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It had to be said: Jiu Li was a truly remarkable person.

She appeared for no discernible reason, ran about for no discernible reason, and greeted every person she encountered for no discernible reason—as though this were the very first thing she had ever learned to do.

She was like a child who had only just mastered the art, muttering “greet people” and “give presents” to herself, then repeating the entire process with every human—or otherwise sentient creature—she happened to meet.

Jiu Li had probably never possessed the slightest notion of rank or status. The moment she boarded the ship, she did not make straight for the master’s position. Instead, she mapped out a route and greeted everyone along the way…

Unfortunately, the Yuan family’s servants and sailors were clearly very disciplined. With their master present, how could they presume to chat with her?

Thus, they merely bowed politely to Jiu Li without saying a word.

Jiu Li did not care.

In Chu Liuxiang’s eyes, that was precisely what made her so peculiar.

She seemed to care very much. She followed some established pattern when interacting with people, evidently hoping to receive a response. Yet she did not care all that much, either. No matter how the other person reacted, she always wore the expression of someone thinking, “How interesting! How novel!”

Jiu Li came running over.

Hu Tiehua looked somewhat astonished. He had evidently noticed as well how unnaturally precise her footwork was.

Yuan Suiyun’s expression remained as mild as ever, but Chu Liuxiang noticed a subtle change—a slight lowering of his brows, a faint tightening of his lips, and the small movement of his throat.

Yuan Suiyun could not see, but his ears were exceptionally keen. He could naturally hear every detail of Jiu Li’s footwork.

That minute change in expression… Was it suspicion?

Had something happened beyond his expectations, causing him to become suspicious?

Of course, this was merely a faint sixth sense on Chu Liuxiang’s part. He was not rash enough to treat it as a conclusion.

Chu Liuxiang stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze already fixed upon Jiu Li. She continued to perform the warmest of actions with the most indifferent of expressions…

She pounced!

Watching her, Chu Liuxiang could not help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Jiu Li… had indeed failed to notice him. Her attention had been entirely captured by the new toy—ah, no, the new person. She charged straight at Hu Tiehua and launched a greeting attack!

Then, with casual ease, she pulled out a wild taro and stuffed it into his hands. He was given no opportunity whatsoever to refuse.

Hu Tiehua: “…”

Hu Tiehua: “???”

Then Jiu Li swiftly lost interest in Hu Tiehua. She turned around and began the full greeting-and-gift-giving ritual with Yuan Suiyun.

Jiu Li introduced herself as Jiu Li.

Yuan Suiyun replied that it was a pleasure to meet her.

Jiu Li asked what was wrong with his eyes.

Yuan Suiyun replied that he was blind.

Jiu Li suddenly understood. Jiu Li expressed her deepest sympathy. Jiu Li pulled a handful of bats from her sleeve—ah, no, bat guano—and stuffed it into Yuan Suiyun’s hand.

Chu Liuxiang: “…”

Chu Liuxiang desperately wanted to turn his head away, otherwise he truly might not be able to hold back his laughter.

But if he turned away, he would miss the spectacle. After much deliberation, he decided that the spectacle was more important. His expression twitched once, then he drew himself taut with extreme solemnity.

Hu Tiehua had no such inhibitions. His face changed outright.

Hu Tiehua: =口=!!!

Wait a moment. What kind of utterly ruthless person carried bats around with him—er, bat guano?!

He looked at the wild taro in his own hand, then at Chu Liuxiang, whose face was stretched into a mask of grave seriousness.

Then… surely the wild taro was not meant to be stored together with the bat—er, bat guano?

Chu Liuxiang gave him a solemn nod.

…Although he had no idea what Hu Tiehua was trying to convey with his eyes, at a moment like this, nodding simply seemed more amusing.

Hu Tiehua’s expression became even more indescribable than Yuan Suiyun’s.

And Yuan Suiyun…

Perhaps Jiu Li’s gift-giving hand had been far too enthusiastic. Perhaps Yuan Suiyun himself had wanted to see what she intended to do. In any case, by the time he realized what was happening, the bat guano was already in his hand.

