The sea had transformed him into something larger. More dangerous.
More confident. And Luo He's first response upon seeing him was grabbing him violently by the collar. "You stupid bastard!"
The sailors froze instantly. Jin Sang nearly lost all color from his face. "What have you done to my beauty?!" He asked with a mocking tone. The once-confident sea lord immediately looked terrified.
"W-what is wrong brother-in-law?" he asked weakly. Luo He pointed furiously toward the massive flagship anchored behind him. It had once been the pride of the former Pirate King's fleet later modified personally by Luo He himself.
He had reinforced the hull with specially treated copper plating that gleamed like flowing gold beneath sunlight while also protecting the ship from corrosion and marine growth. Now? The copper was gone.
Replaced by thinner steel sheets. The vessel looked sharper. Faster. But its former elegance had disappeared completely. Luo He looked personally offended. "You butchered her." Luo He still had the mocking tone in his voice. Jin Sang blinked.
Then finally realized the issue. "Oh… that." He relaxed slightly. "Sorry," he admitted awkwardly. "But I made her faster." Luo He stared at him for several long seconds before laughing suddenly.
"You really think speed matters that much?" he said while shaking his head. "Those damned barnacles will add twice the weight back in days." Jin Sang frowned. Luo He pointed toward the ship.
"Copper isn't only beautiful idiot. It prevents algae growth, protects against marine pests because of its toxicity and doesn't rust like steel." He said in a voice of a man who knows what he is talking about. Jin Sang looked genuinely shocked.
"I actually didn't know that." He confessed. "Of course you didn't. It's not like you learned a lot from school after all." Luo He snorted. "You turned my golden queen into a butcheri knife."
Despite the insults both men were already laughing by the end of it. Because beneath the mockery there was genuine affection there. Luo He looked toward the distant sea and exhaled slowly.
"I missed this," he admitted quietly. Jin Sang grinned broadly. "Then come sail with me again sometime." He said. Luo He's eyes sharpened faintly. "I might," he admitted. "Honestly I've been craving battle again lately."
"But you might lose your pretty beauties if I got back to sailing again." That answer made Jin Sang burst into loud laughter.
"The world really is unfortunate."
Two days after the first messages were sent Jin Sang officially arrived at the Jin mansion with part of his entourage.
And four days later Jin Mulan returned as well alongside Fei, Bing and the guards.
The familiar people who had followed Luo He through chaos after chaos. The moment Luo He saw them passing through the estate gates again. something inside the atmosphere finally settled. Like scattered pieces returning to where they belonged in the board.
The cohort was together once more.
The familiar faces gathered within the private hall of the Jin mansion while servants remained stationed far outside the room under strict orders not to disturb them.
Lanternlight flickered gently across the polished wooden walls while maps, documents, and wine rested upon the large central table. Jin Mulan sat beside Luo He calmly while little Lin slept nearby under Bing's care.
Fei stood quietly near the wall with his usual disciplined posture while Jin Sang leaned lazily against his chair already drinking as though the meeting were entertainment rather than strategy.
Even Su Kim remained present quietly toward the side of the room. For a brief moment Luo He looked around the hall and smiled faintly. It had been a long time since all of them had gathered together like this.
Then he clapped his hands once lightly.
"Well then," he said casually. "Family meeting." The room settled immediately.
Luo He leaned back comfortably in his chair. "It's been a while since all of us sat together," he began. "And as always I appreciate how quickly all of you come running the moment I ask for help."
Jin Sang snorted. "You make it sound optional." "It isn't," Luo He admitted proudly. That earned a few tired looks from around the room. Then his expression sharpened slightly. "Now," he continued, "we have upcoming problems."
From within his sleeve he casually pulled out a formal invitation letter and tossed it onto the table. The golden insignia stamped into the parchment immediately drew attention. "The Feather Family wedding invitation," Luo He said.
Jin Mulan's eyes narrowed slightly the moment she saw the crest. "As some of you already know," Luo He continued calmly. "Jin Mulan was originally betrothed to the Feather Family's young master before our marriage." Fei blinked once in surprise. Jin Sang raised an eyebrow.
"For some reason..." Luo He continued lazily while spinning the invitation letter between his fingers. "The elders quietly discarded the engagement arrangement. Which honestly happens more often than people admit.
Families change plans faster than merchants change prices." He tossed the letter lightly onto the table again.
"Now the young master of the Feather Clan has finally come of age and is preparing to marry one of the youngest daughters of the King of Wu."
Luo He paused briefly before smirking.
"I specifically said one of the youngest instead of the youngest because much like our beloved Emperor Yue the old man of Wu apparently still refuses to give up on producing heirs. So despite her being the youngest for now that might change in the future."
He laughed openly at his own joke.
The others did not. The people in the room looked mildly horrified at him. Not because it wasn't funny. But because the statement itself was horrifying.
In a single sentence Luo He had casually mocked two ruling monarchs. Even Jin Sang nearly choked on his drink. Fei stared at the floor like a man pretending he had heard absolutely nothing.
Because in truth either emperor could make a person's life a living nightmare for far less disrespect than that. Yet Luo He sat there completely relaxed.
"As most of you may not know," he continued calmly as if he had not just insulted two emperors and planning to do it yet again. "The old men ruling Yue and Wu absolutely despise one another."
His tone became slightly sharper. "And when I say bad blood I mean decades of political hatred, military rivalry, trade conflicts, border incidents and enough mutual resentment to poison rivers."
The room grew quieter.
"The Feather Clan Elder..." Luo He continued, "now serves as the Prime Minister of Wu. Which means this invitation is not courtesy." His fingers tapped lightly against the table. "It is revenge."
Jin Mulan's eyes narrowed slightly. Luo He nodded toward her. "Their goal is simple. Public humiliation. They want the two of us standing there while the marriage ceremony proceeds reminding the entire court that the engagement once belonged to Jin Mulan."
He leaned back afterward. "And naturally we are expected to smile politely while they torment us for entertainment." Jin Sang snorted coldly. "Petty." "Nobles usually are." Luo He replied casually.
Then his expression cooled slightly.
"Though technically the situation was never truly our fault. The engagement was cancelled by our elders long before either of us had any say in the matter."
He shrugged. "But revenge rarely cares about fairness. Even if it did that would put my In-laws in danger. I would rather go my self than put my family at harm's way."
The lanternlight flickered quietly across the room as Luo He's voice lowered further. "Thankfully their anger is directed toward Jin Mulan and me specifically."
He smiled faintly afterward. "And honestly that is the only comforting part of this entire situation."
The others immediately understood why.
Because if powerful clans began targeting entire families instead of individuals things escalated very quickly.
Luo He rested both arms against the table calmly.
"So let me make this perfectly clear," he said quietly. "This will not resemble the Lin Family situation." The mood shifted instantly. "Back then we dealt mostly with politics, pressure and mind games.
The Lin Family hated us but they still feared openly moving against us because we possessed higher military authority and stronger backing." His eyes sharpened slightly. "But in Wu…" A faint smile appeared on his face. "The conditions are reversed."
No one interrupted him now. Because everyone present understood exactly what that meant. Luo He's voice became almost amused afterward.
"So with great relief," he said dryly. "I announce that we are walking directly into what is likely going to become an evolved version of the Lin Family incident." He paused briefly. "A true life-and-death game.