After returning home and applying the sea hare mucus, Fanli packed a bag and slung a heavy backpack over her shoulders before heading downstairs. Mrs. Hong and her sister were in the living room tending to the children, while Dangdang was fretting over her theory lessons, having completely forgotten that the ban on going out to sea had been lifted. Seeing Fanli’s gear, Dangdang dashed over. "Hey! You’re going on a trip to the surface and didn't invite me?"
"My trip is for study purposes."
"Oh." Dangdang didn't care for the details. "When will you be back?"
Instead of answering, Fanli pulled her into her room. "Dangdang, let me ask you a philosophical question. Do you think it’s ever okay to be the 'third party' in a relationship with a married man who has children?"
Over the past few days, Fanli had specifically looked into the marriage and divorce procedures of the sea race. Although there were some strange regulations, the general framework was quite similar to that of humans. Thus, she felt this was a topic she could discuss with Dangdang.
Dangdang’s eyes sparkled like falling stars. "My dear, have you finally come to your senses? Are you starting to find fathers attractive?"
"When people attack the 'other woman,' their argument is usually that intruding on a marriage hurts an innocent family. Honestly, I don't think that argument is very effective. We can frankly admit that when faced with love, people are often selfish enough to ignore the feelings of their own relatives. If someone is willing to be a third party, they often don't even care about themselves—so why would they care about a strange woman or a strange child, right?"
Dangdang nodded vigorously.
"So, let’s analyze the pros and cons of being a third party from a purely selfish perspective. Look at this—tell me if I’m right."
Fanli took out a sea-pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote a formula on the paper on Dangdang’s desk:
*Male Charm = Genes + Resources + Potential (Age)*
"Exactly right!"
"Usually, a married man’s charm comes from the charm of success. That is, he possesses resources, and it has little to do with potential. Women who like 'growth stocks' won't be attracted to married men. They want a man’s hundred percent; they want to invest in him when he has nothing and harvest the rewards later." Of course, there was also the possibility that the investment would fail, and instead of harvesting a mature gentleman, they’d just harvest a burden. Fanli skipped that point to keep her argument persuasive. "But some women prefer the finished product. To get it, they don't mind harvesting the results of another woman’s investment. In common terms, this is the 'homewrecker.' This is why third parties are so hated by their own gender—they steal another woman’s resources, making her years of investment go down the drain. Consequently, all women have a tacit agreement: to cast out the resource-raiders from the alliance, isolating and attacking them. In truth, by the law of the jungle, the third party isn't 'wrong'; she has even achieved a superficial victory."
"Yes, yes, I totally agree. Getting a good man depends on one's own ability. Why talk so much about morality? The predator races don't exactly do charity for us, do they?"
"As I said, it’s a 'superficial' victory. We’ll talk about the group attracted by genes later. For now, let’s analyze the basic structure of a 'successful man'—a man holding resources. These resources belong to a family, not just to him. The third party thinks she’s attracted to him, but she’s actually attracted to the combined resources of him and his wife. If he has any sense of responsibility when he divorces, he will leave the bulk of the marital assets to the wife and children he failed. What remains is all he possesses as an individual. What he shares with the third party will only be equal to or less than that total. Because he has been married, his potential advantage—his age—is also far inferior to that of a younger man. Now, think about it: does that 'successful man' charm still exist?"
Dangdang froze for a long moment, then shook her head rapidly.
"If he is stingy with resources when compensating the ex-wife and children he abandoned, he certainly won't be generous with the newcomer, right? And as we all know, once a man controls the family resources, the probability of cheating increases exponentially with those resources. What he did to his first wife, he will do to the next. Any married man knows this in his heart. So, in most cases, they will say: 'My relationship with her has problems because of us, not because of you. I will get a divorce.' And then, he never does."
"Then..." Dangdang wavered. "What if he actually does get a divorce?"
"That’s possible, if the third party can provide something his wife cannot. Usually, that 'something' is beauty, gentleness, youth, and so on. So, tell me, what does this young, beautiful, gentle third party want from him?" Fanli tapped the formula on the desk with her pen. "Is it genes, or resources? We’ve already discussed the resource issue. If it’s for genes—the so-called 'handsome guy'—the cost of his cheating is zero. Divorcing once or a hundred times has almost no impact on him. He will keep cheating. His wife is just the 'Empress'—she has the status, but she’s neglected year-round. If she can't stand it, he’ll just find a new Empress. He’s never worried about being unwanted."
Dangdang said with a long face, "You... you make a lot of sense. But couldn't it be for true love? A love that transcends ethics and morality? A different kind of love?"
