Chapter 16: Boarding the Pirate Ship

“I don’t believe it!” Ye Xiaoxuan was so regretful he could have turned green with envy at himself. Why had his mind gone so blank just now? “Call her back and kiss her again—no, I mean, give her artificial respiration again!”

The beautiful woman couldn’t even be bothered to respond, her tone turning slightly impatient. “If you’re fine, then hurry up and go. Your brother’s already getting anxious waiting for you!”

Ye Xiaoxuan felt too embarrassed to remain lying on the ground. He sat up awkwardly, gave her a brief nod, and headed out.

This stunning woman had said she’d been rescued by the little beauty. So the mermaid he’d been holding underwater must have been the girl called Little Fish? What a stroke of luck! He’d touched every inch of that girl’s body! No wonder she’d slapped him after bringing him back to life!

But wait! Ye Xiaoxuan suddenly remembered something that seemed increasingly off the more he thought about it. He stopped and turned around, saying, “Something doesn’t feel right… It’s like the whole reason I came here tonight was just for you to kick me into the lake, then fish me out and leave. Was that it?”

Looking up, he found the woman had already vanished. Like a great bird fleeing from pursuit, she’d sped away, not daring to linger another second.

When he got back outside the camp, Ye Dajun was already impatiently waiting. As soon as he spotted his cousin from a distance, he called out with a frown, “What took you so long? I was about to die of worry! I’m telling you, I’m quitting this job. I’m not doing it anymore!”

Ye Xiaoxuan asked in confusion, “You’re quitting? Why? Why didn’t you wait for me to come out and discuss it?”

Captain Zhao, who stood nearby with a troubled look, also chimed in, “Exactly, I’ve been trying to talk your brother out of it for ages now. At least discuss it first.”

Ye Dajun snapped, “Discuss what? You never mentioned this afternoon that we’d be going to Xiangsha Island!”

Ye Xiaoxuan frowned and asked Captain Zhao, “You’re looking for Xiangsha Island? Are you going during the day or at night?”

Captain Zhao hesitated. “At night… We have advanced fishing boats and experienced sailors. We can navigate the open sea, let alone a little place like this Great Immortal Lake. What’s there to be afraid of? All we need is for you to take us to Xiangsha Island, and you’ll get six or seven hundred yuan. What’s so scary about that?”

Ye Xiaoxuan waved him off. “It’s not about the money! Now I understand why that bastard Chen Jiatang was so eager to hand this job to us brothers. Damn it, it’s a trap after all!”

Captain Zhao was annoyed. “I didn’t expect you both to be so cowardly. Even with so many people, you still won’t go out on the boat with me? Fine, you can go. We’ll find someone else.”

Ye Dajun shouted back, “Find whoever you want! Not just in Reed Village, but in all of Zhuangyuan Township, you won’t find anyone willing to go to Xiangsha Island at night! You shouldn’t go either—it’s deadly!”

“Stop right there, you two!” They hadn’t even reached the village when two angry voices shouted behind them. In the next instant, two figures leaped out, blocking the brothers’ path.

Ye Xiaoxuan’s eyes lit up as he stared at the two women—one tall, one short. Their graceful figures were only outlined by the night, which made their alluring shapes even more captivating.

Ye Dajun gruffly demanded, “What do you want? We haven’t taken a cent, and our cooperation hasn’t started yet. We can back out at any time!”

Hua Lingluo smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, we’re not trying to keep you. We just want to ask—if it’s only to take us to the island, will you go?”

Ye Xiaoxuan immediately dropped his playful demeanor and said seriously, “Do you know why we won’t take you?”

Little Fish snorted from the side. “Because you’re scared of dying! And you call yourselves men—what a pair of cowards!”

Ye Dajun exploded. He had no patience for sparing a lady’s feelings. Pointing at Little Fish, he cursed, “If you weren’t just a slip of a girl, I’d hit you just for saying that!”

Little Fish jumped up at once, slapping his arm away and puffing out her chest as she glared at him. “I’m standing right here! If you’ve got the guts, slap me!”

Captain Zhao stepped in front of Little Fish and snapped at Ye Dajun, “Don’t you dare be rough with a woman, or you’ll answer to me!”

Little Fish yanked his arm aside, stepping back in front of Ye Dajun. “I don’t need you meddling in my business!”

What a mess! Ye Xiaoxuan rolled his eyes and immediately picked up on Captain Zhao’s inappropriate intentions. The man had to be at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and yet he had the nerve to fancy a girl barely out of her teens!

Shameless! With a beauty like Little Fish, it should be someone like me—young, handsome, dashing, and talented. That would be a match worthy of her, not some balding old man!

Ye Xiaoxuan disdainfully pulled Captain Zhao aside and took his place between Ye Dajun and Little Fish.

He tugged his cousin’s arm, scolding him quietly, “What are you arguing with a woman for?”

Little Fish, urged by Hua Lingluo, glared fiercely at Ye Xiaoxuan and gave a heavy snort.

Ye Xiaoxuan felt deeply wronged. Why snort at me? It’s not like I made you do it. Go snort at someone else if you dare. Hmph!

Hua Lingluo pointed to a nearby earthen cliff and asked Ye Xiaoxuan, “Shall we go sit there for a bit?” Ye Dajun was about to refuse, but Ye Xiaoxuan, not wanting to lose this chance to be with a beautiful woman, tugged him secretly and nodded, “Alright, I know that place well…” How could he not, when he’d taken Jiaran there at least three or four times a week!

Captain Zhao, looking awkward, wanted to follow, but Hua Lingluo turned and said, “Old Zhao, don’t come along. These two brothers won’t be any trouble for us.”

Listen to that—the implication was clear: it’s not that they won’t cause trouble, but rather that they’re both so useless, there’s no way they could trouble us women.

Captain Zhao glanced at the brothers and nodded readily. Ye Xiaoxuan fumed inwardly, vowing that one day, these two beauties would learn just how serious the consequences of underestimating him could be!

Seated atop the earthen cliff, Hua Lingluo gazed out at the mist-shrouded waters below and asked curiously, “There doesn’t seem to be anything special about this lake. Why are you both so afraid of it?”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s eyes darted as he gave her a sly grin. “Beautiful lady, don’t tease me! If you didn’t know about the Great Immortal Lake, why would you come here for archaeology and research?”

“That’s not for us to know. We just follow orders!” Little Fish protested heatedly, glaring at Ye Xiaoxuan. “Don’t make us out to be some sort of crooks luring you onto a pirate ship!”