Seeing that it was unwilling to leave, Wenlan thought for a moment, and then lay down and beckoned with her hand. To the astonishment of the onlookers, the dolphin swam over to her and gently held her fingers in its mouth, displaying a friendly scene.
Wenlan touched its smooth forehead and smiled, waving her hand to make it leave. The baby dolphin called out a few times, and finally disappeared under the water.
"Could it be that Miss San is a dragon maiden? Why else would even the divine fish be so close to you?"
Someone among the pearl divers blurted it out.
Wenlan couldn't help but burst into laughter, about to reply when she glanced around and finally noticed that someone was missing from the boat. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Where's my cousin?"
As soon as she asked, Li Haiqiu and the others remembered that Xie Yuan had been underwater helping her earlier. They jumped up, looking around in panic, and saw someone swimming towards them not far away, and it was indeed him. They stopped saying anything else and rowed the boat back to meet him.
Wenlan saw her usually meticulous cousin being helped onto the boat, lying on the deck and still panting. Water dripped from his sun-drenched dark back, Perspiration rolled down his back along his breathing muscles. She sneaked a look at the group of people who were already surrounding the big clam, and seeing that they were all caught up in it and paying no attention to here, she couldn't help but ask in a soft voice, "Cousin, what are you doing?"
Xie Yuan heard her voice and raised his head towards the sun as he spoke. Seeing her facing the sun, with water dripping from her hair, her black and white eyes were fixed straight on him, waiting for his answer.
In all honesty, he should have been really angry at this moment. He felt like he should have shown the authority of an elder brother, at least to make her understand the danger of diving recklessly. But the reality was quite the opposite. From the moment he saw her unharmed and sitting on the boat as he approached, all his anger had dissipated. At this moment, under her gaze, he even felt an extreme and unnatural urge to evade her.
After some thought, he wiped the water droplets from his face and beard, and mumbled, "The sun is too hot, so I went for a swim. It's much cooler down there..." With that, he lifted himself up with his arm, leaped off the deck, and quickly stood behind Li Haiqiu and the others.
Wenlan slightly raised the corner of her mouth at his broad back, took off the coat and went to take a look as well.
This clam is much larger than the one that was harvested over a decade ago. Even Li Haiqiu, who is well-versed, couldn't help but be amazed by the size of this clam, let alone the younger people in the village.
"Haiqiu, this clam must be at least a hundred years old, right? Could it be a spiritual being?" Dongbao suddenly blurted out.
During her time in this place, Wenlan had learned a bit about the superstitions of the coastal people, who, due to natural limitations, believed in the existence of a sea king and various supernatural beings. Even plants and trees, after absorbing the essence of the sun and moon over time, were thought to possess mystical qualities. So, what about this centuries-old giant clam from the deep sea?
When Dongbao spoke, the villagers who were previously excited about prying open the clam immediately quieted down. They exchanged glances and no one spoke again. One man who had been preparing to pry open the shell with a knife quickly withdrew his hand.
"Two adults, look..."
Li Haiqiu looked to Xieyuan and Wei Zixing, his expression somewhat hesitant.
Before Xieyuan could speak, Wei Zixing took the knife from the man and said, "It really is the first time I've seen a clam of this size. If you all dare not, then I will. Even if it turns out to be a spiritual being, it will come to me."
Li Haiqiu said, "Yes, adults and ordinary people are naturally different and not afraid of superstitions."
Wei Zixing smiled, then crouched in front of the large clam. He turned the clam's foot toward himself, inserted the knife between the top and bottom shells, and broke the connection of the petrified foot on one side. Then he repeated the same process on the other side. The once tightly closed clam shell immediately loosened, and with little effort, he opened the clam, cut open the flesh inside, and after careful searching, finally found two pearls side by side in one side's membrane.
When Wei Zixing picked out the two pearls with the knife, even Wenlan, not to mention the villagers, widened their eyes in astonishment.
One pearl was large, comparable to a big longan fruit, but what was truly rare was that the other one was the size of a baby's fist. Both pearls were perfectly round, shimmering under the sunlight, making it hard to look away.
