The Undersea Adventures of the Little Jellyfish (JELLYFISH)
Sometimes, a gaze could carry weight—especially for those with keen perception.
So the little jellyfish had already sensed the intense pressure from behind. It even felt as though Shen Jixiao had turned into a storm cloud looming overhead. "Mermaid... what are you doing...?"
The mermaid stared at him.
Or perhaps at the mirror.
The little jellyfish noticed and turned around. "Hm? Is there something wrong with the mirror?"
The merman's mental energy was surging violently. If the little jellyfish had to describe it, he felt like he was facing a volcanic eruption accompanied by tsunamis and earthquakes—something incredibly destructive was erupting, yet it was all confined within a single shell of flesh and suppressed to the extreme.
His right eye suddenly filled with red—a precursor to the seal breaking.
The little jellyfish couldn’t help but shrink back slightly, only to then lean forward with deep concern to gently touch the merman’s cheek. Behind him, the illusion in the mirror continued to shift, transforming into a small hill covered in pearls—the little jellyfish’s favorite thing.
Perhaps because the merman was looking at the mirror, the image within shattered and reformed once more, becoming the person he longed to see.
"......"
In truth, it was hard to say whether he and the little jellyfish were seeing the same thing. What if what he saw was merely what the mirror wanted him to see?
The magic of the sirens was most adept at enchantment. He had initially thought the mirror was ordinary, but perhaps it had other effects—now proven true.
Yet he had also seen the image of pearls. He would never be tempted by pearls, so that must have been the little jellyfish’s vision. The earlier figure must have been the little jellyfish’s reflection as well.
The little jellyfish currently showed no signs of yearning for humans. That left only one possibility—that was the little jellyfish’s soul...
In just a few seconds, Shen Jixiao had thought too much.
The merman’s brain was overloaded.
"Little jellyfish, look in the mirror again," as he spoke, his voice hoarse and his throat nearly choking on the words.
"Oh..."
Not understanding what Shen Jixiao was thinking, but if looking in the mirror once more could stop the merman from spiraling, the little jellyfish would do it.
He turned back and gazed into the mirror once more, watching as the image gradually coalesced into the form of a human—white-haired, youthful and with pink eyes. He had no memory of this human in the mirror, but he could at least say the person was decent-looking—not breathtakingly beautiful, but pleasant enough.
The merman, meanwhile, fell into complete silence.
The merman’s oppressive aura was far too obvious. On the other side, the black-scaled merman quickly noticed something was wrong.
With a flick of his tail, he swam over, initially thinking the two had been ensnared by the mirror’s enchantment. But when he arrived, he saw them simply staring at each other, unaffected by any spell. The mirror showed nothing particularly unusual—just a human youth, a rather handsome one at that.
"This is what appears when I look in the mirror," the little jellyfish said frankly. "Could this be the form of my soul?"
Sangluo looked, then looked again.
"None of us can guarantee this mirror is intact. What if it has flaws we don’t know about? Or perhaps the siren’s magic simply enjoys toying with emotions like this." He patted Shen Jixiao’s back. "Don’t lose your composure over an illusion. Stay calm."
"Do you hate him?" Sangluo asked.
Only then did Shen Jixiao react slightly, as if pulled back from the depths. He shook his head slowly, heavily.
"Do you like him?"
A hesitant shake of the head.
"Either way, don’t get too worked up. Let’s analyze the situation first."
"I’m not..." Shen Jixiao couldn’t find the words.
"Let’s take a break." Sangluo nudged Shen Jixiao’s back. "Stop looking at the mirror. I told you it shouldn’t be touched. Let’s go over there for a while."
......
The two mermaids swam to a dimly lit corner where the stone walls were carved with intricate patterns. After careful examination, Sangluo confirmed that these were magical inscriptions belonging to the sirens that were preserved in the form of musical scores.
"Is it possible for animals to turn into humans in this world?"
Sangluo, who had been organizing the scores, paused at the question.
"Animals turning into humans?" he asked. "What do you mean?"
"Like… cultivating to a certain level and taking on human form. Or humans turning into animals." The silver-blue mermaid leaned against the wall, the refracted light from crystals falling sharply across his face—half illuminated, half shrouded in shadow. His expression was calm, almost serene, as if he could have been painted into a scene.
"That’s an interesting thought. Cultivation is one thing, but why would reaching a certain level mean turning into a human?" Sangluo brushed a hand over a stone slab. "We’re all animals—does that make one superior to another?"
Shen Jixiao gave a faint, strained smile. "Not necessarily."
"There are ways to become human," Sangluo continued, "but the few spells I know come with severe side effects—trading unbearable pain for a pair of legs. As for humans turning into other forms, I haven’t studied those, but I imagine it’s no simple feat."
