If Luo Xiu had to name the person he feared most in this world, it would undoubtedly be his Second Sister, Ai Hongye.

This fear had been ingrained in him ever since he could remember, deeply etched into his very bones.

His Second Sister had always been strict with him and would often beat him; she was nothing like his gentle First and Third Sisters.

Under the moonlight, on the beach, Luo Xiu screamed endlessly as Ai Hongye twisted his ears until they were bright red.

"Ai Hongye, you she-dev—"

"OW! IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS..."

"Are you coming back or not?"

"I'm not!"

SMACK!

Ai Hongye struck his buttocks hard with the scabbard of her sword.

"So young, and you think you've seen through all worldly matters? What have you even experienced! And you're still trying to act profound in front of me."

"You want to abandon everything and hide here alone to die of old age? Are you even a man? Have you no sense of responsibility?!"

"I'll ask you one more time. Are you going back or not?"

Clutching his backside, Luo Xiu glared fiercely at her. "Ai Hongye, don't force my hand! And don't think for a second I can't beat you!"

SMACK!

Ai Hongye slapped him on the top of his head. She then puffed out her chest and said contemptuously, "Go on. Lay a finger on me and see what happens."

Clutching his head, Luo Xiu was on the verge of tears.

"You're completely insane!"

Su Shenyun and her sister, Su Hongli, stood off to the side, enjoying the show with unconcealed schadenfreude. On several occasions, they couldn't stop themselves from bursting into laughter.

Luo Xiu, oh, Luo Xiu, so you have days like this too! It serves you right!

After a long while, Ai Hongye dragged the thoroughly beaten Luo Xiu by the ear over to Su Shenyun and Su Hongli.

"You two, go pack your things. We're leaving."

"Yes, Director."

After the two women left, Ai Hongye finally released Luo Xiu's ear and gently massaged it with her delicate hand.

"Does it hurt?"

Luo Xiu pushed her hand away, walked over to sit on the beach, and ignored her.

"Are you angry now?"

Luo Xiu stared into the distance, still ignoring her.

Ai Hongye walked up behind him, nudged his back with her knee, and sighed with a smile. "What a shame. With Eldest Sister and Third Sister not around, there's no one to coax you."

She remembered how when they were young, whenever she beat Luo Xiu, he would ignore her for a long time. Then, his Eldest and Third Sisters would find all sorts of ways to placate their little junior brother.

Luo Xiu muttered, "There were outsiders here. Couldn't you have given me some face?"

Ai Hongye sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Alright, don't be mad anymore. It was my fault. I shouldn't have hit you."

Luo Xiu said, "I've never been angry with you."

Ai Hongye chuckled. "Frankly, I don't care if you're angry with me or not. You can be as mad as you want, I'll still beat you all the same."

"Then couldn't you do it when no one else is around?"

Luo Xiu's face was filled with indignation. "In their eyes, I've always been tall, mighty, handsome, and amazing... but tonight, you've made me lose all dignity."

Ai Hongye gently ruffled his hair and said softly, "Little Mule, didn't we make a deal last time? You have to strive to live. You can't give up until you draw your very last breath."

"It hasn't even been that long, and you're already thinking of giving up."

"Seeing you like this made me angry. That's why I hit you."

"Alright, you're so long-winded," Luo Xiu said, impatiently pushing her hand away. "Fine, I'll go back."

"That's a good boy. Now, let your sister give you a kiss."

"Just get away from me."

Ai Hongye's expression turned cold. She suddenly grabbed his head, forced it toward her, and planted her red lips directly on his.

"You dare defy me!"

A few moments later, after the torrent of kisses, Luo Xiu pushed Ai Hongye away. He wiped his mouth and suddenly felt much better.

"Is your saliva laced with some kind of medicine?"

Looking somewhat frail, Ai Hongye spoke slowly, "It should help you live a little longer. If your illness acts up again and you feel like you can't go on, you can go find your Third Sister or Eldest Sister."

...

Before long, Su Shenyun and Su Hongli returned to the seashore after packing up everything at the shelter.

Su Shenyun was also carrying Luo Xiu's Alchemy Furnace.

Ai Hongye looked at the soot-blackened Three-Legged Golden Crow Furnace, then at the fish soup still inside it, and was momentarily speechless.

