"Who are you? And who is he to you?"
On the eastern sea coast, Zhou Fugui angrily raised his Zhen Tian Long Spear, pointing at Rong Cheng Lanmin and Murong Hong on the ship.
It was a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road. Just as Zhou Fugui was about to capture Murong Hong, Rong Cheng Lanmin, the daughter of an East Sea pirate, had twice rescued Murong Hong with her sea vessel, enraging Zhou Fugui.
The pirate's gull-wing warship was anchored not far away, sheltered by a reef, rendering Zhou Fugui and his cavalry helpless.
Close-combat weapons were out of the question, as they would be of no use even if thrown. The same applied to arrows, as the ship's prow was equipped with iron shields that arrows could not penetrate.
"If you don't shoot me, I'll tell you," Rong Cheng Lanmin said playfully, peeking out from behind an iron shield.
"Alright, I won't shoot... you..." Zhou Fugui said, then waved his hand.
In response, the Yan army cavalry also raised their iron shields.
Zhou Fugui had to guard against attacks from the pirates' bows and arrows as well.
"Hehe, if you don't shoot me, I won't shoot you. What are you afraid of?" Rong Cheng Lanmin emerged fully from behind the shield and stood at the ship's bow, smiling.
"Move aside!" Zhou Fugui shouted at Pi'e and others who were blocking his way.
To be so hesitant in front of a pirate girl would be utterly humiliating! So, after dismissing Pi'e and the others, Zhou Fugui spurred his horse forward, spear in hand, and stood on the reef.
"This man is a traitor to the court. I am under imperial decree to capture him. Why have you repeatedly obstructed me? Who is he to you?" Zhou Fugui then loudly questioned Murong Hong, who was hiding behind the shield, pointing his Zhen Tian Long Spear at him.
Zhou Fugui was quite curious; who was this pirate "mermaid"?
Murong Hong was covered in mud, having lost all his former grace and nobility. His face was ashen, and he trembled uncontrollably, whether from cold or fear, it was hard to say.
"Are you asking him or me?" Rong Cheng Lanmin stood at the ship's bow, her shark-skin boots tapping on the deck. She walked back and forth with her hands behind her back, smiling at Zhou Fugui. "My surname is Rong Cheng, and my name is Lanmin. My title is 'Dragon Girl of the East Sea.' As for him..."
Rong Cheng Lanmin pointed at Murong Hong and whispered, "He's my husband... Hey, what's your name?"
"East Sea? And Dragon Girl?" Zhou Fugui exclaimed with a laugh. "Cough... cough... Humph... My surname is Zhou, my name is Fugui, and my title is 'Fierce Tiger of the West Mountain'... Murong Hong is your husband? This old, ugly, and lecherous man is your husband?"
Zhou Fugui, unable to do anything to them, decided to engage them with sharp words, or at least gain a verbal advantage.
"Hahaha!" The Yan soldiers immediately burst into laughter.
"We say, little beauty, this old, ugly, and lecherous man, why don't you just throw him away!"
"Yes, yes, this old, ugly, lecherous, and useless man, what's the point of keeping him? Throw him into the sea!"
"Little lady, you are young and beautiful. Our Grand Governor is tall and handsome. Why not discard that useless man and marry our Grand Governor instead..."
"Hahaha, they say it's a match of talent and beauty, referring to our Grand Governor and you."
"A beauty marries a hero, a beautiful East Sea union!"
"Hahaha!"
The Yan soldiers erupted in lewd laughter and teasing.
"I... I..." Rong Cheng Lanmin wanted to curse or scold them, but looking at the dejected Murong Hong, she felt their words had some sense...
Even the pirates felt their words had some sense...
It wasn't that Murong Hong was particularly old, ugly, or lecherous. He wasn't too old, nor was he ugly. It was because Murong Hong had been repeatedly defeated, had lost his spirit, and had fled from Donghai Commandery to seek refuge with the pirates.
At this moment, Murong Hong, the once glorious King of the East Sea, had almost nothing left.
Zhen Ao's people admired heroes and brave warriors, looked up to iron-blooded warriors. Although they had fought fiercely with Zhou Fugui, to the point of darkening the sky and obscuring the sun, Zhou Fugui was undeniably a heroic figure.
Therefore, the Zhen Ao pirates looked at Murong Hong with disdain and contempt, but looked at Zhou Fugui and Rong Cheng Lanmin with approval and praise...
Zhou Fugui and the Yan soldiers all expected Rong Cheng Lanmin to become enraged, even to jump and curse like a shrew. To their surprise, Rong Cheng Lanmin tilted her chin, like a white lotus, and looking at Zhou Fugui, who was on horseback on the reef, asked with a smile, "You want to be my husband?"
Look at you all, now she's misunderstood! Zhou Fugui was stunned and shot a furious glare at his soldiers before replying, "So what?"
"To be my husband, one must be a man of integrity, a hero with aspirations to conquer the four seas, possess the courage to ride the wind and waves, and also..." Rong Cheng Lanmin pointed at the sea with her jade finger. "You must know how to swim. You should swim ten miles in this sea first."
"Hahaha!" The Zhen Ao pirates burst into boisterous laughter. Even the Yan soldiers couldn't help but chuckle.