"Kid, don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to humans and want to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Little Mermaid? You know how that story ends…"
"Turned into foam," Shen Jixiao finished. But he wouldn’t turn into foam. Half of his bloodline came from the land, so transformation magic would cost him almost nothing—just the temporary sealing of his other half and enduring the pain of change.
"Don’t get too carried away."
"About the mirror… even if that reflection was real, it doesn’t necessarily mean the little jellyfish was once human." Sangluo understood such magic far better than Shen Jixiao. "As I’ve said before, his spiritual energy is unusual. Other fish might not notice, but I’ve always had a keener sense for these things."
He added, "You’ll develop that skill too, in time."
"There’s a clear fracture in his spiritual energy—perhaps he received a gift from someone without realizing it. Are you close to him?"
Shen Jixiao shook his head.
They had only met a few days ago. He knew nothing of the little jellyfish’s past, and the jellyfish himself claimed to remember nothing.
"If you feel a sense of familiarity, if his spiritual fluctuations resonate with you… maybe fate works in strange ways. It’s possible the little jellyfish really did receive something from that person. Spiritual energy is deeply personal, tied to the soul. Too much of a gift can alter the shape of one’s soul—it’s not impossible."
"But these are forbidden arts. Even if you ask him, he might not admit to it."
"He… probably isn’t lying."
"That’s not certain…"
Shen Jixiao fell silent again as he curled against the stone wall, lost in thought.
Most of the time, Sangluo was a quiet mermaid himself. The two lingered in an oddly tense silence until the pure-black mermaid could no longer hold back.
He could tell Shen Jixiao was spiraling—quietly, but spiraling all the same.
"You… really are something." Sangluo sighed. "So fixated on a human? Don’t turn this into a classic mermaid tragedy."
Shen Jixiao remained still, unresponsive.
Stubborn to the core.
At this point, it was an undeniable fact that there was some connection between the little jellyfish and the person he was searching for.
Yet this terrified him.
The little jellyfish was an exceptionally good jellyfish, while the person he sought was essentially a figment of his imagination—a near-perfect illusion he had painted and repainted countless times.
If he projected the emotions he harbored for that fantasy onto the little jellyfish simply because they shared some resemblance, or worse, began hoping the jellyfish was that person, he would inevitably raise his expectations, wishing for the jellyfish to also approach perfection.
That wasn’t right. It was disrespectful to the little jellyfish.
Seeking a substitute was an evil act deserving of being skewered and dried into fish jerky.
If he wanted to torment himself, fine—but dragging such a wonderful little jellyfish into it was downright cruel.
Yet… what if, by some one-in-a-million chance… the little jellyfish really was that person, and only unimaginable twists of fate stood between them? How should he handle that?
"Sigh. If you’re not aiming to completely change your species and just want to alter your appearance through other means, there are plenty of spells for that." Sangluo brushed a hand along a corner of the wall. "The siren clan has such magic."
Shen Jixiao finally showed a flicker of reaction. "What kind of magic?"
...
Tang You was playing with Sang Guo.
This was his first time interacting with a siren up close, and he was deeply curious about everything related to their kind. Sang Guo, in turn, adored him—though it sometimes seemed like she wanted to gobble him up in one bite.
He was just a tiny strawberry gummy, while the place was filled with glittering crystals—soft pink, pale lavender, deep rose. Sang Guo reached into the crevices of the rocks, prying at the small crystals embedded within. Her nails were sharp and capable of slicing through the flesh of other fish, yet still too fragile compared to stone. The child, however, had no sense of restraint. If she took a liking to a crystal, she would dig it out even if it meant scraping her fingers bloody.
"C-c-crystal!" Her speech was still clumsy as she held out a small, blood-smeared crystal toward the little jellyfish. The pink gem matched the jellyfish perfectly. "J-j-jelly!"
"Ah..." The little jellyfish gently patted Sang Guo's head, but Sang Guo, unaccustomed to touch from anyone outside her family, suddenly sprang away.
"Don't run, let me bandage your wound."
"Brother, brother..." Sang Guo refused to stop chanting, "Jellyfish, jellyfish..."
After chasing for a while, the little jellyfish gave up.
Sang Guo wasn’t afraid of him—she just loved the game of chase. When the jellyfish stopped pursuing, she swam closer to peek, her large gray eyes wide open, then tossed a small crystal in his direction.
"Little jellyfish, what are you doing?"
Their commotion caught the attention of Shen Jixiao and Sangluo. Sangluo, who had raised Sang Guo, knew the child’s temperament well: "She’ll stop once she tires herself out."
The little jellyfish was also tired. He wasn’t particularly active and didn’t enjoy chasing games. Noticing the two mermen lingering by the stone wall, he grew curious: "And what are you two doing?"
"Cleaning and chatting," Sangluo replied. "There are some Siren magic records here. We just discovered a shapeshifting spell."
"It seems to be used for transforming into other races to lower their guard and facilitate hunting. It details how to magically mimic a human form... Sounds useless but interesting. I wonder if it can be modified into something practical."
