The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

The environment on board certainly can't compare to a city hotel. Each room on the top deck is only about forty square meters in size. The bedroom also has a separate bathroom. But it's clean and tidy, and the view through the crystal window next to the bed has a unique charm.

Xu Zihuang stood by the crystal window, watching as Ju Zi walked towards him.

And coincidentally, Orange's room was right across from his. Their rooms were both at the end of the corridor, near the bow of the ship. Beyond the corridor was an area resembling a balcony, fenced off, with the deck of the Sea Dragon, comparable in size to a fighting arena, right below them.

More than an hour had passed, and departure was imminent. The passengers who hadn't boarded yet wouldn't wait any longer.

"Rumble—" The iron staircase was put away by the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce's deacons, and the leader, a black-clad deacon, mobilized his soul power to transmit the sound to every corner of the Sea Dragon.

"Handsome gentlemen and beautiful ladies. My name is Ruan Xinghai, and I am in charge of this Hailong. On behalf of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, I welcome you all. A few words must be said beforehand: ocean voyages inherently involve risks, and I believe you are all mentally prepared. However, there's no need to worry too much. Now that you're aboard the Hailong, we will do our utmost to ensure your safety. For this purpose, our South China Sea Chamber of Commerce has specially dispatched fifty deacons, and the Hailong is also equipped with numerous powerful soul tools. Please relax and enjoy this wonderful journey."

Ruan Xinghai's words were met with compliments from the passengers on deck.

“Deacon Ruan is too modest. We certainly trust the capabilities of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce. With the escort of all of you deacons, there will definitely be no problems on this trip.”

"That's right, we boarded this ship precisely because we trusted the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce."

“Deacon Ruan is too frank. As far as I know, the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce’s merchant ships have never had an accident.”

"..."

Hearing the compliments from everyone, Ruan Xinghai felt somewhat helpless. Venturing deep into the sea, who could guarantee that no accidents would occur?

But he certainly wouldn't show it now. As the person in charge of the Sea Dragon, he had to appear confident and composed. Otherwise, an attack by the Sea Spirit Beasts would easily cause panic, resulting in casualties in the chaos.

He then took a deep breath, waved his right hand, and shouted loudly.

"Raise anchor, let's go!"

At a command, the Hailong officially set sail.

The weather was fine today, with calm seas. After weighing anchor, under the joint control of the deacons of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, the sails billowed in the wind, and the ship easily sailed out of the port, heading towards the depths of the southern sea.

After sailing for two hours, the coastline had disappeared from sight, and some of the timid passengers, afraid of being attacked by sea monsters, returned to their rooms.

Sensing something, Xu Zihuang got up and walked out of the room, while the door to the opposite room opened at the same time.

Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi looked at each other and both saw the astonishment in each other's eyes.

Of course, Xu Zihuang's surprise was feigned.

"Senior Orange?!"

"Tianhuang?!"

What are you doing here?!

Chapter 315 Brother, do you like this gift?

The vastness and grandeur of the sea are unmatched by any other scenery.

The sea stretched to the horizon, where water and sky met. The Hailong merchant ship sailed across the sea, cutting through the waves, its sails billowing, truly giving the impression of a sea dragon.

Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi were still staring at each other, their pupils reflecting each other's images.

Ju Zi quickly realized that it was inappropriate to talk there, so she quickly pulled Xu Zihuang into her room.

The uniformly sized rooms were unremarkable, but they had a pleasant, subtle fragrance. The source of that fragrance was oranges, which was even more pronounced in the enclosed space.

With her back to Xu Zihuang, she gently bit her red lips, her hands unconsciously clenching. After the initial shock, a variety of complex emotions surfaced in her watery eyes.

Why did I meet you here?

Even though she had made up her mind and there was no turning back, a slight wavering appeared in her heart.

After calming her turbulent emotions, Ju Zi turned around and stared at Xu Zihuang with a resentful look in her eyes.

"I heard from Coco that you returned to Shrek Academy a month ago, so what are you doing here?"

“I’ve recently made some progress in my soul power cultivation. I heard there are pirates causing trouble on Moon Pivot Island, so I was planning to go there for some training. I never expected to run into you here, Senior Orange,” Xu Zihuang replied with an air of complete composure.

"Senior Orange, didn't you go to join the South China Sea Soul Master Corps of the Sun Moon Empire? How come you're also..."

