The Undersea Adventures of the Little Jellyfish (JELLYFISH)
"Magic to turn into a human..." Sangluo thought for a moment. "I know of it, but I never learned it."
He swam out and soon returned carrying a few crystal slabs engraved with musical scores—all relics of the siren clan.
"When the settlement I used to live in moved, they took all their collections, leaving nothing useful behind. The magic I learned growing up was all siren magic." Sangluo explained, "As you know, I specialize in curses. Can you read musical scores?"
"I can."
The little jellyfish had already started studying.
A few minutes later.
"Nothing rings a bell..." He handed the crystals back. "These spells are costly, overly complicated, and not very useful. Whether it’s the current me or the past me, I’d never use magic that harms myself for little gain."
Magic that alters one’s physical structure is extremely advanced and rarely comes without a price. Like the legendary little mermaid trading her voice for legs, the spells Tang You saw all carried a sinister aura, demanding some form of sacrifice to complete the transformation.
Either sacrifice something of your own, or sacrifice something from others.
Shen Jixiao tried to glance at the scores but couldn’t make sense of them.
He truly didn’t understand why magic had to be tied to music. Even if both were somewhat related to mathematics, did they really have to make things doubly difficult...?
"That’s all I know. There are others, though." Sangluo pointed into the distance. "Two days' journey from here, there’s a trench where an ancient witch lives. She possesses many rare spells, including ones for species transformation. But she doesn’t teach her magic to others. If you really need it, you could trade treasures with her."
"Thank you for telling me so much," the little jellyfish said gratefully.
"You’ve helped me plenty too." Sangluo fiddled with the crystals. "Are you sure the mermaid next to you can’t stay? He’d be perfect for learning curses—you both would. The three of us could really elevate the art of curses."
The little jellyfish thought for a moment. "Well... can you curse me to be rich? Like, piles of pearls rich."
"I’ll try..." Sangluo actually started researching it.
"That's not right." He suddenly realized, "If you want pearls, just make the mermaid cry a little for you. We can mass-produce these."
"He won't cry." The little jellyfish pointed at Shen Jixiao. "I really wish I could have a mountain of pearls overnight."
Shen Jixiao: "..."
Wake up—even if he cried for three days and three nights, there wouldn’t be that many. Besides, he had no intention of shedding little pearls.
……
After leaving the cave, they briefly determined their direction and swam toward their original destination.
The scattered islands gradually grew fewer. The little jellyfish’s route followed the edge of the continent, and soon they would pass through a strait to reach another sea.
However, just as the mermaid was traveling as usual, he noticed something amiss.
"A barrier."
An invisible, transparent force blocked their path, stretching from the surface of the sea all the way to the seabed, seamless and impenetrable.
"Go around?"
They detoured for a while, but the barrier remained. The little jellyfish suspected it spanned the entire strait.
Though straits were narrow by definition, to them, it was already vast beyond sight. To erect a barrier of such scale was unimaginable.
Once, this stretch of sea had been crowded with human ships and teeming with fish, but now it was eerily silent. Fish had keen senses and would never approach such dangerous magic. This barrier wasn’t just a simple obstruction—getting too close could mean being pierced by the gathered magical energy, instantly turning into a grilled fish.
It was a rather vicious offensive spell.
"Was this barrier set up by humans?" The little jellyfish had never seen magic like this. "Why would they do this?"
Shen Jixiao circled around, a vague answer forming in his mind. "It was likely set up by the Southern Kingdom."
"What do we do?" The little jellyfish was a little disheartened. "This path is blocked... taking a detour would mean swimming for a long time."
Even if the little jellyfish didn’t understand the land’s layout, he knew this was a crucial passage—even sea creatures regarded it as an important route. Now that it was sealed off, reaching their destination would require a massive detour if they followed the entire triangular coastline of the continent. Even for a mermaid, it would take half a year of nonstop swimming day and night.
Alternatively, he could choose to wait here.
For the barrier to be lifted.
Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year.
"The conflict between the Eastern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom is escalating," Shen Jixiao said gravely. "There might be another war. This time, they’ve blockaded the Lunda Strait without any warning—it’s already a provocation."
He no longer had time to spare. This time, he had no choice but to go ashore.
He might have to part ways with the little jellyfish here.
"I..." Shen Jixiao didn’t know how to explain. "I don’t plan to stay in the sea. You know I grew up on land—I’ll still return there."
Tang You couldn’t understand. "But you’re a mermaid. You have a tail. You can’t leave the water."
"I have a transformation spell with minimal cost, usable only on myself, that can turn me into a human," Shen Jixiao explained. "I’ve lived on land for many years—you don’t need to worry about me."
"You want to go to the other side, don’t you?"
"Mmm... I’ll wait here for a while." The little jellyfish floated in the water. "Humans can’t keep the path blocked forever. Maintaining a barrier like this consumes an enormous amount of magic. I’ll wait until the day it disappears."
