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"If you need me to do anything, just let me know," Li Xia said, eager to be active now that her body had healed. Lu XuanNing didn't refuse, kissing the corner of Li Xia's eye.

"Wait for me to return."

Lu XuanNing took the remaining men back to the military camp. Yu Yu and Li Xia returned to the small fishing village.

Yu Yu kept sneaking glances at Li Xia. She hadn't expected Li Xia's husband to be alive, recalling her earlier words, "Sister Xia, I didn't mean to say your husband was gone."

"Why did you think my husband was gone?" Li Xia asked curiously, as she hadn't said they had died.

"Didn't you say your husband and child weren't on the boat?" Yu Yu's words reminded Li Xia that Grandma Yu had previously asked if she had any family on the boat. Since Lu XuanNing and Lu Liucheng hadn't gone to sea, she had said they weren't on the boat.

Grandma Yu and Yu Yu had interpreted this to mean they had perished at sea.

"My husband and child are both fine," Li Xia stated firmly.

"I understand now. I'll tell grandma when we get back," Yu Yu realized her misunderstanding.

"Don't say anything yet," Li Xia instructed Yu Yu not to mention it. In her current state, no one would believe her anyway. It was better to wait until Lu XuanNing came to get her.

"Little Yu, I might have to impose on your family for a few more days," Li Xia said, taking out some silver and handing it to Yu Yu.

"Sister Xia, I can't accept this. You've helped me catch so many fish already." Yu Yu shook her head. During Li Xia's stay at their house, Yu Yu and Grandma Yu hadn't been able to afford a doctor, relying on Li Xia's self-recovery. They had only provided very basic meals.

"Take it. My life is very valuable. Don't you want to treat Grandma Yu?" Li Xia's words made it impossible for Yu Yu to refuse, as she only had her grandmother left and couldn't bear to lose her.

Yu Yu accepted the silver, "Sister Xia, I'll consider this money as borrowed from you. I'll definitely pay you back in the future."

To put Yu Yu at ease about using the money, Li Xia didn't say anything more.

The two returned to find Grandma Yu sitting at the door waiting for them. Seeing them return safely, she breathed a sigh of relief and sent them to rest without waiting for Yu Yu to speak.

Yu Yu and Li Xia went to their room to rest. When it was time for beach combing, Yu Yu woke Li Xia, and they set off with baskets on their backs to collect seafood. Many of the village women and children would come to gather as well.

They arrived a bit late today. The other villagers had already picked through once and were preparing to leave.

Yu Yu took off her shoes and ran onto the beach, carefully searching for anything the other villagers might have missed.

The damp sea breeze was very cold. Seeing Yu Yu shivering, Li Xia held her back, "It's too cold, let's go back first." Li Xia's hand was warm, and Yu Yu hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

They walked home together. Grandma Yu had already prepared breakfast, a very thin rice porridge. After each finished a bowl, Grandma Yu left to help villagers mend fishing nets to earn money.

Yu Yu went to flip the drying fish. They didn't have much rice left at home. She needed to dry the fish quickly to sell and buy more rice.

"Little Yu, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back in the evening," Li Xia told Yu Yu.

"Be careful, Sister Xia," Yu Yu knew Li Xia was no ordinary person and didn't ask further questions.

Li Xia headed to the Zhang family's pearl diving area. Several of Lu XuanNing's soldiers were there but didn't move when they saw Li Xia arrive. They watched as she entered the pearl diving zone.

Li Xia concealed herself and observed the female pearl divers going into the sea. When they left, she dove into the deep water and found several large oysters, prying them open with wind blades to reveal brilliant pearls the size of cat's eyes inside.

After collecting about a dozen pearls, Li Xia left the pearl diving area and headed back to shore, preparing to return to the fishing village.

Lu XuanNing, who had rushed over upon receiving the news, was waiting on the shore. Seeing Li Xia emerge, he stepped forward and draped his cloak over her shoulders. He then took out a cloth to dry her hair.

"Why did you come?" Li Xia handed the bag in her hand to Lu XuanNing and took the cloth to dry her own hair.

Lu XuanNing opened the bag to see it filled with rare pearls. He hadn't expected Li Xia to come pearl diving. Thinking of the dangers of pearl diving, he reached out to check Li Xia for any injuries.

"Next month is your birthday. I couldn't think of what gift to give you," Li Xia explained. She had heard about pearls and thought of night pearls, so she came to see if she could find any.

"Night pearls aren't the same as these pearls," Lu XuanNing said, taking Li Xia's hand and walking towards their gathering place.

"But they're all pearls, aren't they?" Li Xia was a bit dejected.

"Xia Xia, I love whatever you give me, no matter what it is." Lu XuanNing was happy that Li Xia had put so much thought into his birthday gift, but he was more concerned about her safety.

The two arrived at a valley where many soldiers had gathered to make preparations.

Lu XuanNing had been applying pressure, causing the Chen, Wang, and Zhang families of Hai City to seek help from pirate forces behind their backs. They planned to ambush Lu XuanNing on his way back to Hai City.

Lu XuanNing decided to turn the tables on them, pretending to be unaware of the situation and feigning injury when ambushed. His subordinates urgently brought him back to the military camp, spreading word that he was severely wounded.

To appear focused on recovery, Lu XuanNing put on an act of fearing death and recalled the soldiers he had sent out to protect himself.

With no navy patrolling the seas, the pirates were ready to come out and plunder. However, the recent storm had hindered their plans, giving Lu XuanNing time to deploy and make arrangements.

Now, Lu XuanNing had everything in place, waiting for the three families' merchant ships to set sail and trade with the pirates so he could catch them all at once.

"Why didn't you tell me you were injured?" Li Xia looked at Lu XuanNing with concern.

"It wasn't serious. Xia Xia, was the recent storm your doing?" Although Li Xia hadn't explained her abilities in detail, Lu XuanNing had his suspicions.

"Yes, it was me." Li Xia recounted what had happened at sea. Hearing that Li Xia had been in danger, Lu XuanNing held her tightly. He had almost lost his beloved forever.

"Xia Xia, don't leave me," Lu XuanNing's voice was filled with fear.

"I won't leave you," Li Xia promised.

In the evening, Li Xia returned to the fishing village with a basket full of wild fruits she had picked in the mountains.

Grandma Yu was delighted to see the basket of wild fruits. After getting Li Xia's permission, she took half of the fruits to give to others. The Yu family had received help from villagers, and they wanted to repay those who had been kind to them.

Li Xia understood Grandma Yu's feelings. She had brought these fruits back as a gift for them, and she didn't interfere with how they chose to distribute them.

Late at night, the sound of the sea breeze changed, and Li Xia detected a faint scent of blood. She got up and left the room, riding the wind.

Although Lu XuanNing was well-prepared, the pirates were also strong, making it difficult to subdue them quickly. In the midst of the stalemate, cannons appeared on the pirate ships, firing at the main ship.

Was this how it would end? Lu XuanNing refused to accept it.