After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 109

“Have a taste?” Yu Chun said with a smile.

“Taste? You call this something edible?” Mo Xuanli turned to him, astonishment flashing in his eyes.

“You’ve never heard of merfolk meat’s benefits?” Yu Chun narrowed his eyes slightly. “It’s a rare delicacy—supplied in limited quantity every day.”

“I only remember reading that merfolk once fought alongside cultivators against the demon race. They are allies of humankind, bound by treaties of mutual aid. They are descended from humans themselves—not some fish from the sea,” Mo Xuanli said coldly, disgust written across his face.

Yu Chun was momentarily at a loss, but quickly recovered, his expression implying they were the unreasonable ones.

Gu Baiqing drew a deep breath and said in a low, steady voice, “I’ve heard that when merfolk come ashore, they take on a fully human form. They bleed red like us, speak, walk, and think like humans. So the cultivators here capture them in that form—listen to their screams and pleas as they slice the flesh from their bodies, piece by piece, until they die—and then serve the remains on your table?”

His words were enough to make Yu Qing turn pale and almost gag.

Yu Chun also looked unsettled and quickly protested, “Of course not! These come from merfolk who were already dead. After death, they revert to a fishlike form—what you’re eating is just the fish portion.”

“Wait—you’ve got it wrong. Merfolk may be called ‘merfolk,’ but they can’t be compared to us. They’re… well, they’re merfolk—like any other spirit beast. What’s wrong with using them as food?” Yu Qing blurted out.

Her words, rather than angering Gu Baiqing, made him feel sick in a different way—not because she was cruel, but because she truly believed what she said. Her innocent expression showed that to her, this was normal, even righteous. In her world, merfolk flesh was simply a rare and nourishing ingredient—nothing more.

And it wasn’t just her. It was the worldview shaped by Beast-Taming Manor and Longan Port.

Looking around, most people present were here for this very reason. To them, merfolk had never been “kin,” not even enemies worthy of respect like the demons.

Maybe it was because merfolk were weaker. Maybe it was because eating them offered power. Or maybe this cruelty had just become a custom long ago.

To them, eating merfolk was as ordinary as eating fish.

He’d heard about it before, but seeing it in person—it was revolting.

In the original novel, the disciples of the Zixiao Sect must have received this very same “hospitality,” which was why they later boasted to Mo Xuanli about it.

The more Gu Baiqing thought about it, the more he couldn’t stay calm. Especially since they had recently met a young merfolk themselves—this made his stomach churn. He suddenly stood up. “I think we should go.”

Mo Xuanli rose as well.

The Yu siblings hadn’t expected such a strong reaction and hurried to stop them.

“It’s our fault—we didn’t know you’d mind this kind of thing! We’ll have it taken away right now.” Yu Chun immediately called for the servants to clear the table. The waiters looked bewildered—this was the first time anyone had ever sent away merfolk meat.

A steward came over to apologize, but his words were sharp despite the polite tone.

“It’s really not a big deal. Many other sects secretly order from Longan Port too. Some cultivators even make the trip just to try it—it’s not easy to come by. You two are just young and don’t see the bigger picture yet. Most people eat it quietly to enhance their strength. It’s an open secret—soon enough, you’ll understand.”

Listening to him, Gu Baiqing felt an even deeper, more visceral understanding—of just how brutal a life the merfolk lived.

So there were actually so many people secretly doing this sort of thing. He had thought it was only happening in Longan Port. The reason they did it secretly was probably because, deep down, they knew it was wrong—yet the benefits were too tempting to give up, and they didn’t want to lose to others.

The dishes on the table no longer contained merfolk meat, but even though the host tried to persuade them to stay, the master and disciple could no longer eat. They wanted to see just how much more filth involving merfolk was still hidden here.

Yu Chun once again raised his cup to apologize—still apologizing only for not realizing their taboo beforehand, never for the act of eating merfolk flesh itself. It was like apologizing to a vegetarian guest for serving meat, and nothing more.

