The boy seemed startled by her outburst and quickly ducked his head behind the rock.
Pei You’an hurried over and saw Jia Fu already standing, eyes wide open, pointing to the rock beside her. Seeing the dark shadow behind the rock, he knew someone was hiding there. His expression darkened and he slowly drew his sword.
“Eldest cousin!”
Jia Fu snapped back to herself and quickly grabbed Pei You’an’s sleeve.
“I recognize him! Let me ask first—”
“Don’t—”
The boy’s voice came from behind the rock.
With a rustling sound, his head appeared again, shouting at Pei You’an, “Young Master, it’s me! Yu’er, don’t you recognize me?”
Dong Cheng’ao hurried over, greatly surprised at the boy: “Young Master, why have you come? You followed me?”
Xiao Yu’s face showed a faint smile. He leapt out nimbly from behind the rock like a monkey. Before his feet even settled, he dashed to Pei You’an’s front and grabbed his arm: “Young Master, it’s been so long since we met. You finally came back, but you only called Long Shu (Uncle Long) and didn’t bring me along! Young Master, have you abandoned me?”
Pei You’an looked toward Dong Cheng’ao.
Dong Cheng’ao’s face showed awkwardness: “Young Lord...”
Seeing this, Xiao Yu hurriedly added, “Young Master, don’t blame Long Shu. I heard recently that you arrived in Quanzhou and suppressed the bandit chief, so I guessed Long Shu would come to see you. I kept watch and at dusk saw Long Shu lowering the small boat from the big ship, apparently going out to sea alone. I quietly hid under the boat early, grabbed the rope ring, and came over like this.”
After Dong Cheng’ao left the big ship alone at dusk and went out to sea, he kept looking around behind him from time to time to avoid being followed. But he never expected that Xiao Yu had hidden underwater beneath his boat and came all the way like that.
“Young Lord, this was my negligence…”
Dong Cheng’ao looked ashamed and helpless.
In these two years, Xiao Yu had changed greatly.
Though Dong Cheng’ao knew that before coming to the sea, Xiao Yu had endured several years of hardship drifting around Quanzhou, he still worried at first that the former young emperor couldn’t adapt to the rough and risky sea life. But he never expected—nor knew when it happened—that the boy’s skin had tanned, his height had grown, and his temperament had changed drastically. Now the robust young man with dark skin before him was completely different from the silent, solitary youth who sometimes showed traces of melancholy in his eyes when alone.
The murderous aura that had briefly flashed in Pei You’an’s eyes moments ago immediately vanished. Looking at the boy whose height was now nearly level with his eyebrows and ears, he gradually smiled, sheathed his sword, and said to Dong Cheng’ao, “No matter, it’s good that he came.”
Jiafu beside them was extremely surprised.
The boy had just appeared from behind the rock and smiled at her. Though his appearance had changed somewhat, Jiafu felt that the boy’s pair of eyes seemed familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before, leaving a very deep impression. Suddenly she remembered—it was the boy she once saved, who was said to have jumped into the sea to commit suicide on New Year’s Eve.
He was still alive. Seeing him appear like this before her was too unexpected, which made her shout loudly, calling Pei You’an.
She knew that Pei You’an and the Golden-faced Dragon King were meeting tonight on this floating reef and could not be discovered by outsiders. This boy, for some unknown reason, had suddenly appeared so recklessly. She felt he had no ill intent and feared Pei You’an might kill him without asking, so she had stopped him. But she hadn’t expected the situation to turn so quickly: not only did Pei You’an recognize this boy, but their relationship seemed close.
Suppressing her surprise, she thought a moment and then stepped back a bit.
Dong Cheng’ao also withdrew, leaving Pei You’an and Xiao Yu to talk.
Pei You’an studied the boy carefully: “It’s not that the Young Master didn’t want to see you, but recently the Japanese pirate uprising was large and noisy. We feared it might attract imperial spies to notice you. That’s why I asked Long Shu not to bring you tonight. I originally planned to wait for things to settle down, then find another chance to call you out. Unexpectedly, you came by yourself like this. The sea is dangerous; next time don’t be so reckless, understand?”
