Chapter 498

Chapter 498: Chapter 467

When they reached the west side of the island, they found that several pirates had already sailed away, their boat a fair distance out to sea.

Danni: “What should we do now?”

Yun Jiao: “It’s okay. Just wait.”

With that, Yun Jiao dove headfirst into the sea.

As a mesmerizingly beautiful song began to echo, the friends Yun Jiao had recently made in these waters appeared.

Killer whales, Humpback Whales, Sperm Whales, and even the largest of them all, a blue whale.

The pirates were sailing along when suddenly the hull began to shake violently.

“Damn it, what’s going on?”

“Th-This is bad! Outside! There are whales everywhere! We’re surrounded!”

Everyone rushed out on deck to look, and their hearts were instantly seized by terror.

Several whales were ramming their ship.

Yun Jiao used a blue whale’s body as a springboard and leaped into the air.

She landed in a flawlessly cool and graceful motion.

“Damn it, kill her, quick, shoot!”

“A demon, she’s a demon!”

When the pirates spotted Yun Jiao, their faces instantly twisted in terror.

They were even more terrified of her than they were of being surrounded by whales.

Moving like a phantom, Yun Jiao dodged their bullets, whipped out the dagger strapped to her thigh, and slit the throat of the nearest pirate.

BANG! BANG! BANG!…

The sound of constant gunfire from the ship filled the air, and the people still on the island were extremely worried.

“Jiao will be okay, right?”

“We can’t wait any longer. There’s a small boat over there. Who knows how to row? We have to go help.”

“I do!”

“Let’s go, quickly!”

At that moment, the group of girls who had been rescued from the island no longer feared death or danger; they were going to save their benefactor.

But when the small boat got near the pirates’ large ship, everyone was stunned by the whales in the sea.

“God, what’s with all these whales?”

The gunshots from the ship had stopped. Li Lin shouted up at the deck.

“Yun Jiao, Yun Jiao!”

The others also started shouting, holding their guns vigilantly.

Suddenly, Yun Jiao’s head popped up from the ship’s side.

One girl was so startled she fired her gun, but she was aiming at the ship’s hull.

The ship’s hull was iron, so it was undamaged.

Everyone looked at her.

The girl said sheepishly, “Sorry, I was afraid it was a pirate.”

Yun Jiao waved at them.

“I’m okay.”

“Oh god, that’s great! What about those damn pirates?”

Yun Jiao: “They’re all dead.”

She let down a rope ladder, and the girls on the small boat immediately climbed up.

“My dear, you’re incredible!”

Danni was so excited she hugged Yun Jiao and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.

Yun Jiao: “…”

‘She really wasn’t used to such enthusiastic foreign greetings.’

“Jiao, you saved me! Once I get back, take down my damn brother, and inherit the Duke of Rose title, you have to come and find me! I’ll give you a massive gift.”

“That damn bastard! To fight for the title and family fortune, he actually colluded with pirates to capture me. He’s dead when I get back!”

Yun Jiao listened patiently as she cursed her half-brother and talked about the family’s struggle for the title and inheritance.

‘Foreign gossip is pretty juicy, too.’

The Duke of Rose was a woman, and Danni was one of her favored successors.

The reason she was captured this time was because her half-brother had probably learned that the Duke of Rose favored Danni, so he made a preemptive move.

The other girls were also furious on Danni’s behalf.

The ship sailed to the island’s harbor, and everyone started to haul the treasure from the island.

Everyone was sensible. Those from wealthy families said they wouldn’t take any of the treasure; it all belonged to Yun Jiao.

Those who were truly destitute thanked Yun Jiao profusely and only took some Gold Coins, planning to find a place to exchange them for money to live on.

The rest was all Yun Jiao’s.

Some of the treasures were antiques.

They came from different countries: an empress’s coronet, an Emperor’s ring, and several paintings by famous artists.

These items, which represented history and had been used by famous people, as well as the paintings by renowned artists, were all extremely valuable.

‘This trip was definitely worth it,’ Yun Jiao thought.

Danni, holding a gun, was buzzing with excitement.

“Jiao, you up for another fight?”

Yun Jiao looked at Danni, tilting her head slightly.

Danni: “I know another place. There are pirates there too, and the legendary pink gemstone, the Angel’s Heart, is said to be there.”

Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up. ‘A pink gemstone! I love pink!’

“I can fight some more!”

Danni yelled, “Girls! You wanna go for a big score?”

This group of girls, who had been captured by pirates, detested pirates to their very core.

“Of course we do!”

At this moment, they had countless weapons in their hands!

With weapons in hand, every single one of them was brimming with confidence.

“Set course for Sniff Island!”

Yun Jiao roamed the seas for three years, calling home to report that she was safe whenever she reached a place with a phone.

In those three years, the Flame’s reputation spread far and wide.

That’s right, the Flame was the very first pirate ship Yun Jiao had captured.

At first, it was just small skirmishes, but as more and more girls were rescued from pirates, the Flame grew larger and larger in scale.

