“How about we go to my captain’s quarters upstairs? I can tell you everything in detail there. What do you say, my beauty?”

In the cold, damp dungeon at the bottom of the ship, Edward’s sudden words left Yu Sen momentarily stunned, not yet understanding their meaning. But beside him, Si Xuanyang had already lost patience with the repeated flirtations.

With a slight twist of his wrist holding the short sword, he turned the blade inward. His movements were precise and deadly, trained to perfection. The fist gripping the sword handle sliced through the cool air, and Yu Sen could almost hear a brief “swish.”

In the next moment, Si Xuanyang’s sword-wielding fist was already inches away from Edward. Though Edward was caught off guard by the attack, he reflexively leaned back in a large arc.

Edward could tell that the young man who attacked him was wary of the surroundings and didn’t want to stray too far from the person behind him. Even his steps were cautious, only taking two steps forward. If the strike failed, he wouldn’t waste time and would definitely retreat to the person behind him.

However, before Edward’s smile could fully form, his eyes met Si Xuanyang’s half-smiling gaze, and a chill suddenly crept up his spine. A strong sense of danger followed.

Si Xuanyang twisted his wrist once more, and swung the sword backward and forward in a sweeping motion.

“Ah—!”

A flash of cold light, and a long-forgotten pain spread across Edward’s face, a burning sensation that seemed to scorch his very soul. The excruciating pain quickly enveloped his entire body, causing him to cry out involuntarily.

A five-centimeter-long cut appeared on the right side of his face, left by the sword tip. No blood flowed, but a scar was left, with wisps of smoke rising from around it.

His face was ruined.

Si Xuanyang calmly retreated to Yu Sen’s side. Seeing Yu Sen’s helpless expression, he quietly explained, “I know he’s an important lead. I didn’t kill him, did I? I just wanted to test if this sword could harm someone like him, and it turns out it can.”

He paused, seeing that Yu Sen was still glaring at him, and then sighed, “Fine, I admit, I just didn’t like the way he talked to you, so I lost my temper. ‘Beauty’… I’ve never even called you that… Don’t be angry.”

“I’m not angry. Why would I be angry?” Yu Sen looked ahead with a headache as he saw Edward, who was covering his face in shock, and suddenly felt utterly exhausted.

“You should be worried that the captain might get angry and refuse to tell us any stories.”

“He dares not tell?” Si Xuanyang flipped the short sword in his hand, spinning it skillfully, “If he doesn’t, I’ll just cut him up. He’s already a dead man, so I won’t feel any guilt.”

Yu Sen: “…”

But I will!

And Si Xuanyang’s threat reached Edward’s ears word for word.

The wound on his cheek hurt terribly. Although he was already dead, due to the curse of the sea demon, half of his soul was trapped in this lifeless body. Ordinary weapons had no effect on him, but some special weapons could directly harm his soul.

Obviously, the sword in Si Xuanyang’s hand was a weapon that could harm not only sea demons but also souls.

Even though he cared a lot about his destroyed appearance, Edward still only dared to stand there, staring resentfully at the two of them.

In his current half-dead state, he could still pull off some ghostly tricks, but it was clear that confronting them head-on was not realistic. It was better to give in for now.

After silently confronting each other for a while, Yu Sen, seeing that Edward had no intention of fighting, sighed in relief and nodded at him, signaling, “Then please go ahead, Captain. We also have some other friends who would like to meet you.”

…

Because of that sword, Edward seemed to develop an inexplicable fear of Si Xuanyang. Yu Sen didn’t want anyone walking behind them, so he had Edward walk ahead. Edward didn’t dare refuse, but as they walked up, he kept glancing back at Si Xuanyang, measuring the distance between them. Whenever he found them too close, he would speed up a bit.

It was as if Si Xuanyang were a fierce beast that could devour him whole, baring its fangs behind him at all times.

Years of imprisonment had ground down Edward’s once vicious nature. Now, he was too scared to fight back under pressure, his nerves so tense that he didn’t even have time to speak to Yu Sen, and his eyes grew increasingly melancholic.

Noticing his frequent glances back, Yu Sen tilted his head and teased Si Xuanyang: “Do you think he’s taken a liking to you?”

Edward: “???”

No, I haven’t! Don’t talk nonsense!

Yu Sen reasoned, “He already likes everything beautiful. That probably includes people. You’re so good-looking, and who knows, maybe in his eyes, that swordplay you showed earlier made you seem like a sexy little firecracker.”

Edward: “???”

Si Xuanyang: “???”

This needed to be clarified. Edward turned around and said to Yu Sen, “I have my preferences for beauty too. I prefer your type—beauty in both form and skin tone, you know?”

