Chapter 537: The Rarely Serious Lady Three

Chapter 537: The Rarely Serious Lady Three

In the backyard, Hua Zhenming was pacing back and forth, anxiety written all over his face. Why hasn’t the third leader come back? And why is it so quiet?

Someone tried to reassure him, “Commander Hua, there’s no need to worry. The third leader is incredibly strong. Just the other day, she came back and fought her way through the entire crew, putting everyone in their place. All those brothers who were unhappy with her were completely subdued overnight. Is that something just anyone can do? No matter how tough Zhao Shouyi is, there’s no way he’s a match for her...”

“But why hasn’t there been any sound of fighting...?”

“Maybe they aren’t fighting at all. They could be negotiating... It’s also possible that she’s drugging him or something...”

The group exchanged glances, and the same scenario popped into all their minds:

Their alluring third leader, sitting delicately in someone’s lap, offering a cup of wine with a flirtatious smile. “Master, have a drink... Tonight, I’m all yours...”

They shook their heads, ridding themselves of the thought before blood flowed from their nose.

The pirates seemed to find this scenario quite normal. Hua Zhenming, however, was not particularly concerned. He nodded, saying, “If that’s the case, we should see the third leader dragging him out soon enough. We won’t let our guard down. Be ready to help the third leader if anything goes wrong.”

The pirates tensed up, while the actual scene inside was entirely different from what they had imagined.

Lady Three, usually seen as charming and lazy by everyone, now looked serious and focused. She was slowly wiping her hands after eating the crab, staring intently at Zhao Changhe as if whether or not he was truly the Fire Pig of Shi was of utmost importance.

Because she had underestimated “Zhao Shouyi” before coming here, she had not bothered to dress the part of a madam. She had not changed out of her pirate attire and was not wearing the silks typical of a brothel madam nor the seductive garb she wore back in Huangsha. Instead, she looked rather bold and capable, with the strong air of an outlaw—indeed, like a bandit or pirate leader. It reminded Zhao Changhe of Yue Hongling, but even wilder.

Now that she had gotten serious, Zhao Changhe felt a strange sense of dissonance, as if time and space had shifted. The lazy, smirking Shelly seemed to fade away, replaced by the dignified Black Tortoise of the Four Idols Cult.

Once he got over the discomfort of the dissonance, Zhao Changhe actually started to feel that this version of Lady Three was closer to what he had originally imagined Black Tortoise to be. He lifted the wine flagon and poured her a cup. “Yes, I am the Fire Pig of Shi, subordinate of the Black Tortoise. I have wine—does the venerable have a story to tell?”

Lady Three said calmly, “Which story do you want? Mine, the pirates’, or the one about why we’re turning back and driving off the fishing and merchant ships?”

Zhao Changhe asked, “Can’t you tell me all of them?”

Lady Three replied, “Do you want me to be honest?”

“I don’t see why there should be anything you can’t tell me...”

“The truth is, you and I aren’t as close as you think we are.”

“...”

Lady Three gave a slight smile. She leaned back in her seat and took a sip of wine. “You’re entertaining to watch, with all your amusing quirks. I find you interesting, a way to kill the boredom from staring at endless seas of sand or water. But beyond that, what special relationship do we really have besides that one time we worked together at Huangsha? Is it the time we took the ancient sword Dragon Emperor together?”

“Is it not?” Zhao Changhe thought of the brief moment of intimacy in Beimang, knowing full well that there really was not much to it. However, he still instinctively felt that they were quite close...

“The sword is still with you, and I never intended to ask for it back. You’re a smart guy, so you should have realized that this is my way of not wanting to owe you anything... You copied the Rejuvenation Art for me, and though no one in the Four Idols Cult has fully grasped it yet, Dragon Emperor was always meant to be yours. The excuse of lending it to you was actually just my way of giving it to you.”

“Yeah. Honestly, we’ve never had much contact. I’m just here visiting family...”

At that, Shelly got a bit annoyed. Damn it, if it weren’t for your lover asking me to come and take care of her little love rival, would I have run all the way from Huangsha to the Eastern Seas? What do your personal issues have to do with me anyway?

Since I’m already here, then of course I’ll use my old connections. But now that I think about it, all that’s done is get me involved in more trouble.

Zhao Changhe said, “Since these pirates have been living at sea for so long, how haven’t they been converted by the Sea Emperor? Is there someone else they place their faith in? The Night Emperor? Or... the Dragon King?”

Lady Three could not help but be impressed again. This little guy really is sharp...

She hesitated for a moment, not really wanting to reveal too much about the pirates to Zhao Changhe. Doing so would inevitably lead to talking about her own past, and they were not that close. After thinking it over, she just said, “All you need to know is that these pirates don’t care about the Sea Emperor... and that’s part of why they’ve ended up as pirates. Since they don’t bow to the Sea Emperor, they’re being hunted down. That’s why I need your fleet. Your fleet is strong...”

“The sea nations are coming to wipe you out?”

“A bunch of forces are joining up to come after us. We have informants in all the nations, so we got the news ahead of time.” Lady Three sighed. “Why’s my life so tough? I just came here to visit family, yet now I’ve gotten myself caught up in a pirate crackdown...”

Zhao Changhe could not help but snicker. Heh, Shelly really can’t keep her act up for too long. She didn’t even last the time it took for an incense stick to burn before she returned to her usual self.

Lady Three seemed to realize she was reverting back to her lazy self again. She slammed her wine cup onto the table and glared at him. “Alright, enough talk. Are you giving me your fleet or not?”

“Why isn’t the Sea Tribe handling this themselves? Why go through the nations to suppress pirates?”

Lady Three glared at him. “Who says there won’t be anyone from the Sea Tribe among the forces coming?”

“Lady Three...”

“Call me venerable!’”

“Alright, Lady Three.” Zhao Changhe sighed. “Aren’t you being a bit foolish? You know I’m here to fight the Sea Tribe. We’re naturally on the same side then, so why are you so worried that I won’t help? Maybe next time, you should sit at the same table as Baoqin instead?”

Lady Three coldly replied, “You seem to have misunderstood something... I’m asking for your fleet, not you.”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback, pointing to his nose in surprise. “You don’t need my help?”

“Exactly. I don’t want anything that happens here to make its way back to Tang Wanzhuang’s ears. The Tang Clan’s sailors are easy to manipulate. You, on the other hand, are not.”

Zhao Changhe tilted his head, studying her for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “So your side is basically only the remnants of the Dragon King’s forces. Anyway, like I said before, I feel like we can trust each other.”

He picked up the wine flagon again, but this time, he did not pour wine for Lady Three. He poured himself a cup and drank it down in one gulp. “The fleet can work with you, but I must come along. I’m responsible for them. Besides...”

“What?”

“Venerable, I seriously doubt that without me lending a hand, your plan would go as smoothly as you think.”

Lady Three let out a laugh. “Arrogant, aren’t you? Fine, you can come along. But if I ever need you to lift so much as a finger, then you’re my superior!”