If the old man knew his precious furnace was being used to cook fish soup, he'd probably die from a broken heart.

After they dealt with the fish soup, the four of them waded into the water, leaving the deserted island behind, and climbed onto the broad head of a giant whale.

Luo Xiu asked curiously, "Is this your pet?"

Ai Hongye gave a gentle nod.

Luo Xiu said, "This is the first time I've ever seen a whale this big. What species is it?"

Ai Hongye thought for a moment. "Strictly speaking, this is a Kun."

Luo Xiu was surprised. "These things actually exist?"

Ai Hongye replied, "They only live in the unpolluted waters near the Secret Realm. Ordinary people almost never see them."

With that, she crouched down, gently stroking the giant Kun's head, and said in a soft voice, "Yaya, take one last look at your mother. You won't be able to come back here often anymore."

WHOO—

The giant Kun suddenly lifted its massive head, faced the deserted island where they had been living, and let out a soft cry.

Su Shenyun asked, "Is its name Yaya?"

Ai Hongye nodded gently.

Then Luo Xiu asked, "Its mother is on that island?"

Ai Hongye replied, "The island itself is its mother's body, transformed after she died."

Luo Xiu's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Then the other deserted islands nearby..."

"They are its ancestors," Ai Hongye stated.

Yaya then turned its enormous body and began to swim toward the distant sea, carrying the four of them on its back.

Much later, Luo Xiu looked back but could no longer see the cluster of deserted islands. He figured they must have finally passed beyond the barrier of the Secret Realm.

He sat cross-legged on Yaya's head, yawned, and felt utterly bored.

Suddenly, he noticed a huge, dark shadow on the surface of the sea up ahead.

He thought it was another giant Kun like Yaya, but as they drew closer, the moonlight revealed it to be a yacht.

Yaya came to a sudden halt.

Ai Hongye turned to Luo Xiu and said, "Go to that yacht. They'll take you to Sakura Country, and from there you can go straight back to Hua Country."

Luo Xiu frowned. "From the sound of it... you aren't coming with us?"

Ai Hongye replied, "I've always been on the seafloor nearby. I only came up this time because of you all."

Luo Xiu asked, "What are you doing on the seafloor?"

Ai Hongye said, "Investigating something."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not really dangerous, just very boring."

Ai Hongye shook her head lightly, then turned to Su Shenyun. "Come with me."

A short while later, the two women walked to the tail of the giant Kun, away from Luo Xiu and Su Hongli.

Ai Hongye said, "You completed this mission very well. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's my duty," Su Shenyun replied.

Ai Hongye continued, "I'm giving you a long vacation, so take some time to rest. Afterward, go to the Capital City and serve as the Acting Director of the Audit Bureau."

Su Shenyun's brows furrowed. "Why me?"

Ai Hongye tossed her a jade token. "If I don't return within a year, then you will be the official Director."

Su Shenyun said with concern, "Didn't you just tell Luo Xiu there was no danger? How could you not come back?"

Ai Hongye smiled. "If he knew it was dangerous, he definitely wouldn't let me go, or he would insist on coming with me."

Su Shenyun sighed, still puzzled. "There are many people in the Audit Bureau more capable than me, and plenty with more seniority. Why choose me?"

Ai Hongye said slowly, "If your mother, Su Sang, hadn't died, she would likely have been the Director of this generation."

"Moreover, your success in capturing the Soul-devouring Worms was a great achievement. You accomplished what Su Sang could not. Thus, no one is more qualified to be the Director than you."

Su Shenyun no longer tried to refuse. She nodded, then asked, "This thing you're going to investigate at the bottom of the sea... is it related to the Battle of Henghai ten years ago?"

Ai Hongye looked up at the distant night sky, her expression filled with worry.

"It's been ten years... The mysterious, prehistoric rumble has returned. I must find out what it is."

"Su Shenyun, after I leave, the great responsibility of eradicating the Holy Boi Religion falls to you."

Su Shenyun declared, "I will not fail you!"

Ai Hongye gazed at her and instructed earnestly, "And most importantly... you must, under no circumstances, let Little Mule come into contact with the Holy Boi Religion."

Su Shenyun didn't ask why. She simply nodded.

"I won't."

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