Chapter 2392 - 2295: Jiao Skin
Chapter 2392: Chapter 2295: Jiao Skin
"You don’t know? It’s already the world a thousand years later, there are no Eastern Jin, no Emperor. Ge Hong has long ascended, you can be free now."
Huo Sining looked at the half-mermaid in front of her and said.
The half-mermaid seemed a bit befuddled upon hearing this, apparently not expecting such an answer, and for a moment didn’t know how to respond.
"You... what you said isn’t false? Has a millennium truly passed in this world?"
Huo Sining nodded, looked at the iron chains on the half-mermaid’s body, and thought of what the half-mermaid said earlier about some immortality technique. She couldn’t help but curiously ask:
"Were you trapped here by Ge Hong? Why did he imprison you?"
The half-mermaid heard this and curled her lips into a cold, charming smile, looking at Huo Sining and said: "Why else? The Jiao Clan can live for centuries, and if humans know the secret of such longevity, how could they resist the temptation of the path to immortality?"
"My brother and I had just come of age, were tempted by the outside world, and went out to sea to frolic, never expecting that old ox-nosed man to somehow learn the secrets of the Jiao Clan and lure us ashore with delicious food."
"My brother and I, unaware of human treachery, foolishly fell for it, only to be trapped in that old Taoist’s scheme, and since then, I’ve been trapped in this dark cave, never able to leave."
Huo Sining was somewhat taken aback, not expecting that this sea demon in front of her was captured just upon reaching adulthood, especially upon hearing her mention she had a brother. Huo Sining was even more puzzled and curious:
"You and your brother were captured together? What happened to your brother?"
Huo Sining’s words were the catalyst that instantly ignited the sea demon’s fury. The originally breathtakingly beautiful female mermaid’s face contorted fiercely, trembling all over:
"That old Taoist was cruel and shameless. Seeing our fair looks, he harbored evil intentions, and as the Yin Gathering Array required a female body to activate, he locked me in this deep pool while my brother was wantonly ravaged and insulted, toyed with for many years!"
"Because many parts of the Jiaoren’s body are extremely precious, that old Taoist, after getting bored, actually cruelly killed my brother right in front of me, not only took his eyeballs, scraped his face skin, and even refined his body oil!"
When speaking of this, the female half-mermaid was evidently beyond angry, recalling the cruel, brutal scenes of back then still caused her heart-wrenching pain, making her body uncontrollably tremble, her anger erupting, ready to explode at any moment.
Huo Sining had reason to believe that if Ge Hong were standing here right now, and if this half-mermaid weren’t bound by iron chains, as soon as they met, this female sea demon would undoubtedly tear Ge Hong to pieces to vent her anger!
However, upon thinking, Huo Sining felt she could completely understand. If her family were treated this way, it wouldn’t stop at tearing someone to pieces. She would make sure that person couldn’t seek life nor death, regretting eternally for coming into this world!
Thinking of the "Jiaoxiao" Meditation Robe Zhou Shitao found in the Auricle Chamber of Ge Hong’s tomb, and the oil in those Changming Lamps outside, Huo Sining instinctively shuddered.
If it’s really as the half-mermaid said, Huo Sining secretly speculated that what Huang Zhenlong and the archaeology team member named Anya guessed earlier was true!
The oil burning in those lamps is from the body oil of the half-mermaid’s brother; and the Meditation Robe Zhou Shitao uncovered isn’t some mythical Jiaoxiao, but the skin of a male half-mermaid!
Though Jiaoren and humans differ greatly, in Huo Sining’s concept, they’re quite similar. If a person was skinned and had their oil refined, with the killer wearing the victim’s skin as clothing, just imagining this scene was terrifying!
At the very least, Huo Sining found it difficult to accept, a chill ran through her heart, and aside from pedophilia and sexual abuse, it also included corpse desecration. Ge Hong surely wasn’t merely interested in immortality; he must’ve been a pervert as well?
Originally, Huo Sining thought that when the identification department came back with results, if they genuinely proved the Meditation Robe was the legendary Jiaoxiao, she’d find a chance to touch it to see what the so-called Jiaoxiao felt like.
But now, upon learning from the female mermaid that the Jiaoxiao is made from mermaid skin, Huo Sining instantly decided against it, completely abandoning the idea.
What a joke, what good is touching a piece of human skin, she’d probably have nightmares from touching it, wouldn’t she?
Thinking of Zhou Shitao holding that Jiaoxiao for so long, Huo Sining secretly prepared herself mentally, "Yes, she definitely won’t shake hands with her master for a while."
While thinking, Huo Sining didn’t forget what she was focusing on. The half-mermaid explained so much but actually didn’t answer the question she had asked.
She came here wanting to take this half-mermaid away, she didn’t have much patience for chatting, she just wanted to know why the female mermaid was trapped here by Ge Hong, what necessary link existed with the array, to judge if she could boldly take the half-mermaid from the array.
"Hey, you’re going off track. First explain, why are you trapped in this array, do you know what significance the array’s eye holds, and if I take you away, will there be any serious consequences?"
Huo Sining couldn’t help but ask.
"Off track?"
The half-mermaid looked at Huo Sining with confusion, seemingly not understanding what the term meant, but she evidently was quite good at focusing on main issues, and the next second she became excited, looking at Huo Sining with joy, "You’re willing to take me away?"
Huo Sining shrugged, explaining to the half-mermaid:
"In fact, I sensed your presence at the tomb over there, which is why I came here intending to rescue you."
"Although you tried to charm my companions, I still won’t stand aside, after all, technically speaking, you count as half kin to me. Since I’ve encountered this, I cannot remain uninvolved."
"But coming in, I realized this matter isn’t as simple as I thought, the array is strange, I dare not act rashly."
Upon hearing Huo Sining’s words, the half-mermaid realized she had misunderstood previously, feeling quite ashamed and embarrassed about using her singing to charm Huo Sining’s companions:
"I thought you entered by accident. I just wanted to escape, it was so difficult to see someone, of course, I had to try to save myself."
"My strange appearance couldn’t be hidden, feared you’d run upon seeing me and it’d be hard to meet another person, so I had no choice but to use this desperate measure, hoping to confuse your minds, rescuing me from this prison without you becoming aware."