Nearly two weeks later, the Yi clan's large cargo ship returned to Long Yu Island—a large, isolated island surrounded by endless ocean on all sides.
The nearest landmass to the north of the island belonged to Jian Kingdom, which required a full day's journey by large ship from the island to reach. The nearest landmass to the south was Fu Kingdom, about three times farther away than Jian Kingdom.
Because the island was located so far from other kingdoms' territories, and traveling here was no easy feat—not only due to the distance and method of travel, but also because the waters around Long Yu Island concealed all manner of underwater dangers. Anyone who recklessly intruded would invariably sink beneath the sea every single time.
Some rumors claimed it was strange beasts living underwater. Others said it was protective arrays the Lord of Long Yu Island had set up to keep outsiders away. For these reasons, Long Yu Island had escaped colonization or falling under the rule of any kingdom, and had been able to govern itself continuously for a very long time.
The highest authority on the island was the Island Lord from the Yang clan, who had inherited power in an unbroken, stable succession for ages—unlike the royal dynasties of the mainland people, who often rotated in and out of ruling each kingdom depending on the strength of their power and forces at any given time.
At the large manor in the center of Long Yu Island, Yang Yan—whom everyone called "Island Lord"—shot up from his chair when a servant came to report that Yi Tao had found his eldest daughter, who had been missing for a year.
"Really?! A Tao found Zhen'er?! Take me to see her right now!"
The Island Lord rushed after the servant bearing the news, heading straight to his daughter's residence.
When he arrived, he saw his beloved wife sitting and holding the hand of Yang Shuzhen, the daughter he hadn't seen in so very long. Her face wasn't different from the last time he remembered, except she was gaunt and her complexion pale. Most importantly... why was she lying unconscious like this?!
"A Tao... you finally brought Zhen'er back." He went over to clap his future son-in-law on the shoulder—the young man was the son of a close friend he'd known since childhood.
"Yes, Uncle. I found her unconscious in the Liu Li River in Heng Yang City. After investigating what happened, I rushed to bring her back here."
The part about being in the river didn't surprise the father at all, as that was perfectly normal for people of the Nai'er[1] tribe. But the word "unconscious"—that was strange. The Nai'er tribe was tougher and more resilient than rhinos. How could she lose consciousness so easily? His eldest daughter did have weaker powers than most Nai'er, but still.
He turned to his beloved wife, who was still sitting and holding their daughter's hand worriedly.
"How is Zhen'er?" If there was anyone on this island with the ability to treat someone from the Nai'er tribe, his wife would certainly rank at the top of that list.
"She's perfectly healthy physically. But for her to refuse to wake up like this, I'm afraid it's more a matter of severe psychological trauma." Lu Fen gently caressed her eldest daughter's delicate hand, her expression deeply sorrowful.
She already knew her eldest daughter had weak powers and a fragile spirit—or as outsiders would probably put it, was "soft and delicate," completely wrong for their race. This made her husband coddle this daughter like a precious treasure, never letting her encounter any troubles or worries.
No one had expected she would sneak away and disappear from home for so long. And when she came back, she was in this state.
"Who dared to harm my daughter?! A Tao! What happened? Tell me everything right now!" Yang Yan spun around to interrogate his future son-in-law.
Yi Tao, who'd sent people to investigate and gather clues, felt no small amount of heartache when he learned of the cruel ordeal that had befallen the fiancée he'd cherished and protected since childhood.
As soon as the full story was relayed to the young woman's father, Yang Yan erupted like a volcano.
"I'm going to chop off that bastard's head and boil it for Zhen'er to eat right now!"
"I'm coming too!" That voice burst out as the door was shoved open with a loud BANG! followed by the scowling face of a young woman who looked no different in beauty from Yang Shuzhen, who was currently lying unconscious on the bed. Except this one's eyes were fierce, her manner aggressive, ready to take on anyone who got in her way—completely unlike her shy, timid twin sister who didn't even dare speak loudly.
"Ying'er! When did you get back?" Yang Yan immediately suppressed his murderous aura when he saw his second daughter, who'd been traveling with her aunt for two years and had suddenly appeared without any prior notice.
