Winner Takes All

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Chapter 107 – Sea Monster (Extra 8, Chapter 7) 

Title: 谁把谁当真 (Winner Takes All)

Author：水千丞 (ShuiQianCheng)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists ：黎朔 (Li Shuo), 赵锦辛 (Zhao Jinxin)

*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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That night, Li Shuo suffered from insomnia again.

It has been a month since he parted with Jinxin.

After returning to the Kingdom of Lambert, Li Shuo tried his best to cheer up and assist the king in handling military and political affairs. This was his duty as the heir to the throne. He was still the handsome prince in front of others. But whenever he was alone, he could feel that loneliness and longing were eating away at him bit by bit. He breathed the freshest and sweetest air. But he seemed to be shackled in the deep sea and it became increasingly difficult for him to breathe.

Every day, he sat by the window and looked at the sea, daydreaming about a colourful and magnificent miracle. But all he got was the same boundless and vast disappointment as the sea.

He misses Jinxin so much. He can’t help thinking about him at every moment. But if he is asked to choose again, can he really selfishly abandon everything to pursue his love for him?

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Holding a crayon in his hand, Li Shuo drew Jinxin’s appearance on the fine white paper. But these colours were too mediocre…

There was a knock on the door and Li Shuo came back to his senses: “Come in.”

A fair-skinned and handsome young man walked in with a dinner plate. He has soft and delicate short brown hair, amber eyes and light pink lips. He looks very gentle.

“Your Highness…”

“Chengxiu.” Li Shuo said, “Why haven’t you gone to rest yet?”

Chengxiu is the first-class royal chef of the Kingdom of Lambert. Although he is very young, he has superb culinary skills that are well-known in the Red Earth Continent. His father is the captain of the King’s Guard. The two of them grew up together.

Chengxiu put the dinner plate on the table and looked at Li Shuo worriedly: “Your Highness, since you came back, your appetite has become very poor. You have lost a lot of weight as well. Didn’t you notice it?”

“Really?” Li Shuo forced a smile, “But I’m already full.”

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“Is it because the things I cooked are not to your liking?” Chengxiu frowned and pursed his lips. He then said sadly, “You used to love the things that I cooked the most.”

“No. It has nothing to do with you. I just…-“

“-You can make a request. If you are bored of the things I used to cook, I will make some innovative dishes. As long as…-“

“-Chengxiu.” Li Shuo stood up and walked to his front. He then gently comforted him, “The problem is not with you. The food you cook is still the most delicious in the world.”

“Then why are you not eating?” Chengxiu looked at the pearl bracelet on Li Shuo’s wrist, “Is it because of a beautiful lady?”

Li Shuo touched the shiny pearl on his wrist. His eyes turned gentle: “Well, that one is very beautiful…”

“I knew it.” Chengxiu said happily, “Which family is the lady from? Is she from a neighbouring country? Is she someone you met during your journey? Why don’t you propose to her for a marriage? Your Majesty the King and the Queen are very open-minded. As long as you two really love each other, they won’t care about the status!”

Li Shuo’s face turned sad: “That person… We can’t do it.”

“Why can’t you?” Chengxiu blinked his eyes and asked quizzically, “Are you worried about being rejected by her? You are so perfect. There is no one in this world who won’t love you.”

Li Shuo didn’t know how to explain it to Chengxiu. He thought that no one would believe him or understand him if he tried to. So, he chose to bury this secret deep in his heart.

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Just as Li Shuo was considering how to reply to Chengxiu, a big wave suddenly hit the cliff and made a loud noise. The two of them were taken aback. Today, the sea was very calm and there was no strong wind at all. How could there be such a big wave so suddenly?

Li Shuo’s heart beat fast. He turned and ran to the terrace, looking into the sea.

“Your Highness?” Chengxiu chased after him for a few steps. He then turned around and picked up the tray, “Anyway, you should eat more. How about I accompany you to eat on the terrace? The weather is very good today…”

In the pitch-black sea, a huge black fishtail swung past the corner of Li Shuo’s eyes. Li Shuo’s heart tightened. Then, a person surfaced from beneath the water. He had pale skin and long black hair. Although he couldn’t see his face clearly, Li Shuo already knew who it was.

