The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Guards, extract Lian Yunshang's spinal marrow to forge a spiritual medicine; after that, keep her imprisoned under the Golden Pagoda under strict guard until the Rainbow Robe and the Mermaid Candle are completed, only then can she be released and given her freedom."

Remember this punishment I'm giving you today. If you dare to repeat it, I will skin you alive, tear you apart, and grind your bones to dust!

Si Zhuo waved his hand, and the enforcement team stepped forward and pinned the defenseless Lian Yunshang to the ground.

"No! Chieftain, please spare me! I'll never do it again! Please, please don't... Help me... It hurts, it hurts so much..."

Before she could react, she was restrained by the law enforcement team and couldn't move at all. Her already torn dress was lifted up, and then the fishtail connecting to her body was icy cold on her back. The indescribable pain tormented Lian Yunshang so much that all she could do was wail and cry out in pain, and her whole body trembled involuntarily.

Mermaids are treasures from head to toe; even their bone marrow is a rare ingredient for medicinal remedies.

For this special race with long lifespans, as long as they have a breath left, they will not die even if their bone marrow is removed. As long as they cultivate diligently, everything can be gradually restored.

The whole process was extremely painful yet very quick.

The onlookers, witnessing such a bloody and horrific scene, fell silent; the fluffy little creature trembled and meowed in fear.

Lian Yunshang's screams and wails gradually weakened. After the bone marrow was extracted, she lay on the ground, too weak to even shout. She could only silently shed tears as her body was dragged away like a dead fish and thrown back into the cold, dark Golden Pagoda.

"Although Lianqi's cunning and deception led to your successful escape, you guards of the Golden Tower were not vigilant enough, and you must still be punished."

After dealing with Lian Yunshang and keeping her imprisoned in the Golden Pagoda, Si Zhuo's gaze fell on the five guards.

"We have failed in our duty and are willing to accept punishment!" They all bowed and awaited their fate.

“From this day forward, you will have to atone for your crimes through meritorious service.” Si Zhuo’s voice grew increasingly solemn. “After the interrogation just now, everyone expressed doubts about the safety of the Golden Pagoda.”

Whether the Lian family has any secret techniques passed down or whether they can control the Golden Pagoda at will remains unknown.

Eliminating the security risks posed by the Golden Pagoda is of paramount importance, which is why I have kept Lian Yunshang imprisoned beneath it. Starting today, I will deploy more personnel to secretly monitor the Golden Pagoda at all times.

Mother-in-law, you need to plan this matter carefully.

Their mission was to torture Lian Yunshang under the guise of settling personal scores, making her wish she were dead!

In this way, when she is in utter despair, she will definitely choose to take a desperate gamble.

If Lian Yunshang inherits the family secrets, she will definitely be able to escape again. At that time, the elite law enforcement team secretly deployed will capture her as soon as possible and ask her mother-in-law to help trace and restore the secrets, find the loopholes in the Golden Pagoda and find a way to fix them.

If she doesn't inherit the secret, and Lian Yunshang is tortured to death beneath the golden pagoda, I will find a way to invite a high god skilled in this art to inspect and repair it, ensuring the pagoda's absolute safety!

"The clan leader is wise!"

After hearing his arrangements, the merfolk were relieved and cheered in unison, expressing their gratitude for having such a wise ruler who punished evil and promoted good, and who stood up for the people.

After watching the excitement, the fluffy little dumpling bounced back to report to its host.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, who had just moved into a new house in Linzhou Prefecture, had already "seen" the trial process clearly through his soul artifact. After listening to the little white cat's exaggerated description, he rubbed the fluffy ball and laughed, "My little white cat is so sensible. It knows that the Golden Pagoda is very important to the mermaids, so it gave up on it. It won't do whatever it wants just because this is a poorly finished mission world."

However, I have carefully considered it when you said you wanted it.

Mermaids live in a unique geographical location, adjacent to the deep sea world and only protected by a barrier between the two worlds. There was a time when the barrier malfunctioned, causing seawater to flood in and nearly wiping out the entire race. Therefore, the merfolk often mobilize the entire race to repair shelters as a precaution.

The Golden Tower was just one of their many refuges, and due to its size and shape, it was not the best place to take refuge.

"My original plan was that after I became a true god, I could use the long-abandoned but increasingly massive and solid Dark Tide Wanbeta of the Deep Sea World to exchange with the Merfolk..."

"Exchange?!" The little white cat immediately perked up, its deep blue eyes gleaming with greed. "Host, I heard Clan Chief Si Zhuo mention that this Wanbeta is even more famous than the Mermaid Golden Tower, ranking second in all realms!"

Is it really possible to exchange it?

So, between these two second and third options, which one is more valuable and which one is more useful?

Jiang Chen opened his paper fan and slowly fanned himself, shaking his head and laughing: "How can you measure such a treasure by its monetary value? If we're talking about beauty and the number of jewels adorning it, the Mermaid Pagoda is naturally superior."

