Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2772: Chapter 2773: A Night of Sudden Aging

Bai Ruozhu brightened. ”Then let’s go out.”

The two of them walked out together, and when everyone saw the Ancestor of the Merfolk, they all jumped in fright.

”Was it you just now using Ruozhu’s body?” Tang Feng asked.

Bai Ruozhu looked at the Ancestor of the Merfolk. ”How come I didn’t know?”

The Ancestor of the Merfolk looked a bit embarrassed. ”Because you were in my dream, I borrowed your body to give it a try. I didn’t expect I wouldn’t be able to fool them, and they also made me understand a few things.”

Bai Ruozhu was speechless. With that temperament of hers she still wanted to pretend to be her; did she really think her friends were all idiots?

”The Ancestor of the Merfolk has agreed to take us out. She’s also figured things out and plans to go out to search for Xuan Gui’s reincarnation,” Bai Ruozhu said.

The Ancestor of the Merfolk smiled. ”No need to call me Ancestor of the Merfolk, just call me Ayan.”

She looked so young that calling her Ancestor of the Merfolk felt very strange; calling her Ayan was more normal.

The group sat on the disc and went down. When the Ancestor of the Merfolk saw Jiang Yichun and Ling Chen, she waved her hand, and the acupuncture points on their ears were released. The two of them looked at her warily.

”It’s fine now, she won’t control you anymore,” Bai Ruozhu said quickly.

The Ancestor of the Merfolk was a bit helpless. ”I didn’t control them before either.”

Fine, this was something better left unargued.

Jiang Yichun didn’t know everything that had happened. Bai Ruozhu patted his hand and said, ”The story is too long, I’ll slowly tell you later.”

”Okay.” He held her hand.

The Ancestor of the Merfolk glanced at the two of them, envy flashing in her eyes. Once upon a time she and Xuan Gui had also gotten along like this. It was a pity she hadn’t cherished it, nor had she seen her own true feelings clearly.

The group followed the Ancestor of the Merfolk outward. Just then a team of spiders crawled over, and everyone stepped aside to make way.

”Xuan Gui made these. His Mechanical Technique was taught by me, but he had far more talent than I did,” the Ancestor of the Merfolk said. ”I gave him the mechanical manuals my master left behind. I myself couldn’t understand them, but he could.”

Fo Lanying became excited. ”I’m your master’s descendant. I’ve studied the Mechanical Technique since childhood, but those manuals have all been lost. Do you still have any?”

The Ancestor of the Merfolk raised her hand, and a small seashell appeared in her palm. Bai Ruozhu recognized it as the shell she had been sleeping in before. She hadn’t expected the thing could change size and was even a Magical Treasure.

She opened the shell, took out a manual, and handed it to Fo Lanying.

”Take it and read.”

She handed it over quite casually, but Fo Lanying was so moved she burst into tears, hugging her and saying, ”Ayan, you’re so good. Thank you so much!”

The Ancestor of the Merfolk hadn’t had contact with people for many years. Even before, she hadn’t really had any close female friends. If she had to name a good friend, it would only be Xuan Gui. Later, when she went to Fusang, the commoners revered her as a goddess—there was only awe, no intimacy.

Now, being hugged like this by Fo Lanying, she suddenly flushed. ”It’s n‑nothing.”

Everyone followed her, and somehow they had already reached the place where they had first come in. Yet earlier, they had walked for so long on their own and even left marks, but had never been able to return here.

She pointed upward. ”In here, out here. Didn’t see that coming, did you?”

They had thought of it, but if they couldn’t get here, what was the use?

”How do we get up?” Astrologer asked.

The Ancestor of the Merfolk walked to one side and quickly felt out a mechanism. A round platform rose up, and she led everyone onto it.

”You were locked down there, so how do you know how to open the mechanism?” Fo Lanying asked curiously.