“Ah! There is someone in the water!” Chengxiu shouted, “I’ll ask the guards to save her!”

“No need.” Li Shuo said calmly, “Go to the room and get me my sword.”

“Why is that?”

“Just go!”

Chengxiu had no choice but to put down the dinner plate and went to look for Li Shuo’s sword.

The person in the sea raised his head to look at Li Shuo. The statue-like handsome face coupled with the cold and sharp eyes belonged to none other than the sea monster prince who almost killed him before—Qun.

Li Shuo gritted his teeth. Even though he knew how dangerous it was to face this hostile sea monster alone, when he thought that he might get news about Jinxin, he couldn’t care less about his own safety.

Qun arched his back. His spine surged under the skin. Li Shuo knew that he was about to turn into a monster with wings.

Chengxiu ran back holding the sword in his hand: “Your Highness…”

Li Shuo grabbed the sword and pushed Chengxiu out of the terrace: “Go back and rest. Don’t tell anyone about what happened today.”

“Ah? Why? But there is someone in the water…”

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“Just go!” Li Shuo ordered in a harsh tone that he had never used before.

“Then, the food…” Chengxiu turned his head to look for the dinner plate. But then saw a scene that he would never forget.

A fish-tailed monster with black hair down to its waist with fin-shaped wings sprouting from its back was flying above the terrace. He was glaring at them fiercely. Sea water was dripping and flowing down its body.

“Ah—!!” Chengxiu yelled out in fright. He was so shocked that he couldn’t speak anymore. He has never seen such a beautiful and evil creature. He wondered if he had encountered the legendary demon that can take people’s minds away? He couldn’t take his eyes off of that handsome face. But he was also terrified by the huge black fishtail and the outstretched wings.

Li Shuo only sighed as he looked at him.

“Your Highness, you…you, go!” Chengxiu came back to his senses, feeling creeped out. The dangerous aura seemed to have turned into a tangible sword, pressing against his neck. He looked at his empty hands. Even though he was trembling with fear, he clenched his fists and stood in front of Li Shuo.

Li Shuo drew out his sword and pointed it at Qun fearlessly. He then said sharply, “What do you want to do?”

“Damn human. I should have killed you long ago.” Qun’s eyes displayed his murderous intent and hatred.

“Where’s Jinxin?” Li Shuo trembled as he asked.

Qun flapped the huge black fins on his back and flew to the edge of the terrace. He then sat on the handrail. The black fishtails swung back and forth, shining mysteriously under the moonlight.

Li Shuo and Chengxiu took several steps back, looking at him vigilantly. Chengxiu grabbed Li Shuo’s sleeve: “Your Highness, do you know him? What kind of monster is he? Let’s call the guards over!”

Qun said coldly: “I can kill you before you leave the terrace. Why don’t you try taking a step back?”

Li Shuo had seen Jinxin’s abilities as he killed the people in the island with such horror. He knew that this cold sea monster was definitely not bluffing. So he clenched the sword in his hand: “What on earth do you want to do?”

“I want you to follow me back to the bottom of the sea.”

“What?” Li Shuo frowned, “Did Jinxin ask you to come?”

When Jinxin was mentioned, Qun’s face looked ferocious: “It’s all because of you. You stupid, lowly, and hypocritical human being. You confused him and made him desperately want to trade his fishtail for legs with a witch!”

Li Shuo was stunned.

Trade? For legs?

“What are you talking about?” Li Shuo raised his voice, “He can get… legs?”

“The witch has powerful magic. She can turn his fishtail into human legs. But the price is to take away his voice. Once the deal is successful, he will no longer be able to sing or speak. Every step he takes with those human legs will be as painful as walking on the tip of a knife. Moreover, he will never be able to return to the sea!”

Li Shuo froze. His chest seemed to have been hit hard and the pain he felt made him almost suffocate.

Jinxin wants to trade his voice for a pair of legs? Just because he said that Jinxin does not belong to the land and that they can not be together?