Jiu Li: pure.jpg

Jiu Li: innocent.jpg

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Yuan Suiyun: “…”

The corner of Yuan Suiyun’s eye twitched.

This refined young master of an eminent family had probably never encountered a situation like this before. At that moment, the object in his hand was neither something he could throw away nor something he could keep—and it was truly revolting.

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The fury in Yuan Suiyun’s heart was almost impossible to contain.

Born into a distinguished family, learned and gifted, he had been a prodigy famous throughout the martial world since childhood. But his blindness was a pain that would remain with him forever…

In truth, no one else could be blamed for it. He could only blame the cruel twists of fate. Yet Yuan Suiyun had resolved to take revenge upon everything.

Would it not have been better to restore, openly and honorably, the glory of the Guanzhong Yuan family from three hundred years ago—the glory of having no equal in all the world—in the name of the Uncontested Manor?

Yes, it would have.

But that was not what Yuan Suiyun wanted.

He wanted revenge. He wanted to destroy other people’s eyes and plunge them into eternal darkness as well. He wanted more, more, and still more…

For that purpose, he had established Bat Island step by step, transforming it into a gilded den of indulgence upon the sea.

Without question, he was a terrifying man, and a man of unfathomable depth. Though he could not see, he had learned after only a few brief exchanges that the world-famous Thief Commander Chu Liuxiang still harbored reservations about him, along with a faint suspicion.

Chu Liuxiang’s survival had been entirely unexpected.

And Jiu Li…

She simply—she simply—

How dare she?!

For one brief moment, Yuan Suiyun was utterly stunned.

Only when that faint scent entered his nostrils did he realize what was happening: this foolish woman was still enthusiastically urging him to eat more.

Eat more! Eat more!

Yuan Suiyun’s desire to kill someone had reached its absolute peak…

And then, at that very moment, he suddenly sensed the woman’s gaze.

That was the way of martial artists. Even when deprived of sight, one remained acutely sensitive to the eyes of others.

It was a cold, indifferent gaze. When it settled upon Yuan Suiyun, it gave him the distinct sensation that he was being looked down upon.

The next second, Jiu Li spoke with absolute certainty—and considerable mockery.

“You there, why do you have two faces?”

Yuan Suiyun’s heart lurched.

If his skill at maintaining composure had not been so extraordinary, that thunderbolt would have made him stagger. Chu Liuxiang’s unreadable gaze still rested upon him—

Who, exactly, was this woman?!

She could not possibly be a survivor of that shipwreck. His own subordinates had carried it out, and he knew perfectly well who had been aboard the ship.

Then why had she appeared on Bat Island?

Who was she, really?

And what, exactly, did she know?

What was she implying with those words?

For a moment, Yuan Suiyun’s mind filled with suspicions. Jiu Li seemed to be concealing ten thousand mysteries that demanded to be solved. Yet no matter how he racked his brains, he could not find even the slightest clue.

He was just about to exchange a few more words with the woman and probe her further when she sauntered away.

…Then came back.

“Am I not allowed inside the cabin?” she asked casually.

Yuan Suiyun: “…”

“Aren’t we friends?” she demanded, perfectly reasonable.

Yuan Suiyun: “…”

Yuan Suiyun: “???”

Wait…

Had he misheard something?

Was this woman completely incapable of embarrassment? Had she lost her memory? Had she not just mocked him to his face?

Jiu Li waited patiently for his response, calm and utterly at ease.

Although Yuan Suiyun could not see, his hearing was keener than that of the overwhelming majority of people.

Hearing was often more useful than sight. A person could control their expression, but it was much harder to control their breathing and heartbeat.

Her breathing was shallow and even.

In and out, in and out, like a precision mechanism. Not the slightest sign of disorder could be detected.

Hmph… Her skill at maintaining composure was excellent.

The greater the humiliation a person could endure, the greater the reward they generally sought in return.

Jiu Li… this mysterious woman was willing to play the fool while holding bat—er, bat guano in her hands. A person like that could hardly be called harmless.

So what, exactly, was she after?

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Yuan Suiyun knew that he had encountered an opponent.

A person capable of accomplishing great things could always make the most appropriate response to any unknown danger at the very first moment.

