Chapter 140 I’ve Turned into a Mermaid

Chapter 140 I Turned Into a Mermaid

Hua Diao’s eyes fluttered open as the bubble of water surrounding her gradually absorbed into her skin until it completely disappeared. Floating mid-air just moments ago, she suddenly felt herself falling and flailed wildly—only to be caught the next second by Xie Tingsheng, who held her in a firm embrace.

Hua Diao automatically looped her arms around his neck, snuggling closer, her tail giving an involuntary twitch.

"Wait—"

Noticing something odd, she glanced down at her legs and her eyes went wide with shock. "I really turned into a mermaid?"

Xie Tingsheng raised an eyebrow, teasing, "Shouldn’t you be a koi instead? Given how lucky you are, you must be a koi reincarnated."

He nodded solemnly after saying this.

Hua Diao snorted. "Look at these jagged scales, these talons, and these gill fins—does this look anything like a cute, plump koi to you?"

To prove her point, she deliberately extended her hand, flashing long, dagger-like crimson claws before lightly scratching his shirt. With just a touch, four clean slashes appeared in the fabric.

Hua Diao’s grin faltered. She quickly retracted her hand, sheepishly pulling back her claws, then peered up at Xie Tingsheng and stammered, "Uh… would you believe me if I said that wasn’t on purpose?"

Xie Tingsheng smirked, lifting her slightly to press his face against her smooth cheek. His lips brushed lightly against her skin, his warm breath trailing from her cheek to her ear as he murmured in a low, amused voice, "Not a chance. But if you transform again for me in the bathroom tonight, I might just believe you."

Hua Diao’s face burned scarlet. She pushed his face away, glaring at him through her blush. "Fine, don’t believe me. Now put me down!"

She lashed her tail impatiently and pushed against his chest in protest.

Xie Tingsheng drew himself up, eyeing her tail with amusement. "You sure? Can you even stand with that tail?"

"I can change back."

"But you’re not wearing pants. Do you really want to shift back right now, bare-legged? I’ve got us shielded from prying eyes—it’s just us here. I wouldn’t mind watching."

Hua Diao’s face burned at his shameless words, equal parts furious and mortified. "Then turn around and don’t look!" she snapped.

Undeterred, Xie Tingsheng argued, "I’m holding you—how exactly should I turn? My neck isn’t made of rubber to twist 180 degrees."

Hua Diao sputtered. "Then… wear a blindfold!"

That was her bottom line.

With an exaggerated sigh of resignation, Xie Tingsheng lowered his head to let her tie the blindfold over his eyes. Only when his wolfish stare was fully obscured did Hua Diao relax. She wrapped her arms around his neck again, craning her head to glance at the ground—only to see it littered with shattered rubble and dust, thanks to the Minotaur’s heavy footsteps earlier. If she descended with her tail now, it’d land right in the debris, getting filthy.

Hua Diao’s nose scrunched in disgust.

But shifting back to legs while still in Xie Tingsheng’s arms wasn’t an option—his arms were right beneath her, and she wasn’t wearing anything. The thought alone made her face heat up again.

Clenching her jaw, she wasn’t about to let him win and came up with an alternative. She summoned a sofa from her inventory, placing it on the ground before directing Xie Tingsheng, "Walk forward two steps. There’s a sofa—put me down there."

Xie Tingsheng sighed.

Hua Diao eyed him warily, arms tightening around his neck. "Why are you sighing? Hurry up."

As he obediently stepped forward, he lamented, "Pity you’re so clever. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish, Hua Diao clapped a hand over his mouth, hissing, "Shut up, or you’re sleeping upstairs tonight."

That got results. Xie Tingsheng promptly fell silent. Moving back upstairs was out of the question—he’d already relocated downstairs and had no intention of returning.

Musing to himself, he thought that their home needed more storage space. He’d take care of that as soon as they got back.

Once Hua Diao was seated on the sofa, she shifted back to her human legs and pulled on pants and shoes. Staring at the tattered remains of her previous pants nearby, she frowned.

Would every transformation ruin a pair of pants? That’d be wasteful. Thankfully, she wouldn’t need to transform unless she went underwater.

"Okay, you can take off the blindfold now," she said, standing up and storing the sofa back into her spatial storage.

Behind her, Xie Tingsheng silently removed the blindfold before leisurely strolling over to pick up the scattered fabric—especially the delicate pink lace pieces.

Hua Diao’s face flushed again at the sight, but before she could protest, Xie Tingsheng had already tucked the fabric away into his own space, leaving her no choice but to swallow her words.

Xie Tingsheng’s lips quirked, his eyes glinting with something unreadable before his expression smoothed back into its usual gentle demeanor. "So, what skills does this mermaid talent come with?" he asked casually.

At this, Hua Diao perked up, pushing aside her earlier embarrassment as she eagerly explained.

The talent was essentially a racial shift—activating it transformed her into a mermaid, complete with all the abilities of one. Think of it as an alternate persona.

For instance, mermaids possessed formidable physical strength and combat prowess, claws sharper than blades, the ability to crystallize tears into pearl grenades, and enchanting voices capable of mesmerizing listeners.

Xie Tingsheng’s interest was piqued. "Your voice is already lovely—singing must be even better. When can I hear you sing?"

Hua Diao hesitated. "Well… my talent just awakened. Right now, it only enhances my physical strength and claw sharpness. The vocal charm isn’t unlocked yet."

Undeterred, Xie Tingsheng pressed, "What about without the mermaid effect? I’d still love to hear you. I’ve never heard you sing before."

"Uh..."

Hua Diao’s gaze darted away, her words stumbling.

In the end, she tactfully declined. The truth was, she was tone-deaf. Her agent had once compared her singing to "noise pollution on par with car horns." She’d been hoping the mermaid talent would magically fix her pitch and grant her a heavenly voice like those of pop divas. Until then? No way. Singing now would only humiliate her.