The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Clan Chief, I have something to say!" She knelt on the ground with a determined voice and said, "I did make a mistake, but I did not steal the elixir for my own selfish reasons!"

My cultivation over the years has yielded little result, solely because I haven't repaid the life-saving grace I owe, and a lingering sense of regret weighs heavily on my heart. Therefore, I specifically sought out the Spirit Master to divine my destiny. She said that my savior has already been reincarnated, and if I wish to repay the debt, I will only have the chance to meet her again in the next two days.

If I do not repay this kindness, I will not be able to cultivate in peace.

Furthermore, because he was unable to focus on cultivating his magical power, which had been entangled and frustrated for hundreds of years, he could not make any progress.

I only had one chance, and I had to seize it. In my desperation, I made a mistake. But I had considered making amends to the clam spirit! I didn't intend to just steal the elixir and be done with it. Time was already tight, so I could only first find the reincarnation of my benefactor and then try to make up for the clam spirit's loss of the elixir.

Please understand, Chieftain, I just haven't had a chance to compensate the clam spirit yet!

That elixir of immortality wasn't something he cultivated himself; it was a gift from the gods. I'm just lending it to him temporarily, which won't cause him any loss. I can compensate him when the emergency is over, and we'll be even.

Poor me, before I could even find the reincarnation of my savior, the wicked clam spirit accused me and brought me back. Having missed this opportunity, I'll never have another chance to repay her kindness. Waaaaah~

"Clan Chief, if I cannot repay your kindness, my cultivation path will not be smooth, and I fear my life will be ruined..."

Lian Yunshang cried out, tears streaming down her face, looking pitiful and charming. Meanwhile, her protagonist aura was working its magic, quickly enveloping all the mermaids present.

After hearing the "sophistry," the entire room fell silent.

"This child has had a tough time. In her haste to repay a debt of gratitude, she did some bad things and hasn't had a chance to make amends yet. It's great that she can admit her mistakes and correct them. She's still a child and has a long road ahead of her. We can't let this ruin the life of a grateful and kind child!"

"That clam spirit is really something. It's just a reward pill, right? Does he do good deeds just for the sake of reward? But when it comes to doing good deeds, one shouldn't worry about the future. If one is really thinking about getting a reward, then it's better not to do it at all! With the pill going back and forth like this, the clam spirit itself doesn't suffer any loss!"

"Besides, Yunshang was planning to make amends afterward, it's not like she's not going to return it to him, how stingy!"

"The fairies of the deep sea look down on us mermaids; this is a deliberate act of racial discrimination to cause trouble..."

…………

Under the intense aura of the female lead's intellectual impairment, the mermaids watching quickly began to change their tune.

Even the clan leader hesitated for a moment, somewhat undecided. Although, however, what she said seemed to make some sense; it was merely an expedient measure in an emergency. On the contrary, the clam spirit's actions seemed rather petty...

"Clan Chief!" Lian Yunshang's grandfather squeezed through the merfolk, his movements slow and his voice revealing deep weariness.

He slowly stepped forward, knelt down in front of his granddaughter, and solemnly kowtowed before saying, "Please forgive me, clan leader. I have lost my son in my old age and only have my granddaughter Yunshang left to depend on me."

If you're going to convict me of theft, you might as well punish this old man!

It's all my fault! I'm old and senile, unable to properly teach my granddaughter, which led her to do something wrong in a moment of desperation, disregarding the dignity of the clan. I beg the clan chief to forgive the young and ignorant Yunshang, considering the pitiful situation of my granddaughter and me.

Whatever the crime, I will bear it all myself.

Even if it costs me my worthless life, I will have no regrets!

Lian Yunshang tried to snuggle closer to her grandfather, leaning against him and sobbing loudly, "Waaah~ Grandpa, I'm sorry! I've let you down. You always taught me that mermaids should be kind-hearted, and I failed to do my best."

You often say, 'As long as you have a kind heart, right and wrong are other people's business.'

I underestimated the elixir of immortality. I never intended to kill the clam spirit; my intentions were good!

Grandpa, everything I did was to repay your kindness!

I (can't) make it up to the clam spirit for what I owe him in the future! Waaah~ I just didn't expect that in less than two days, I couldn't even find the reincarnation of my savior, and I even have to trouble you, who are so old, with your worries.

Waaaaah~ Your granddaughter is so unfilial!