It is indeed made primarily of gold, but it is a special gold that has been refined by the merfolk with the addition of mermaid bone powder. It is capable of withstanding impacts, resisting earthquakes and attacks, and is impervious to water and fire. In critical moments, it can protect the people of the area to the greatest extent possible.

However, compared to that, the Golden Pagoda is too small, and the number of mermaids who can squeeze inside is limited.

Moreover, since the entire structure was built by hand, the most important part of the tower, besides the mechanical devices, is the layers of restrictions to improve safety. In the event of a disaster, a large number of mermaids can only wait for someone to open the restrictions before they can hide inside for refuge. Similarly, when they want to leave, someone also needs to open the restrictions before they can go out.

What if a natural disaster strikes suddenly and no one can break the seal?

Or what if the steward or clan leader who could open the seal during the disaster relief dies, and those inside can't get out? Wouldn't they be forced to wander with the golden tower, never to see the light of day again?

"Eek!" The fluffy little ball immediately bristled. "So many safety hazards?"

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Final Chapter (Can Be Slaughtered)

"Compared to other shelters, the Mermaid Pagoda is indeed not very practical, but after all, it's more of a superficial project," Jiang Chen explained slowly, fanning himself with his fan. "But the Dark Tide Variant Pagoda is completely different; it's a pure treasure of natural materials."

The Dark Tide Wanbeta was originally a giant tower-shaped underwater rock that attracted countless sea creatures to climb and cultivate due to the gathering of spiritual energy.

Those who were able to cultivate into minor demons gradually became dissatisfied with that little bit of spiritual energy and took the initiative to leave to find places with abundant spiritual energy as their cave dwellings to continue their secluded cultivation; while many more did not find the Great Dao even when their lives came to an end, and could only leave their corpses, which were ten or even dozens of times larger than those of ordinary creatures, on the rocks.

Millions of corpses were eroded and rotted by the seawater, while others grew harder and harder, forming a hard shell over time.

Day after day, that rock stood on the seabed for countless years, and countless giant seashells of marine life clung to it, forming layers of hard armor.

Over time, layer upon layer, the Wanbeta, born from the undercurrents, finally took shape.

The previous sea god was free-spirited and undisciplined. While idly strolling along the seabed to inspect his territory, he discovered this naturally formed pagoda-shaped boulder. On a whim, he used his divine power to transform it into a giant pagoda.

The appearance of this treasure caused a sensation throughout the world. The previous sea god, too lazy to rack his brains for a name, simply named it Dark Tide Wanbeta.

After he finished refining it and gloated for a while, he realized that building such a pagoda was pointless.

After all, the pagoda was grown and refined in the deep sea, so its strongest ability is to withstand the impact of seawater. The problem is, having cultivated underwater for many years, who would worry about the impact of seawater?

So the new sea god casually tossed the useless pagoda aside, leaving it to languish in a corner of the deep sea.

During the period of the transition between the two sea gods, many alien races had considered taking the pagoda, but the deep sea world was too vast, with a huge number of various monsters and unique advantages. Not everyone had the ability to roam the deep sea with impunity. Treasure hunters could not find where the pagoda was hidden, and over time, only legends remained, with no one ever seeing it with their own eyes.

I figured that if I offered the Dark Tide Vortex, which was easier and more convenient to control and much more robust and massive, as a bargaining chip, Si Zhuo probably wouldn't refuse.

"Wow!" The fluffy little ball wagged its tail happily. "Host, you're so kind! Love you, muah~"

Jiang Chen was enjoying petting the cat when suddenly a commotion came from the neighboring yard.

"My poor old man! He was perfectly healthy, yet you quacks killed him! What kind of Jishetang is this? It's clearly a murder den! We demand an explanation today!"

"That damned quack doctor from Jishetang poisoned my father with just one dose of medicine!"

"Heaven and earth bear witness, everyone please judge this for us. My father was perfectly fine when he came to pick up his medicine this morning, but after he went back, brewed and took it, he just collapsed like a corpse..."

…………

Four burly men, accompanied by three middle-aged women, carried a makeshift stretcher, wailing and shoving as they barged in, bringing over a black-faced corpse. The crowd that had been queuing outside Jishetang quickly parted to avoid being tainted by bad luck, and the group rushed into the pharmacy without any obstruction.

The burly men put down the dead body and looked menacing, as if they were about to beat someone up, while the three fierce women sat on the ground crying loudly, which caused a stir among the people seeking medical help.

"What's going on?" Ye Qingyun was taking the pulse of an old woman when she saw this and frowned slightly, signaling the shop assistants to step forward and stop them from disrupting the order.

However, two burly men shoved the waiter to the ground and rushed forward to grab Ye Bicheng, shouting, "You little brat, you've poisoned my father with those random prescriptions! Get out here!"

"What kind of behavior is this, a grown man pulling and tugging at a weak woman? Is there no law anymore?" Wen Menglong, who was helping to copy the prescription, stood up to stop him, but was pushed aside by the other party. "Get lost! It's none of your business. She killed my father and she has to pay with her life."

