The male supporting character was actually myself.

At a command, the mermaids of the enforcement team, dressed in magnificent and imposing robes, moved in unison with swift and fluid movements, surrounding Lian Yunshang and Liu Ying, who were still asleep.

"Ah! Help! What happened?"

Her sweet dream was suddenly interrupted. Lian Yunshang screamed in terror but dared not move. She felt the cold, sharp trident pressed against her neck, and trembled with fear. "What...what wrong did I do? Why is the enforcement team treating me like this?"

Firefly had never seen anything like this before. Her silver fishtail was almost transparent with fright. She stammered, "I... what did we do wrong? Why suddenly..."

"This matter has nothing to do with you." The enforcement captain waved for Lian Yunshang to be taken away, then looked back at her and earnestly advised, "Young lady, you are still young and it's understandable that you can't judge people well. In the future, stay away from thieves who disgrace the fish clan. Otherwise, if she leads you astray and damages your cultivation, it will be too late to cry."

Thief?!

Liu Ying blinked her deep, ocean-like silver-blue eyes, looking completely bewildered, and asked, "What thief? What did she steal? Yunshang, tell them quickly, there must be some mistake!"

"I...I..." Lian Yunshang's heart was pounding. Could it be that the damned clam spirit said something?

how can that be possible?

Even in the deep sea, few know about the Mermaid World, let alone its entrance. That stupid, weak clam spirit, having acted so secretly, could never have revealed his true form. Even if he lost the elixir, suspicion would only fall on human cultivators; how could he possibly inform his clan?

But if it weren't for the clam spirit's complaint, what other misunderstanding could there be?

At this point, saying too much will only lead to mistakes. You must understand the situation before you argue!

Thinking of this, Lian Yunshang turned back to look at her friend with a resentful expression and shouted, "Go find Brother Chen to save me!"

She was then bound and dragged away by the law enforcement team, shooting off into the sea like an arrow towards the mermaid world. A few breaths later, only a bewildered and clueless firefly remained standing there, her mind full of questions, "Where...where do I find Brother Chen?!"

Yunshang, what exactly did you do?

If you've really done something wrong, what's the point of finding Brother Chen?!

However, no one answered her. The tranquil sea rippled before dawn, and perhaps because the aura of the law enforcement team was too overwhelming, not even a small fish could be seen around.

"Looking for Brother Chen?" She pondered for a moment, her eyes filled with deep sorrow. As she swam towards the seabed, she muttered to herself, "You don't... want him to take the blame for you, do you? Yunshang, what shameful thing have you been doing behind my back?"

"Wasn't the plan to find our benefactor and repay their kindness? What kind of nonsense is this?"

Jiang Chen, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, twitched his lips with disdain. He thought to himself, "No wonder he's a top-tier backup option. He only thinks of me when it comes to taking the blame. I'm not stupid, why would I..."

Before he could finish his internal monologue, the main system's voice suddenly sounded in his mind, issuing a mission: [Mission: Go to the Mermaid World to defend Lian Yunshang and save her from punishment. Reward: One-time use C-grade item.]

Ok? !

Jiang Chen was taken aback. Even at this hour, there were still departments diligently assigning tasks to scripts that were left unfinished?

"Dirty~"

Just then, the golden conch shell used for communication vibrated. He took it out and put it to his ear, and heard the little white cat panting, "Host, this script is quite complete, so if the plot changes are not too serious, the backup missions that have been set up will be released."

The task I just completed needs to be finished. I'm currently busy salvaging gold and silver treasures from the sunken ship and I can't handle it all by myself. Can you manage it by yourself?

"The task isn't difficult. Just say a few good words for Lian Yunshang so she doesn't get beaten up!"

"When have you ever seen me and not?" Jiang Chen looked in the direction where Liu Ying disappeared, a slight smile playing on his lips, and replied, "It's just helping her out, I'll finish the task soon!"

Chapter Eleven: A Three-Pronged Approach

The merfolk chieftain adopted a three-pronged approach.

One team arrested Lian Yunshang; another team went to find the clam spirit and appease her; and the third team, led by him, personally went to see the Supreme God with various treasures from his clan, explained the situation, asked for forgiveness, and promised to bring the culprit to justice and hand him over to the Supreme God for judgment.

