Chapter 200: Extra: Mermaid Legend 1

Chapter 200: Extra - Merman Legend 1

Meng Shu lay limp on the bed, his back and butt aching.

Beside him, Ling Qingjue had stolen the blanket, wrapped himself tightly in it, and trembled from time to time.

He was secretly crying.

I bet you're all wondering how this strange situation came to be.

Let me break it down for you.

This is Meng Shu's fourth year in Moon Bay. He has completed nine hundred resident tasks and is only one step away from building a house and marrying his kitty.

But he has begun to regret it.

Ling Qingjue's heat cycles are always brief and sudden, coming every two days, each time nagging about wanting Meng Shu to have a kitten.

After so many times, Meng Shu started to lose it.

Can a man really give birth to a kitten?

He went to consult the relevant knowledge with this doubt and suspicion, only to learn a weird fact: In order to allocate resources reasonably, it's very difficult for creatures in this world to bear offspring, ensuring the stability of the species' numbers.

Most animals will only have one offspring in their lifetime, strictly controlled by the rules of this world.

The stronger you are, the harder it is to have children.

Ling Qingjue belongs to a category of beings so powerful they defy the heavens. If he wants offspring, he would need to work at it for centuries.

On top of that, he picked a male human partner who doesn't even have a heat cycle as a companion. This guy can't have kittens anyway, yet Ling Qingjue refuses to accept this and insists on trying with Meng Shu.

In the end, only Meng Shu ends up suffering in the whole world.

Today was the same. Ling Qingjue pinned him down, determined to make him have a kitten.

Meng Shu could have played along at first, but then Ling Qingjue got too rough and wouldn't stop. Meng Shu couldn't take it anymore and finally blurted out the cruel truth: "Male humans can't have kittens."

Just one sentence made Ling Qingjue's world crash down around him.

The flush on his face quickly faded, his cat ears flopped down, and he asked, trembling, "Can't… give birth?"

Meng Shu covered his eyes with his arm, barely breathing, "Yeah. Men can't have kittens."

"Even my father gave birth!"

"That's because your mom is female. You came from your mother."

"..."

It took Ling Qingjue a long time to say, "So you were never able to give me kittens… All this time, you've been lying to me?"

Meng Shu felt so helpless. Was this up to him? He thought Ling Qingjue was just flirting, but this guy actually wanted him to have kittens.

He barely managed to reach out and touch Ling Qingjue's hand. "If I could have kittens, I would, but..."

Ling Qingjue got angry.

He turned his back, stole the blanket, and wrapped himself up.

Meng Shu lay there naked for a while, then rolled over to hug him. "Are you really mad at me?"

"..."

"I thought you knew. Isn't this common sense?"

Ling Qingjue retorted coldly, "It's not common sense here. Cats and dogs can have babies. I was born from a human and a cat. Why can't you?"

"That still depends on having the right gender." Meng Shu coaxed him good-naturedly. "Turn around, give me some blanket. It's chilly."

Ling Qingjue ignored him, so he slipped in behind him, pressing his chest against Ling Qingjue's back and wrapping his arms around his waist.

After a while, Meng Shu noticed he was trembling.

Is he crying?

Crying!

"Hey, what are you crying for?" Meng Shu leaned over and tried to turn his head around. "You're still so little, and you want a kitten? You're a kitten yourself. How are you going to take care of a tiny kitten?"

Ling Qingjue still didn't speak. The little kitten he had been longing for for so long was just a lie Meng Shu had been using to tease him.

He was beyond consolation. He wasn't going to talk to Meng Shu for a while.

Meng Shu thought it over. He was the one suffering. What the hell did Ling Qingjue have to cry about? His anger flared up, and he simply stopped coaxing him, rolled over, and started sulking too.

In the end, it turned into that strange situation: Meng Shu lying miserably on one side, and Ling Qingjue crying alone on the other.

In the middle of the night, Meng Shu was suddenly hugged from behind.

He smirked to himself. Little brat, you fell for it, didn't you?

With Ling Qingjue's personality, if you really ignore him, he panics.

Ling Qingjue buried his face in the crook of Meng Shu's neck. His cheeks were wet, and his voice sounded muffled: "It's okay. I don't mind you."

Meng Shu was stunned.

Mind what?

He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, completely baffled. How did it become like he had let Ling Qingjue down?

But he didn't ask. He knew Ling Qingjue too well. If he showed any sign of giving in, Ling Qingjue would immediately take advantage and act up like crazy.

