The vast and majestic waves of the ocean were a spectacle unmatched by any other scenery.
The sea stretched endlessly, blending seamlessly with the sky at the horizon. The Sea Dragon merchant ship cut through the waves, sails billowing, truly giving the impression of a dragon soaring across the ocean.
Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi were still gazing into each other's eyes, each reflected in the other's pupils.
Ju Zi quickly realized that speaking here wasn't appropriate. She hurriedly pulled Xu Zihuang into her room.
The uniformly designed room had nothing particularly special about it, yet it carried a faint, pleasant fragrance. The source of that fragrance was Ju Zi herself, and in the enclosed space, it became even more distinct.
With her back to Xu Zihuang, she lightly bit her red lips, her hands unconsciously clenching. After the initial shock, a variety of complex emotions surfaced one after another in her moist eyes.
"Why would I run into you here?"
She had already resolved herself to a path of no return, yet now a trace of hesitation stirred in her heart.
Ju Zi calmed the surging emotions within her, turned around, and gazed at Xu Zihuang, her eyes filled with quiet resentment.
"I heard from Ke Ke that you returned to Shrek Academy a month ago. How could you be here?"
"My soul power cultivation has recently advanced, and I heard there were pirates causing trouble around Moon Pivot Island. I was planning to go there for some training. I truly didn't expect to encounter you here, Senior Sister Ju Zi," Xu Zihuang replied with complete composure.
"Didn't Senior Sister Ju Zi join the Sun Moon Empire's Southern Sea Soul Engineer Corps? How come…"
"Sit first." Ju Zi gave a bitter smile, gesturing for Xu Zihuang to take a seat on the sofa while she turned to prepare tea.
Every room on the top deck was equipped with soul tools for daily use. For example, the soul guide heater Ju Zi was now using. A porcelain teapot was placed on the heater's base, and within a few breaths, the water inside boiled. Once black tea leaves were added, a rich, pleasant tea aroma quickly filled the entire room.
Ju Zi handed a cup of brewed black tea to Xu Zihuang, then returned to sit on the edge of the bed. Her straight legs were pressed together beneath her orange-red long skirt. After a moment of silence, she fully revealed to Xu Zihuang the purpose and plan of their Southern Sea Soul Engineer Corps' mission this time.
"Tianhuang, while we're still not deep into the sea, find a chance to leave. With your strength, returning safely to the mainland shouldn't be a problem." Ju Zi removed the straw hat from her head, her gaze meeting Xu Zihuang's once more.
Xu Zihuang shook his head firmly and righteously.
"Senior Sister Ju Zi, now that I know about this, I cannot leave. Although I come from the Heavenly Soul Empire, I am also an inner court disciple of Shrek Academy and a member of Shrek's Supervision Corps. The Supervision Corps was established to monitor evil soul masters, so the Demonic Crocodile Pirate Group naturally falls under that as well. If you don't mind, I'm very willing to assist you in exterminating those pirates. Moreover, I don't want anything unexpected to happen to you, Senior Sister Ju Zi."
Xu Zihuang's final sentence undoubtedly touched the softest part deep in Ju Zi's heart.
From the time Yu Tianhuang saved her at the cliff years ago, to their reunion two years prior in the small town and the events in the Bright Fighting Great Forest, and now this encounter, it all gave her a sense of fate, a feeling of being protected.
A layer of mist faintly veiled Ju Zi's dark eyes, glistening under the soft soul guide lighting. Even her voice trembled slightly.
"Why are you so good to me?"
There was gratitude, but also a mixture of regret and complicated feelings.
She was now the fiancée of the current crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran. There was no turning back. She didn't want to bring trouble or danger to Yu Tianhuang, and she had no right to be willful.
Xu Zihuang looked up at Ju Zi. The words he had spoken earlier were not false. He had always felt guilt toward Ju Zi's family, but that wasn't the only reason.
His motives could hardly be called noble or selfless. Guilt and affection toward Ju Zi, combined with his desire to use her to achieve his own goals and ambitions, those reasons were equally balanced.
It wasn't only Ju Zi who had no right to be willful. Though his talent was exceptional, his current individual strength was still far from enough to oppose the entire Sun Moon Empire.
Setting down his teacup, Xu Zihuang stood and walked step by step toward Ju Zi.
He never claimed to be a good person. Since he had decided to use Ju Zi, there was no need to hesitate or pretend to be upright.
Yet the main reason was that this reunion with Ju Zi had given rise to a trace of dark, negative emotion within him. No one could be absolutely perfect, and he was no exception.
"This is only the beginning of my revenge." Xu Zihuang gave a cold smile, then bent down in front of Ju Zi, their faces enlarging in each other's view.
"Imperial Brother, do you like this gift I've sent you? Everything you possess now will belong to me in the future."
