The dungeon was extremely winding and secluded. During the days that Shi Jing and Yun Zhifei were imprisoned, it was always brightly lit, and people would come to patrol from time to time. Strangely, tonight it was completely silent and unguarded.
The two followed the woman for a long time through the tunnel. After climbing dozens of steps, a stone door blocked their way. The woman fiddled with something on the wall, activated a mechanism, and the stone door slowly opened.
As soon as Shi Jing emerged from the tunnel, he felt refreshed. A full moon shone brightly under a sky full of stars; the moon that night was so round and large, it seemed he could reach out and touch it. A small boat was moored beneath the rocks by the sea. The woman walked briskly ahead and untied the reins.
Yun Zhifei and Shi Jingyue boarded the boat. The woman handed the oar to Yun Zhifei: "Row quickly."
Yun Zhifei obediently took the oar. For some reason, he felt that this woman had a natural air of commanding obedience. Although she looked thin and weak, she acted decisively and efficiently.
The sea was pitch black at night. The woman, dressed in black, sat there silently with her knees drawn up to her chest. The boat left Liujin Island and was getting closer and closer to the fishing village.
Shi Jing glanced up unintentionally and saw the woman staring at him. His internal energy was excellent, and in the darkness, he could see that the woman's eyes were remarkably similar to A Qiao's, bright as stars. But how could she possibly be A Qiao? Perhaps he missed her too much; he felt embarrassed to look at the woman again and lowered his head to look at his feet.
When the boat reached the shore, Yun Zhifei and Shi Jing jumped off and thanked them profusely. Strangely, the woman did not get off; instead, she took the oar and intended to turn the boat around and go back.
Shi Jing hurriedly said, "Miss, if you let us go, Murong Chou will definitely not let you go. Why do you still want to go back?"
Yun Zhifei also said, "My junior brother is right. It might be dangerous for you to go back. You should leave here with us."
The woman remained silent for a long time.
Just when Shi Jing thought she wouldn't answer, she suddenly said, "I can't leave because I have nowhere to go."
Shi Jing said, "Then come back to Xiaoyao Sect with us."
The woman resolutely refused: "No!"
Shi Jing said with deep worry, "But, Miss, you really can't go back. Murong Chou will never let you go. If we implicate you because of us, how can we live with ourselves?"
The woman was silent for a moment, then said, "Oh, okay, I'll follow you from now on, and you'll take care of me for the rest of my life."
Shi Jing was taken aback: "A lifetime?"
The woman bluntly stated, "Just marry me!"
Shi Jing was startled and hurriedly said, his face flushed, "Miss, I will take care of you, but, but, I already have someone I like, I, I can't..."
The woman snorted: "You men like to expect women to repay you with their bodies after you save them, so why can't women do the same? I saved your life, so why can't you repay me with your body?"
Shi Jing, sweat beading on his forehead, stammered, "I...I'm pregnant..."
The woman pressed, "What do you have? Are you pregnant?"
Pregnant? Shi Jing's face turned pale from being teased, and he grumbled, "I have someone I like, and I will marry no one but her."
"Hmph, I'm determined to marry no one but you."
Shi Jing had a headache. He finally understood why people in the martial arts world were unwilling to deal with Jinbo Palace. The people there were simply unreasonable.
In that moment of distraction, he suddenly felt a numbness in his shoulder, and a sense of foreboding washed over him. He never expected that after saving him, she would turn around and launch a sneak attack on him.
"Hmph, anyway, even if I let you go, Palace Master Murong won't let me go. And you're unwilling to take responsibility for the rest of my life, so I've changed my mind and I don't plan to let you go."
Shi Jing quickly felt his body go numb, and he hurriedly said, "Zhifei, run!"
Yun Zhifei only realized something was wrong at this moment. Just as he was about to step forward, a soft rustling sound rushed towards his face. He hurriedly retreated several steps, only to see the woman move and put Shi Jing on the boat, which then rowed back.
Yun Zhifei was frantic on the shore. In the darkness, the woman was armed with countless hidden weapons, and he was no match for her. Now, he could only watch helplessly as the small boat veered out to sea, utterly powerless. He gritted his teeth, deciding to wait until dawn to devise a plan.
Shi Jing lay stiffly on the deck, thinking weakly, "This girl is too fickle. In the blink of an eye, she went from being my savior to someone who would ambush and plot against me."
The woman rowed the boat at a leisurely pace, and only after rowing halfway through did she say to Shi Jing, "If you agree to marry me, I will cure your poison and send you back. Think about it quickly, otherwise once I row back to Liujin Island, you will never have another chance."
Shi Jing said urgently, "I... I really can't. I've already promised to marry her, and I can't marry anyone else."
The woman chuckled softly, "Oh, so steadfast? I don't believe it." With that, she suddenly bent down and lifted her veil.
The moonlight shone with a hazy, clear light, and her face was beautiful and charming, her eyes brimming with tears.
Shi Jing watched as she lowered her head, and surprisingly, she kissed him.
He was filled with shame and rage, and shouted, "You, if you want to kill me, then kill me! Why humiliate me like this?"
The woman chuckled: "Can you call this humiliation? This is the first time I've ever kissed a man. Humph, you should be smug."
This was her first kiss, wasn't it his too? Humph, he'd been so molested by her! The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, yet he didn't think this woman was a bad person; her behavior was just illogical. Logically, with her beauty, why would she be struggling to find a husband? Why would she target him? Besides, Yun Zhifei was quite handsome; why did she single him out? Did he look like someone destined to be bullied?
The woman said in a light tone, "Hurry up and think about it. Look, we're almost at Flowing Gold Island. If you agree now, I can still send you back in time."
Shi Jing snorted defiantly, "I cannot agree."
The woman seemed a little angry, threw down the oar, and glared at Shi Jing: "Oh, what kind of woman makes you so steadfast? Is she as beautiful as me?"
Shi Jing snorted, not even looking at her, and turned his head to the side. The woman squatted down, pinched his cheek, and laughed, "I'll give you some sleeping pills later, let's see if you're still faithful."
Shi Jing panicked. He never dreamed he would encounter such a woman. Was she going to force herself on him? He felt like he was about to collapse... With Flowing Gold Island right in front of him, he shouted without thinking, "You, you dare!"
The woman stood up, hands on her hips at the bow of the boat, and chuckled, "There's nothing in the world I wouldn't dare to do, only things I'm unwilling to do!"
Her tone was so bold and forthright, so full of confidence. Shi Jing felt a chill run down his spine; he realized she really dared to do it!
The thought of his innocence being in jeopardy filled him with anger and frustration. His anger and anxiety overwhelmed him, causing his blood to rush to his head and triggering the effects of the sleeping pills, which caused him to faint.
The woman knelt down, gently stroking his cheek with her fingers. She gazed at him tenderly for a long time, a smile spreading across her lips: "Father said that nine out of ten men in the world are unreliable. Are you the one who is the last one? You certainly haven't disappointed me."
Unfortunately, Shi Jing fainted and heard nothing or answered anything.
She hugged him, chuckling softly, "I've never seen a man like you before. You're always so quick to anger, so honest and obsequious, and always getting bullied. But I just happen to like you. Father doesn't want it, your uncle doesn't want it either, but I'm going to make it a fait accompli and get them to agree!"