Chapter 85 - Will you live that long enough?

Most men on the ship are dozing quietly. Nobody has noticed the woman who walks silently as if she owns the darkness. The sharp wind plays with the strands of her hair. She looks down at the dark sea with her empty eyes. The moonlight isn't enough to take away the darkness of the sea.

"Are you in there?" She asks the wind with a cynical voice. "If I jump, will you reappear?"

The dark sea doesn't answer her back. The moonlight seems to be repelled by her loneliness. A pleasant smile appears her lips. "I am tired of waiting."

A hand grabs the back of her collar and yanks her on the floor before she could jump. Lu Weixue glowers at her darkly. The woman is insane. She doesn't understand the value of life at all. Ironically, he finds himself furious enough to want to kill her.

The woman doesn't cry. She looks up at him with her same empty eyes. "What do you want from me?"

By then, a few men are awakened because of the commotion. A man comes forward. "What's going on here?"

"None of your business." He grabs the back of her neck and pulls her along with him. He shoves her inside the cabin roughly and closes the door. Mo Wei doesn't make any sound. She silently watches him with a hint of annoyance.

"You asked what I want from you." He walks closer to her. "Then, I will tell you."

She isn't intimated. "Speak."

"I looked for that damned treasure for a long time. I ended up with you. So..." He glares at her. "You are going to be my slave. Your life doesn't belong to you from the moment I dug you out of the ground. Don't even think about killing yourself."

She bursts into laughter and shakes her head. "You are something."

He doesn't know what to do. The woman is laughing, but the sound of her laughter feels like a thousand swords are falling all over his body.

"Mo Wei, I am telling you. Your life belongs to me. So..."

"So, you want me to be your slave." She rolls her eyes. "You are just a man who wants me to pay you for your bad choices. You couldn't find the treasure. Then, the woman would do. Is that the thought you got?"

"Yes," He tells her without any shame, ignoring the taunt in her voice. She has no one. She doesn't want to live. There is no one to compensate him for saving her life. Then, she should give up to him. "You will pay me for the rest of your life."

She smiles at him coldly. "Will you live that long enough?"

That sounds like a threat. He wonders if she is planning to kill him. He doubts that she has the strength or means to do anything. "If you don't behave, I will sell you after I reach the city."

He is tempted to sell her. She's useless to him anyway. If he gets some money, he can have a humble restart. There will something coming out of this long and arduous journey.

"Perhaps, that's all that you can do." He hears her mumble before she lies down on the bed and covers herself with the blanket from head to toe.

He can't sleep. His head is full of thoughts. What will he do after going back? He needs to find work. Luckily, he didn't sell the house. That's all they have left. Why did he believe in that map? Back then, he had a gut feeling that he would find something precious if he followed that map.

Something precious? He glances at her. He can't help but feel disappointed. She's neither pretty nor strong. If he makes her work, he will be worried that she might die from exhaustion. He has a headache now.

For the next few days, both brothers take turns in watching her. She doesn't utter a word to either of them. She doesn't answer any question or complains. She doesn't try to jump into the sea again. She eats whatever is given.

Annoyed, he gives her rotten food. He hopes for her to complain or throw a temper. But, she eats it without batting her eyes. Then, he ends up scolding her for a long time. She keeps ignoring him.

On the fifth day, the ship reaches the port.

"Come again." The jovial captain waves his hand. "I would love to take you anywhere you want to go."

Lu Weixue scoffs at him. He grumbles himself and pulls the rope. The other end of the rope is tied around Mo Wei's wrists. Her deathly glare is fixed on his back. Lu Yuan sighs as his shoulders drop down in depression. What will happen to their lives now?

"Lu Yuan, we will rebuild our lives again." Lu Weixue doesn't want his younger brother to worry. "Those years aren't wasted. We experienced many things. We had a lot of adventures. No amount of money can buy those days."

Mo Wei chuckles wryly. "That's what losers say when they don't get what they want."

Lu Weixue already didn't feel good. The woman's satiric laugh is disturbing to his mind. He halts on his feet and turns around. "If I sell you, do you know where you might end up?"

She shuts her mouth right away. He is pleased when he sees that reaction. At least, she knows her circumstances. This woman isn't afraid of death or working as a slave. She's afraid of being sold and dishonored by other men.

He recalls the look on her face when he asked her about her husband. Judging by the expression that she showed at that time, her husband is probably dead. He tries to guess how her husband must have died and she ended up on that island. He doesn't ask her. Why does it matter? The man is dead. The woman has no one. She probably tried to kill herself because her husband died. Some women are blinded by love even after their lovers die.

If she's that keen on throwing her life away, he would pick up that life and make use of it.