Jinxin…

Li Shuo then said sharply: “You! Why didn’t you stop him? Aren’t you very powerful? Isn’t the sea monster very powerful?!”

“The sea monster is at the top of the food chain under the sea. But the witch does not belong to any clan. She is fair and neutral. Anyone can trade with her, as long as they can pay the price she asks for. This is the rule of the underwater world for thousands of years. No one can violate it. If you want to cancel the transaction, you must yourself give up on it.” Qun stared at Li Shuo fiercely, “You’re the one who has to stop him!”

Li Shuo’s face turned pale. His nose was sore and he was in a mess. No. He couldn’t let Jinxin do such a trade. If Jinxin could no longer sing beautifully and if Jinxin could no longer swim freely in the sea, what else would Jinxin have left besides himself? He must not let Jinxin lose those important things.

“How do I get to the bottom of the sea?”

Qun took out a small bottle. There was a blue liquid in it, which looked like poison no matter what: “Drink this. Within 24 hours, you can breathe under the sea.”

“No!” Chengxiu yelled, shaking Li Shuo to come to his senses, “Your Highness, what’s wrong with you? Why do you listen to this…creature? Your Highness, how come you know him?”

Li Shuo put down the sword in his hand and walked towards Qun without hesitation.

“Your Highness! No!” Chengxiu anxiously grabbed Li Shuo. He then picked up a pastry from the dinner plate and threw it at Qun.

Qun stretched out his sharp claws and grabbed the pastry with anger brewing between his brows.

Chengxiu’s legs went limp from fright.

Li Shuo said calmly: “Chengxiu, I’m going to go save someone. He’s the one that I love. I’ll explain it to you when I get back. Don’t tell anyone about this.”

“Your Highness, have you been deluded?” Chengxiu held Li Shuo tightly.

“How troublesome. I’m going to kill him.” Qun impatiently crushed the pastry in his hand.

Li Shuo blocked him from hurting Chengxiu: “Don’t touch him. I’ll go with you now.”

Qun then snorted. The sea breeze blew slightly and a scent suddenly wafted from his nose. He looked at the cake residue in his hand. He gave out a curious “Huh” and put it to his nose as he sniffed it cautiously.

“Your Highness…” Chengxiu was so anxious that he was about to cry. He refused to let go.

Li Shuo said seriously: “Don’t tell anyone. I will be back within 24 hours. This is my order.” He said and broke Chengxiu’s hand off of him.

Chengxiu looked at him with tears in his eyes, feeling completely at a loss.

Qun couldn’t help being curious. He licked the sweet cream on his fingertips and then displayed a surprised expression: “What is this?”

Chengxiu pursed his lips and said with a sob: “Vanilla Cheesecake. If you dare to hurt the Prince of Lambert, you…you will pay the price with your life.”

Li Shuo walked up to the black merman that frightened him. He took the potion in his hand, uncorked the bottle, and drank it without hesitation.

Qun grabbed Li Shuo. He then turned over and they both fell into the sea.

After falling into the water, Li Shuo habitually closed his eyes and held his breath. He was dragged by Qun so he had to swim forward in the sea at a high speed, without even giving him even a moment of buffer time.

Gradually, Li Shuo couldn’t hold his breath anymore. So he had to open his mouth. When the sea water entered his nasal cavity, the drowning he expected to happen didn’t happen. He opened his eyes in surprise and couldn’t help but touch his hot ears. Gills like a merman had grown there.

He couldn’t help taking a big mouthful of seawater. His body seemed to have been cleared of some kind of barrier and he completely adjusted to the aquatic state. He had never experienced such joyful freedom underwater. Does it feel like this when birds soar in the sky?

However, the sea monster’s speed was so fast that he felt as if he was being dragged by a chariot. The resistance of the water was like a wind pressure on land, pushing on his body.

Qun suddenly made a series of weird voices. But it was still as pleasant as some kind of singing. The voice of the sea monster was a gift from the Gods. Li Shuo couldn’t imagine that Jinxin would give up such a wonderful thing.

Not long after, a school of grey-black fish swam in the distance. They were more than three metres long, with a spear-like snout and a broad, sail-like dorsal fin. Li Shuo recognized them as a swordfish, known as the fastest swimmer in the sea.