"Perhaps there's a way to get you to the other side," Shen Jixiao suddenly said.
"Hmm?"
"By land." The mermaid pointed toward the shore. "If you can stay in a bottle for a while, I can figure out a way to carry you over there."
The little jellyfish slowly tangled its tentacles together.
He thought it over.
"It's too dangerous..." He clung to the mermaid's finger. "Why do you insist on going ashore anyway...?"
"There are things I must do. Besides, you've helped me so much—it's only right that I return the favor."
"Wouldn’t it look strange if you were carrying a jar on land?" Even now, the little jellyfish was still worrying about the mermaid. "Does it hurt when you grow legs and walk? Won’t you get tired going so far? And the land is so sunny—won’t that be uncomfortable?"
"It won’t."
"Really? Pinky promise?"
"I promise," the mermaid said seriously.
"Then I agree."
Shen Jixiao: "I’ll go ashore first and find a jar. Would one this big be enough?" He gestured to the width of his forearm.
"No need." The little jellyfish waved its tentacles. "Why don’t I just turn into a human and go with you?"
Boldly, the jellyfish declared, "If you can transform and adapt to life on land, then so can I!"
"......" Shen Jixiao hesitated, then fell silent. "Our situations are different..."
"Let me see... the least costly spell... got it!" Tang You had already made up his mind. After searching through his options, he said, "Mermaid, once we reach the shore, I’ll be counting on you. It’s perfect—I’ve never been on land before, so this’ll be my chance to see the scenery there. How wonderful! If it weren’t for you, I’d never dare to go ashore."
Shen Jixiao was left speechless.
……
They found a secluded stretch of coastline and swam into the shallows.
The mermaid was the first to use magic to transform into a human—or rather, to activate his human lineage while suppressing his mermaid blood. This was a spell only hybrids like him could use, and there were only a handful of such hybrids in the entire world.
Perhaps due to the change in his physiology, the seal in his eyes, which contained a vast amount of mermaid spiritual energy, began to destabilize. His tail vanished, his scales receded, and by the time the pain subsided, his face had turned noticeably pale.
His body remained damp, though it was impossible to tell whether it was from cold sweat or seawater.
His vision blurred for a moment as his eyes stinging slightly—his pupils, once adapted to the sea, were now adjusting to land. It was just past noon, and the sunlight was intense, forcing Shen Jixiao to squint as he acclimated.
The familiar wind, the familiar warmth of the sun, the familiar sensation of having two legs.
Air flowed through his lungs—so effortlessly.
He let out a soft sigh. In truth, he had always been more suited to life as a human.
"Little jellyfish?" Shen Jixiao began searching for the jellyfish’s figure. Amid the frothing waves of the shallows, spotting a translucent little jellyfish was no easy task.
Fortunately, with his spiritual energy, he swept the area and quickly established a mental link with the jellyfish.
"Here, here." The jellyfish’s voice trembled slightly.
Despite his earlier bravado, now that the moment had arrived, he couldn’t help but feel fear toward the unknown land. "You changed so well—your legs look so natural, and you can walk on them. That’s amazing... and your clothes look great too."
In truth, he wasn’t wearing much, but the laws and customs of the land forbade naked, hairless apes from appearing in public. Fortunately, having recently learned an illusion spell, Shen Jixiao simply conjured the image of clothing over himself.
"Don’t worry. I just taught you the structure of clothes, and as for the human form, just follow the mimicry spell. You’ve grasped human anatomy perfectly—there’s no way you’ll mess up," Shen Jixiao reassured him.
"O-okay, I’ll transform now..."
The little jellyfish was beyond nervous.
So much so that when the species-transformation spell took effect, he barely registered the pain as his attention was entirely consumed by the fact that part of him was now exposed above the water. As a jellyfish, he could never survive in open air. Instinctively, he layered his spiritual energy around himself, wrapping it tightly, again and again.
Wind. Sunlight. Legs. Hands. Unfamiliar sensations.
He was terrified.
But Shen Jixiao was approaching, so he had no choice but to lower his spiritual defenses and let the mermaid squeeze in—along with the wind, which brushed against his newly formed face, carrying a strange, never-before-felt chill.
Tang You cautiously cracked open an eye, stealing a quick glance before snapping it shut again.
The sunlight was too harsh—he wasn’t about to force himself.
But he thought he caught a glimpse of Shen Jixiao in human form, looking completely different from his mermaid self. He peeked again, just a sliver this time.
"Are you okay?"
It was a real voice. The sound flowed into his ear canal, vibrating his eardrum slightly, nerves transmitting the signal to his brain—not a sound captured by psychic senses.
Tang You froze for a moment. The psychic link had just been severed. He wanted to say something to Shen Jixiao, but he couldn’t speak.
The human body felt so unfamiliar.
He tilted his head slightly, and clear seawater dripped from his hair. The water trapped in his ear canal trickled out.