Fanli sighed. There was no such thing as love that transcended ethics in this world—only animal instincts that did.
"Fine, let’s set aside logic and explain it from a purely emotional angle. You should know that the first wife will be a man’s 'White Moonlight' until the day he dies. No matter how incompatible they were, no matter how willful she was, or how she lost her figure and beauty over the years, he will never forget how she looked when she was young and beautiful, newly wed to him. When the passion with the third party fades, his weariness of his first wife will decrease the longer they are apart; his guilt toward her will increase the longer they are apart. The first wife doesn't need to be prettier than the third party; she only needs to pull herself together a bit and be happy after leaving him. That is enough to make him regret everything and yearn for the past. No matter how many sweet words the second wife says to make him happy for a moment, she can never change his true heart."
"You’re right." Dangdang covered her face, looking even more distressed. "Ugh, I understand the logic, but we Filamented Flasher Wrasses only like fathers. I just can't feel anything for men who haven't had kids."
"Then can you at least manage not to go after your friends' men? It’s hard to find a three-legged toad, but men who are fathers are everywhere, right?"
"Fine, I won't steal a friend's man!"
Seeing her look so solemn, Fanli almost believed her. But this was all she could say and do for Mrs. Hong. There was a limit to trying to persuade someone; saying any more might backfire. She only hoped Dangdang would find her conscience and stop causing Mrs. Hong such pain.
"That’s good." Fanli smiled and patted her hand. "Promise me, no matter what, love yourself a little more."
"I will!"
Having said her piece, Fanli went back downstairs with her. Looking back at the sisters playing with the children in the living room, she suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. She went over and gave each of them a hug.
Then, Fanli handed a coin purse to Dangdang. "Keep this safe for me. I’m going out tomorrow and I’m afraid of losing it."
"Hmm? Okay." Dangdang stuffed the purse into her bag carelessly.
"There are 850 Fu inside. Watch it closely, don't lose it."
"What? That much!" Dangdang opened it and saw a pile of high-denomination federal currency. "Wow, Li-zi, you’re so rich!"
Seeing Dangdang’s wide-eyed, silly expression, Fanli couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead. "Your mother gave that to me."
"My mom? Oh! Right!"
Fanli felt both amused and worried. After she left, could Dangdang really take care of herself? With that stubborn yet naive temper, would she be bullied at school?
"Fanli, what would you like for dinner? We’ll go buy it for you," Mrs. Hong said gently. Her sister also propped up her chin and winked at her.
"Anything is fine. Your cooking is always delicious." Fanli looked at Dangdang again. "Study hard. Your dream of being a singer won't allow you to be as playful as me."
"Yes, yes, my great scholar!"
Watching Dangdang’s bright, pained smile, Fanli took a deep breath and swam out the door without looking back.
She beat her tail, surging toward the shallow waters.
Gradually, the city buildings and the citizens of Luoya began to thin out. The further up she swam, the fewer people there were, yet it was "busier" than the city below. A red-and-white multi-sieve starfish was perched on the roof of a tall building; it used four arms to grip the base while desperately tearing a fifth arm from its body, completing its mission of asexual reproduction through fragmentation, waiting for it to grow into a complete starfish. Thousands of many-lined sweetlips swam past, with banana-yellow bodies, fins, and tails, their water-blue stripes looking as if they had been outlined with a black marker. Their thick, large lips were reminiscent of Tony Leung’s "sausage mouth" look from *The Eagle Shooting Heroes*. A small dolphin strayed too far from the pod and was chased back by its mother, who pinned it with her pectoral fins as punishment for a few seconds... Finally, she saw plankton shimmering in the sunlight, vast schools of anchovies, and dolphins and flying fish leaping from the surface...
The protection of the Deep Blue and the Arcane was limited to the sea. Therefore, as soon as a member of the sea race left the ocean and entered the nature of air and land, they would automatically switch to the human dimension.
This time, no golden net rose to stop her. She broke through the final layer of seawater, her upper body surging out of the waves.
Sunlight, air, the surface!
Sea birds, white clouds, blue sky!
Her gills closed automatically, and she began to breathe through her nostrils. Long-lost air, long-lost warmth!
She closed her eyes, wanting to take deep, greedy gulps of fresh air, just as she used to do when opening her window in the morning...
But as the sunlight hit her, she didn't feel like lying down for a sunbath. On the contrary, her skin felt scorched and painful, and the temperature of the surface was almost unbearable. The oxygen entering her nasal cavity was too dry. And her vision was so poor that she couldn't even tell if the birds in the sky were seagulls, pigeons, or albatrosses.
