Chapter 3306: Reaction Of The Shanhu Clansmen

Meng Bai, walking just behind Lin Mu, did his best to keep a straight face under the barrage of curious eyes.

But when a few of the bolder Shanhu women smiled and winked at him from behind their coral market stalls, his composure shattered. His cheeks turned crimson, and he averted his gaze, pretending to be fascinated by the carved coral pavements instead.

Cattaleya noticed immediately and smirked. "Looks like you’re quite popular here, little scholar," she teased, her deep voice carrying just enough for the others to hear.

Meng Bai spluttered, waving his hands frantically. "I—I’m just being polite! They’re staring first!"

Daoist Chu chuckled softly, shaking his head. "In some places, Meng Bai, polite looks are interpreted differently."

Even Elyon’s tail flicked in amusement, his sharp canines flashing as he grinned. "You should enjoy the attention while it lasts. Once they learn you’re already claimed by formations and scrolls, their hearts will break."

That earned a round of laughter from everyone except Meng Bai, who groaned and muttered something about regretting traveling with them.

But if Meng Bai’s embarrassment was entertaining, Cattaleya’s presence caused the opposite effect.

Wherever she walked, gazes lingered for much longer.

Her physique was unlike anything the clansmen had seen. The men looked impressed and intimidated in equal measure, while even some of the women found their cheeks reddening. Her strength was obvious not only in her stance but in the quiet grace with which she carried herself.

One of the young male cultivators, perhaps not realizing how loud his whisper was, said to his companion, "By the waves, look at her arms. She could probably crush an Immortal Shredder Shark with a hug."

His companion elbowed him sharply, but not before the words reached Meng Bai’s ears.

Meng Bai turned red again, this time from secondhand embarrassment. "Senior," he muttered nervously, "they’re talking about you."

Cattaleya grinned, tilting her head slightly. "I heard them. Should I demonstrate for them like before?"

The escorts leading them winced as the nearby men paled visibly.

One of the Shanhu escorts sighed quietly. "At this rate," he murmured under his breath, "these outsiders will leave not only with our payment but perhaps half the women of the clan."

The escort beside him nodded grimly. "We’ll have to tell the overseers to assign the younger women to the outlying fields for the next few days. Keep them busy and far away from the guests."

Unaware—or perhaps unbothered by the hushed worries of their guides, Lin Mu observed the world around him with quiet fascination.

The Shanhu Clan’s settlement was unlike anything he had seen before. It was as though an underwater city had been lifted from the depths and set beneath the open sky.

Colorful coral towers spiraled upward like natural sculptures, covered in flowering vines and faintly glowing runes. The streets were lined with stalls selling shell jewelry, water qi-infused pearls, and small aquatic beasts in floating glass spheres.

The air shimmered faintly with elemental Qi, mostly of the water variety, though Lin Mu could also sense traces of earth and light elements, perhaps the influence of the island itself.

What surprised him most, however, was the diversity of its inhabitants.

Among the Shanhu clansmen, recognizable by the single scale on their foreheads were others who were clearly not fully human.

A group of tall figures passed by, their movements graceful and fluid. From the waist up, they resembled humans with fine features and shimmering scales that glistened like gemstones under the sunlight.

But from the waist down, their bodies transformed into sleek, powerful fish tails that rippled with color. Faint gills pulsed at the sides of their necks, and their long, finned ears flickered as they spoke in musical tones.

Meng Bai stopped walking for a moment, eyes wide. "Master..." he said in a hushed voice, "are those... Merkin?"

Lin Mu nodded, watching the group glide gracefully through the crowd. "They seem to be. Merkin, by the look of their scales and gills."

Though Lin Mu had seen many types of beastkin before, Wolfkin, Ratkin, even aquatic fishkin—Merkin were rare. They rarely left the oceanic expanses they called home, preferring the depths of the sea over the surface world.

The difference between Merkin and Fishkin was subtle yet significant.

Fishkin were wholly aquatic, their bodies more beast than human, often with thick scales covering every inch of their skin and webbed claws instead of fingers. They could walk on land, but it was never comfortable for them.

Merkin, however, were something in between... a blend of human and marine life, able to survive both above and below the waves. Their grace and adaptability had earned them respect among oceanic races.

Lin Mu turned to the escorts walking ahead. "Your clan trades with the Merkin?" he asked, genuinely intrigued.

The leading escort nodded. "Yes, Senior." The man said very respectfully now that he understood what kind of person Lin Mu was. "Our island is too far from the mainland for regular human traders, so our oldest allies have always been Merkin and certain Fishkin tribes. We’ve been in alliance with them for generations."

He smiled faintly as they passed another group of Merkin... this one composed of merchants carrying crates of glowing pearls. "They trade with us in coral, rare metals, and sea beasts, while we provide them with Immortal tools, medicines, and Formation Supplies. It has been so since our ancestors founded the clan."

As he said this, Lin Mu noticed something else.

Among the Shanhu clansmen walking past them, a few bore not just a single forehead scale but small clusters along their necks or arms. And these weren’t merely stuck on them like the other clansmen, these were naturally growing on their skins!

Some even had faint fin-like ridges behind their ears.

Seeing them Lin Mu realized the truth almost immediately. "You mean intermarriage as well?" he asked quietly.

The escort hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Senior. It is not uncommon here. Our bonds with the Merkin are not only trade but family. Some of our bloodlines are shared."

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