In the Side Hall, Prince Wen De was vomiting uncontrollably, and he remained dazed and incoherent, suffering every day, making the palace maids feel exceptionally awkward serving him.

A man being pregnant was already quite unsettling, but that man was also foolish; he would whimper and cry when feeling uncomfortable like a woman, yet he was a prince of the Imperial family.

"Princess Ya’an is here!" an Inner Servant announced, but Prince Wen De, still dazed, had no reaction.

Ya’an walked into the hall, seeing him like this made her feel uneasy, he was after all her fiancé.

"Don’t worry, they will find the Dragon-seeking Grass to cure you," she said softly, worried about startling Wen De.

"Wuwuwu, I feel so uncomfortable, I want something sour," Wen De whimpered.

Ya’an hurriedly called the Inner Servant to bring sour plums, picked a plump one and handed it to him.

Wen De crunched on it, Ya’an sitting beside him, felt her teeth ache just from hearing the sound.

"Take care of yourself, I’ll go now, if you need anything just tell the Inner Servant, I’ll visit again tomorrow," Ya’an said as she stood up.

She was actually here to check if the Inner Servants were treating Wen De well. The palace servants tended to flatter those in power and step on those who were down, given Wen De’s current state, he probably wasn’t faring well, and he couldn’t even express it himself.

Ya’an walked out of the Side Hall and suddenly saw a glimpse of clothing, the color was not the usual attire of palace maids, seemed to belong to a noble in the Palace.

Could it be Wen De’s former concubine?

She shook her head quietly, previously Wen De’s concubine secretly came to visit him but was frightened away by his current state, the Emperor didn’t want the news spreading, so her concubine was detained.

Surely, it wasn’t her, then who? Wen De’s mother?

Ya’an paused for a moment, then continued walking out, being merely Wen De’s fiancée, she couldn’t intervene too much.

In the Main Hall, Empress Shangzi walked inside.

"Don’t you dare come closer!" Wen De exclaimed in terror.

Empress Shangzi extended her hand, from her palm flew out a Poisonous Insect, her face showing helplessness yet ruthlessness, "You harmed me first; now it’s only natural for me to retaliate."

After doing all this, she stood up and left through the back door.

She had always behaved normally, and the Poisonous Insect within her had only hatched after Bai Ruozhu and the others left, so no one knew she had been controlled by the Poisonous Insect.

...

On the Boat, days felt interminable, everyone more accustomed to life ashore, counting each day of the journey.

After half a month of sailing without encountering any trouble, the weather was good, and the speed of navigation was fast.

"We should be in this area, but there must be a large Array or Barrier, outsiders cannot enter," the Astrologer pointed ahead to the sea, the group looked over, only to see vastness, just seawater, endless seawater.

Duannian’s mood was unhappy recently, he said with a sullen face, "I’ll go around, maybe I can find some clues."

"Alright, be careful," Bai Ruozhu agreed.

"I’ll go with Duannian," Jiang Yichun said.

Bai Ruozhu hesitated slightly, feeling a bit worried, but Jiang Yichun assured her, "I’ll return at most in four hours."

"Alright, safety first, if anything seems wrong, come back immediately," Bai Ruozhu said.

The two jumped into the sea together, like Yuyu returning to water, extraordinarily free and easy.

"Can you perform a ritual to check the surroundings?" Bai Ruozhu asked the Astrologer and glanced at Yuan Licheng, "What about Xiaoyuan’s side?"

The Astrologer shook his head, "We need to determine the location first, this area is too vast, can’t perform a ritual."

Yuan Licheng said, "I don’t sense any Array fluctuations, either the Array is too profound for me to feel, or they are using something other than an Array."

"In short, we still can’t determine it," Fo Lanying bluntly tore him down.

"Hey, Lan Ying, don’t underestimate me, I’m one person, the opponents are a clan," Yuan Licheng wanted to regain some face.

Fo Lanying scoffed twice, "Get results before you speak, then I’ll certainly regard you as a hero."

Yuan Licheng’s eyes gleamed with determination, "I’ll work hard, wait for the day you’re impressed with me."

Fo Lanying laughed, "Don’t just talk, but practice, I’ll only look at the outcome."

Their playful banter lightened the atmosphere quite a bit.

But in an unnoticed corner, Shanhu’s expression wasn’t natural, with deep worry in her eyes.

"Shanhu, are you feeling unwell?" Qiu Zhi approached to ask.

"It’s nothing, a little dizzy, I’ll rest in the ship cabin," Shanhu said, heading inside, Qiu Zhi quickly supported her.

Inside the Room, Qiu Zhi poured some hot water, Shanhu drank a sip, then put down the teacup and asked, "Weren’t we looking for Dragon-seeking Grass? Why suddenly to find Merfolk Island?"

She had met everyone later, so she wasn’t clear on many matters; it wasn’t until the incident with the white dragon that Bai Ruozhu explained the sequence of events to everyone, only then did Shanhu know they were seeking Merfolk Island.

"We went to Fusang not only to find Ning Yu and the others but also to find Merfolk Island, you also heard Jiang Yichun’s situation, his time is running out," Qiu Zhi said with a sigh.

"Isn’t it said Merfolk can live up to thirty years? He doesn’t look that old," Shanhu asked.

"He was subjected to the Barbarian Clan’s blood sacrifice involving thousands, later unexpectedly awakened his Merfolk Bloodline, the conflict between the two means he only has less than three years left," Qiu Zhi said sadly, "You also saw how deep the feelings between him and Ruozhu are, if something happens to him, what about Ruozhu? And it’s because of this, Ruozhu embarked on a journey not long after giving birth."

Shanhu frowned, "It turned out to be like this."

Qiu Zhi found it strange, "Why do you seem off? Could it be your Sect knows about Merfolk Island?"

Shanhu’s heart skipped a beat, a flash of panic appeared on her face, Qiu Zhi, though silly, wasn’t foolish, he noticed her reaction.

"Shanhu, I know your sect has its rules, but can you bear seeing them separated? And Fang Luo, he’s turning thirty soon, he’s never traveled before, just beginning to see this world’s beauty. If you know anything, please tell me."

"I..." Shanhu hesitated, after a while said, "We swore solemnly and were cursed, once spoken it’s a doom; if I were alone, I’d risk my life to help them, but I have a child, I can’t gamble its safety."

"Doom?" Qiu Zhi was startled.

Shanhu nodded, "I am not making excuses, once a senior sister was beguiled into revealing forbidden secrets, and she suddenly vomited blood, when she returned to the sect to seek help, she was so disfigured you couldn’t recognize her. The sect leader said it was a Curse, none could resolve it, eventually, she committed suicide, being unable to withstand the torture."