After walking for a while, Zhong Muyu said she was tired and found a place to rest. Ning'er quickly took out her water bottle and gave it to her. After taking a sip of water, Zhong Muyu said quietly, "Ning'er, I feel hungry after walking for a while. Could you please go and buy some food? Let's eat here."
"Your Holiness, it's so hot today. Let's go back inside for dinner. It'll be cooler and better for your health."
Ning'er had never refused her when they ate out in the past, but this time, Ning'er disagreed.
Zhong Muyu laughed and said, "It's not that hot. I actually find the room too stuffy and quite boring. Here, the sea breeze feels so comfortable."
"But the old people on the island say that too much sea breeze is bad for your health. Your Excellency, how about we go to the food stalls not far away?"
Following her fingertip, Zhong Muyu saw the thriving snack stall.
"There are too many people there. Go and buy some things. I'll wait for you here. I'm feeling heavy, so I won't go far."
Seeing that Zhong Muyu was determined to do so, Ning'er couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she repeatedly told her to sit there and wait, and then went to buy things.
As soon as Ning'er left, Zhong Muyu turned her gaze to the port not far away. They had never eaten here before, and she knew why Ning'er was unwilling to be here today.
There was a ship there that he had never seen before, and it had been moored there for two days. According to Zhong Muyu's secret observation, it was a merchant from outside the island, and judging from today's appearance, they seemed to be preparing to set sail.
Zhong Muyu recalled the events of the past few days again, but she couldn't figure out why something seemed off. However, her intuition told her that the clues might be outside the island.
After sending Ning'er away, she walked quickly toward the port.
There were few people at the port at this time; most were eating, and only a small number of people were left to guard and count the cargo. The foreign ship was loaded with island specialties and seemed to be planning to set sail in the afternoon.
Zhong Muyu slipped past the islanders chatting outside and strolled around the port as if nothing was amiss, which attracted the attention of several merchants.
"Madam, are you looking for someone or something?"
Seeing her wandering alone, the merchant kindly went up to ask her what was wrong. They were regular suppliers to the Spirit Island. Although the crew members were outsiders, the boss and some key personnel were local islanders.
The person who came to inquire was a crew member who was checking the cargo.
Zhong Muyu smiled and said, "I have never left the island and rarely see people from outside the island. I came here on a whim today to take a look."
"I see. But you're too late. We've already packed up and are leaving. Come again next time if you have the chance. We sell everything, and we always bring a lot of trendy things!"
The crew member was very enthusiastic. When he heard Zhong Muyu's longing for the world beyond the island, he talked on and on about the wonderful things there. When Zhong Muyu saw that no one was paying attention, he asked about some interesting things about the world beyond the island.
The crew recounted the internal strife in Yuanqi and the invasion of the northern barbarians, and finally sighed, "I hope His Highness Prince Ling can end the war as soon as possible. This war has made business, which was already difficult, even more difficult."
Mentioning the Prince of Ling, Zhong Muyu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Is this Prince Ling very powerful?"
"Of course he's amazing. He deserves a lot of credit for the peace and stability that Yuan Qi enjoys today. If he hadn't been so uninterested in the throne, how could the world have fallen to Prince Cheng and Prince Wen?"
"Everyone has their own ambitions, and perhaps he has other pursuits? We ordinary people don't need to care about what these royals think."
“That makes sense, but I heard that Prince Ling’s wife mysteriously disappeared on the eve of the war. Although he was busy, he had people looking for her. I think she was probably kidnapped by the enemy.”
The crew member sighed with admiration, but Zhong Muyu couldn't shake the strange feeling that lingered in her heart as she listened to his words.
This strange feeling came out of nowhere, but it struck her heart directly. At this moment, Zhong Muyu was certain that the answer she was looking for was with Yuan Qi across the sea, but how to leave was a big problem.
At this moment, someone called out to the crew member. After responding, the crew member did not want to talk to her any further and went to attend to other matters.
Zhong Muyu looked around and suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable courage. He secretly sneaked into the cabin and hid in a corner among the piles of cargo.
There were many goods, stacked very high, and the people who came in didn't notice her. Zhong Muyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She felt quite sorry for everyone on the Spirit Island, but she was only going to investigate and would come back if there were no results.
As Zhong Muyu pondered this, she lost track of time until she heard a commotion outside, with people clamoring to raise the sails, as if they were about to depart. Zhong Muyu felt the ship rock violently, and then she knew it was time to set sail.
The damp and crowded cabin was very quiet. Zhong Muyu began to doze off as the waves rocked her, when a sudden jolt woke her up.
"What happened?"
"Judging from this weather, a storm might be brewing!"
"How is that possible? I was tested before I left, and the sky has been clear and sunny all day!"
"It's hard to say. The weather at sea is unpredictable. Judging from the storm's momentum, it might be risky to rush across. Why don't we go back to the island first and wait for the storm to pass before we leave?"
People outside were discussing in twos and threes, and when they heard that they had to go back, Zhong Muyu's heart suddenly tightened.
This is terrible! If we lose this opportunity, we don't know when the next one will come.
The helmsman began to turn the bow around, and at that moment, a pattering sound came from outside, as if it were raining.
The crew rushed toward Spirit Island, trying to escape the storm as quickly as possible, but strangely enough, the storm disappeared when they reached the island's port.
"Hey! What awful weather!"
"If you can't leave this time, when will you leave?"
"The goods can't be delayed. Let's wait a while. If the weather is still good, we'll leave. We have to leave today and deliver the goods tomorrow."
Zhong Muyu listened carefully to their discussion, and now she was also a little conflicted, not knowing whether she should go out.
Surely no one knows she's hiding here, right?
Zhong Muyu held onto a sliver of hope, but her smile quickly faded.
There was a commotion outside. Someone opened the cabin door, and soon a group of people found her, led by Master Wen.
Zhong Muyu smiled awkwardly: "Hi!"
Master Wen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but he remained vigilant, forcing a calm expression: "Holy Maiden, what are you doing hiding here? We've been searching for you for ages."
"I'm just curious and want to go with them to see what's outside the island."
"What's so interesting about the island? Besides, you didn't tell them you sneaked in, did you?"
Master Wen ordered someone to help her up, and Zhong Muyu did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement.
In any case, she had no way to refute this situation.
She was escorted away from the dock. Ning'er breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her and showered her with concern. Zhong Muyu, however, stared intently at Master Wen: "Master, when can I go outside and have a look around?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
