The male supporting character was actually myself.

As dawn broke and the sun rose, the interplay of sunlight and clouds cast dappled shadows, making the golden pagoda even more beautiful. It was impossible to tell what materials it was made of, but the entire eighteen-story pagoda shone with golden light, so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

"Wow!" The little white cat rubbed its paws together, its eyes gleaming with greed. "If we could store this golden pagoda in the system space, wouldn't we be rolling in money?!"

It scurried to the top of the tower, carefully touched it, knocked on it, and even stuck out its tongue to lick it. Tilting its head, it looked puzzled. "Is this thing gold? Is it valuable or not?"

Why does it feel so cool to the touch, not quite like gold?

Besides, this is way too big! How could a soft, cuddly kitten possibly pull up a golden pagoda? It's too much of a challenge for the kitten! But I love it so much… I want it!

It hopped around the golden tower a few times, hesitated for a moment, and decided to help its host complete the mission first, and then go back to discuss with him whether it could take the tower before leaving this mission world.

At the top of the tower stands a mermaid statue made of various gemstones. The little white cat touches and licks it, drooling with envy, thinking that if it could get its hands on this thing and take it to the modern-day mission world, it would definitely be worth a fortune!

After jumping into the statue at the top of the tower, the little white cat finally saw the control center for drawing, which was described in detail by its host.

Despite being called the top of the tower, the space here is quite large, filled with all sorts of strangely shaped machines. Even a small handle is ornate, making the money-grubbing dumpling swallow hard.

"Meow~ It's not hard at all, I've got it!" It quickly recognized the symbols on the mechanism by comparing them with the blueprint, and then hopped down into the underground cage to take a peek.

Lian Yunshang was curled up in the corner, fast asleep. Perhaps it was because she was happy that she had finalized the prison break plan in her dream, because even in her sleep there was a faint smile on her lips.

"Hey, tui!" The fluffy ball hugged its two short paws and expressed its disdain with a cat-like contempt. "My host is a sea god and he still cultivates so hard, but you are so lazy in making amends."

"What a waste of a handsome appearance! The sea god in the original story was really stupid; how did he get ruined by a stinky fish like you?"

Seeing that she showed no signs of waking up, the little white cat wandered around the neighborhood for a while and soon found Lian Yunshang's home.

The elderly Lianqi had already gotten up and was busy tidying up the valuables in his house.

"Alas, my sons, you left this world so early, leaving us, an old man and a young child, to suffer alone and miserable lives."

Lianqi quickly packed his things into a storage bag and put it in his pocket. He took a few sticks of incense, lit them, and put them in the incense burner. Looking at his son's name on the memorial tablet, he sighed, "During the most difficult time, I was an old man taking care of little Yunshang. I couldn't keep up with the energy and strength. If it weren't for the help from the neighbors, I probably wouldn't have made it through."

Later, Yunshang grew up and became more and more beautiful. Young men flocked to her every day, bringing gifts to our family, and things gradually improved.

If things could continue like this, that would be fine.

Who knew that child would actually... Sigh, perhaps it was destined that she would suffer so much. Ever since she was imprisoned under the golden pagoda, I've been old and helpless, forced to endure the whispers and gossip behind my back. I've suffered so much, it's unbearable!

Fortunately, someone was willing to rescue Yunshang. I'm going to take her away from here.

If you have spirits in heaven, please bless us, grandfather and grandson, who depend on each other for survival, so that we will never be bullied and suffer again…

The old man clasped his hands together and muttered to himself;

The little dumpling squatted in front of the incense burner with a droopy little face, watching the incense sticks emit wisps of smoke. It couldn't help but pout and meow, "Like father, like son! Neither you nor Lian Yunshang are any good! The script team is a bunch of idiots, actually letting selfish and self-serving people like you be the main characters."

Thankfully, my host rectified the situation, otherwise you would have ruined all the good people!

"May everything go smoothly today, and may Yunshang find a suitable husband to have children and continue our bloodline..."

Lianqi chanted for a long time before ending the ceremony. Then, seeing that it was already bright outside, he pushed open the door, took one last reluctant look at his two-story house, and turned back to walk with firm steps toward the Spirit Master's residence.

The little white cat followed him all the way and witnessed him asking the Spirit Woman for sleeping incense under the pretext of insomnia and nightmares.

"You want this incense..." The old woman's voice was hoarse and aged, and a hint of hesitation flashed across her delicate face. Then she lowered her gaze and sighed. What could she do to stop fate?

Hopefully, the clan chief won't severely punish those poor children who guard the golden pagoda.

