Why would Tulingduo appear here?
Much information turned over in his mind, and Soren arrived at a rather vague answer.
She had come for him. Otherwise, given the Tuling family’s status, she had no need to come to this place.
Then, could she recognise him?
She should not be able to. This time, the sorcerer Yaomeng’s disguise for him was a comprehensive and thorough change. His gaze, temperament, hair colour, and even the skin all over his body had greatly changed.
One could say that anyone who was not the closest of kin would be unable to see through him.
Indeed, after looking at Soren for quite a while, Tulingduo shifted her gaze away, then took out a map.
The young master of Yingzhou Island, Haowuyan, opened the map.
Most of the map was sea area, with one large island and a cluster of small islands.
“This large island is Yingzhou Island,” Haowuyan said. “And this cluster of small islands, we call them the Thunder Islands. They are three hundred li from Yingzhou Island, with an area roughly three times that of the Yan Islands. They originally belonged to our Yingzhou Island.”
The young master of Yingzhou Island, Haowuyan, glanced towards Queen Yan and said, “Although our Haoshi Clan has separated from the Yan people, once a Yan person, forever a Yan person. Now that Your Majesty is in difficulty, we are willing to offer the Thunder Islands as a gift to our Yan brothers as a place to rest.”
Queen Yan said, “Please convey to your father that I am deeply grateful for his kindness.”
The young master of Yingzhou Island, Haowuyan, said, “Your Majesty the Queen, originally I wished to marry your daughter, but I did not expect someone to get there first. I would not wish to take what another loves. However, my mother passed away many years ago, and my father has remained alone all this time. And since giving birth to her child, Your Majesty the Queen has had no husband. Our two families were joined by marriage several hundred years ago. Why not continue this bond?”
The moment these words were spoken.
Queen Yan, Soren, and Yan Mo completely changed colour.
This Haowuyan actually wanted Queen Yan to marry Haogang, the Lord of Yingzhou Island, as his wife?
Seeing this, Haowuyan said coldly, “Could it be that my father is unworthy of Your Majesty the Queen? You should know that several hundred years ago, my family was also one of the Yan Kings. It was merely because they did not wish to cause civil war on Yan Island that they voluntarily withdrew from Yan Island and chose another place to settle. Moreover, at that time our Haoshi Clan only took several hundred ships and less than ten thousand people!”
Unexpectedly, the Haoshi Clan of Yingzhou Island had such a history.
Then, Haowuyan said to Yan Mo, “Brother Yan, when our Haoshi Clan withdrew from Yan Island, we were less than ten thousand people, like stray dogs. After landing on Yingzhou Island, we fought for several decades, losing four family heads, before establishing ourselves in Yingzhou. We fought for several more decades before becoming the masters of Yingzhou. Today, our Haoshi Clan possesses two thousand li of territory, millions of subjects, and over one hundred thousand troops. When the Yan Clan expelled my Haoshi Clan back then, could they have imagined there would be a today?”
Queen Yan’s expression turned serious, “Haowuyan, you must not remember incorrectly. Back then, when the Haoshi Clan lost the struggle for kingship, our Yan Clan still appointed the Haoshi Clan head as deputy king. It was merely because the Haoshi Clan was unwilling to submit to others that they took their ships and Yan pirates and left.”
Haowuyan said, “But in merely a hundred short years, our Haoshi Clan has grown more than a hundredfold. A single Thunder Islands under our territory is already several times larger than your Yan Islands. This shows that certain rules of the Yan ancestors should still be changed. Clinging to outdated conventions will lead to a dead end.”
What Haowuyan referred to as clinging to outdated conventions was that the Yan pirates’ sole mission was to live by plundering.
Yan people must live on the Yan Islands and must not set foot on the mainland.
Yan women must borrow seed from the most outstanding men of human kingdoms, and so on.
These rules had forged the Yan pirates’ unique character and strength. But whether these rules were beneficial or harmful was completely unclear.
Queen Yan said, “But even if you have grown powerful, you have been abandoned by the Sea God and are no longer Yan people protected by the Sea God.”
Haowuyan said, “You still revere the Sea God, not daring to change in the slightest. But has the Sea God protected you? No, it has harshly punished you. It has made it so you can no longer live on Yan Island. It has made it so you no longer have a place to settle. That is why you have come begging to our Yingzhou Haoshi Clan, requesting that we grant you a place to settle. And what our Haoshi Clan asks for is merely a marriage alliance. A hundred years ago, your Yan Clan looked down upon our Haoshi Clan like this. Must it still be so today? Is my father truly unworthy of Your Majesty the Queen?”
Hearing this, Soren still did not know what had happened on Yan Island.
Haowuyan repeatedly spoke of the Sea God’s punishment, saying that Yan Island could no longer be inhabited and that all Yan people had lost their places to settle.
Then, Haowuyan said to Yan Mo, “Brother Yan Mo, we are good friends. Listen to my advice. When you inherit the throne, you must make changes. Change certain bad habits and evil old traditions. Otherwise, the Yan people will certainly perish.”
