Chapter 2122: Turns Out He Was Scum

“I didn’t know who you were back then.” Zu An chuckled in embarrassment.

“You didn’t know who a woman was, and yet you were willing to embrace her just like that? Now that I’m someone you know, you can’t hug me anymore, is that right?” Shang Hongyu glared at him. When she saw the awkward look on his face, she couldn't help but giggle. “You’re overthinking things. The reason why I'm telling you to hold my waist is because what we just practiced is the etiquette when the Dragon King and I are in public. What we're doing now is for normal dance parties or other casual settings. After all, in everyone else’s eyes, we're deeply in love.”

Zu An keenly sensed the strangeness in her words and asked, “In everyone else’s eyes?”

Shang Hongyu sighed. “In the past, I only married the Dragon King because of the marriage tradition between our two races. Meanwhile, the Dragon King is a willful and perverted guy. He doesn’t spend much time in the palace and instead goes hunting all over the place. Tell me, how great can our affection for each other be?”

Zu An asked in confusion, “If the Dragon King is perverted and you're so pretty, why does he still run around all over the place?”

“Don’t you men all love a feeling of freshness?” Shang Hongyu gave him a resentful look.

Zu An was speechless. He didn’t know how to continue the conversation now.

Shang Hongyu continued, “Actually, it's also because the Dragon King’s preferences are a bit different...”

When he saw her clenched teeth, Zu An was suddenly interested in the drama and quickly asked, “Different?”

Shang Hongyu was really bothered beyond endurance and could only reply, “These are things that I shouldn’t tell others, but the current situation is special. Whatever, since you're going to pretend to be him, then you should know about this. Otherwise, you might end up being exposed.

“He loves to pretend to be an ordinary person, and fool around with married women of different races.”

Zu An was stunned. When he first saw him above the human capital’s skies, the Dragon King had looked decent and upright, and yet he was actually this kind of scum?

Shang Hongyu felt rather humiliated and ashamed, saying, “He likes the feeling of leading good people astray, and then he enjoys watching them struggle between the brink of morality and desire. Actually, he has already destroyed the households of many nobles and ministers. I'll tell you about these subjects too, or else it’ll be bad if you encounter them and act suspiciously.”

Zu An was bewildered. He asked, “He even touches the families of his own important subjects? Then wouldn’t they work together to overthrow him?”

“Why would they want to overthrow him?” Shang Hongyu asked in confusion. “This is a kind of honor for those ministers’ families. In particular, if they're able to give birth to the Dragon King’s progeny, that's even more amazing. Regardless of whether the illegitimate child is recognized by the Dragon race, it serves as a great help to those ministers’ families.”

Zu An was speechless. He felt as if he had heard too many shocking things here today. Wasn’t this just a bit too ridiculous?

Shang Hongyu seemed to have thought of something. She said with a smile, “Comparatively speaking, our Ocean races’ social customs are even more open than those of the Fiend races. We are indeed quite different from the human race’s viewpoint.”

Zu An thought to himself,

What do you mean quite different? It’s completely opposite!

Shang Hongyu continued, “Whether it's for the sake of the entire Ocean races or for the sake of stabilizing the Dragon Palace’s power, both the Dragon King and I must express that we are in love. That way, it can prevent certain individuals from having unrealistic fantasies.”

“Are you talking about some women who want to take your position?” Zu An asked, surprised.

“It isn’t just women; it's also some men,” Shang Hongyu said.

Zu An’s eyes immediately widened.

When she saw his expression, Shang Hongyu knew right away that he had misunderstood. She said in annoyance, “It’s not what you're thinking. After those ministers learned of the Dragon King’s strange fetish, they deliberately chose beautiful women as their wives. Then, they would use all kinds of tricks to send this information to the Dragon King and wait for the Dragon King to come over and steal them. Later, they would try to promote these women to higher positions, which would bring their own clans glory and authority. If no one kept these things under control, wouldn’t the Dragon Palace become a complete mess?”

Zu An chuckled in self-mockery. At the very least, this aspect was pretty similar between the humans and the Ocean races. Even his previous world had a lot of similar situations.

“Enough already. These are all secrets kept between us as husband and wife, and yet you already know everything,” Shang Hongyu protested playfully. “You’re asking so many questions. Are you going to hug me or not?”

“Of course, I’ll do it.” Zu An was feeling a bit depressed as well. Why was this kind of feeling so strange? It was almost as if their roles were a bit swapped.

He reached over, but when he was about to touch her, his arm suddenly stopped. However, he quickly collected his thoughts. This was just a performance. He was, after all, someone who had gone through all kinds of dangerous and terrifying situations. He quickly calmed himself down and held her waist naturally. Even though this wasn’t the first time he'd done so, the sensation really was unique. He wondered if it was because of the Mermaid race’s unique talent, but her waist really was soft and slim. He could feel the astonishing flexibility and smoothness through her clothes.

Shang Hongyu blushed. Zu An's hand was hot like a blazing sun, making her entire body feel warm and comfortable. Her heart rate couldn't help but speed up too. Even so, she reacted quickly as well. She calmly gave him instructions. “Your hand shouldn’t be so rigid; be a bit more natural. Yeah, and move it a bit higher.”

