The Merman's eyes were large. Transparent eyelids covered its eyeballs, making its eyes appear misty and giving it a half-asleep look.
The Merman's scales were beautiful. Although they appeared a dull greenish-grey from afar, up close, the brilliant iridescent sheen on the scales would assault one's senses, dazzling the eyes.
The Merman's strength was also outstanding; its rippling biceps and smooth deltoids would make every boy who loved fitness envious.
But if you asked Zheng Qing about his most profound impression of the Merman,
He would only say one word:
Stench.
It was as if marsh gas had bubbled up from the deepest part of the mud, or like a well-worn latrine.
After the Mermen dragged the freshmen closer, before they could even feel the power of this monster's fists, they had already thrown away their armor and abandoned their weapons under its passive chemical attack.
As soon as they got close, a pungent stench assailed their nostrils, and several pampered newcomers immediately vomited until they were dizzy.
Even the Cobra on Liu Feifei's neck retracted its tongue into its mouth, no longer hissing in protest.
Zheng Qing suppressed his nausea and did not vomit, but the stench still made his scalp tingle and his limbs feel weak and sore.
With tear-filled eyes, he pulled out a stack of Qingxin Talismans from his grey cloth bag and slapped them onto the bodies of the nearby students.
The paper talismans glowed with golden-red light under the dim sky.
A series of sharp gasps resounded by the Lake.
"I can't thank you enough!" A boy nearby said, his eyes red and his voice choked.
The others also praised Zheng Qing's talismans.
Xiao Xiao coughed hard, adjusting his glasses.
"Then let's put in more effort and hang this big-headed fish on the tree!" Zheng Qing's face was flushed, and he clutched the cloth strap tightly, almost lying on the ground.
The boys responded with a roar.
At this moment, a tall young man ran down from the distant Book Mountain.
"What are you doing?" The young man shouted loudly.
The Merman paused for a moment, turned its head to look at the approaching young man, hissed twice, and with its muscles bulging, pulled even harder.
A mighty force surged forth.
The freshmen, who had just mustered their spirits, stumbled and fell under the drag of the cloth strap.
"The Merman is stealing things!" Several girls cried out in alarm.
The tug-of-war was nearing its end.
The freshmen were utterly defeated.
The Merman grinned, tugged on the cloth strap, and prepared to claim its spoils.
"The North Wind is Cold!" The young man running from afar raised his spell book and shouted loudly at the Merman!
The Merman shivered, its grip loosened, and it slid into the nearby Lake with a whoosh.
Several students who were tugging with the Merman immediately fell sprawling.
"What are you doing!" The young man who had driven away the Merman ran to the freshmen and reprimanded them sternly.
Zheng Qing saw three black borders on his robe.
This was a third-year senior.
"That monster was snatching our school bags," a boy nearby said, emboldened.
"My school bag strap fell into the Lake," Liu Feifei added weakly from the side.
"Freshmen?" The third-year senior frowned.
There was a chorus of soft affirmative replies around him.
"Where are the freshman guides!" The senior demanded sharply.
Nicholas and another red-robed person stepped forward.
Only then did Zheng Qing realize there was another senior by the Lake.
"Why did you let the freshmen get into a conflict with the Merman? The newcomers don't know, but don't you know the situation at Linzhong Lake?" The third-year senior stood in front of the two freshman guides, scolding them.
Zheng Qing rubbed his swollen palms, curiously glancing at them.
Xiao Xiao was diligently flipping through his notebook, muttering, "Next time something like this happens, just rush up yourself, don't drag me into it. I don't like this kind of trouble."
Zheng Qing didn't pay attention to his complaints; instead, he asked softly, "Who is that third-year senior? He looks very fierce."
"Someone from the Student Union," Xiao Xiao replied concisely.
A finger poked Zheng Qing from behind, interrupting his intention to ask further questions.
"Your Little Elves." The short girl returned the cardboard box to Zheng Qing. "They're sleeping soundly!"
Zheng Qing took the box, thanking her repeatedly.
Liu Feifei, on the other hand, hugged her school bag, her eyes red, standing under the tree, silently sobbing.
Several girls gathered around her, comforting her softly.
"Do you know that Spell just now? It was amazing! That Merman was directly knocked into the water. It didn't even make a sound!" Zheng Qing recalled the Merman's hasty retreat just now, unable to help but praise.
Xiao Xiao stared at him, looking like he was looking at an idiot:
"Did you see the Spell externalized? That senior just shouted to scare that Merman."
"Scare!" Zheng Qing's mouth fell open.
"The Spell 'The North Wind is Cold' causes great harm to Mermen; it's a high-level Spell and not that simple to cast. It's likely that this group of Mermen in Linzhong Lake has been in the school for a long time and also knows how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, knowing which Spells will harm them," Xiao Xiao explained, shaking his head.
"So that Merman was scared and jumped into the water itself?" Zheng Qing praised repeatedly, "I feel that senior is even more amazing!"
Xiao Xiao sighed, not speaking further.
Before long, the third-year senior also left in a hurry.
The two freshman guides re-gathered the scattered members by the Lake.
Nicholas looked at his burnt spell book with a distressed expression, not saying a word.
Xiao Xiao looked somewhat relieved.
Zheng Qing secretly chuckled, finally no longer having to worry about Nicholas's spell book exploding nearby.
Meanwhile, the other freshman guide was angrily scolding Liu Feifei:
"Why didn't you let go when I told you to just now! Are you trying to die? Is your school bag more important or your life!"
"I didn't react," Liu Feifei replied weakly.
"How can you be so stupid!" The senior waved his spell book exasperatedly. "When I tell you to let go, just let go! Don't you understand a single word?"
"I don't know," the girl mumbled, looking at the somewhat agitated guide in front of her with a blank expression.
"How can you be so stupid!" The senior slammed the spell book in his hand heavily onto his own face.
Zheng Qing listened to those words, feeling a slight displeasure in his heart.
"Why should she let go?" He looked at Xiao Xiao. "That school bag clearly belongs to Liu Feifei!"
"Because the school bag strap fell into the Lake," Xiao Xiao adjusted his glasses. "For Mermen, the area where the Lake water flows is their territory. Items that fall into the Lake water belong to the Merman."
"That's so unreasonable," Zheng Qing said, somewhat incredulously.
"You're going to reason with a Merman?" Xiao Xiao said with a sarcastic expression. "As creatures that resolve conflicts with their fists, there's no reason in their world. You can't impose a wizard's morals and logic on Mermen."
"Besides, if it rained gold coins in your yard, would you return those gold coins to the heavens?"
Zheng Qing shook his head, feeling a sudden enlightenment.
If based on this logic, then one had to admit that Liu Feifei's actions were indeed somewhat reckless.