"Qing'er, whatever treasures that human can give you, I can give you too! Don't go with him!" Princess Jia Ling'er's temper flared, driven by an impulsive need to win this standoff.
Jiang Che, however, burst into laughter. With a mocking glance at the hesitant Qing'er, he teased, "Qing'er isn’t wrong, you know. Your Highness can barely protect yourself—how could you possibly protect anyone else?"
His smirk deepened, shattering Qing'er's resolve.
He was right. Forget protecting her... the princess herself was unlikely to escape this demon's clutches.
They were just a few celebrity mermaids—well-known across the Nine Heavens, perhaps, but their individual strength was mediocre at best, having only recently stepped into the Divine Awakening realm.
"P-Princess..." Qing'er's voice trembled with unshed tears.
"Enough crying. Come here, little Qing'er... sit on my lap, and I’ll reward you." Jiang Che patted his thigh, his meaning unmistakable.
"Wuuu... Your Highness, p-please take care of yourself..."
Even Qing'er, naive as she was, understood the situation now. No matter how much she despised this human, she had to appease him. Otherwise, with their pitifully weak numbers... their fate would be unspeakably grim.
Shivering, Qing'er shifted her fishtail and approached Jiang Che, gingerly settling onto his lap.
"You—!" Jia Ling'er was fuming.
Every one of her clansmen who had descended with her had now surrendered to Jiang Che's embrace? This was beyond disgraceful!
"Tsk tsk, why the tears? You’re ruining that pretty face~"
Jiang Che wiped the glistening droplets from Qing'er's cheeks. Strangely, as they fell to the ground, each tear transformed into radiant pearls.
"I-I’m sorry... Qing'er won’t cry anymore, wuuu~~"
Despite her words, the tears kept falling, as if she’d suffered some unbearable injustice.
Jiang Che sighed. Listening to Qing'er's thoughts earlier, he’d assumed she was another bratty tsundere. But now? The little spitfire had turned into a weepy mess.
What a letdown.
"Here, here—Jiang Che doesn’t treat his women poorly. Name anything you want, Qing'er!" He pulled her close. Even with her fishtail, she weighed less than 90 pounds—lighter than a feather on his lap.
"R-Really? Anything?" Qing'er blinked, a flicker of hope in her eyes.
"Of course."
"Then... c-can you let me go?"
"Not a chance!" What kind of fool would release a fish already in his net?
"Then... could you at least not bully me? I’m only 36 in soul age..." she whispered fearfully.
For humans, 36 might be middle-aged, but for the Jialan Clan... well...
"Nope. Try something realistic!" Jiang Che shut her down instantly.
Qing'er’s face fell.
She was doomed.
"Fine. I suppose a girl like you would appreciate pretty things. Here—a dress for you."
With that, Jiang Che spent hundreds of thousands of system points to exchange for a high-grade defensive treasure.
[Cloudweave Feather Gown: A peak ninth-grade defensive artifact. Can withstand a full-force strike from a Martial God expert. Reusable, with a 1-day cooldown.]
Of course, the hefty price wasn’t just for its utility. The dress perfectly suited Jiang Che’s tastes—tailored for a delicate mermaid like Qing'er.
"W-What is this...?"
Qing'er stared dumbfounded at the exquisite gown in Jiang Che’s hands. She’d never seen anything like it—shimmering, luminous, and breathtakingly beautiful. For a young mermaid at the height of vanity, this Cloudweave Feather Gown was infinitely more lethal than any spirit stone.
"A peak ninth-grade artifact?!"
Even Jia Ling'er was stunned. To seduce a girl, Jiang Che was willing to part with something this valuable?
Artifacts were ranked from first to ninth grade, with saint-grade above them—crafted by Creation Realm or even Quasi-Emperor experts. Beyond that were emperor-grade artifacts, or "Imperial Arms," forged by true Emperors. Some Emperors didn’t even possess one.
And above those? Celestial-grade.
As a royal princess, Jia Ling'er lacked neither resources nor treasures. She currently wore four or five saint-grade artifacts, not to mention numerous ninth-grade ones.
But Qing'er and the others were different. Strip away their celebrity status, and they were just ordinary Jialan beauties—weak in cultivation, let alone exposed to high-tier artifacts.
"Go on, Qing'er. Put it on—let’s see how it fits." Jiang Che grinned.
Qing'er took the gown with trembling hands, her eyes sparkling. In that moment, her wariness toward Jiang Che faded considerably.
"Thank you..."
But soon, an awkward realization struck her.
"J-Jiang Che... is there another room? I need to change..."
Her pleading gaze was tinged with embarrassment, her hands fidgeting helplessly.
Jiang Che chuckled, then shot a sidelong glare at Jia Ling'er.
"You hear that? You’re the only outsider here. Scram."
Jia Ling'er: "???"
Excuse me? You’re the one who kidnapped me!
Xue'er and Yun'er exchanged glances, understanding Jiang Che’s unspoken implication. Their expressions darkened with resignation.
As Jialan celebrities, they’d been groomed since childhood—pampered, unchallenged, untouched by scandal. Yet now, they were in the mortal realm, bound to a human man.
"Heh. Your Highness, why don’t you stand guard outside?"
With a flick of his wrist, Jiang Che summoned the Immortal-Binding Rope, trussing Jia Ling'er up before tossing her out.
Fortunately, the Dragon Palace had no other men around. Otherwise, with her sealed spiritual power and bound form, Jia Ling'er would’ve been prime material for... certain unsavory narratives.
"You bastard! Just wait—when my mother emerges from seclusion, she’ll annihilate you! Grind your bones to dust! Wuuu~~"
"Ah, finally... peace."
Jiang Che massaged his temples.
Now, it was time to feast.
"Xue'er... I’ve never heard a mermaid from the Nine Heavens sing. How about a little performance?"
"Make your husband happy, and the rewards will be plentiful!"
He’d already figured them out—these little mermaids had pride, but their standards were laughably low. A bit of wealth, and they’d fold.
Xue'er smiled sweetly. "Husband, don’t worry. In cultivation, we’re nowhere near Her Highness. But when it comes to singing... my sisters and I are professionals."
The other mermaid girls nodded eagerly. Surrounded by such beauty, Jiang Che felt like even an immortal’s life couldn’t compare.