The Undersea Adventures of the Little Jellyfish (JELLYFISH)
"No."
Tang You leaned against the edge of the bathtub, looking at Shen Jixiao. "Why not?" His eyes were clear and filled only with pure curiosity, genuinely wanting to learn about human customs.
Shen Jixiao could only say, "Bathing is a very private matter. Only very close people, those who trust each other deeply, do it together—and usually not in the same tub... Maybe someday I can take you to a northern bathhouse?"
"Don't we trust each other?" the little jellyfish asked sincerely.
"..." Of course they did.
But the little jellyfish's human form... Shen Jixiao stared at Tang You's face, always overthinking things and his heart in turmoil. He hadn't yet grown accustomed to certain changes.
For instance, when he thought of this face, he still felt so small, needing to look up and needing something just out of reach to keep him moving forward. But when he saw the little jellyfish, he immediately became aware of their differences.
The little jellyfish would look up to him, wait for him to make decisions, and rely on him—especially on land.
So adorable. Would the person he was searching for look at him like this? Or did he even want to see such an expression? Shen Jixiao didn't know himself. But the immediate problem was dealing with this overly curious little jellyfish.
His fingers brushed through the little jellyfish's hair, catching a few grains of sea salt in the soft white strands, his thoughts scattering:
"How about I teach you? You bathe first?"
...
And so, the situation evolved into the little jellyfish soaking in hot water while he stood by.
At first, Tang You hadn’t wanted to fully immerse himself either—he was still a little afraid of the heat. But the bathroom was slippery, and before he knew it, he had fallen in completely.
"Merman!" For the first time, he felt like he might drown.
He grabbed Shen Jixiao's arm, gripping so tightly that red marks appeared instantly. Shen Jixiao let out a soft grunt, not from pain but from relief—the little jellyfish had enough strength, which was a good thing.
He had been genuinely worried that the little jellyfish's human form might have structural issues, like weak legs or underdeveloped muscles.
"It's fine," he reassured the little jellyfish. "It's just hot water."
"Are you sure it won't cook me?"
Tang Yu lowered his head and saw his skin suddenly flush red, unable to withstand even the slightest heat. His toes curled and his limbs restless, for the first time feeling so helpless in the water—no matter where he tried to hide, the scalding currents enveloped him. He felt that if he stayed in the bath any longer, he would silently dissolve into the tub, and even the merman wouldn’t be able to scoop him out.
Compared to the hot water, the merman’s body, which had once felt unbearably warm, now seemed cool. He pressed his cheek against Shen Jixiao’s hand, savoring that precious relief, and asked in a pitifully small voice, “How much longer do I have to stay in?”
Shen Jixiao’s hand grew hot in response. He looked down, watching droplets slide down the little jellyfish’s neck—soft pink and white—his shoulder blades slightly raised with each breath, like the delicate wings of a butterfly fluttering among flowers.
The droplets continued to roll. He noticed Tang Yu exhaling small puffs of heat, unable to bear the temperature. His lips slightly downturned, brows furrowed and eyes glistening with moisture—filled with faint distress and grievance. Though his heart ached for the little jellyfish, for some reason, the emotion that welled up inside him now wasn’t pity, but something else entirely.
And so, he too began to feel as though he were soaking in the wooden tub as a restless heat rose within him.
Shen Jixiao slowly exhaled a breath of scorching air.
He scooped up water and poured it over the little jellyfish’s head.
"Ah!" Tang You hugged his head with his hands. "You're bullying me!"
"Washing your hair." Shen Jixiao was all about efficiency, rubbing Tang You’s hair and lathering it with soap. "Humans prefer clean, fresh hair. If your strands are full of sea salt crystals, you’ll be disliked."
"But I have to soak in seawater every day."
"Then you can wash your hair every day."
"Wah—" The little jellyfish let out a sharp, distressed noise. "The human world is truly terrifying!"
...
After the bath, the little jellyfish felt like he was about to turn translucent.
The soap smelled nice, the bubbles were fun, and Shen Jixiao wasn’t rough—just gently scrubbing him—but he still felt like an entire layer of his skin had been washed away.
After soaking in the bath, he had transformed into a pink-skinned human.
Soul lost.jpg
Shen Jixiao seemed to still be washing. Tang You didn’t understand the appeal of bathing—only that the mermaid was relentless. No matter how much he protested, Shen Jixiao didn’t stop with his gaze indifferent as he continued washing him. Once done, he wrapped Tang You in a towel, rolled him up like a jellyfish burrito, and tossed him into the room.
Tang You couldn’t help but recall the first time he met the mermaid—how he had been swept up in the bubbles the mermaid created, turning into a jellyfish roll.
Mean mermaid.
He didn’t want hot water. All he wanted was the cool, refreshing seawater. Tang You hugged his jar, uncaring that he had just been cleaned, and just wanted to revert to his jellyfish form and sulk inside.
Just then, he heard unfamiliar footsteps.
And the door was pushed open without hesitation.
A stranger.
The little jellyfish only knew Shen Jixiao. Seeing someone else enter the room, he was slightly startled.
Clutching the glass jar, he froze—he had been planning to turn back into a jellyfish and sleep.
The young man who entered hadn’t expected to find someone in Shen Jixiao’s room either.
He had curly brown hair, light glass-colored eyes, and a pair of charming peach-blossom eyes with a teardrop mole at the corner. By all accounts, he was a very beautiful person—except for the metal-framed glasses perched on his nose, which obscured his striking eyes.
He stared at the little jellyfish.
The little jellyfish stared back.
"Well, well." The moment the young man spoke, a strong sarcastic tone oozed out. "Someone’s really made it, huh? Hiding a beauty in a golden chamber and sneaking a pretty little thing into his room."
