Looking from the ship’s rail, the sea level stretched as an endless blue line, with a fiery red or golden sun rising at the line’s end, making the countless waves shimmer and sparkle like scattered gold. In the blue silk-like transparent depths, one could vaguely see massive schools of herring drifting by, like sea gods elegantly unfurling a piece of multicolored brocade that swayed magnificently and leisurely.

“What magnificent scenery!!!” Someone stood at the ship’s rail, cape fluttering in the wind, spirit soaring to the heavens.

“Ugh…”

The response was the dying struggle of vomiting sounds.

Youtiao’er turned around tragically to look at a certain prince who had been devastated since boarding the ship, completely lacking the lively, jumping spirit he’d shown on land, now like a dead dog.

“Master, you’ve been vomiting and vomiting – haven’t you gotten used to it yet?”

“I never plan to get used to miserable things.” Baozi lay collapsed on the deck, gasping weakly at a puddle of clear vomit. The twins brought snow-white silk to wipe his mouth, but Baozi, whose mood was sour due to serious hormonal imbalance, swatted away the silk and grabbed Wan’er’s new light purple silk satin dress to wipe with instead. The poor girl dared not show anger or speak, standing tearfully still while her master made a complete mess of her new dress.

“Master, didn’t you come here before? I never heard you got seasick.” Youtiao’er was greatly puzzled.

Baozi rested his big head against the ship’s side, saying in near-death agony, “I – don’t – know -“

He looked up resentfully at his arm. Ever since his godfather had implanted that pearl in him, he had never feared water again. But this time on the ship, blue light suddenly appeared in his arm’s skin, growing brighter and brighter as he vomited more and more severely, making his subordinates’ looks increasingly strange.

Look, look, look at what? Never seen a man vomit before?

Baozi angrily looked up at the sky, trying to summon his already-ascended godfather – Hey, what did you do? Did the pearl expire and malfunction? Did it cause allergies?

The twins timidly brought washing water and lunch. Baozi glanced over and saw a steamed white fish, couldn’t help frowning. “Hey, I don’t like eating fish. Why did you make it again?”

Baozi indeed hadn’t liked fish since childhood, though not to the point of revulsion at sight. But ever since Chu Feihuan implanted the divine pearl in his body, he felt nauseous seeing fish. Now vomiting half to death, seeing fish made him even more furious.

“You don’t like this?” Wan’er blinked her big eyes in surprise. “But on the first day aboard, you loved the fish ball soup made from this kind of fish and praised it endlessly, saying you wanted it again next time. The ship’s cook remembered and thought about making it for you again, but this fish is hard to catch. Today we only got one, not enough for balls, so the cook said steaming brings out the best flavor and specially steamed it for you.”

Baozi stared wide-eyed, asking in shock, “What? The soup on the first day wasn’t meat balls but fish balls?”

The twins nodded in unison.

Baozi stared at the fish for a long moment, then heavily set down his chopsticks, saying tragically, “So that’s it – it’s this fish causing trouble!” He waved his hands frantically. “Remove it, remove it, remove it!”

The twins immediately obeyed and began clearing the dishes. Halfway through, Baozi suddenly said, “Wait.”

The two turned back, staring blankly at Baozi, who seemed to think of something and only grinned mischievously to himself. After laughing for a long time until Qiu Zicen across from him looked at him like he was insane, he quickly composed himself. “This – you two eat it here secretly.”

“We dare not…”

“If I tell you to eat, then eat. What’s all the fuss?” Baozi glared with his big eyes, and the twins obediently complied. Youtiao’er had always been shrewd – after thinking and rolling his eyes, he probed, “Master, you don’t want people to know you don’t like fish?”

“Exactly.” Baozi smiled. “But Youtiao, when has your master ever disliked or been unable to eat fish? Your master loves fish most of all – his legs go weak at the sight of fish. Did you forget?”

Youtiao’er made a face at his master, showing an expression of “you’re playing cunning tricks again.”

