Prohibit Certain Players from Contacting the Dungeon NPC!

Chapter 12: The Misty Fishing Village

The faint fishy scent of the small white fish lingered at Yu Chen's nose. According to his usual habits, he would never eat something like this. However, seeing his own reflection in Mu Miao's eyes, he pursed his lips and opened his mouth to take a bite.

Mu Miao eagerly leaned closer, asking, "Is it good? Is it really good?"

Yu Chen suppressed the nauseating taste. "Mm, good."

Hearing that he liked it, Mu Miao's tail wagged excitedly. He quickly selected another fish from the shell and brought it to Yu Chen's lips, using his gaze to encourage Yu Chen to eat more willingly.

Having consumed more than half of the small white fish, just as Mu Miao reached out to grab another piece, Yu Chen firmly grasped his wrist.

Yu Chen swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lingering fishy taste, but it didn't help much. "I don't need it; you should keep it for yourself."

Mu Miao looked at the remaining fish and raised his gaze to him. "But these are all for you! Are you sure you don't want to eat a little more?"

Yu Chen: "…Fine, eat."

In the end, the entire small white fish from the shell ended up in Yu Chen's stomach. His face paled; for at least the next few months, he would definitely avoid fish.

Well… except for the one in his arms.

After "serving" Yu Chen, Mu Miao felt content. The fatigue from not sleeping all night suddenly washed over him, making his eyelids feel heavy as if they weighed a ton, his lashes fluttering sleepily.

Wrapped in Yu Chen's familiar scent, Mu Miao felt utterly safe and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Yu Chen's fingers brushed over the red marks on Mu Miao's neck, gently stroking them. "Little fish, tell me what you did out there. Why…"

His voice trailed off as he noticed Mu Miao had already fallen deeply asleep, and he decided to stop talking.

Pinching Mu Miao's cheek with two fingers caused his lips to pout slightly. Finding it amusing, Yu Chen playfully squeezed a little more.

Mu Miao squirmed in annoyance, turning his head away to avoid Yu Chen's teasing.

"Ugh~"

A mournful sound came from the treetops. A little owl perched on a branch, its gaze fixed on Yu Chen and Mu Miao, crouching and preparing to pounce.

As Yu Chen walked beneath the tree where it was resting, the little owl suddenly grew in size, its massive body blocking the sunlight, casting the previously clear sky into shadow.

People on the mountainside screamed and fled at the sight.

The enlarged owl lost all its cuteness beside Mu Miao. It fixed its gaze on the sleeping little merman, flapping its wings and stirring up a tremendous wind that sent leaves swirling through the air.

Yu Chen looked up at it, his expression calm as he adjusted the jacket over Mu Miao's head to shield him from the commotion, ensuring he wouldn't wake.

"Ugh!" The owl flapped its wings and dove towards Yu Chen.

Suddenly, an invisible force radiated from Yu Chen, shattering the air around him with overwhelming power. Time seemed to freeze momentarily, leaves suspended in mid-air, but in the next second, they disintegrated into dust.

"Ugh—"

The owl let out a piercing scream in mid-air as its bones twisted with a cracking sound.

Feathers rained down, especially the soft, fluffy tufts on its forehead, which it loved to rub against Mu Miao. All of it was gone!

Yu Chen had not gone too far; he had merely given it a warning.

The owl thudded to the ground with a soft thump, and Yu Chen stepped lightly over it, not even casting a glance in its direction.

The owl shrank back down to its mini size, having endured a beating and intimidation, and now it was much more docile. With its head down, its short wings covering its bald head, it lay there motionless.

Once Yu Chen was far enough away, it finally dared to cry out loudly, "Ooo~~~!"

Everything was gone—completely gone!

The little owl's cries were filled with despair, unable to believe that such a cruel man would do this to such a cute little bird!

"Wuwuwuwu—"

It had lost all its feathers, wuwuwu!

Mu Miao stirred awake at the sound of the pitiful cries, slowly opening his eyes and spotting the little creature on the ground. "Oh, is that you, Ooo?"

Hearing the familiar voice, the little owl perked up, hopping a couple of steps forward in excitement. "Ooo!"

It was Ooo!

Ooo had lost Dana last night and was worried that the weak little fish, Mu Miao, might come to harm, so it had waited in the forest, watching over the sea. As soon as Mu Miao showed up, it would know.

Still groggy and disoriented from sleep, Mu Miao caught a yellowing leaf that fell from above. He instinctively squeezed it in his hand, but it crumbled into dust.

A gust of wind blew, carrying the leaf fragments away.

Mu Miao waved his hand. "Ooo, come here."

Ooo had just put down its little wings when the wind chilled the top of its head, so it hurriedly covered it again. With its little legs pattering, it ran over to Mu Miao and looked up at him, then shot a resentful glance at Yu Chen.

Mu Miao opened his arms but didn't see Ooo fly up to him. With his eyes still closed, he instructed Yu Chen, "Yu Chen, can you help me take Ooo?"

