When his gaze met a pair of pale blue eyes glowing faintly, his grip on the longsword suddenly seemed to lose all strength. He could no longer hold it, and it fell to the ground.
"...Y-you, who are you?!"
The patrol leader remained fairly composed, but the others who had approached were already scared stiff. They stood rooted to the spot, staring silently at the water, their shoulders trembling slightly. Two of them tried to turn their heads away, but for some reason, their gazes kept drifting involuntarily back to those pale blue eyes.
Now that he had been discovered, there was no way to keep hiding. Shen Yangge swished the fish tail beneath him, and pale golden motes of light rippled across the pond's surface and through the water. The beautiful sight left everyone stunned.
The moment Shen Yangge's true appearance emerged from the water, their terrified expressions changed instantly, revealing awe, surprise, fascination, admiration, and a hint of greed.
"What is he?"
Someone asked.
The leader waved the men back. "We don't know yet, but judging by his appearance, he doesn't seem like one of those man-eating monsters. Go report to the master of the estate!"
"But boss, what if he runs away?"
"I'll keep watch here. Hurry and report!"
Shen Yangge, who had remained silent all this time, opened his mouth and said, "That man has a point. If I disappear, won't you be accused of deceiving your master?"
As he spoke, his silver-white hair shone even more brightly, and his exquisite, handsome features radiated a sacred, pure beauty.
"Boss, he can talk. Is he a..."
Before the soldier could say "monster," he stopped himself.
Even he felt that calling the being in the pond a monster would demean him. He could not bring himself to say