But Baozi just happily thought – mother taught that the false should appear true and the true should appear false. She also taught that you must never reveal your weaknesses anytime. If you really have weaknesses, try your best to disguise them as strengths. This group he’d brought along were all mother’s direct subordinates from back then, but when the forest grows large, there are bound to be some mutant species. He’d heard about one bad apple spoiling the whole barrel. Being far from home doing underhanded work, he needed to play many tricks – big tricks.

Fortunately, this ship was for his private use, bringing only a few most trusted people. That he couldn’t eat sea fish – only these few people before him knew, and no one else.

Grinning as he wiped his mouth and looked up through the raised cabin curtain toward the sea and sky ahead, Baozi suddenly jumped up with a bounce, shouting, “Oh my God…”

Youtiao’er leisurely picked up a piece of plump white fish dorsal fin and calmly finished his master’s sentence: “…finally see land…”

“Bang!”

“You didn’t even tell me when we arrived!” The prince who yearned for land kicked over a stool and rushed out like a wolf.

Poor Eunuch Youtiao’er held half a piece of fish meat, looking at the twins’ faces like bright pearls and precious jade splattered with the other half of the fish, showing a smile uglier than crying.

“What misfortune to serve such a master…”

—

Two ships moored at the dock but couldn’t disembark immediately, as many other ships were queued ahead. On the white stone steps of the shore stood rows of imposing guards in silver armor and blue robes. These guards had bright armor and gleaming flying fish spears at their waists, lined up along the shore to keep back curious onlookers and waiting merchants. From their attire, they were clearly Liguo’s palace guards – the most elite “Flying Shark Guards.”

Further away at the harbor, an open plaza could be vaguely seen, now under strict guard. From the dense crowd came deep drum sounds with vast, heroic rhythms like hurricanes roaring over the ocean, stirring up countless waves.

Baozi stood on tiptoe trying to see clearly, but being short with stubby legs, he could only glimpse gorgeous colors flashing through gaps in the crowd, as if women were moving in the crowd’s center. Seeing the ships packed tightly together as a perfect natural platform, Baozi immediately scampered over.

His martial arts came from Su Xuan and Qin Chang Ge, two of the most outstanding disciples of the world’s greatest sect. Though somewhat lazy, distracted by miscellaneous matters, and not entirely focused in the past, he had now achieved some success, especially in lightness skills – his mother’s specialty for escaping and winning. He had learned even better than his teacher, stepping across ship decks and slipping through the leg gaps of people looking up at the excitement. Many only saw a small black shadow flash by without clearly seeing his figure.

Reaching the ship closest to shore, Baozi grinned triumphantly, then turned to see purple shadows flash behind him and a beautiful but cold face directly meeting his round face.

“Oh my, sister, your lightness skills are really good.” Baozi smiled flatteringly.

“Not as fast as you.” Qiu Zicen glanced at Baozi, feeling he was naturally suited to be a little thief in appearance, temperament, and martial arts.

Baozi cheerfully tugged at an old man’s sleeve nearby. “Uncle, what’s happening on shore? Why can’t we disembark?”

“You don’t even know about the princess’s sea sacrifice? You’re from out of town, right?” The old man looked at Baozi strangely, stroking his beard and sighing to himself. “Order overturned, hens crowing at dawn – this sacred ceremony of sea sacrifice that could traditionally only be hosted and attended by male royalty is now presided over by a princess. Aren’t they afraid of angering the sea god? Sigh…”

“Oh?” Baozi’s big eyes rolled as he smiled. “Just don’t let her go then – she’s only a princess after all.”

“What does a small child like you understand?” The old man frowned. “Princess Jianxi is now a figure of real power in Liguo, personally commanding the Flying Shark Guards. General Jun Hui, who controls Liguo’s largest military forces and guards the borders, also serves her loyally. If she says she wants to personally host the sacrifice and pray for a year of peace at sea, then no one can stop her.”

He suddenly looked around mysteriously, covering his mouth and whispering, “…Can’t say it, can’t say it.”

Baozi grinned at him, waiting for the second half of his words – whatever “can’t be said” definitely would be said, and whatever terrible consequences would follow from speaking were mostly not that serious.

