Chapter 378 - 372: Setting Out on a Long Journey

Yun Jiao listened attentively as her grandpa finished, then nodded.

"Alright, I won’t push it then."

’Besides, I can always find other ways to spend money on Grandpa and the family.’

Riding home with a boat full of fish, Yun Jiao sat at the bow, enjoying the sea breeze. ’Life is pretty good right now.’

The boat reached the dock, and after a quick hello to her dad and the others, she ran home.

She ate the snacks everyone fed her until she was half-full, then went to play with her brothers.

Later, she ate dinner with her dad and the others when they returned.

After dinner, she finally told them she would be leaving for a while.

"What? Why would you go to a place that far away?"

Going out all alone to a place that takes even a killer whale three days to reach... That was just too risky.

No one could possibly rest easy with that.

"There’s a shipwreck."

Yun Jiao said, "The killer whales told me. There’s a shipwreck over there. Mom, I want to go see it."

’Salvaging a shipwreck is a quick way to make money,’ she thought. ’Much faster than selling fish.’

’It’s just sitting there going to waste in the sea. Since I need money and I know about it, I have to go get it.’

This was right up her alley.

Granny Yun gripped Yun Jiao’s hand. "Oh, Jiaojiao, that’s so far away. Grandma is worried."

Yun Jiao replied, "Don’t worry, Grandma. Just pretend I’m going away to school. You know, like a boarding school."

"How is that the same thing?"

Shen Yunlian shot her an exasperated look. "We wouldn’t worry if you were at school, but this is the open ocean!"

A smile played on Yun Jiao’s lips. "But Mom, I belong to the sea too."

She was destined to have a life intertwined with the sea.

Shen Yunlian stroked her head. "If you were older, Mom wouldn’t be so worried."

Even now, they didn’t worry so much when Yun Jiao was gone for a single day.

But... it would take three days just to get there and another three to return, and there was no telling how long she’d stay.

A conservative estimate would be ten days, at least.

The ocean... it was a place they, as fishermen, revered yet also feared.

If an accident happened at sea, you might never even find the body.

A somber mood settled over the family.

Yun Jiao truly wanted to go see it for herself.

She wasn’t afraid of danger. She could even sleep in the ocean.

In her past life, she wouldn’t have had to consider any of this. Fights and injuries in the sea were commonplace for her back then.

But in this life, she had people to worry about.

"Go on."

Grandpa Yun spoke up, taking a puff of his smoke.

"But Jiaojiao, the ocean is full of unknowns. You have to be careful."

"Dad..."

Yun Linhai and the others were worried and started to protest, but Grandpa Yun stopped them.

Grandpa Yun said, "I know you’re worried, but you have to trust Jiaojiao."

Yun Jiao nodded emphatically. "Don’t worry, Grandpa! I’ll come back safe and sound!"

"Alright, you’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you? Then go have fun for today."

Yun Jiao happily ran off to play with her brothers.

"Dad, it’s so far away! How can you let Jiaojiao go by herself? If it comes to it, we could take the boat and go with her. We’d just need to bring extra diesel and food."

Yun Linhe nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Our boat can handle a trip that long."

Grandpa Yun replied, "Jiaojiao isn’t an ordinary girl."

"She’s young, but I’m sure you’ve all noticed she’s more level-headed and mature than her brothers, even though they’re older."

Grandpa Yun gazed outside. "Jiaojiao coming to our family was a happy accident. She’s a blessing we stumbled upon."

"But we can’t keep her tied down here with us."

Granny Yun sighed. "Children grow up. They eventually have to leave their parents’ side and see the wider world."

"It’s just that our Jiaojiao... she’s ready to leave the nest sooner than other children."

"But it’s the ocean we’re talking about."

Grandpa Yun said, "Jiaojiao belongs to the sea."

Jiaojiao started by leaving them for short periods to go into the sea, which eventually stretched into entire days.

The two of them, old as they were, knew this day would come sooner or later.

When Yun Jiao woke up early the next morning, the breakfast spread was especially lavish.

There were small fried fish, a huge bowl of steamed eggs with sea urchin loaded with extra roe, crab roe buns, and more...

"Jiaojiao, my dear, you’ll be gone for so many days. You won’t be able to eat delicious, steaming hot food like this."

Yun Jiao felt a pang of regret, too.

But she was still determined to go.

"I’ll just eat more when I get back."

Shen Yunlian was disappointed. Not even a feast could change Jiaojiao’s mind.

"Eat up, then. And you must, absolutely must, be safe."

Throughout the morning, Yun Jiao stuffed her face while listening to a constant stream of reminders from her mom and aunts.

"Mom, is that dress you were making for me finished yet?"

Yun Jiao had finally decided to have a dress made from a bolt of blue fabric.

She had even picked out the style herself.

"It’s finished."

The style was simple, yet with a playful touch.

The fabric was so light that when Yun Jiao put it on, it felt like a second skin.

It was beautiful.

It also had two fishtail-like ornaments for her ankles.

They were a bit cumbersome, but she loved them.

’I really miss my big tail,’ she thought.

"This fabric is magical. Any clothes made from it look beautiful."

"Our Jiaojiao looks just like a little fairy now."

Yun Jiao preened inwardly. ’I’ve always been this pretty.’

"I’m off, then!"

The little fairy’s image was instantly made a little less ethereal as she grabbed several net bags and burlap sacks.

"Go on, go on. Come back soon!"

Yun Jiao felt a pang of reluctance herself.

Everyone walked her to the shore. She waved goodbye, then leaped into the sea and vanished beneath the waves.

’I’ll be back as soon as I can!’ she vowed.

After meeting up with the killer whales, Yun Jiao handed her bags over to them to carry.

’I want to travel light and look pretty,’ she thought.

The killer whales all swam over curiously. The little human looked different today.

She was so pretty today, and she even had a tail, just like them.

Due to the lingering influence of her past life as one of the Merfolk, Yun Jiao already swam with her legs held together, moving them as one like a fishtail.

Now, she looked even more like a stunning little fish.

Yun Jiao could swim almost as fast as the killer whales, and her stamina was just as impressive.

Whenever she got hungry, she would simply catch something to eat.

At night, she slept in the ocean, surrounded by the killer whales.

This was her first time sleeping in the open ocean, and it felt as if she had returned to her past life.

The sense of security the ocean gave her was unparalleled. It was like her other home.

The killer whales were playful by nature. They’d be swimming along one moment and then dart off to chase other sea creatures for fun the next.

Yun Jiao would have to huffily drag them back on course.

When it was time to eat, she even joined them in herding schools of fish.

Along the way, she spotted a ship on the horizon—a large, ocean-going fishing vessel.

It looked like it was returning from a long-distance voyage.

She gave it only a glance before urging the killer whales to move on.

But someone on the ship caught a fleeting glimpse of her, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"I... I think I just saw a mermaid."

But when he looked again, there was nothing there.

He could only faintly make out the shapes of killer whales in the distance.

Hearing this, his companion beside him burst out laughing.

"I’m telling you, Old Hu, you’ve had too much to drink! A mermaid? HAHAHA..."

Old Hu began to wonder himself if he’d had too much to drink. ’How could there possibly be such a thing as a mermaid?’