VIP Volume Chapter 29: It's Not What You Think

The battlefield was shrouded in smoke, corpses strewn everywhere, torn and disemboweled. Two armies clashed fiercely; one wore golden armor, charging like a pride of tigers toward their enemies clad in black robes.

Ye Xiaoxuan gripped a sword entirely crimson, as if freshly drawn from a forge, its blade wreathed in blazing flames. At his side stood countless warriors in golden armor—among them were Ye Dajun, Hao Six Fingers, and even Chen Tianlei. Beneath him, his red steed was peculiar: the body of a horse with the head of a turtle, like a burning cloud lifting him high above the earth.

Indeed, Ye Xiaoxuan and his companions floated in the sky, observing the battle below.

“Emperor Xuan!” Ye Dajun knelt before the horse, addressing Ye Xiaoxuan, “The time has come. We can charge!”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded. He pointed his sword downward, and from its tip, a fire dragon burst forth, roaring as it swept into the black-robed ranks. Those struck by the sword’s energy caught fire instantly, flames consuming them as they screamed and were reduced to charred husks.

With Ye Xiaoxuan’s gesture, a hundred thousand golden-armored celestial soldiers appeared behind him, shouting as they rushed toward the black-robed soldiers below, swarming like ants.

“Little Third…” Ye Dajun knelt again to request orders, this time not addressing him as Emperor Xuan but by his childhood name. Such disrespect at the head of an army! If not for the fact he was his own brother, Ye Xiaoxuan would have ordered him executed on the spot.

Yet Ye Dajun stubbornly persisted, calling, “Little Third!”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s face darkened, glaring fiercely at him to remind him of his imperial status. Emperor Xuan—an emperor could not be addressed by his nickname!

But Ye Dajun, stubborn as ever, kept shouting, “Little Third!”

Ye Xiaoxuan nearly lost his mind, furiously shouting at Ye Dajun, “Call me ‘Little Third’ again and I’ll have you punished by military law! I’ll have you executed! How dare you call me by my nickname—people will think I’m cavorting with someone’s mistress!”

Smack! Ye Dajun slapped him outright, cursing, “Emperor? You’re no emperor! Go ahead, try and execute me!”

That slap snapped Ye Xiaoxuan out of his reverie. Groggily, he opened his eyes and looked at the sky—pitch black and stifling, likely about to rain.

Around him stood a group: his elder brother Ye Dajun, Hao Six Fingers, Hua Lingluo, Wen Xiaoyu, and Zhao Yanping. Three sailors lounged by the rail, as if enjoying the sea breeze.

Apart from Ye Dajun, the others looked at him with inscrutable expressions, half-smiling, half-leering. The two women in particular seemed both shy and disdainful, as though he had committed some unspeakable act.

Hao Six Fingers grinned widely. “Heard from these two ladies—Oops! Sorry, Sister Xiaoyu—I mean, from these two fairies that you were injured, so we came to check on you. Didn’t expect to find you napping on the deck!”

No wonder there were swords and armor—he’d been dreaming! Yet the dream felt so real, he wondered if there would be a sequel someday.

Hao Six Fingers gave him a playful slap, snickering, “What kind of erotic dream did you have? Who was in it…” He glanced mischievously at Hua Lingluo and Wen Xiaoyu.

Ye Xiaoxuan scoffed, “As if! My dream would scare you to death if I told you—epic stuff!”

The men all laughed lewdly. Hao Six Fingers nodded, “Must’ve been epic—look at your pants, you haven’t even moved your hand!”

Ye Xiaoxuan froze and glanced down, dumbfounded. How could he wake from such a tragic, war-torn dream with an erection?

His hand had somehow slipped inside his waistband, tightly gripping something that stood inexplicably proud.

Now Ye Xiaoxuan finally understood why everyone looked so lewd, and why the two girls’ expressions mixed shyness and contempt—they all assumed he’d been… doing something in his dream.

“Injustice!” Ye Xiaoxuan wished he could chop off his right hand. His dream had no trace of eroticism, so how had he ended up in this situation?

Covering his face, Ye Xiaoxuan tried to explain, “Actually, just now I…”

“Enough!” Zhao Yanping patted his shoulder in a fatherly way. “It’s just puberty. You’re fine—we thought you were really hurt, but if you can do this, you’re healthy! Next time, don’t do it on the deck. Go to your cabin, switch hands, do as you please!”

Ye Xiaoxuan wanted to jump into the lake, shouting in frustration, “I’m really not what you think, I…”

“Quiet!” Hao Six Fingers suddenly changed his expression, raising an arm to signal silence. Everyone knew he had sensitive ears and fell silent.

Hao Six Fingers moved to the bow, listening intently, his face growing darker. He lay flat on the deck, as if dead.

Wen Xiaoyu watched his odd actions, amused, covering her mouth. “What’s he doing?”

Hua Lingluo, familiar with Hao Six Fingers’ abilities, whispered, “He might be sensing vibrations. Let’s try not to speak.”

Two minutes passed. Hao Six Fingers sprang up and asked Zhao Yanping, “What’s the hull made of?” Zhao Yanping replied without hesitation, “Special steel, fiberglass hull. Why?”

Hao Six Fingers shook his head. “Not explosives—I don’t know what it is, but there must be a lot. Only large numbers moving together could cause this whirlpool sound. They’re coming fast, heading for the fishing boat—bad news, they’re here. Don’t go near the deck!”

The three sailors, who had always looked down on the country bumpkins, scoffed at his warning, glancing at the calm lake below. One sneered, “Stop pretending! What danger could there be? There aren’t even sharks…”

Before he could finish, a companion pointed to the water, crying out, “What’s that?!”

From beneath the rail, a creature like a giant serpent emerged, crawling up three meters to seize the sneering sailor by the neck. The poor man had no chance to scream before being dragged into the water.

The shock left everyone stunned; the other two sailors were petrified, unable to retreat.

All around the boat, the lake’s surface was boiling under the searchlights, as if set ablaze. Swarms of silvery, snake-like creatures crawled up the hull. The remaining sailors had no time to escape before their legs were entangled.

“My god!” Hao Six Fingers was first to react, clutching his head and bolting for the cabin. The others stumbled backward, terrified and helpless.