Mo Xuanli didn’t want to speak further. Their beliefs were incompatible; communication was meaningless. But to the Yu siblings, the master and disciple simply seemed old-fashioned and stubborn.

“I know the two of you see merfolk differently from us,” Yu Chun said with a smile, “but I’ll say this in advance: no matter what you see later, don’t cause trouble. After all, it’s the freedom of our local people—you have no right to interfere. If you stir things up, the crowd might turn against you, and that would ruin the pleasant outing I’d hoped to give you. Most importantly… we are of the same race. Surely you wouldn’t side with outsiders against your own kind, would you?”

“I won’t force you to accept it,” Yu Chun continued, “just don’t meddle too much. And honestly, no one’s gone too far. It’s only that sometimes a merfolk accidentally comes ashore and gets caught. In some mortal territories, law and order are poor, and human trafficking runs rampant. Even in the cultivation world, those with special constitutions are often captured to be used as furnaces. You two are fresh out of the sect—best to watch, listen, and act less. As they say, a wise man knows when to bend.”

“Is Young Master Yu trying to teach me?” Mo Xuanli said coldly. “I have a master. I only heed my master’s teachings.”

Yu Chun had already been speaking politely—offering both a reminder and a warning not to make a scene. But seeing that Mo Xuanli refused to heed him, he could only turn helplessly toward Gu Baiqing.

Gu Baiqing gave a low, humorless laugh. “So if everyone does wrong, we’re supposed to follow along—or else we’re the ones who are abnormal?”

Yu Chun gave an awkward smile. “Right and wrong—who can judge? Power defines truth. The strong are revered, and what the revered say is right.”

Gu Baiqing arched a brow, then suddenly smiled. Very well—he would wait and see what end awaited this ‘might makes right’ world.

Indeed, Yu Chun’s “warning” only confirmed that there would be things far worse than merfolk meat ahead.

And sure enough, soon came displays of “merfolk oil” refined from merfolk corpses, fragrant ointments, and pearl-colored ornaments made from merfolk beads. Were it not for the occasional rare demon beast that appeared for sale, this so-called auction might as well have been a merfolk-exclusive trade fair.

Such goods were never sold openly in daylight—never displayed for public trade. Only at night, through these underground auctions, and always with sellers hiding their identities. Clearly, even they knew it was a shameful business.

Suddenly, the auctioneer grew excited as he introduced the final item of the night.

A massive water sphere floated up, tethered like a balloon, containing a living female merfolk.

Human above, fish below—young and beautiful, her long hair drifted like seaweed in the spellbound water, unable to conceal her upper body.

Yes—they hadn’t even given her clothes. The female merfolk huddled within the sphere, using her arms to cover herself as best she could.

The crowd erupted instantly.

To them, owning a live female merfolk meant possessing all the goods sold before—at once. Like buying eggs versus buying the hen that lays them. The comparison was revolting, but that was exactly how those fevered buyers saw it.

The men stared greedily at her bare, perfect form within the water sphere, their eyes gleaming green.

“Ah, how indecent! Why didn’t you at least put some clothes on her? Stop staring!” Yu Qing muttered awkwardly. Apparently, even she subconsciously recognized that merfolk were not the same as beasts.

Gu Baiqing was staring—but with outrage. That someone would actually sell a living merfolk was beyond belief.

Mo Xuanli, meanwhile, was shocked—shocked by how low humanity’s bottom line had sunk. Perhaps more than Gu Baiqing, he could feel it deeply, for he too knew what it was like not to be seen as human.

And that, perhaps, was one of the reasons why, in the original tale, the protagonist would later choose without hesitation to help the merfolk take their revenge.

“Hey, boss—did you remove the throat?” someone called out.

“Of course,” the auctioneer replied. “A merfolk’s voice is too dangerous. We removed it when we caught her—guaranteed she can’t make a sound.”

Hearing that exchange, Gu Baiqing’s teeth ground audibly. Suddenly he said, “We’ll buy her.”