The goddess was already in a bad mood because she had given away an extra elixir for no reason.

Seeing this, she calculated for a while to make sure she wouldn't get involved in the karmic disputes of the chosen one. Only then did she accept the gifts from the merfolk as an apology and tell them to punish Lian Yunshang themselves. She said she was busy with many things and wouldn't interfere in the matter.

Upon hearing this reply, Si Zhuo felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.

The one person you absolutely cannot afford to offend in this matter is this supreme deity!

Those in high positions of power and with extensive connections are easily offended. Even if they don't do anything on the surface, if they secretly cause trouble for the merfolk, it's something the merfolk can't afford to do.

Since the other party no longer pursued the matter, the theft of the elixir was instantly reduced to a minor issue. After appeasing the clam spirit, the Sea God could rest assured. What remained was the internal trial of Lian Yunshang, which became an internal problem to be solved.

"Phew! Fortunately, the High God is magnanimous and doesn't hold it against me, otherwise..." Si Zhuo breathed a long sigh of relief after leaving the Heavenly Gate.

If you happen to run into a petty deity, wouldn't that make them feel disrespected?

The elixir is a small matter, but saving face is a big deal. If they use this as an excuse to make trouble for the merfolk, that would be a real problem!

"That damned little girl, she has contributed nothing but caused trouble for the clan." The steward who accompanied the clan leader to offer tribute frowned and took the opportunity to speak up: "Clan leader, we must set a bad example in this matter, so that the younger generation will not be too unrestrained and reckless."

Si Zhuo nodded in agreement. "Let's go. Hopefully, the law enforcement team has already apprehended him. The merfolk have been law-abiding for nearly ten thousand years, and such a despicable person has never appeared before. I will make sure all the members of the merfolk see just how terrible the consequences will be for someone who does something to smear their race!"

A group of brightly colored mermaids darted through layers of ice and plunged directly into the sea, flying towards the mermaid world.

Meanwhile, the clam spirit, who had just returned to her dwelling after bidding farewell to the Sea God, encountered the mermaids who had come to apologize. To appease them, a little scheming was necessary, so Si Zhuo specially dispatched an enforcement team along with the graceful and beautiful mermaids.

First, the law enforcement team explained the situation, and then the sweet and beautiful mermaid presented a gift and softly apologized.

The honest clam spirit had never seen anything like this before.

The imposing aura of the enforcement team had already terrified him, making him tremble with fear. Then, a fair-skinned, beautiful, and graceful mermaid apologized sweetly and said some comforting words. The clam spirit was so coaxed that he could only giggle and nod foolishly.

When he came to his senses, he found that the mermaids had already left and there were several luxurious gift boxes on the table.

"Ah... this seems a bit inappropriate!" The clam spirit thought carefully. She had solemnly promised not to pursue the matter of stealing the elixir anymore, and the other party had been grateful and showered her with sweet words before leaving the gift and departing.

The key thing is that this matter has already been resolved!

If we leave behind the gifts from the merfolk, wouldn't that be greedy?

But they had long since disappeared from sight. Last time, the Sea God led him to the Mermaid World. How easy would it be for him to find his way there on his own now?

"What to do? What to do? A demon shouldn't be too greedy!" The clam spirit paced anxiously, then thought, why not hand it over to the Sea God for disposal?

If it weren't for his strong support and protection in the matter of the stolen elixir, I would have had to suffer injustice and swallow my anger, and I would never have been able to get justice.

As for the gifts from the merfolk, it would be most appropriate to hand them over to the Sea God!

But where is the Sea God now?

The clam spirit was dumbfounded. She had never even seen his true face. Where was she supposed to find him?

While he was lost in thought in the cave, Jiang Chen had already returned to the Mermaid World to complete his mission.

"Pah! Shameless! A mermaid of your stature has become a thief!"

"Do you have no sense of shame? Stealing someone else's elixir for your own selfish gain, you're bringing shame upon the merfolk!"

"It's truly a case of giving birth but having no one to care for them! They've lived for hundreds of years and still don't understand anything?"

"Instead of diligently cultivating yourself, you run off to steal other people's elixirs to increase your magical power. Lian Yunshang, you have disappointed the mermaid greatly!"

