A warship in the sky, a luxurious cruiser on the sea, circling an island between them like two predators sharing one prey.

‘That prey better not be me.' Shiyuan eyed both behemoths warily. But the odds here seemed stacked against him.

The girl moved her halberd from Shiyuan's neck and pointed it at the boat provocatively, making a gesture with her other hand that could be interpreted into many meanings, none very polite.

“Miss, if you don't mind me asking, what should I expect once those gentlemen on the deck land on the beach?” He asked, watching several men dismount from the larger vessel onto a lighter one, a boat meant to tread shallow waters at a quick speed.

“As I have explained to you already,” she said, “I have come to take the Royal Preceptor home. If it is you—and it is highly likely to be you—I will do my best to help you recover from this amnesiac state after ensuring your safety there. My clan is in urgent need of an Oracle's assistance.”

Thoughts ran in Shiyuan's mind as fast as lightning tearing through the sky. Connecting the clues, he couldn’t help asking, “Is it the preceptor you're looking for, truly, or are you more interested in recruiting an Oracle?"

“Both are supposed to be the same person,” she muttered contemplatively. “He became the royal preceptor by relying on his ability as an Oracle.”

Ah, now it all made sense. No wonder she had been so confident while asking him to explain about his talent roots!

“Just as my clan covets an Oracle's presence among its advisors, the approaching group of nobles would love to keep one in their grasp for their own fun and games within their councils, affecting the royal court itself. So... if it is determined that you are the person they want, expect to be whisked away like a gold coin in the gutters. They will fight over you with every bit of strength they can muster.”

“And you wouldn't be joining them as a competitor, would you, miss?" Shiyuan asked, chuckling derisively.

“I don't need to,” she replied, an arrogant smile surfacing on her face for a second.

Where does that confidence come from? Pure personal strength? Or was there more at play here?

“Did they follow your trail to this island? I have been stuck here for four months, and not a single ship showed up on the horizon. I thought I was just too far away from civilization, but it seems like civilization itself was avoiding rescuing me. Too much of a coincidence for two rescuers to appear together, isn’t it?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“You were exiled here. I am violating multiple royal edicts by attempting to rescue you,” she said curtly, leaving him a little shocked.

“I did my best to hide my tracks, since being discovered can bring a deadly calamity to my clan. But seeing how many important figures are on that boat right now, I don't need to worry about being reported, heh!”

Birds of a feather, flocking together, eh?

The boat was already very close to the island. The lavish dressing style and radiant health of the gentlemen on the boat were apparent. Shiyuan decided to skip the chitchat and ask the big question.

“If, let's say, for argument's sake, I weren't the exiled preceptor, what outcomes can I expect?”

The girl glanced at him, and Shiyuan noticed the disdain in her eyes.

“Anyone can still tell that you're an Oracle. Denying being the preceptor would be tantamount to denying the protective shield you currently have due to your status. Not even the most influential court official would dare to harm the exiled preceptor, but any street thug would happily extort a weak Oracle, given the opportunity. So... pick your poison.”

“I see that you avoided mentioning your own plans, should things go that way.”

“My plan wouldn't change. I'm here to take the preceptor home. I'll stick to that goal.”

Strange attitude. But Shiyuan liked that fire of determination in her.

“Is there a difference between being captured by you and being captured by them?” he asked, suddenly feeling playful for some reason. To his surprise, she reached over and patted him on the back gently, almost like a consoling mother—no, like a sympathetic wife.

“Of course there is. You want to bed me, but I doubt you want to be bedded by those fat fucks."

“....” Every activity in Shiyuan's brain froze for quite some time. He was acutely aware of his jumpy heart, of the heat spreading around his face and neck, and only one concern roaring in his mind.

Can she read my mind?!

“I can't read your mind,” she said, fuelling the fire burning Shiyuan's nerves. “But I can read your gaze. Didn't expect the compliment from someone of your stature, Lord Preceptor! Hah!”

Her short laugh carried a blatantly teasing undertone. But her light-hearted manner of handling it blew away Shiyuan's shame, not that he was feeling much shame, anyway. What shame could there be in being attracted to beauty?

At that moment, the smaller boat docked itself at the side of a large coral formation, and the noblemen swiftly made their way over it to the wet sands, headed straight towards Shiyuan and Bai Longxia.

He examined each of them in detail as they came to stand before him one by one. A total of eight men, half of them looking like they were in the prime of their youth, with none of the restless energy that should be in someone at that age bracket.

The other half belonged to an older generation, and the oldest among them appeared to be past his sixties, with lush white hair and a long flowing beard. His wrinkled face had a striking quality about it, but Shiyuan could not pin down why.

The old man was clearly taking the lead. Standing one step closer than his partners, he bowed first very politely.

“His highness Prince Qi visited the Phoenix Palace yesterday to meet you, princess. Upon learning that you had snuck out, he became very worried and decided to chase after you to ensure that nothing untoward happens. Reports of fogfallen monster sightings have been increasing every day around these parts. A brother's heart cannot rest easy!"

“You put a lot of effort into making up that excuse. Good job!” Bai Longxia said, sounding genuinely surprised.

“...Your highness, this isn't the occasion to crack snide jokes. You've violated the royal edict by-”

“I'm short on time," she cut in halfway. “Skip every useless sentence on your script and read me the conclusion. What are you here for? Any real plans other than to interfere with whatever I do?”

The eight nobles exchanged meaningful looks among themselves for a moment before the old man sighed, saying, “We cannot just sit and watch your Bai Clan snatch away the preceptor.”

“Gentlemen,” Shiyuan suddenly spoke, attracting their focus. “But I am not the preceptor.”