Sure enough, the old man couldn’t hold back and continued, “It’s said that when old ministers died protesting, several had their blood splattered across the court hall, and the princess didn’t even look – she just ordered them dragged out… tsk tsk…”

The old man shook his head sorrowfully, and Baozi also shook his head sorrowfully, patting the old man’s shoulder with a worried frown. “Uncle, whether state affairs or family matters, nothing gets done without women, but having women also creates more trouble – it’s really vexing.”

…

With sharp ears, Baozi heard bone joints cracking behind him and estimated that the ill-tempered one who couldn’t really be called a woman yet probably had murderous impulses, so he quickly slid forward a step to escape her direct attack range.

Unfortunately, there was water on the deck making it slippery. This slide sent him straight across the deck with a whoosh, directly onto the pier level with the deck. Unable to stop his momentum, he knocked a guard who had his back to the sea into a forward tumble.

“Crash!”

Almost instantly, the dock erupted in a brilliant curtain of light, before even clearly seeing the enemy, descending like a violent storm toward the “unknown attacker.”

The uniquely Liguo flying fish spears with central holes created sharp whistling sounds when thrown forcefully, crashing toward that point like giant waves.

Baozi instinctively started to dodge, then suddenly saw a pair of slightly surprised dark pupils through the gaps in the rushing guards.

Five-colored brilliant light flashed before his eyes. Without time to think, Baozi first pushed back Qiu Zicen who was drawing her sword to charge forward, then slipped and squeezed through like a fish.

The guard first rushing at Baozi suddenly felt a small shadow flash before him, then something crashed into his arms. He instinctively thrust his flying fish spear downward, but the child raised something in his hand with a click, jamming both his prongs.

He immediately tried to pull free, but Baozi grinned and suddenly released his grip. The guard, unable to stop his momentum, fell backward as Baozi smoothly slipped past him.

But as soon as he looked up, he crashed into a steel wall of men several zhang long.

These were guards from the plaza who had been alerted, arriving with disciplined speed to surround the “assassin.”

A group of eight-chi-tall guards with broad shoulders and thick waists looked down at the “disturber of the grand ceremony” who barely reached their waists.

Little Baozi stood at the army’s center, sucking his finger as he looked up foolishly, drooling with a splash. “So tall…”

A guard hesitated, reaching to grab Baozi, when an outer perimeter guard from the dock called out, “Be careful, this kid knows martial arts-“

His words were swallowed back because Baozi offered no resistance whatsoever, letting the guard catch him like a small chicken and tying him up properly with three ropes.

Baozi smiled as he let them tie him up, using his gaze to express sincere appreciation for the Liguo guards’ exquisite and skillful rope-tying techniques. At the same time, he used his elevated position to quickly survey the plaza, pausing momentarily at a certain spot.

His little finger remained raised – a pre-arranged signal meaning no need for rash action.

Even Qiu Zicen was pulled aside by hidden Huang Meng subordinates.

The guard captain went to report “assassin captured.” Then from the plaza center came vague commotion and a voice, clear and firm: “Bring the person here.”

That voice was like the sea water in March – carrying a bit of coolness, but within that coolness lay a barely perceptible warmth. Yet that warmth also seemed ice-clear, with an unapproachable, inviolable nobility.

Baozi suddenly thought of his godfather. Godfather’s voice naturally wouldn’t be exactly the same as this voice, but the feeling they gave was truly very similar.

Indeed worthy of being siblings…

The guard’s steps were large, reaching the plaza in a few strides. Baozi was carried upside down, swaying back and forth like a properly trussed little piglet in the man’s hand.

Since Baozi was now in inverted sentence structure, his vision of people and things was naturally also inverted. So he only saw a soaring dragon on the green jade ground above his head, traveling through black lightning, plus countless legs of various kinds, long and short, and the hem of a sky-blue dress embroidered with twin phoenixes and pearls.

That dress hem swept out long skirt folds, standing motionlessly on distant steps.

On the step below that hem was another small hem – a snow-white dress embroidered with hibiscus flowers, their hearts tender yellow, branches and leaves emerald green, so fresh and delicate they seemed ready to fall from the dress at a touch.

Under the skirt, one could vaguely see small, exquisite embroidered shoes with pearls larger than Baozi’s eyes – quite spectacular indeed.

Baozi calculated the value of those pearls with slanted eyes, planning to definitely roll over and snatch them later.

