The Undersea Adventures of the Little Jellyfish (JELLYFISH)
In the critical moment, Shen Jixiao remained eerily calm.
The little jellyfish said the octopus had gone mad. Whether it was truly mad or not, he wasn’t sure, but the moment the octopus lunged at him, he already knew—it harbored absolute killing intent, just like in the countless battles he had faced before.
Thanks to the instincts honed from those experiences, he had narrowly escaped the octopus’s first attack.
Moving underwater was a strange thing. Maneuvering in all directions felt freer, yet more constrained by inertia. His upward lunge had been too forceful, slamming him straight into the ceiling, causing his back to take the full brunt of the impact.
Shen Jixiao grunted in pain before reaching out to grab onto a remaining structure on the ceiling. With a forceful push, he propelled himself forward at ceiling height.
He still wasn’t entirely used to maneuvering with his two-meter-long tail—some finer movements still required the aid of his arms.
The octopus’s tentacles pursued relentlessly.
Unlike the mermaid, the octopus had eight limbs, each more dexterous than a human hand, capable of multitasking independently. In complex terrain, the octopus would continuously grab onto surrounding objects and use its tentacles to "pull" itself forward. In open water, it could even jet streams of water backward to propel itself at high speed.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ship’s interior structure was already unstable. Tossed about by the mermaid and the octopus, fragments of the ceiling kept breaking off and sinking downward. The water grew murky, and Shen Jixiao frowned—his vision was crucial to him.
"Tang You, get out of here first," he said to the little jellyfish.
"What about you?"
"I need you to guide me to the exit," the mermaid replied, his voice still steady. "Hurry. Once the currents get too chaotic, you won’t be able to swim easily."
"I—" The jellyfish was already moving. "Shen Jixiao, swim back quickly!"
Shen Jixiao could clearly sense the octopus slowing down, as if hindered by something.
He froze for a moment before quickly recognizing a familiar force—it was the little jellyfish spreading out its psychic energy, forming a barrier between him and the deep-sea octopus.
The little jellyfish’s psychic power was indeed immense, surpassing any human mage Shen had ever encountered. However, it had never trained its abilities, so its energy lacked any offensive or defensive tendencies. It could only stretch out like a transparent net, barely holding the octopus back.
The octopus didn’t give up its assault. Unlike a normal octopus that would seek gaps to slip through, it simply rammed against the barrier with brute force.
The psychic net visibly trembled.
This would undoubtedly drain the jellyfish’s energy rapidly. Watching this, Shen Jixiao felt something indescribable stir within him.
He and the little jellyfish were strangers who had met by chance—there was no need for it to go to such lengths for him. Yet, this jellyfish seemed incapable of suspicion, treating all sea creatures with a gentle kindness.
How strange. It believed whatever he said.
In the world Shen knew, such a naive creature shouldn’t have survived this long.
Shen Jixiao reached out and grasped something embedded in the ceiling.
"Little jellyfish!" the merman shouted. "Release your psychic energy! Trust me!"
He could sense Tang You’s hesitation. After another impact from the octopus, the psychic barrier loosened slightly but didn’t vanish entirely, ready to intercept the octopus again at any moment.
The octopus rammed repeatedly. Though soft-bodied creatures rarely injured themselves from collisions, it was rare for an octopus to throw itself against an obstacle so recklessly. By the time Tang You withdrew the psychic net, the octopus hadn’t yet realized the change, still flailing its eight tentacles and swaying its head, preparing for another charge.
Shen Jixiao took a deep breath and tightened his grip on a steel rebar protruding from the cracked wall, wrenching it free.
The water resistance was immense, making it difficult to exert the same strength he would have on land. He steadied his mind, pushing aside distractions, and silently channeled the magic within his body.
Breathe in. Hold.
His forearm drew back, shoulders and waist twisting until all his strength gathered in his arm.
The octopus spread its tentacles wide before jetting forward in a surge of water.
At the same time, Shen Jixiao hurled the rebar with all his might.
"Boom!"
Unlike the little jellyfish’s outward psychic projection, Shen’s training focused on honing his physical body. Whether it was magic or psychic power, all of it ultimately served to amplify his strength.
The rebar, rusted and sharp at the tip, tore through the water with such force that a white streak formed in its wake—heat from friction vaporized the surrounding water and created countless tiny bubbles.
The rust flaked away, revealing gleaming metal as the rebar shot like a silver thread, embedding itself into the mithril wall on the opposite side of the chamber.
Along with the giant deep-sea octopus.
"Hah…" The water remained murky, obscuring the aftermath. The merman panted heavily, his gills flaring rapidly.
"Shen Jixiao, are you alright?" The little jellyfish’s psychic energy swirled around him, establishing a mental link. "Where’s the octopus?"
"Not sure," the merman replied, still on high alert. "I think I pinned it to the wall."
Tang You was stunned. "That huge impact just now—was that you?"
……
By the time the water settled, Tang You swam back, casting a light spell to survey the collapsed chamber. Even now, it struggled to believe what had happened.
The giant octopus, capable of enveloping two mermaids, wasn't dead—it was merely pinned to the wall by the steel rebar the mermaid had hurled, unable to escape. It flailed its remaining free tentacles, ready to ensnare any mermaid that drew near.
The octopus kept struggling to wrench itself free from the wall.
"My god..." Tang You stared at the rebar that had pierced clean through the wall, utterly incredulous. "Did you throw that?"
Shen Jixiao nodded. "Got lucky."
