The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 662 The Shocked Island Owner
"Don't worry, everyone, Aoki is dead."

In the central square of the island, Shuibei calmly uttered these words.

Almost instantly, the residents around her froze. The woman who had urged her to leave seemed confused, wondering if she had misheard, and couldn't help but ask:

"What did you just say? Who died?"

Another man also began to breathe heavily, staring intently at Shui Bei, trying to discern any element of "joke" on the sorceress's face, but he failed.

"Aoki, Elder Aoki is dead."

Facing the gazes of those around her, Shui Bei took a deep breath, raised her voice slightly, and explained:
“It wasn’t just Aoki. In fact, everyone in my entire patrol team except me died. They were killed by powerful outsiders.”

The entire square fell silent upon hearing this.

A flurry of astonished faces gathered around.

At this moment, Shui Bei felt a strange excitement and pride welling up inside her, as if she were the one who had hunted down Qing Mu. Well, she was just taking advantage of the situation.

Undoubtedly, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Aoki is dead?!"

"real or fake?"

“How could Commander Shuibei be lying? She has never lied since she was a child.”

"Good riddance. The evil deeds of Jinlun Island will be punished by Heaven."

In an instant, the crowd, some excited, some worried, and some confused, surrounded Shui Bei in the center, trying to ask for more detailed information.

"What's going on? Why is it so noisy?"

At that moment, the door of the most magnificent house opened, and a woman who looked to be about forty years old came out.

The woman had a composed demeanor. Although she was no longer young, the fine crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were hard to hide, but her appearance was still remarkable, and it was clear that she had been a beautiful woman in her youth.

Unlike the others, the woman's long hair was tied up and secured with a bright red coral hairpin, making it extremely eye-catching.

"Island owner!"

"The island lord has come out!"

This woman was none other than the current owner of Red Coral Island.
—Thanks to the custom of respecting the strong in the Thousand Islands of the East China Sea, the person with the highest cultivation level generally serves as the island lord on each island.

Meanwhile, among the thousands of islands, large and small, the top ten island lords are known as "elders," and the so-called "Elders' Council" is an organization composed of the ten strongest islands that establishes order.

Well, it does have a bit of a UN feel to it...

"Island Master,"

Shui Bei stepped forward from the crowd. This female sorcerer, who had previously wet herself in fear before Zhao Du'an, prostrating herself with her buttocks sticking out and trembling, now had a serious expression, respectfully bowed, and said:

"Qingmu is dead. He was killed by the powerful Yu Kingdom warriors that Jiyue brought back."

A clear moon? For a moment, the middle-aged woman was dazed, and the others were also taken aback.

Although it happened many years ago, the island's residents still remember the girl who ran away.

Everyone thought that Jiyue would never return, but today she not only returned, but also led the people of Yu.

Recalling Elder Aoki's blood feud with Ji Yue's family back then, the word "revenge" came to many people's minds.

"Where is Jiyue?" the beautiful woman asked, snapping out of her daze.

……

On the dock, on the deck of a ship.

"Master, are you really waiting here?"

Tuoba Weizhi frowned:

"Wouldn't it be troublesome if the people on this island tipped them off and summoned more people?"

Zhao Du'an stood with his hands behind his back and smiled calmly:
"With Master Zhang here, no news can escape the island."

Zhang Yan subconsciously stroked his beard, smiled and nodded. Then, belatedly, he realized that the number of times this kid had praised him along the way had increased significantly, which was a bit strange. He inexplicably felt that this brat was "lifting" him up with his flattery.

It feels really uncomfortable...

"Tsk, look, aren't people here?" Zhao Du'an said with a smile, pointing into the distance.

Ji Yue and Jin Jian looked up at the same time and saw Shui Bei leading a large group of people over.

The islanders who stayed at the dock were startled when they saw the island owner come out to greet them in person.

However, the owner of Red Coral Island walked straight to the dock and bowed respectfully.

"I am the owner of Red Coral Island. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please forgive me."

As they spoke, many people noticed Jiyue in her red dress on the deck and were deeply moved.
"It really is Jiyue!"

"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, you've grown up so much..."

Zhao Du'an turned his head and glanced at Ji Yue, who was expressionless and seemingly indifferent, but whose two fists were clenched tightly under his sleeves, revealing the turbulent emotions in his heart.

He quietly reached out his large hand, enveloped one of her fists, and gave her a reassuring look amidst Ji Yue's confused gaze.

Then, Zhao Du'an looked down at the middle-aged woman with a red coral hairpin below, smiling, and said:

"We apologize for our intrusion and are sorry to have disturbed you."

