Chapter 2115: 投怀送抱

As expected, the ugly woman's eyes turned cold, and her hand, holding a nearly transparent needle between her fingers, lifted slightly from her sleeve, as if she were about to strike.

Just then, the tavern door was kicked open, and a squad of strangely armored figures walked in.

Seeing this, the ugly woman curved her fingers and quickly withdrew the needle into her sleeve.

"So it's the Sea Patrol Yakshas. What bad luck," the burly man muttered under his breath, then staggered back to his seat, utterly oblivious to how close he had just come to death.

Zu An, however, observed the newcomers. Each had an indigo-colored face and cinnabar-red hair, wielding either a great axe or a long trident, and looking exceptionally fierce.

"So these are the Sea Race's Sea Patrol Yakshas..."

The Sea Race often deploys such elite soldiers to patrol the surrounding waters, deterring various petty criminals and troublemakers.

While their power was negligible to Zu An now, for ordinary cultivators of various races, they still represented a formidable deterrent.

For instance, the hot-headed fellow from earlier had immediately sobered up upon seeing them.

At this point, the turtle bartender approached, carrying several jars of wine. "You gentlemen must be tired," he said. "Have some wine to warm yourselves up."

Seeing how perceptive the turtle bartender was, the fierce expressions of the Sea Patrol Yakshas softened slightly. They took the jars of wine, and in the blink of an eye, each had drained a jar.

Many in the tavern watched them drink a jar of strong liquor as if it were nothing, thinking, "As expected of the Sea Patrol Yakshas! Indeed, their bodies are robust, and their vitality burns like fire."

Only then did the turtle bartender speak:

"May I ask what brings you gentlemen here this time? If there's anything I can assist with, please just say the word."

"It's about the Mermaid Queen," a Sea Patrol Yaksha said, pulling a stack of papers from his robes and handing them to him. "Here, take these and post them up."

The turtle bartender quickly took them and soon posted the papers in conspicuous places around the tavern.

Zu An looked and saw it was a wanted poster for the Mermaid Queen, complete with her portrait. Although the brushstrokes were simple, it was still clear she was an exceedingly beautiful woman.

Oh, so the Mermaid Queen's name is Shang Hongyu. No wonder she's Shang Liuyu's sister.

The leading Sea Patrol Yaksha announced loudly, "Anyone with information on Shang Hongyu's whereabouts should report it to the nearest Sea Patrol Yaksha as soon as possible. There will be rewards proportionate to the importance of the information. And if you assist, or even personally capture Shang Hongyu, not only will you be rewarded with inexhaustible cultivation resources for life, but the Dragon King will also take you as a personal disciple and impart cultivation techniques to you."

Hearing this, the tavern erupted into an uproar. "Who would have thought the bounty would increase after just a few days!"

Endless cultivation resources were already enough to drive people mad, but now, to be personally taught techniques by the Dragon King — what an opportunity!

One must know, the Dragon King was one of the strongest individuals in the world; if one could inherit his teachings, would they not also become a top expert?

Even taking a step back, even if one's aptitude was poor and they couldn't reach the peak, merely being a disciple of the Dragon King would be enough to rise through the ranks in the Sea Race hierarchy.

At this time, the other Sea Patrol Yakshas began to inspect the tables one by one, seemingly looking for suspicious individuals among the patrons.

Zu An's heart suddenly stirred as a gentle breeze wafted by; the woman from earlier had already sat down beside him.

It must be said, although she was ugly in appearance, her aura was surprisingly fresh.

"Won't you buy me a drink?" the woman asked, resting her chin on her hand and tilting her head as she regarded him.

Her posture and demeanor held a naturally alluring charm, but it was a pity she was truly too ugly.

Zu An smiled faintly. "Give me a reason."

"Because since I came in earlier," the woman said, "you are the only one in the entire tavern whose gaze held neither desire nor disdain when looking at me." Her eyes, however, were bright and lively; unfortunately, paired with her pockmarked face, they felt like a pearl dulled by dust.

"That's just your feeling. What does it have to do with me?" Zu An remained unmoved.

The woman looked at him in surprise. This person had an ordinary appearance, but a quite unique temperament.

Her peripheral vision caught the approaching Sea Patrol Yakshas nearby, so she lowered her voice and asked, "Are you looking for the whereabouts of the Undying Dragon Grass?"

Zu An finally showed emotion, setting down his wine cup. "You know?"

As he spoke, he poured her a cup of wine.

The woman picked up the wine cup and took a small sip; it was clear she was of noble origin, otherwise it would be difficult to cultivate such an aristocratic air. "Of course. As for that turtle bartender just now, he was purely trying to swindle money from you. He couldn't possibly find anything useful."

Zu An smiled. "I could tell."

He had already lost hope after the man's earlier startled reaction, merely wanting to gather some information about the Sea Race from him and inquire about boat tickets to the Sea Race territory.

