Chapter 214: Taking the Little Manta Ray to Find a Guardian Fish

"Drink the ginger soup first."

Yun Jiao wanted to escape, but there was no escape.

Just smelling the spicy aroma of the ginger soup made her little brow furrow.

As the bowl drew closer, her pretty features scrunched up into a ball. She craned her neck, her face a mask of resistance.

She was a funny sight to behold.

The wrinkles at the corners of Granny Yun’s eyes deepened as she chuckled. She coaxed gently, "I put rock sugar in this ginger soup. It’s not that bad, why don’t you try it?"

Dubious, Yun Jiao took a tiny sip.

Then, she stuck her tongue out.

’Disgusting!’

It was a little sweet, but mostly just spicy.

"Good medicine tastes bitter, and this isn’t even medicine. Ginger soup warms you up and wards off the cold. You dared to go swimming in this weather. If you get really sick, you’ll not only have to get shots but also take medicine—the kind of traditional medicine that I was taking before."

The kind of medicine whose smell alone made Yun Jiao recoil in disgust.

In the end, amid everyone’s coaxing, the delicate Little Yu reluctantly drank the ginger soup.

After dawdling through the last drops, Yun Jiao pulled her dad toward the seashore.

"Dad, what about that big Manta Ray? Did you guys get it away?"

Yun Linhai nodded. "That Manta Ray was too big. A bunch of us couldn’t even lift it. In the end, we had to use the village chief’s tractor to haul it away."

Even then, it took more than a dozen men and a whole lot of effort just to get the Manta Ray onto the tractor.

"Manta Rays are pretty similar to Devil Fish, so the price shouldn’t be much different."

Devil Fish go for sixty or seventy cents a jin.

A Manta Ray would be about the same. But since this one was so huge, it would sell for a lot of money even at sixty cents a jin.

"Oh, right, where’s my bucket?"

Her bucket held some real treasures.

"I brought it back home for you. Why?"

Yun Jiao said, "There are gifts inside from the killer whale. He brought them from really far away."

They arrived at the shore, where a crowd had already gathered, all staring at the Manta Ray.

When they saw Yun Jiao approaching, they started shouting.

"Yun Jiao, come take a look at this Manta Ray! What’s wrong with it? It looks so silly, it just keeps trying to leap onto the shore."

"Your fourth brother has already tossed it back into the sea several times, but it just keeps coming right back up."

’What else could it be? It’s looking for me, of course,’ Yun Jiao thought.

As Yun Linhai went to get the boat, Yun Jiao was itching to jump into the sea.

But just as she lifted one foot, she was scooped up by her armpits.

Yun Xiaowu held her up. "Jiaojiao, are you trying to get another spanking?"

’I haven’t even gone in yet!’ Yun Jiao thought.

Meanwhile, the little Manta Ray saw Yun Jiao and flapped about frantically, trying to get ashore, just as Yun Jiao wanted to get into the sea.

When Yun Linhai’s boat finally arrived, Yun Jiao couldn’t wait to climb aboard.

Behind her trailed several of her brothers—the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth.

They were all grinning cheekily.

"Dad, we’re not going far out to sea, so it’s okay for us to tag along, right?"

"Yeah, yeah! We want to get to know the killer whale and the little Manta Ray, too."

Yun Chenbei also climbed silently onto the boat, raising the camera in his hands.

"I’m taking pictures."

Yun Linhai sighed. It wasn’t like he could just kick them all off the boat, could he?

Once they were on the water, Yun Jiao leaned over the side of the boat, calling and waving to the little Manta Ray.

The little Manta Ray immediately swam over, flapping its wing-like fins.

It struggled to lift its body, looking pitiful as it pleaded for a pat from Yun Jiao.

"Let’s go find your guardian... I mean, your guardian fish!"

Yun Linhai rowed the boat toward the area where the killer whale was usually active.

He rowed very slowly, because the little Manta Ray was also a slow swimmer.

Most importantly, the little one was tired and hungry.

Right now, all it knew was to follow Yun Jiao around; it wouldn’t even stop to eat.

Yun Jiao looked at her dad with pleading eyes.

"Dad, please just let me go in. The little Manta Ray is so hungry."

"If I get sick, I promise I’ll be good and never go in the sea when it’s cold again."

"Daaad~"

Yun Jiao played to her strengths: acting cute.

She put on a pitiful, wronged expression.

Her old man finally caved.

Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up. She stripped off her outer clothes and jumped into the sea.

"Be careful! Is it cold?"

Yun Jiao replied, "Not cold."

Like a fish, she put on a show for them, leaping out of the water and diving back in with incredible agility.

"Dad, I’m really not cold. It actually feels great, so don’t worry."

"I’m taking the little Manta Ray now."

The little Manta Ray was now snuggling up against her.

’So clingy.’

But it was a baby, less than a day old. It was only normal for it to be a little clingy.

After calling out a farewell to the people on the boat, Yun Jiao led the little Manta Ray into the depths of the sea.

Don’t be fooled by how large Manta Rays can grow; they actually feed on plankton and small fish.

There are many species of Manta Ray. This little one was a giant oceanic manta ray.

It’s the largest species of Manta Ray.

It has two cephalic lobes at its front, and its pectoral fins flap like wings when it swims.

They can even leap out of the water and glide for some distance.

Its mouth is very large; the flat maw takes up almost its entire head.

Right now, this little Manta Ray had its huge mouth wide open, learning how to hunt.

It was eating some of the tiny zooplankton in the ocean.

Occasionally, Yun Jiao would catch some very small fish and toss them into its mouth.

The little Manta Ray ate happily.

Once it was full and tired, it showed no courtesy at all and just flopped onto Yun Jiao’s back.

Yun Jiao: ... ’Well, how the tables have turned. It was always the fish who gave me a ride!’

"Since you’re just a baby, I’ll let it slide."

Yun Jiao grabbed the little Manta Ray’s "wings" and muttered instructively, "But you have to grow up fast. The bigger, the better."

’Then you’ll become my exclusive ’fish taxi’.’

She wasn’t raising it for free, after all.

Yun Jiao thought that since she was already here, she might as well catch something to take back.

She spotted a huge brown crab nestled in the sand on the seabed.

Its pair of thick, red claws made Yun Jiao’s mouth water.

Yun Jiao swam up behind the large brown crab. Just as she was about to grab it, the mischievous nature of a child began to show.

Not Yun Jiao’s, but that of a certain baby Manta Ray.

Whether human or otherwise, most animals are very rambunctious when they’re young.

The little Manta Ray was even faster than Yun Jiao. Seeming to notice her interest in the brown crab, it lunged forward, kicking up a cloud of murky sand.

The brown crab raised its large claws and snapped at it.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Yun Jiao snatched the little Manta Ray—who thought it was all a game—and gave it a light slap.

"Behave!"

After scolding the little Manta Ray, she darted off in the direction the brown crab had fled.

Soon, she had pinned down the brown crab, with its red armor and menacingly waving claws.

She hadn’t brought anything to tie the crab with, so Yun Jiao could only grab its two big claws and swim back.

The little Manta Ray followed closely behind her.

On the way, she ran into the ever-diligent Gui Yi, who was carrying a large net bag full of sea urchins.

Yun Jiao sidled up to it. "Gui Yi, you’re the best! I’ll open up some sea urchins for you to eat when we get back to the boat."

The large sea turtle gave her a calm glance.

The little Manta Ray seemed very curious about Gui Yi, circling around it as it swam.

Reaching the surface, Yun Jiao held up the brown crab for the people on the boat to see.

"Dad, look! I found a huge brown crab."