Seeing that he was so easy to talk to, the owner of Red Coral Island breathed a sigh of relief, her high chest heaving.

As the island's owner, she rationally did not want to have any contact with this group, even though she felt relieved and somewhat grateful that they had killed Aoki.

However... Red Coral Island is too small. It is not a good thing to come into contact with someone who can kill an elder with a wave of his hand. It would also be difficult to explain to the elders' council in the future.

But what she knew even more clearly was that if, as Shui Bei said, one of the other party's maids possessed combat power close to that of a half-step Celestial, and had brought Ji Yue straight to Hongshan Island, then this was something she could no longer avoid.

There was nothing they could do but respectfully welcome them, at least not to anger them and cause an island massacre. As for what would happen next, they had no time to think about it for the time being.

"Jiyue is originally a resident of Hongshan Island. Now that she has the honor of returning home, how can it be considered a disturbance?"

The beautiful woman forced a smile, not mentioning a word about the other party killing Aoki or Jiyue's past events. Instead, she cautiously examined their attire and tentatively asked:

"But we are just ordinary people from beyond the borders, with limited knowledge and experience. May I ask how this young master is addressed?"

Zhao Du'an didn't intend to hide anything, smiled, and said:

"Zhao Du'an, Junior Guardian of Yu State and Grand Commander for Suppressing the Rebellion."

As soon as these words came out.

Not only the island's female owner, but also many islanders, including Shuibei, suddenly changed color!

Zhao Du'an!
They've heard of that name!

Although the Thousand Islands of the East China Sea are outside the State of Yu, they are open to trade with the mainland. How could they not have heard of the great events of the War of the Eight Princes and the rise of Zhao Du'an in the past two years?

Furthermore, due to their proximity to the "Coastal Road," they had even recently learned that Zhao Du'an had killed Prince Jing and that the Empress had defeated Wu Xiankui.

In the hearts of the residents of Qiandao Lake, the name "Zhao Du'an" is not only well-known but also quite famous.

"You...you are that Magistrate Zhao?!"

Shui Bei was also stunned. She hadn't known the young man's identity when she was on the boat, but now she did.

Realizing it belatedly:
That's right! Only someone of such great stature would be qualified to have such a master accompany them, right?

Ji Yue has actually managed to climb up to such a powerful figure and work for him? Shui Bei suddenly felt envious.

Then, even greater doubts arose in my mind:
But why would such a famous person suddenly come to the Thousand Islands?
"This humble Taoist greets Lord Zhao! Your presence on Red Coral Island is a great blessing for us. Please come aboard and rest." The Lord of Red Coral Island was deeply moved and quickly bowed. He showed no trace of the burdens of being an island lord.

The rest of the islanders also flocked to him—rumored to be that "King Zhao" was vengeful and ruthless.

Now that they have brought Jiyue back, they are filled with fear, afraid that if they are not humble enough, they will be slaughtered by this King Zhao Yama.

"Hehe, are you being so polite?"

This scene left Zhao Du'an bewildered, and he looked at Ji Yue with curiosity:
Are you all so warm and hospitable here?

Ji Yue fell silent, and the socially anxious girl was also a little dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Zhao Du'an chuckled, waved his hand, and led the group off the boat.

Surrounded by the crowd, we arrived at the most magnificent house in the center of the island.

……

Inside the house.

The huge table was filled with local food presented by young girls, mostly seafood such as fish, clams, and lobsters.

They also presented "fruits" that are extremely rare in the local area.

The owner of Hongshan Island drove everyone else out of the house, leaving only Shuibei inside to receive guests.

The beautiful woman knelt on the mat and personally picked up the wine pot to pour wine for Zhao Du'an and his entourage.

"The islands are barren and time is short, so there is no time to prepare a sumptuous meal for our guests. Please, Your Excellency, try the local specialties first. I have already ordered people to prepare a banquet."

Zhao Du'an, Zhang Yanyi, Tuoba Weizhi, Jin Jian, and Ji Yue also sat on the ground.

The first two appeared natural, the priestess was like a cold-blooded killer, and Ji Yue gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, lost in memories.

Jin Jian stared blankly at the table full of silver utensils, a strong urge rising within him to bite them...

"Island Lord, there's no need for such formalities. I've come here for two reasons: first, to take Jiyue home for a visit, and to deal with a few fools. Second, I have a mission to complete and won't be staying long," Zhao Du'an said calmly.

The beautiful woman was taken aback. She first put down the silver wine pot, then straightened her kneeling posture. The collar of her robe, which was looser than those in the mainland, revealed her fair and smooth neck.

She hesitated and said, "The task you mentioned, sir, is..."

Zhao Du'an asked, "Answer a few questions for me first."

