The Undersea Adventures of the Little Jellyfish (JELLYFISH)
Tang You pushed aside the seaweed tangled around the mermaid and called out to him for a while longer, but the mermaid gave no response.
The mermaid race had always been known for their beauty, and this one was no exception—his hair was an icy blue, spreading softly through the water like strands of cream-flavored seaweed. Upon closer inspection, his delicate features were gentle and lovely, though his well-defined muscles and long, powerful tail suggested he was an athletic, well-trained individual—perhaps even a contender for the title of mermaid bodybuilding champion.
The only odd thing was… he wasn’t moving.
Tang You wondered: Could this fish be poisoned?
He had nothing on hand to counteract poison, and he’d need to figure out exactly what kind it was first.
"Merman, merman…" he called again. "Can you speak? Can you tell me what happened?"
The merman remained silent.
Tang You thought for a moment, then asked, "You’re not… mute, are you?"
It was possible. Though mermaids were most famous for their beauty and their singing voices, there were always exceptions—some unfortunate fish was born without the ability to speak, pitiable even among their own kind. Or perhaps, like the mermaids of legend, he had traded his voice to a witch.
Either way, the little jellyfish felt sorry for him.
He extended his psychic energy as he carefully touched the merman to establish a thin, harmless mental link—one that allowed only communication.
Not all creatures in the ocean could converse like Miss Stingray, so Tang You was well-practiced in forming these connections. He’d done it countless times and often used this method to chat with small fish and shrimp.
"There, now you can talk to me—no need to speak out loud."
"……"
The merman remained silent.
His eyes were a pure blue that eerily reflective, turning into a cold, inorganic hue under the light, with pupils so dark they seemed black. They followed the jellyfish’s movements.
Despite having fallen into the water and sinking into the depths that triggered his fear, and facing suffocation, he was still calmly assessing this psychic jellyfish before him.
Tang You was unaware of the merman’s wariness.
He wasn’t a healer, but he’d helped many small sea creatures before. So he stretched out his psychic energy and swiftly swept it over the merman’s body.
Young, strong—the merman’s physique matched his appearance, perfectly healthy.
But why did he look so pale?
The little jellyfish pondered many possibilities, though in reality, only a moment had passed. The merman was no longer staring at him but instead winced in pain and closed his eyes.
"!"
It was only then that Tang You noticed—the gill slits on the merman’s neck were tightly sealed. He wasn’t breathing at all.
Honestly, Tang You had rarely seen this before. This wasn’t an oxygen-deprived zone, and the water wasn’t toxic—there was no reason to keep his gills closed. Instinctively, he asked, "Why aren’t you breathing?"
Before the merman could respond, the little jellyfish said regretfully, "Sorry, sorry, there must be something wrong with your body."
Out of concern for rare creatures, the little jellyfish decided to drag the merman to the surface to see if his lungs could still function.
Mermaids had two respiratory organs—gills and lungs. Since this merman couldn’t use his gills, perhaps his lungs still worked. After a moment’s thought, the jellyfish first used his psychic energy to part the brown kelp above them, then extended another strand to support the merman from below and lifted him toward the surface as quickly as possible.
Using psychic energy required intense concentration, let alone multitasking with it. Tang You had to part the seaweed, support both the merman and himself as they ascended, and maintain the delicate psychic link to communicate with and reassure the fish.
The moment they began rising, the merman instinctively struggled violently, as if burned by the psychic energy surrounding him. More bubbles burst from his nostrils and his eyes snapped open while locking onto the little jellyfish.
"It’s okay, it’s okay," Tang You soothed the merman as if he were a child. "Just hold on a little longer."
The merman seemed to realize they were ascending and stopped resisting, but his gaze remained fixed on the jellyfish.
Tang You saw deep confusion in those eyes and explained, "I’m taking you to the surface."
...
"Little jellyfish!" The stingray outside spotted Tang You emerging and immediately swam over, only to see the merman trailing behind him—an adult mermaid was enormous compared to a peacock stingray, and the stingray herself was massive to the tiny jellyfish. "Oh my, why did you fish up a mermaid?"
Tang You replied, "This merman seems to have had some kind of accident—he can’t breathe. I need to get him to the surface."
"You’re really something..." The stingray was equally astonished.
She had only ever seen the elderly and mysterious elders of her kind lift rocks with psychic energy, but she’d never imagined such a small jellyfish could pull an adult mermaid.
He brought the merman to the surface, but there were no nearby rocks to hold onto, and the small boat had drifted away. Tang You had no choice but to extend his psychic energy further to keep supporting the merman while he stayed submerged two or three meters below, floating in the cool water and relying on their psychic link to communicate.
"Merman, merman, can you breathe now?"
"Mm."
This was the first time the little jellyfish had heard the merman’s voice. He gasped softly. "Your voice is so nice."
He was relieved he wasn’t a mute fish.
...
Shen Jixiao coughed up several mouthfuls of seawater. After a fit of coughing, he took deep breaths to steady himself.
He touched the gill slits on his neck, puzzled.
Why wasn’t this newly formed part functioning? His tail was also unusually stiff, unlike other sea creatures that could dart away in an instant.
"Are you okay?" came the little jellyfish’s voice.
Shen Jixiao was struck by another wave of confusion—jellyfish could talk?
They could communicate?
And wield such formidable psychic energy?
On land, projecting psychic energy outward was a feat only high-level mages could achieve. This tiny jellyfish could even sustain the effort of lifting him for so long. Among all the mages he’d met, fewer than a handful had such vast psychic reserves.
