It's a genuine pirate ship, after all.

  Her heart thumped wildly, and Hua Duomei's cheeks flushed crimson, fine sweat beading on her fair forehead. Her flushed face and racing pulse were not from shyness, but from excitement she could barely contain!

  Come on, come on! Let's fight a real naval battle.

  She has never seen the vicissitudes of the sea before.

  Even though the current situation is not good—after the first large ship flying the pirate flag appeared, ship shadows emerged in the left and right directions through the telescope at the same time, and they are approaching extremely fast, apparently planning to encircle them from three sides—her fighting spirit is still extremely high.

  "Go back to the cabin and don't come out." Resalong ordered her.

  Jumping off the lookout tower, she hurried back to the cabin.

  Back in the cabin, she took out the silver sword she had specially brought out from the Central Plains from the long wooden box, fastened two short daggers to the outside of her calf and waist respectively, and hid a large handful of golden hibiscus needles laced with sleeping poison in her hair, wrist guards and waist binding. These needles can be shot at any time, they are her favorite hidden weapon. The poison is not strong enough to kill, but it is more than easy to knock someone out. When the two sides start fighting, she can use her golden hibiscus needles to prick a few pirates, who knows if she might catch a villain with a government bounty on their head, that would be perfect to collect the reward.

  Hmph, does he really think telling her to hide in the cabin and not come out is going to work that easily?

  She is not one of those men who obey his every order.

  When she ran back to the cabin just now, she already heard Resalong give a series of orders, and all the men on the ship mobilized immediately. Now shouts can be heard one after another outside. She lifts the cabin door and runs out, seeing six cannons on both sides, all pushed out of the gun ports, with three people standing by each cannon waiting for orders. Even though it is noisy all around, there is no sign of panic or fear.

  Excellent!

  She couldn't help praising silently in her heart. She couldn't help admiring the capability of these men from Western Desert. Even with the help of veterans from the "Hailing Feng Family", to achieve such level of coordination and action in just four years still won her deep admiration.

  As she grabbed hold of the ladder leading to the main deck, she paused slightly, and caught a glimpse of the snow-haired girl sitting quietly by the small square window, her gaze calm and peaceful as she looked out, as if she was just admiring the sky and light over the sea, completely unconcerned by what was happening.

  When she got closer, the girl turned her delicate head slightly, their eyes met, and the girl gave her a gentle smile. Hua Duomei squinted her eyes in a charming, coquettish smile in return.

  "My martial arts are quite good, my agility and footwork are top-notch. Besides, I've brought all my familiar blades and hidden weapons. If any pirates really board the ship, we can just use their blood to test my good weapons. Don't worry, if the men can't protect you, I will!" It was all due to her temperament as the eldest sister and the owner of the first floor—she always wanted to take women under her wing, completely forgetting that the slender girl in front of her was the "big lady" of the pirate nest on the Twelve Connected Islands.

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  The pretty face by the window froze for a moment, then her eyelashes relaxed slightly, and the girl's smile deepened a little.

  "Thank you, Landlady sister," A Nu thanked sincerely, then waved to her "Sister, come look quickly, they're lowering a small boat."

  Huh? ...Lowering a small boat?

  Hua Duomei immediately pressed her face close to the small square window, blinked her beautiful eyes and looked hard.

  The main pirate ship flying the black flag slowed down on the sea about one nautical mile away from them, and did not launch any attack. Instead, they lowered a small boat, which has external water wheels on both sides, driven by people turning the wheels to move towards them. Apart from the two men turning the wheels, there is only one bright red figure standing on the small boat.

  "Coming alone like this, do they think we're an easy catch already?"

  Hua Duomei snorted with a smile, but when she looked more carefully, that gradually approaching red figure was actually quite slender, and a head of hair reaching her hips fluttered in the wind. The more she looked, the more it looked like... a woman.

  As if sensing her surprise, A Nu spoke slowly, taking the initiative to explain: "Their flag is black with blood red patterns, two crossed curved blades under the skull, these are people from 'Luan Shan Yun'. We always run into them when passing through this sea area. I heard they like to give a courtesy before fighting. If the surrounded merchant ship doesn't resist and obediently hands over the so-called 'crossing fee', Luan Shan Yun will order her men not to kill or rob, they will not only let the ship go, but even escort it for a long distance along the route.

  "So that means if you want to pass through here, you have to pay the toll, right."

  Hua Duomei nodded in understanding, "Hmm, but it seems Luan Shan Yun has quite a lot female followers under her," she just noticed now that even the two turning the water wheels are women, though they are taller and sturdier than the average woman.

  A Nu smiled and said "Luan Shan Yun herself is a woman. She is actually the eighth princess of the Lüsong Kingdom in the Southern Ocean. Rumor has it she tried to kill her father when she was fourteen in the palace, then escaped the death row with the protection and arrangement of her mother, the Great Virtue Empress. After that she became a pirate on the sea, it's been ten years now. Also, even though she often dresses in men's clothes, she loves the color bright red extremely, and is quite famous for her beauty. In these ten years I heard she has collected quite a number of male lovers one after another, keeps them all in her base on Jin Island for her entertainment."

  What an amazing and romantic person!

  Hua Duomei's delicate eyebrows flew up higher and higher the more she heard, so she simply stuck her face out of the small window, her beautiful eyes looking towards the small boat that has already pulled alongside, and when she saw it, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

  "The Luan Shan Yun you mentioned... is this lady right here?" The woman dressed all in bright red is grabbing the rope ladder lowered from the big ship and about to climb up, that stunning color is truly dazzling.

  A Nu nodded. Her face was calm, her expression as usual.

  "I met Luan Shan Yun twice a few years ago. Meeting again today, I can confirm it's really her. Wait, Landlady sister... sister, where are you going?" She moved so fast! As swift as the wind, lightning quick, the person who was just next to her suddenly climbed up the wooden ladder in the blink of an eye and was gone.

  What are you kidding? Of course I have to hurry!

  Hua Duomei's eyes sparkled, her feet moving as fast as flying.

  She saw Luan Shan Yun's face clearly.

  When that woman was climbing the rope ladder onto the big ship, she seemed to sense Hua Duomei watching, and slowly turned her face over.

  The two of them, their eyes meeting across a distance of five or six arm lengths, looking at each other. That woman's face, her pair of eyes, they are full of peach blossom charm!

  What's more, that tender peach blossom lips of hers actually dared to smile boldly at her.

  That red-loving woman has a temperament somewhat similar to hers. She always thought her beauty was unrivaled in the world, now there's another woman equally stunning as her, this is not good, not good at all...

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