"Have a seat first." Ju Zi smiled bitterly, gesturing for Xu Zihuang to sit on the sofa, while she turned around to make tea.

Each room on the top floor was equipped with some soul tools for daily use. For example, the soul tool heater that Ju Zi was currently using. A porcelain teapot was placed on the base of the soul tool heater, and after a few breaths, the water inside boiled. Then, black tea leaves were added, and the entire room was immediately filled with a rich and pleasant aroma of tea.

Ju Zi handed Xu Zihuang a cup of brewed black tea and then sat down on the bedside. Her long, straight legs, hidden beneath her orange-red dress, closed. After a moment of silence, she recounted the entire purpose and plan of their South China Sea Soul Master Corps' mission to Xu Zihuang.

"Tianhuang, take advantage of the fact that you haven't ventured too far into the sea and find a chance to leave. With your strength, you shouldn't have any problem returning safely to the mainland." Ju Zi took off her straw hat and her gaze met Xu Zihuang's again.

Xu Zihuang shook his head righteously.

“Senior Orange, now that I know about these things, I can’t leave. Although I come from the Heavenly Soul Empire, I am also an inner disciple of Shrek Academy and a member of the Shrek Inspection Team. The Shrek Inspection Team was established to monitor evil Soul Masters, and the Demon Crocodile Pirate Gang is naturally among them. If you don’t mind, I am very willing to assist you in eliminating those pirates. Moreover, I don’t want anything to happen to you, Senior Orange.”

Xu Zihuang's last words undoubtedly touched the softest part of Ju Zi's heart.

From the time Yu Tianhuang saved her from the cliff edge, to the events that occurred in the town and the Mingdou Great Forest when they reunited two years ago, and now this encounter, all of this gave her a sense of destiny, a feeling of being protected.

A faint mist settled over Orange's dark eyes, shimmering under the soft glow of the soul-guiding lamp. Her voice trembled slightly.

Why are you so good to me?

There was emotion, but also a mix of regret.

She was now engaged to Xu Tianran, the current crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire. There was no turning back. She didn't want to bring trouble or danger to Yu Tianhuang, nor did she have the right to be willful.

Xu Zihuang looked up at Ju Zi. What he had said earlier was not false. He had always felt guilty towards Ju Zi's family, but it wasn't entirely because of that.

His motives were hardly noble or lofty. His reasons were a mixture of guilt and affection for the orange, as well as a desire to use it to achieve his own goals and ambitions.

It's not just Orange who has no right to be willful. Although he is talented, his current personal power is not enough to contend with the entire Sun Moon Empire.

Xu Zihuang put down his teacup and stood up, walking step by step toward the oranges.

He never claimed to be a good person. Since he had decided to use the oranges, there was no need to hesitate or try to have his cake and eat it too.

However, the most significant issue was the reunion with Ju Zi, which stirred up a dark and negative emotion within him. No one is perfect, and he was no exception.

"This is just the beginning of my revenge." Xu Zihuang smiled sneer, then bent down in front of Ju Zi, their faces magnified in his vision.

"Brother, do you like the gift I gave you? Everything you have now will belong to me in the future."

Just as Xu Zihuang had imagined, Xu Tianran, whose legs were severed at the thighs and who had lost the ability to function as a normal man, was already mentally twisted. Seeing the charming and lovely Ju Zi so close yet being unable to do anything about it, the pain he felt was unimaginable.

Aside from important matters requiring communication, he rarely spent time alone with Ju Zi. Every time he saw Ju Zi, it reminded him of that humiliation.

Orange froze on the spot. Under the emotional connection and the body's instinctive reaction, her whole body went numb, and her soul seemed to drift away.

The events unfolding before my eyes were as beautiful as a dream. Years of suppressed emotions were finally released.

She didn't even know when she had ended up lying flat on the bed, her eyes glazed over.

A slight chill on her shoulder jolted her awake. She frantically stretched out her arm to shield her shoulder, like a startled fawn. Her fair skin flushed red, making her exceptionally alluring.

This side of the orange was something Xu Tianran had never seen before.

Xu Zihuang stopped what he was doing and did not continue, his gaze gentle.

"Senior Orange, do you understand now?"

Opportunities to move Orange and make her lose her composure are rare. Before Orange could respond, he reached out his right hand again and gently stroked Orange's cheek, their breaths mingling once more.

"No! I can't!" Orange cried out silently in her heart.