"Chieftain, please spare my grandfather! I'll accept any punishment, please punish me!"

"No, I failed to discipline the child properly and should be punished!"

"No! Chieftain, I did something wrong, please punish me!"

"It is the father's fault if the son is not taught. Yunshang lost her father at birth, so it is my responsibility to educate her. Chieftain, I beg you to have mercy on the young and ignorant Yunshang. If you want to fight or kill, come at me!"

"No! Grandpa's life has already been hard enough, Chieftain, please order me to be punished..."

………………

The grandfather and grandson put on a touching performance that moved many of the mermaids to tears.

"Yunshang is too kind. She only made a small mistake, but her intentions were kind and harmless!"

"It's all the clam spirit's fault for complaining everywhere! How hateful!"

"Chief, please, for the sake of this family—grandfather, grandson, and young child—who are all alone and helpless, spare her this time..."

…………

The onlookers were all enveloped in an aura of reduced intelligence, and they all spoke up to plead for Lian Yunshang.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Jiang Chen, who was standing in the crowd, hurriedly stepped forward, coughed, and said loudly, "Clan Chief, I just heard that you have personally led the stewards to the Upper God's Abode to plead for leniency, and the Upper God has indicated that he will not pursue this matter further."

The mermaid team sent to comfort the clam spirit who had lost her elixir and suffered an undeserved misfortune also said that the matter had been resolved.

It seems that Yunshang's theft of the elixir can be resolved within the clan and will not offend the High God or the Sea God.

Since there is a reason for this, can the clan leader forgive Yunshang for making such a big mistake?

Even if they beat her to death right now, the elixir she swallowed couldn't be forced out. Yunshang is still young; she'll learn from this experience and be more careful in her words and actions in the future, striving to bring honor to the merfolk.

As for the clan's precious treasures lost as a result, she could try to compensate with her own value. I implore the clan leader to punish her leniently as a warning to others!

Chapter Thirteen: Taking a Step Back Only Makes Me angrier

"A lenient punishment?"

Clan Chief Si Zhuo was already shrouded in glory, and seeing how difficult it was for the grandfather and granddaughter to depend on each other for survival, he thought it best to let bygones be bygones and punish Lian Yunshang by making her stay at home to reflect on her mistakes.

But Jiang Chen's righteous and stern words instantly reminded him of the many treasures that had been sent into the Immortal's Palace!

Those were the finest treasures selected from the mermaid clan's accumulated wealth over many years; each one was incredibly precious. Just thinking about the loss of the clan's treasure trove made his heart bleed!

The heartache over losing the precious treasure quickly defeated the female lead's idiocy. Si Zhuo's face darkened as he squinted at Jiang Chen, "Do you know how heavy the losses were for the clan in order to quell this matter? Even if we beat Lian Yunshang to death, it wouldn't be enough to make up for it!"

You make it sound so easy, a light punishment?!

"Unless I skin Lian Yunshang alive and burn her to ashes for ten thousand years, my anger will not be appeased!"

“I know it will come at a great cost.” Jiang Chen said righteously, while also subtly reminding her, “First of all, Yunshang was at fault. No matter what the reason was for her needing the elixir so urgently, she should not have stolen it.”

Even young children know that they can't touch or take other people's things, and that if they want something, they should first discuss how to exchange it. Even if the other party doesn't agree, they can't force a sale; otherwise, it's considered theft or robbery.

But she still didn't show up to discuss it, and swallowed the elixir and disappeared into the vast sea.

Even though Yunshang had considered making amends afterward, she hadn't personally explained to the clam spirit, so how could the spirit know what she was thinking?

Secondly, although the deep sea world is vast, it is far less rich than our mermaid world.

The clam spirit was of humble origin, having only embarked on the path of cultivation by sheer luck. Its short lifespan and barren habitat meant it had never seen many treasures. For centuries, it silently helped passing fishermen and aided in flood relief, working tirelessly until it finally earned a single elixir of immortality.

For us mermaids, five hundred years of magical power is nothing.

Even after cultivating for hundreds of years, a clam spirit's lifespan would only extend to a few hundred years. For a poor little demon who craves power and longevity, a single elixir is as valuable as his life.

It's no wonder he desperately tried to protect his interests after being robbed without leaving a single word.

The act of bestowing elixirs as a reward by the gods carries a significance that outweighs the actual value of the elixirs.