The spell was likely designed by sirens to lure humans. But since neither of these two sirens ate humans nor sought to enchant anyone, the magic was now obsolete.
The little jellyfish, intrigued by unfamiliar magic, swam closer.
"Merman, how are you feeling now?"
Shen Jixiao shook his head: "Fine. I wanted to ask you something..."
"Wait until I learn this spell." The jellyfish moved closer to the stone wall. "What did you want to ask?"
"Later, then."
While he was deciphering the magic’s structure, Sangluo had already finished reading and was ready to test it.
"Let me try..."
Though his pure black scales made him unpopular among mermaids, Sangluo was still a full-blooded merman—and a highly talented one at that.
Whether in terms of mental or magical capacity, he had a natural aptitude for learning new spells. This was his first encounter with such advanced magic, yet within five minutes, he was ready to attempt it.
Shen Jixiao watched Sangluo with quiet admiration. Those from the surface sometimes took half a year to master a single advanced spell.
Most Siren magic was built upon song, meaning the spell had to be sung to take effect. Fortunately, mermaids were also skilled singers.
Clearing his throat, Sangluo hummed the recorded melody.
Magic flowed with the notes, as if the song had taken life. A soft white glow enveloped Sangluo’s body, and moments later, his tail vanished and was replaced by two long, straight, separate appendages.
—Legs.
But they looked nothing like human legs. Shapeshifting magic required an understanding of the target’s anatomy, and Sangluo had barely seen any humans, let alone studied their leg structure. The hip joints were a mess, the leg bones unnaturally straight, and the feet grotesque—like sticks wrapped in white tube socks. Neither form nor essence resembled the real thing.
Yet the sirens and jellyfish present gasped in awe: "Wow..."
The only human, Shen Jixiao, felt his eyes ache—the uncanny valley effect was hitting hard.
"It's truly magical." The black mermaid didn't seem to mind the failure at all. "It actually works."
"Unfortunately, this spell doesn't physically transform the body—it's just an illusion." Sangluo ran his hand over the area below his waist and was still able to feel his tail. When swimming, it was still his tail doing the work; the legs were only for show, untouchable. "Do you want to try it?"
Shen Jixiao: "I'm still observing."
His talent for magic was rather mediocre. Though the upper and lower limits of his mental power had undergone a qualitative improvement, comprehension was something far too abstract.
"I get it now!" The little jellyfish was the first to speak up. "This is such a fascinating spell—it can create intricate illusions. The Siren clan's inheritance is really unique."
As he spoke, the little jellyfish cast the spell.
Shen Jixiao deliberately paused. For a brief moment, he wondered what kind of song the little jellyfish would sing while casting the spell—he had never heard him sing before.
But who would have thought the little jellyfish would immediately modify the spell, turning it into a version that didn't require singing?
A soft white light emerged, enveloping the little jellyfish.
Two or three minutes later, a hand stretched out from the light. The hand was elegantly structured—slender fingers, distinct but not protruding knuckles, fair skin with a hint of pink at the fingertips, and a delicate, rounded wrist bone connecting to the forearm.
It was a perfect hand, anatomically accurate and beautifully shaped.
"Oops," came the little jellyfish's voice. "I think I need to conjure some clothes too."
Perhaps because spells meant to enchant didn’t require clothing—being bare might work better—the form created by this spell came without any garments. Of course, certain... specific parts required the caster's own control and transformation. Just like how Sangluo had merely conjured two "legs" earlier, leaving nothing in between because he didn’t know what lay beneath human trousers.
The little jellyfish took it upon himself to add something to the spell, conjuring a piece of clothing.
But it could hardly be called clothing. He understood human anatomy but had no idea what humans wore, so he simply imitated the most common attire among mermaids—a thin veil wrapped around his body.
Only then did he complete the spell and dispel the white light.
"How do I look?" The little jellyfish had no idea what he had transformed into. "Did I do it right? I wasn’t sure about the face, so I just went with the illusion I saw in the mirror earlier."
"Success? More like a resounding success." Sangluo had already reverted to his original form, swimming forward with his long black tail and circling the little jellyfish. "You’ve transformed almost perfectly. My goodness, little jellyfish, you’re a jellyfish with an extraordinary talent for magic."
"Thank you."
Tang You raised his hand—in essence, he didn’t actually have hands; this was just his tiny tentacles manipulating part of the illusion. He watched as five fingers sprouted, opening and closing.
Human hands were an entirely unfamiliar concept to him.
"Shen Jixiao." He noticed the mermaid’s gaze fixed intently on him and assumed he was also intrigued by this human-mimicking spell, so he eagerly swam toward him. "What do you think of this spell?"
Shen Jixiao: "..."
He closed his eyes in distress.
It was too similar.
He couldn’t tell. He truly couldn’t tell.
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