Chapter 66: Years Past

"No need." Hearing what Tiger Jiao said, Quanxi hurriedly spoke up, rejecting Tiger Jiao’s ‘kind’ offer. After all, if Tiger Jiao were to intervene, this place would likely become a bloody hellscape. Under no circumstances could he be allowed to act—that was the absolute baseline.

Quanxi thought this to himself, took a deep breath, and looked around at the perplexed merfolk, raising his voice: "Where is your city lord?"

"The city lord went out to fight," someone suddenly shouted from the crowd. "Right now, everything in the city is managed by Bai Mo, the city minister."

"City minister?" The title was unfamiliar, but from its meaning, Quanxi could guess at the nature of the office.

"Where is the city minister?" Quanxi asked.

The surrounding guards seemed hesitant, until a shrill call rang out, and Quanxi heard shouts such as "the city minister has arrived." Instantly, the guards around them knelt in dense clusters, none daring to look up at Bai Mo, the so-called city minister.

This spectacle astonished Quanxi. In his memory, only the highest royal families were accorded such grandeur; ordinary royals would never dare, let alone ministers from outside clans. For this person to command such a display—could it be...?

A thousand thoughts raced through Quanxi’s mind. Before he could speak, the city minister, upon seeing Quanxi, was taken aback, gazing at him in disbelief, as though he could not trust his own eyes.

"You..." Bai Mo opened his mouth, hesitant, then finally spoke: "Are you, by chance, Prince Quanxi in person?"

"I am." Only when someone recognized him did Quanxi finally feel a sense of relief.

With that, Tiger Jiao would not interfere further.

Breathing easier, Quanxi said, "Who are you, and have you seen me at the royal court before?"

"Your Highness, I am of the White Fin tribe. My grandmother was Old Bai, who once prepared... prepared the divine medicine for you," Bai Mo responded with reverence.

White Fin tribe, Old Bai?

A sudden realization came over Quanxi. In his youth, the unfulfilled ambitions of the late king weighed on his heart like a towering mountain; he cared little for lovers or trusted clansfolk, focused solely on seeking legs, yearning for the land. Thus, he placed immense trust in the White Fin tribe, especially Old Bai. With her help, he took the powder and transformed, gaining legs.

As for what came after...

Afterward, he scarcely bade farewell, simply leaving the seabed behind.

Thinking carefully, it seemed nearly two hundred years had passed.

With a sigh, Quanxi asked, "Is the White Fin tribe well? Is your grandmother well?"

Bai Mo paused in silence, then said, "After your disappearance, Prince An accused the White Fin tribe of plotting against the late king and his heir, eradicating us. My grandmother died in prison; the rest were enslaved."

Hearing this, Quanxi fell silent, and after a long while, managed to utter, "I am deeply sorry."

"Your Highness, royals do not err, and you needn’t apologize. It was simply the fate of the White Fin tribe," Bai Mo smiled gently, bowing to Quanxi. "Without you and the late king, our tribe would never have gained such status... Now, with your return, it signifies the White Fin tribe’s resurgence."

"Since Prince An has passed, you, as the eldest son of the late king, should return to rule the royal court."

Bai Mo’s voice was low, but anyone could hear the excitement and fervor within: "If the city lord learns of your return, he will surely be ecstatic."

"Who is the city lord of Wisdom City?" Quanxi asked.

"Your eldest son, Lord Quan Zhi... No, Prince Quan Zhi. Forty years ago, during the royal surname abolition case, he led the slaves here, opened new territory, founded Wisdom City, and preserved the royal surname."

"Royal surname abolition case?" That was another unfamiliar term, but such matters were of the past.

Having left the royal court for so long, it was only natural he knew nothing of its many decrees.

What truly concerned Quanxi, however, was the city lord of Wisdom City—his own son, Quan Zhi.

He felt a pang of shame; in his obsession with alchemy and transformation, he had cared nothing for his descendants. He fathered Quan Zhi and Quan Xu merely to appease his mother and leave an heir. He could barely recall his former spouse, only remembering she had been chosen by his mother.

Indeed, life was like a dream, as though separated by worlds. In the blink of an eye, the child he once neglected had become lord of a city—how should he face him now?

After a brief inner struggle, Quanxi suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where is Xu’er? Zhi’er would never abandon his brother."

"Prince Quan Xu is now held by the imperial guards, stationed at the royal court, claiming to be the merking," Bai Mo reported, bowing his head. "The commander of the guards is a first-class traitor. Together with the court minister, he conspired to kill Prince An. Now they hold Prince Quan Xu, and are the source of calamity in the royal court."

"All this prattle—what’s the use?" Tiger Jiao interrupted, growing impatient. "I sense my child’s presence here, though it’s faint—perhaps some offspring I left behind at some point."

When it came to offspring, Tiger Jiao was utterly indifferent. His children were scattered across the five lakes and four seas; though he had raised a few for some decades, he eventually sent them off to distant waters. To him, they were merely products of his wild passions, connected only by blood, otherwise of little consequence.

It was only now that Bai Mo noticed Tiger Jiao, having assumed him to be Quanxi’s attendant. Seeing the situation, he asked, "Your Highness, may I ask who this is?"

"Mind your manners," Quanxi rebuked without hesitation. "This is Tiger Jiao; to see him is as to see the merking!"

Quanxi dared not offend Tiger Jiao. With his overwhelming strength, he could destroy the royal court at will.

Though Bai Mo did not fully understand, he bowed respectfully to Tiger Jiao. "Greetings, Master Tiger Jiao."

Tiger Jiao was unconcerned, instead shouting, "What is all this nonsense? Get on with the meal—let me see what you merfolk eat!"

Tiger Jiao meant no harm; he simply wanted to eat.