Who would raise a villain as a wife?

Jiuqian's face froze, and he also thought of Jiuqing. Their goal this time was to get the Heart of the Deep Sea, but after entering the Devil's Eye, Jiuyuan took his men and separated from him.

That would be fine, he and Jiu Yuan are competitors, each relying on their own abilities.

But Jiuqing lost her mother when she was young, and he was the one who raised her. He brought Jiuqing to the Devil's Eye, so naturally he had to bring her back safely.

Then he started looking around, and when he found him, he saw the black lion about to crush Jiuqing to death. As the prince of the mermaid tribe and also his brother, he should save Jiuqing's life.

But what he didn't expect was that Jiuqing would protect a human and leave, and those humans who provoked the black lion all fled, almost harming the tribesmen who joined him in resisting the black lion.

Looking at Jiuyu's expression, He Yunjing couldn't help but be more serious. "You must be on guard against others, even if they are your closest relatives. You need to be on guard at certain times. This time, she abandoned you, her brother, and her people because of a human. What about the next time of crisis?"

Jiuqing pursed her lips and said, "Jiuqing is young and timid, she probably didn't do it on purpose."

"I don't want to say bad things about people behind their backs, but I want to warn you. When some people fall in love, they only see their lover and nothing else."

"In love?!" Jiuqing frowned, "How could Jiuqing fall in love with a human being!"

He Yunjing raised his eyebrows, "Why not? Mermaids live in the deep sea. Wouldn't they be curious about humans?"

"I am curious, but how could Jiu Qing fall in love with a human in just a few days?"

"Don't be so sure. I was traveling with the Xuantian Sect's people during those days, and your good sister was always sticking to Lu Xiao. It is said that men and women should not be intimate with each other. Xuantian Sect is not without female disciples. If the two of them were not in love, how could they be so attached to each other?"

Jiu Xing laughed and shook his head, "Mermaids are different from humans. We have no gender distinction before marriage."

? ! ! !

He Yunjing was stunned. He looked Jiuyu up and down, then looked at Lan Xinlanyan who was walking towards them. "Isn't there a gender, sister and brother, brother and sister?"

"This is just an appearance." Jiuqi waved his hand lightly, and his body changed accordingly. His originally flat chest became fuller, and the male skeleton became smaller, revealing the image of a woman.

He Yunjing's eyes almost popped out of his head. His wife had turned into a beautiful lady? !

Jiuqi smiled, and with a wave of his hand, he changed back to his original form, patiently explaining, "Mermaids and humans have different genders. There is no difference between male and female, but the heart. We only really differentiate between genders when we meet our other half, but it's still not about male and female, but about choosing who will bear the offspring."

He Yunjing raised his hand to interrupt Jiuqi's words, "Wait a minute, let me slow down, this is a bit too exciting."

He Yunjing really didn't react. He raised his hand and patted his face. He stared at Jiuyu seriously for a long time before asking, "So, all mermaids in the mermaid tribe can give birth to offspring?"

"Technically, that's true, but I'm the heir to the throne, and I don't need to bear children."

He Yunjing rubbed his face vigorously and thought about this problem seriously.

Although there is no concept of gender among mermaids, even if Jiuxian is the future king, it is okay as long as Jiuxian is willing, right?

Moreover, the mermaids are gender-free, so no matter whether they give birth to a boy or a girl, he can raise her as a daughter.

He's going to have a daughter?!

He Yunjing's heart was boiling with anger. He tilted his head and waved at the mermaids who were peeking and eavesdropping, "Stay away, stay away. I have something important to discuss with your Highness."

The mermaids naturally wouldn't listen to He Yunjing. They all waited until Jiuqiu nodded before walking away, but they all kept their attention on this side.

Jiuqi asked him, "What do you want to talk to me about? Just say it. They won't hear you at this distance."

He Yunjing smoothed his chest and asked seriously, "Is it difficult for the mermaids to give birth to offspring?"

"Mermaids have a long lifespan and it's hard for them to have offspring. A couple can have two children at most in their lifetime, but usually they only have one. Some even have no children at all."

He Yunjing wasn't asking about that, but he heard that the fertility was indeed poor. He frowned and said, "If that's true, then your mermaid tribe will soon be out of fish, right?"

"So every generation of our kings has been looking for a solution, but there has been no result." Jiuqi seemed a little disappointed. The number of his tribe members is decreasing. This is a very important matter for the mermaids, and it is also his responsibility.

He Yunjing asked in confusion, "Does this situation always exist, or did it happen for some reason?"

"That was a long time ago. There are records in our palace. In fact, hundreds of thousands of years ago, our mermaids did not live in the deep sea because the continent was divided into four parts."

"Qian Kun, Jiu Yang, Li Huo and the Devil's Eye?"

Jiuqian nodded. "It was after the continent was divided that the mermaids migrated to the deep sea. The mermaids' sacred object, the Heart of the Deep Sea, was also sealed in the Eye of the Devil. The mermaids need to bring back a drop of the Heart of the Deep Sea every ten years."

"Wait a minute, isn't the Heart of the Deep used to select the heir to the throne?"

"Yes, only those who are recognized by the Heart of the Deep Sea can become the king of the mermaids. In the past, my father came to take the throne. This is my first time here."

He Yunjing nodded, "So this time you are actually choosing a king. Before the next generation of kings grows up, the kings of the mermaid tribe come to take the Deep Sea Heart every ten years? Then why don't you take the complete Deep Sea Heart back?"

"If I could have taken the complete Heart of the Deep Sea, I would have taken it long ago, and wouldn't have had to wait until now."

"Okay! Stop this for now!" He Yunjing stopped talking and said seriously, "Actually, I want to ask if the mermaids will hurt the mother when they give birth to the next generation, just like human births, causing difficult labor, heavy bleeding, or even death?"

Jiu Xing frowned, "That won't happen, but if the husband doesn't share the burden, the mother will be in danger."

"What do you mean?"

"Mermaids are very fragile when they are pregnant and need the care and comfort of their mate. If they cannot get the mate's breath for a long time, the mother's body will wither and become nutrients for the child."

Forehead......

This seems a bit cruel. It feels like children need a lot of nutrients, which need to be shared by both parents. If the child is missing, the child will suck all the life out of the mother.

He Yunjing bit his lower lip and asked, "How long is the gestation period of the mermaid tribe?"

"Not long, about three years or so."

"Three years isn't a short time?! It's only nine months for humans, but yours is four times as long."

Jiuqi was also confused, "Is the human gestation period so short?"

He Yunjing did not answer, because there was a more serious problem. He leaned close to Jiuying and asked in a low voice, "Have any of you mermaids ever become partners with humans?"

He was more concerned about this: what if humans and mermaids could not have offspring? How could Jiuqi be the king of the mermaids without offspring?