Wenlan knew that in her original timeline, the largest natural pearl found was over 200 millimeters long, but it, like the second-ranked pearl once collected by Emperor Qianlong, was irregular in shape. The pearl they had just captured, although smaller in size, was naturally formed into such a perfect round shape, making it truly invaluable.
Wei Zixing gazed at the pearls in his hand for a moment, then, as if inadvertently, glanced at Wenlan, seeing her stunned expression. A faint, unnoticed smile flitted across his lips. Suddenly, he turned to face the sea, raised his arm high and before anyone could react, an object was thrown far out, drawing a magnificent arc before plunging into the deep blue sea, disappearing instantly. When he turned back, there was only the small pearl left in the palm of his hand.
Li Haiqiu and the others were dumbfounded, and even Wenlan was shocked, staring at Wei Zixing in disbelief - he had actually thrown that exceedingly rare large pearl back into the sea. This... was utterly inconceivable.
"Wei... Lord Wei, what are you doing..."
Finally regaining his composure, Li Haiqiu stammered as he called out to Wei Zixing, unable to continue.
Wei Zixing looked composed and placed the longan pearl in a small brocade bag before saying, "Man's desires are insatiable. Presenting such a rare huge pearl today, who's to say they won't ask for another next time? If that's the case, where else are we going to find one? Will Madam San have to go under the sea for you again?"
At this, the villagers immediately understood.
For these village pearl fishermen, unexpectedly acquiring such a rare treasure was actually not very beneficial. While the eunuch's mansion did buy pearls based on their quality and weight, Wusan Chun was always greedy and would invariably lower the price. Even if they handed over such a pearl, the return was limited, perhaps even causing trouble, just like Wei Zixing had said. It was more like what he had just done - discarding the large pearl, was a way to avoid future problems.
Li Haiqiu expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, Lord Wei. We will not breathe a word about this matter!" The other villagers nodded in agreement.
Wei Zixing glanced at Xieyuan, who had been silent the whole time, and then said, "There's no need to thank me. After handing over this pearl, I will definitely ask Wuzhi to pay more silver on your behalf. It's a way to make up for what I lost by throwing away the other pearl."
Li Haiqiu hurriedly said, "I dare not. The large clam was harvested by Madam San, and the proceeds from selling the pearls should naturally belong to her."
Although Wenlan was still lamenting the pearl that had just been thrown back into the sea, she also understood Wei Zixing's reasoning. Despite being a little surprised that he had suddenly thought of considering the plight of these poor villagers, she certainly wouldn't compete with them for the money from selling pearls and suppressed her surprise, saying, "Li, since you were the one who discovered the large clam, I just lent a hand. I don't need the money, you all can divide it yourselves later."
Life was hard for the villagers, and their livelihood depended on selling pearls that they harvested to the eunuch's mansion. Previously, Wusan Chun, feeling the pressure of the deadline, had raised the purchase price to fifty silver taels, believing that with such a generous reward, there would be brave individuals. Now, seeing that Wenlan really didn't want anything, they naturally felt elated and expressed their thanks one by one before shouting to set sail back home.
Xie Yuan and Wei Zixing, who had originally pursued the boat together, were now returning. The leader of the boat on the other side called out a few times, but seeing that the two officials didn't seem to have any intention of coming back, he stopped calling and just followed the pearl boat.
Wen Lan glanced at Xie Yuan and Wei Zixing, and seeing the two of them standing straight staring at each other, she casually put on a bamboo hat to shade herself from the sun, and then sat at the bow of the boat with her legs crossed. In no time, her clothes were dry. After a while, Dong Bao, who had been hesitating for a long time, finally approached and asked curiously, "Madam San, when I saw you diving earlier, you were wearing a face mask. What was that?"
Wen Lan turned to him and smiled, saying, "That's a diving mask. It allows you to see things more clearly underwater."
Dong Bao asked cautiously, "Can I try it?"