Yan Mo did not speak, but Soren could sense that inwardly, he agreed with Haowuyan.
Then, Haowuyan said to Queen Yan, “I know that you still hold a sliver of hope for the Sea God. You will still hold a grand sacrificial ceremony, hoping the Sea God will show mercy again and allow you to continue surviving. I can wait. I will wait until the results of your sacrifice come out. If by that time the Sea God still shows no mercy and still intends to destroy the vitality of Yan Island, then you must give me an answer. Either ally with us through marriage, in exchange for us granting you the Thunder Islands to settle. Or, you will all die completely on the Yan Islands.”
The Haoshi Clan of Yingzhou Island was dead set on marrying a woman of the Yan Clan.
Since the little princess Yan Xue’er could not marry Haowuyan, then Queen Yan must marry Haogang, the Lord of Yingzhou Island.
Queen Yan took a deep breath and said, “Haowuyan of the Haoshi Clan, rest assured. In three days’ time at my birthday celebration, which will also be the sacrificial ceremony, I will certainly give you an answer.”
Haowuyan bowed and said, “Then we shall wait and see.”
Queen Yan said, “Yan Mo, take our guests to rest. Prepare for my grand ceremony in three days.”
“Yes, Mother Queen.” Yan Mo said.
Then, he led Haowuyan and Haina’er out of the great hall.
…
“My child, the first thing I shall do three days from now is announce your wedding with little Xue’er. Then I will publicly bestow the Queen’s Island fleet upon little Xue’er as dowry.” Queen Yan said, “After the ceremony, you must leave immediately with little Xue’er and the Queen’s Island fleet.”
“What about you?” Soren asked.
Queen Yan said, “I will not marry Haogang. Rest assured, I already have a plan in my heart.”
Soren frowned and said, “Aunt, just what has happened on Yan Island? What has made it so the Yan people can no longer live here?”
Queen Yan said, “My child, what do you think Yan Island most cannot do without?”
Yan Island had almost nothing. No food, no clothing, no salt, and so on. Almost nothing at all.
The Yan Islands had the Sea God, had caves, and an incomparably massive palace. But apart from these, there was nothing. All food, clothing, and supplies had to rely on Yan pirates going out to plunder.
“Water, drinkable fresh water. This is what Yan Island cannot do without.” Soren said, “Other things can all rely on plundering. Only fresh water cannot rely on plundering.”
Queen Yan nodded and said, “Correct. What Yan Island most cannot do without is fresh water. And the Sea God’s blessing to us is also fresh water. Come with me!”
Queen Yan took Soren’s hand and came to the edge of the palace.
Then, she twisted several mechanisms on the throne.
“Rumble rumble rumble…”
A series of loud sounds, and then the palace floor opened into a massive hole, a cavern of several thousand square metres.
Beneath the hole was an unfathomable abyss, as if leading directly to hell.
“My child, the centre of this massive rocky island is hollow. It was originally always filled with fresh water, enough for all Yan people to drink.” Queen Yan said, “When you came up earlier, you should also have seen that beneath this central stone island are countless holes. As long as you remove the blocking stones, fresh water would continuously flow out, seemingly inexhaustible.”
The Queen squatted at the edge of the cave and reached her jade hand down, saying, “Originally, after opening the hidden door, the water level was almost level with the entire palace floor. Yet now…”
She pulled Soren down to look, taking out an incomparably bright and large night pearl.
By the bright light of the night pearl, Soren looked down. He could no longer see any trace of the water level at all.
Queen Yan said, “The water level here drops every day. At most in another month or two, the fresh water here will be depleted. The Sea God is angry and intends to cut off the vitality of us Yan people. Therefore, we have no choice but to seek help from the Yingzhou Haoshi Clan.”
So that was it.
The Yan pirates were powerful and could become overlords of the sea, making all sea forces tremble with fear. But without fresh water, they would still be at a dead end.
“Aunt, how many Yan people are there?” Soren asked.
“Eighty thousand Yan people, of which the old, young, and women make up half, and forty thousand Yan pirates make up the other half.” The Queen shook her head, “My child, you are my husband’s child, so you are also my child. Therefore I will love you, and your elder sister as well. But do not interfere in Yan people’s affairs. You also cannot interfere. The iron rule that Yan people do not go to the mainland cannot be changed by anyone. Moreover, those few small islands in your Tianshui City territory simply cannot accommodate such a large number of Yan people.”
Then, Queen Yan cupped Soren’s face and said, “Most crucially, your elder brother Yan Mo, he is a qualified Yan King, and also destined to be a ferocious Shark King. I cannot let you brothers harm each other. Let him lead the Yan pirates in scheming and fighting, killing and secretly struggling with the Yingzhou Haoshi Clan. Once you make any move to meddle with the Yan people, he will certainly kill you.”
Queen Yan truly had absolute good intentions.
