Chapter 157: Celestial Sovereign of Longevity as a Bodyguard

Su Mu stepped out of the room, leaving the woman alone inside. He wandered aimlessly through the castle, his awareness focused on his own soul.

The green light unique to the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity was still spreading across his soul. The few undead sirens he had encountered earlier hadn't been able to impede it in the slightest.

It was like trying to stop a grown man walking down the street by placing a few ants in his path. The man wouldn't even break his stride; he would simply trample them to death without noticing they were there and keep walking.

The sea monsters hadn't served to block the green light, but they had given Su Mu an entirely new idea. Since his soul had already been claimed by the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity and would fall completely under its control within three days—which sounded grim—looking at it from another angle meant his soul was absolutely invincible for these three days.

He was immune to any soul-based attacks. How could anything else dare taint something the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity had already claimed?

In other words, the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity was his bodyguard for the next three days.

Having a God act as a bodyguard was an amusing thought.

At the thought, the corners of Su Mu's lips curled into a smile.

"You don't look worried about setting sail tomorrow at all," a crisp, girlish voice called out.

Su Mu glanced up. Mu Qing was sitting on a wooden railing nearby, enjoying the breeze. The damp sea wind fluttered the ends of her hair and her plaid skirt. She was so thin and petite she looked as if a gust might blow her away.

"It's less worry and more anticipation." Su Mu leaned against the railing, feeling the incredibly realistic sea breeze of the Nightmare.

"Mr. Su really is different. By the way, why did you come out? Was the woman the King gave you not to your liking?"

"No, she wasn't."

Su Mu's candor caught Mu Qing slightly off guard. She had expected him to put on an act and say something about not being that kind of guy.

Just then, the laughter of the Minister of Finance, Pang Yang, rang out from a room behind them, followed by a woman's surprised yelp.

"My Queen, where are you going all dressed up this late at night?"

"None of your business. Get out of my way."

"Let me guess. You heard the maids gossiping about a handsome man among the outsiders, so you couldn't wait to throw yourself at him, you slut?"

"Get lost! What the Queen does is none of your business."

"Hmph. The Queen's intentions are written all over her face. If you ask me, the new can't compare to the old. No matter how good the outsider is, how could he satisfy you as well as I do?"

A table and cabinet crashed over inside the room with a loud bang.

The door burst open, and a disheveled Queen ran out. Pang Yang grabbed her by her slender waist. He was just about to speak when he noticed she had suddenly stopped struggling. Looking up, he spotted Su Mu and Mu Qing.

He froze for a moment before laughing. "Mr. Su and Miss Mu—out enjoying the night, I see. How about it, want to join in? The Queen is the most beautiful woman in the Sea Kingdom, after all."

Mu Qing frowned deeply, making almost no effort to hide the disgust in her eyes.

The Queen, however, shot Su Mu a few shy glances. Her heart couldn't help but race, and a hint of expectation crept into her expression.

Su Mu smiled in amusement. "Aren't you worried the King will be angry if you do this, Mr. Pang?"

Pang Yang waved a hand dismissively. "I'm just taking care of his wife for Old Hu. Why would he be mad? No need to worry about that, Mr. Su. Join in if you want. Old Hu is a great guy; this is nothing to him."

"I wouldn't want to interrupt your fun."

Pang Yang didn't press the issue and dragged the Queen back into the room. The Queen was incredibly reluctant, casting several lingering glances at Su Mu until the closing door cut off her line of sight.

A short while later, indecent noises began echoing from the room.

Mu Qing remained expressionless, her face betraying nothing.

"There is something wrong with Hu Jie," she suddenly whispered. "There is something wrong with the Sea Kingdom, too."

Su Mu gazed out at the pitch-black shore. The sea at night was terrifying, resembling an abyssal maw ready to devour everything. The inky waters churned, hiding who knew how many terrifying creatures within.

"I've been in the Sea Kingdom for two days now, and in that time, I haven't seen a single elderly person. It's as if they've all vanished. The women here are strange, too. They don't set sail, they don't work; it's as if their only duty is to please men and bear children.

"The most bizarre thing of all is the King. He doesn't act like a King at all. He puts on no airs, and his temper is surprisingly good.

"Logically, Nightmare Apostles arrive in the Sea Kingdom every so often. Since they can't leave, they should be fighting for power and wealth here. That's just base human nature. Yet, no one tries to usurp Hu Jie's position, because as King, he's nothing more than a figurehead. He doesn't handle any state affairs.

"He even lets his ministers take their pick of his harem. He holds less power than his own subordinates. He exists purely as a mascot, so naturally, no one feels the need to overthrow him.

"Mr. Su, are you listening?" Mu Qing raised an eyebrow, looking at Su Mu, who had just been admiring the scenery.

"The wind is picking up." Su Mu slowly withdrew his gaze. He smoothed out the creases in his clothes ruffled by the sea breeze, turned to Mu Qing, and smiled. "Miss Mu, all your questions will be answered tomorrow. Goodnight."

Mu Qing's frown deepened. She watched his tall, elegant figure walk step by step into the darkness until he completely disappeared from sight. She couldn't begin to guess what he was thinking.

Early the next morning.

The group met with the King once again.

King Hu Jie greeted everyone warmly.

"How did everyone rest last night?"

Those with thick skin nodded in satisfaction, while the thin-skinned ones averted their gazes.

"It seems you are all quite satisfied. I suppose I've done my duty as a host. Moving on, I'll keep this short. The ship is ready. It belongs to the Royal Family of the Sea Kingdom and is absolutely top of the line. It's docked right at the West Coast. So, who among you is ready to set sail and search for the Black Fog?"

Compared to their aggressive momentum yesterday, the crowd was noticeably silent today. Several people who had boasted about setting sail yesterday were now shrinking into their shells.

"Hmph, cowards." Mu Qing scoffed coldly and stepped out from the crowd. "I'll go."

As the only woman in the group, she had seen how these men behaved during the night and already despised them. Seeing that no one dared to step forward now, she spoke her mind bluntly.

Faced with Mu Qing's mockery, a few men silently lowered their heads. It wasn't exactly out of shame; it was primarily because Mu Qing was a Silver Rank 1 Transcendent, and they didn't dare talk back to her.

At that moment, Hu Jie stepped in to smooth things over. "Miss Mu's courage is highly commendable, and I admire it. However, everyone has their own aspirations, and it's not right to force things. After all, not everyone in this world is a hero. We are just members of the masses. We admire heroes, but that doesn't mean we want to become them.

"In my opinion, while heroes certainly deserve praise, there's nothing wrong with cherishing one's own life."

Hu Jie's words caused everyone's expressions to soften slightly.