ng Bai, walking just behind Lin Mu, did his best to keep a straight face under the barrage of curious eyes.
But when a few of the bolder Shanhu won smiled and winked at him from behind their coral market stalls, his composure shattered. His cheeks turned crimson, and he averted his gaze, pretending to be fascinated by the carved coral pavents instead.
Cattaleya noticed imdiately and smirked. "Looks like you're quite popular here, little scholar," she teased, her deep voice carrying just enough for the others to hear.
ng Bai spluttered, waving his hands frantically. "I-I'm just being polite! They're staring first!"
Daoist Chu chuckled softly, shaking his head. "In so places, ng Bai, polite looks are interpreted differently."
Even Elyon's tail flicked in amusent, his sharp canines flashing as he grinned. "You should enjoy the attention while it lasts. Once they learn you're already claid by formations and scrolls, their hearts will break."
That earned a round of laughter from everyone except ng Bai, who groaned and muttered sothing about regretting traveling with them.
But if ng Bai's embarrassnt was entertaining, Cattaleya's presence caused the opposite effect.
Wherever she walked, gazes lingered for much longer.
Her physique was unlike anything the clansn had seen. The n looked impressed and intimidated in equal asure, while even so of the won found their cheeks reddening. Her strength was obvious not only in her stance but in the quiet grace with which she carried herself.
One of the young male cultivators, perhaps not realizing how loud his whisper was, said to his companion, "By the waves, look at her arms. She could probably crush an Immortal Shredder Shark with a hug."
His companion elbowed him sharply, but not before the words reached ng Bai's ears.
ng Bai turned red again, this ti from secondhand embarrassnt. "Senior," he muttered nervously, "they're talking about you"
Cattaleya grinned, tilting her head slightly. "I heard them. Should I demonstrate for them like before?"
The escorts leading them winced as the nearby n paled visibly.
One of the Shanhu escorts sighed quietly. "At this rate," he murmured under his breath, "these outsiders will leave not only with our paynt but perhaps half the won of the clan."
The escort beside him nodded grimly. "We'll have to tell the overseers to assign the younger won to the outlying fields for the next few days. Keep them busy and far away from the guests."
Unaware or perhaps unbothered by the hushed worries of their guides, Lin Mu observed the world around him with quiet fascination.
The Shanhu Clan's settlent was unlike anything he had seen before. It was as though an underwater city had been lifted from the depths and set beneath the open sky.
Colorful coral towers spiraled upward like natural sculptures, covered in flowering vines and faintly glowing runes. The streets were lined with stalls selling shell jewelry, water qi-infused pearls, and small aquatic beasts in floating glass spheres.
The air shimred faintly with elental Qi, mostly of the water variety, though Lin Mu could also sense traces of earth and light elents, perhaps the influence of the island itself.
What surprised him most, however, was the diversity of its inhabitants.
Among the Shanhu clansn, recognizable by the single scale on their foreheads were others who were clearly not fully human.
A group of tall figures passed by, their movents graceful and fluid. From the waist up, they resembled humans with fine features and shimring scales that glistened like gemstones under the sunlight.
But from the waist down, their bodies transford into sleek, powerful fish tails that rippled with color. Faint gills pulsed at the sides of their necks, and their long, finned ears flickered as they spoke in musical tones.
ng Bai stopped walking for a mont, eyes wide. "Master..." he said in a hushed voice, "are those... rkin?"
Lin Mu nodded, watching the group glide gracefully through the crowd. "They seem to be. rkin, by the look of their scales and gills."
Though Lin Mu had seen many types of beastkin before, Wolfkin, Ratkin, even aquatic fishkin-rkin were rare. They rarely left the oceanic expanses they called ho, preferring the depths of the sea over the surface world. The difference between rkin and Fishkin was subtle yet significant. Fishkin were wholly aquatic, their bodies more beast than human, often with thick scales covering every inch of their skin and webbed claws instead of fingers. They could walk on land, but it was never comfortable for them.
rkin, however, were sothing in between... a blend of human and marine life, able to survive both above and below the waves. Their grace and
adaptability had earned them respect among oceanic races.
Lin Mu turned to the escorts walking ahead. "Your clan trades with the rkin?" he asked, genuinely intrigued.
The leading escort nodded. "Yes, Senior." The man said very respectfully now that he understood what kind of person Lin Mu was. "Our island is too far from the mainland for regular human traders, so our oldest allies have always been rkin and certain Fishkin tribes. We've been in alliance with them for
generations."
He smiled faintly as they passed another group of rkin... this one composed of rchants carrying crates of glowing pearls. "They trade with us in coral, rare tals, and sea beasts, while we provide them with Immortal tools, dicines, and Formation Supplies. It has been so since our ancestors founded the clan."
As he said this, Lin Mu noticed sothing else.
Among the Shanhu clansn walking past them, a few bore not just a single
forehead scale but small clusters along their necks or arms. And these weren't rely stuck on them like the other clansn, these were naturally growing on
their skins!
So even had faint fin-like ridges behind their ears.
Seeing them Lin Mu realized the truth almost imdiately. "You an
intermarriage as well?" he asked quietly.
The escort hesitated for a mont, then nodded. "Yes, Senior. It is not
uncommon here. Our bonds with the rkin are not only trade but family. So of our bloodlines are shared.
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