For the sake of a peaceful night, he chose to play dead.

The next morning, Meng Shu had to go to the Knights' Order to turn in a quest, and Ling Qingjue used Teleportation Magic to send him there.

Before leaving, Meng Shu held Ling Qingjue, alternating between kissing and coaxing him. "Today I'm going to hunt a Boss. Although it's not dangerous, I'll be home very late. Find something to do on your own."

Ling Qingjue kept a blank face, the corners of his eyes still a little red.

He had been crying alone until dawn last night.

He nodded emotionlessly.

"Oh." Ling Qingjue didn't seem very interested.

He already knew this was a lie Meng Shu used to soothe him, and he wouldn't be fooled again.

Meng Shu patted him on the head, then turned and walked into the magic array. "See you later."

"Oh." Ling Qingjue still appeared indifferent.

Meng Shu couldn't figure out what he was thinking. The Knight Order was urging him, so he could only cup his face and kiss him several times. "I'm sorry, okay? When I get back, we'll talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it." Ling Qingjue's brows drooped. "Anyway, it's all lies to deceive me."

"Why would I lie to you?" Meng Shu kissed him again, still uneasy. "Be good and wait for me to come home."

He was like a husband heading out, fussing over his wife, giving endless reminders, and only leaving after looking back again and again.

Today's mission wasn't too difficult. Led by Meng Shu, they quickly captured the monster's lair, and the group began to clean up the battlefield.

While eliminating the minor monsters, Meng Shu asked the person beside him, troubled, "My cat always pesters me to have kittens. Does he really not know that men can't give birth to cats?"

"The Cat Clan's way of thinking is different from ours. Maybe they can actually ignore gender entirely. Plus, the captain told me your cat is pretty powerful."

"He's powerful, alright..." Meng Shu glanced at the Demon King Cat Ring on his ring finger and couldn't help smiling to himself. "But very childish, causing trouble all day long."

"That's normal. The more powerful a creature, the stronger its desire to reproduce, but due to the laws, it's hard for them to have offspring. If someone here could have a child, they'd treasure it like a precious heirloom."

"Is that right?" Meng Shu hesitated. "What happens if they don't have offspring?"

"The laws impose many restrictions on animals; the mating season is one of them. Their desire to have offspring is deeply ingrained. From the moment they become conscious, the idea of reproducing is already there."

The colleague thought for a moment. "If they can't have offspring, it's like going against their very nature."

Meng Shu was speechless. "That serious?"

The colleague shrugged. "Don't forget, even if they use Transformation Magic to become human, they are still beasts in essence. Telling a beast not to have young is like telling it to stop eating, drinking, and sleeping from today. In short: they might as well die."

Meng Shu was unusually silent.

He always judged Ling Qingjue from a human perspective, forgetting that Ling Qingjue still had many animal traits.

No wonder Ling Qingjue was so persistent about having a kitten.

For a small cat, eating, sleeping, and grooming are the most important things.

For a big cat, eating, sleeping, grooming, claiming territory, and having kittens are the most important things.

Meng Shu couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. "So that's how it is. Then I need to go back and properly apologize."

The colleague patted him on the shoulder, showing a hint of sympathy. "Choosing a partner that's too powerful means you have to suffer in these areas. There's no way around it. Can't have everything in the world."

Meng Shu let out a bitter smile. "That makes sense."

He finished his work early at the Knight Order and went to the transfer station to use the teleportation portal, teleporting near Moon Bay.

There was a festival in town today, and word was that many rare beasts were performing. Many townsfolk had gone to join the fun.

Meng Shu planned to go home first, apologize to Ling Qingjue, and then invite him to watch the show.

When he got home, he looked around the house but didn't see anyone.

The emotions he'd built up deflated like a leaky balloon. Meng Shu found it strange. He knew Ling Qingjue hated going out—his favorite thing was basking in the sun.

With so many people in town and him hating crowds, why would he go out?

His house cat was out and about, making Meng Shu anxious as the owner.

He closed the door and looked at the ring on his finger again, feeling conflicted.

He could use the Demon King Cat Ring's skill, Cat Head Strike, and just say the incantation to summon Ling Qingjue.

But what if Ling Qingjue was busy?

After thinking for a bit, he lowered his hand and decided to search the town himself.

Meng Shu headed to the nearby square, remembering there was a performance.

From afar, he saw the surging crowd, forming a circle and clapping and cheering occasionally.

Among so many people, he spotted Ling Qingjue at a glance.