"Just now, Father! I didn't expect to come in and hear something that makes me want to break someone's bones like this. Where is he?! Where's that bastard who dared to hurt A Zhen? I'm going to boil his bones for A Zhen to eat right now!"
"Excellent! I was just about to go boil his head. Then let's go together!"
Before the two reckless, hot-headed father and daughter could step out of the room, a slender but heavy and firm hand pinched each of their ears.
"Where do you two think you're going, hmm? Are you planning to just waltz over and chop off the head and break the bones of Jian Kingdom's imperial prince to boil and eat? I'm giving you both a chance to rethink this." That was the voice of Lu Fen, wife and mother to both of them, who was now twisting their ears.
"Ow ow ow, Wife, easy... my ear... my ear..."
"Mother! If one of my ears falls off, I'll look absolutely ugly!"
"Hmph!" Lu Fen released her grip on both their ears in exasperation. "Are you still going to chop off heads and break bones to boil and eat?"
"No ma'am..." Yang Yan normally had a bold, aggressive manner with everyone, but he absolutely didn't dare defy his beloved wife in the slightest.
'What if we don't boil him but deep-fry him instead?' That was the thought in Yang Xiuying's mind, but she didn't dare say it out loud for fear her other ear would get twisted too.
"And where is your aunt?" Lu Fen craned her neck looking for her younger sister who'd taken their second daughter gallivanting away for two whole years.
"Aunt already left, Mother. She dropped me off... I mean... she came to deliver me and then rushed back to find some handsome man she met along the way. She said humans have such short lifespans—if she doesn't hurry up and have fun with him early on, he'll probably get old and die after just a few breaths."
Yang Xiuying remembered her aunt's words verbatim. Lu Li had also emphasized that if she found a human man who caught her eye, she shouldn't waste time overthinking it, because he'd be dead soon enough anyway.
Lu Fen nearly raised her hand to massage her temples. Every single person around her was just great!
While the matter of the Yang clan's eldest daughter remained unresolved, the butler, Old Heng, entered to report important news.
"Island Lord, an envoy from Jian Kingdom has docked and wishes to see you. They are currently waiting at Ling Nan City's port." Ling Nan City was a coastal city in the south of Jian Kingdom, and was the closest city to Long Yu Island.
Yang Yan turned to look at the butler, eyes gleaming.
"Haha! People from Jian Kingdom? Their timing couldn't be more perfect. Just right for slow-cooking them all!"
"Ahem!" Lu Fen's throat-clearing sounded from behind, making Yang Yan start slightly before turning around with a defeated expression.
"I was only joking. Wife, don't be angry."
Then he turned back to ask the butler again.
"What do they want?"
"It seems to be about Duanshen ore."
Yang Yan sneered with contempt. Those people must want Duanshen ore from Long Yu Island because they knew of its excellent properties.
Word had it that Wei Kingdom—which bordered Jian Kingdom's northern frontier and had been their longtime enemy—had recently discovered a new type of metal ore and managed to develop methods for producing weapons even stronger than Jian Kingdom's weapons. The Jian Kingdom people were probably afraid their enemy would start another war and wanted to obtain even stronger ore to counter them.
"Hmph. We'll see whether I'm in the mood and feeling generous enough to sell it to them."
Yang Xiuying, who had heard the report as well, stood with her chest puffed out and hands on hips, making the same expression as her father.
"Right... let's see what those people will offer in exchange for our Duanshen ore. Heh heh heh."
"Huhuhu, hehehehe, bwahahaha!"
The father-daughter duo who seemed to be carbon copies of each other stood there laughing in unison with intimidating postures—though who knew who they were performing for, since only the household members were around.
Butler Heng, already accustomed to the scene before him, showed no reaction whatsoever, acting as if he saw and heard nothing.
Meanwhile, Lu Fen rolled her eyes at the father-daughter pair in exasperation.
You two are hopeless!
[1] Nai'er - The same species known as 'Nire' in other novels set in the Esthalis universe. Nire are beings that people of the world call 'merfolk' or 'mermaids'—human upper bodies with fishtails below that can transform into human legs. Nire can live both on land and in water, possessing superhuman strength as a natural trait of their species from birth. Some individuals may also have additional special powers.