Wen Lan smiled and handed him the mask, instructing him how to wear it. Dong Bao jumped into the sea and after a while caught up with the pearl boat and climbed back on board, excitedly shouting, "It really works, it really works!"
Hearing him shout, the younger ones couldn't resist and all wanted to try it, but Li Haiqiu stopped them, saying, "What if it gets damaged? Just hold on."
In their original place, this diving mask was nothing special. But here, it was indeed unique. Wen Lan saw Dong Bao carefully take off the mask and hand it back to her, she smiled and took it. Suddenly, Li Haiqiu asked, "Madam San, where did you get this thing? Do you still have more?"
This question was hard to answer. Wen Lan subconsciously glanced at Xie Yuan and saw that he had stopped staring at Wei Zixing and was now looking at her with a hint of doubt. She hesitated.
She had pretended to be his cousin. Madam San was a native of the seaside. If she used imported goods as an excuse, he would certainly be suspicious.
"It was a gift from me. Madam San and I had a chance encounter on the way here to visit relatives. I saw her excellent swimming skills, so I gave her this item. It's something from overseas."
It was Wei Zixing who suddenly interjected.
Wen Lan glanced at him and saw him smiling at her.
This was actually good, it could be considered a way out. Wen Lan nodded and didn't look at Xie's cousin, who now had a look of surprise on his face that couldn't even be hidden by his beard, and turned away.
The yamen of the Seven Governments had eyes and ears everywhere. This official surnamed Wei, as the commanding officer of a provincial yamen, possessing such a rare foreign item was perfectly normal. When the pearl people saw that the item came from him, they immediately stopped questioning and discussing it.
There were no other incidents on the way. The pearl boat sailed smoothly to shore. When the people of the White Dragon City heard that a giant clam bigger than the one that had killed a person years ago had been hoisted from the depths of the sea, they rushed to the pier to see the commotion. Upon hearing the vivid descriptions of Madam San's brave adventures in the deep sea and her fortuitous encounter with a magical fish, they all marveled. After seeing the giant clam, they eagerly crowded around to see Wen Lan, and upon learning that she was young, beautiful, and a skilled swimmer, the nickname "Third Dragon Lady" spread like wildfire.
Wen Lan became like a star of later years, receiving the attention of a three-layered crowd, making it almost impossible for her to move. In the end, Xie Yuan had to escort her out of the crowd, looking like he was escaping from it. When they arrived at the entrance in a small alley, Wen Lan patted her chest and let out a sigh, then turned to Xie Yuan behind her and said, "Thank you, cousin." Seeing him just respond indifferently, she felt a bit embarrassed and decided not to speak anymore. She turned to step inside, but then heard him say, "Don't tell my mother about today's events."
Wen Lan's hand paused on the door panel. She looked up and saw him staring at her with a serious expression. Knowing that his mother would worry if she found out, it wasn't wrong for him to remind her, so she obediently nodded.
"And also, don't go out again today. Wait for me to come back in the evening, I have something to tell you." He said this with an even more serious look.
Wen Lan was taken aback.
Earlier on the pearl boat, when the pearl people went to rescue Xie Yuan, who had been forgotten in the sea, she had already heard someone mentioning how he had risked his life to rescue himself. Although it might not have been entirely reliable, she had playfully teased him earlier. Despite this, she was still moved. So, although she wasn't pleased with the way he questioned her like a suspect, she didn't show it on her face and just nodded.
As if sensing her displeasure, he looked at her again, and his face finally softened a bit as he said, "There was an assassination attempt at the mansion last night, and today we are searching for the suspect, so I have other matters to attend to. If I come back too late, don't wait for me, just go to bed." After saying this, he didn't wait for her to respond and quickly strode away.
Wen Lan watched him hurriedly disappear at the end of the alley, and suddenly felt like her mood had improved. With no one around, she imitated his tone and said seriously in the direction he had gone, "Rest assured, Lord Xie. Since you have commanded it, I will wait for you even with matchsticks propping open my eyes." After mimicking him, she couldn't help but laugh and then closed the door.
