And so, the tracking sea squirt was scrapped. With just a single glance from Su Shiye, Aize destroyed it without a second word. The others present were quick to take the hint; no one dared to ask further. Only the girl who had been lamenting earlier spoke up again:
"This… for a man like His Majesty Su Shiye, who has the most 'polygamous capital' of anyone, to be so devoted… it’s so unexpected. You dogs, are you watching? Even His Majesty is this faithful! Do you still dare to brag about how many girls you’ve hooked up with? Idiots!"
No one was more surprised than Fanli.
In that moment, she finally understood why he had been so insatiable during the period they maintained their relationship as lovers. It turned out it was because…
"In these ten years, I was the only one..." She activated a soundproofing barrier and blinked, feeling the emotion in her chest nearly overflowing. "I don’t know what to say. Just..."
"Don't misunderstand. I simply didn't want to waste too much time on women at this stage. The Empire has a mountain of important matters for me to handle. Diverting desire into other things consumes unnecessary energy."
True, he had been with the Princess’s mother before, but that was over seventy years ago. Still, she refused to back down and said stubbornly, "Then why, after I appeared, did you become so… indulgent?"
Su Shiye opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and said, "Humiliating the goddess of every man in the Light Sea gives me a sense of accomplishment."
Stubborn. He simply refused to admit he loved her. Realizing that the usually suave Su Shiye actually had such a "straight-man" side, Fanli didn't find it repulsive; instead, she found it a bit childish and amusing. She squeezed his hand under the table and looked back at him with a smile. "As long as it makes you happy."
Su Shiye pulled his hand away. "I am perfectly happy."
Fanli knew that Su Shiye still lacked a sense of security. In his heart, this had been a completely dead relationship. Aside from mating, he originally hadn't intended to give her anything else. But under her gradual, gentle offensive, he had been drawn in deeper and deeper. Now that he had taken the massive step of marriage, he was bound to feel a bit frustrated, which was why he didn't want to touch her. Regarding his lack of security, she could only choose to stay by his side quietly until he was willing to fully accept her.
She cupped her hands around her mouth as if shouting, but her voice was tiny: "I still love you today. Also, thank you for caring about me—for coming all this way because you were worried."
"Don't say useless things. I'm not falling for your tricks." Su Shiye deactivated the soundproofing.
After the gathering ended and they stepped out of the restaurant, Kundi dragged Xiami to a deserted corner and shoved her hard. "Xiami, you’re not joking with me, are you?"
"W-what’s wrong?" Facing her sister, Xiami always instinctively lowered her head.
"I didn't know until today that you and Qiong..." Kundi seemed to be searching for a less blunt word, but she failed, making her even angrier. "You and Qiong—this isn't a joke, is it?"
"He’s just young and doesn't know better. Sister, don't take it seriously..."
"Exactly! He’s young and has a passive personality. If you hadn't dropped hints, would he have been as proactive as he was tonight?!"
"You’ve misunderstood me, I really didn't..."
"Don't try to lie to me, I'm your sister! What on earth are you thinking? Don't you know whose son he is? He looks like a clone of Oda Alan! Don't those two scumbags make you feel sick? Or rather..." At this point, Kundi was startled by her own hypothesis. "Wait, wait, wait. You couldn't possibly be in love with..."
A chill ran down Xiami’s spine. She just kept shaking her head. "Yes, I like Qiong."
"What?!"
"I like Qiong," Xiami said, forced into a corner, trying to cover up the truth. "I know he looks like that jerk, and it is a bit unsettling. But Qiong’s personality is so gentle; it’s easy for me to be attracted to him. I can’t control—"
Before she could finish, Kundi slapped her across the face!
"How filthy!!" Kundi made a gagging gesture. "Qiong calls us 'Aunt'! Even if there’s no blood relation, you’re an elder who watched him grow up. You actually want to have that kind of relationship with him?!"
Kundi raised her hand again, intending to give Xiami another slap. Xiami lowered her head in resignation, but the blow never came. She cautiously looked up and saw Kundi’s wrist gripped by a large hand. She turned and saw that the owner of the hand was Qiong.
"Qiong, let go!" Kundi roared in fury. "Let me kill her! How could I have a sister like this!"
"What did she do wrong? Is her crime falling in love with me?"
Faced with Qiong’s questioning, Kundi was even more at a loss for words. She used her other hand to slap Qiong. "The two of you make me want to vomit! I raised you for nothing!!"
"Aunt Kundi, in the future, no matter what happens to you—whether you are single or have children—I will fulfill my duty to support you and take care of you like a son. Please rest assured."
Qiong was not like his father; he spoke subtly. But Kundi understood the meaning behind those words: *“I am an adult now; you have no right to interfere in my private life.”*
Kundi left in a huff.
