The merman prince clearly noticed the slight unease on the two people's faces.
"What's wrong? Are you surprised to see this thing?" He smiled. "It's not difficult to track the owner of an item through its aura, but there's no need to go to such lengths, right?"
Ji Yunxi's face darkened. The merman prince clearly didn't mean to harm them, but he wasn't an easy person to deal with either.
If they kept backing down at this moment, not only would they be in trouble, but even Yun Han might get involved.
She reached out to stop the impulsive Yun Luotian and Qing Xuan, then stepped forward with a cold face. "You're right. The Soul - Binding Rope does belong to us, but we didn't kill anyone."
"Ha."
Apparently, Ji Yunxi's answer didn't satisfy the merman prince. "Words alone mean nothing."
Ji Yunxi sighed. "We'll give you an explanation for this matter."
The merman prince immediately clapped his hands. "Good! I can see that you're a reasonable woman, and I'm not an unreasonable person either. Since you've promised me an explanation, I'll give you three days. That's not too much to ask, is it?"
Ji Yunxi nodded. "Not at all."
The merman prince looked at Ji Yunxi, and a hint of playfulness flashed in his eyes. The woman in front of him was beautiful and brave, quite different from the human women he knew before.
"Servants! Since this young lady has taken charge, carry the body inside."
The merman prince watched, wondering if her taking the initiative would upset the others.
However, everyone, including Yun Han, just watched silently without saying a word.
This really surprised the merman prince. It seemed that this woman's identity was quite special. His eyes shifted. Originally planning to leave, he now became interested and wasn't in a hurry to go back.
Watching as the servants carried the body into Yun Han's courtyard, he led his men in.
Yun Si was startled and quickly spread out his arms. "Wait! What are you doing?!"
"What are we doing?" The merman prince pointed at Yun Si's forehead. "We've come from afar with nowhere to go, so naturally we'll stay here."
His frivolous action angered Yun Si. Pointing at the forehead was a gesture full of humiliation.
Yun Si gasped and was about to strike, but Ji Yunxi was faster. A piece of her sleeve quickly shot out and slapped the merman prince's hand with a loud sound.
The merman prince was immediately stunned. He could feel how terrifying the person who made the move was.
Ji Yunxi looked calm on the surface, as if she wasn't angry, but she made people feel afraid.
Yun Han stepped forward. "Forget it. There's no shortage of rooms here. If you want to stay, stay."
With his concession, both sides restrained their tempers and walked away.
Yun Si walked up to Ji Yunxi aggrievedly. "Senior Sister... Thank you."
"You're welcome. You're my junior brother, and I'll naturally protect you. No one from our Yunqi Palace will be bullied." Ji Yunxi comforted him a few words, then led Yun Luotian, Yun Hui, and Qing Xuan to check the body.
The merman was lying quietly on the ice, and the wound was exposed to everyone.
Yun Luotian reached out to examine it and said to the others, "Yes, I can indeed sense divine power on the wound. This person has extremely powerful divine power and struck with such cruelty that the merman died instantly."
Ji Yunxi looked grim. "His death was no accident. That day, this merman boarded our ship. Even when facing you and me, I could tell that he was very agile, especially in the water. Even if he was tied up by the Soul - Binding Rope, it wouldn't be easy to kill him with one blow."
"You're right. Mermen are good at swimming. How could they be so easily killed in their own territory?" Yun Hui found it strange.
Qing Xuan instinctively thought it might be Jiang Yaoji. After all, she was the one who had been chasing them.
"Could it be Jiang Yaoji and her people?"
Yun Luotian frowned. "I don't think so. Weren't they also injured? And we didn't see them on the way."
But Ji Yunxi thought it was quite possible. For example, that thick fog, followed by the appearance of the merman. It was just too much of a coincidence.
"Don't you think this fog came too suddenly?" She voiced her doubts.
Yun Luotian said, "Senior Sister, do you mean... there's something wrong with this fog?"
"We're naturally vigilant. Not only would we notice a merman silently boarding our ship, but we'd also detect them approaching. But if there's fog and we're not familiar with it, our guard might be lowered." Ji Yunxi was more certain of her idea. "Qing Xuan, go and invite Uncle here."
Soon, Yun Han came with a tired look on his face. "What's going on? Can't you handle it?"
Ji Yunxi shook her head. "Uncle, I want to ask you something. You've lived here for a long time. Does it often fog in this sea area?"
"Fog?" Yun Han waved his hand. "Impossible. Although the weather here is cold and humid, it rarely fogs because of the wind direction and climate."
The others immediately glanced at each other, their eyes filled with shock.
Yun Han also realized something was wrong. "What's going on?"
Yun Hui hugged his arms and smiled at himself for being a fisherman for so long without noticing the strangeness of the fog. "It seems that the thick fog was probably deliberately created by someone."
"I think there's more to it." Ji Yunxi said coldly. "I'm afraid the merman boarding the ship might not have been his own intention either."
Yun Han was a bit angry. The person who framed them was so vicious that they casually took someone's life. "What on earth do they want to do!"
"What do they want? They probably just want to kill us." Ji Yunxi said with a cold face. "There's no one else. It must be Jiang Yaoji."
Yun Luotian was extremely annoyed. "Senior Sister, what should we do?"
"Don't be in a hurry. Jiang Yaoji is more anxious than we are. Yue Chen has a narrow mind. He probably won't let her off easily."
"You're right. Compared to us, Jiang Yaoji is the one Yue Chen hates the most right now."
Yun Han said, "If Yue Chen still hasn't taken any action by now, it means his injuries must be quite serious. He won't be able to do much to us easily."
Ji Yunxi finally showed a smile. "Uncle is right. We finally have a chance to catch our breath."
Yun Han disagreed. "Catch our breath? Don't you see the merman prince sitting inside?"
Seeing that he was a bit dissatisfied, Ji Yunxi quickly stepped forward. "Uncle, every cloud has a silver lining. As long as we handle this matter properly, it might not only cause us no trouble but also gain us an ally."
Yun Han looked at her sly expression and immediately laughed. "You've become quite a smooth - talker. Alright, go ahead and do as you please."
Everyone's confidence was greatly boosted. Ji Yunxi returned to the merman's body and looked at his features. "This merman is already a bit swollen. He probably died not long after we left."
"It seems that Jiang Yaoji and her people have been following us."
Suddenly having an idea, Ji Yunxi turned around and walked into the house.