Shu An was woken by the discomfort in her body, her limbs feeling heavy as if filled with lead. When she opened her eyes, she saw her clothes were soaked. No wonder they felt so heavy!
Above her eyes was a clear blue sky, and she was surrounded by sandy ground. Confused, she sat up. Where was this place?
She remembered being knocked out by the shop owner named A Yong. Why would he want to harm her?!
There was no one around, and Shu An felt a little uneasy.
*Splash!* She looked towards the sound of water and saw a vibrant blue tail appear, followed by a male with his upper body bare.
"You're awake?" Shui You transformed his legs and walked over.
Shu An instinctively covered her eyes. "Don't come closer, you're not wearing clothes!"
Hearing this, Shui You paused, looked at himself, and then jumped back into the water. When he emerged again, a clam shell covered his private parts.
Shu An's lips twitched. She knew water beastmen didn't like to wear clothes, so this was acceptable. "Excuse me, where is this? Why am I here?"
Shui You explained, "This is on an island. You're a land female, right? I saw a bad beastman put you in a beast skin bag and throw you into the sea. So I rescued you."
Shu An's mind raced, and she understood. It must have been A Yong!
She thanked him sincerely, "Thank you for saving me. What's your name?"
"Shui You, my name is Shui You. What about you?" Shui You asked, his eyes sparkling.
Shu An: "My name is Shu An."
"Shui You, can you help me?"
Shui You asked, "Help with what?"
Shu An said, "Help me get back to land, send me back to Warrior City. I'll give you lots of good things, and more eggs than you can eat."
Hearing about eggs, Shui You's eyes lit up, but he said, "I don't want eggs. I want to mate with you once, can I?"
Shu An was beautiful and carried a pleasant scent. Compared to eggs, Shui You was more attracted to females. He hadn't mated before, and he wanted this female.
Shu An was stunned by his words, and then her face darkened. "No!"
It was the first time in her life she had heard such shameless words!
Upon hearing her refusal, Shui You felt dejected. "Why? Do you dislike me?"
Shu An's face was dark. "Mating is something that can only be done after becoming companions. You're not my companion, and what you said is very excessive!"
If it weren't for him being her savior, she wouldn't have spoken so politely, though she wouldn't have spoken any harsher either.
Shui You immediately responded, "Then I'm willing to be your companion. Are you willing to accept me?"
Shu An's brow remained furrowed. "I don't even know you..."
Shui You said eagerly, "You know me now, my name is Shui You!"
Shu An: "..."
Speechless and helpless, she said, "How about this, you send me home first to let my family know I'm safe. If you can live on land, then you can pursue me. I won't live in the water anyway." She would drown.
When Shui You heard this, he immediately agreed, "Okay, you agreed, you can't go back on your word!"
Shu An was confused. What did she agree to? She only agreed to him pursuing her. "I agree to let you pursue me, but if you're not strong enough, I still won't choose you."
She made her words very clear, and Shui You understood them perfectly. He exclaimed, "I know, don't worry, I'm very strong!"
Since their communication was successful, it was time to set off.
Shui You asked, "Are you hungry? Shall we fill our stomachs before I take you back?"
Shu An was hungry too, so she nodded. "Okay, I can eat raw fish." Being out and about, she didn't want the trouble of cooking.
Catching fish was a water beastman's specialty. Shui You dived into the water and, in a short while, caught over a dozen wriggling fish. Shui You, with the awareness of pursuing a female, didn't need the female to do anything. He killed the fish himself, then washed away the blood and handed them to Shu An.
Shu An took the fish, took out a small knife from her person, carefully scraped off the gills and scales, rinsed them several times, and then ate.
Shui You had never seen a land female before, so he didn't know what land females liked to eat. He noted down the way she cleaned the fish, so next time the female wouldn't have to do it herself.
After Shu An had eaten her fill, she prepared to depart, but looking at the sea, she frowned again. "How are we going to travel?"
Shui You had already thought of a solution. "I'll swim, and you can sit on my back. You won't have to get in the water."
Shu An looked him over. "Does your beast form only transform into a tail?"
Shui You nodded.
Shu An looked around with a troubled expression. "Is there a way for me not to touch the water? If I sit on your back, my legs will be in the water, and they'll get ruined."
Once, after a bath, she had soaked for too long, and when she got out, her skin was all wrinkled. It was so ugly. She looked at the endless sea, not knowing how long she would have to soak. If there was no other way, then so be it.
Shu An had been pampered since childhood, and she couldn't help but be a little delicate.
Shui You pondered for a moment. He really hadn't considered this. "I've got it! I have a way, wait for me."
Shu An watched him dive into the sea again. This time, the wait was a bit long. By the time he returned, she had climbed a tree, picked a coconut, and finished drinking it.
Shui You brought back a very large clam shell, so large that Shu An could half-recline in it.
As soon as they were ashore, Shui You violently pried open the clam shell, took out the still-wriggling clam meat, and ate it all. Then he washed the empty shell clean and showed Shu An a smile. "It's ready. Sit inside this, and I'll carry the shell and take you back."
Shu An was delighted at this and thanked him again. "This is perfect. Thank you for thinking of everything so thoughtfully."
The two set off. The speed of water beastmen in the water was like the speed of land beastmen in the sky – very fast!
Shu An sat in the clam shell, idly chatting with Shui You. "Shui You, thank you. When we get to land, however many eggs you want to eat, my father will give you."
Shui You asked curiously, "Is your father very powerful?"
Shu An said proudly, "Very powerful, so it won't be easy for you to pursue me."
Shui You's eyes were firm. "Don't underestimate me, I'm very strong too!"
Shu An asked curiously, "Shui You, which water beastman tribe do you belong to? Aren't your parents worried about you living on land in the future?"
Speaking of this, Shui You felt a little guilty and cautious. "Shu An, don't look down on me, I don't have a tribe. I live alone."
That's why he was confident he was strong. Water beastmen with tribes needed to team up to get food, but he could do it alone. He roamed the sea year-round and occasionally went ashore to see the scenery, which was why he met Shu An in an area not frequented by water beastmen.
Shu An nodded upon hearing this. "I see. I won't look down on you."
"That's good." Shui You was relieved to hear this.
Carrying Shu An, he swam towards land with all his might. Under normal circumstances, there were no threats to Shui You on the sea surface, so their journey would be very smooth.
However, there was one thing they both overlooked: Shui You was a wandering water beastman. He had never been to a trade fair and had no idea that the "land" the female spoke of was not the same place as the land he imagined.