"Kill her! Scald and gut her to make an eternal lamp as a warning to others..."

…………

Just after being tied up by the law enforcement team and brought back to the mermaid world, Lian Yunshang was met with a barrage of insults from her clansmen.

Hearing the chaotic cursing of her clansmen, her heart leaped into her throat!

How did that happen?

Wasn't my disguise good enough? Why would that stupid and weak clam spirit reveal this to the entire clan?

How did he find out the exact location of the mermaid world?

Wasn't that barrier only open to merfolk? How did the clam spirit get in? He couldn't possibly have such powerful magic!

A series of questions lingered in her mind, but no one came to answer them.

Lian Yunshang anxiously looked around the crowd, trying to find Jiang Chen's unchangingly cold face. Although he seemed aloof and rarely approached other mermaids, he would always respond to her requests!

Now, Jiang Chen is the only one who can save me!

With such strong talent, even the clan leader has high hopes for him, and the elders also believe that he will be the chosen one who can embark on the path to immortality. With this halo surrounding him, Jiang Chen will surely be forgiven when he pleads for himself!

But the crowd surged, and many mermaids threw branches, stones, and other objects at her in disgust, and she couldn't find that familiar figure anywhere.

"Jiang Chen, where did you run off to!" Lian Yunshang said with a face full of sorrow and indignation.

In the past, no matter when, I could always see him silently standing not far away whenever I turned around. But now, when I need him the most, I can't see him anywhere!

So, all that talk about protecting someone for life is just a lie?

"Lian Yunshang, do you know your crime?" Just as she was fantasizing about being rescued by a hero, the clan leader's thunderous question startled her so much that her fishtail went limp and she almost collapsed to the ground.

A silver fishing net chain, shimmering with lightning, covered her body, rendering her unable to move.

Lian Yunshang raised her pitiful face, tears welling in her eyes, and cried to the clan leader, "Clan leader, what serious crime have I committed? Why am I being humiliated like this? You all keep calling me a thief, but do you have any real evidence?"

She dared to say this because she repeatedly recalled that she had done an excellent job of covering up the elixir she swallowed, and that the stupid clam spirit definitely had no evidence!

Although I don't know how he reported it, as long as I stick to my story...

"Evidence? The aggrieved party already gave me the evidence!" The clan leader, swinging his magnificent golden fishtail, flew through the air and unfurled the scroll with a flick of his right hand. "You're so clever! Do you really think other demons have no tricks or magical weapons? Are they all as stupid as you, oblivious to their own ignorance?"

On the scroll, there was a picture of Lian Yunshang's pretty face, her mouth open as she swallowed the elixir, her blue-purple fish tail behind her drawing attention.

The clansmen were immediately in an uproar!

"What kind of treasure is this? It can depict scenes so realistically!"

"It's probably some kind of treasure, like a memory stone."

"As the saying goes, there are always people more capable than you and heavens beyond heavens. But these young people just won't listen. They look down on other fairies just because mermaids are born with a longer lifespan. In fact, there are many powerful methods outside the mermaid world that you have never seen. You are like frogs in a well, ignorant and arrogant."

"How shameless! Don't they know what they've done? They still have the audacity to boast without a shred of remorse..."

…………

Chapter Twelve: Please Listen to My Excuses

The fireflies couldn't keep up with the enforcement team's speed, so they returned a little later and couldn't squeeze to the front among the mermaids.

But the clan leader used his magic to reveal the scroll in his hand, so that everyone could see it clearly—Lian Yunshang had indeed stolen and swallowed the elixir of other demons!

"No wonder..." she belatedly realized, "I was wondering how Yunshang could turn her fishtail into legs so quickly. I thought she had finally succeeded in her cultivation. It turns out she obtained her magic power through such despicable means!"

Liu Ying was so angry that her face turned red. Then she was glad that she hadn't found her savior. Otherwise, if she had been involved with such a despicable and selfish mindset, and caused trouble, wouldn't she have lost all her hundreds of years of cultivation in one day?

Faced with physical evidence, Lian Yunshang had no way to deny it.

Although she couldn't understand how the clam spirit had done it, she had no choice but to rely on herself now!