As Wu Long went out of the cabin Ye Ling approached with a smile and he replied with a wry smile as well. She was, after all, the one who kept him from changing who he was for his loved ones, so giving this advice to Luo Mingyu now was an interesting experience. Ye Ling nodded at Wu Long who then gratefully smiled at her and she went in to talk with the struggling Dao Cultivator a little more.
Meanwhile, Wei Lan went out to the upper deck since she had some things to ponder about and was surprised to see Cao Mei looking at the cliffs receding in the distance.
“Thinking of the men who betrayed you?”
She asked and Cao Mei nodded, without hiding as it was obvious.
“In the end, they were not able to overcome their own temptations and fears”
She replied with a sigh.
Hiring people from not the loyalists or their descendants was a necessity as there were limited numbers of these people. And it usually worked well since they did not have much contact with the continent, always in the view.
But this time their raid on the slave trade routes lasted for a little more than half a year, meaning that the crew members were on land for long.
From the mouths of the traitors, she learned that the one she left in charge eventually gave in and allowed them to visit a brothel in a nearby city once a month, where one of them got drunk and started talking.
He was then apprehended on his next visit and was threatened to either cooperate or be killed. Once one was in their pocket, they used him to convert all non-loyalist crew members and eventually got everything in the hidden bay under control, killing all of the loyalists after not being able to get any information out of them. This was also the reason the kingdom army was aware of where and when Cao Mei would attack.
“Now that hidden bay has been exposed it is not going to be usable. It is a good thing those crew members never knew where the base of my mother was, otherwise we would have been in deep trouble”
Her mother had a strict policy of which crew members could accompany Cao Mei to the main base of operations, which was that they had to come from the loyalist descent.
Now that the casualties of the kingdom were a lot worse, and they even lost one of their four Revolving Qi Realm army commanders, it was even less likely that Wu Long and his group were here as someone sent to figure out the information regarding the Pirate Queen.
But she was still not able to completely put down her guard so she flaunted the bait of her mother’s base, this time trying to probe another member of the group, which Wei Lan naturally did not take, as she was not interested in the Pirate Queen. She did not even pick up on it as it went right over her head while she also looked into the distance busy with her own thoughts.
“Are you one of Mister Wu’s women?”
“Hm? Oh!! No! Noo! I mean… not yet, that is to say… not that it is definitely going to happen… Ah! But it’s not like it is definitely not…”
Wei Lan got caught off guard as she never thought that her inner thoughts and feelings were so obvious to others. Cao Mei laughed at the stumbling speech of the suddenly flustered Foundation Building Realm practitioner. Wei Lan eventually broke down in laughter as well, infected by Cao Mei’s genuine giggle. As they both calmed down they looked at the sea.
“You are hesitating?”
“Yes”
“Why?”
“Hmm, I am… afraid”
Wei Lan replied surprising herself with how honest she was about it. Cao Mei looked at her with a curious expression.
“I am afraid that I am mistaking the feelings of gratitude and admiration for romantic ones, and afraid to be seen as an easy woman since it has not even been that long since we’ve met, not to mention our age difference”
“Hm? By the atmosphere between you I would have thought that you met half a lifetime ago, and what age difference could matter in the cultivation world”
“I am more than 400 years old”
“…”
Cao Mei stood in silence for a moment as the words ‘half a lifetime ago’ left her mouth without much thought previously. But thinking of the lifespan someone in Wei Lan’s realm had, it was truly a long time. And since Wu Long was in the Qi Condensation Realm, his appearance very likely matched his age.
“You see? You too are shocked that someone at my age is experiencing feelings for someone who was born not more than two decades ago after meeting him for a month or two. Haaa~ What am I gonna do?”
Wei Lan depressedly lowered her head to the rails of the ship with an almost sobbing voice and a long rueful sigh at the end.
“N-no, I was just a little surprised, that’s all, haha… haha”
Cao Mei awkwardly laughed a little. She then cleared her throat and carefully placed her hands on the rails of the ship as well, and looked at the distant line between the sky and the sea. Her face turned into a pondering one, and a sincere light appeared in her eyes.
“You know, maybe you are right, maybe the attraction is fleeting, but I see it a little differently… to be honest I am very attracted to him”
She said and Wei Lan raised her head with surprise on her face.
“It is only natural… he is handsome, charming, confident, and strong… but even if this feeling is fleeting and based only on superficial characteristics, what else can you expect from meeting a person for a short time? You cannot expect to have deep feelings after just seeing someone, those are nurtured with time.
However, if you just dismiss those feelings as superficial you will never know if the real feelings bloom when you agree to get closer and know each other, so you can only take that leap of faith if you feel attraction, and then figure things out. That was how my mother taught me, though I never understood it until I met him…” .
She said with a sigh, turning around and placing her elbows on the rails as she leaned against them while Wei Lan continued to look at her with wide eyes. The wind picked up Cao Mei’s short black hair, creating a beautiful scene of a young woman looking somewhere with a slightly melancholic look. Perhaps because she did not have all those years behind her back, she was more courageous about her own feelings, or maybe a little careless. But it was inexplicably fascinating.
“So? Are you going to approach him?”
“Hah, no. Though it is tempting, the problem lies in the fact that he is not someone from around here, and will not stay here. So to be with him I would have to abandon both my mother and the struggle I have been part of since I was a little girl”
Cao Mei shook her head with some regret.
“But you are different, you have nothing holding you back from pursuing him, so if I was in your shoes, I would just go for it, and then figure things out. You can feel that he is not as young as he looks anyway, though I cannot explain it. My apologies if I am being nosy… just was a little frustrating to see you having the opportunity I don’t and not using it”
She added with a smile, turning to Wei Lan.
“… Not at all, thank you for your advice”
Wei Lan said in a slight daze. Perhaps her age and experience made her too conservative to take such leaps of faith, but the fresh outlook Cao Mei spoke about was able to shake her fears off a little. It truly was not possible to discern her feelings if she never tried. It was also true that she knew that Wu Long’s appearance did not match his age. And if she waited for her feelings to be confirmed, who knew if the moment would pass and she would be left with the regret of not at least trying.
Wei Lan and Cao Mei spoke a little more, and then the latter went off to supervise her crew as she ended her short break while the former remained on the upper deck for some time, contemplating.
Later that evening, Wei Lan asked Wu Long to talk alone, and as the sea breeze was blowing and the sun was setting on the horizon they stood at the spot where Wei Lan talked with Cao Mei.
“Um, you know that thing we talked about…”
“Hm? Which one?”
Wu Long replied with a smile.
“About… becoming your woman”
She said in a tiny voice.
“Sorry, the breeze is a little strong, can you repeat?”
Wei Lan glared at Wu Long’s smiling face a little and then sighed.
“Do you still want that warm welcome?”
She asked in a normal volume but somewhat defeated voice. His smile widened while he opened up his arms and she came closer. He embraced her, and a wondrous feeling enveloped her as she experienced being hugged by a man for the first time.