My Lord, We Failed

At her words, Gu Yue did not turn around. Her gaze remained fixed on the lights beyond the window.

She slowly uttered a single word. "Speak."

The shadow stepped forward, and the dim light outlined Di Tian's face. His complexion was pale, and his right hand remained hidden behind his back, still trembling.

"We found the target." Di Tian's voice carried a suppressed fury. "That Tang Wulin truly has the Golden Dragon King's bloodline within him. When we were preparing to extract it..."

"An accident happened..." Di Tian's voice lowered. "He actually had the Sea God's Divine Sense inside him."

"The Sea God's Divine Sense?" Gu Yue's voice held a note of confusion.

"Yes." Di Tian nodded, finally drawing his right hand from behind his back. "Its strength was formidable. If I had not possessed the Dragon God's Claw, I might not have made it in time to bring them out."

"How are the others?" Gu Yue asked.

"Xiong Jun was severely injured, but he is not dead." Di Tian's voice did not waver. "Myriad Demon King was lightly injured, and his cultivation fell. Bi Ji is treating them. It will take time."

"My Lord," Di Tian's voice lowered, carrying an ancient, almost mournful loyalty, "we need to try again. Once my injuries..."

"No." Gu Yue turned around, her eyes icy. "Do not act rashly for now."

Di Tian frowned. "But the Golden Dragon Divine Core..."

"Now that we know where it is," Gu Yue said softly, "that is enough. We can find another opportunity to seize it later. But you can certainly arrange a few accidents for him. I want to see how long a single strand of divine sense can hold out."

She returned to the bedside and sat down, her black hair falling over her shoulders like a flowing waterfall.

Di Tian looked at her, at this lord who had inherited the Dragon God's world-shaking wisdom.

"Will you continue getting close to him?" Di Tian asked.

"I have another target." Gu Yue's gaze fell outside the window. Naturally, the target she meant was Ziyang. After being beaten up, she was extremely dissatisfied.

Moreover, his strength had far exceeded her expectations.

"Do you need me to stay?" Di Tian asked.

"No need." Gu Yue continued, "My injuries need time to heal. Tell Bi Ji that Xiong Jun must be kept alive. We still need his strength."

Di Tian nodded. His figure began to distort in the darkness before vanishing into the room's shadows.

Time slipped by, and the river of stars over Eastsea City gradually faded.

The following morning, before the thin mist over Eastsea City had dispersed, Ziyang was already standing in the plaza before the Spirit Pagoda.

He looked up at the spire piercing the clouds. Its glasslike body gleamed with a cold metallic sheen in the morning light, like a gigantic sword stabbed upside down into the earth.

Na'er arrived a little later, her face puffed up in anger. She had actually lost to Gu Yue again yesterday.

Gu Yue arrived last. Her gaze swept forward before settling on Na'er, her expression full of pride.

By then, Leng Yaoyu was already waiting for them.

"Get in." Leng Yaoyu said only that. Today, she wore a dark-red trench coat. Her features were as flawless as jade, yet her bearing burned like fire. She seemed like a walking sun, raising the temperature around her by several degrees.

She walked directly into an extended black sedan, her waist supple and graceful, yet every step carried an overbearing air.

The three of them silently got into the car.

The car passed through Eastsea City's streets and headed toward the harbor. Outside the windows, bustling buildings gradually gave way to a gray-blue sea, and the air began to fill with a salty, fishy scent.

Ziyang looked outside and saw a white cruise ship docked at the pier. Its long hull resembled a sleeping giant whale.

"This is it." Leng Yaoyu got out first, the hem of her trench coat lifted by the sea breeze. She led the three of them up the gangway, the wooden planks giving off dull echoes beneath their feet.

The cruise ship's interior was more spacious than expected. Crystal chandeliers scattered specks of light across the dark-red carpet.

Ziyang stood on deck with a hand on the railing. The Eastsea wind, laden with moisture, rushed against his face, while seagulls cried in the distance.

Na'er stood quietly at his side, her silver hair entwined with the sea breeze. Gu Yue leaned against the cabin door, her eyes fixed on the horizon, where low-hanging clouds seemed close enough to touch.

Leng Yaoyu's voice came from behind them. "Set sail."

That was right. This cruise ship belonged to the Leng Family.

The engines rumbled, and the cruise ship slowly departed the harbor. The city's outline gradually blurred in the mist until only a gray silhouette remained, stretching between sky and sea.

The cruise ship sliced through the gray-blue waves, leaving a trail of white foam behind it.

In the distance, an island's outline emerged and vanished through the mist, like the back of some sleeping colossal beast.

Ziyang leaned against the railing as the salty wind poured into his collar. He glanced sideways at Na'er, who was staring blankly at the distant horizon.

Gu Yue leaned by the cabin door instead, her gaze resting on the churning waves behind the ship without saying a word.

"Na'er," Ziyang asked curiously, "are you interested in going into the water later?"

Na'er's eyes lit up. "Are we going to catch fish?"

"Of course." Ziyang braced both hands against the railing. "That is, assuming you can catch any."

"I can definitely catch some." Na'er spoke indignantly.

Ziyang suddenly turned to Gu Yue. "Are you coming?"

"I am not joining your boring little game." Gu Yue shook her head, looking as though she were watching two children.

By the time the cruise ship docked, the mist was dispersing. Leng Yaoyu stood at the bow, her trench coat snapping loudly in the wind. Without turning around, she merely raised a hand and pointed toward shore. "Ziyang, go set up the barbecue grill. Na'er, Gu Yue, come with me."

Ziyang froze for a moment. "Teacher, I—"

"What about you?" Leng Yaoyu turned around. "You are the only boy here, and you are their senior brother. If you do not work, who will?"

Ziyang opened his mouth, but in the end, only a single word came out. "Okay."

He watched Leng Yaoyu lead the two girls deeper into the cabin. Na'er looked back at him and secretly smiled.

Gu Yue, meanwhile, never looked at Ziyang at all.

The deck quickly emptied. Ziyang took a folding grill from his Storage Soul Tool, then put Austin Griffin to work.

Pressure was transferred downward. Clearly, Ziyang still had a laborer at hand.

He was gradually realizing that he was starting to get crushed by the current meta.

Everyone around me is top-tier in this meta. From now on, I will only be the one getting stepped on.

But when he thought of getting to see swimsuits, his mood immediately improved. He then gave Austin Griffin, beside him, two kicks. "Work properly!"

Austin Griffin raised its head. There was no anger in its eyes, much less humiliation—only obedience.

This was all entirely voluntary.

It had absolutely never been threatened by Ziyang. Ziyang only gently massaged its head with his hands.

Ziyang stopped looking at it. He turned and pulled a parasol from his Soul Tool. With a rustle, the canvas opened over the beach like a white flower suddenly blooming.

This was specially set up for his teacher, Leng Yaoyu. Of the three of them, who was more important and who was less important, who was older and who was younger—how could he not know?

Leng Yaoyu was the one who fed and clothed him. How could he let her suffer?

Just then, the cabin door in the distance opened once more.