Tang You couldn’t speak and didn’t dare establish a mental link with a stranger. All he could do was cautiously, softly voice his confusion: "Huh?"
The young man across from him pondered briefly.
Shen Jixiao rarely kept completely useless people around. This one must have some talent or be useful in the current situation.
Judging by his fair complexion, he probably wasn’t a fighter.
"Do you know magic?"
The little jellyfish nodded. But he only knew a little—not much.
"An experienced mage?"
The little jellyfish had never heard of that. He shook his head.
"Advanced? Intermediate? Beginner?"
The little jellyfish shook his head so hard it felt like his brain was getting scrambled.
Only then did the young man raise an eyebrow. "Mute?"
"Mm..." No, it wasn’t that—he simply couldn’t speak. Compared to this silver-tongued person in front of him, the little jellyfish could barely manage a single word after ages.
Tang You shook his head again, then finally ran out of energy.
Slowly succumbing to gravity, he slumped onto the table like a lump of butter that had softened too much in the air. If not for the table, he probably would have melted onto the floor, turning into a puddle of slime.
"Ji Yan."
Shen Jixiao pushed open the door with his forehead slightly disheveled, clearly having jogged over: "Don't scare him."
The young man called Ji Yan looked from Shen Jixiao to Tang You.
"Oh..."
"It's not what you think... never mind." Shen Jixiao closed the door. "Tang You, this is someone trustworthy. You can communicate with him."
"Ji Yan, relax."
The little jellyfish slowly extended a psychic tentacle, lightly brushing against the human named "Ji Yan."
"Hello."
Ji Yan's expression swiftly shifted from shock and confusion to understanding and acceptance. If he could use psychic abilities, then he wasn't weak—meaning he was useful, meaning Shen Jixiao hadn't lost his mind. And that was a good thing.
"Hello." He resumed the demeanor of a normal human, smiling warmly. "I misunderstood you earlier."
The little jellyfish curled into a ball. "My name is Tang You."
Humans were truly fascinating—capable of cycling through eight expressions in a second.
He wasn't particularly interested in Ji Yan, only thinking that he couldn't revert to his jellyfish form in front of outsiders. So he hugged his glass jar and spaced out, listening as the merman and the human discussed profound topics.
Their exchange was concise.
"Rebelled?" Ji Yan asked.
"Rebelled."
"Kill?"
"Keep."
The topic was a bit heavy. Shen Jixiao glanced at the little jellyfish, who was still mentally checked out over the bath incident. "But the shipping routes can't stay in his hands."
With the most pressing questions answered, Ji Yan looked at Tang You and gradually reverted to his usual, less-than-ideal mental state. "Three weeks. Your esteemed..."
Shen Jixiao suddenly shook his head at him—he hadn't revealed his identity to Tang You.
Ji Yan understood but still had to say, "Missing for three weeks, performance metrics unmet, fined."
Shen Jixiao: "...Didn't all my money go to public funds?"
"Not enough." When it came to money, Ji Yan had more authority than Shen Jixiao. "The northwest border is dealing with a beast tide—relief efforts are needed. The banks of the Rimudo River are flooding, drowning thousands of acres of fertile land. Grain production is expected to drop this year. And now the Southern Kingdom is deliberately provoking us. It's tough."
"Well, the only good thing you've done is probably salvaging that magic from the Tarlik. Honestly, I don't know how you managed it." Ji Yan poured himself a cup of hot tea. "I leaked a bit of news. Plenty of mages are interested in these lost spells. You know how rich those people are."
"How do you plan to profit?"
"Hold an auction."
"Up to you." Shen Jixiao fully trusted Ji Yan's money-making mind.
"To come solve this problem, I spent a fortune on a teleportation spell..."
"Reimbursed."
Checking the time, it was almost dinner. Sure enough, they hadn't sat for long before the servants of the city lord's residence came knocking softly.
Tang You, sprawled on the table, lifted his head dazedly to see Shen Jixiao's face up close. The merman leaned in, touched his forehead to make sure he hadn't caught a chill from the bath, and relaxed. "Can you walk?"
The little jellyfish shook his head—his legs were super wobbly.
"Let's go for dinner."
The little jellyfish nodded vigorously.
Then shook his head vigorously again.
"What's going on?" Ji Yan peeked over. "Legs not working?"
This wasn’t exactly rare. For one, mages were naturally frail. And in these chaotic times, injuries were common. As long as a mage was powerful enough, no one would mock them even if they were in a wheelchair.
He came to Mildor City openly with his true identity, while Shen Jixiao, who had concealed his identity, was technically his subordinate. The attendants outside also revolved around him. Ji Yan didn’t think much of it and simply waved his hand, intending to have someone fetch a wheelchair.
“Do you want a wheelchair?” Shen Jixiao asked the little jellyfish.
“What’s a wheelchair?”
After hearing Shen Jixiao’s explanation, the little jellyfish understood that a wheelchair was a mobility aid for people with disabilities. But his legs weren’t injured, so he didn’t need to take resources meant for the disabled. He sat by the table, thought for two seconds, then stretched out his arms: “Can’t you just carry me?”
Ji Yan, who was also connected via the mental link, couldn’t help but laugh at Tang You’s words, thinking to himself that Shen Jixiao, that bastard, never allowed physical contact with anyone.
Better just find a wheelchair.
Just as he raised his hand, he saw Shen Jixiao bend down with uncanny familiarity and scoop up the white-haired, pink-eyed youth.
Shen Jixiao glanced back at him. “Let’s go.”
“……”
Ji Yan felt his mental state steadily deteriorating.
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
The completed novel is now available in my Ko-fi page.
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•