âI have to say it like it is, right?â Zu An chuckled and said, âI actually slipped up right from the beginning. Fortunately, yesterdayâs events managed to dispel his misgivings.â
Then, he shared how his inquiry about Shang Liuyuâs whereabouts toward the high officials had drawn Ka Qierâs suspicion, and that was why he'd used the Desires Unleashed Dew to test him.
Shang Hongyuâs eyes widened when she heard everything. After a moment of silence, she mumbled, âWhy am I the only one who gets hurt...â
âWhat do you mean, hurt? I made sure to treat you along the way last night. Your injuries should already be pretty much healed,â Zu An teased.
âYou...!â Shang Hongyuâs face was so red that smoke seemed about to come out of the top of her head.
Normally, with her outwardly gentle but inwardly passionate personality, she wouldnât have gotten this embarrassed. She already finished her mental preparations beforehand, and she also had positive feelings toward him. However, that didnât mean that she could withstand the brutal intensity of last night! All of her aloofness and pride were completely shattered by this guy, and even the shape inside her...
There had been several times when she even lost consciousness, but then when she woke up, she had been met with more waves and waves of pounding. She hadn't been able to keep herself from crying several times; however, that wasnât from pain, but rather from a sort of ecstasy and release.
Shang Hongyu had never felt so weak before, as if she was just his toy. If he wanted her to live, sheâd live; if he wanted her to die, sheâd die. She knew fully well that after last night, she would never forget this man for the rest of her life, or even ten lives if she could live for that long. She had already completely taken on his shape.
Sniff... How humiliating...
Even so, she was the Ocean races' queen and had her fair share of experiences. She was a mature woman. She did her best to calm down and try to regain the upper hand like before. âI finally understand why your cultivation is so high. It was actually because of your transcendent aptitude. You're probably the only one with this quality in the entire world.â
The effects of that weird technique were one thing, but the blood essence of the transcendent aptitude was incredibly nourishing. Last nightâs experience had brought her benefits equivalent to many years of cultivation.
No wonder there are so many women who are infatuated with him. Hmph, theyâre all vixens who just want his body.
Zu An chuckled and didnât bother explaining. Even though transcendent aptitude blood constitution was useful, the reason why he had been able to reach his current state was because he'd always skirted the brink of death. That was how he'd continued to advance and improve.
After holding her in his arms for a while, Zu An asked, âBy the way, does Shang Liuyu have some kind of crown? The type that can open the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons?â
When she heard what he said, Shang Hongyu gritted her teeth. âWhat other crown can it be? Of course itâs the Dragon Kingâs crown, the symbol of authority and prestige for the Ocean races' ruler, the greatest emblem of successive generations of Dragon Kings. It's only ever brought out during the ascension to the throne, weddings, and rare ceremonial offerings.â
âCeremonial offerings...â Zu An thought, No wonder the crown is needed to open the Tomb of Ten Thousand Kings. He asked curiously, âWhy would this crown be in Shang Liuyuâs hands?â
âItâs obvious if you think about it. The Dragon King definitely wanted my little sister. And with her personality, thereâs no way she would accept any of his gifts. That was why he proposed for her to help him safeguard the crown. With that, little sis couldn't refuse him,â Shang Hongyu said with a sneer. âBut with that excuse, he could frequently seek out my little sister with a proper pretext.â
Zu An was speechless. At first, he had felt a bit of sympathy for the Dragon King, but now, it seemed the latter had it all coming.
âI didnât expect you to have already earned all of their trust so quickly. I really do have a whole different outlook toward you,â Shang Hongyu said with a moved tone. They had even been able to obtain such crucial information! This was far more than what she'd been expecting.
Zu Anâs expression became a bit strange as he said, âThatâs not all. Ka Qier wanted me to impersonate the real Dragon King.â
Shang Hongyu replied in confusion, âIsnât that what youâre doing right now?â
âYou donât understand what Iâm trying to say...â Zu An then explained Ka Qierâs plan to her.
When she heard what he said, Shang Hongyuâs expression became strange. A while later, she sighed and remarked, âEven something like this can happen?â
At first, she'd thought that their impersonation would be full of danger, that if they were even a bit careless, they would be exposed. The things that had happened yesterday only further fueled her suspicions, causing her to have no choice but to âsacrificeâ her purity to dispel the enemyâs doubts. And yet after that night, their situation had actually improved this much?
The enemy wanted Zu An to impersonate the real Dragon King. That meant even if they did make a mistake, the enemy would just think it was because of their own plan. They wouldnât suspect Zu An at all.
âI didnât expect you to be so straightforward with your thinking. The one thing Ka Qier is still a bit worried about is if youâve been completely... tamed. Thatâs why he urged me to do some overtime.â Zu Anâs smile became a bit evil.
Shang Hongyuâs face heated up. She lightly hit his shoulder and mumbled quietly, âWhether or not Iâve been... You already know.â
Zu An laughed, then pulled her close and gave her a kiss. Shang Hongyu moaned and her body immediately softened up.
A while later, however, she could sense changes happening to Zu Anâs body. She was shocked and quickly stopped him. âI really canât anymore! I still havenât recovered from last night yet!â
âI see...â Zu An was a bit disappointed, but he knew that they had gone quite wild last night, so he didnât force it. âAlright, Iâll sleep here for a while to fool Ka Qier.â
Shang Hongyuâs eyes moved around, and she suddenly leaned against him before asking, âShould I help you?â
âHow are you going to help?â Zu An asked, stunned.
The two suddenly felt a mysterious sense of familiarity. The two of them had shared similar words on the ship before, but both of them had known they were just teasing each other and werenât actually going to do it.
But now, Shang Hongyu bit her red lip and her eyes shone brightly. She asked, âHow do you want me to help?â
Zu An stared into her eyes, then shifted his gaze downward and said, âAs long as itâs not with your hands.â
âYouâre so bad~â Shang Hongyu pouted playfully, but she still moved her hair behind her ear and slowly bent down.
Zu An sat on the white jade bed that represented the highest authority of the Ocean races and watched as the stunning Mermaid Queen gently serviced him. In that moment, he felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
...
After some time passed, Zu An took Shang Hongyu to the prisons to check on Shang Liuyu.
Ka Qier thought at first that he was rushing things a bit, but when he saw Shang Hongyu lean against the 'fake Dragon King' bashfully and the faint swelling of her lips, he couldn't help but secretly give Zu An a big thumbs up.
This guy is even more amazing than I thought! The Mermaid Queen is pressing up against him like this and she even helped him that way; sheâs clearly already been completely subdued!
Is this kind of stuff really that effective?
He had once looked down on such things a lot and just felt that they would get in the way of more important matters. But now, he was starting to change his opinion.
Subsequently, he took the two down to a secret courtyard in a remote corner of the Dragon Palace. Even though it wasnât a prison, the security was even tighter than that of a prison. There were elite soldiers along the way and many defensive formations. It was almost impossible to sneak in silently.
âThese guards all look really unfamiliar. Theyâre definitely not the original Dragon Palace guards,â Shang Hongyu secretly said to Zu An.
Zu An nodded. The enemy had definitely used their most trusted people for such vital positions.
When the guards outside the courtyard saw Zu An and Ka Qier, they let them in after a bow. The group entered the courtyard.
Suddenly, the air was filled with a drawn-out and distant song; its sound was filled with natural beauty, and yet carried a hint of forlorn sadness.