However, Xiami didn't feel any better because of Qiong’s rescue. She didn't even notice what Qiong had overheard; she only remembered that Kundi had almost discovered the secret she had hidden deep in her heart for hundreds of years.
She loved Alan. Even now, she couldn't forget him.
In these four hundred years, Qiong’s face had been a constant reminder of her youth—of a one-sided love that could never bear fruit. If it weren't for him, she thought, perhaps she wouldn't be in so much pain.
Xiami wanted so badly to tell Qiong to stay away from her, to stop dragging her back into that misery. But Qiong’s unconditional devotion was a poison, making it impossible for her to extricate herself.
Just like now, as he lowered his head and whispered, "She’s gone. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
*Afraid*—that word made Xiami feel even more pathetic. Why did she have to fall in love with Alan? Kundi had his betrothal and a final kiss; Qing had his affection and his child; but she only had the fear of her love being discovered.
Looking up at Qiong again, she blinked, and several tears spilled out in succession.
"Aunt Xiami, what’s wrong?" Qiong frantically wiped her tears. "Is it because of me? Am I causing you trouble?"
Xiami shook her head like a rattle, still weeping silently. Then, her long hair was tucked behind her ear. Qiong leaned down, eyes closed, and tilted his head to capture her lips. Her body jolted in shock; she wanted to retreat, but her scalp tingled as if she were under a spell, and she couldn't bear to leave. Qiong cradled her head with one hand while the other gently stroked her back like one would a child, continuing until her trembling subsided and she relaxed her guard, allowing his tongue to part her lips. Then, she opened her mouth slightly, welcoming him with a mix of shyness and anticipation...
Then came a long kiss, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow. He pulled her entire body tightly into his arms. The harder she cried, the more determined his invasion became. And so, she drowned in it, unable to pull away.
Across five hundred years of time, the flower of unrequited love finally bloomed. But the man watering the bud, making the flower open, was no longer the one she loved.
The next morning, Xiami woke up and rubbed her heavy head. Her whole body felt sore. She rolled over and saw Qiong sleeping soundly beside her. He was shirtless, his muscular arm resting outside the thick quilt.
A thick quilt?
Xiami looked around and remembered they were in an airbag room at a love hotel.
She and Qiong had done it.
And it was an irreversible land-based mating.
Xiami clutched her head, on the verge of a breakdown. Every nerve under her skin pulled with a numbing ache, telling her what a stupid thing she had done. Fortunately, Qiong was young and a heavy sleeper; even her getting out of bed didn't wake him. He only murmured in his sleep, sweet and languid, "Aunt Xiami..."
Xiami held her breath, secretly dressed herself, crept out of the room, and bolted out of the hotel.
Four days later, in the early morning at the Imperial Guard training grounds, a formidable force of two hundred and sixty-four elites stood in land-form, clad in black-gold armor that encased them from head to toe. Standing at the front of the ranks, the Crimson Moon Emperor wore a simple black military uniform, a lock of silver hair falling like fresh snow against his lean face. In his hand, he held a cluster of golden luminescence that moved and shifted under his control. When he extended his index finger toward the right, the golden light spread its wings in that direction, and the army before him charged toward the upper right in unison. When he clenched his fist, the light returned to hover above his hand, and the army returned to their original positions within 0.1 seconds, as if nothing had happened. When he snapped his fingers, the golden light exploded like a small firework, and the Xenon mages in the back row threw deep-sea bombs, which detonated in the water with a thunderous roar...
Though he knew Su Shiye loved training the troops personally and shouldn't be disturbed, Aize knew he had been at it all night. If this continued, there would be no end to it. He could only steel himself and swim over to salute. "Your Majesty Su Shiye."
"Mhm." Su Shiye’s attention did not leave the army.
"Now that you and High Oracle Sui are married, should we consider contacting the Light Sea government to announce the happy news together..."
Su Shiye didn't answer immediately. He commanded two more maneuvers before saying indifferently, "No need."
"But this is a major event. If we keep it hidden..."
"I'm not dead yet, what’s your hurry?" Su Shiye felt his mood souring. He glanced back at Aize, making the subordinate shudder, as if he had seen golden permafrost.
Aize immediately lowered his head respectfully, not daring to overstep again.
Su Shiye retracted the Xenon light in his hand and vanished before Aize’s eyes in the blink of an eye.
Half an hour later, Aize rushed back to the Endless Palace. Sure enough, he found Su Shiye in the long corridor, sticking to him like a shadow but remaining silent. Su Shiye walked for a while, then stopped and turned to look at him calmly, though his eyes were full of impatience. "What else?"
"Your Majesty, I can't help but feel that High Oracle Sui is acting very strange..." Aize kept his head down, not daring to look at him, but his tone was firm.
"I don't find her strange at all."
