Chapter 69: Stunned Silence

It was just past seven in the evening when Shen Mingyue walked into Black Dragon Pool, secretly hoping that the park would already be closed. In reality, however, it was a free public park with no gates to lock.

As she walked, she held her portable streaming equipment, looking listless, her voice stripped of its usual sweetness. Liu Zichen had told her to wait in the park and proceed as planned, but Shen Mingyue remained uneasy. Who knew what kind of commotion this group of fanatics might stir up? What if they uncovered the truth? She felt uncertain. Fans were fickle creatures; someone who was a die-hard supporter today could turn into a bitter hater tomorrow over a slight grievance, or worse, transform into a digital mob ready to drown you in a sea of bile.

Shen Mingyue had experienced the terror of fanatical behavior firsthand, and now, she found herself regretting this. After all, this half-baked idea had been her own.

Sure enough, as she neared the park entrance, she spotted shadowy figures dressed in bizarre costumes. They didn't greet her but milled about in small groups. She couldn't tell if they were the same people from her livestream chat, as they only used pseudonyms. But then again, who else would be at Black Dragon Pool at this hour?

When she entered the park, Shen Mingyue was still lost in thought. She was suddenly jolted back to reality by a wave of palpitations. The park was almost devoid of bright lights, save for a dim lamp in a small pavilion by the pool. Occasionally, a shielded glow could be seen on the grass. The surroundings were pitch black; the mountain-ringed park felt imposing and eerie, and the calm, motionless Black Dragon Pool looked dark and lusterless, sending a chill through her.

A dark shadow suddenly darted past the pavilion—a figure in a tall, slender hat and a flowing orange cape, vanishing into the bushes like a phantom. It gave the already terrified Shen Mingyue quite a start. What on earth was that?

She wasn't a coward, so she knew it wasn't a ghost, but rather a fan dressed in a Halloween wizard costume coming to join the fun. It seemed there were quite a few fans planning to "capture the spirit." As she pondered this, another shadow dashed past, wearing a yellow Taoist robe and a square cap, wielding a peach-wood sword.

She could only offer a bitter smile—the only time in all her years that the lively and cheerful Shen Mingyue had felt such a mix of amusement and frustration.

***

Shen Mingyue sat uneasily in the central pavilion, gazing distractedly at the dark water. Liu Zichen hadn't arrived yet, and she had no idea how she intended to make her entrance.

The rustling in the nearby grass told her that the crowd was growing; people loved a spectacle. By now, Shen Mingyue had suddenly relaxed. Letting these people walk away with nothing might actually be for the best—at least it would keep them guessing. She slowly reached for her phone to call Liu Zichen.

Suddenly—

A splash echoed from the silent Black Dragon Pool. Though there were many people in the park, everyone held their breath, making the sound piercingly clear. It was faint, yet traveled far.

Shen Mingyue froze. Had a fan gone into the water? Remembering how bone-chillingly cold the pool was, she shivered involuntarily. Fortunately, she had brought a tripod and set it up by the pavilion earlier; if she were holding her phone, it surely would have slipped from her trembling hands.

"Splash, splash..." The sound of swimming continued without pause. She couldn't determine the distance or the direction. Shen Mingyue widened her eyes, scanning the surface of the Black Dragon Pool. It sounded closer, yet she couldn't spot a thing in the darkness.

Suddenly, a dark shape darted into the pavilion. Shen Mingyue turned back in alarm, bracing herself, only to find the "Taoist priest" pointing his wooden sword toward a distant spot, panting heavily.

"Quick, quick! Point the camera in that direction! Hurry!" the priest urged impatiently.

Shen Mingyue frowned and snapped back, "What are you doing? And who are you?"

The priest ignored her. "Never mind who I am! The mermaid has appeared!"

"What?!" Shen Mingyue covered her mouth, gasping. She looked where the wooden sword pointed and truly saw a faint white speck in the pool, slowly drifting toward the pavilion. Once she locked onto the direction, she realized the splashing was coming from that very spot.

Shen Mingyue mechanically adjusted the tripod. Her breathing quickened. No one knew better than her that the so-called mermaid was just Liu Zichen, the top influencer of Beiting. Could there really be a mermaid in Black Dragon Pool? She shook her head, dismissing the whimsical thought.

The white speck approached unhurriedly, seemingly unaware of the mystery in the dark or the hundreds of eyes watching with predatory focus. Shen Mingyue’s pupils dilated. There was something swimming in the pool, and it looked remarkably like a fish. As she marveled at this, the "fish" brazenly raised its "tail," exposing a fin above the water.

A suppressed gasp rippled through the onlookers. Many couldn't help but lean forward; some even pulled out their phones to record. At this moment, the spectators discarded all pretense of stealth, terrified of missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knew if this "mermaid" would be spooked and vanish forever?

Their concerns were entirely unnecessary. The "mermaid" didn't retreat; instead, she headed toward the shore with poise, as if intending to land.

The shore fell silent again. Everyone watched, dumbfounded, as the white speck gradually transformed into a human shape. It drew closer and closer, until finally, it stood up, revealing the silhouette of a person.

The figure paused by the shore for a moment, sat on a rock, and reached down to remove a pair of massive flippers! It was, of course, a person—and a beautiful woman at that. She wore a streamlined, fish-scale swimsuit, her long hair still dripping. The fins in her hand looked like giant flippers, reflecting the dim light of the pavilion.

No one dared to move until she set the fins aside and began walking toward the pavilion. Perhaps because her hair was soaked and icy, she shook her head with a fluid motion and brushed back her disheveled bangs. The fair face she inadvertently revealed was breathtakingly beautiful.

She stood still in the pavilion. Shen Mingyue felt like she couldn't breathe; her heart ached with a sudden, overwhelming sense of pity. The people around them were equally stunned, unsure of what to do. At that moment, they even put down their phones and cameras of their own accord.

Liu Zichen offered a faint smile and spoke first: "Why are there so many people here today? Are you all here to swim in Black Dragon Pool, too?"

The rigid "Taoist priest" asked with forced bravado, "Are you human or a ghost?"

"Oh, what do you think?" Liu Zichen replied calmly. "I'm a national diver. I thought the environment here looked nice, so I wanted to give it a try. It’s actually quite good."

"The environment is good?! My god!" nearly everyone thought in unison, their minds reeling.