Zu An was stunned.
Shang Hongyu explained, “That’s because there are many large-scale weapons to protect against the ocean beasts, and those weapons take up a lot of space. They also need a lot of large-scale formations as support. That's why, for the sake of safety, the rooms left for the guests aren’t too large.”
“Then I’ll look for the captain of the ship to see if I can buy another room.” Zu An was about to leave when Shang Hongyu stopped him.
“We can’t. We came here together. We’ll definitely draw suspicion if we split up and stay in separate rooms,” Shang Hongyu explained. “Also, did you forget what the turtle said? The various forces are all investigating women traveling alone. Do you want me to be caught?” As she said that, she had a pitiful look in her eyes.
Zu An felt rather helpless. “But this room is too small, so it’s inappropriate for us to stay together, right? Also... There’s only one bed.” Suddenly, he had a vigilant look on his face as he asked, “You wouldn’t try anything strange, would you?”
At first, he'd thought that it would be fine for them to stay together since the room would be large. After all, it wasn’t as if they hadn't stayed in the same cave earlier. But this was such a small place and there was only a single bed. How were they supposed to stay here?
Shang Hongyu’s eyes suddenly went red. Tears fell from her eyes like pearls... That wasn’t just flowery language, it was a realistic description. When her tears landed on the ground, they really did form pearls one after another!
In the past, Zu An had heard about the legends of mermaids, but seeing it for himself was still quite shocking.
“Could it be that I really am such a fickle woman, someone who doesn’t know honor and shame?” Shang Liuyu replied.
Zu An was a bit apologetic. “I was joking just now. Even though your highness isn’t quite the same as the rumors, you're just a bit more lively and passionate. You aren’t that type of woman.”
In reality, even though she found a lot of joy in teasing him, whenever he really did pretend to do something, she was more alarmed than anyone else.
Shang Hongyu rubbed her teary eyes and asked, “Do you know what the hardest part is for you to impersonate the Dragon King?”
Zu An replied seriously, “My words and bearing don’t match the Dragon King?”
Shang Hongyu shook her head. “That’s not it. Even though that’s difficult, I believe that you’re smart and capable. You’ll be able to learn quickly while traveling together.”
“Then what is it?” Zu An asked, stunned.
Shang Hongyu gave him a deep look before slowly saying, “It’s your relationship with me, of course.”
Zu An was stunned. Then, he began to think to himself. He understood what she was trying to say.
Shang Hongyu continued, “The Dragon King and I are husband and wife, so a lot of the interaction between us happens naturally. However, what we have is fake. Even if we just touch each other slightly, we might inadvertently slip up. At that time, how could we fool those sharp individuals in the Dragon Palace? How could we make them stand at our side? On top of that, you'd have no way of succeeding in your plans at the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons.”
Zu An sighed and said, “What you’re saying makes sense. But how do I imitate the feeling of being husband and wife with you?”
“That’s why I wanted us to stay in the same room. This trip to Jadewave Ocean Region will take roughly half a month. In that time, we’ll be around each other all the time and foster that intimacy. At the very least, you can’t become so nervous just because I touch your arm, right?” Shang Hongyu looked at him with a firm expression. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I'll definitely uncover that fake Dragon King’s conspiracy. For the sake of the Dragon King, for the sake of the Ocean races, this sacrifice isn’t a big deal at all.”
When he sensed that awe-inspiring bearing coming out from her, Zu An started to blush with shame.
What she carries is a great love for the Ocean races, and yet what am I randomly thinking about here?
As such, he said with a serious tone, “I was the one who was too inflexible. I'll do my best to cooperate and learn, to the point that there are no mistakes.”
Shang Hongyu's reaction finally turned from tears to laughter. She raised her hand and said, “Then I will first teach you the Dragon Palace’s etiquette. Hold my hand.”
Zu An walked over. As soon as he reached out his hand, Shang Hongyu frowned and said, “Your mask is really ugly. You should just restore your real appearance.”
Zu An figured that made sense. Normal women didn’t like strange men touching their bodies to begin with, let alone a noble queen.
When she saw him recover his original appearance, Shang Hongyu removed her mask as well, revealing her beautiful oval-shaped face. Then, she took out the two buns around her waist and tossed them aside. “You have no idea how stuffy these were! They kept poking me and it was really uncomfortable.”
Zu An chuckled and said, “You need to get used to this outfit too. We’re going to be on this ship for a while.”
“How about we just don’t leave this room?” As she spoke, Shang Hongyu grabbed his arm naturally, continuing, “We’ll start with the basics. This is the way that the Dragon King and I walk when there is an important ceremony in the Dragon Palace...”
The two of them leaned against each other intimately. A light blush inadvertently appeared on Shang Hongyu’s neck.
Zu An couldn't help but feel alarmed when she held his hand. He could feel an astonishingly soft sensation.
This Mermaid Queen’s body really is amazing...
But he quickly focused. She was shouldering such a grand mission, so how could he ruin her noble goal? As such, he focused on listening to her explanation, fixing all sorts of mistakes as she instructed him step by step.
A while later, Shang Hongyu said with surprise, “Your talent is exceptional after all; you were able to learn properly so quickly! There are only a few more details regarding this etiquette that you need to pay attention to. We’ll practice it often, and then you should be able to master it fully.”
“That’s good.” Zu An wiped away the fine sweat on his forehead. They had only covered some walking just now, and yet he felt even more tired than after hours of swordplay.
Of course, it was mainly because he was trying to control his thoughts. After all, such a beautiful woman was sticking to him warmly, and she had a special status. Not only was she the Ocean races’ queen, she was also Shang Liuyu’s older sister. Regardless of which identity she had, he absolutely couldn't allow himself to have any bad thoughts.
But sometimes, the more one thought that way, the more one tried to control it, the more often it would have the opposite effects. Only someone like Zu An, whose cultivation was high enough and who already trained his will to be incredibly strong, could barely resist this temptation.
“Then let’s study the next thing. Come here and hold my waist.” While Shang Hongyu spoke, her heart started beating really fast. However, she kept her tone calm as if it was completely fine.
“Huh?” Zu An was stunned. He hadn’t expected there to be something like this too.
“What's that 'huh' about? Didn’t you hold me really easily yesterday at the restaurant?” Shang Hongyu glared at him in annoyance.