Chapter 337: The Mermaid Xuan Zhu
As the two attendants guided Jiang Chen’s party into the grand hall, they began their introduction.
The Sea Demon Pavilion offered only three types of private chambers, each with a name that hinted at its scale and purpose: Sinking Abyss, Whale Fall, and Mermaid Palace.
Sinking Abyss was for quiet conversation over tea.
Whale Fall was for lavish banquets and spirited drinking.
Mermaid Palace was for rest… and Essence Harmonization.
Seeing that Jiang Chen’s group, combined with Zhao Wuji’s entourage, numbered more than ten, the attendants assumed they were all one party. They bypassed the Sinking Abyss and led them directly to the entrance of a Whale Fall chamber.
The space within was vast, and from it drifted the faint, ethereal melody of an unfamiliar instrument. The sound was so pleasing that a sense of relaxation washed over them before they even stepped inside.
Jiang Chen, however, simply smiled and shook his head. “We wouldn’t want to impose on Fellow Daoist Zhao. We’ll be going our separate ways.”
The attendants’ professional smiles never wavered, but a flicker of surprise registered in their eyes. They had completely misread the situation. These two groups were not together at all.
Seizing the opportunity to atone for his earlier blunder, Su Le, the young master of the Su family, stepped forward. “These gentlemen are disciples of the Cloud Sea Sect,” he announced grandly. “Whichever chamber they choose, put it on my account.”The moment he mentioned the Cloud Sea Sect, the attendants’ demeanor shifted. Their eyes, their posture, their very tone of voice became saturated with a newfound reverence.
Jiang Chen had originally planned to take his friends to a Sinking Abyss chamber to get a feel for the place, especially since it was still quite early. But now…
It had to be the Mermaid Palace.
Early or not, it would be a crime to let such a generous offer go to waste.
The three chambers represented three distinct tiers of service and price. Sinking Abyss, the most affordable, required a minimum spend of 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Whale Fall doubled that to 200.
The Mermaid Palace, however, was in a league of its own, starting at a staggering 1,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
Furthermore, the price scaled with the number of guests. If all four members of Jiang Chen’s party chose to engage in Essence Harmonization with the merfolk, the cost would skyrocket with each session and its duration. There was effectively no upper limit.
Thus, while Su Le maintained a wide grin, his heart was bleeding profusely. But the words were out, and he couldn’t possibly retract them now. To do so would be to thoroughly offend the disciples of the Cloud Sea Sect and, by extension, cause Zhao Wuji to lose face.
Hearing Jiang Chen’s group select the Mermaid Palace, the female attendant beamed. “Esteemed Immortal Elders, please follow me!”
Jiang Chen offered Zhao Wuji a perfunctory cupped-fist salute. “Fellow Daoist Zhao, we’ll part ways here for now.”
Zhao Wuji gave a noncommittal lift of his hand, his response flat. “Hmph.”
With that, the two groups finally separated.
Jiang Chen and his three companions followed the female attendant, venturing deeper into the pavilion’s heart. Faintly, as if carried on the water itself, they could hear the sound of singing. The lyrics were indiscernible, but the melody was so enchanting it soothed the spirit.
The further they walked, the more familiar the surroundings felt to Jiang Chen. The decor, the style of the furniture—it was all remarkably similar to the Water Spirit Palace within his personal dimension. A quick question confirmed his suspicion: the Mermaid Palace was a perfect replica of a legendary Deep Sea Dragon Palace. The walls were inlaid with a “living jade” that seemed to breathe, and sealed within the stone were the ancient, haunting ballads of the merfolk. That was the source of the disembodied singing.
As they neared the entrance to their destination, they saw a middle-aged cultivator in tattered robes being reluctantly escorted out.
“Esteemed Elder, you’ve undergone Essence Harmonization for seven consecutive days. You cannot continue!” an attendant pleaded.
“My body is perfectly fine! Why are you stopping me?” the man protested, his voice hoarse.
“Your constitution may be strong, sir, but your spiritual power is in turmoil. Please, rest and return another time!”
“Fine… but next time, I want Li Xin to serve me again!”