As she spoke, she guided his hand to the correct position. Compared to her soft and delicate skin, Zu An’s hand was clearly rougher, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Rather, their skin seemed to share an indescribable affinity. As his hand moved, she suddenly felt her legs grow a bit weak.

“What’s wrong?” When he saw that she was acting a little strangely, Zu An was a bit worried. He asked, “Did your injuries flare up again?”

“I’m fine.” Shang Hongyu took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Thank goodness I have my injuries as an excuse. Otherwise, it really would be way too embarrassing...

She was someone of distinguished status, after all. After reminding herself of her mission, she quickly readjusted her mood. She began to seriously guide him.

At first, the two of them tried to find some conversation to ease the awkwardness, but later, they couldn't find any more topics. They could only silently coordinate with each other using their bodies and words.

...

After a long time had passed, even Shang Hongyu’s breathing became a bit heavy. The room was full of an ambiguous mood. She quickly darted to the side, leaving his arms. There was a sweet smile on her face, and there was a mysterious expression in her eyes. She said, “Alright, you are indeed quite sharp. You were able to learn it so well so quickly.”

Zu An sighed, saying, “I'm suddenly feeling a bit of regret. I should’ve learned it all a bit slower.”

Shang Hongyu was alarmed.

If you learned it more slowly, we would have kept holding each other like that...

She immediately glared at Zu An. “Hmph, you even dare to tease your big sister. I can’t wait to see how Liuyu will lecture you later.”

Zu An immediately felt regret after saying that. He really shouldn’t have said that, but he really couldn't control his mouth. After all, he had always been like this, so it was already an instinct engraved into his bones.

The reason why Shang Hongyu had mentioned Shang Liuyu’s name was to remind him of their real relationship. He naturallly wouldn’t develop any feelings in such a short amount of time. However, they were so close to each other, and she had been the Ocean races’ number one beauty. That forbidden identity was also something that would make any normal man feel something different.

Zu An quickly collected his thoughts and coughed lightly, saying, “I’ll be going up to the deck for some fresh air.”

“Okay, I’m going too.” Shang Hongyu was also a bit flustered. She didn’t want to stay in this room, or else she would end up remembering what happened again.

The two both decided to walk to the entrance. Since the room was too narrow, however, they bumped into each other.

Shang Hongyu burst out laughing. “You seem to have forgotten to put your mask back on.”

Look at this guy, he doesn’t seem to be as calm and unbothered as he looks on the surface. Hmph, it wasn’t just me after all.

Zu An replied in annoyance, “Aren’t you the same?”

After this mutual teasing, both of them sensed that their relationship had returned to normal. They chatted with each other while putting on their disguises again.

...

They arrived on the deck. When they saw the moon and stars outside, both of them were surprised. How had time passed so quickly? Had they really stayed that long in the room? With their cultivation, they should have been very aware of how much time passed. Unless, of course, they had been... too immersed just now.

They couldn't help but look at each other and just happened to look into each other’s eyes. Then, they separated awkwardly.

“You must be hungry now, right? Should we head over to the dining hall for some food?” Zu An suggested.

“Alright.” Shang Hongyu nodded.

...

The two of them quickly arrived at the dining hall. Perhaps because the ticket was just too expensive, the meals didn’t require additional expenses.

“It’s actually a buffet?” Zu An exclaimed in surprise.

After seeing how small the rooms were, he hadn't held particularly high expectations for the dining hall. However, the environment was actually much better than he'd imagined. The guests were in groups of twos and threes, and it wasn’t too crowded. Even though there wasn’t as much of a variety as the real buffets of his previous world, the ingredients were fresh. Many of the options had likely been caught from the sea not too long ago.

Zu An was actually missing sashimi quite a bit, so he immediately picked up a few plates of tuna. He turned around excitedly and asked, “What do you want?”

He saw that Shang Hongyu's brows were slightly raised, and that she was staring at the fish meat on his plate.

Zu An realized what kind of race she was from and awkwardly returned the plates of tuna. He picked up some shrimp and steak, saying, “Yup, it’s still shrimp that tastes better.”

Shang Hongyu smiled when she saw his movements. She also picked some shrimp and fruits.

The two sat down by the window to have their meal. Shang Hongyu seemed to be brooding, deep in thought. She asked, “Do you want to drink some alcohol?”

“I’ll pass.” Zu An was alarmed. Alcohol easily confused the mind, so he really was worried that he wouldn't be able to control himself.

Shang Hongyu seemed to have guessed his thoughts. She glared at him, saying, “Even I’m not scared, so what are you scared of?”

With a wave of her hand, a bottle of red wine floated over. She also fetched two wine glasses.

The nearby guests didn’t find it too strange when they saw that. All those who could take this ship to Jadewave Region had high cultivations and were able to fetch objects from a distance.

“Drink a glass with me.” Shang Hongyu poured two cups, and then she lightly touched glasses with him. Then, she drained it in a single gulp.

Zu An was a bit worried, saying, “Your mood doesn’t seem to be the best.”

