable for the Merfolk."
"Before she disappeared, she told me that the Spirit Treasure Scripture Hall had newly included the 'Quanxian Jellyfish Technique,' said to be created by an ancestor of our Merfolk Clan."
"That ancestor was born of Merfolk and Human Clan mixed blood, raised in the Human world from childhood, later stepped into cultivation, spent five hundred years to reach the Cavernous Mystery Realm, then spent another three hundred years visiting many sects, finally creating that Basic Method for our Merfolk Clan."
"Hearing this great news, we all cried tears of joy."
"Who would have thought, after waiting and waiting, we could not receive the method, instead, one by one, the Human Clan Cultivators on this island vanished."
"After that, we succumbed to the Fallen."
Speaking of this, the Mother Mermaid again touched on a sore point, and Merfolk Pearls started to clink and fall again.
At this moment, she suddenly felt a warm hand placed on her forehead.
The Mother Mermaid couldn't help but raise her head and saw a face with a natural Daoist charm close by, her cheeks suddenly flushing with extreme rosiness.
The former Island Master, Xie Lingji, was a learned lady who often spoke to her of passionate love stories while watching the cloud sea from this palace pavilion, often featuring mermaids as the main character, usually with a scholar or a Fisherman's Son, though rarely with a cultivator.
Despite this, at this moment, with their skins touching and her emotions intensely swaying, she couldn't help but fantasize, silently thinking to herself:
"This Master is so handsome, if he were to ask me to serve by his side, I fear I cannot refuse, hoping only that he would take over the trade, and if he truly brings our clan a cultivation method, even if I must become his servant, it is only right."
These thoughts in the Mother Mermaid's mind were, of course, unknown to Tao Qian.
He was touching her forehead simply to trigger the Record, verifying the truth of her words.
With a quick touch, Tao Qian soon confirmed that everything the Mother Mermaid said was true, and he immediately thought to himself: This Merfolk Clan is not only a source of many treasures but also generally very useful; indeed, they are worth keeping around, a good deal to make. However, let's not hurry to agree, I still need to visit the Scripture Hall first to confirm whether the 'Quanxian Jellyfish Technique' exists and whether it's accessible with my current permissions.
With his mind made up, Tao Qian spoke to the Mother Mermaid in front of him:
"Since my Senior Sister Xie has perished, naturally your clan's deal with her can't proceed."
"However, your plight is indeed pitiful; so let's do this, in a few moments it'll be dawn, and then I'll visit the Spirit Treasure Scripture Hall. If I can retrieve the 'Quanxian Jellyfish Technique,' then I'll take over in place of Senior Sister Xie and complete this contract deal, and henceforth your clan will follow me in cultivation."
"If I can't retrieve it, you may continue to stay here or leave the Penglai Sea and return to Merfolk Island as you choose. How about that?"
As Tao Qian's voice fell, the Mother Mermaid immediately started crying tears of joy again, nodding incessantly.
Had it not been for the Spirit Treasure Roots binding her, she would probably have pounced on him, for according to the rites of the Merfolk Clan, she would have embraced Tao Qian and showered him with kisses and licks.
Seeing the fervor in her eyes, Tao Qian involuntarily took a step back and slightly warned, "For now, take your clan and leave."
After saying this, the Spirit Treasure Roots released.
Regaining her freedom, the Mermaid immediately turned her head and babbled something to the group of Merfolk.