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

Yun Qingyi's voice was calm and devoid of any emotional fluctuation, but hearing it instilled a sense of shame in the hearts of the merfolk, as if they had been stripped naked.

Looking into Yun Qingyi's eyes, the old merman sighed, "Friend from afar... don't blame us for being ruthless. After all, an unpurified soul is a potential danger to our entire merman race."

The merfolk have finally been able to live a peaceful and happy life, and no one wants to be plagued by anxiety because of an uncertain factor.

After listening, Yun Qingyi didn't say anything, but nodded to show her understanding. "In that case, I'd like to know how you plan to handle this matter going forward."

The old merman glanced at Liangmeng in Yun Qingyi's arms and said, "We won't cause her any trouble, but we hope that she will leave the clan on her own initiative."

This statement clearly means that Liangmeng is left to fend for itself outside.

Yun Qingyi understood very well that there was no right or wrong in this matter, only different perspectives.

"Since you've made things clear, let's leave it at that. I'll take her away afterward and won't cause you any trouble," Yun Qingyi said calmly.

Liangming, who was standing to the side, wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything. After all, this was a matter concerning the clan, and it wasn't something he could easily decide.

Moreover, rather than returning to the Merfolk, he felt that Liangmeng, like him, would rather be with Qingyi.

Seeing that everyone tacitly agreed with her, Yun Qingyi changed the subject and focused on the matter at hand.

The others also observed the surrounding situation.

Yun Qingrou looked around and said, "We don't think we've ever been to this part of the Ancient Sea before."

“Not only that, it’s completely different from the ancient sea area we went to before.” Ji Zhaoze also stood up from the ground, his cold eyes scanning the surroundings.

Yun Qingyi didn't say anything, but carefully observed all the different places, and it was indeed as they had said.

At this moment, the ancient sea region felt like a completely unfamiliar place. There was no crystal ground like before, nor a sea reflecting the sky. It was just like a normal ocean area.

The merfolk surrounding Yun Qingyi and her companions were constantly watching their movements. Hearing their conversation, they were slightly moved: "Friends from afar, you actually came to the Ancient Sea region in your dreams?"

Yun Qingyi nodded; there was no point in hiding it.

But I didn't want to say anything more, so I just followed my instincts and randomly picked a road: "Let's go, let's go outside and take a look."

After taking a few steps, as if remembering something, he turned back to the merfolk and said, "Thank you for taking care of us these past few days. A few of us will go out to investigate the situation. If you are curious, you can send someone to follow us. If you feel it is dangerous, you can stay here."

"We will definitely take you out later."

The old merman was initially a little nervous when he saw Yun Qingyi and the others about to leave, but after hearing the last sentence, he gradually relaxed.

The reason he risked his life to save these people was not only because they were with Liang Ming, but also because he had a gut feeling that these people could bring unexpected help to his merman clan.

His ability is his sixth sense, which makes him quite accurate in predicting such mysterious and unpredictable things.

That's why, when faced with the crisis brought on by the mysterious woman, he disregarded his own safety and rescued these people.

In retrospect, his intuition was correct.

To be able to enter such a magical dream, and even break free from it to bring someone out, is clearly not that of an ordinary person. If the previous premonition is true, the Merfolk will surely prosper even more.

The old merman's eyes flickered. Even if he couldn't bring anything else to his merman race, he should at least be able to take them out of this ancient sea territory.

Thinking this, the old merman smiled at Yun Qingyi and the others, "Friends, you can leave with peace of mind. I will wait here for your return."

Yun Qingyi nodded and was about to leave when the old merman called her back from behind.

“Friend, I imagine that going to other places to investigate must be fraught with danger, and having more people means more danger.” The old merman glanced at Liangmeng in Yun Qingyi’s arms and said with a fawning smile, “Friend, it’s inconvenient to have this merman girl with you. Why don’t you leave her here and we’ll look after her for you?”

Liangmeng had fully woken up by this time, but she was still unable to move because of the residual effects of the spell Yun Qingyi had cast on her. However, she could hear everything the old merman said, including the words that regarded her as an alien.

When Yun Qingyi heard the old merman say this, she understood his ulterior motives perfectly. He was simply afraid that since so many of them had left, they would never come back, so he wanted to find a hostage to stay behind.

This blatant suspicion made her feel uneasy, but it was only natural to think that way. Besides, they had saved them, so they should at least show some sincerity.

After thinking for a moment, Yun Qingyi decided to ask Liang Meng's opinion first. If she was unwilling, she could offer something that would reassure them.

Although he couldn't move, he could still speak. He glanced indifferently at the old merfolk, then looked at Yun Qingyi with gentle eyes: "Senior, I'll stay here. It's true what they said, it's inconvenient for you to take me with you."

“This…” Yun Qingyi was still somewhat hesitant.

"Besides, I need to rest more now, since I've only just started learning magic."

Hearing Liangmeng's words, Yun Qingyi no longer hesitated. She put Liangmeng in the place where she had been lying before, gave her some life-saving items, and said, "Alright, you can rest here. We'll be back soon."

"Ah."

"I will, go ahead without worry, senior."

"it is good."

After a brief farewell, Yun Qingyi and the others began to explore the outside world.

As they walked on, the group had left the area where white fluorescent jellyfish had been floating. From a distance, they looked like twinkling lights.

"This place is indeed different from the ancient sea region we know." Yun Qingyi said calmly, looking at the aquatic creatures she had never seen before.

Gu Qiqing casually caught a small fish and let it flutter between her fingertips. "Hmm, I don't even recognize the fish."

"Huh?" Ruan Qi and the others, who were listening to their conversation, were somewhat surprised. "Then, Uncle-Master, could this not be the ancient sea territory you mentioned?"

Gu Qiqing nodded in agreement: "Although we don't know what kind of place it is, Junior Sister has been there in her dream before. If it really is the same place, it shouldn't feel so unfamiliar."

“Uncle Gu is right.” Ji Zhaoling nodded. “Uncle Gu was talking to us about the ancient sea region a thousand years ago. But even a thousand years ago, the general structure of this world should not have changed. For Uncle Qingyi and the others to have such feelings, there must have been a major structural change.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Qingyi gave Ji Zhaoling an approving look: "Not bad, Zhaoling, you guessed right, you guessed correctly."

"Hehe." Hearing Yun Qingyi's praise, Ji Zhaoling was slightly pleased: "Not at all, I was just saying."

"Huh~"

Upon seeing this, Leng Zhan crossed his arms and teased, "Tsk tsk, you're so smug."

"What are you saying!" Hearing the voice, Ji Zhaoling glared at him slightly, and the two started bickering again.

Liang Ming stood obediently beside Yun Qingyi, remaining quiet and silent.

……

After walking for about an hour, Yun Qingyi looked around, not missing any place in sight, but the surrounding scenery still did not overlap with her memory at all.

Oh, it's still there. The seawater, the silt, the rocks—it's still the same.

"Hmm?" Yun Qingrou knelt down on one knee, picked up a handful of sand, and frowned slightly.

"What's wrong, Arou?" Yun Qingyi asked, noticing Yun Qingrou's unusual behavior.

"The sand and gravel here are different too."

Yun Qingyi: ...

He also squatted down to examine it carefully, slowly rubbing the fine sand in his hands with his fingers.

It's definitely different; these pebbles are more crystalline and smooth, they don't seem like pebbles at all, they're more like…

Yun Qingyi stood up and re-examined the place.

"Don't go yet."