Chapter 56: A Beautiful Misunderstanding

Lin Qiu was starting to feel rather elated, actually considering the sea boar his elder brother. With an arrogant snort, he tossed his head, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode forward with a leisurely, swaggering gait. Whenever a fish pointed or gestured at him, he would simply jerk his chin toward the sea boar pushing ahead and calmly announce, "Look, that's my big brother!"

That simple declaration—"That's my big brother"—was enough to make these merfolk pale at the mention of swine. After all, in this place, fifth-level aquatic beasts were rare to the point of near extinction. At the dawn of the world's mutation, a fifth-level aquatic was the pinnacle of combat strength. To reach such a realm so soon after the world changed meant one had noble blood. In ancient times, their ancestors must have been legendary figures.

So, using the sea boar as his banner, Lin Qiu strolled confidently through the crowd, borrowing the might of the strong. The aquatic creatures behind him dared only to seethe in silence. Watching his arrogant swagger, that swaying, uncertain step, they ground their teeth in frustration, yet still forced a humble smile as they watched him depart.

"Look, that's my big brother!"
"Want my big brother to have a chat with you?"
"My big brother has a bad temper, so you'd better be polite to me!"

In the long line, Lin Qiu's repeated "my big brother" remarks were nothing short of flamboyant. The fish were furious, but dared not bet that the sea boar wasn't Lin Qiu's brother. If they gambled and won, they could take Lin Qiu out. Here, unlike in the nine great royal cities, there were no cumbersome rules—if someone rubbed you the wrong way, you simply eliminated them.

This was why so many merfolk who preferred peace had migrated to the nine royal cities. There, unless you issued a formal challenge, the ancient city's system wouldn't kill you. Otherwise, if you went around slaughtering fish at will, the system wouldn't hesitate to make you a dead fish in return. In short, the nine royal cities were the last paradise for the aquatic races.

But in these smaller ancient cities, such rules didn't exist; one careless word could lead to drawn swords. If you died, it just meant your skills weren't up to par. This was why, despite Lin Qiu's arrogance, the others only dared to be angry in silence. Losing that bet meant they would never see another tomorrow.

With a faint smile, Lin Qiu continued on, and when he reached the front, he no longer needed to say "that's my big brother." The merfolk there had already noticed his domineering posture in the rear. Though he was only a lowly third-rank fish, when others saw the deferential smiles and the way people made way for him, they couldn't figure Lin Qiu out.

They began to suspect that this unremarkable-looking fish was the young master of some ancient city or a scion of a powerful clan. After all, not every merfolk had evolved as completely as Lin Qiu—most still bore beastly traits from their sea creature ancestry, revealing their lineage at a glance. Lin Qiu, however, was clean and fair, not a single sign of his origins on display. They could sense his level of power, but his appearance gave away nothing of his status.

Thus, people and fish alike were prone to follow the crowd. Seeing others yield, they followed suit. And so, Lin Qiu's passage was met with no resistance; every merfolk he passed wore a humble smile.

"Fine! You yield, so I yield."
"His power isn't high, but no one dares cross him—he must be a scion of some great clan."
"If I can't provoke him, I can at least avoid him, right?"

In the end, Lin Qiu's ploy of waving the sea boar's skin as his banner was a resounding success. Everywhere he went, every merfolk's face bore a show of humility. Lin Qiu grew more imposing with each step, his pace slowing as he went. It wasn't that he was trying to show off, but rather that his "big brother" ahead had slowed down, and if he moved too quickly, he might be discovered. That could spell trouble.

But something unexpected happened—the sea boar stopped and waited for him. Lin Qiu's heart skipped a beat; this was bad. Had the sea boar seen through his act? Would he tear him apart now? Anxiety crept into his chest, but outwardly, his expression was even calmer as he nodded politely to the sea boar.

The sea boar, too, wore a look of suspicion and uncertainty. "Could this pretty boy actually be someone important?" he mused. "Otherwise, why would these others treat him so respectfully?" The sea boar had noticed how the other merfolk smiled humbly at Lin Qiu. Lin Qiu was just a minor third-level aquatic; what right did he have to command such deference from those at the same or even higher level?

The sea boar began to overthink it, his breath growing heavy. "Oh no, he seems angry," Lin Qiu thought, a cold sweat trickling down his temple. Still, he forced himself to remain composed, nodding once more to the sea boar.

"He nodded at me!" The sea boar's heart leaped, and an ugly grin spread across his face as he nodded in return.

"What does that expression mean? He's even smiling at me—is he offering some final comfort before my death?" Lin Qiu's nerves tingled, but he managed a radiant smile in reply.

So the two of them exchanged smiles—one dazzlingly handsome, the other painfully grotesque. The merfolk behind them saw this and their expressions changed dramatically. In their hearts, they were thinking, "He must be the young master of a truly great clan, otherwise how could a fifth-level powerhouse show him such a smile?"

"That smile even seems a little flattering."
"Yes, definitely flattering!"

Every merfolk began spinning their own inner drama. And all of this misunderstanding stemmed from a single phrase: "Look, that's my big brother!"

It was a beautiful misunderstanding. Lin Qiu had used the sea boar as his banner, leading those behind him to believe he had a fearsome brother and thus dared not cross him. Those in the middle, seeing the respect from the rear, followed suit out of herd mentality. Yet as he advanced, the situation slowly changed. His arrogant, swaggering stride, hands clasped behind his back, was like a noble young master on parade. Though only of third rank, none could be sure of his background, so all stepped aside.

In the end, even the sea boar "big brother" noticed the spectacle, utterly unaware that he was its cause. He regarded Lin Qiu with awe, convinced he too must be of noble lineage.

Now, with even a fifth-level powerhouse casting humble eyes on this little third-level fish, more and more merfolk began to believe he was truly extraordinary.