Within the ship's pavilion, glittering with pearls and thick with coral, Xu Xuan sat in the seat of honor, with Yang Yuanxin and Lu Lian on either side. Below them, a mermaid knelt prostrate.
"Former retainers of South Mist."
He turned the designation over in his mind. According to the Azure Horned Serpents and the records in the Mist Marsh Secret Scroll, the [Coral Merfolk] had once belonged to the South Mist Dragon Palace-what was now the Great Mist Marsh.
The mermaid's upper body resembled that of the Human Race, with fair skin and lovely features, clothed in coral and seashells. Her lower body was a deep-blue fishtail.
"What is your name, and why have you sought me out?"
Xu Xuan's voice carried authority. Lightning spilled from his Flood Dragons' eyes as he looked at her, striking awe into her soul.
"My name is Lan Yan. I have the undeserved honor of being chief of the [Coral Merfolk]. My people face extinction. Hearing that noble blood of Mist Marsh had come here, I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure and intercept Lord Youdu's honored vessel."
Lan Yan's voice was beautiful. With her eyes lowered, grief and fear mingled in her tone, making her all the more moving.
"Our [Coral Merfolk] once numbered tens of thousands. After all the slaughter, barely a hundred remain. Most were captured, some rendered into lamp oil, their bodies burned outright, others tortured. Outsiders coveted our tear-pearls and made us weep until our tears ran dry and we died."
"After fleeing all this way, we have finally met you, my lord. We ask only that you take in these clansfolk of mine. All our hearts belong to Mist Marsh."
Lan Yan had the highest cultivation among the mermaids who had fled here,