As expected, marine life was simply more accustomed to the survival mode of the sea...
It was fine. As long as she could survive on land, there would be a way. She didn't believe her mother would occupy her body forever. If that really happened, she would no longer treat Su Yi as a mother. She would not give up.
A coastline was visible not far away. Fanli kept her head just below the surface and swam in that direction.
Questions swirled in her mind: how to seek help in the nearest land country, how to find the Chinese embassy, how to communicate this to her parents... But there were moments when her thoughts shifted, and the images she first saw when she opened her eyes in the Sea of Light resurfaced. She thought of Xinghai’s slightly sorrowful smile, his silver-gray hair floating in the water...
There were regrets here, and unsolved mysteries.
But life was never perfect; it was full of the unknown. Nothing was more important than going home.
Before long, the seabed rose beneath her, becoming shallower and shallower. A final crest of white foam surged forward, pushing her onto the beach. The sand stretched for seven or eight kilometers, with two crudely made boats moored by the shore. The sand felt as fine as powder. From the sea to the forest, the landscape was a tapestry of pure colors—deep blue, turquoise, pale gold, snowy white, and dark green—depicting an earthly Eden.
As the wave receded, Fanli crawled forward, attempting to flick her fish tail, but what kicked out were feet scorched by the hot sand. She closed her eyes, took a trembling breath, and turned around. Through the blur, she saw long, snowy-white legs.
She pulled her glasses from her wet bag and put them on. She wiggled her toes and touched the human ears that had replaced her ear fins. She burst out laughing.
"Ah!! It worked!!"
She leaped up from the sand, only to fall like a toddler learning to walk. She had been a human for eighteen years—how could she not know how to walk? She stood up again with grim determination, only to fall once more... It was as if she had lost the ability to walk entirely.
But it didn't matter. She could learn slowly.
She practiced on the shallow beach for over two hours, occasionally dipping back into the water to stay hydrated and maintain her strength. Finally, she could walk, albeit stumbling.
By now, the sun was setting, painting the beach in shades of orange. Something hard bumped against Fanli’s ankle, followed by a round, dark shadow. She initially thought it was a rock, but seeing it move, she adjusted her glasses and looked down to see a sea turtle. Looking up to expand her view, she saw about thirty turtles dragging their rock-like bodies through the surf, slowly crawling onto the beach.
Within ten minutes, hundreds, then thousands of turtles were coming ashore. Eventually, the entire beach was covered with grayish-black oval shells as they began to lay their eggs in the sand. This was their home. No matter how many tens of thousands of nautical miles they wandered into the open ocean, they would eventually return to their roots, back to the beach where they were born to reproduce.
This silent, orderly pact between land and sea touched Fanli.
She was going home, too.
She looked back at the ocean and gave a small wave toward the distant horizon.
Goodbye, sacred Sea of Light, Luoya University.
Goodbye, friends of the sea race.
Goodbye, fantasy journey beneath the beautiful waves.
Goodbye, the legendary Saint Yegana and the City of the Abyss.
Goodbye, the charming Dictator, the witty Professor Bu Ke, the kind Dean, the silly Dangdang, the warm Hong family, the haughty Liuxiang, the reliable Shuangsi couple, the fierce "Black Coral Goddess Gang," the overbearing Kaimo, the poor Seaweed Senior, and Miss Bubble...
Goodbye, Xinghai...
Xinghai, we must meet again...
She strode toward the island jungle.
But the closer she got to the forest, the more the darkness within made her hesitate.
Would it be better to spend the night on the beach and cross the rainforest during the day? Besides, today was the first day the ban was lifted—why was she the only member of the sea race on land? The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. As she hesitated, she saw leaves rustle in the jungle. Her hearing, now incredibly sharp, immediately pinpointed the source and spotted a pair of eyes hidden beneath a large banana leaf.
She let out a startled cry, turned, and ran.
A pack of dogs burst from the forest, barking as they chased her. Seven or eight people who had been hiding behind the leaves stood up. Their skin was dark. One of them pointed at Fanli, shouting something unintelligible, and the others followed. Both men and women were naked, their faces painted with numerous white markings, holding crude spears. They looked exactly like the primitive tribespeople depicted in art.
Sensing their ill intent, Fanli ran for her life, but she was no match for them in a footrace. They quickly caught up. She accidentally tripped over a sea turtle, her glasses falling into the sand, blurring her vision. As the foremost savage approached, she grabbed two turtle eggs and threw them in his face. He yelled, enraged, wiping the shell fragments from his eyes and roaring as he raised his spear.