Yuan Suiyun did not deny Jiu Li’s shameless declaration. He merely said mildly, “All who come are guests. Someone, take Miss Jiu into the cabin to rest.”

His previous plans would have to be set aside for now…

It would be better to let her into the cabin first. He wanted to see precisely what this woman was up to.

Jiu Li promptly plunged headfirst into the cabin.

And then…

Then his ship was ransacked.

Ransacked.

Ransacked.

Clatter, bang, crash, crash, crash!

The cabin walls were only wooden boards, which naturally did nothing to block the noise. Thus, everyone present heard the completely unrestrained sounds of drawers being opened and chests being rummaged through.

Hu Tiehua: “…”

Hu Tiehua looked as though he wanted to speak but did not know how.

As a happy idiot, Hu Tiehua rarely found himself at a loss for words…

But at that moment, he truly wanted to ask Chu Liuxiang:

Where in the world had you found this celestial being?!

Chu Liuxiang was clearly just as astonished. He had not expected Jiu Li to be quite so direct.

Everyone had been so thoroughly stunned by Jiu Li that not a single person stepped forward to stop her. The sailors in the cabin were still debating whether to restrain her first or report the matter to the young master and let him decide.

Jin Lingzhi heard the commotion outside and opened her cabin door to poke her head out.

The silver-haired woman happened to come charging past.

Then the silver-haired woman suddenly stopped dead.

When an ordinary person abruptly halted while running, they would at the very least need a moment to steady themselves. Otherwise, their body would pitch forward, and anyone with slightly poorer balance would fall flat on their face.

But the silver-haired woman’s sudden stop displayed no small degree of skill. She stopped the instant she chose to stop, as though inertia were beneath her notice.

She came to a halt directly in front of Jin Lingzhi, pulled out a golden camellia without a word, and stuffed it into her hands.

Jin Lingzhi: “?”

Jin Lingzhi: “…Thank you?”

Jiu Li: “Hello. I’m Jiu Li.”

Jin Lingzhi: “Ah? Ah? Oh… I’m Jin Ling—”

Before she could finish, Jiu Li had already dashed off again, heading straight for…

The kitchen.

Clatter, bang, crash, crash, crash!

Jin Lingzhi: “…”

Jin Lingzhi: “…?”

How strange…

But the most astonishing part was yet to come. After thoroughly raiding the kitchen, she ran back to the deck in high spirits, her eyes glittering with the joy of a successful hunt.

Then she began silently stuffing things into Chu Liuxiang’s hands.

Jiu Li had hunted down some aged daqu liquor!

Aged daqu liquor for Chu Liuxiang!

Jiu Li had hunted down some Spanish mackerel dumplings!

Spanish mackerel dumplings for Chu Liuxiang!

Jiu Li had hunted down some honey-glazed roast chicken!

Honey-glazed roast chicken for Chu Liuxiang—

Chu Liuxiang did not want it.

Both amused and exasperated, Chu Liuxiang hurriedly caught the hand with which Jiu Li was trying to give him the roast chicken. He was just about to say a few words to her when she seemed to misunderstand his intention, apparently assuming that he did not like honey-glazed roast chicken.

She abruptly slipped free of his grasp, raised the roast chicken high above her head, and charged toward One Red!

Chu Liuxiang: “…”

Chu Liuxiang rubbed his nose and prepared to see how the assassin would react.

The assassin’s reaction was to leap straight into the sea.

He was probably too lazy to become entangled with Jiu Li and decided simply to return to shore first.

Jiu Li…

Jiu Li froze.

Still holding the roast chicken high above her head, she stared blankly in the direction where the assassin had disappeared into the sea, apparently having no idea what she was supposed to do now.

Chu Liuxiang could hold back no longer. Clutching his stomach, he burst into laughter, even as he tried to smooth things over on Jiu Li’s behalf.

The words he used to excuse her sounded rather strange as well.

“Please forgive her, Young Master Yuan. Jiu Li is still young and does not understand proper conduct. She did not mean any harm…”

Yuan Suiyun, meanwhile, was clearly having a much less pleasant time.

He was practically furious enough to die.

“This is outrageous! Does she think my family’s ship is a public latrine? Coming and going whenever she pleases!”

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