Chapter 326: First, the Bridal Chamber

The waves were surging, the tide rolling.

Under the reflection of the thick, dark clouds overhead, the entire sea surface became gloomy, oppressive, deep, and terrifying.

A dilapidated large ship was sailing, tossing and turning on the sea.

On the mast wrapped in thick ropes, a flag imprinted with a blood-red skull was fluttering in the wind, snapping loudly.

Fierce waves leaped up continuously, almost submerging the scarred bow of the ship.

Seawater splashed onto the deck and then flowed away.

This was the most notorious pirate ship in the Wuming Sea, and the captain was a red-haired old man with two sharp claws and a handsome face.

No one knew his real name, but his nickname was known to everyone in this sea area.

Everyone called him "Red Bird" because he had a pair of red wings that allowed him to escape to safety every time he was in a critical situation.

His skin was covered in red hair and full of wrinkles, but his face was smooth and delicate, like that of a young man; he also had a pair of deep blue eyes like sapphires. If one did not look at his aged features elsewhere, he was absolutely a very handsome and infinitely charming young man.

It was rumored that he was a traitor who had escaped from the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.

His Red Skull Ship had always been elusive and rarely seen in the daytime, but today, he had received a job to pass through the Nine Islands Kingdom and head to Wanyao Cheng.

Although very reluctant, he could not refuse this job.

Because he owed the other party's ancestor a favor.

The further they went, the darker the sky became and the higher the waves rose; the entire large ship rose and fell as if jumping in the giant waves, and if one were not careful, it would plunge headlong into the abyss of the tide below and be swallowed up completely.

At the railing on the right side of the deck stood two slender figures.

One black, one white.

Even though the wind and waves were monstrous, the seawater was splashing, and the bow of the ship was appearing and disappearing in the tide, they still stood there motionless, as if they were completely unafraid of the roaring tidal beast before them.

"The area ahead should be the Jiudao Haiyu, if I remember correctly..."

The black figure looked at the rising and falling sea in the distance and said in a calm voice.

The splashing seawater rushed toward her, but at a distance of only one foot from her, it instantly condensed into water vapor, as if a thin gauze garment were draped over her body.

The white figure was silent for a long time before opening her mouth to say, "Why would he help us?"

The black figure did not know what she had recalled, but a ripple stirred in her scarlet pupils as she said, "His family's ancestral motto was once: repay kindness when received, and settle grudges when encountered. Our ancestor once saved him and his master."

The white figure said, "Is he also from the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons?"

The black figure did not answer; she turned her head to look at her flawless face and said, "What? Are you interested in him? Or is it that you have a use for him?"

The white figure looked into the distance and said indifferently, "Just asking casually."

The black figure's expression remained calm; she stared at her for a long time and said, "He will only help me this once."

The white figure did not speak again, and her gaze, which had been looking into the distance, suddenly shifted.

"Have we arrived?"

The black figure's gaze also looked over.

Without knowing when, the sea surface suddenly became quiet.

The originally surging and roaring waves seemed to have been pressed by a pause button by some invisible force; the sound of the tide was drained away, leaving only the mournful wailing of the mast as it trembled slightly.

The two people's gazes crossed the thick fog and looked toward the furthest point.

They saw that between the sea and sky in the distance, nine shadowy giant islands stood silently and eerily under the black clouds, like the bones of ancient gods rising from the seabed.

The thick fog did not completely block the view but flowed like a living thing, twisting, tearing, and aggregating into layered shapes.

For a moment, the people on the ship thought they saw twisted towers standing on the islands, floating whale-bone bridges, waterfalls with water flowing backward, and a Royal Palace that seemed to be woven from coral and steel, hanging in the air as if it would never sink.

The sea breeze no longer felt like a sea breeze but like an ancient whisper, coming from under the water, drifting out from the depths, like a heartbeat, like crying, like a summons that had been suppressed for too long.

The sky was strangely low, and the dark clouds obscured the light like a tattered curtain, with the entire sea area glowing with a ghostly, greenish-black light.

Suddenly, a light flashed—it was a strange fluorescence emitted from somewhere on the islands, blue enough to make one's heart palpitate, as if some giant eye were staring at the visitors on the sea.

A commotion broke out on the ship.

Some began to mutter something under their breath, some gripped their amulets until their knuckles turned white, and some grabbed onto things beside them, panic appearing in their eyes.

Only the handsome old man called Red Bird remained sitting there, closing his eyes to rest.

The dilapidated large ship did not fear; it stared quietly at the black sea area that was about to swallow it, still rising and falling, rocking and swaying, as it sped toward that place.

"Clang... clang..."

The lantern hanging at the entrance of Yaohua Palace rang in the cold wind all night.

The next day.

Before the sky was even bright, the sound of firecrackers could already be heard within Lin'an City.

Unknowingly, the Little New Year had arrived.

A luxurious carriage drove out from the Royal Palace; as it crossed the moat, the curtain was lifted, and Luo Zijun revealed that handsome face of his, which was somewhat tired yet seemed to be still wanting more.

The cold wind of the morning blew, making him feel refreshed all over.

It was too warm inside the palace—so warm, in fact, that after an afternoon and an entire night, it had become a bit too hot.

The Queen said she would send him away after the New Year.

Hopefully, this time, she was not lying to him.

He was, of course, clear about the Queen's conspiracy; she wanted to use soft jade and fragrant warmth to wear down his will, crush his desire to leave, and make him reluctant to depart.

But, how could that be possible?