She smiled. ”Before I was locked in there, this was how I went in and out. I said this is where Xuan Gui and I lived, it’s Xuan Gui’s Residence. There has to be a door leading out, right? But other people who enter can’t get to this place, so they can only get in, not out.”

Oh, so that was how it was.

The round platform rose bit by bit. Everyone became excited. They could finally return to the Boat; everyone up there must be worried sick.

Suddenly, Ling Chen cried out, ”You—you’re...”

Following her line of sight, everyone saw the Ancestor of the Merfolk’s hair slowly turning white, with wrinkles gradually appearing on her face. She was aging at a speed visible to the naked eye.

”How could this be?” Bai Ruozhu went over to feel her pulse. It wasn’t poison, it wasn’t illness, but her life force was draining away.

She herself was a bit surprised as well. She stared dazedly at her white hair, and only after a long while said, ”There’s an Array here that helps me maintain my youth, so once I leave, I’ll grow old. Never mind, I’ve lived so long already, it’s about time I got old.”

She really had taken it in stride. She wasn’t particularly sad, and she wasn’t dejected either.

By the time they left the Palace and entered the sea, the Ancestor of the Merfolk’s hair had turned completely white. Her back had also hunched a bit, and she had become an old Mother-in-law.

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help thinking, what meaning was there in her going to find Xuan Gui like this?

Sure, true love wouldn’t despise anything about the other person, and sure, one shouldn’t judge by appearances—but if she found Xuan Gui as a young man, how was he supposed to fall in love with this old Mother-in-law?

Wouldn’t that picture be heartbreaking?

Or maybe Xuan Gui was an old man as well. Before regaining his memories, he would most likely already be surrounded by children and grandchildren. Would he be willing to leave with her?

But faced with the Ancestor of the Merfolk’s hope-filled expression, she couldn’t bear to say more. Life was better with hope, after all. Perhaps she would spend her entire life searching.

Once they entered the water, the Ancestor of the Merfolk transformed a blue fishtail. Jiang Yichun and Ling Chen also transformed fishtails, and followed everyone as they swam back toward the Boat.

The people on the Boat cheered when they saw them, and the Golden Wings Clan in the sky flew up happily, loudly announcing that they were safe.

The Ancestor of the Merfolk raised her head to look at the sky, her eyes filling with tears.

”How many years has it been since I’ve seen such a clear blue sky?” she sighed.

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help grumbling inwardly: you obviously could come out yourself, it’s not like you were really trapped. If you wouldn’t come out to look, who can you blame?

”I never thought I’d see so many from the Golden Wings Clan again. It feels like I’ve gone back to those years.” She smiled, and the wrinkles on her face seemed to fade. She looked like a young girl again.

Everyone boarded the Boat one after another. Ling Chen didn’t want to go up and said, ”I’m still more comfortable staying in the water.”

The Ancestor of the Merfolk smiled. ”Go up and try. Don’t you like the feeling of having legs?”

Ling Chen looked surprised, suddenly recalling that she had legs the whole time in the Palace. Could it be?

She hurriedly climbed up the rope ladder onto the Boat. Her fishtail flicked off the water and sure enough, once it hit the deck it turned into legs, covered by her dripping, long skirt.

Bai Ruozhu carried Jiang Yichun back to their Room, laughing as she said, ”Female Merfolk really do have it easier—you should be wearing skirts.”

Jiang Yichun’s face went black. ”Fine, I’ll wear a long robe next time.”

The Ancestor of the Merfolk also boarded the Boat. ”You don’t mind taking me along for a while, do you?”

The people on the Boat saw an old Mother-in-law and were all very puzzled about her identity, but when they saw how respectful Fo Lanying was toward her, they guessed she must be someone extraordinary.

Gao Zhou and Chushuang were very worried about everyone. Because of this, Gao Zhou even scolded Jiang Yichun, saying his son had been raised for nothing, that something so serious happened and he didn’t say a word to him, nearly scaring him to death.

Jiang Yichun came out after getting dressed, glared at him, and said, ”You raised me?”