In the South Sea live merfolk of breathtaking beauty. They are gifted musicians and fear flames; their tears turn into pearls. The tears of a merperson can bring the dead back to life and restore flesh to bone.
* Shen Jinan was a notorious playboy, the sort who could make children cry at night. He was extremely particular about both food and drink, but never touched prostitution or gambling.
There was a rumor in the capital that the playboy had found a merperson.
Proud, aloof, and mesmerizing. He was kept with such exquisite care that his food, clothing, and comforts surpassed even those of the emperor in the heavens.
What a pity, the servants in the playboy's household were heard gossiping. The merperson had never said a single word. Perhaps he looked down on the playboy, too.
Later on,
the capital fell into turmoil, and the Northern Barbarians advanced in force.
With smoke rising everywhere and the people gripped by fear, the playboy gave away his entire fortune to find the people a way to survive. He cast aside any thought for his own safety and resolutely joined the army.
Together, they carved a path through blood for the people.
When the playboy died in battle,
he was only twenty-one.
*
They say the merperson wept until he was blind, yet still could not bring his beloved back to life.
As it turned out, merfolk are born unable to speak or shed tears.
In giving them their exquisite beauty, Heaven also made them incapable of loving anyone for their entire lives.
Theme: A romance between different species.
