"Mom, I'm going out to play."
"Alright."
Zhu Yin'e, who was busy with her embroidery, agreed without even looking up.
Her swift agreement made Little Carp feel uneasy.
She toddled over on her short legs, then craned her neck upwards.
"Mom, I said I'm going out to play."
"Yes, I know." Zhu Yin'e glanced at the little one curiously, wondering what she was up to.
"I'm going out to play, going out to play." Little Carp stood up straight, her little hands mimicking the swimming motion of fish in the air, looking rather amusing.
"I know, I already said yes. Why do you keep asking?" Zhu Yin'e put down her needlework and asked with a hint of bewilderment.
Little Carp: ...
"Mom, you're acting really strange."
"How am I strange?"
"You actually agreed to let me go out and play."
"In that case, you're not allowed out today."
"No..." Little Carp, having brought this upon herself, hugged Zhu Yin'e's legs with a mournful face.
"Then why aren't you running?" Zhu Yin'e said with a smile.
As soon as she finished speaking, Little Carp shot off and disappeared.
"This little one." Zhu Yin'e shook her head with a smile, then lowered her head to continue her embroidery.
"Madam, how did Little Carp get out again?" Zhu Yuchan entered at that moment, carrying a few pieces of clothing.
"I gave her permission."
"This, Madam, although..."
"It's alright, I have it under control... Huh..."
Just then, Zhu Yin'e's expression turned doubtful.
She drew a circle in the air, and a water mirror appeared.
In the water mirror, a deer-like creature was frolicking in the water. However, its entire body was made of water. Whenever it surfaced, it emitted a faint glow under the sunlight, appearing like a water spirit, exceptionally beautiful.
"What is that?" Zhu Yuchan asked in surprise.
Zhu Yin'e shook her head. She had never seen such a creature before. Where did it come from?
Following her thoughts, the river water surged, and the scenes of the river for hundreds of miles were reflected in her mind.
She saw fish swimming playfully, fishing boats sailing rapidly on the river, fishermen casting their lines on the shore, swimmers in the morning, water ghosts and aquatic beings squatting at the bottom of the river, looking up at the surface, and Little Carp, wagging her tail, speeding through the water...
She found nothing unusual. Could this also be a product of the laboratory, a survivor that slipped through the net? Zhu Yin'e was very puzzled.
"I'll go take a look," Zhu Yin'e said.
She was also very curious about this creature. With that, the water mirror vanished, and she disappeared from her spot.
Zhu Yuchan glanced at the embroidery on the table, hesitated for a moment, then sighed helplessly.
Little Carp didn't plan to find Liu Nanfeng today. Instead, she intended to go find Shuishui, and she had brought a lot of snacks to share with Shuishui.
The reason she wasn't looking for Liu Nanfeng was that her mother had told her last time that everyone had their own lives, and one shouldn't always disturb them. If one did that for too long, others would get annoyed and wouldn't want to play with them.
She thought there was some truth to that. For instance, the bubble gun her older brother gave her, she played with it every day, and now she didn't like it as much, finding it boring.
So today, she decided to go play with Shuishui. She hadn't played with Shuishui for a long time, and Shuishui was the first friend she had made.
In the river, Little Carp's speed was quite remarkable. With a gentle flick of her tail, she moved like an arrow, leaving a long trail. From this, it could be seen that Little Carp's strength was actually quite formidable. At her speed, if she collided with a cargo ship, she could even pierce the bottom of the ship.
However, despite her speed, Little Carp was still quite agile.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...
She blew out many bubbles, and thinking of gurgling, she happily wagged her tail even more nimbly.
Just then, she suddenly sensed something unusual, something to her right.
She, who was speeding along, suddenly stopped, causing countless bubbles to churn at the bottom of the river.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...
Little Carp also blew out many bubbles from her mouth. These bubbles did not burst immediately in the river but drifted outwards with the current.
This was one of Little Carp's unique abilities. By colliding bubbles, she could detect if there were any enemies around.
But clearly, all the bubbles drifted with the current, not touching anything.
Little Carp spun in a circle, creating ripples, and wondered to herself. This feeling, just like the previous two times, one with her older brother and the other with the bad guy.
She felt her instincts were correct, but why couldn't the bubbles detect the other party?
For a moment, she didn't know why. After thinking about it, she continued swimming towards Shuishui's location.
However, after swimming for a short distance, she suddenly turned, looking left and right.
"I see you. Come on out."
Little Carp put on a mischievous look, which was quite endearing.
Zhu Yin'e, who was quietly following behind her, almost couldn't suppress a laugh. But she didn't reveal herself, as she was observing the deer-like creature.
And Little Carp was actually sensing this deer-like creature.
This deer-like creature was truly magical. Since its entire body was composed of flowing water, it could blend seamlessly with the river. This was why Little Carp's bubbles couldn't detect it; it was also water.
Seeing that the deer-like creature had no intention of harming Little Carp, Zhu Yin'e didn't intervene immediately but observed from the shadows.
Little Carp looked forward, backward, left, and right, but found no one. She couldn't help but feel puzzled.
But she believed her instincts, which were very accurate.
After thinking for a moment, she swam towards the surface. Since it wasn't in the water, perhaps it was above the water.
However, despite her small size, she wasn't foolish. She didn't immediately break the surface but hid underwater, observing quietly.
Unbeknownst to her, across from her, the luminous creature was also curiously observing her, then mimicking her actions, quietly watching the surface, wanting to see what Little Carp was looking at.
Little Carp looked around. The surface of the water was empty, with nothing there.
After a moment's thought, she flicked her tail and leaped out of the water.
"Gurgle..."
Little Carp's eyes widened in surprise, almost falling out.
Because the moment she leaped out of the water, a deer-like creature also emerged from the water simultaneously. In the sunlight, it emitted a hazy, faint glow, making it incredibly beautiful.
She saw it, and it saw her. Their eyes met in mid-air, and both were startled.
Little Carp, in terror, fell back into the water. The other creature also fell back into the water, creating a ripple.
Little Carp quickly blew out numerous bubbles to obscure the creature's vision, then with a flick of her tail, she turned and fled.
"Gurgle gurgle... Gurgle gurgle..."
Oh no, oh no, there's a monster in the water! But this monster is quite good-looking.
Little Carp swam with all her might, her mind wandering.
Seeing Little Carp's flustered state, Zhu Yin'e finally made her move.