Mo Xuanli gave a firm nod—on this, he and his master were of one mind.

Yu Qing frowned slightly, as though wanting to say something, but held her tongue.

Yu Chun raised a brow. “A live merfolk… won’t come cheap.”

Ignoring him, the two left their private room and stepped into the corridor.

Before the auctioneer could proceed, someone below shouted, “She’s all curled up like that—we can’t even see properly! And she’s in her fish form—how do we know if the lower half even works? We can’t bring home a defective product! Drain the water sphere—let us inspect the goods!”

As soon as the words fell, a chorus of agreement followed. Laughter spread through the hall like a shared joke—though Gu Baiqing couldn’t immediately comprehend what they truly meant.

Because of the crowd’s uproar, the auctioneer dared not refuse. He reached into the water sphere, grabbed the fish tail, and began to pull.

The female merfolk immediately struggled violently—like a dying fish flailing on a chopping board. No matter how she fought, she was powerless. Only white pearls kept dropping from the sphere, striking the floor with soft clicks—sounds utterly drowned out by the laughter.

The sphere contained seawater; when touched by it, a merfolk would transform into fish form. But once dried, they would revert to human form.

When a fish tail turned into two human legs, it wasn’t as though clothes would suddenly appear along with them.

The moment he realized what was about to happen, Gu Baiqing shouted instinctively, “Wait—!”

Since the voice came from a second-floor private room, the auctioneer naturally stopped.

But after shouting, Gu Baiqing suddenly realized he had no idea what excuse to give. Everyone here was a cultivator—was he supposed to just fight his way out? It wasn’t impossible, but they had already revealed their identities in this place. If anyone traced it back, it would definitely bring trouble to the Zixiao Sect and might even get Mo Xuanli accused of something he hadn’t done. That would be a headache.

Just as he was thinking this through, Mo Xuanli suddenly called out, “If you do that, won’t the buyer be the one suffering a loss? I plan to buy her myself—but I don’t want anyone else seeing my property. If there’s truly something wrong, I’ll just break the auctioneer’s legs.”

His words immediately stirred the crowd’s greed. That was right—what they wanted to buy was their own private possession. Why should anyone else get to see it?

Soon everyone began voicing their agreement, and the auctioneer could only laugh awkwardly. “No problem, no problem. Rest assured, gentlemen—if there’s any issue, you can break my legs.”

The bidding began.

As soon as the starting price was announced, people went wild. The master and disciple, who had so confidently declared they would buy her, were dumbfounded. The price for a merfolk started at tens of thousands of spirit stones.

By the time they regained their senses, the price had already shot up to a hundred thousand. So be it—heroes didn’t come cheap. Even if it hurt, they’d have to win her. But then they were told payment had to be made on the spot.

What kind of joke was that? Who carried that many spirit stones around?

Yet someone actually did. It seemed everyone here knew the rules and had come prepared. Once again, they couldn’t help but marvel—just how many of these people’s fortunes had been built on merfolk?

If they wanted to secure her now, would they have to swallow their pride and borrow from Yu Chun?

Just as that thought crossed their minds, a familiar voice rang out—

“I bid… one hundred golden pearls!”

A collective gasp swept through the hall. Even Yu Chun, who was sitting beside them, looked utterly stunned. And when he saw who it was—Junhua, the very woman he had scolded that morning—he was left speechless.

Her bright orange dress glowed under the candlelight, and though she was far more beautiful than the merfolk in the sphere, her fierce, intimidating presence kept anyone from daring to stare too long.

“What is she doing here?” Mo Xuanli whispered in surprise. “Why would she buy a merfolk?”

“Who knows?” Gu Baiqing replied. “But what does ‘a hundred golden pearls’ mean?”

Yu Chun frowned slightly. “A hundred golden pearls are worth about fifty thousand spirit stones.”

Gu Baiqing nearly choked.

“Golden pearls are special?” Mo Xuanli asked.

