Just as my spirits flagged, a clatter echoed from within the tunnel. We turned to see a nude woman, spear in hand, standing at the entrance of the stone chamber. People poured in behind her from the tunnel's mouth, all identically naked and armed.

"Bad news, the mermaids are here for revenge!" Wang Jue cried out involuntarily.

Five mermaids lined up at the chamber entrance; one of them was the one we had let go earlier. It seemed her wound had healed remarkably fast; there was no sign she had ever been injured.

Hou Dayong and I quickly spun around to grab the daggers we had left on the floor, but the leading mermaid deftly flicked both weapons aside with her spear, sending them skittering into a corner by the wall. Then, all five of them simultaneously leveled their spears directly at our noses, gesturing for us to turn around.

Unarmed, vastly outnumbered, we had no choice but to submit and follow their instructions, turning our backs. We heard a series of creaking sounds from behind us—who knew which mechanism they had tripped now—as the wall before us slowly ground open, sliding apart.

In that instant, a bottomless chasm gaped before our eyes. It turned out the stone chamber was built right into the cliff face; one wall faced the abyss, and the other connected to the lake center. The mechanisms inside the chamber allowed access to both walls. The mermaids knew this place far better than we did, keenly aware of every hidden switch.

Spears in hand, they shoved us toward the precipice, as if preparing to carry out an execution. Sweat poured down my face. I glanced left and right: Hou Dayong was impassive, and Wang Jue stood with defiant dignity. Neither of them seemed afraid. Fine, I admitted my cowardice; I stubbornly believed that even facing death, it was better to devise a way out.

"Sisters, could you please just listen to me for a moment?" I summoned my courage and addressed the five mermaids. "We are only here looking for someone, we meant you no harm. What happened earlier was just a misunderstanding..."

Before I could finish, the leading mermaid lowered her spear, stepped forward, and delivered a series of sharp slaps to my face.

Wang Jue couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh. The mermaid turned to him and, just as before, delivered a flurry of slaps to his face as well.

I finally understood: mermaids were fundamentally unreasonable creatures. They were the first to charm us, and they were the first to strike with daggers. We had only retaliated briefly, and even then with gentlemanly restraint, returning the injured mermaid to the water. Now, they sought to escalate their retaliation. Such beings were truly savage beyond measure.

Without another word, the mermaids prodded our lower backs with their spears, pushing us forward. It seemed to offer only two choices: either be impaled through the waist by their spears, or jump off the cliff. The second method, at least, appeared to promise slightly less pain.

Just as I hesitated, wondering whether to jump, a clamor arose from behind us. The spears pressing into our backs suddenly retracted. We turned around to see a new figure standing behind the mermaids—a high-bridged nose, a pointed chin, and eyes that remained as clear and crystalline as ever. I held my breath, trying to discern which of the twin brothers this was. If it were Li Xiaoshu, our troubles would be over without further effort.

Seeing the newcomer, Hou Dayong voluntarily knelt on one knee and bowed formally. I sighed inwardly; my older sister clearly didn't have such luck. This man had to be Li Xiaohao.

Li Xiaohao walked up to the leading mermaid and whispered a few words into her ear. Seeing this exchange, the other mermaids did not turn their spears on him; instead, they lowered their weapons, stood obediently to the side, and resumed that uniquely captivating posture only mermaids possess.