"No, Your Majesty, I really think it’s odd," Aize said urgently, looking up. "As far as I know, the High Oracle was always passionate about her career. In her mindset, she was more assertive than many men. But lately, she hasn't been doing much research. She leaves work early every day and waits for you in the Endless Palace, acting as fragile as a full-time housewife. It just feels... wrong."
Aize didn't dare say the truth: the strange one was the Emperor. Why marry the woman he loved only to treat her so coldly? Beneath this imbalanced relationship, it felt as though a massive secret was hidden.
Su Shiye gave a cold laugh. "You think you know her well?"
Aize froze, then lowered his head again, his momentum weakening. "N-no, it’s not that I know her well, it’s just that she’s currently... sigh, never mind... I apologize, I have said too much."
Aize then turned and left the Endless Palace. Su Shiye slowly swam to the balcony. Overlooking the night view of Bamanboya, he realized it would soon be three hundred and seventy-two years since they moved the capital here from Dragon City.
After establishing the Abyssal Empire, it took them only fifty years to build Dragon City to a level rivaling the first-tier cities of the Light Sea, while developing various Abyssal energy technologies. Later, they discovered this deep-sea plain.
Originally, there was no sunlight here, no moonlight—only the starlight-like bioluminescence of deep-sea creatures, turning it into a universe ten thousand meters underwater. It was he and his death-defyingly loyal subordinates who built "Bamanboya."
"Right here. The capital of the Abyssal Empire, Bamanboya," he had said to that barren land from this very spot all those years ago.
These nearly four hundred years had passed so quickly. Looking at the grand architecture built upon the high mountains in the distance, it felt as if only yesterday it was a desolate trench cliff, eroded by massive white sea anemones and carpet-like bacterial mats. But now, it had been constructed with the precision of a fine instrument.
This was the heart of the Empire, the pinnacle of Abyssal civilization over the last four billion years.
The establishment of a peak civilization was but a fleeting moment in the universe.
Time and space intertwined, weaving a dense net in his mind.
Everywhere he looked was a mix of ashes and prosperity.
A life without Fanli didn't seem so bad. No one would force moral shackles upon him; he could conquer the world however he wished and live however he liked. Furthermore, if he felt only responsibility and no love for her, he wouldn't have to worry about finding a way for her to survive, and he wouldn't have to face her disappointment and their mutual estrangement again.
But now, just thinking that her seven-hundredth birthday was only a few years away made him feel afraid.
When he first led an army of two thousand to battle eight thousand Abyssal tribesmen, he hadn't even known how to spell the word "fear."
Before long, a familiar voice rang out from below: "Ah, Brother, you’re up too?"
Su Shiye looked down and saw Fanli wandering in the courtyard.
She looked up with a sweet smile, her curly hair like a rose blooming in the deep sea.
She was such an infectious person; a casual smile was enough to warm his heart significantly. Su Shiye waved at her. "Morning."
Fanli was in a great mood. Without much thought, she rushed up to the balcony. The position was a bit too high, so she quickly adjusted her swimming height until she was level with him, looking him in the eye. "Seeing you first thing in the morning really puts me in a great mood."
Su Shiye smiled faintly. "You’re blocking my view."
"Ah..." Fanli moved to the side awkwardly. "Sorry."
"On October 4th, I’m going to the Wind-Singing Ridge. Get ready; you’re coming with me."
"A diplomatic visit? It sounds like good news."
"Mhm."
Fanli clenched her fists happily, but the moment her eyes met his, she felt herself sinking into the tenderness he couldn't quite hide. Because of this, the pain in her abdomen no longer felt so agonizing.
But as soon as her expression relaxed, Su Shiye noticed something was wrong. "Why do you look so terrible? You’re as pale as paper."
"Oh, I had a small surgery. It’s no big deal; I’ll be fully recovered before we leave."
"Small surgery?" Su Shiye frowned. "What surgery? Why didn't you tell me?"
Before she could speak, he realized she wasn't wearing a waterproof pressure suit, nor was she using any pressure-resistant arcana. Then, his eyes widened in shock. He pulled up her clothes and, sure enough, saw the sutured surgical scar on her abdomen.
To Su Shiye, this surgical mark was not unfamiliar. it was both a rain after a drought and a midnight nightmare. He took a sharp breath and grabbed Fanli’s shoulders. "What kind of madness is this? Do you really want to drive me to my grave before you’re happy?!"
"No, I’m going to be nurturing the fetus here, and my body will be very weak. If someone throws me into the seawater, I’ll die... so I just had the surgery to ensure basic safety."
"You don't plan on returning to the Light Sea? You modified your adipose organ—so are you going to accept an Arcanist constitution or a Xenon constitution? Or are you going to stay in between, becoming like the ordinary Marine or Predator tribes?"