Instead of becoming a celebrated story, the elixir was stolen by thieves, causing the honest clam spirit to suffer an undeserved calamity and cry out to the gods for justice.

Imagine the wrath of the god!

On a small scale, the merfolk's actions were too reckless and arrogant; on a larger scale, they showed no respect for the goddess, daring to steal even her gifts. Wasn't this a gross underestimation of a high-ranking and powerful true god?

Yunshang from our clan was in the wrong from the start, and if the gods are dissatisfied with this matter and unleash their thunderous wrath, the entire merfolk clan may suffer annihilation!

The clan chief, being thoughtful, immediately humbled himself and took the initiative to apologize, making it difficult for the god to retaliate.

To appease a disgruntled god, the merfolk would have to offer a vast amount of precious treasures, suffering heavy losses in the process!

His words were reasonable and well-founded, leaving the onlookers, including the mermaids, speechless.

Even with the female lead's supposedly low intelligence aura, no one would be foolish enough to stand up and directly refute her when faced with the emphasized words "catastrophic disaster."

As it turns out, in such poorly written scripts, the incomplete setting likely limits even the strongest protagonist's plot armor.

For example, now that Jiang Chen has presented the facts, most of the mermaids are secretly wondering if the clan leader had failed to appease the god's anger with the treasure, would the mermaid world have already been punished by the god with lightning?

Will the people living in that situation, as well as their relatives and friends, be able to escape unscathed?

This unexpected disaster was caused by a naive little mermaid stealing something!

No matter how kind-hearted she is, how pitiful her background is, or how innocent her expression is, her premeditated act of seeking personal gain has brought annihilation to the entire mermaid race, and she can never be forgiven!

If Lian Yunshang, the instigator, is innocent, then wouldn't all the merfolk be even more innocent?

The loss of so many treasures was like a knife cutting into his heart. Coupled with the humiliation of being humble and subservient to the gods when he went to apologize, when had the proud and noble merman chief ever felt so frustrated?

Under the blatant double provocation, the clan chief Si Zhuo became increasingly enraged.

"Lian Yunshang deserves to die! Her grandfather, Lian Qi, should be held responsible for the improper teaching!" He stared intently at Lian Yunshang with his golden eyes, flicked his golden fish tail, and exuded the aura of a clan leader, causing all the mermaids present to tremble in fear.

Jiang Chen, though a sea god and not a mermaid, pretended to be too intimidated by the oppressive aura to look up.

Meanwhile, Lian Yunshang, who was at the center of the anger, felt an overwhelming threat, and dared not even breathe loudly, lying on the ground whimpering and begging for mercy.

Lian Yunshang's grandfather, Lian Qi, trembled all over, unable to utter a single word.

"Please calm down, Clan Chief!" Jiang Chen pretended to be under immense pressure and gritted his teeth to insist, "Although it was not easy, this matter has been resolved. Even killing Yunshang would not be enough to make up for the losses within the clan."

Why not let her make amends?

Grandpa is old and frail, and cannot bear any punishment. We beg the clan chief to spare their lives!

Si Zhuo gently swayed his fish tail, his anger and pressure causing ripples to spread through the "air" around him.

"Heh, Jiang Chen, you are the most talented child among the younger generation." He squinted and looked at the boy who was trying to straighten his body with a scrutinizing gaze, and said in a slightly gentler tone, "If you can touch the path to immortality in the future, you will very likely succeed me and become the unshakeable clan leader."

I'd like to hear how you would handle the punishment.

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention turned to Jiang Chen.

Lian Yunshang could feel the pressure weaken slightly. When she turned around, she saw the boy's tall and imposing figure, like a god. She was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes, and she murmured "Brother Chen" in her heart.

Sure enough, he never left me!

They always step forward and shoulder everything when it's most needed!

Even Lian Yunshang's grandfather, Lian Qi, was extremely excited. It seemed that his previous attempt to gain sympathy by relying on his age and pitiful state had been somewhat effective. Although some of the mermaids watching had already pleaded for mercy for the grandfather and granddaughter, they still couldn't move the clan leader.

Judging from his expression, it seems his granddaughter will not escape death today, and even he himself will not escape punishment for his crimes!

Jiang Chen's words just now resonated with the clan leader, and after empathizing with him, it would be easier to persuade him to plead for them. Whether the grandfather and grandson could survive this calamity depended on Jiang Chen!