Xiao Yu wiped the water droplets still clinging to his face and laughed: “The water’s not cold. Besides, didn’t Long Shu tell you I can now hold my breath underwater for half a quarter of an hour easily? Last time I even killed a shark by myself! Though the meat was too tough, not tasty! By the way, Young Master, didn’t Long Shu tell you this? When I went out to sea with some brothers, we unexpectedly ran into a Japanese pirate fleet. I secretly followed them, climbed onto a pirate ship at midnight, gathered information, and hurried back to tell Long Shu. I didn’t expect Long Shu to be so unbrotherly—he took the lead in killing the pirates and even left me locked up on Golden Dragon Island. How could he lock me down? I killed quite a few pirates this time, felt so good!”
Pei You’an’s eyes showed delight as he nodded: “You’ve really grown up, Young Master! Very different from before! I’m very happy.”
The boy babbled on about his experiences just now. His tone had a little boasting, but hearing Pei You’an praise him sincerely, his handsome face blushed a little. He stopped and changed his tone: “Young Master, since we parted in Quanzhou last time, it’s been so long without seeing you. How have you been these two years?”
Pei You’an smiled: “Thanks for your concern, Young Master. I’ve been well.”
Xiao Yu also smiled: “That’s good. Young Master, I’ve wanted to see you for a long time. This time I really couldn’t resist and came by myself because I have some things I really want to say to you.”
Pei You’an’s expression turned serious: “Please speak, Young Master.”
“Young Master, that jade seal—keeping it with me is useless, just a burden. I want to hand it over to you. How you deal with it is up to you.”
The boy had been smiling since he first jumped out from behind the rock, and he still smiled now.
“I know Third Prince has been searching for me since he ascended the throne. He told the world he was willing to welcome me back. I don’t know if what he said was true or not. Whether true or not, I don’t want to return to that palace anymore.”
Pei You’an was silent for a moment.
The boy’s expression gradually turned serious too.
“Young Master, don’t worry too much. When Yu’er was saved by you two years ago, I already told you that you owe neither my father the emperor, nor me. At that time, Second Prince didn’t spare me, sent spies to hunt me, but you risked your life to find me and saved me. That was enough. Second Prince harmed me and took my throne; he later met a violent death, justice was done. I hold no grudges. If I really wanted to sit back on that damn dragon throne, when Third Prince rose in rebellion, I would have come out then and asked for your help. That would have been the best chance. Now the world is mostly at peace. Third Prince is a good emperor for the people. Why should I keep the jade seal? Besides, those three years on the throne weren’t even really mine. I had two older brothers ahead of me. When they died, I became crown prince and then emperor by accident. I know well how it felt. Compared to being emperor, I prefer life as it is now. That’s my honest feeling! The only bad thing is having to hide and run around like this. This burden, I think, I can only pass it to you, Young Master, either destroy it or figure out a way to give it to him. From now on, the so-called ‘Young Emperor’ is truly dead. I, Xiao Yu, will be free and unbound, with the wide world before me!”
Pei You'an and the boy looked at each other for a long moment. In the end, he said nothing—he simply raised his hand and patted the boy on the shoulder.
Everything was understood without words.
There was a complex look in his eyes, while Xiao Yu seemed to have cast off a heavy burden. His brows opened with a joyful smile. “I knew it, even if the whole world doesn’t understand me, Shoufu, you do!”
As he finished speaking, he seemed to recall something. He quickly turned his head to glance at the petite figure standing on the other side of the reef island. As if afraid of being overheard, he leaned in closer and lowered his voice awkwardly. “Shoufu, how is it such a coincidence—you brought her here too? Could it be you had guessed I might show up? If it hadn’t been for her saving me back then, I wouldn’t have lived to see you find me. I’ve collected some fine southern pearls during my dives these past few years and strung them into a bracelet. I specially brought it tonight, hoping to ask you to pass it on to her someday to show my thanks. But I didn’t expect her to come herself…”
As he spoke, he pulled out a small box tightly wrapped in fish bladder for waterproofing. He carefully peeled away the layer to reveal a dry box carved from aloeswood. He handed it over, his face contorted with worry. “I carved the box myself. It doesn’t look very refined, I’m afraid she’ll dislike it. I dare not give it to her directly. Shoufu, could you pass it along for me?”