But those small embroidered shoes moved by themselves.

They shifted gently, then seemed to hesitate and shrink back. A low laugh followed, sweet and soft, as the skirt hem swayed and the flower branches swayed three times, so beautiful it was dazzling.

Suddenly the light and shadow darkened before his eyes. The flowers disappeared and snow-white smoke silk spread on the ground. Then a pair of large eyes suddenly appeared before him.

Bright, transparent, crystal-clear eyes like the most precious black pearls from the deep sea.

Those eyes smiled in crescents, the eyebrows also curved, and the corners of the mouth formed a crescent moon, rippling with charming, innocent smile.

Baozi blinked, and those pearl eyes blinked too.

Baozi blinked his left eye, and the black pearl also blinked its left eye.

Baozi blinked his right eye, and the black pearl also blinked its right eye.

Baozi was very dissatisfied with this terrible mimicry and suddenly stuck out his tongue, making a hanged ghost face.

Copy that, you copycat!

The black pearls blinked, giggled, and grabbed Baozi’s extended tongue.

…

Prince Xiao was doomed.

What kind of person was this?

Hadn’t she heard that a prince’s tongue cannot be touched?

Did she think this was pig tongue?

The black pearls felt Baozi’s tongue, pushed it back into his mouth, patted his face, and said pitifully, “Little brother, your teeth haven’t even grown in completely, and you want to be an assassin?”

…

Death could be endured, but not humiliation. Furious Baozi said viciously, “Girl, have your teeth grown in completely? Show them to me.”

He pretended to itch and wriggled his body, adjusting the position and force of the small crossbow on his back, preparing to knock out her pretty white front teeth the moment this girl opened her mouth.

But the black pearls didn’t fall for it, giggling and pinching Baozi’s face again. “So chubby.”

Prince Xiao was about to faint with rage, but when people are about to faint with anger, they often become more clearheaded instead. Especially Xiao Baozi – he was very clear that once he fainted from anger, he could never turn the tables, which was absolutely unacceptable.

He suddenly glanced at the black pearl’s chest area and made a surprised expression.

The black pearls instinctively looked at their own chest, found nothing, and looked at Baozi in confusion.

Baozi continued to look gravely at her chest with an anxious expression.

The black pearls’ eyes flickered as she reached to feel her own chest.

Baozi’s gaze moved up.

Following his gaze’s direction, the black pearls went to… touch her breasts.

Baozi laughed wildly inside but maintained a serious expression, using anxious eyes to guide her – after touching the left breast, touch the right breast.

“Cough cough…”

The guards began coughing unnaturally.

…What was wrong with the little princess? This was in the plaza under everyone’s gaze, during the grand sacrifice ceremony…

“Ying’er!”

That clear, authoritative female voice came again.

The black pearls quickly dropped her hands, stuck out her tongue, and retreated several steps back to her position below the stairs. Baozi stared at the hibiscus branch flowers swaying in the breeze on her skirt hem and made a disdainful expression.

You touched my tongue, so I made you touch yourself!

That female voice paused, then when she spoke again, it carried killing intent. “Assassin? This is what you call an assassin?”

The guard carrying Baozi quickly threw him to the ground and knelt. “Reporting to the princess, this little thief crashed into the guard formation for unknown reasons with suspicious intent-“

His words suddenly stopped, his eyes suddenly widening.

Not just him – thousands of people in the plaza, including all the onlookers on the periphery, all widened their eyes.

They saw:

That tightly bound beautiful child suddenly rolled like a ball toward the princess.

While rolling, he shook his head frantically with tears streaming down, infinitely excited, infinitely affectionate, infinitely adoring, infinitely mournful, crying out loudly:

“Auntie!”

Like thunder crashing in Divine Fish Plaza, splitting the wits of tens of thousands.

That thunderous fellow still wouldn’t give up, continuing his shameless family recognition witnessed by ten thousand people with the bold “rolling audience” method.

He changed direction, rolling extremely flexibly toward that hibiscus flower dress.

With Jia Baoyu’s classic tone of tearful farewell to Lin Daiyu, using all his strength to call out:

“Cousin!”