Even nearby islanders heard the news. Among those who had suffered terribly at the hands of pirates, some girls whose families had been killed joined the Flame, seeking revenge.

For some inexplicable reason, Yun Jiao became the leader of the Flame.

Yun Jiao, who had only wanted to plunder some pirate treasure, was left speechless. …

But they didn’t just attack any pirate they saw.

Some people were forced into piracy for various reasons. If they only robbed for money and didn’t harm anyone, Yun Jiao left them alone.

There were also others who, under the banner of piracy, would collect a toll from passing ships and then protect those ships for safe passage through that stretch of sea.

You could never kill all the pirates, and Yun Jiao had no bloodthirsty tendencies.

Their formation followed its own logic, so unless a crew was particularly vicious, Yun Jiao generally didn’t bother them.

For a time, as their reputation grew and Yun Jiao’s crew defeated more and more pirates, some crews banded together to lay siege to the Flame.

But Yun Jiao beat them all down and confiscated their assets for good measure.

Yun Jiao acquired a simple, unremarkable gold mine, a couple of gem mines, an oil field…

In those three years, Yun Jiao had turned sixteen.

“It’s time to go back.”

At sixteen, her figure had filled out. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, though a touch of baby fat still clung to her cheeks, making her look even younger. Her skin was snow-white, and her waist-length, light-blue hair framed eyes that were like blue gems containing the entire magnificent sea.

Wearing a red dress and standing on the deck, she was like the most beautiful Sea God.

Even the other women of the Flame would find themselves mesmerized when they looked at her.

“You’re here. Li Lin, from now on, I’m leaving the Flame in your hands. The seas are becoming peaceful, and no arrogant, blind fools will come looking for trouble with the Flame anymore.”

Hearing her words, everyone’s face fell in shock.

“No! Leader, what do you mean by this!”

“Are you leaving us?”

They all looked at her with expectant eyes, hoping she would say she wasn’t leaving.

But, in the end, they were destined for disappointment.

Yun Jiao said with a helpless look, “I haven’t been home in three years.”

“Besides, I have to go back and take the college entrance exams!”

Everyone: “…”

They were stunned for a moment before it dawned on them. ‘Oh, right. Our leader is only a sixteen-year-old girl.’

Who would have thought? At just thirteen, an age when everyone would still consider her a child, she had single-handedly stormed a pirate’s nest and rescued many girls who had been captured and tormented by them.

Every single one of them willingly followed this young girl.

Now, three years later, these women who had been looked down upon by men had finally carved out a place for themselves under Yun Jiao’s leadership.

Now, the Flame had even become the largest mobile auction house on the seas.

These girls would never have to worry about their livelihoods again.

But now, Yun Jiao was leaving.

No one wanted to believe it.

Yun Jiao comforted them, “I’m just going home for school, I’m not dying. If you miss me, you can just call me, or come to Huaguo to see me.”

Li Lin hugged Yun Jiao. “But, we really can’t bear to see you go.”

The others nodded as well.

Those present were all high-ranking members of the Flame, and all had been rescued by Yun Jiao from the pirates’ dens. They were extremely loyal to her.

Yun Jiao: “I know it’s hard, but you’ll have to manage. I’ll come back when I have time.”

She was homesick. She had to go back.

She herself had never expected the Flame to grow so large. But with great power came suppression from other pirates.

Facing that kind of situation, Yun Jiao couldn’t abandon the women who followed her.

Now, the seas were calmer than ever before, and the Flame had become one of the biggest powers in the region. Even if Yun Jiao left, the Flame could continue to operate.

So, she had to leave.

On the day before her departure, everyone on the Flame came to see her off.

Yun Jiao stood at the highest point, raising her wine glass.

“To the Flame, may it grow ever stronger. And to all of you, may you do the same.”

Everyone raised their glasses.

“To our leader’s continued success, and a safe journey.”

“Leader, we’ll miss you.”

“You have to come back and see us.”

Yun Jiao looked at them and smiled, softly saying, “I will.”

Early the next morning, Yun Jiao only notified a few high-ranking members before saying her goodbyes.

“See you next time.”

With that, she leaped into the sea, like the most beautiful of sea sprites, and quickly vanished from sight.

Li Lin stared in the direction Yun Jiao had disappeared, not looking away for a long time.

“She is a daughter of the sea. I’m so proud of her.”

“Yes, she’s our leader, but she’s also the child we watched grow up.”

“We’ll work hard to grow the Flame, and one day, we’ll go to Huaguo to find her!”

Yun Jiao, carrying all the pearl mother shells she had prepared, went home.

That’s right. Even now, she still remembered her plan to cultivate Sea Pearls.

In a way, she had never forgotten her original goal.

But later on, she no longer had to look for pearl mother shells herself. After many people learned she was searching for them, they took the initiative to find them for her.

Although she was sad to leave the Flame… ‘Dad, Mom, brothers, I’m coming home!’