Shang Hongyu replied with a scowl, “Do you think your mood would be great if you experienced everything I have?”

“Makes sense.” Zu An thought to himself that not too long ago, she had been the glorious and honorable Ocean races' queen, and yet she was now a wanted criminal. More importantly, things didn’t seem good for her husband at all. An imposter had taken the Dragon King’s place, and she had to worry for the Ocean races. She'd been so busy running for her life that she probably hadn’t had time to process these things yet. Now that things calmed down a bit, those thoughts had come rushing into her head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” Zu An said in consolation.

Shang Hongyu rolled her eyes. “The only thing you’re thinking of is how to get the Divine Dragon Immortal Medicine. If these two things aren’t in conflict, you might just help me in passing, but if they weren’t, why would you care about what's happening on my end?”

“Sorry.” Zu An became silent. Saving Qiu Honglei was the most important thing. Compared to her, the Mermaid Queen’s issue did seem...

When she saw his reaction, Shang Hongyu now felt apologetic instead. “The one who should apologize is me. You’ve already helped me a lot. If it weren’t for you, I might already have been done for, so how would I still have the chance to sit here leisurely and have a meal? Also, you’ve returned the hope of getting revenge for me, so I should be thanking you instead of complaining.”

“There's no need for you to constrain your emotions so much. After experiencing so many things, and the future now seeming so bleak, it’s normal for you to feel a bit of unrest,” Zu An said gently. “You're Liuyu’s older sister, so I'll do my best to help you. Even if the two do come into conflict, I'll definitely think of a way to take care of your side.”

Shang Hongyu picked up the wine glass and smiled ambiguously. Looking at her through the wine glass made her beautiful eyes seem even more enchanting. She asked, “What if I hadn't been Liuyu’s big sister? Would you just stand aside and do nothing?”

Zu An smiled and replied, “We are already friends, so how could I ignore my friends?”

“No wonder Liuyu said you were really popular with the ladies on the human side,” Shang Hongyu said, her tone from worry to happiness. “I like your reply. Cheers to that.”

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

When the two touched glasses, however, the entire ship suddenly shook intensely. Countless bowls and plates fell to the floor and shattered, and there were cries of alarm all over the place.

Shang Hongyu was still wounded, so a moment of carelessness resulted in her almost falling over. However, a hand quickly caught her and stabilized her.

“What is going on?”

“Did we strike a reef?”

“But we’re so far from shore! Where would there be a reef out here?”

“Did we run into an iceberg? I read from a human love story that a couple were riding on a luxurious cruise ship when it suddenly hit an iceberg.”

“Do you think you're the male lead or female lead?”

...

Many people began to discuss among themselves in the dining hall. Shang Hongyu’s expression turned extremely grave, however. After all, this ship was specially made to transport all kinds of guests to the Dragon Palace, and to some extent, it was a representation of the Ocean races’ prestige. The material used for the ship was first-class. Not only was it equipped with all sorts of powerful weapons, there were top-tier formations too. Even the seamen had decent cultivations. Those top-tier formations would grant the guests a completely smooth journey even through a storm, and yet the ship was shaking so intensely. How could it be as simple as running into an iceberg?

When she saw Zu An continue eating as if he was completely unbothered, Shang Hongyu was a bit surprised. She asked, “Are you not worried?”

Zu An replied, “Why should I feel worried?”

Shang Hongyu remembered that he was one of the most powerful individuals in the present world. Even if they ran into something, the one who had to worry would be the enemy. When she looked at the calm man before her, she was suddenly a bit absentminded. The Dragon King was normally dignified, but he was lacking in this aspect.

There was a scream, and a massive tentacle smashed through the dining room’s window. It grabbed a fierce-looking guest.

That individual had a murderous aura, and was clearly someone who had seen quite a bit of blood in recent years. He cried out in alarm, but he was a tough and valiant individual. He quickly drew a blade to slash the tentacle, and it erupted with vicious radiance. His cultivation was clearly not low.

However, when the blade landed on the tentacle, there wasn't even the slightest bit of damage. It turned out that the tentacle was covered in a thick layer of mucus. When the blade radiance made contact with the mucus, it dissipated, and only the blade made contact. But because of the strange mucus, it slid off to the side and couldn't inflict any damage on the giant tentacle.

Still, it seemed to cause a bit of pain to the monster. Another tentacle suddenly swept over. The fierce-looking guest wanted to attack again, but he was completely caught by the tentacle. A miserable scream filled the air as he actually melted at a visible rate, eventually turning into a puddle of blood. Then, the tentacle’s suckers seemed to move like mouths as they greedily absorbed the blood. Soon, the fierce-looking man was completely devoured by the tentacle.

“Kraken! It’s the Kraken!”

There were many experienced individuals in the dining hall. The monster’s origins were quickly recognized. Their voices carried despair. All of them ran outside, only leaving behind Zu An and Shang Hongyu, who were still sitting in place.

“Something’s wrong. Why would the Kraken appear here?” Shang Hongyu’s red lips parted slightly. She looked as if she had just heard something completely inconceivable.