Chapter 162
Chapter 162
When Xu Qianqian appeared before Shen Lang again, her body was fragrant. She had just finished bathing and had spritzed herself with rose oil.
“Qianqian, why are you still so thin? It pains my heart to see you.”
Shen Lang said to her. Xu Qianqian shot him a glare and replied.
“I think of you morning and night, unable to sleep, so how could I gain any weight?”
“Will you keep the promise we made before?”
During the Gold Mountain Island dispute, if Shen Lang lost, he was to pledge allegiance to the Third Prince with Xu Qianqian. If Shen Lang won, Xu Qianqian was to go to Raging Tide City and seduce the female maritime overlord, the young lady of Raging Tide City, Qiu Yao’er.
“Of course, I must. I’d rather sleep with a woman than let my body be trampled by another man. I can set off for Raging Tide City tomorrow and lie in wait by Qiu Yao’er’s side. But Shen Lang, why do you think I won’t betray you? Once I become Qiu Yao’er’s absolute confidante, what makes you think I’ll follow your orders?”
“You’re right, you have a point.”
“Then why don’t we sleep together before I leave and you put your child in me?”
The moment Shen Lang heard Xu Qianqian’s words, he closed his eyes. Then, he counted on his fingers.
‘Huh? These next two days really are Xu Qianqian’s ovulation period.’
Don’t ask how Shen Lang knew this. Soon, Shen Lang nodded seriously.
“You can have a child. Besides, being pregnant will make it easier to gain Qiu Yao’er’s sympathy.”
And with that, the playboy immediately lay down on the long, narrow couch.
“Come on. Sit here, and you can do the work.”
Xu Qianqian stepped forward, aimed for Shen Lang’s waist, and kicked him hard.
“Ugh.”
Shen Lang bent his back like a well-cooked shrimp in pain. The woman had aimed for his kidney and kicked with all her might.
“I’m leaving. I’ll board the ship tonight.”
They had their own paths to walk and things to do. Boarding a ship to Raging Tide City was something Xu Qianqian could easily do without Shen Lang making separate arrangements. With those final words, she left. But when she reached the door, Xu Qianqian paused for a moment, for less than a second. As expected, Shen Lang should have called out to her and said something—something very important. Perhaps telling her how to establish herself by Qiu Yao’er’s side, or saying something significant that would remain in her heart.
She and Shen Lang were still sworn enemies. Shen Lang held no leverage over her, and there was nothing binding them together. So how could he be sure that she would work for him? How could he be certain she wouldn’t betray him? But Shen Lang said nothing and let her go, and Xu Qianqian truly left. She disguised herself, left the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate, went to the coast, and boarded a ship bound for Raging Tide City.
* * *
What should one call the woman Jin Hui had rescued? A fierce and stubborn woman? The suicidal lady? The haughty beauty entered the small, courtyard-style house where Jin Hui was staying. Unlike the man’s house she had imagined, it wasn’t luxurious, but it was so clean it was maddening. Every object in the house was arranged in perfect symmetry. Not only that, but the courtyard was filled with small flowers, and there were nine cats—no, ten—living there. One was a black cat, and with its eyes closed, she had almost missed it.
‘So you’re the little black one?’
The heart of the arrogant lady from a powerful family melted in an instant. She had never imagined that a man who brutally killed his enemies could have such a warm side. After letting her into the house, Jin Hui stood at the entrance, unable to bring himself to enter, nor could he get within three meters of her. To others, it looked incredibly strange.
Ever since the woman had been violated by the soldiers, she had been in a sort of deranged state. She believed she was no longer clean, that she had become sullied. But because of her noble birth and extreme personality, she had developed an incredibly high sense of self-esteem as a defense mechanism.
‘So what if I was violated? No one can look down on me. I will prove my innocence, even if it means dying.’
But when Jin Hui treated her, far from looking down on her, he treated her like a queen. A short while later, Jin Jianniang arrived.
“Sister, please take good care of the young lady. I’ll go get some food.”
Jin Hui fled in a hurry. He felt too much pressure in front of the arrogant lady. It’s said that men who cater to a woman’s every whim never fare well, but some couldn’t control their feelings and acted that way instinctively. A moment later, when Jin Hui returned with food, the sound of crying could be heard from the courtyard. Not only the arrogant lady, but Jin Jianniang was also weeping bitterly.
“Sister Hong Xian, tomorrow I’ll go to the Young Master and tell him to kill the entire Zhu Clan. Zhu Nanzheng, Zhu Wentai, Zhu Wenhua—they’re all beasts! I’ll kill them all!”
* * *
Inside Shen Lang’s room. Shen Lang was lying face down on the bed, his clothes lifted to expose his waist.
“Wife, is my kidney alright?”
Shen Lang asked tearfully. Mulan brought some medicinal wine and rubbed it on Shen Lang’s waist, which had turned a deep purple.
“It’s fine. You only injured the muscle, your organs are okay.”
‘My kidneys must absolutely not be injured. I, Lord Shen Lang, am not naturally gifted in that department, so I can’t afford to have my kidneys damaged.’
“But husband, how did you get hurt here?”
“That shameless woman, Xu Qianqian, tried to seduce me, can you believe it? Naturally, I refused. I told her my waist doesn’t belong to me—it belongs to my wife. I even told her that for my entire life, I would willingly become a bloody mess for you alone. When she failed to seduce me, her shame turned to anger, and she gave my waist a vicious kick.”
“What?”
“That woman is truly shameless. She seems to know neither loyalty nor shame. Even if we were once husband and wife, that’s long over, isn’t it? I am not a man who gets entangled in finished relationships.”
“Ah! Is that so?”
“Wife, from your tone, it sounds like you don’t believe me?”
“Of course not!”
