"A spy was caught!?" Qi Yu repeated incredulously, unable to imagine who would be a spy for the North Sea Sect at this critical juncture.
"Yes, the strategist didn't elaborate, so we're not entirely sure. You should go and see for yourself," the maid said urgently.
The main reason was that the North Sea strategist's expression was very serious when he mentioned the spy.
He looked quite frightening.
"Alright, I understand. I'll be there," Qi Yu replied. After thinking for a moment, she called the maid back, deciding to go with her.
She instructed Si Qing to remain in the South Sea and swim with the maid to the boundary between the South Sea and the North Sea.
In the North Sea, Advisor Changyu was pacing with his hands behind his back.
This Advisor Changyu was fifty thousand years old, yet despite his age, he appeared very young, looking like an exquisitely handsome youth.
As soon as he spotted Qi Yu in the distance, his eyes lit up, and he swam over to greet her.
Qi Yu was here about the spy, so she had no inclination for idle chatter. The first thing she asked upon meeting him was where the spy was.
"Your Majesty, please follow me," Advisor Changyu swam ahead, explaining as he went, "That spy should be from the freshwater tribe's perch clan. However, he relied on his powerful cultivation to deliberately disguise himself as a perch from the saltwater tribe and hid the map of the North Sea Dragon Palace and the formation diagrams within his scales."
"We discovered he had a problem during a routine inspection. Freshwater creatures cannot adapt to saltwater life. If they stay in the sea for too long, those without cultivation will suffocate and die. But for those with cultivation, no matter how powerful, their faces and gills will change."
While speaking, Advisor Changyu led Qi Yu to an underwater prison.
This underwater prison bore some resemblance to prisons in the human world, being square-shaped. However, the underwater prison was constructed from stone coral and sea vines.
Qi Yu followed Advisor Changyu inside and indeed saw a man with his hands and feet shackled in chains at the innermost part of the cell.
The man was pale and thin, with pale gray scales on his face and body, and a very faint, dark blue demonic tattoo on his neck.
He had been cowering in the corner, holding his head, appearing to be in great pain.
Qi Yu looked at him through the bars, her voice cold, "What is your name? Lift your head."
The man slowly raised his head. His eyes were deep blue, and there were fresh wounds on his face, likely inflicted by a beating.
He knelt on the ground and replied hoarsely, "My name is Shaji."
"You are not a resident of the Sea Tribe. Why didn't you stay with your freshwater clan and instead come to cause trouble in my Sea Tribe?" Qi Yu narrowed her eyes. "Don't you understand that as a freshwater creature, you will die if you force yourself into saltwater?"
"I am not a spy at all!" the man emphasized with a hint of grievance. "I've said it many times, and no one listened to me. I came here to find my brother."
"You lie without batting an eye. How can a freshwater creature like you have a sea tribe brother?" Advisor Changyu tapped the bars with a nearby stick. "I advise you to be honest and confess who sent you and what your purpose was. Otherwise, don't blame me for stripping your scales and torturing you for information."
"Even if you torture me, I can only tell you what I've said. Believe it or not, it's up to you!" After speaking, the man turned his head towards the wall, clearly unwilling to say another word.
Advisor Changyu grumbled, wanting to open the cell door and teach him a lesson.
However, Qi Yu stopped him.