Judging by his desperate posture, he would have stormed right back in if the attendants weren’t physically blocking his path.
Jiang Chen and his friends exchanged intrigued glances. Their anticipation for what lay ahead grew tenfold. They passed the drained cultivator without a word and stepped into the Mermaid Palace.
The chamber opened into a breathtaking grotto. In the center was a large, bubbling pool that shimmered with a fine, silvery light. Beside it, a table carved from a single piece of massive coral was already laden with refreshments and exotic fruits.
A mermaid with a black, silken robe was bowing gracefully in the pool. She was the chamber’s primary guide, and her name was Xuan Zhu.
It was the first time any of them had seen a mermaid, and they couldn’t help but stare.
The part of Xuan Zhu’s tail submerged in the water was a gradient of deep indigo that lightened to a translucent ice-blue near her waist. Her scales were impossibly fine, each one traced with a delicate silver thread. As her tail swayed, these threads pulsed with a faint violet fluorescence, leaving shimmering ribbons of light in the water.
Her upper body was draped in a short tunic woven from deep-sea ice silkworm gauze, a material so thin it was like a cicada’s wing, offering a tantalizing glimpse of the star-like silver scales scattered across her shoulders. The collar, embroidered with wave patterns, seemed to flow with liquid light as she breathed.
Her neck was long and elegant. Just at the hollow of her throat, three pearl-like markings were arranged in a gentle arc. Her features possessed a stark, ethereal beauty unique to creatures of the deep sea. Her brow was high, her eyebrows a striking silver-grey that swept upwards at the ends like the fins of a leaping fish. Her irises were the color of pale, liquid glass, ringed by a halo of what looked like crushed gold. Her gaze was clear yet indirect, as if one were looking at her through a layer of shimmering water. Her nose was high and straight, with tiny, almost invisible respiratory pores on either side. Her lips were the color of coral, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.
But her most captivating feature was her hair. It was as black as deep-sea ink, cascading to her waist, unadorned by any pins or combs save for a few strands of silver seaweed woven casually through its length. Her ear-fins were a translucent, lavender-hued membrane with wavy edges, from which hung two teardrop-shaped pearls.
Seeing her guests, Xuan Zhu offered a sweet smile, and a voice as clear and resonant as a whale’s song filled the grotto. “Welcome, esteemed Immortal Elders. Before we begin, you must select your attendants for Essence Harmonization, according to your cultivation level.”
Jin Fugui, ever the pragmatist, blurted out, “What do you usually eat?”
Xuan Zhu paused, momentarily taken aback, before answering truthfully, “Spiritual algae, fish, and shrimp.”
Mo Yu immediately followed up. “So… what kind of fishhook do you prefer?”
Xuan Zhu blinked, her confusion apparent. “I’m sorry, what was your question?”
Jiang Chen shoved Mo Yu aside. “He said nothing. Let’s begin.”
At his word, Xuan Zhu clapped her hands lightly, producing two crisp sounds. From an adjoining room, five other merfolk emerged. Three were silver-scaled, and two were black-scaled. The silver-scaled merfolk wore pendants of glowing fish gallbladders as earrings, while the black-scaled ones wore chokers of lustrous pearls. The attendants included both males and females, all of them strikingly beautiful.
Xuan Zhu began her introduction. “The silver-scaled merfolk practice the Tide-Guiding Qi Art, which is suitable for Immortal Elders at the Qi Condensation stage. The black-scaled merfolk practice the Spiritual Power Resonance Art, suitable for those at the Foundation Establishment stage.”
Jiang Chen’s curiosity was piqued. “What exactly does this ‘Essence Harmonization’ entail?”
“You can understand it as a much deeper form of Yin-Yang harmony,” Xuan Zhu replied smoothly.
Jiang Chen’s gaze swept over the five attendants. “Are these the only ones available?” he asked, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“If you are not satisfied, you may continue to choose until you are,” Xuan Zhu stated earnestly.
He took a step forward, his eyes locking directly onto hers. “What if I choose you?”
A slight, knowing smile touched Xuan Zhu’s lips, revealing her two shallow dimples. “I,” she said, her voice a melodic whisper, “come at a different price.”