‘You think I’d believe a playboy like you? You think I didn’t see? You lay on the couch and told Xu Qianqian to sit down and do all the work. I remember exactly what you said. If I didn’t love you so much, I would have cut it off right then and there.’
Shen Lang said quietly.
“My lady, it’s as if you have ‘human trash’ written on your back. Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?”
* * *
The next day. Jin Hui came to see Shen Lang.
“Young Master, Wang Lian is dead.”
Shen Lang was startled.
‘So soon? He should have had a few more months to live.’
“How did he die?”
“He set his room on fire and burned himself to ashes.”
Shen Lang was shocked. A man like Wang Lian, who feared death so much, had died in such a blaze of glory?
“Actually, his behavior had changed drastically for some time. He started to enjoy wearing beautiful clothes and applying rouge. He said he couldn’t accept himself dying an ugly death and that he would end his life in the most splendid way possible.”
Then, Jin Hui took out a piece of pottery.
“This is what he left behind.”
Taking it, Shen Lang saw it was a rough piece of ceramic, made from common clay and fired in a large kiln. On it was a single character—one that Shen Lang couldn’t recognize at all. It seemed unlikely that such a character could even be found on a computer. It was the character ‘朝’ with the character ‘帝’ attached to its left. Shen Lang had never seen such a character anywhere. Perhaps Wang Lian, high on drugs, had written such a nonsensical character.
“Gather his ashes and bury them with this piece of pottery. It’s the memento he left behind.”
Jin Hui replied.
“Yes!”
Wang Lian was dead, but Shen Lang felt nothing. Just another person had died.
* * *
The ship Xu Qianqian boarded was a very ordinary cargo vessel. Many such cargo ships were all heading for Raging Tide City. Raging Tide City had now become a bustling trade hub where countless black-market merchants came and went every day. Any illegal goods or items from sordid sources could be traded in Raging Tide City. This city did not abide by the laws of any nation. The Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei, was the law!
“Did you hear? The young lady of Raging Tide City, Qiu Yao’er, wiped out another disobedient pirate crew. Their fleet had hundreds of men, and she had them all flayed and their skins turned into sails.”
“She has a hundred ships and ten thousand men under her command. At this rate, who knows who will be the successor to the Lord of Raging Tide City. Young Lord Qiu Xiao may be a man, but in terms of skill, he’s a step below the young lady.”
“It can’t be helped. The young lady has been fighting relentlessly, bringing other pirates under her command and building a larger and larger force. It’s said that even her father can’t control her anymore.”
“Rumor has it the young lady’s martial arts are incredibly profound. She’s not even thirty yet, but she’s about to break through to the Grandmaster realm.”
“I heard she’s already a Grandmaster.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. There are only a few martial arts Grandmasters in our entire State of Yue.”
“Has anyone here ever seen Young Lady Qiu Yao’er?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“The young lady only fights and kills; she doesn’t care for things like trade. Any man who meets her either becomes her subordinate or gets his skin flayed and hung on a mast. I never want to meet that she-devil.”
They had just set out to sea, but it felt like entering a new world. On land, everyone talked about the king, the crown prince, or some great noble or powerful figure. But once at sea, everyone spoke of the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei and the young lady Qiu Yao’er. They were the ones who ruled the seas.
Young Lady Qiu Yao’er, in particular, was an extremely legendary figure. Xu Qianqian heard so much about her that her ears hurt. From the stories these people told, she sounded like a great female demon king or a female god of death. The number of pirates who had died at her hands in just ten years was countless. Soon, the only major pirate force left in the eastern seas of the State of Yue would be the Qiu clan. Once their power grew so large, the Qiu clan stopped acting like pirates and more like a navy, dominating the trade order of the eastern sea. The more Xu Qianqian heard of Qiu Yao’er, the more her curiosity grew. The journey ahead in Raging Tide City was terrifying, but also filled with anticipation.
Some time had passed since the extermination of the Xu clan. Her hatred had condensed and intensified, enough to be carved into her very bones. But now, she no longer let the flames of vengeance consume her heart and soul. The anxiety of being left all alone in the world once again enveloped her spirit. But strangely enough, Shen Lang had become a sort of pillar of support in her heart. As she left the land and headed out to sea, it felt as though an invisible thread connected her to Shen Lang. The thread was incredibly complex, tangled with resentment, a strange dependency, and cooperation.
After a day and a half of sailing, the people on board suddenly cheered.
“We’ve arrived at Raging Tide City! We’re here!”
Xu Qianqian went out onto the deck and looked at the bustling port. Not far from the sea, a city came into view.
“Raging Tide City, I have arrived. Qiu Yao’er, I have arrived. I must find out just what kind of she-devil, what kind of female god of death, you really are.”
* * *
To earn an astronomical amount of gold coins in the upcoming Mang'ai Island strategy, Shen Lang visited the secret cave in the mountains. While he was at it, he also visited Wang Lian’s grave. Wang Lian was a man who deserved to die, but in the end, he had helped eliminate Lin Zhuo and dealt a fatal blow to the Count of Jing'an’s Estate, which helped prevent the Yanshan Thousand-Household Office from further attacking the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate and causing trouble. He had both merits and demerits. Shen Lang said nothing more and simply poured a cup of wine on Wang Lian’s grave. Then, under the protection of Jin Hui and Thirteen, he returned to the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate. But on the way back, a person blocked his path. It was obvious that this was a very, very powerful person.
Where he stood, it was as if fallen leaves danced and the wind stirred. Where he stood, even the insects dared not make a sound. One could tell how formidable he was just by the reactions of Jin Hui and Thirteen. The two had first drawn their swords with all their might, only to sheathe them again. In front of this person, drawing a sword was meaningless, as his skill far, far surpassed theirs.