"Take it." The Spirit Woman slowly took out a black bottle from an antique wooden box. Her fair, delicate hands, painted with bright red nail polish, made the black bottle appear even heavier. "The sleeping incense is very effective. Just open it and take a sniff, and you'll fall asleep immediately."

"Remember, do not use it indiscriminately. The medicinal effects of this incense can permeate an entire house; if the lid were to fall off elsewhere, many people would likely fall into a deep sleep."

Lianqi was both excited and nervous. His hands trembled slightly as he accepted the sleeping incense, thanked her sincerely, and then left.

"I hope everything will turn out for the better, and that no innocent people will be harmed." The Spirit Woman watched him stagger away, her eyes filled with deep worry.

She could vaguely guess what Lianqi was going to do, and she was momentarily at a loss.

Should we tell the clan chief?

The Spirit Woman hesitated, unable to make a decision. Then she picked up a few coral beads from the wooden box, tossed them into the air, and caught them in her hand. After examining them carefully for a moment, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Oh no! Where is the Mermaid Pagoda from the future mirror image?!"

The laws of Heaven have suddenly changed, and many unprecedented strange things are about to happen. I must tell the clan leader immediately; this is truly terrifying!

The fluffy ball didn't get to see the Spirit Woman's fortune-telling; it followed closely behind Lianqi, hopping and skipping towards the golden pagoda.

A new day begins, and the golden-armored mermaid who has been on duty all night has just finished her shift.

Seeing Lian Qi's familiar figure approaching from afar, the newly arrived duty team leader shook his head and sighed, "It's truly pitiful. At her age, she still has to bear the blame for the younger generation. Lian Yunshang is truly despicable; harming others and herself is an unforgivable sin!"

Chapter Thirty Everything is Ready

"Who can argue with that? Instead of focusing on cultivation, they stole other people's elixirs, causing the clan to lose many precious treasures. It's truly despicable!"

Even so, Lian Yunshang shows no remorse whatsoever.

"Huh? She doesn't really think she's completely innocent, does she? Really? Can there really be such a shameless mermaid?"

What a waste of such a handsome face!

"Of course it's true. I was ordered to go in and check on the progress, and guess what? Even Yunshang didn't move an inch and was just lying there slacking off. She wouldn't even cultivate, let alone forge silk threads or purify ointments."

"Tsk tsk tsk, if it were any other mermaid with a sense of shame, knowing that her shameless behavior had caused such a great loss to her clan, she would have been ashamed and tried her best to make amends. How could she be so lazy as to give up and not even bother to cultivate?"

"Heh, then let's suppress them under the tower and see who can outlast whom!"

"If she had any sense of shame, she wouldn't have stolen things! So she's shameless to begin with. How could such a scoundrel emerge from the merfolk? What bad luck..."

…………

Several golden-armored mermaids who had just changed shifts whispered among themselves. As the elderly figure with fins drew closer, they hurriedly dispersed, fearing that the old man would feel ashamed and depressed if he heard them. They stood upright, holding tridents, guarding the golden pagoda.

Lianqi, carrying a copy of "The Mermaid Clan's Instructions" in his arms, staggered toward the magnificent golden pagoda, squinting as he glanced around, hoping to spot Jiang Chen.

His right hand was in his pocket, holding the black bottle, his palm slightly sweaty.

"Is this kid trying to fool this silly girl?" Lianqi was uneasy, especially since he saw no trace of his own kind nearby except for the golden-armored mermaid, which made him feel even more that helping Yunshang escape from under the golden pagoda was very unreliable.

What if it was just a dream?

What if Jiang Chen regrets it and doesn't want to come?

What if he can't break the golden pagoda's seal?

What if Yunshang is too weak to escape?

just in case……

In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through Lianqi's mind. He felt as if his tail was filled with lead, and the short distance seemed endless.

Should we implement the rescue plan or not?

Lianqi's right hand, which was tightly gripping the bottle, was sweaty, slippery, and trembling slightly. He was considering how to escape punishment after his escape plan failed and he was captured.

How can we gather all the golden-armored mermaids together so that the soothing incense can work its magic?

If Jiang Chen hadn't intervened, and he had drugged the guard and then pretended to faint when he saw things weren't going well, he could have argued that the bottle cap of the sleeping incense wasn't closed properly.

If Jiang Chen fails to open the golden pagoda and Yunshang cannot escape, it means there is no way to save her.

Given her unruly nature, she certainly wouldn't obediently cultivate and accept punishment. In that case, she would be unable to escape her guilt and would have no choice but to escape the mermaid world first before making any further plans.