It was the little jellyfish who had bought him time to recover. Without that buffer, he wouldn’t have had the chance to gather his strength mid-battle. The result of his throw was within expectations—though he actually thought the force was lacking. With less resistance, the outcome would’ve been even better.
Tang You fell into thought.
He remembered that mermaids were supposed to be delicate and beautiful creatures. Even their physical training was often motivated by courtship displays. Very few mermaids possessed extraordinary brute strength. Instead, they typically had abundant magical energy and had developed numerous spells for underwater use.
A mermaid like Shen Jixiao—ignorant of common knowledge and relying on strength rather than magic—was something he’d never seen before.
How strange.
He turned his gaze to the pinned octopus. Its body was soft; even stabbing it with force might not pierce through. Shen Jixiao’s throw had been so powerful it had punched a hole straight through, but against any other creature, it would’ve been fatal.
Tang You couldn’t understand why this octopus refused to communicate.
"Octopus..." His psychic energy extended toward it, only to be rejected again and again. "We don’t mean you any harm."
He actually pitied the creature. Octopuses primarily fed on shrimp and crabs and would never attack like this under normal circumstances.
He was certain it didn’t want to be in this frenzied, violent state either.
"I think I know why," the mermaid suddenly said.
The chase had been intense, and Shen Jixiao had lost some scales in the struggle. Even now, silvery fragments drifted in the water. His body bore numerous scrapes from unknown sources—his palms were the worst, and even his cheek had a thin, bleeding cut.
The little jellyfish had temporarily used psychic energy to stop the bleeding.
"Why?" Tang You asked.
"That crate." Shen Jixiao pointed at the overturned metal box where the octopus had once lurked. A few unbroken glass bottles had rolled out. "It must’ve contained magical potions. Those are usually extremely dangerous, so they were sealed with special methods. Over the years, the containment might’ve weakened, allowing the potions to leak and mix, producing an unknown reaction."
"All medicine has its poison—well-formulated potions can amplify a user’s strength threefold, but the side effects are often severe. Some potions cause loss of rationality, and prolonged use can permanently damage intelligence, leaving the user forever insane. Maybe... this octopus inhaled seawater contaminated with those mixed potions."
The little jellyfish asked blankly, "Can the octopus regain its senses?"
The mermaid shook his head. "I don’t know. Whether it’s poisoned is just my speculation—it might not be accurate. To cure it, we’d need to identify the potion it ingested and find an expert in human potionology. We don’t have the time or the means."
"Stay away from there," Shen Jixiao repeated. "Even though it's been over a decade and most of the potions have lost their potency, we can't rule out the danger."
"Alright," Tang You replied, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Do we have to leave the octopus pinned here forever?"
"If we let it down, we'll be attacked."
"I can sense it—the octopus's consciousness is filled with chaos, pain, and rage," Tang You said, watching as the exhausted creature continued to struggle with all its might. "It's attacking indiscriminately because it's in agony."
The merman fell silent.
"I'm sorry," he suddenly said.
The little jellyfish was taken aback. "You don't need to apologize. Self-preservation is only natural."
But these magical creations were left behind in the ocean by humans, Shen Jixiao thought.
If the potion hadn't contaminated the octopus, they wouldn't have been attacked, and he wouldn't have had to pin it to the wall, watching it die in torment. No one had ever considered this issue.
To them, the ocean was vast and forgiving—what harm could a few discarded potions possibly cause?
The little jellyfish quietly observed the octopus for a while, engaging in a one-sided conversation and using his psychic energy to soothe it.
Until it stopped responding altogether.
"Let's go," Shen Jixiao said, having retrieved the three pearls he'd lost during the fight. Noticing the little jellyfish still seemed downcast, he added, "Wait a moment."
Assuming Tang You was reluctant to leave the poor octopus and wanted to stay a little longer, Shen Jixiao pressed his lips together.
Undoubtedly, this was a waste of time in the midst of a dangerous shipwreck exploration. Yet he didn't refuse. Instead, he picked up one of the pearls, channeled his psychic energy into it, and decided to use the time to study the forgotten magical texts. It would also give him a chance to rest and recover his strength.
Then, a wave of psychic energy brushed against his cheek.
"Merman, step aside for now."
Shen Jixiao looked up to see the little jellyfish floating in the center of the room with his psychic energy fully unleashed, stirring the water around him.
At first, the currents were gentle, but as his energy gathered strength, the flow became powerful enough to lift a heavy iron chest. Tang You scanned most of the chests, and those he couldn't assess were swept up as well.
Though the force was immense, he carefully protected everything within the currents, ensuring no collisions occurred. The already-leaking potions were carried away along with the surrounding water.
"I can't purify them," Tang You admitted. "And I don't know where to dispose of these things that could turn into poison. Every part of the ocean is home to living creatures—even burying them in the seabed would upset the worms. But I can't leave them here to cause more tragedies."
"After much thought, the only solution is to let the ocean dilute them."
The little jellyfish spoke with deep regret. "If this affects the outside world, I'm truly sorry."
The increasingly powerful current finally breached the wall, flowing into the pitch-black depths of the sea.
The mermaid watched the little jellyfish finish its task, then gently placed the octopus's body back into the box and whispered, "Goodnight."
"It's not your fault." The mermaid tapped the little jellyfish's transparent head. "It's been many years. The toxic potion has probably mostly evaporated by now. After being heavily diluted by seawater, it won't have any effect."
"Mm."
Tang You responded.
Then it dawned on him: "Bad mermaid! You touched my head again!"
Shen Jixiao silently withdrew his hand.
Translator:
Poor octopus….
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