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

"What exactly is going on?" The mermaid princess looked at her seniors and found them unusually calm.

Why do I feel like the older generation knows more than she, who is also a merman like Liang Jiao?

"Was it you who called for Mingyue just now?" Liang Jiao didn't answer the mermaid princess's question, but instead turned her gaze back to Yun Qingyi: "Do you know us?"

His words carried a hint of wariness as he carefully examined her body structure. He breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering no unusual changes such as ear fins or fish scales, but he remained puzzled.

"I guess you could say we know each other," Yun Qingyi said calmly. After all, she had heard the whole story and knew a great deal about what had happened to him in that small fishing village.

"How...do you know us? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Want to know?" Yun Qingyi smiled slightly. "Then tell me why you're here."

“We…” Hearing Yun Qingyi’s words, Liang Jiao smiled faintly, looking at Mingyue in her arms with eyes full of love, “We did indeed die back then.”

“I was killed and eaten by the people of Mingyue Village, and Mingyue was burned to death on the beach because of the villagers who ate my flesh and blood.”

"Is it because of the Soul-Soothing Lamp?"

"You even know this?" Liang Jiao looked at Yun Qingyi with some surprise in her eyes. Then, as if she had thought of something, she glanced at Liang Meng and understood: "Liang Meng told you, right? That's right. It was indeed because of the Soul-Soothing Lamp that my and Mingyue's souls did not dissipate or go to be reincarnated."

"After I died, my soul entered the Soul-Soothing Lamp, and then I used the Soul-Soothing Lamp to absorb Mingyue's soul as well."

"Then why... are you here?" Yun Qingyi was still puzzled.

"Haha...of course...we were forced to come here..." Liang Jiao smiled sadly. "If we hadn't come, Mingyue and I would have truly disappeared completely into the Soul-Soothing Lamp."

"What do you mean?"

“The meaning is very clear.” Liang Jiao said calmly, “Although the Soul-Soothing Lamp can collect souls, the purpose of collecting souls is to destroy them.”

"Back then, Mingyue's soul was too weak. The Soul-Soothing Lamp was just the right size to hold us, so we planned to rest and recuperate here, cultivate diligently, and then find a way to condense a physical form or create two usable containers later."

"But later I discovered that the longer I stayed inside the Soul-Soothing Lamp, the faster my soul dissipated. I realized that the Soul-Soothing Lamp was not as simple as I thought; it was slowly devouring our souls."

Upon hearing this, not only Yun Qingyi and the others, but also the mermaid princess was filled with astonishment: "How is this possible? The Soul-Soothing Lamp is the most precious treasure of our mermaid clan! This is impossible!"

Without a second thought, the mermaid princess directly rejected Liang Jiao's words.

“Heh… Liangmeng.” Liang Jiao chuckled softly, “You’re still as naive as ever, but it’s true… the Merfolk protected you too well, including…” At this point, Liang Jiao swallowed the word “Tusuo,” only smiled slightly at Liangmeng, and did not intend to say it aloud.

"Including what?" Upon hearing the latter part, the mermaid princess frowned, feeling that if she didn't ask, she would regret it for a very long time.

"It's nothing," Liang Jiao said casually, not intending to say anything. "By the way, didn't you say you wanted to know why I'm here? I can tell you."

"Speak," Yun Qingyi said calmly, her face expressionless.

"The reason why Mingyue and I were able to escape from the Soul-Soothing Lamp and come here was actually because we were attracted by a force that seemed to exist innately to attract the souls of the Merfolk."

At that time, Mingyue and I were too weak. Although we were very wary of this power, the Soul-Soothing Lamp really couldn't stay any longer, so we allowed the power to pull us to this place.

"Is the power you're talking about coming from this azure blue water droplet beneath you?"

"Yes, that's right, it came from this giant water droplet beneath me." Liang Jiao nodded without denying it.

"Ah, I understand, brother and sister." Lingling, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm? What did you find out?" Yun Qingyi and the others looked at the girl in the fragments.

"This large water sphere is a formation that our people use specifically to attract the souls of merfolk."