“Are you itching for a beating again?” Si Xuanyang tightened his grip on Yu Sen’s hand and scolded coldly.

Edward immediately cowered, shrunk his head, and muttered to himself, “Can’t I even joke around a little…”

Seeing him fall silent, Si Xuanyang leaned close to Yu Sen’s ear and whispered, “You’re really good at fanning the flames, Ge. Whether I’m fiery or sexy, whether I’m a hot pepper or not, aren’t you the one who knows best? How about you describe it in detail?”

Yu Sen’s ears instantly turned bright red. 

It’s three words, not two, Si Xuanyang laughed secretly, deciding not to tease him further.

Having spent too long in the stifling underground air, Yu Sen’s complexion gradually began to worsen again. Even though he occasionally covered his mouth, his lips remained bloodless, pale like withered petals, and his steps grew unsteady.

Si Xuanyang then released the hand he was holding and instead put his arm around Yu Sen’s shoulders, allowing him to lean on him for support, easing some of the burden.

With the candlelight flickering, Yu Sen half-closed his eyes, rubbing his cold, numb fingertips together, and leaned a little closer to Si Xuanyang’s side.

…

Soon, they returned to the deck. The open space was a relief from the dungeon’s stifling, rotten air, and even the fresh sea breeze didn’t seem as pungent.

They sighed with relief, and just as they were pulling up the metal ring, they saw Si Nan and Luo Yu walking over from the corridor.

“Yu Ge, Yang Yang, how did… Whoa! Who’s this guy that looks like he stepped out of a manga!?”

Si Nan had just gotten closer when he suddenly noticed the person beside them, someone who looked like a medieval ship captain. This person was obviously not part of their ship.

And he was indeed a foreigner—those eyes didn’t seem to be contact lenses, and the scar on his face added a rough, yet handsome, touch.

Si Xuanyang said nothing, his face cold.

“Oh, let me introduce you, this is Captain Edward,” Yu Sen said.

“Oh, a pirate captain,” Si Nan said with some excitement, “Should I shake his hand? I’ve never met a real pirate before.”

“Better not. He’s dead, and I don’t think you’d really want to shake hands with a dead man.” Yu Sen offered a considerate smile.

“…You’re right.”

Si Nan’s face stiffened as he took two steps back.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Sen said to Si Nan and Luo Yu, “Help gather everyone else in the captain’s cabin. We can all hear the clues together, so we don’t have to repeat them.”

“Oh, okay.”

Si Nan turned and took a few steps, but he could still hear Si Xuanyang and Yu Sen whispering behind him—

“What are you telling him about dead or alive for? You should’ve let him shake hands. Give him a good scare, and teach him a lesson.”

“That’s too cruel. He’s your real brother, Yang Yang.”

“So what? I’m your real boyfriend. Didn’t you have a lot of fun teasing me before? Why are you pretending to be soft-hearted now?”

“…There’s no such thing as a ‘real boyfriend.'”

…

Si Nan: “…”

Listen to this, is this even human language? As Si Xuanyang’s older brother, he was clearly just a tool!

Si Nan was deeply hurt and angry, but dared not speak up. He grumbled a few times and, with a frown, dragged Luo Yu away.

Yu Sen and Si Xuanyang followed Edward to his room. The captain’s cabin on the pirate ship was spacious, consisting of two connected rooms.

Outside was a large conference room with a long table, which could also serve as a dining area. The inner room was the bedroom, with a luxuriously padded mattress almost a dozen layers thick. Just looking at it made one imagine how comfortable it must be to sleep on it.

Yu Sen felt a bit tempted, and Edward eagerly promoted it: “You know? This bed feels like sleeping in a girl’s embrace, soft and fragrant. Of course, beauty, you yourself are soft and fragrant too. But I see you look a bit pale now; were you tired downstairs? How about lying down here for a while… Oh no, handsome, don’t take action, I made a mistake!”

Si Xuanyang narrowed his eyes, his murderous intent sticking to Edward like maggots, causing even his long-silent soul to shiver, afraid to move.

But Si Xuanyang couldn’t act, Yu Sen was feeling dizzy, leaning weakly on him, unable to stand straight.

Turning his head, Si Xuanyang picked him up horizontally, ignoring Edward’s eager gaze and the extreme aversion to the bed, and said softly, “I’ll carry you up the bed. You should get some rest.”

“Don’t,” Yu Sen covered Si Xuanyang’s hand with his own and sighed. “In a place like this, it’s better not to change rooms. Just carry me to a chair outside. I’ll rest a bit and be fine.”

Si Xuanyang placed a kiss on his forehead. “Mm, okay.”

Edward stared in shock. “So you two are in this kind of relationship. No wonder…”