"Well, I will become weaker, but I’m doing this for the baby. Brother will protect me, right?"
"Fanli, what on earth are you thinking!"
"I just want to live with you forever."
"Don't say another word." Su Shiye was completely deflated. "There is no such thing as 'forever.' You can't even guarantee 'forever' for yourself."
"Alright, let’s not think about unhappy things." At this, Fanli smiled and tugged his hand. "Can I sleep in the same room as you?"
"Why?"
"What do you mean why... we’re married. Of course we should share a bed."
"I don't want to sleep with you."
"That’s okay too. I’m happy as long as I can see you every day."
Black was the tyrant surrounding Bamanboya; the tens of thousands of suspended lamps in the Endless Palace were the angels sent to rescue it. In the shimmering light, seeing Fanli smiling exactly as she did when they were children, Su Shiye felt as if he were seeing an angel.
In that moment, he had a powerful urge to embrace her, but in the end, he didn't move. He simply turned silently and returned to the depths of the palace.
Every day after that, Su Shiye visited Fanli in her bedroom to look after her, even feeding her himself, just like when they were young. But, like the brother of her childhood, he only did the things a brother would do. Sometimes Fanli would proactively touch his hand, but he would not respond.
Fanli was starting to lose her patience. One afternoon, she grabbed his hand and said, "Brother, I want to apply for Abyssal Empire citizenship."
"What? Why?"
"I’m already your wife. Isn't it natural for a wife to want to serve the same country as her husband?"
"As you wish. If you want to join, have Aize handle it for you."
Both the Abyssal Empire and the Light Sea Federation allowed for a maximum of dual citizenship.
Fanli had Aize rush the application, and it was approved in less than two days. When Su Shiye came to visit her, she waved her Shenyeyagana passport and her Abyssal Empire passport, saying somewhat proudly, "Look, I’m a sea-dweller with dual status now."
"Mhm." Su Shiye straightened her messy bedsheets without giving her a second glance.
But she still had the thick skin to lean in and wrap her arms around his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin and the pheromones he released into the water. Her voice softened involuntarily. "Brother, thank you for being willing to marry me. Marrying you has been my dream since I was little. Thank you for making it come true."
"Get some rest. Once your body recovers, start focusing on the pregnancy. Don't do anything else stupid."
A moment later, Su Shiye left.
That night, Fanli tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She secretly slipped into Su Shiye’s bedroom and climbed into his bed, hugging him from behind. Su Shiye was a light sleeper; he had known she was coming since she was still in the corridor. So, even after being hugged, he didn't react, merely keeping his eyes half-open in the darkness.
"Brother, are you asleep?"
"Brother?"
"Brother, Brother..."
She nudged him several times before he finally said coldly, "What is it?"
"I missed you..." She buried her head against his back, rubbing gently. "Let’s not sleep in separate beds anymore, okay?"
She received no answer. Then, she slowly moved her hand downward, trying to tease him, but she didn't get the expected reaction. She froze, giving a dry laugh. "This isn't very common."
"Go back to your room. I want to sleep. I can't sleep well with you here."
"Why have you suddenly lost interest in me..." Fanli felt crushed and persisted, "You don't have another woman, do you?"
"No."
"I don't believe you." Fanli felt aggrieved. "Don't scare me like this... we haven't touched each other once since we got our license. Am I useless for anything other than having children? Do you regret it?"
Su Shiye grew angry and sat straight up. "You think all a man needs from a woman is sex, is that it? And all you need from me is sex too?"
"But for the past two years, that’s exactly how we maintained our connection. Now, there’s only two pieces of paper between us, with the added condition that I have to bear your child. You have the final say in everything in this country; that license doesn't actually provide any restraint between us. If getting married means we’re going to drift apart, I’d rather not have married at all. At least then I could have your body—at least I’d know you liked my body. But now, I don't even know—"
Su Shiye listened with his head down. As she continued, he grew more and more agitated, feeling sharp stabs of pain in his heart. "Stop trying to guess my thoughts. I don't even like children."
"...What do you mean?"
"I’ve seen plenty of neon lights, wine, and beautiful temptations. There are too many women more passionate and more fun than you, too many women who want to have my children, too many obedient women. If that’s what I wanted, why would I marry a dangerous woman whose head is full of schemes? You’re so smart—use your brain and think, will you?"
"Then why? Why did you marry me?" Fanli was dazed. "I really don't know anymore."
"Because I’m stupid."
"Brother, don't say that..."
Before she could finish, Su Shiye interrupted, "Are you going back to your room to sleep? If not, I’ll go sleep in another room."
"No, you have to get up early tomorrow. Get some rest... I’m going back."
Fanli returned to her room, dejected. Su Shiye did not ask her to stay.
***
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