Yu Chen and Ooo exchanged a glance, both clearly unwilling and showing obvious disdain.

Not receiving Ooo in his hands, Mu Miao lightly bumped his head against Yu Chen. "Yu Chen, are you listening? Please pick up Ooo."

Yu Chen sighed. "…Just this once."

He looked down at the dirty, bald bird, feeling inner resistance. After preparing himself mentally, Yu Chen crouched slightly and pinched Ooo's wings with two fingertips, quickly tossing it into Mu Miao's embrace.

Mu Miao held the fluffy Ooo in his arms, instinctively rubbing his head against it. Ooo quickly covered its bald head with its wings, and Mu Miao's chin brushed against the smooth feathers.

…This feeling didn’t seem quite right.

Mu Miao frowned, but the drowsiness overtook him. He placed Ooo on Yu Chen's shoulder as if it were a pillow, resting his head against it and falling deeply asleep.

When he woke again, it was already noon. Plump koi fish surrounded him, and as soon as he opened his eyes, they swam closer. Mu Miao stretched and absentmindedly petted one.

Just then, the noise from the water caught his attention.

One voice clearly belonged to Yu Chen, while another was particularly old. "Ah Chen, is it true that you have secretly raised a merman?"

"Mm."

There was a moment of silence after that.

Were they discussing him? Mu Miao perked up his ears to listen, but the sounds underwater were quite muffled. His curiosity got the better of him, and he quietly floated to the surface.

Facing away from the pool was an elderly figure hunched over with a cane, while Yu Chen sat calmly drinking tea, clearly disinterested in the conversation.

Yu Kai paced irritably beside the village head. "Grandpa, if Uncle wants to be with Little Uncle, just let them! Your nagging is really annoying!"

Yu Fan glared at him. "When adults are speaking, you should keep your mouth shut!"

Yu Kai pouted in frustration. "Hmph!"

Just as he was about to head down the mountain to complain to his grandmother, he spotted Mu Miao in the pool. His eyes lit up, and he was about to call out when Mu Miao pressed his finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

Yu Kai covered his mouth, indicating he wouldn’t say anything.

Yu Fan didn’t notice his grandson’s movements and continued to persuade Yu Chen. "Ah Chen, I’m not blaming you. It’s just that this merman’s origins are unclear, and he looks so enchanting—he clearly isn’t a proper fish!"

The "improper fish" Mu Miao thought to himself: "…"

Yu Fan spoke earnestly. "Don't let the merman’s looks deceive you. Last time, that cute red lionfish looked innocent too, and we thought we could coexist peacefully."

"And what happened? It poisoned us! If we hadn’t discovered it in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

At this point, Yu Chen finally spoke up. "First of all, that fish was what you wanted to raise; it has nothing to do with me. Secondly, I already told you it's wild and difficult to tame; you insisted on raising it despite knowing that."

Yu Fan's expression shifted uncomfortably, his gaze wavering as he pressed his lips together, finally pausing for a moment.

Yu Chen elegantly sipped from his tea cup, and Yu Fan, feeling thirsty, watched eagerly. Just when he thought Yu Chen would offer him a drink, Yu Chen pretended not to see him and turned his gaze away.

Yu Fan: "…"

Mu Miao felt resentful at being described as an "improper fish." He didn't have to adhere to the old tradition of respecting elders; by age, everyone present should call him their ancestor.

Mu Miao was quite pleased to see Yu Fan at a loss for words, especially after he had called him improper.

Hmph, he was very vindictive!

Mu Miao silently huffed at Yu Fan, deciding not to look at him anymore and focusing all his attention on Yu Chen.

After observing Yu Chen, Mu Miao noticed that whenever Yu Chen was strongly disinterested in a topic, he would display an extreme sense of indifference.

No matter how animated the other party became, Yu Chen maintained the same expression throughout, and at the end of the discussion, he would simply reply with a single word: "Oh."

He was a master at conveying annoyance, nonchalance, and disregard, yet others would mistakenly believe that his character was naturally aloof and detached.

Mu Miao would not forget the mischievous way he had deliberately teased him.

Yu Fan spoke until his throat was dry. "Ah Chen, think carefully."

"Yu Fan." Yu Chen set his tea cup down with a soft thud, his dark eyes locking onto the elderly man. "Don’t try to act like a senior in front of me. You know I still remember you in your open-crotch pants, snot running down your face."

Yu Fan stared at Yu Chen, his mouth moving as he struggled to find words.

Yu Chen had spoken that line in a low voice, audible only to the nearby Yu Fan and the keen-eared Mu Miao.

Leaning closer to Yu Fan, Yu Chen pressed, "And don’t forget, he is my kind; we are the same kind of monster, aren’t we?"

- Author's Note:

Regarding Mu Miao's identity, he is indeed considered a juvenile in the eyes of monsters because his power belongs to the larval stage (hopefully this isn't a spoiler). However, he is already of adult age and does not have a tendency towards romantic attachment to inanimate objects, okay? Orz.