Just as Xu Zihuang had anticipated, Xu Tianran, who had lost both legs from the thighs down and could no longer function as a normal man, had long become twisted inside. Seeing the charming and lovely Ju Zi so close yet being unable to do anything brought unimaginable pain.
Normally, except for important matters requiring discussion, he rarely spent time alone with Ju Zi. Because every time he saw her, it reminded him of that humiliation.
Ju Zi's body instantly stiffened in place. Under the blend of emotional connection and physical instinct, her entire body felt numb, as if her soul were floating.
Everything happening before her felt like a beautiful dream. The emotions she had suppressed for so long were finally released.
She didn't even realize when she had ended up lying flat on the bed, her gaze dazed.
A slight coolness on her fragrant shoulders startled her awake. In panic, she raised a jade-like arm to cover her shoulders, like a frightened little deer. Her fair skin flushed red, exceptionally alluring.
This side of Ju Zi was something even Xu Tianran had never seen.
Xu Zihuang paused his actions, not continuing further, his gaze gentle.
"Senior Sister Ju Zi, do you understand now?"
Opportunities to move Ju Zi and catch her off guard were rare. Without waiting for her response, he reached out again with his right hand, gently stroking her cheek, their breaths mingling once more.
"No! This isn't allowed!" Ju Zi silently cried in her heart.
Yu Tianhuang was a heaven-blessed genius from Shrek Academy with limitless prospects, while she was merely a pawn in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire's crown prince Xu Tianran. A pawn that, if no longer useful, would be destroyed.
"I can't drag him into this!" Despite knowing this clearly, when the hope in her heart became reality, her body felt bound, unwilling to resist. She even began to sink into it.
The distance between their hearts continued to close. The thick sense of happiness intoxicated Ju Zi, tears welling in her beautiful eyes, tears of happiness.
How she wished to throw everything aside and elope with Yu Tianhuang. But she couldn't. Her parents' vengeance was irreconcilable. When they died, she had sworn an oath.
Yet to have this brief, beautiful experience was already enough for her. Having accepted this, she began to respond proactively.
However, Ju Zi was unaware that every thought in her mind was completely perceived by Xu Zihuang through his tangible spiritual power realm.
After a long while, the intimately close pair leaned side by side against the headboard. In reality, the total time they had spent together barely amounted to more than a month. Yet there was an indescribable familiarity, as if in another spacetime they had grown up together from childhood to adulthood.
Thus, even though their relationship had reached such a deep level, there was no awkwardness or discomfort.
Xu Zihuang's brows faintly furrowed, sensing something off, though he couldn't pinpoint what.
"What's wrong, Tianhuang?" Ju Zi, who had been resting her head on Xu Zihuang's shoulder, sat up slightly, her beautiful eyes blinking.
"If you regret it, I can pretend nothing happened earlier."
Xu Zihuang pushed aside his thoughts, looked at Ju Zi, and said helplessly, "Senior Sister Ju Zi, whether I regret it or not, should be clear from my actions earlier."
Recalling those earlier moments, Ju Zi felt her cheeks burn. She couldn't help but coquettishly complain, "If you don't regret it, why still call me Senior Sister Ju Zi?"
In truth, her earlier words had come completely from the heart.
I'm sorry, Tianhuang. Please forgive my selfishness. I am only a passerby in your life. With your talent and ability, you will surely find a better girl in the future. But at least in this short time, please let me have you all to myself.
As these inner thoughts arose in Ju Zi, in her blind spot, Xu Zihuang's brows twitched slightly.
Time at sea seemed to pass especially quickly. After Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi had lunch delivered by the maids in the room, dusk soon arrived.
Those maids were ordinary people from the Southern Sea Chamber of Commerce. With hundreds of passengers on board, servants were needed. The chamber's stewards were mainly responsible for repelling sea soul beasts.
There weren't many passengers in the top-deck rooms. After all, those lofty nobles were unwilling to venture deep into the sea, and ordinary merchants or travelers couldn't casually spend five hundred gold soul coins on a top-deck ticket.
Most passengers were concentrated in the lower four decks. The two decks below the main deck housed the chamber's staff, maids and male attendants.
The fifty stewards were different from ordinary staff; like Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi, they resided in the top-deck rooms. This provided extra protection for top-deck passengers.
The closer one was to the chamber's soul master stewards, the safer one felt during sea soul beast attacks.
For various reasons, the small open balcony-like area outside the top-deck corridor had become Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi's exclusive spot.
The setting sun's glow painted the sea surface in shades of gold and red. Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi sat facing each other in this area. A small round wooden table stood between them, holding a pot of black tea and several plates of delicate pastries.
Xu Zihuang's gaze shifted from the shimmering distant sea back to Ju Zi across from him. He moved his lips, transmitting sound with soul power.
"Ju Zi, aren't we being a bit too high-profile like this?"