Yu Tianhuang is a prodigy from Shrek Academy with a bright future, while she is merely a pawn in the hands of Xu Tianran, the current crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire. Moreover, she is a pawn that will be completely destroyed if she is no longer useful.

"I can't involve him!" Although she knew this very well, when her hope became a reality, her body felt as if it were imprisoned, unwilling to resist. She was even somewhat immersed in it.

The distance between their hearts continued to shrink. A profound sense of happiness intoxicated Orange, and tears welled in her beautiful eyes. Tears of happiness.

How she longed to run away with Yu Tianhuang, disregarding everything. But she couldn't; the hatred for her parents was irreconcilable. She had sworn an oath when her parents passed away.

However, she was already content with having such a wonderful experience. Having figured this out, she began to actively respond.

However, what Ju Zi didn't know was that Xu Zihuang had seen through all her thoughts with his tangible and substantial spiritual power.

After a long while, the two, still intimately connected, leaned against the headboard. Even though they had only spent a little over a month together, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if they had spent every day together in another time and space, from childhood to adulthood.

So much so that the relationship between the two parties has made such a profound breakthrough, yet there is not a trace of awkwardness or discomfort.

Xu Zihuang frowned slightly, sensing that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"What's wrong, Tianhuang?" Ju Zi, who had been resting her head on Xu Zihuang's shoulder, sat up slightly and opened her beautiful eyes.

"If you regret it, I can pretend that what just happened never happened."

Xu Zihuang put aside his thoughts, looked at Ju Zi, and said helplessly, "Senior Ju Zi, do you regret it? I think it's not hard to tell from my behavior just now."

Orange recalled what had just happened and felt her cheeks burning. She couldn't help but say coquettishly, "Then you don't regret calling me Senior Orange?"

Actually, her first sentence came from the bottom of her heart.

I'm sorry, Tianhuang. Please forgive my selfishness. I'm just a passerby in your life. With your talent and ability, you'll surely find a better girl in the future. But at least for this short time, please let me have you all to myself.

Just as Ju Zi was having these inner monologues, in her blind spot, Xu Zihuang's brow twitched slightly.

Time seemed to pass exceptionally quickly at sea. After Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi had lunch brought by the maid in their room, it was soon dusk.

These maids were also from the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, but they were just ordinary people. There were hundreds of passengers on this merchant ship, and they all needed someone to serve them. As for the deacons of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, they were mostly responsible for defending against the attacks of the sea spirit beasts.

However, there weren't many passengers in the top deck cabins. After all, the high-ranking nobles were unwilling to venture into the open sea, and ordinary merchants and travelers couldn't just casually spend five hundred gold soul coins to buy a ticket for the top deck.

The vast majority of passengers were concentrated on the lower four decks. As for the two decks below the main deck, they were occupied by staff members of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, such as maids and waiters.

The fifty deacons were different from the ordinary staff; they lived in the top-floor rooms on the deck, just like Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi. This was a way of providing extra care for the passengers staying on the top deck.

The closer one's residence is to the Soul Masters and Deacons of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, the safer one will be when attacked by sea spirit beasts.

For various reasons, the small area outside the top-floor corridor, resembling an open-air balcony, became Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi's exclusive spot.

The setting sun cast a golden-red glow on the sea, where Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi sat facing each other. In front of them was a small, round wooden table with a pot of black tea and several plates of delicate pastries.

Xu Zihuang withdrew his gaze from the shimmering sea in the distance and looked at Ju Zi on the opposite side, his lips moving slightly as he transmitted his voice using his soul power.

"Orange, aren't we being a bit too high-profile?"

The nineteen elite members of the South China Sea Soul Master Corps who boarded the ship with Ju Zi were now mingling among the crowd on the deck. In just a moment, he sensed several prying eyes.

Ju Zi rested her delicate hand on her cheek, taking a sip of black tea from her porcelain cup. The straw hat on her head perfectly concealed half of her face, and her red lips were slightly parted.

"It's nothing. Our plan was to each pretend to be someone else. This way, it's more reasonable and less likely to give us away."

Xu Zihuang looked down at the crowd on the deck. The day's voyage had passed without encountering any sea monster attacks, which greatly relieved the passengers, who were now even enjoying the magnificent sunset from the deck.

He projected his mental energy and instantly locked onto a young man standing in the corner of the deck. The young man had short blond hair, dark skin, and was quite handsome. However, his soul power cultivation was not weak; he possessed the cultivation of a five-ring Soul King.