What a sight their valiant Grand Governor would be, stripped bare and swimming in the sea!
"Not interested!" Zhou Fugui said angrily, pointing at Rong Cheng Lanmin. "I'll let you off for today! But do you think hiding in the sea will bring you peace? Dream on! One day, I will set sail and obliterate you all!"
"Hehe, all talk! Like the whales and leviathans in the sea, so big but utterly useless!" Rong Cheng Lanmin didn't believe him at all, nor was she afraid. She even stuck out her tongue at Zhou Fugui and laughed.
The Zhen Ao pirates also puffed out their chests proudly.
On land, Grand Governor Zhou might be an invincible warrior, but at sea, he would surely never return, becoming fish food.
"Retreat to the city!" Zhou Fugui ordered sullenly. The Yan soldiers also grudgingly rode back to Donghai Commandery.
Zhou Fugui also had to consider carefully how to write his memorial to the emperor.
...
"No more, no more, Great General, we really can't take it anymore!"
"Haha, Liuxia, Feiyun, weren't you two always looking forward to this? You can't take it now? Let's fight for another hundred rounds!"
In the Prince of Yan's East Sea Mansion, Zhou Fugui, disheveled, lunged onto the gold- and jade-inlaid bed. The equally disheveled women, Liuxia and Feiyun, hastily dodged in fright, causing Zhou Fugui to nearly break his back on the bed...
After Murong Hong fled, the Prince of Yan's East Sea Mansion naturally became Zhou Fugui's Grand Governor's Mansion. The maids, servants, doormen, and drivers in the mansion naturally became the servants of the Grand Governor's Mansion, and all the luxurious furnishings also became Zhou Fugui's.
On this day, Zhou Fugui, drunk at the Yan army's victory banquet, took up residence in the former Prince of Yan's East Sea Mansion, now the Grand Governor's Mansion, and engaged in carnal pleasures with Liuxia and Feiyun.
Liuxia and Feiyun had been with Zhou Fugui for some time. Throughout this period, Zhou Fugui had treated them like sisters and respected them as guests, never touching them. The reason for this was not that Zhou Fugui was not lustful, nor that he was a paragon of virtue like Liu Xiahui, but rather that Zhou Fugui had principles and aspirations in his heart, and could not bear to hurt his beloved, thus he had persevered until now.
But at this moment, Zhou Fugui's principles, aspirations, and beloved were gone, all vanished. Therefore, Zhou Fugui had become somewhat self-destructive, like a desire unleashed from its cage, beyond control.
Grand ambitions were too difficult, too difficult, so difficult that Zhou Fugui felt like giving up and letting things take their course.
Luxurious mansion life, comfortable grand residence, this was the first time Zhou Fugui had experienced such comfort since he came into this world.
"Great General..." The virtuous and kind Liuxia, seeing Zhou Fugui collapse onto the bed, felt immense pity. She covered herself and knelt on the bed, helping Zhou Fugui up. Feiyun, on the other hand, giggled, no longer daring to approach Zhou Fugui...
The eunuch Hou Zhongluo had presented Liuxia and Feiyun to Zhou Fugui, and the two women had become his, though in an ambiguous status. They were neither concubines nor wives, at best, they were maids. Today, the two women's wishes had finally been fulfilled, and they should have been overjoyed. However, neither Liuxia nor Feiyun could feel truly happy, because they could both sense the bitterness in Zhou Fugui's heart.
So Liuxia said softly, "Great General, it's not that we... We were just afraid of hurting your body."
"That's right, elder sister is right," Feiyun also chimed in. "It's like killing someone, it's too scary..."
Liuxia and Feiyun wished to soothe Zhou Fugui's sorrow with tenderness, yet they were somewhat afraid of him in his beast-like state.
"Help me up." After tossing and turning for most of the night, Zhou Fugui had sobered up considerably. He felt some regret for his indulgence and said to Liuxia and Feiyun, "Help me up."
Feiyun, with a fearful glance at Zhou Fugui, squeezed to his side and, with Liuxia, helped him up from the bed...
"Let's look at the moon and sober up," Zhou Fugui said, embracing the two women with a smile.
"Yes, Feiyun, go and prepare the hangover soup," Liuxia said to Feiyun, supporting Zhou Fugui alone.
"Creak!" Just as Feiyun was about to leave the room, the door was pushed open, and Xiao Qing entered with a bowl of hangover soup.
"Madam..." Xiao Qing was the first to follow Zhou Fugui and was his formal concubine. Therefore, Liuxia and Feiyun were startled and hastily covered themselves, bowing in greeting.
Zhou Fugui had no wife, so in this Grand Governor's Mansion, Xiao Qing was considered the highest-ranking, virtually the mistress. If she saw them in such a state and was narrow-minded, the consequences could be imagined.
"Xiao Qing, look at this... Hehe, I drank too much, it's my fault," Zhou Fugui said awkwardly to Xiao Qing with a smile.
Having lost his beloved, Xiao Qing remained, and Xiao Qing had followed Zhou Fugui wholeheartedly. Therefore, Zhou Fugui felt somewhat guilty towards her.