"Then how do I know you're not trying to deceive me too?" Zu An asked, looking at her with interest.

The woman, however, was composed. "Do you have any other choice besides trusting me?"

"So what would make you willing to tell me the whereabouts of the Undying Dragon Herb?" Zu An chuckled.

"Hug me!" the woman suddenly said, lowering her voice quickly.

Zu An's smile instantly froze on his face. "???"

A myriad of possibilities had just flashed through his mind, but he had never expected her request to be this.

However, sensing the Sea Patrol Yakshas approaching, his heart stirred, and he reached out to put his arm around the woman's waist.

He was startled the moment his hand touched her waist. This woman had many bumps on her face and neck, and he had originally thought her body would be similar, but upon contact, it felt exceptionally soft and smooth.

At this moment, the woman naturally nestled into his embrace, looking at him very intimately. "I want you to feed me," she said.

Zu An: "..."

*Sister, do you not realize that your face, speaking in such a coquettish tone, is a bit terrifying?*

However, to save Honglei, what was this small sacrifice?

So he picked up the wine cup, and with a smile, brought it to her lips. At the same time, his finger gently wiped away the wine stain that had trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Feeling his gentle actions, the woman was startled and looked at him with a strange expression in her eyes.

However, in the eyes of others, it seemed as if the two were gazing at each other lovingly.

If it were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, it would be fine, but at this moment, the man's appearance was so ordinary he'd be lost in a crowd, while the woman was exceptionally ugly. This scene was truly an eyesore.

The Sea Patrol Yaksha glanced at them and then walked past, thinking, "This fellow must be desperate, wanting even a woman like that."

He even skipped questioning them; the person they were looking for would never be lying so intimately in a man's embrace.

At this moment, the turtle bartender returned to the counter, and seeing the two's demeanor, secretly gave Zu An a thumbs-up.

After all, as the sea ox man had rightly said, wasn't it all the same with the lights off and faces covered? What's more, this woman had a top-tier figure.

At this point, he suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Lord Yaksha, the Mermaid Queen's cultivation is so high. Even if we find her, we won't be able to capture her."

"That's right, her cultivation is so high," a patron added. "Even if we discover her whereabouts and then inform you, by the time you come and go, she'll be long gone." The other patrons, as if waking from a dream, clamored in agreement.

Indeed, no matter how generous the reward, one must be alive to enjoy it.

"You don't need to worry about that," the Sea Patrol Yaksha leader said. "She is already gravely injured and has little combat power left."

Hearing this news, many people cheered, as if they could already see themselves reaching the pinnacle of life after capturing the Mermaid Queen.

In contrast, some others secretly sighed. Clearly, they had once received favors from the Mermaid Queen and could not bear to see her meet such a fate.

Zu An frowned. Gravely injured. Was it the Dragon King who injured her?

But this wasn't right. With the Dragon King's cultivation, if he had made a move, how could the Mermaid Queen have had a chance to escape?

Just then, his vision darkened. It turned out that seeing the Sea Patrol Yakshas had left, the burly man named Sea Ox from earlier stood before them and said in a booming voice, "I saw this woman first!"

The surrounding patrons couldn't help but whistle; scenes of rivalry over women happened daily in such places, but it was the first time they had seen such a struggle over an ugly woman.

Zu An couldn't help but smile at the woman. "I didn't expect you to be quite so charming."

The woman's expression was somewhat unnatural; clearly, the current situation had caught her off guard. *Is this Sea Ox sick?* she thought. *I look like this, and he still has such thoughts?*

She smiled, still nestled in Zu An's embrace. "But I'm his companion now," she said.

Zu An: "..."

They say beautiful women are trouble, but who would have thought a woman like this would also be skilled at deflecting trouble?

The Sea Ox glared at Zu An. "Let her go, damn it!"

As he spoke, a pair of large hands swiped directly at Zu An.

With a loud bang, everyone's vision blurred for a moment, and the next second, they found the burly Sea Ox man had disappeared.

Searching around, they found his entire body stuck headfirst in the sand outside on the beach, with his legs sticking out of the ground, twitching in the air.

Everyone's expressions changed. They exchanged glances; no one seemed to have clearly seen how that fellow had struck. This person looked ordinary, but unexpectedly, he was a tough nut to crack.

The woman suddenly sat up straight and looked at Zu An with a look of astonishment in her eyes.

"Why are you getting up? Weren't you being intimate with me just now?" Zu An asked, casually reaching out to hug her again.

The other party, however, subtly twisted her waist, avoiding his hand.

Zu An looked at her with interest. *What a soft, slender waist,* he thought.

The woman's expression was somewhat unnatural. "There are too many people here," she said. "It's embarrassing to be watched."