Wu Sanchun was overjoyed to have unexpectedly found such a large pearl, and naturally heaved a sigh of relief. Not only did he pay the original price of fifty taels of silver, but he also added twenty more upon hearing Wei Xing's implication that it was difficult to obtain the pearl. Although it was strange for someone like him to suddenly speak up for the pearl divers, once he had spoken, it was difficult to retract, so he added another twenty taels. After Li Haiqiu and the others received this large sum of money, they thanked him repeatedly and then left separately.
It was already late into the night, almost the end of the hour of the pig. At the edge of the Yongkang Village below the White Dragon City, Xie Yuanzhen was walking quickly with another person towards the edge of the woods.
The light in the woods was dim, and apart from the rustling sound of the trees being brushed by the wind, the only other sound was the distant sound of the waves. The two of them emerged from the woods, and not far ahead was the beach, where people were already waiting with a boat moored nearby.
Xie Yuan stopped in his tracks, turned to the person behind him, and said, "Please board the ship, and once we reach Henghai Island, please focus on recuperating."
The moonlight shone on the face of the person he called "Sir". Appearing to be a young man of only about twenty, with a clear and slender face, at this moment his complexion was pale, either due to the moonlight or the injury to his back. He glanced at Xie Yuan, and a hint of embarrassment seemed to appear on his face as he said in a low voice, "I... should not have disobeyed your advice and insisted on trying to assassinate that dog eunuch. Not only did I fail, but I almost caused harm to you..."
Xie Yuan said, "Sir, you don't need to blame yourself. Sir, you only wished to rid the people of the evil, filled with passion. In truth, it's all my fault for not making a decision in time, thus leading you to take risks. Fortunately, there was no harm, otherwise I, Xie Yuan, would be unable to escape blame."
Upon hearing him speak like this, the man finally appeared relieved, and then said with resentment, "Let that dog eunuch, the official surnamed Wei, and the son of the emperor enjoy a few more days of freedom. Wait and see, one day, I, Zhao Wenhuan, will realize the grand cause of restoring the Great Zhao, and reclaim the world for my Zhao family! Xie Yuan, think of the time of the Great Zhao dynasty, your Xie family had produced famous generals for generations, who in the world doesn't know this? But sadly, at the time of your great-grandfather, the state was in turmoil, and your great-grandfather died tragically at the hands of the rebels. My Great Zhao's thousand-year legacy also vanished. You are the descendant of a famous general, just hiding your name. If you assist me in achieving the grand cause, when the task is accomplished, not only will you be ennobled, but your Xie family will also regain its former glory!"
Under the moonlight, Xie Yuan's expression was calm as he looked at the person in front of him and said slowly, "Sir, be at ease. Before my father sent me to learn art, he once summoned me alone to talk, told me about the affairs of our ancestors, and instructed me to inherit the family tradition, waiting for the call of a benefactor, to prepare for the day of restoring the Great Zhao. Now that sir has come, Xie Yuan will not hesitate even at the risk of death."
Zhao Wenhuan let out a sigh and smiled, "With your words, I feel relieved. The restoration of the country involves many difficulties, the most important of which is the sufficient supply of money and food. Fortunately, in the past two years, you have driven away the One-Eyed Dragon and controlled the Nanyang sea route, which brings huge profits through shipping taxes. Yet, I feel that the taxes you are currently receiving are too low. Why not raise them? Since you control the sea route, as long as you speak, the ship owners will definitely comply."
Xie Yuan's eyes dimmed for a moment, but soon he said respectfully, "Sir, you are currently injured and should focus on recovery. Other matters can be discussed after your recovery."
Zhao Wenhuan was reminded by his words, reached out to rub his shoulder, endured the pain, and frowned, "Alright, then I'll leave first," and swiftly boarded the ship.
Xie Yuan watched the ship with its sails gradually receding into the distance on the sea until it became a small black dot, then turned and walked towards the direction of the White Dragon City, his expression somewhat solemn, as if deeply lost in thought.