But what if Jiang Chen manages to open the golden pagoda and then gets captured while trying to escape with Yunshang?

My mind is in turmoil.

But after living for many, many years and experiencing many things, he considered all possible scenarios and decided that if the plan went smoothly, it would be best to escape with Yunshang. This would not only protect their offspring and allow them to go to the human world where they could be served, but also allow her to continue this bloodline.

If she hinders the escape, then it's better to abandon her and ensure your own safe escape.

Once in the human world, he should be able to barely survive with his magic. If he can transform into a handsome young man, sell his gold and silver valuables to buy land, a courtyard, and a few maids to serve him, he might even be lucky enough to have a son or daughter.

Although it is difficult for merfolk to reproduce, and only young merfolk have the opportunity, there are exceptions, aren't there?

The worst outcome would be that they are both captured and their involvement in the prison break is confirmed, in which case there would be no other way.

I definitely can't protect my granddaughter; by the time she gets out of prison, I'll probably be old and dead.

Jiang Chen is probably finished too. In that case, we can only blame him and beg the clan leader to let him off the hook because he is old and has lost his orphan.

Every scheme carries risks; if you don't take a chance, who knows what the outcome will be?

In a short distance, Lianqi staggered over, having already made up his mind. His gaze gradually hardened, his hands stopped trembling, and he even instantly came up with a way to knock out the guard.

"You old man, you're such a slowpoke! Hurry up!" The little white cat was so anxious that it scratched its ears and cheeks. It was about to help its host complete the task, so why was it moving so slowly?

Just now, you were walking briskly towards the Spirit Master's house, why are you pretending now!

"Hurry up and do it, I still need to run to the host to ask for credit and reward, this is really making me angry." The fluffy ball jumped onto the tower and waited for the best opportunity, meowing angrily.

There was no time reference inside the pagoda; as always, a single candle burned, casting a dim, yellowish light.

Lian Yunshang figured it was almost time. Had Grandpa gotten the sleeping incense? Could he successfully drug the guard? Could Jiang Chen lift the golden pagoda's seal?

What I need to do is very simple: as soon as the Golden Pagoda opens the exit, I run out and escape into the deep sea to the human world, ignoring everything else!

"Grandpa, Brother Chen, you must save me!" She waited anxiously at the exit, her heart filled with turmoil.

At this moment, Lian Yunshang was pale and weak, but her urgent hope to escape the sea of ​​suffering made her heart race and her whole body full of energy. When she thought about the possibility of being surrounded and intercepted, she looked down at the fish tail that was still bleeding and her eyes were filled with tears.

"Heavens above, please have mercy on me! I'm already so pitiful, and this is my only chance of survival. I beg Grandpa and Jiang Chen to successfully carry out their plan and rescue me..."

She clasped her hands together and prayed softly, while thinking of a crucial question—her grandfather was old and she was so weak, what would happen if they couldn't escape?

After much anxiety and inner turmoil, Lian Yunshang finally made up her mind to escape!

If they were surrounded and pursued, even if it was unbearable, they would have to make a sacrifice. If all else failed, they would have to abandon their grandfather. After all, his all-out rescue efforts were only hoping that his beloved granddaughter could live well, and if they were captured, their grandfather would surely be heartbroken.

Only if I survive can I fulfill Jiang Chen and Grandpa's wishes and make them truly happy!

Even if I can't escape and am caught, they're probably willing to protect me. So... I'm sorry, Jiang Chen, you're already mentally prepared to be imprisoned, so the amount of guilt you bear is negligible.

Now that the clan chief has clearly distinguished the roles of the mastermind and the planner, he probably won't punish me any further.

I did nothing. I just saw the exit suddenly open and, driven by a sudden urge to escape, escaped. The will to survive is an instinct; what crime is there in that?

"Wait a moment, I'll help you break the seal right away." The captain of the golden-armored mermaid stepped forward and said politely as Lian Qi approached, "Grandpa Lian, you've worked so hard. I only hope that Lian Yunshang can repent and atone for her sins and be released from prison as soon as possible so that she can serve you well and not have wasted your efforts."

Lian Qi nodded, feigning panting, and replied, "Yes, Yunshang has always been a troublemaker since she was little, and now... sigh, she's really made a fool of herself!"

"Grandpa, don't worry. It's common for children to be rebellious. They learn from their experiences, and I believe she will understand things better after she comes out of the Golden Pagoda. She will make things easier for you."

The kind-hearted captain comforted her, took out a gold seal from his pocket, and carefully placed it into the groove at the bottom of the tower's decoration. He stood up and whispered, "Please begin. The sound barrier has been activated; she can hear you from inside."