Zu An was startled when he heard the music; it was the sound of an ocarina. Only someone like Shang Liuyu could perform with such great technique and emotion.
Sure enough, after he passed through a coral forest, everything in front of him suddenly opened up. There, a beautiful woman sat by a windowsill. Her blue dress was woven from Darklight Cyan Beast scales and Rainbow Frost Silkworm silk, which were extremely precious materials used by the Ocean races, and it was decorated with beautiful coral that had sparkling pearls embedded within. Despite that, she looked extremely simple and elegant, as if her very existence was detached from the mortal world.
What drew even more attention were her fair and beautiful feet. She was clearly bare-footed, and yet her soles were completely untainted by any dirt. It was as if the worldâs finest essence had gathered to form their perfect curves. Those small and delicate feet were exceptionally elegant.
For some reason, the word âfrozen treatâ suddenly appeared in Zu Anâs mind.
Could this be a talent of the Mermaid race? They clearly werenât born with feet, but once they turned into human form, their feet were always extremely beautiful. Shang Hongyu's were no exception; Zu An had already played around with her all night. But Shang Liuyuâs feet were even more beautiful, as if they were the worldâs most perfect work of art.
Just then, the music came to an abrupt stop. Shang Liuyu had clearly noticed their arrival. As if sensing Zu Anâs gaze, she reflexively bent her knees and pulled her feet into her dress. A hint of disgust also flickered through her beautiful eyes.
âYou can give up on your schemes. I wonât tell you where the crown is,â Shang Liuyu said indifferently. Even though she was quite displeased and disgusted, her voice was still graceful and beautiful.
Ka Qier said with a smile, âThe third princess is overthinking things. The Dragon King and Mermaid Queen came to pay you a visit.â
When she heard the first half, Shang Liuyuâs expression didnât change at all, but when she heard about her older sister, she reflexively sat up straighter.
Shang Hongyu stepped out from behind Zu An. The moment she saw her sister, her eyes immediately reddened. She said, âMy dear little sis, youâve really sufferedâ¦â
âBig sis!â Shang Liuyuâs calm expression also changed a bit. A layer of watery mist covered her eyes as the two sisters quickly hugged each other.
âBig sis, you were also caught by these guys?â Shang Liuyu asked with concern as she helped her older sister wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
However, there was actually no need to ask this question at all, because the current situation was already clear enough.
Sure enough, Ka Qier said, âThe queen has agreed to cooperate with us. The princess should abandon your incorrect ways and change as well.â
âWhat do you mean, 'incorrect ways'?â Shang Liuyu said with a sneer.
Ka Qierâs expression changed. âYou'd better wake up to reality! If not out of respect for the Dragon King and Mermaid Queen, do you think you would be allowed to leisurely play your instrument here like this?â
Shang Liuyu completely ignored Zu An and held Shang Hongyuâs hand instead. âBig sister, youâve really had it hard.â
She figured that all the comfort she'd enjoyed was due to the work of her older sister. She had no idea just how great of a price Shang Hongyu would have had to pay in such a terrible situation.
Shang Hongyu shook her head slightly. âIt wasnât hard, not at all.â In reality, what she was saying was the truth. To be honest, with Zu An here, she really hadnât suffered at all, and had instead experienced a ton of joy.
But to Shang Liuyu, it only made her think that her big sister had suffered even more, and yet was forcing herself to say otherwise so that she wouldnât worry. She immediately felt grieved and broken-hearted. Her eyes also brimmed with tears.
Shang Hongyu turned around and said to Zu An and Ka Qier, âI wish to talk to my little sister alone.â
Ka Qier harrumphed. âItâs all the same if you say it right now.â He clearly didnât agree to the thought of letting the two stay together alone.
Just then, Zu An spoke up and said, âThese sisters have finally reunited and must have a lot of private things to say to each other. Let them spend some time talking to each other, and then we can talk about more important matters.
Ka Qier hesitated, but then he reluctantly agreed. âFine. Since thatâs what the Dragon King said, then you two can stay together for a bit.â
Shang Liuyu sneered. She clearly didnât believe him when he called Zu An the Dragon King.
Ka Qier frowned. He walked outside the courtyard with Zu An and said quietly, âThe effects donât seem to be that great.â
All of this had been a deliberate act between him and Zu An, but Shang Liuyu didnât seem too convinced.
Zu An smiled. âDonât panic, all of this is just preparation for Shang Liuyu to later suddenly realize that I've actually been secretly helping her.â
Ka Qier nodded. âRight. I guess I was being a bit too impatient. Weâll now have to see if the queen can convince the third princess.â
Then, his divine sense immediately expanded to cover the entire courtyard. Every word and action of the people inside was within his detection. That was part of the reason why he had been willing to exit. The two inside probably had no idea that his real strength was this great, giving him the perfect chance to check if they were still hiding things from him.
Shang Hongyu held her little sisterâs hand as they went into the inner room. Shang Liuyu suddenly asked curiously, âBig sister, why is your mouth swollen? Your voice also seems to be a bit rough.â
Outside, Ka Qier couldn't help but give Zu An a look. His expression was a bit strange as he gave him a thumbs up.
Zu An chuckled as if he was proud of himself, but he was actually extremely embarrassed inside.
The guilty-hearted Shang Hongyu was worried that her little sister would continue to ask about that, so she anxiously helped Shang Liuyu comb her hair while changing the topic. âLIttle sis, you werenât hurt, were you?â
âI wasnât. Itâs only been a few days since I was captured. At first, that fake Dragon King planned to interrogate me, but then a messenger arrived, and after hearing the message, he left in a hurry; he was most likely held up by something. He hasnât had the chance to do anything to me yet,â Shang Liuyu said calmly, as if such dangers were completely unrelated to her.
âI think I know the reason whyâ¦â Shang Hongyu was about to say something when she stopped and asked, âRight, how were you captured?â
âA few days ago, I was wandering around in search of ancient songs when I suddenly heard about your arrest order,â Shang Liuyu replied. âEven though your relationship with brother-in-law isnât all that great, you still treated each other with great respect as husband and wife, and yet things actually got so out of control. That had to mean something huge had happened for things to have reached that state.
âThe conclusion I came to was that it wasnât something wrong with you, but rather brother-in-law. The one who was forced to run away as a fugitive was you, which meant something definitely had to be wrong with the Dragon King. That was why I chose not to return to the Dragon Palace.â
When she heard her sister's calm analysis, Shang Hongyu said with a sigh of admiration, âAs expected of you.â Her little sister was, as always, cool-headed and reliable.
Shang Liuyu suddenly said with a chuckle, âEveryone in the Ocean races was wondering what happened to you, and some of those rumors were quite ridiculous. They actually said that brother-in-law walked in on you cheating with Zu An, so that was why he went after the two of you furiously.â That was the only thing she'd heard recently that made her laugh.
âThose peopleâs imaginations really are wild, but their conclusion really does at least make some sense.â Shang Hongyu chuckled in embarrassment. Perhaps that had really just been a joke before, but after what happened last night, the rumors had become the truth!
Sigh, I donât even know how to tell little sis about this in the future.
âIt's mainly because Ah Zuâs reputation is really too poor and he really would do something like that. But I know big sis is definitely not someone who would do something like that, let alone the fact that youâve never even met each other.â Shang Liuyuâs expression became much more lively when she mentioned Zu An.
Shang Hongyu was speechless. She was now even more embarrassed. If everything was exposed in the future, wouldnât she end up experiencing complete social suicide?