Xyrin Empire-Chapter 122 - : The Haunted Island

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: The Haunted Island

Well, a luxury yacht, Lin Xue’s own luxury yacht, this “yacht” that could almost be classified as a medium-sized vessel was said to have been custom-made as a birthday gift for her by her dad last year…

Since we didn’t want our rare adventure to be disturbed by unrelated personnel, we didn’t bring a single outsider with us — including the essential crew members for the yacht, thankfully, operating such simple mechanical toys was no challenge for Pandora and Little Baobao. So the two of them took on the roles of captain-cum-helmsman-cum-engineer-cum… Meanwhile, Pandora also took on the function of the super radar, to help us locate that little island hidden somewhere off the beaten path.

What I want to say is, it was hilariously funny to see two tiny tots, barely a meter tall, seriously steering the ship; especially when Pandora stood at the front, solemnly declaring, “Full speed ahead!” and then Little Baobao, murmuring in agreement, would climb onto a stool behind the control panel and struggle to reach all those chaotic buttons and levers…

“Ah… the ocean…” Qianqian, experiencing such a high-level toy for the first time, excitedly leaned over the railing, going wild at the sight of the seascape, which was totally different from what she’d seen on the beach. I was cautiously holding onto the collar of her shirt to prevent this crazy girl, who looked like a country bumpkin coming to town for the first time, from falling in — although, with her ability, she could totally ignore such dangers.

“I bet you probably think of Liu Zicai as just some rural nouveau riche,” I hoisted the wildly gesturing Qianqian from the railing for the fourth time, contemplating this luxurious mechanical toy. “I used to think that guy’s family was considered wealthy enough, but now looking at your yacht — I guess it could make Liu Zicai feel so inferior he would drown himself in the river…”

“That’s not likely to happen,” said Lin Xue, outfitted in standard jungle explorer gear, standing tall and valiant like a warrior beside me. “The Liu family actually also has a decent amount of clout. It’s just that compared to super families like the Ding and Lin families, who can shake the whole world with a mere gesture, they are somewhat trivial. However, considering future prospects, the Liu family does have the potential to become an important family in China. Perhaps it’s for this reason that Uncle Ding has consented to him pursuing Ding Ling — though by her attitude, she’s plain treating Liu Zicai as a toy. After all, there are quite a few stories about Liu Zicai’s character, and while Uncle Ding may not be fully aware, I’m sure that sly Ding Ling knows plenty. She’s definitely not one to jump into a pit of fire for no gain.”

...

Now I was really curious about these big family secrets that Lin Xue had mentioned. I wondered if families like these were really as strict and stifling as the books described. When I threw out this question, there was a discernible change in Lin Xue’s expression, but I couldn’t tell if it was pleasure or displeasure. How to put it? It seemed very… complex.

“Compared to you guys, my and Ding Ling’s childhood was probably a bit dull,” Lin Xue’s face lost its usual jocular expression for the first time, replaced by a smile I found quite unfamiliar — a graceful demeanor that seemed astonishing, magically befitting of a well-bred noble lady, sprang forth from her. “From a very young age, we had to learn many things we didn’t like, meet a lot of people we didn’t care for, and we were constantly reminded to watch out for our etiquette, our choice of words, and many other things. But over time, you get used to it. Getting some things means losing others. There’s nothing unfair about it for us. And now that I think about it, my childhood wasn’t that bad — our parents loved us deeply, and even though they were strict, most of the time the elderly in our family were kind. We couldn’t just go out and play like other kids, but our elders did try to arrange entertainments for us within permissible conditions — although I didn’t like it, hehe. Moreover, the kind of dead and lifeless family rules you’re imagining didn’t exist. There are rules, but our family isn’t stuck in the old feudal times. Take Ding Ling, for example: Whilst it seems that Uncle Ding might be arranging for her to be with Liu Zicai, if she didn’t want it, Liu Zicai wouldn’t stand a chance, and there’d definitely be no forced marriage. Plus, ever since we came of age, the family has relaxed its control over us, the younger generation. Before we inherit our own family businesses, we are free to arrange our lives.”

Lin Xue said all of this in one breath and seemed to exhale a great sigh of relief, immediately relaxing and breaking into giggles again, as if that ladylike demeanor was just my illusion.

“Having said all that, I feel much better,” Lin Xue laughed heartily and gave my shoulder a couple of firm pats. “Looks like there’s some good to having wood around — at least you listen seriously when I talk, not interrupting me every three seconds like Ding Ling. Now, is there anything else you want to know? I, the Miss, am in a good mood, so I’ll condescend to answer you just this once!”

