"Miss Qin, come, this fish soup is incredibly delicious; you must try it."
At the dinner table, Cai Zhiyin very solicitously handed Zhou Ming a bowl of fish soup.
Zhou Ming bowed slightly, took the fish soup, and placed it to the side.
Seeing that Zhou Ming only politely accepted but did not drink it, Cai Zhiyin felt a bit awkward. He chuckled, quickly picked up his own bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.
Setting down the bowl, he smacked his lips, a look of enjoyment on his face as he said, "Drinking soup is such a wonderful thing. It's neither too salty nor too bland; the taste is truly excellent."
Seeing that Zhou Ming remained cool and distant, quietly eating her food, Cai Zhiyin did not lose heart. He continued to chatter on, recounting stories from his travels as a merchant, attempting to capture Zhou Ming's attention.
"Has Miss Qin ever seen a Merman? I once saw a Merman in the Jewel Sea, and their singing is truly..."
"The great storms in the Turbulent Sea can whip up waves hundreds of meters high. Traveling there for trade is practically risking one's life..."
"The reason the Seven Martial Seas is called the Seven Martial Seas is because it once produced seven..."
"Miss Qin hasn't seen a clam pearl as big as half a person, have you? Back then, I once caught an old clam the size of a ship and obtained such a pearl. It was said to be on the verge of developing into an Immortal material, and I later contributed it to my Family..."
Unfortunately, no matter what Cai Zhiyin said, Zhou Ming remained aloof, appearing uninterested.
But she wasn't always cold and distant. Occasionally, she would ask a question or two, or appear to listen attentively. Her rare, shallow smiles were like melting snow or a plum blossom blooming in winter, leaving Cai Zhiyin stunned, feeling as if his body and mind were floating, his soul unknowingly soaring to the heavens.
If she had truly ignored Cai Zhiyin, he would have eventually lost his enthusiasm from the lack of feedback.
If she had reacted too eagerly to Cai Zhiyin, he would have felt it was too easy and lost his excitement.
Instead, her aloof and proud demeanor, coupled with her elusive attitude, perfectly struck a chord with Cai Zhiyin, making him unable to stop himself, deeply captivated.
"Miss Qin, do you know..."
Just as Cai Zhiyin was speaking excitedly, the cabin door suddenly opened, and a red figure rushed in. Her small figure, like a young swallow returning to its nest, threw herself into Cai Zhiyin's embrace.
"Cousin, I haven't seen you in days! Did you miss me?"
A voice as clear as a nightingale's, yet with a hint of wild impudence, rang out.
"What are you doing, oh no~"
Cai Zhiyin quickly spread his arms, not to embrace the red-clad young lady in his arms, but instead to first gauge Zhou Ming's reaction.
When he saw Zhou Ming subtly frown, Cai Zhiyin's heart secretly rejoiced. On the surface, however, he looked embarrassed and said, "Miss Qin, let me introduce you. This is my younger sister, Qiu Hongyan. Hongyan, quickly get down! How can a young lady of a prominent Family behave so improperly? What kind of etiquette is this?!"
"Cousin, I missed you! You left Luo Fish Island with the merchant team without a word. It was so hard for me to catch up to you."
The red-clad young lady, Qiu Hongyan, slid out of Cai Zhiyin's embrace. Though she was a woman as fiery as passion, her eyes, as she looked at Cai Zhiyin, were filled with tender affection.
"I told you I was going out to do business. It's a dangerous journey. What are you, a young lady, doing following along?" Cai Zhiyin gently reprimanded her, then added, "Quickly greet Miss Qin Wumeng. Don't be rude."
Qiu Hongyan let out a soft "Oh" in a somewhat aggrieved tone, then reluctantly said to Qin Wumeng, "Hello, Miss Qin."
Zhou Ming smiled slightly, returned the greeting to Qiu Hongyan, and likewise said, "Hello, Miss Qiu."
"Miss Qin, are you and my cousin newly acquainted? I know all his old friends, but I've never seen you before."
"May I ask how Miss Qin and my cousin met? Did you know my cousin's identity before?"
"Both my cousin's Cai Family and my Qiu Family are renowned Righteous Path clans. May I ask which Family Miss Qin comes from?"
Qiu Hongyan stared intently at Zhou Ming, her tone carrying a scrutinizing inquiry, making no secret of her unwelcoming attitude.
Qin Wumeng, however, seemed unconcerned, ignoring Qiu Hongyan's hostility. She spoke softly, "My life is like duckweed drifting with the wind, ever-changing and without dreams. Miss Qiu, I am merely a lone traveler wandering between heaven and earth. As for my origins, they naturally cannot compare to yours and Young Master Cai's, so it's best not to mention them."
"Then..."
"Enough!"
Qiu Hongyan was about to ask more, but Cai Zhiyin's soft shout stopped her.
"Hongyan, you are too out of line! Cross-examining a young lady you've just met, practically trying to dig up her entire Family background—is this your way of treating guests? Where is your cultivation as a young lady of a prominent Family?!"
Qiu Hongyan was startled by Cai Zhiyin's scolding. Her eyes quickly reddened, and an uncontrollable sense of grievance welled up.
"Cousin..." She looked on the verge of tears, wanting to tug at Cai Zhiyin's sleeve, but she was too timid to touch him.
"Hmph, why aren't you apologizing to Miss Qin? Don't make Miss Qin sad." Cai Zhiyin said coldly.
"Why is Young Master Cai losing his temper?" Zhou Ming spoke up then, defending Qiu Hongyan.
"Younger Sister Hongyan is simply passionate and outspoken, not trying to offend me. Younger Sister Hongyan and I felt like old friends at first sight. I'm delighted when she talks to me; how could I be sad?"