The beautiful woman had no choice but to nod: "Please ask, Your Excellency."

"The first question: do you know why the sea god is angry?" he asked.

The owner of Red Coral Island hesitated and shook his head:
"I don't know. However, this is not the first time in history that the sea has been raging prematurely, or it may just be a coincidence."

Zhao Du'an said, "I heard that some people speculate it's related to a female demon?"

The beautiful woman shook her head and said:

"This speculation does exist, but it is only circulating among the islanders. The island lords do not think so. Although the female demon is hateful, she is nothing more than a powerful outsider, and her cultivation is not too strong. She is just mysterious and her timing is strange."

The gods' restlessness is unlikely to be related to this.

Zhao Du'an was slightly disappointed; clearly, these local cultivators hadn't understood the principle either.

Seeing him frown, the beautiful woman's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly explained:

"However, it's not entirely out of the question to speculate."

"Oh? Tell me."

“There are two. One is when the Sea God started to stir at the beginning of this year, which was not long ago. I also went to the Silent Sea to investigate and accidentally sensed that something was wrong in the direction of the dragon skeleton deep in the Silent Sea. A large group of fish was rushing and crashing into the dragon skeleton, but it only lasted for a very short time. I was lucky to have stumbled upon it.”

The beautiful woman said earnestly:

"Secondly, a few days later, news came from the mainland. It said..."

She paused, then looked cautiously at Zhao Du'an.

Zhao Du'an: "What did you say? Don't stammer!"

“Yes,” the beautiful woman said.
"If you calculate carefully, the day the sea god became angry is quite close to the day the envoy killed Prince Jing, roughly within one day."

Zhao Du'an's heart skipped a beat!
Was the battle at the seashore on the same day as the sea god's wrath?

Could it be due to the fight between Zhenbao and Wu Xiankui? No... the two fought before during the Fengshan ceremony, so this wasn't the first time.

Is there anything else?

It couldn't be that he summoned the phantom of the founding emperor himself... Zhao Du'an's expression shifted.

Considering that the "key" was placed by Lao Xu on the Thousand Islands in the East China Sea back then, there might be some connection between the two.

"My lord?" the beautiful woman called out cautiously.

Zhao Du'an snapped out of his daze, smiled at her, and said:

"Very good. This intelligence is very valuable."

The beautiful woman breathed a silent sigh of relief, then mustered her courage and asked:

"I wonder if you have come here for the Sea God? And what can we do to help?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"I intend to enter the Silent Sea, which is the abode of the gods, and make a trip to the Eye of the East Sea."

The beautiful woman was shocked and hurriedly said, "No!"

She said bitterly:

"My lord has never been to the Thousand Islands before and may not be familiar with this place. Now is the month of wrath, the sea god is furious, and the entire Silent Sea is at its most dangerous time."

At this time, even we local sorcerers who cultivate the 'Sea God' dare not approach rashly. At most, we stay at the edge of the Silent Sea, but dare not venture deep into it, lest we anger the Sea God...

The power of the gods is beyond the resistance of mortals!

Zhao Du'an remained unmoved, toying with the wine cup on the table in his hand:
"What if I insist on going in at this time?"

The beautiful woman, her face streaked with tears, glanced cautiously at Tuoba Weizhi and said:
"If you try to force your way in, even a half-step Celestial would risk death. Unless you can persuade the Emperor of Yu to come, perhaps he can guarantee your safety."

Zhao Du'an shook his head and chuckled:
"His Majesty is busy with state affairs and cannot come. However..."

He turned his head, glanced at Zhang Yanyi beside him who was looking down, and smiled:
"If the current Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion accompanies him, then the minor deities from outside the region are not worth worrying about."

Zhang Yan cursed inwardly. He realized that this kid was cunning and deliberately flattered him to death.

A contemporary... Celestial Master?!

The beautiful woman was stunned. She stared wide-eyed at the unassuming old priest. She had thought the old man was an elder priest, but she never expected him to be the legendary Zhang Tianshi.
Then it suddenly occurred to her that even the dignified, almost divine Zhang Tianshi was willing to serve as a "bodyguard" by Zhao Shijun's side...

The beautiful woman was mesmerized and suddenly no longer afraid. Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at Zhao Du'an.

She suddenly realized that Zhao Du'an's arrival might not be a danger, but an opportunity.

If Red Coral Island can be captured, it might be able to change its lowly status among the Thousand Islands.

Mind this.

The beautiful woman shouted:

"This humble woman is willing to personally lead the magistrate and the Celestial Master to the Eye of the East Sea to investigate!"

……

Correct typos first, then edit.
(End of this chapter)