The nineteen elite members of the Southern Sea Soul Engineer Corps who had boarded with Ju Zi were now mingling among the crowd on the main deck. In just a moment, he had sensed several probing gazes.
Ju Zi rested her fragrant cheek on her jade hand, lightly sipping from the porcelain cup. Her straw hat conveniently shaded half her face as her red lips parted slightly.
"It's fine. Our agreed plan was to disguise ourselves separately. This way is actually more reasonable and less likely to expose us."
Xu Zihuang looked down at the crowd on the main deck. After a day of sailing without encountering sea soul beasts, the passengers had greatly relaxed and were now in the mood to admire the magnificent sunset from the deck.
Releasing his spiritual power, he instantly locked onto a young man standing in a corner of the deck. The youth had short golden hair, darker skin, and could be considered handsome. His soul power cultivation was not weak, five rings, Soul King level.
Of course, his Soul King status had been forcibly raised through drugs; the circulation of soul power in his body was clearly sluggish.
This golden-haired youth was also a member of the Southern Sea Soul Engineer Corps, and his probing gaze toward Xu Zihuang carried a hint of hostility.
"Ju Zi, I'm starting to suspect you're deliberately drawing hatred toward me," Xu Zihuang bluntly complained, causing Ju Zi to cover her mouth and chuckle lightly.
"Would you even take someone like him seriously?"
Their interaction was fully observed by the golden-haired youth, leaving him inwardly frustrated.
Within the entire Southern Sea Soul Engineer Corps, only the corps commander knew Ju Zi's true identity. Over the years, Ju Zi had gradually demonstrated outstanding military command ability, and with her exceptional beauty, it was normal for her to have admirers.
But as Ju Zi said, Xu Zihuang wasn't petty enough to feel jealous over such matters.
At that moment, the Sea Dragon's captain, Ruan Xinghai, leaped up to the lookout platform at the top of the main mast and transmitted his voice with soul power.
"Everyone, according to our planned route, we will soon pass by an uninhabited island inhabited by sea bird soul beasts. There may be an attack, but please remain calm. We will absolutely ensure everyone's safety."
Xu Zihuang understood immediately. The sea bird soul beasts Ruan Xinghai mentioned were the very group he had encountered on his way here. That flock wasn't particularly strong; the leader was only a thousand-year soul beast, with most being a hundred-year or ten-year level.
But for ordinary people, the prospect of a soul beast attack was far from calming. Many, for safety, returned to their rooms. Those who remained on deck were the boldest passengers.
The Sea Dragon continued sailing for about a quarter of an hour when sharp, slightly hoarse cries suddenly filled the sky. A large area ahead darkened. Looking closely, one could see they were falcon-like soul beasts, each about half a meter long.
Upper body dark brown, lower body pale brownish-white, sharp wings, rounded black tails, and piercing, majestic eyes.
Peregrine falcons, a type of flying soul beast whose speed was not much inferior to the Sharp-Tailed Swift, but far more aggressive.
Seeing such a massive flock of peregrine falcons approaching, the remaining passengers' expressions shifted. For ordinary people, the pressure from this flock was overwhelming.
Fortunately, the Southern Sea Chamber's stewards stood solemnly along the railings, ready for battle, which slightly reassured them.
The densely packed peregrine falcons dove from all directions toward the passengers on deck. However, only Ruan Xinghai acted. With a light tap of his foot on the lookout platform, he mysteriously hovered above the Sea Dragon.
Then, a series of cracking sounds rang from his body. Everyone present saw eight thunderous lights surge from his back, forming spider-like, long legs.
Two yellow, two purple, two black, six optimally matched soul rings displayed his power.
"Thunder Spider?" Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi also looked up. Their position was closest to Ruan Xinghai.
Blue electric light danced along the eight spider legs formed entirely of condensed lightning behind Ruan Xinghai, violent thunder attribute energy madly converging toward his body.
For some unknown reason, Ruan Xinghai suddenly felt a palpitation of danger. He instinctively turned to glance in the direction of Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi.
It was this brief delay that allowed the peregrine falcons to draw near. He quickly refocused, not daring to be careless. His fourth soul ring shone as he raised both hands toward the sky.
Circles of blue lightning were released from his palms, rapidly spreading outward in a net-like pattern. In an instant, a blue electric net over two hundred meters in diameter formed, protecting the Sea Dragon.
Each peregrine falcon that touched the net instantly turned charred black, powerlessly plummeting downward.
Though this flock's cultivation wasn't high, their instinct for danger remained sharp. The sudden change halted them, and large groups retreated in fear.
The first crisis of the voyage was thus resolved. Thunderous cheers erupted on deck.
The stronger Ruan Xinghai proved to be, the safer their journey felt.
In fact, Ruan Xinghai had done this precisely to reassure the passengers.
After retracting his martial soul, he landed back on the lookout platform, but couldn't help turning once more, his gaze deep as he looked toward Xu Zihuang.
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