"So, it was Sister Zhiran…"
At the mention of Zhao Zhiran, Li Dong fell silent. Once again, it was her arrangements that had saved him.
A bitter pang struck his heart as he thought of her, still trapped within the Black Street.
"By the way, how is… the eldest sister-in-law?"
Sensing that the mood had shifted, the Dragon King asked with great caution.
The "eldest sister-in-law" he referred to was, of course, Zhao Zhiran. Not in the mood to elaborate, Li Dong offered only a brief explanation.
Upon hearing that Zhao Zhiran was trapped, the Dragon King reacted with even greater agitation than Li Dong himself—his intense hostility toward Luo Shaowen was palpable.
While Li Dong was heartened by the Dragon King's righteous indignation, he knew better than anyone just how formidable his uncle was. Within the confines of the Black Street, his uncle was virtually invincible—unless, that is, Li Dong could somehow return to his former, uninjured state.
For now, he had to be realistic; his priority had to be ensuring the safety of Xuetang and Yutang.
As the conversation turned to the situation in Shen City, the Dragon King urged him to reconsider. "Big Brother, you've sustained some truly serious injuries—you've been unconscious for two full days! If you go back now, you'll almost certainly walk straight into an enemy trap."
"I've been unconscious for two days?"
Li Dong was taken aback. He had sensed that he'd been out for a long time, but he hadn't realized that two whole days had already passed.
His heart sank. With two full days gone by, he could only wonder—had his uncle already made a move against Xuetang and Yutang? Yu Tang is clever and mischievous, so he isn't too worried about her…
But Xue Tang—she is so delicate and pure, yet lacks any ability to protect herself.
Even though he already knows that his uncle has defiled her, he can easily guess the methods his uncle used to have his way with her—a realization that only deepens his heartache.
In his eyes, Xue Tang remains as pure as ever; he blames only himself for not being by her side when she needed him most.
He longs to return to Shen City this very instant, to pull Xue Tang into his arms, tell her he holds no blame toward her, and offer her all the comfort she needs.
But, unfortunately…
"Big brother, we're in international waters now—it's quite safe here. Just focus on recovering from your injuries. I was worried that those who wounded you might pursue us, so I steered the ship to a remote area where no one else passes by."
"Besides, Sister-in-law Lan Yan seems to have been afflicted by an aphrodisiac poison; she'll need you to look after her, too."
Li Dong nodded. His injuries were indeed a serious concern; when he first regained consciousness, he had tried to channel his *zhenqi* (internal energy), but it only triggered searing pain throughout his meridians.
As for the moment he plunged into the sea—he had managed to expel the foreign, pure-yang energy just in time, using a burst of his own *zhenqi* to cushion the impact. While the force of the fall had certainly taken its toll, it hadn't caused any catastrophic damage.
The real issue stemmed from the destruction wrought by that foreign, pure-yang energy, compounded by the violent surge of *zhenqi* he had forced out when hitting the water—both of which had severely damaged his meridians. To attempt to channel *zhenqi* now would be tantamount to destroying his own foundations. A look of anguish crossed Li Dong's face. He found himself in a difficult dilemma: should he head to Shen City, or stay here to recover from his injuries first?
His mind was in such a state of turmoil that he failed to notice a crucial detail: how, exactly, did the Dragon King know that Tang Lanyan had been afflicted with an aphrodisiac poison?
…
As Li Dong pondered deeply, the Dragon King finally withdrew his gaze—a gaze that had been fixed upon him—and cast a subtle, fleeting glance toward Tang Lanyan.
Those long, slender, bare, jade-like legs…
He still remembered the intoxicating sensation of those legs wrapped tightly around his waist.
Thank goodness his "big brother" hadn't discovered it—that had been far too close for comfort. If his brother had woken up even a moment earlier, it would have been all over.
In truth, during their recent conversation, the Dragon King had withheld the full truth from Li Dong—most notably regarding the catalyst for his current transformation.
It was actually linked to an earlier incident, when Zhao Zhiran had summoned him to Fushima to help orchestrate a trap for Simon.
After the scheme against Simon was executed, Zhao Zhiran hadn't bothered to conceal her naked body from the Dragon King. To her, he was little more than an innocent younger brother—or perhaps a pet—and she felt no qualms about being in such close proximity to him.
Little did she realize just how potent her allure was: fresh from her dalliance with Simon, her skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat, her intimate passage pulsed ever so slightly, and a crystalline, musky-sweet fluid trickled down between her thighs. Her ample, snow-white breasts—plump, firm, and glistening with perspiration—were on full, provocative display.
Over the past few years, the Dragon King had come to grasp the profound complexities of human nature; he was no longer the simple "orca boy" that Zhao Zhiran still imagined him to be. His intimate contact with Zhao Zhiran—specifically the scent of her sweat mingled with an intoxicating, musky, and orchid-like fragrance—fully ignited the Dragon King's desires…
Once possessed of these human cravings, the Dragon King transformed with startling speed from a simple orca-youth into a true "Sea King."
There are now over twenty women aboard the ship, serving, in effect, as his instruments for sexual gratification.
Naturally, as these are fundamentally transactional arrangements—exchanges involving money—the Dragon King feels not a shred of guilt.
Furthermore, there is a second secret he has kept from Li Dong: in truth, back when he first rescued them from the water, the Dragon King had already taken Li Dong's place…
…and "looked after" Tang Lanyan.