I slapped Lin Xue’s patting hand away from my shoulder, holding up a finger, “Just one question: If your family was so strict with you when you were a child, how did you manage to have this secret childhood base? Don’t tell me you and Lin Feng used to skip home and take the yacht out?”

I was really curious about this question. According to Lin Xue, aside from family gatherings, she and Lin Feng hardly had any chance to play outside when they were little. So this “secret base” deep in the ocean seemed a bit incredible… Ahem, actually no matter how you look at it, the whole idea of two kids having a secret base that required a yacht to reach was perplexing. Did Lin Xue, this super trouble magnet, already have the ability to cause an array of inexplicable events as a child? So much so, that even confined at home, she and her brother could get roped into castaway survival stories?

Lin Xue, mimicking me, wagged her finger in front of my eyes, smiling smugly, “It’s easy to understand. The small island we’re going to, and even the surrounding archipelago, are all private property of the Lin family. Whatever we do in our own backyard, the old men won’t care~~”

Qianqian, who had been exuberantly plastered over the railing gazing at the sea, suddenly froze in place, then with a thud… fell backward onto the deck.

“Curse those filthy rich!”

I tenderly helped Qianqian to her feet, rubbing her head while exclaiming in awe that such super families really knew how to flaunt their wealth. Those so-called tycoons known to the public were like salaried workers compared to these super-rich!

Clutching my arm, Qianqian’s eyes glittered with stars as she spoke with longing, “To think it’s a private island, how many three-bedroom homes could fit there!”

“Darn these wealthy people!” I said pityingly as I massaged Qianqian’s head, comforting the girl who saw a three-bedroom home as the ultimate life goal, “There, there, in a couple of days I’ll have Little Baobao build you a Faith-class. That thing will definitely be bigger than Lin Xue’s little island. When the time comes, I’ll dismantle all the ship’s cannons and build three-bedroom homes for you… ”

Lin Xue’s triumphant smile stiffened instantly, and after a moment, she heaved a long sigh in the same tone as me, “Darn these wealthy people…”

Another two hours passed, and we, a bunch of wealthy folks nearly bored to insanity, finally reached the shore.

An uninhabited island—that was my first impression of the small island Lin Xue had mentioned as her secret base with Lin Feng.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

In fact, the island was not small at all, probably more than ten kilometers in radius, mostly covered with lush forests filled with thick fallen leaves and rotting branches. There was no trace of human activity, hence I called it uninhabited.

In reality, there were no humans living here, not only did Lin Xue assure us of that, but even Pandora’s Life Radar didn’t detect any human presence other than ours on the island.

But Lin Xue told us that right in the middle of the island, there was a huge mansion.

We decided to camp on the shore for the night. While preparing dinner, Lin Xue told us, “No one knows why there’s such an abandoned mansion on the island. Although it’s property of our family, we only acquired the island around twenty years ago. The owner used to be an old foreign noble who was very close to my grandfather. He even gifted the island to my grandfather before he died. But for some reason, my grandfather never had it thoroughly checked out and even forbade other family members from approaching it… Dead Wood, what are you looking at? I don’t believe you were always well-behaved as a child! Anyway, it was easy for this Miss to fool two of our family’s dim-witted stewards into secretly taking my brother and me here to play…”

“Anyway, my brother and I used to sneak here when we were children and, what’s more, we discovered an incredible thing—that big house on the island!”

“And then what?” We were completely captivated by Lin Xue’s story and began asking eagerly. Seeing her intent on leaving us in suspense, I immediately deployed the Super Kill: I scooped up Little Baobao, who was curiously drooling over the grill, focusing a pair of sparkling starry eyes on Lin Xue. Little Baobao cooperated, immediately showing a very curious and attentive expression—okay, I admit, most of the time Little Baobao had that same look…

Lin Xue looked at me with disdain and then bluntly said, “That’s it!”

“Huh?” we collectively exclaimed, even Pandora, who’d been pretending disinterest, couldn’t help leaning forward.

“There’s no more. How old were my brother and me at the time? Of course, we were scared, and the two family members who brought us over were worried about trouble and quickly took us back. Later, my brother and I even got spanked by Grandpa…” Lin Xue said reluctantly, seeming to regret that their juvenile adventure had been cut short. Then she continued, “However, I did overhear some of the older folks in our family mention that—the mansion had been torn down once before, shortly after the island was given to Grandpa!”

Welcome to QiDian Chinese Network www. to read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serial works are all in QiDian Original!