“My child, from your gaze I can tell that you are extremely, extremely intelligent.” Queen Yan said, “But here, you must do nothing. Follow my arrangements, alright?”
“Yes, Aunt.” Soren said.
Queen Yan affectionately kissed the tip of his nose, saying, “I will have little Xue’er move into my palace, and you must also live here. After marrying you two, leave Yan Island immediately. No matter what happens, do not concern yourself.”
“Understood!” Soren said.
“Also, within these three days do not tell little Xue’er your identity. Stay inside the palace and do not step out. Just wait for the wedding to begin in three days.” Queen Yan said, “Then, leave immediately with little Xue’er.”
“Yes, Aunt.” Soren said.
“Good child!” Queen Yan kissed his eyes.
Then, she ordered palace maids to arrange a room inside the palace for the little princess and Soren.
That’s right, one room, for this pair of half siblings to share, because they had to conceal the truth!
The customs of the Yan people were very open. There was simply no rule that they could not live together before marriage.
Moreover, in Yan Mo’s words, the little princess Yan Xue’er had slept with Soren on the very night of the groom selection gathering, and they did it more than three times every day.
These were his exact words. Just now in the palace, he had also whispered extremely vulgar words in Soren’s ear.
“Was our family’s little Xue’er very pleasurable? She is the most beautiful Yan woman. Do not look at how your treasure is now long and robust. In a year’s time it will certainly shrink by half an inch and shorten by two inches. Every Yan woman is a man eating demon. Their lower parts eat meat. Little Xue’er is no exception…”
Queen Yan had heard all these words from the side, but showed no objection whatsoever.
It was evident that the customs here were so crude that Soren could hardly bear it.
Even though he was now Shen Lang, for Yan Mo to speak of his own sister like this was truly speechless.
Of course, the reason he spoke thus was also to completely dispel Haowuyan’s thoughts. His love for his sister Yan Xue’er was genuine. Whether from an emotional or interest perspective, he did not wish for his sister to marry the young master of Yingzhou Island, Haowuyan.
…
Inside the palace room.
Yan Xue’er was filled with anticipation and excitement for the wedding in three days.
But she still had no concept of romantic relations between men and women. She merely liked staying by Soren’s side, because he seemed to have endless stories and was extremely doting towards her.
Of course, Queen Yan was also very doting towards her, and her elder brother Yan Mo was even more doting.
But elder brother Yan Mo was too crude, often saying jokes that people could not bear, and he also could not tell stories. He was not at all as interesting as Shen Lang.
Therefore, she completely did not understand romantic relations, but she was also very happy.
Alone together in the room, she was slightly shy at first, but soon clung to Soren’s side, listening to him tell fanciful stories.
At first she sat to listen, then lay down to listen, then lay on her stomach to listen, changing positions in all sorts of strange ways, finally lying across Soren’s legs to listen.
She was truly like a small child, tranquil yet filled with restlessness.
When evening came!
Yan Xue’er, who had listened to stories for several hours, fell asleep.
Soren gently picked her up and placed her on the bed, covering her with a quilt.
Just then, a figure suddenly flashed past the window, followed by a wisp of fragrance.
Who was this?
“Lord Soren, someone has already recognised you. Would you like me to keep your secret?” Haina’er’s voice came from outside.
Haowuyan’s younger sister, and very likely Ashiluo’s woman.
Soren said, “You have mistaken me for someone else!”
“Although I am to marry Ashiluo, after the age of sixteen I swore to sleep with all the world’s most outstandingly handsome men.” Haina’er said, “I have already slept with Fang Qingshu and Ashiluo. Now it is your turn. As long as you satisfy me, I guarantee I will not expose you. How about it?”
With that, outside the window, she directly let her scant clothing slip off, revealing an incomparably devilish curve of a delicate body.
“Right outside the window, right atop the palace great hall, sleeping with Ashiluo’s woman, putting a green hat on him, do you not find it thrilling?” Haina’er’s voice was filled with infinite allure.
Then, her devilish delicate body danced outside, like a beautiful serpent, filled with infinite allure.
And at this very moment, outside the Tianshui City Lord’s manor.
Under the night sky, Ashiluo gazed at the manor walls.
The strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain had finally drawn Sword Venerable Bixiao several thousand li away. Now the City Lord’s manor was completely like a place with no one in it, as far as Ashiluo was concerned.
Originally, he did not have such urgent desire for Suo Ningbing. But failing to sleep with her time and again had instead given him an obsession.
Tonight, he would enter the City Lord’s manor. He would ravish Suo Ningbing again and again on Soren’s bed.
Closing his eyes, he could no longer sense that terrifying energy aura of Sword Venerable Bixiao.
“Soren, after I am done with your elder sister, I will discuss the experience with you.” Ashiluo smiled.
Then with a light tap of his foot, his body drifted into the City Lord’s manor like a paper kite.
At the same time, Princess Zhiyan, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened her beautiful eyes.