Pei You'an was momentarily taken aback.
Xiao Yu didn’t wait for a response and simply shoved the box into his hands, then turned and glanced again at the girl’s figure. “Shoufu, I still don’t know her name. Do you?”
After asking, he seemed to realize the awkwardness of his question. His face flushed red, but with his skin so dark and it being nighttime, it wasn’t easy to notice.
Pei You'an finally recovered from the moment. He followed the boy’s gaze toward the petite figure standing beneath the moonlight, then looked down at the box that had been pressed into his hand. After a slight pause, he said, “She is now… my wife. I brought her along tonight because Uncle Dong was coming too.”
The boy froze, then suddenly realized the situation. He hurriedly reached out and snatched the box back. “Shoufu, I really didn’t know! Please don’t blame me. I won’t give it anymore, I won’t!”
Pei You'an’s expression had already returned to normal. He looked once more at the unaware silhouette in the distance, thought for a moment, then smiled. “It’s fine. Her name is Jiafu. I’ll take you to her. You can thank her yourself and give her the bracelet. I’m sure she’ll appreciate the thought.”
Xiao Yu had been red-faced, but as he looked into the older man’s smiling gaze, he gradually settled himself and nodded.
Jiafu had been waiting nearby. Seeing Pei You'an bringing the boy over, she stepped forward to meet them.
Pei You'an said with a smile, “Fu’er, you once saved him, but I never told you, he’s an old acquaintance of mine. His name is Yu, and he has always remembered your kindness. He wants to thank you in person.”
Xiao Yu offered his thanks and handed over the gift.
Jiafu opened the box and found a bracelet lying within. When Pei You'an said it was handmade, she was very touched and immediately slipped it onto her wrist.
“It’s beautiful. I truly love it. Thank you, young master, for your thoughtfulness,” she said with a smile.
Xiao Yu knew that the Shoufu had been frail since childhood, and in recent years, despite all his worries, he remained alone. Now, finally, there was a woman at his side. Her eyes were gentle, and standing with the Shoufu under the moonlight, the two looked so well-matched.
The boy gazed at the couple before him, and gradually, the last trace of awkward unease in his heart vanished. Instead, a fond warmth welled up within him. His face still felt hot, though. In a small voice, he said, “As long as Shimu doesn’t mind, please, just call me Yu’er from now on.”
Pei You'an left the two to continue their conversation and walked over to Dong Cheng’ao’s side.
Dong Cheng’ao didn’t know what exactly Xiao Yu had said just now, but having spent the past two years with him, how could he not guess at the young man’s thoughts? Seeing Pei You'an gazing seriously at Xiao Yu’s back, he said in a low voice, “Young master, in the past I thought day and night about how to help the young lord return to the capital. But now, I’ve come to realize, each reign has its own ministers. After the Shun’an usurpation, the old court of Tianxi has withered. His Majesty rose through military power and has since prepared thoroughly. Heroes across the land pledge allegiance to him. When he ascended the throne, it was the will of the people. Even if we had tried to restore the young lord back then, it likely would’ve come to nothing. Worse, we might’ve brought calamity down on him. Though there is regret, perhaps it’s fate. Since the young lord bears no intention of reclaiming the throne and has distanced himself from court affairs, please rest assured, my lord, from now on, I will look after him on your behalf.”
Pei You'an stared out across the dark sea in silence for a moment, then said, “A wind can rise from the smallest breeze. In court, the emperor’s heart is ever changing, and the future is uncertain. I probably won’t be able to stay much longer myself. Uncle Dong, remember what I told you before, be extremely cautious.”
Dong Cheng’ao bowed respectfully. “Understood.”
Pei You'an turned to look at the distant figures of Jiafu and Xiao Yu. They seemed to be getting along. Whatever Xiao Yu had said just now made Jiafu laugh softly a few times.
He watched them without approaching, until Jiafu turned to look for him. Only then did he smile and walk over.
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