As she spoke, Zhou Ming gently took Qiu Hongyan's hand and softly said, "Isn't that right, Younger Sister Hongyan?"
Qiu Hongyan instinctively wanted to pull her hand away, but remembering that Zhou Ming had just spoken up for her, she felt a little embarrassed and did not outright refuse the goodwill Zhou Ming extended.
The one most pleased by this sight was, of course, Cai Zhiyin. He nodded and said, "Since Miss Qin is interceding for you, I will forgive you then, Hongyan. Have you eaten? Come eat with us."
"Cousin is the best!" Qiu Hongyan cheered, her earlier aggrieved expression instantly vanishing. She joyfully moved closer to Cai Zhiyin, eating heartily and continuously serving him dishes.
"Cousin, eat this."
"Cousin, try this!"
"Oh, Cousin, there's also cold bone fish soup! This fish soup is very delicious; Cousin, you must have a bowl."
"Cousin..."
The repeated calls of "Cousin" annoyed Cai Zhiyin immensely. His cousin was beautiful, had a good figure, came from a strong Family background, and had a crush on him, but it was precisely because she was too clingy that Cai Zhiyin disliked her and tried every means to shake her off.
At this moment, amidst his irritation, Cai Zhiyin was about to try to coax her to stay, then figure out a way to get rid of her.
He looked up and saw Zhou Ming's face adorned with a faint smile, her features gentle, completely devoid of the coldness she had shown when she was alone with him earlier. Her eyes held a hint of envy.
'Could it be that she has already fallen for me, but is merely shy and doesn't know how to express her feelings, so she can only adopt a distant demeanor?'
'But she clearly speaks more to Hongyan. It seems she is only like this with the opposite sex. Then shouldn't I keep Hongyan by my side so she will talk more and we can develop our feelings?'
'Although Hongyan being too clingy is a hassle, as long as I can win over Miss Qin, accepting Hongyan isn't out of the question. Then, with one Dragon and two Phoenixes, one cold and one hot, wouldn't that be wonderful...'
Cai Zhiyin's mind raced with fantasies. The words on the tip of his tongue changed immediately as they came out. He no longer completely rejected Qiu Hongyan and agreed to her request to stay on the ship and travel with him for business.
Qiu Hongyan was instantly overjoyed. She didn't notice any change in Cai Zhiyin's attitude, only assuming that her persistent pestering had finally moved Cai Zhiyin's heart, and she became immersed in sweet fantasies of a beautiful future.
Zhou Ming, however, keenly sensed Cai Zhiyin's thoughts and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She only wanted a free ride and had no desire to play any romance games with this Young Master of the Cai Family. Keeping this woman, Qiu Hongyan, by his side would occupy a lot of Cai Zhiyin's time, saving her much trouble.
Soon, a not-so-harmonious dinner ended. Zhou Ming immediately stood up to excuse herself and returned to her room.
Cai Zhiyin wanted to keep her, but he was entangled by Qiu Hongyan and could only give up.
The next day, the Cai Family's merchant fleet departed the dock. A fleet of eight ships, one large and seven small, sailed out to sea, heading south along the shipping lane.
"Wave Chasing Gu, activate!"
As the fleet moved further away from the island, each ship had several Gu Masters, all of Two-turn cultivation, activating their Gu to affect the vessels.
Immediately, the ships' resistance to the waves was greatly reduced, and their speed increased.
"Long Wind Gu!"
Several more Wind Dao Gu Masters stepped forward, activating their Gu to create wind that encircled the ships, billowing the sails, lingering for a long time, and propelling the ships forward even faster.
"Ripple Gu..."
Under the effect of various Gu, the fleet's speed grew faster and faster, like a volley of arrows, riding the wind and breaking the waves, leaving a long white wake on the sea's surface.
At this speed, Mortals could not stand on the deck, and the ships did not require Mortal operation. Therefore, at this time, all Mortals were hidden in the cabins; only Gu Masters could remain on deck.
Zhou Ming leaned against the ship's rail, gazing at the distant horizon where sea and sky merged, her mood expanding.
Although the ship's speed was very fast now, on such a vast ocean, lacking reference points for comparison, the distant sky remained motionless, making it seem as if they were momentarily suspended on the sea surface, not feeling particularly fast.
"Miss Qin, how is it? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Cai Zhiyin's voice rang in her ear, quite proudly saying, "This is just normal cruising. If we encounter danger, we can also form Killing Moves to achieve extreme speed, such as the Wave Pushing Killing Move, the Drifting with the Current Killing Move... At that speed, even a Sea Beast Emperor wouldn't necessarily be able to catch up!"
"The Cai Family Merchant Fleet's ability to traverse the Eastern Sea is indeed well-deserved." Zhou Ming praised softly, nodding slightly to Cai Zhiyin.
Cai Zhiyin received a compliment from Zhou Ming, and although it wasn't about him personally, he still felt pleased and couldn't help but want to boast a bit more.
"Cousin, didn't you say you were going to take me fishing? Why are you just standing here? Miss Qin, why are you here too? Is the cabin too stuffy, so you came up for some fresh air?"
Qiu Hongyan appeared from nowhere, interrupting Cai Zhiyin's words. She wedged herself between the two of them, like a protective kitten, her gaze wary as she stared at Zhou Ming.
"Younger Sister Hongyan." Zhou Ming's attitude towards Qiu Hongyan was completely different from her attitude towards Cai Zhiyin. She smiled brightly, her voice gentle.
'Oh, I'm dead.' Cai Zhiyin watched Zhou Ming's radiant smile, her entire being enveloped in sunlight, outlined by a golden halo, shining like a goddess. He cried out in his heart, utterly infatuated and unable to extricate himself.