He began to reconsider just how dangerous the ocean truly was—perhaps far more terrifying than he’d ever imagined.
He took another deep breath and slowly submerged his upper body into the water. For someone who didn’t swim often, the sensation of water completely covering his chest felt strange, as if his lungs were being compressed from all sides. Unconsciously, he wanted to keep his head above the surface while forcing himself to repeatedly convince his mind that he could breathe underwater.
This time, the gill slits didn’t close. They parted slightly, fluttering as water flowed through.
Shen Jixiao submerged.
Or rather, sank.
Breathing through gills was a new function he could force himself to adapt to, but he was far from accustomed to the existence of a large tail.
Thus, Tang You saw the beautiful merman descend from the surface in a rather peculiar manner—his sleek and powerful tail flailing wildly in the water, twisting into a "Z" shape one moment and straightening into an "I" the next, as if he had just acquired a tail for the first time.
"Merman… do you need help?"
The merman waved him off.
"What a wonderful day," Miss Stingray and the little jellyfish remained oblivious to the mermaid’s plight. The two huddled together as they watched the mermaid struggle freely in the vast ocean and kept spinning in all directions.
Miss Stingray flicked her tail lightly. "I’m about to attend my coming-of-age ceremony, and I’ve met such a unique little jellyfish like you, as well as a mermaid I’ve never seen before."
Tang You: "I’m very happy to meet you too."
The sun was bright, and the world was peaceful.
No one noticed a fish that couldn’t swim had entered the sea.
After chatting idly for a while, the little jellyfish asked Miss Stingray about the nearby terrain. He planned to observe the mermaid—physically an adult but seemingly a child at heart—to ensure his safety before leaving. Miss Stingray, on the other hand, was in a hurry to rejoin her pod. The two reluctantly parted ways.
Tang You raised his translucent little tentacle and bid farewell to Miss Stingray.
He swam toward the mermaid’s location.
Based on his observations over the past ten minutes, the mermaid no longer seemed to have trouble breathing, but his tail appeared to have serious issues—stiff and uncoordinated.
"Mermaid, what’s your name?"
The stingray species didn’t give themselves names, but mermaids were an organized, civilized race who valued heritage deeply. Names were of great importance, and Tang You hoped to locate the mermaid’s pod through his name.
The mermaid before him frowned, hesitating.
After a long pause: "Shen Jixiao."
"Huh?" Tang You was taken aback. "That sounds like a human name."
Human.
The little jellyfish saw the mermaid’s tail stiffen as every scale tightly pressed together, reflecting dazzling blue-purple iridescence under the sunlight. His arms rested at his sides, webbed fingers clenching slightly, his gaze sharp as a predator’s, voice low and menacing: "How did you know I was human…"
But the little jellyfish thought he had touched a sore spot and quickly added:
"Ah! You must be a mermaid stolen and sold ashore by humans, and just returned to the sea, right? Even in this day and age, are those vile acts of abducting mermaids for high-priced auctions still happening?" Tang You’s voice was filled with sorrow.
He had noticed the mermaid’s constant wariness, and this explanation perfectly accounted for his unfamiliarity with his tail and his sudden descent from above.
"Poor thing, poor thing... Look at you, thrown so roughly from the ship—your tail must be hurting terribly." Following mermaid customs, comfort should come with a big hug. But Tang You, being a little jellyfish, could only extend his psychic energy to give the mermaid a gentle embrace. "It's alright, your tail will definitely heal. You won't be mistreated anymore, so don't be afraid."
"My name is Tang You, a lone little jellyfish searching for my way home. If you don’t mind, I can take you to the nearest mermaid settlement... though I swim very slowly." Tang You introduced himself earnestly.
The psychic embrace held no physical warmth, yet it felt comforting all the same.
The mermaid's tail stiffened slightly in response.
Fear. Abuse. Pity. These were concepts that felt utterly foreign to him.
"Why?"
He couldn’t understand the jellyfish’s reasoning. Did jellyfish even have brains?
"Because I want to help you." Tang You didn’t understand why Shen Jixiao would ask such a question.
In his eyes, most sea creatures were simple and kind. Even among predators, few—aside from certain groups—took pleasure in tormenting their prey. If he saw a creature in need and could lend a hand, he would, just as others often helped him in return. "You poor thing."
He gently rubbed Shen Jixiao’s head with his psychic energy.
Shen Jixiao: "..."
This was... strange.
A flood of questions rose in his mind: Tang You’s name sounded suspiciously human-like. Were there many communicative creatures in the ocean? Did all sea dwellers use psychic energy so effortlessly? Were they all this friendly?
Too many mysteries.
"Regardless, thank you. You helped me just now—do you need anything in return?" Shen Jixiao decided to take things one step at a time.
The little strawberry jellyfish before him seemed to possess some inexplicable charm, making it impossible not to trust him.
"I didn’t really do much..." The little jellyfish suddenly pulsed as the pink inside him brightened slightly, as if excited or perhaps shy. He stretched out a tentacle. "Mermaid... can I ask, do your tears turn into pearls?"
"..."
The mermaid’s expression turned odd. Tang You pressed on, "Can you sing?"
"..."
"Alright then." Tang You twirled in place before floating just above the mermaid’s palm. He was so small that the mermaid could easily cup him in one hand. "I’d like to ask you to carry me to the small island on the other shore."
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