“Yes. Pearls are merfolk’s tears. When they cry from sorrow or pain, the tears are white. Under other emotions, the color changes depending on their feelings. Golden pearls… appear only during a merfolk’s pregnancy or childbirth. Each one contains spiritual energy equivalent to a top-grade spirit stone. Extremely rare. A hundred of them—very impressive… Seems Miss Junhua isn’t a simple woman.”

Yu Chun’s gaze turned amused. If her birth was unusual as well, that would be even more interesting.

Mo Xuanli didn’t care about her background; he was only struck by how precious those pearls were. Then something clicked—he had seen golden pearls before. He turned sharply toward Gu Baiqing, who met his gaze with the same realization.

In the fisherman Gong Zixing’s home back in that small coastal village, the decorations had included pearls of various colors—among them, golden ones.

But not a single white one.

In that instant, the two shared the same thought about the lady of that household.

Thinking of that carefully protected “madam,” and now looking at the merfolk imprisoned before them— their hearts were in turmoil.

Still, Gu Baiqing comforted himself—at least Junhua had arrived in time.

Just as they thought Junhua would win easily, a burly, broad-shouldered man suddenly stood up. He had been the previous highest bidder. “The boss wants spirit stones, not pearls,” he said flatly. “If you want to use pearls, go find someone willing to trade for stones. Let’s see if anyone here dares do that tonight.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Isn’t this a fair auction? What, can’t handle losing so you play dirty? Ridiculous!” Junhua shot back, her tone cold and mocking. “If the auctioneer prefers spirit stones over golden pearls, then his brain must’ve been smacked silly by a merfolk’s tail.”

“Miss… I’m afraid that won’t do,” the auctioneer stammered, clearly taking his cue from the man’s expression. “We don’t accept golden pearls.”

The man smirked, leapt onto the stage, and reached into the water sphere, running his hand along the merfolk’s waist.

This time, the merfolk didn’t even dare to struggle—she just hung her head low.

Junhua’s expression darkened. “What’s the meaning of this? I just want to buy a merfolk for fun—is that so hard? Does your auction not run on money anymore?”

“Little girl, don’t make trouble. This merfolk’s spending the night in my bed. If not her, you’ll do.”

Laughter erupted through the hall.

In the midst of the jeers, Junhua quickly understood—this man was connected by marriage to the Beast-Taming Manor and had business dealings with the auction house. In Longan Port, his family was second only to the Manor itself. Unless a true Beast-Taming heir appeared, he could throw his weight around unchecked.

“Girl,” he said with a grin, “you offended me today, but since you’re wearing the Manor’s badge, I’ll let it slide. Now get lost.”

But Junhua was not someone who backed down easily. With a crack of her whip, she snarled, “Over my dead body!”

Her opponent, clearly a seasoned fighter, met her attack calmly. “If you lose, I’ll take you to my bed too.”

Fighting wasn’t unusual at an event like this—the crowd cheered eagerly, treating it as entertainment.

Gu Baiqing was just starting to feel that things were getting troublesome when he suddenly noticed that the man was a water-element cultivator—and that he was drawing power directly from the nearby water sphere. In an instant, he turned the water into a hundred razor-sharp arrows aimed at Junhua.

Junhua’s face blanched. Even if she used the same defensive technique she had employed that morning against Yu Chun, some of those strikes would still break through. If she were hit—

At that moment, Gu Baiqing realized what was about to happen. There was no time to shout instructions. At the last instant, he lashed out with his foot, kicking Mo Xuanli hard in the waist.

“Save her!”

Mo Xuanli had no guard up against Gu Baiqing at all, so when he was suddenly kicked down the stairs—hurtling toward Junhua—he was completely stunned.

But his body already followed the command.

The same white figure, the same umbrella, appeared once again in front of the panicked Junhua.

This time, since he’d been kicked over, he couldn’t control where he landed; his back crashed right into Junhua’s nose. Because of that, the seawater was completely blocked—completely—and every last drop splashed onto the surrounding spectators who had been watching for fun.