Ye Bicheng had never seen anything like this before, and he was so frightened that he kept backing away.

Ye Qingyun originally intended to use a spell to resolve the medical dispute, but seeing Wen Menglong's anxious protectiveness of his sister, she raised an eyebrow and put her right hand down, preparing to observe the situation.

"With me here, no one can run wild at Jishetang!"

Wen Menglong was so angry that his face turned red. Although he was a weak scholar, he was still a grown man. Apart from the beaten-up shop assistant, he was the only man in charge of the pharmacy. How could he tolerate them bullying a young girl?

So the apprentice, who was powerless, took on the stance of a mother hen protecting her chicks, shielding Ye Bicheng behind him, and argued logically: "Words are not enough. If you say that Jishetang killed your father, you can go and sue the authorities."

We will fully cooperate with the government's investigation. The truth will be judged by the clear and just heaven, and we will not allow you to run wild here.

Xiao Liu, go to the county government to file a complaint!

My brother-in-law is Li Chuanxing, a constable in the county government. Go find him!

This old man was clearly poisoned to death. They brought him here to accuse our pharmacy of extorting money. We need the authorities to send people quickly to arrest the murderer!

"Go to hell!" The burly man punched Wen Menglong in the chest, sending him staggering back two steps. "My dad died from the medicine you brought back from your shop! Who else should I go after? This is none of your business, so get lost!"

Ye Bicheng huddled in a small corner behind Wen Menglong, trembling with fear.

She still had some memory of the old man lying on the ground who had been dead for a long time. He had come to see the doctor that morning, and under her sister's guidance, she had taken his pulse and determined that he had only caught a cold. She had taken two doses of cold medicine and he was fine.

He then personally prepared the medicine and delivered it to the old man, instructing him to boil it and drink it while it was hot...

But these are just the most common illnesses and medications, how could they possibly kill someone?

Encountering something like this for the first time, Ye Bicheng was so frightened that his mind went blank. He could only cling tightly to Wen Menglong's clothes as a lifeline, pleading, "Senior brother, save me! I really didn't take the wrong medicine. We have records that can be checked at any time. I don't even know him and have no grudge against him, so why would he want to harm someone?"

"Junior sister, don't be afraid. Just wait for my brother-in-law to come and take us to the county government hall for interrogation. We'll definitely find out the whole story!"

Wen Menglong was a humble person who never argued or got into a fight with anyone.

However, he gritted his teeth and stood firmly between the burly men and Ye Bicheng, not retreating an inch despite being beaten and torn.

"People died from taking medicine from Jishetang? Oh dear, can I still take the medicine I just got?"

"People have come knocking on our door, so it's highly likely they misdiagnosed us!"

"If you're really in the right, why don't you go and sue the authorities first? I think they died of illness and are just bringing this place here to extort money, right? Anyway, my mother was sick for so many years, and it was Dr. Ye who cured her. I don't believe that Jishetang would kill someone."

"But it's not Doctor Ye who dispenses the medicine, it's her sister! What if she gets the wrong medicine? All medicines have some degree of poison; if she gets the wrong medicine, someone could die!"

"Then why are you waiting in line here to see a doctor? You don't trust people, yet you're still pushing and shoving. Aren't you crazy?"

"You wouldn't come here for treatment if you weren't sick!"

"Those two shrewish women blocked the shop assistant from going to the authorities. I think it's because a competitor deliberately hired someone to cause trouble."

"Tsk tsk tsk, the world is going to the dogs these days, people's hearts are no longer what they used to be..."

…………

When Jiang Chen led Hai Dayou and Liu Ying to the entrance of Jishetang, a noisy fight broke out inside the pharmacy.

“Young Master Wen…” Hai Dayou kept in mind the Sea God’s instructions to protect Wen Menglong. So when he saw that Wen Menglong was being harassed by several strong men, he shouted and tried to rush forward, but was pulled back by Jiang Chen.

Hai Da turned around, looking bewildered, and asked, "Young Master Jiang, aren't we...aren't we going to help?"

"The atmosphere seems a bit strange." After observing carefully, Liu Ying tugged at his sleeve and reminded him, "Why are the troublemakers specifically targeting Sister Ye and Young Master Wen? Look at Sister Qingyun's calm and composed demeanor; it's like some kind of test?"

The honest, simple-minded clam spirit scratched his head, took a step back, and asked in a low voice, "How come I didn't see that? Firefly, do you mean this group of people came specifically to test Young Master Wen?"

"It doesn't really look like it, after all, someone really died!" Liu Ying glanced at the dead body on the ground and subconsciously hid behind Hai Dayou. "How scary! How can a dead human look so frightening?"

Hai Dayou used his sleeve to cover her and comforted her, saying, "If you're scared, don't look. Let's go report this to the authorities for Young Master Wen. We can't let them keep making a scene like this and ruin the shop's business and reputation."

"Let's wait and see." Jiang Chen had already noticed that something was wrong.