In the azure sea, a mermaid swam with all her might, and the schools of fish around her began to scatter out of her way. This mermaid was Li Ya, on her way home.
Ever since the Snow Empress and the others had brought her to the coast of the Far North, Li Ya had been swimming swiftly through the sea toward home.
Four days later, Li Ya finally reached the Mermaid Clan's territory, then swam downward. Gradually, the light around her grew dimmer and dimmer. The Mermaid Clan's territory lay on the seabed, but not in the deep sea. The farther down she went, the less sunlight there was, but the mermaids' territory was not as utterly lightless as the deep sea. Some sunlight still reached it, just not as brightly as up above.
After she had swum for a while, a soft glow began to appear below. It was the light of the Luminous Pearls the Mermaid Clan had collected for illumination.
Li Ya returned to the Mermaid Clan's territory. It was exactly as it had been when she left, without a single change. Mermaids swam to and fro, and houses built from piled stones or coral stood on the seabed.
Li Ya swam among them. When the mermaids saw that it was Her Highness the Sea Princess's youngest daughter, Mermaid Princess Li Ya, who possessed the Mermaid Clan's Golden Bloodline, they all bowed in respect.
Li Ya smiled and nodded in response, then swam swiftly toward the Sea Princess's palace. Once she saw that she was out of the mermaids' sight, she could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
Her former self probably could have handled this sort of thing with composure, but with her memories of those years spent living with Huo Yuhao and