I woke up to find myself as the villain's older sister.

"This..." The girl's parents exchanged a glance, both seeing the difficulty in each other's eyes.

Noticing the girl's parents' hesitation, Liang Jiao pushed the box in front of them and said earnestly, "Uncle and Aunt, I sincerely want to marry Mingyue. This is my betrothal gift. Please take a look."

Liang Jiao was a little nervous when he handed over the box. He didn't understand human customs very well, and most of what he knew about humans came from Mingyue.

So, not knowing how many gifts he should prepare to marry a human girl, he brought out all his most precious collections.

The girl's parents carefully opened the box and beamed with joy upon seeing the dazzling and priceless treasures inside.

But then, as if remembering something, their eyes darted around, and their smiles vanished. "Young master, my daughter is quite the village beauty around here..."

Pointing to the box, they said to Liang Jiao with some difficulty, "This little thing is probably not enough to please my daughter."

Hearing this, Liang Jiao's tense heart relaxed. It seemed that Mingyue's parents did not dislike him. As long as the gifts were sufficient, they should be able to agree to his marriage proposal.

Thinking of this, Liang Jiao smiled apologetically at the girl's parents, "I'm sorry, I didn't think it through. I'll come again at this time tomorrow."

After saying this, the woman bid farewell to the child's parents and walked towards the sea.

Liang Jiao had heard the girl say that human marriages required the preparation of "three books and six rites." He didn't understand the "three books," but he knew the word "rites."

It probably means a gift.

Therefore, he has been busy preparing gifts these days, which the human race seems to call betrothal gifts.

"Six rites, six rites, it should be done six times," Liang Jiao, who was picking treasures in the sea, chuckled.

No wonder Mingyue's parents looked a little troubled; they really hadn't considered this.

The next day, Liang Jiao arrived as promised, carrying the same wooden box as the day before, and came to the girl's door.

I knocked on the door and waited patiently for the person inside to come out.

"Hello, these are today's betrothal gifts." Seeing the door open, Liang Jiao greeted the girl's parents with a polite smile.

The girl's parents took the box and immediately noticed the word "today," asking Liang Jiao what it meant.

Liang Jiao expressed her thoughts somewhat shyly and earnestly assured that the treasures in the box would be no worse than the previous ones.

After seeing Liang Jiao off, the girl's parents carried the precious treasure into the inner room.

"Mingyue, don't blame your parents for being heartless."

"Don't think we don't know, that person outside is one of those monsters from the sea."

"Everyone in this area knows exactly how many people are in each family. If there were really such good-looking humans, you wouldn't be the one getting a chance."

“Mingyue, be good and listen to me. The county magistrate’s son is also very handsome. If you go to their family, you can live a life of comfort and ease.”

"Don't get any other ideas. You know, we've already accepted the wedding gift from the county magistrate's family. If you marry into the family, your brother and sister-in-law will live a better life in the county town."

"Besides, the county magistrate's family also knows about the existence of that monster, and in a few days..."

"Hey! Stop talking." The girl's father quickly tugged at the clothes of the person next to him.

The girl's mother quickly realized what had happened and, almost letting something slip, gave her daughter an embarrassed smile. "Mingyue, you should rest well. Your father and I will go and get back to work."

The girl didn't speak. She was tied to the bed with ropes and watched her parents leave the room and close the door tightly. The flickering candlelight outside gradually disappeared from sight, and then there was no light at all.

Just like her mouth being gagged right now, she couldn't say a word.

For several days in a row, Liang Jiao happily handed over the treasure she had found to the girl's parents. As the six-day deadline drew closer, she missed the girl more and more.

However, she managed to suppress the urge to meet him. Mingyue had once said that people on their side were not allowed to meet before getting married.

Although Liang Jiao didn't quite understand it, he chose to respect the custom.

On the last day, Liang Jiao handed the box to the girl's parents, his eyes filled with anticipation and the joy of finally being able to be with his beloved.

"Young master, this is the last day, so we'll tell you the truth." The girl's parents held the box in their hands, their faces filled with apology and guilt.

"Actually, my daughter doesn't even like you."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiao felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, but he still remembered that the girl had taught him to be proper and polite.

She forced a slightly sorrowful smile. "Uncle and Aunt, is there some misunderstanding? Does Mingyue think I didn't prepare enough treasures, or that I'm too stingy?"

After thinking about it, Liang Jiao felt something was wrong and muttered to herself, "How could that be? If Mingyue really thought that way, she would say it openly. She wouldn't reject me so directly like this."

Listening to Liang Jiao's rambling, the girl's parents looked at him with a half-smile, "Young master, you do understand our daughter well. No wonder she was bewitched by you."

Liang Jiao was stunned. She looked at the girl's parents and, even if she was slow to realize, she understood that she seemed to have fallen into someone else's trap.

But he didn't think about anything else; all he could think about was how the girl was doing. "Uncle, Aunt, is Mingyue alright?"

"Thank you for your concern for my daughter in this situation." The girl's mother smiled, then changed the subject, "But you should take care of yourself first."

As soon as he finished speaking, about a dozen people carrying forks walked towards Liang Jiao, including several Qi Refining stage cultivators.

From the crowd, a richly dressed man stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over Liang Jiao with an obvious greed.

"Everyone says that mermaid flesh is a highly nutritious food that can prolong life, and now we've finally caught one."

"Tsk tsk, how come it has legs?" The man looked at Liang Jiao's lower body and frowned slightly. "Could this be a mistake? This young master has no interest in human flesh."

"No, no," the cultivator beside him said obsequiously to the man. "Young master, rest assured, I can guarantee that this is definitely a genuine merman."

"If you don't believe me, just watch." After saying that, the cultivator channeled his spiritual energy and attacked Liang Jiao.

Liang Jiao was attacked, and her internal power dissipated, exposing her beautiful, long fishtail to everyone's view.

The girl's parents screamed, "Oh my god, it really is a mermaid! It's terrifying!"

His gaze toward Liang Jiao gradually turned to disgust. "This monster, neither human nor merman, actually wants to marry our Mingyue. It's utterly disgusting."

Because the merfolk are inherently fragile, and they cannot draw energy from the ocean on land, Liang Jiao felt dizzy after being attacked, and collapsed to the ground, feeling extremely unwell.

But upon hearing the name Mingyue, he regained his senses slightly. His face turned pale, and he struggled to sit up, looking at the girl's mother. "Is Mingyue alright?"