Li Shuo didn’t know why but he was thrown into the school of swordfish by Qun. He caught a swordfish for himself. Qun led the swordfish ahead, breaking through the current in a triangular formation.

Li Shuo hugged the swordfish tightly, feeling like he was being shot out together with an arrow. The waves of the water were surging and he couldn’t even open his eyes. In comparison, the speed of the sea monster seemed benevolent.

After swimming like this for an unknown amount of time, Li Shuo was almost exhausted. His closed eyes suddenly sensed a bright light and the swordfish started to reduce its speed.

Li Shuo opened his eyes wearily. The sight in front of him instantly sobered him up.

It was a huge underwater kingdom composed of corals of various colours, shellfish of various sizes and countless colourful and strangely shaped plants. They are based on the seabed hills stacked on top of each other. Gorgeous buildings were built one after another with countless coral groups and shells. Luminous jellyfish floating around like ghosts while ostentatious seaweeds fluttering softly with the water waves.

Li Shuo couldn’t believe that he would see such a magnificent sight at the bottom of the sea. This underwater kingdom is not inferior to any rich country on land. In fact, it is even more magical.

Is this the place where Jinxin grew up?

Li Shuo yelled at Qun, “Where is Jinxin?”

Qun looked ahead and said coldly, “This is the Siren Royal City. He is in the Forest of Unableness.”

Li Shuo could only watch helplessly as the swordfish led them around the gorgeous royal city and swam deeper into the dark ocean.

Not long after, a huge black object appeared in front of his eyes. It was like a black hole. It was as if it could suck everything around it into the abyss. Looking at it sent chills down Li Shuo’s spine.

Li Shuo instinctively didn’t want to get close. But he still didn’t hesitate to go into it.

As they got closer, Li Shuo realised that this mass was a ‘forest’ composed of hundreds of millions of huge seaweeds!

The school of swordfish sent them there and refused to go any further. Qun pulled Li Shuo and they swam in. They shuttled through the forest with ease. For Li Shuo, the forest was dimly lit so everywhere looked the same. He was lost as soon as he entered.

Looking back, he was surrounded by identical seaweeds. Countless fish skeletons were lying on the seabed. There are also some things there that were obviously from the human world. It made Li Shuo’s scalp tingle. He knew that he might not be able to leave this eerie forest by himself. He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know the way?”

“Of course.”

A ray of light appeared in front of his eyes. It was like a lighthouse on the dark sea. Li Shuo looked intently and saw a dilapidated shipwreck!

Judging from the remaining hull structure, this ship was at least a hundred years old.

Qun led Li Shuo into the sunken ship. After passing through the mossy and rusty plywood, a brand new and spotless lacquered red door appeared in front of him. It was incompatible with everything else around it.

Qun swooped over and slammed the door open.

This place may have once been the main hall of the ship, but now it has become a witch’s lair. There are countless weird and evil things in the room. There are potions, bones, and scary appliances. But the most eye-catching thing is a large glass display cabinet placed in rows. There is a creature in each display cabinet. There are rare fish that Li Shuo has never seen even in books. There are horses and tigers that can only be seen on land. And there is even a beautiful little human girl who looks like a doll!

They had their eyes open. But they had no expressions on their faces. People couldn’t tell whether they were dead or alive.

“Isis!” Qun shouted.

The two of them passed through the glass display case and at the end of the hall, they saw a haggard mermaid with only a few sparse hairs left on her head. The wrinkles on her face were probably deeper than the Mariana Trench. Her eyes were cloudy and looked blurry.

Her nails are long, sharp, and curly. Even her fishtail looked grey and dull. She was so ugly and old. She looked as if she would die at any moment. But her movements are still so agile.

Next to him, Li Shuo saw the colourful-tailed merman that made him yearn for days and nights!

“Jinxin!”

Jinxin turned his head and looked at Li Shuo in surprise.

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*Translator’s Note: I translated this while I was in a meeting. So, if there are any mistakes, please point them out to me. Thanks! -K

Next update: 2023.08.12

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