One because Ling Qingjue was tall, standing out in the crowd like a crane among hens.

Second, because he knew Ling Qingjue too well—even a blurry silhouette was enough for instant recognition.

Meng Shu squeezed in. "Excuse me, excuse me."

He was nearly squashed like a pancake by the crowd. Finally, he squeezed next to Ling Qingjue, but the other man didn't even glance at him.

Meng Shu wiped his sweat and gently took Ling Qingjue's hand. "Kitty?"

Only then did Ling Qingjue lower his eyes to look at him, his expression flat. "Why are you back?"

"I finished early," Meng Shu said, then paused. "What are you looking at?"

Following Ling Qingjue's gaze, he saw a sparkling glass water tank.

Through the glass, a mermaid was tumbling in the water.

Its long black hair was thick and curly like seaweed, its figure slender, and its beautiful tail covered with blue-purple gradient scales that reflected cold light as it moved.

So beautiful!

For a moment, Meng Shu was stunned.

He couldn't even tell if this mermaid was male or female.

Ling Qingjue stared fixedly at the mermaid and asked in a low voice, "It... is very beautiful, isn't it?"

Meng Shu quickly nodded. No wonder so many people came—it was like a god descending to earth, breathtakingly beautiful.

Ling Qingjue let out a laugh, his gaze still fixed on the mermaid, turning intensely possessive. "I think so too."

That mermaid floated to the glass, pressing its palm against it. A brilliant smile spread across its delicate face, dazzling and leaving Meng Shu momentarily dazed.

Then it waved its right hand at them, and although they couldn't hear what it said, transparent bubbles came out of its mouth.

Meng Shu was confused. "What did it say?"

Ling Qingjue smiled slowly. "It seems quite interested in us."

"Huh?"

Ling Qingjue's smile didn't fade, his eyes still locked on the mermaid. "...I want it."

"You want *what*?" Meng Shu was shocked, hardly believing his ears. "I'm right here, and you're telling me you want it?"

The mermaid turned around and started interacting with someone else.

Ling Qingjue acted like he didn't hear him, staying rooted to the spot, his eyes glued, not moving at all.

Meng Shu stood there, dumbfounded.

Right in front of him, saying he wanted this mermaid—what the hell was that about?!

Not long after, the mermaid performance ended, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Meng Shu was still mulling over Ling Qingjue's words, standing there without moving.

Ling Qingjue took his hand, the obsessive look in his eyes now gone, reverting to his usual aloof demeanor. "Come on, let's go home."

Meng Shu gathered his courage. "What did you mean by that?"

Ling Qingjue frowned. "What did I say?"

"You said you wanted it."

Ling Qingjue thought hard for a moment. "I think I did say that. What about it? I meant it literally."

"Why?" Meng Shu's throat tightened, asking incredulously. "Why do you want it?"

"Beautiful, unique, like a captivating treasure." Ling Qingjue paused, choosing his words carefully.

Meng Shu felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

He knew that mermaid was breathtaking—even a tough guy like him was almost smitten.

But Ling Qingjue's feelings had switched way too fast!

Right in front of him, he actually had the nerve to say that!

"...Is it because I can't give birth to a kitten?"

"What's that got to do with it?" Ling Qingjue shot him a strange glance. "I'm just interested in it."

Meng Shu was at a loss for words.

When normal people fall for someone else, they at least try to hide it.

Ling Qingjue always did whatever he pleased—he'd even show his infidelity in plain sight.

He yanked his hand away from Ling Qingjue, not even sure what he was angry about, and strode forward.

Ling Qingjue was stunned for a second, then quickly caught up. "Are you angry? Why? Because I think it's beautiful?"

Meng Shu let out a breath. Whatever. Maybe he was overthinking—Ling Qingjue was a cat after all, with a different way of thinking. He shouldn't jump to conclusions.

So he shook his head. "It's nothing."

Ling Qingjue didn't say anything more. The two walked home in silence, ignoring each other.

Meng Shu had almost forgotten about the whole thing. That evening after his shower, he was about to hug Ling Qingjue and give him a couple of kisses, ready to have a serious talk about the kitten thing, when he saw Ling Qingjue sitting at the desk, his left hand propping up his chin, his right hand holding a pen, sketching on a piece of paper.

Curious, he leaned in. "What are you doing?"

The moment he saw it, Meng Shu nearly had a stroke from rage.

Ling Qingjue was drawing the mermaid.

On the paper was a rough outline of the mermaid—everything but the face was an exact copy of the mermaid they had seen today!