Shen Jixiao watched as Tang You adjusted to his new body.
The little jellyfish had transformed beautifully—almost perfectly. No one could tell he wasn’t human.
He was still submerged in the water, as the sea gave him a deep sense of security. He looked almost identical to the young man conjured by the previous mimicry spell, except this time, under the wind and sunlight, Shen Jixiao could even see the faint transparency of his cheeks under the light, his fair and delicate skin revealing subtle traces of blood vessels. Everything was so vivid and alive.
Perhaps due to nervousness, the tip of his nose was slightly red, and his earlobes glowed pink under the sunlight. The human body wasn’t suited for prolonged exposure to seawater. Tang You, soaked in the water, had his hair plastered wetly against his face and his lashes clumped together in strands. His eyelids were tinged with a faint red from the irritation of the saltwater.
He held his breath, utterly lost.
"Don’t be nervous," Shen Jixiao said softly. "Breathe. Use your lungs."
"Cough, cough—"
Tang You gasped sharply, nearly coughing up tears. His psychic senses latched onto Shen Jixiao’s like a lifeline: "Merman! Waa—" Finally, he could speak.
"Are you okay?" Shen Jixiao was also flustered—he’d never taught anyone how to be human before.
"Yeah, a little better." The little jellyfish inhaled, exhaled. "Being human is so hard."
He used to think it was embarrassing for Shen Jixiao, a merman, to nearly drown underwater. Now that he’d become human, he’d nearly suffocated—mortifying.
But the warmth of the sand, the sound of the waves—human senses were strange and wondrous, a realm he’d never set foot in before. He was both afraid and curious. The blue-white tide surged and receded as he knelt in the water, his toes sinking into the cool, fine sand.
Shen Jixiao stood before him, his now-deeper blue eyes filled with concern. The sea breeze was strong, drying his hair quickly. The wind tousled his jet-black strands as he bent down while extending a hand. "Need help?"
The little jellyfish thought: If even a merman, who just turned human like me, can be so poised and elegant, then so can I.
"I can do it—"
Thud.
The moment the little jellyfish tried to stand, he lost his balance. His entire body, as if boneless, collapsed onto the soft sand, face-first into the shallow water.
"..."
So embarrassing.
A wave rolled in, washing a translucent jellyfish onto the shore. It lay limp on the sand, unable to move.
The anatomy of marine creatures meant most couldn’t withstand the gravity on land.
Tang You wasn’t much different.
Shen Jixiao grabbed his arm and hauled him up.
"Ah." Tang You sucked in a breath before shaking the sand off his face. A misty sheen quickly veiled his soft pink eyes. "I’m going to throw a tantrum!"
"Being human is so hard—there’s no way to get used to gravity!"
Shen Jixiao carried him to the dry part of the shore. As he wiped the sand from Tang You’s face, the little jellyfish continued to fuss.
And he couldn’t help it anymore—he laughed.
The little jellyfish immediately scolded him: "And you're still laughing!"
Shen Jixiao quickly suppressed his smile: "It's already quite good for your first time being human."
In truth, having spent two or three weeks submerged in water, he also felt an unusual heaviness upon coming ashore today. His spine, unaccustomed to bearing weight in the depths of the sea, was practically screaming in protest.
The little jellyfish, never having exercised before, certainly couldn't get used to it so quickly.
He reached out, carefully brushing away the grains of sand stuck to the little jellyfish's face and hair. As his fingertips grazed over, Shen Jixiao marveled at the sensation—evidently, the little jellyfish hadn't paid much attention to the finer details when transforming into human form. The skin was smooth and delicate, as untouched by hardship as that of a newborn child. Some sand had fallen onto his body, and Shen Jixiao, finding it inconvenient to clean, simply blew it away. The little jellyfish didn’t mind his fussing.
At most, it would shiver slightly when Shen Jixiao blew on it—unaccustomed to the sensation of wind.
Too delicate. The slightest touch would leave it flushed. Shen Jixiao vaguely thought to himself. In this state, it wouldn’t survive on land—it would get hurt far too easily.
—Though jellyfish were fragile creatures in the ocean too.
They were so close. The person in his arms bore such a striking resemblance to the one he had longed for day and night. Shen Jixiao had even considered asking the little jellyfish to take on a different face when transforming, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. It would be selfish of him to impose his own reluctance and avoidance onto the little jellyfish.
Finally, Shen Jixiao brushed away the fine sand from the tip of the little jellyfish’s nose.
"Alright, shall we go buy some clothes first?"
The garments they wore weren’t real—just illusions meant to deceive the eye. Walking among humans like this made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
The little jellyfish nodded, only half-understanding. "I’ll follow your lead."
It reached out, just as it had countless times underwater, and grasped Shen Jixiao’s fingers. Its eyes were full of expectation, its tone natural, and aside from its hands and arms, it had no intention of moving anything else.
"Shen Jixiao, can you carry me?"
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