"Alright, it's better to go somewhere private to handle things," Zu An said, nodding. With one arm around her waist, he walked directly outside. The woman originally tried to dodge, but his hand seemed to possess a magical quality, accurately wrapping around her.

Watching the two disappear into the distance, the people in the tavern began to enthusiastically discuss Zu An's origins, but unfortunately, no one could say.

"Do you think," one person asked, "with his high cultivation, what kind of woman couldn't he find? Why would he choose such an ugly woman?"

"It's hard to say about rich people's tastes," another replied. "Those with high cultivation are probably similar. Once they get tired of pretty ones, they like to find something fresh like this."

"If high cultivation makes one's aesthetic taste change like that," another commented, "then I'd rather stay happy as I am now."

Meanwhile, as Zu An and the woman walked along the beach, the woman asked curiously, "Your cultivation seems very high. You shouldn't be an unknown figure among humans. May I know your name?"

"Why bother with names when we've just met?" Zu An said with a smile. "Even if I told you my name, you might not believe it, just as you most likely won't tell me your true name."

The woman was startled at first, then a faint smile appeared on her face. "You're quite an interesting fellow," she said.

Zu An sighed. "If you hadn't pressed that needle against a vital point on my waist when you said that," he said, "it would have been more sincere."

The woman's expression changed. Seeing he still had no defensive posture, she hesitated for a moment and ultimately did not stab the needle.

Curving her fingers, she withdrew the needle. "I really intended to take your life," she said, "but now that I think about it, never mind. It's fine if we just forget each other and go our separate ways."

"You had many opportunities to strike on the way here," Zu An said, looking at her curiously. "Why did you hesitate for so long?" If not for that, he wouldn't be so polite at this moment.

"You did help me just now, after all," the woman said with a sigh. "And touching my body was an unintentional mistake. If I were to harm you, wouldn't that be repaying kindness with enmity?"

Zu An's expression was a bit strange. "Just because I touched your body, you wanted to take my life?" he asked. "Besides, you were clearly the one who initiated it just now, and strictly speaking, I should be the one at a greater disadvantage, right?"

A hint of shame and annoyance flashed across the woman's brow. "What do you know! I..."

She seemed about to say something, but ultimately did not. "Never mind. It's better if you don't know," she said. "Knowing would only bring trouble upon yourself."

"Your identity is quite special," Zu An said curiously. "By the way, what exactly is your origin? A Manta Ray demon?"

"Manta Ray demon?" The woman's eyes widened. "You're the Manta Ray demon!"

"Don't you have a needle?" Zu An replied. "I thought about it for a long time, and it seems the only thing in the ocean linked to venomous needles is a manta ray."

"Who says it's only manta rays?" the woman began, "The Sea Race has so many species, many of them have venomous needles..." She stopped mid-sentence. "That's not the point. I'm not a manta ray demon. Alright, I don't want to talk to you anymore. We won't meet again."

"Hey, you can't leave," Zu An said, grabbing her hand.

The woman's eyes widened. "You touched me again?"

"Touching you won't make you lose a piece of flesh," Zu An said grumpily. "You still haven't told me the whereabouts of the Undying Dragon Herb."

The woman's expression instantly turned serious. "Where did you hear that name," she asked, "and why are you looking for it?"

"That's none of your business. I have my own reasons," Zu An replied. He naturally couldn't go around proclaiming that he wanted to save his beloved; who knew if someone would use that against him.

"No matter your reason," the woman said, shaking her head, "I can only advise you to give up. You cannot obtain it."

"Why?" Zu An was clearly not satisfied with this answer.

"Because..." The woman hesitated for a moment, about to answer, when her expression suddenly changed. A group of people from a distance surrounded them, and in a few leaps, they had already encircled the two.

Zu An initially thought it was because he had displayed a Heaven-grade primeval stone in the tavern, which had "shown off his wealth" and aroused the greed of the patrons, who now wanted to find a secluded spot to rob and kill them.

He was also somewhat puzzled. *Do those fellows not have eyes?* he thought. *They just saw the fate of the burly Sea Ox man, and they still dare to come?*

However, he soon clearly saw the approaching figures: blue-faced, fanged, and with fiery red hair. They were the Sea Patrol Yakshas from earlier.

*Huh, wait.*

He noticed a faint wisp of black aura lingering around these Sea Patrol Yakshas, clearly different from the ones from earlier.

Zu An frowned. This aura felt familiar to him.

At this moment, the woman's expression changed dramatically. She pushed Zu An aside and ran off in another direction.

Watching her retreating figure, Zu An chuckled silently. This woman was kind-hearted, fearing she would implicate him.

At this moment, the Sea Patrol Yakshas were incredibly fast, quickly blocking the woman's path. "You can't escape now," they roared. "Surrender!"

Their voices were much harsher than those of the Sea Patrol Yakshas in the tavern, like demons from hell, giving people a sense of dread.