A second man caught up and hurled a spear at her. She shoved two sea turtles toward his legs, tripping him and sending him tumbling. Seeing the waves right in front of her, she prepared to dive back into the sea, but a muscular black arm locked around her neck. A stout woman shouted in a raspy voice, pointing a spear at her as if wanting to kill her, but the brute holding her neck let out a couple of malicious laughs. He gripped Fanli’s neck and wrist, dragging her toward the jungle.
Fanli kicked her legs wildly, opened her mouth, and bit down hard on his arm.
The bite was fierce and accurate, leaving no room for mercy. The brute roared in pain and threw her to the ground. She scrambled to escape, but a dog bit her ankle. The man cursed savagely, snatched a spear from another person, and lunged at her!
With nowhere to run, she could only cover her face with one hand and her chest with the other.
A warm liquid splashed onto the back of her hand.
But the expected agony never came. She parted her fingers slightly and saw the spearhead protruding from the brute’s chest. The blood on her hand was his.
Then, a dog yelped as the one biting her was also skewered by a spear. She was swept up by the waist. This person was noticeably leaner than the natives, but his agility was several times greater. She felt herself moving with him as he leaped; with one hand, he easily dispatched two more natives. The others were terrified and fled back into the jungle, leaving only their loyal dogs standing their ground, barking at them.
"Are you crazy?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Fanli looked up at him in a daze.
Xinghai held her shoulders, truly angry for the first time. "It’s one thing to come ashore alone, but to come to this island full of dingoes and savages! Do you have a death wish?!"
It was Xinghai.
It was Xinghai!!
Fanli couldn't speak; she buried her head in his chest and hugged him tightly.
His anger vanished instantly, replaced by a slight awkwardness. "You were almost killed just now. These savages are cannibals, let alone what they’d do to the sea race."
"I know... I didn't do enough research before running off..." Fanli trembled in his arms. "Thank you for saving me again."
He patted her back, returning to his usual calm self. "They can't beat the predator races, but who knows how many of the ocean race have died at their hands in the past. If you want to come to the surface in the future, take me with you. I can protect you."
"Okay..."
As she calmed down, she realized he was gently hugging her back. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled away.
Xinghai had also transformed, possessing two long legs. He wore a water-soaked thin shirt and a knee-length sarong, looking somewhat exotic like an island dweller, with a bit more of a "sunny" vibe than he had in the sea. But he was tall and elegant, and with the naturally fair skin of the sea race, he looked like someone out of a painting. And she had just burrowed into the arms of such a boy and refused to come out... At the thought, Fanli’s face turned the color of a tomato.
Xinghai also looked a bit unnatural. He brushed his wet hair back, cleared his throat, picked up her glasses, and handed them to her. Pointing at the native’s corpse on the ground, he said indignantly, "That man just now wanted to... you idiot." He flicked her forehead.
Fanli put on her glasses. "I really didn't think that in this day and age, there would still be such primitive tribes on Earth... Shouldn't beaches like this usually be taken over by travel agencies?"
"Nonsense. What travel agencies do humans have? You think this is the Light Sea Federation?"
"Huh? They... they don't?"
Fanli was about to think that Xinghai might not know enough about humans, but his next sentence left her completely stunned:
"Of course not. Although human civilization is progressing quickly, they are currently far behind us. Only Rome, Xia, Kushan, and Parthia have any semblance of culture. Most other places are no better than what you see here."
"...Xia?"
"Yes, a hereditary imperial empire near the Bodhi Sea."
"What is their monarch called?" Fanli had a very ominous premonition.
"That, I don't know. I only know the monarch has little actual power, and the country is split into seven parts. The seven states are all fighting amongst themselves, somewhat like the Light Sea."
"Do their highest officials govern all affairs of the court, with the power to reward and punish subordinates?"
"Yes."
"In the last hundred years, did they also implement a reform?" Fanli tremulously described the Shang Yang Reforms. "Abolishing the well-field system, emphasizing agriculture, establishing a county system, rewarding military merit, and so on?"
"Yes. For them, that was a very difficult centralized revolution." Xinghai raised an eyebrow. "You’re actually that knowledgeable about surface culture?"
Fanli stared blankly at the horizon sinking into darkness. Her hope plummeted along with the sun.
"Fanli, what’s wrong? You look terrible."
Fanli shook her head, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead.
Now she finally understood why Su Yi had said so confidently, "You can't go back," why Su Shiye was so certain there was no way to find Su Yi, and the meaning of "Year 2271"...
Because this soul-swapping technique wasn't just trans-spatial; it was trans-temporal.
From the moment she became a member of the sea race, she had been on an Earth from 2,271 years ago.
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