"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
Who was calling her?
Who?
Xue Zi Ning opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Feng Yuan. "This is..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Feng Yuan made a silencing gesture.
Xue Zi Ning paused but remained silent.
During the quiet interlude, she heard the sound of waves crashing against the ship's hull outside.
She gradually regained her senses. It seemed she had been drugged while at Minghui Hall.
She remained quiet until the faint footsteps hidden outside finally departed.
She looked at Feng Yuan and whispered, "Where are we?"
Feng Yuan shook his head. "After Your Majesty fell unconscious, you were brought onto this ship. Your subordinate secretly protected you, but I don't know where this is. However, Your Majesty, rest assured. Your subordinate left markers along the way, so His Highness should be able to find this place soon."
Xue Zi Ning's expression shifted. "The only place with a coast on all four sides is Anguo."
Feng Yuan startled. "You mean..."
"This ship is heading to Anguo." Xue Zi Ning surveyed her surroundings. This was the ship's cargo hold, with no windows, so she couldn't see what was happening outside.
Anguo? A certain person inexplicably came to mind.
The door was suddenly opened. Feng Yuan promptly concealed himself in the shadows.
Xue Zi Ning couldn't possibly pretend to be asleep. She raised her head to look at the person before her. He was wearing a large cloak, shrouding his entire being, so she couldn't even tell what he looked like.
"Chang Ning Empress is no longer feigning sleep?" The newcomer's voice was sharp and somewhat grating.
"Who are you? What do you want with me here?" Xue Zi Ning asked.
The cloaked man chuckled softly. "Chang Ning Empress, someone wants you dead. Can you guess who?"
Xue Zi Ning narrowed her eyes. Her enemies were all dead. Now, there were only three people left: An Ping, who had gone mad; the other was Han Xi Chen, to whom she had promised the three elders in Miao Jiang that she would spare his life in the future.
The last was Shen Yun Xiu, but she had people watching Shen Yun Xiu, so he wouldn't be able to cause any major trouble in a short period.
Only Anguo, with its coasts on all four sides, made An Ping the most likely candidate.
"Did Princess An Ping do this?" Xue Zi Ning asked.
The cloaked man smiled but remained silent.
Xue Zi Ning continued, "Are two people working together?"
The cloaked man finally let out a laugh. "Chang Ning Empress indeed lives up to her title as the Empress who unified the world. You think faster than others."
"Then whose subordinate are you? An Ping's or Han Xi Chen's?"
The cloaked man chuckled again, as if to say, "Guess..."
"I guess it's Han Xi Chen's."
The cloaked man was taken aback. "Why?"
As Xue Zi Ning sneered, she suddenly lunged forward and said coldly, "Because only he can manipulate objects from a distance."
As she spoke, she grabbed the cloaked man's cloak and yanked it. The cloak fell to the ground, and a pitch-black crow flew out from within, circling above her head, accompanied by an eerie laugh.
"Xue Zi Ning, enjoy the journey I've prepared for you. If you manage to stay alive, I will await your arrival..."
The crow flew out, breaking through the ship's hull.
The ship suddenly lurched violently, as if struck by a heavy object.
"Your Majesty..." Feng Yuan appeared, supporting her to prevent her from falling.
"I'm fine. Let's hurry and get out of here..." Xue Zi Ning said.
Feng Yuan nodded. It was very dark here, and they could only rely on the light that filtered in from the hole broken by the crow from the cloak to see.
Suddenly, the ship swayed again, and seawater poured in from the breach.
"Your Majesty, hurry! If not, this ship might not last much longer," Feng Yuan urged.
"This won't do. Let's break out," Xue Zi Ning said.
Feng Yuan nodded and said, "Your Majesty, forgive me."
He put an arm around her waist, shielded her head with his arm, and broke through the damaged hull.
Xue Zi Ning felt as if her breathing became easier, but soon, seawater drenched her to the bone.
She looked up and saw a massive wave rushing towards her and Feng Yuan.
Seeing this, Feng Yuan decisively used the ship's mast as a stepping stone and sprang up, flying. However, the sea was a vast expanse of gray, stretching endlessly, but the waves were getting closer and closer.
"Feng Yuan, let go of me! If we continue like this, your strength will be depleted," Xue Zi Ning said urgently.
Feng Yuan didn't speak, carrying her as they raced the waves. But how could he outrun the waves?
At the last moment, he used his remaining strength to push her forward.
Xue Zi Ning felt a surge of power propelling her forward. She looked back and saw Feng Yuan being swallowed by the waves.
"Feng Yuan..." she cried out, but the waves that consumed Feng Yuan also engulfed her voice.
She had no time for grief. She channeled her energy and moved forward. The sea was boundless, and she didn't know where the end was. She continued until she was utterly exhausted and fell into the water.
She lost consciousness.
"Daddy, someone's here..." a young boy pointed at a person drifting ashore.
A man walked over and looked at the person lying motionless on the shore. He felt for their breath and found that they were still alive.
"Daddy, is it a living person?" the boy asked.
"A'Bao, Daddy will carry him back." The man said.
A'Bao nodded.
The man turned the person over and realized it was a woman. Although her face was covered by sea sand, it was still possible to tell that she was attractive.
The man picked her up. She was surprisingly light.
It seemed she needed to be well-cared for.
Xue Zi Ning woke up to the smell of food. She hadn't eaten since she was captured and was now ravenously hungry.
Opening her eyes, she saw a little boy standing by the bed. Upon seeing her awake, he turned and ran, shouting outside, "Daddy, she's awake..."
Xue Zi Ning sat up and looked around. Although the room was dilapidated, it wasn't utterly ruined.
Footsteps approached the door. She looked up at the person at the entrance.
The man's face was dark and grimy, with a thick beard covering his entire chin, obscuring his appearance. However, his eyes were dark and bright.
"Miss, you're awake?" the man's voice was loud and clear.
Xue Zi Ning nodded. "Is there any food?" she was truly hungry.
The man slapped his forehead. "Wait a moment. I just finished making some porridge."
The man, who had gone out, quickly returned with a bowl of porridge and held it out to her.
In the past, she would have disdained a bowl of thin porridge, but now, it smelled better than any delicacy.
After she had eaten her fill, she asked, "Where is this place?"
The man said, "This is Weihai."
Xue Zi Ning was surprised. She had never heard of it.
Seeing that she didn't seem to understand, the man continued, "We are a fishing village. We don't belong to any jurisdiction."
Xue Zi Ning nodded.
The man scratched his head. "My name is Wei Hai. May I ask your name, miss..."
"You can call me A Ning," Xue Zi Ning said.
Wei Hai said joyfully, "A Ning, your body is still quite weak. Rest a while longer!"
Xue Zi Ning nodded. Her body was indeed weak, but she had something important to ask. "Has anyone else drifted here like me?"