"That's overwhelming," Jin Sang finished. Luo He remained calm. Jin Sang grinned. He took fifteen of the fastest ships and launched forward.
The Jin fleet surged ahead. Only seven enemy ships remained undamaged, but the pirates were already broken. "Don't let them escape!" Jin Sang shouted. The chase was swift, with the Jin family fleet cutting through the water with precision.
The remaining pirates didn't fight. Fear had taken them. They scattered, but they couldn't outrun the pursuit. They were eventually captured.
By sunset, the battle was over. The sea was quiet again, with only debris floating on the water: broken ships and burning fragments. The remains of a defeated fleet lay scattered across the surface.
Luo He stood at the edge of the ship, looking out across the aftermath. Jin Mulan stepped beside him.
"You destroyed them before the battle even began," she said grimly. "That wasn't a fight."
She added afterwards. "No," Luo He replied. "It was a decision." They returned to Pirate Island, and the atmosphere had completely changed.
Where there was tension, now there was celebration. That night, a grand feast was held. Torches lit the entire island, and food and drink filled the tables. Laughter echoed through the air.
Jin Sang approached, kneeling before Luo He. "My lord," he said, placing something wrapped in cloth on the ground. He then unwrapped it. It was the head of the last pirate leader.
"He was found in the sea," Jin Sang said. "All survivors have been captured," he reported. Mulan looked at it briefly, then she looked away. "What will you do with them?" she asked calmly.
"They will be given a choice: two years of hard labor or death," Luo He answered swiftly. No one questioned it.
Later, as the feast continued, Luo He stepped aside. Jin Mulan followed him, and the noise faded behind them. "I don't want you to feel like a prisoner," Luo He said. She looked at him.
"Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you must be locked away, but don't push yourself too far," he said authoritatively. Then his tone softened slightly.
"Stay near me. I'll keep you out of harm's way." Mulan smiled faintly. "You worry too much," she added. "No. I calculate," he said. She laughed softly at that.
"Then calculate this," she said, kissing him passionately. "I'm not as fragile as you think." She continued softly.
That night, they got intimate. Jin Mulan was eager to show Luo He that she was not slowed down by her child, so she committed with her usual ferociousness.
"I know you are not fragile, but I don't want anything bad to happen to you or the child," Luo He replied quietly. "The first three months is the most critical.
The baby can be easily harmed," he said.
The next morning, the wind moved gently across the island. The sea was calm, and another victory was secured.
Jin Mulan looked at him once more, pride shining in her eyes. "You really don't leave anything to chance, do you?" she said softly. Luo He glanced at her, his expression unreadable.
Far beyond the island, the waves continued to move, as if nothing had ever happened. Luo He returned home with his 3,000-strong force.
Remarkably, no Jin soldier had lost their life in the battle, except for one man who had died in a drunken fight with a fellow soldier over who loved Jin Mulan more.
When Luo He and Jin Mulan heard the story, both of them laughed, the sound light and free in the morning air.
Back home, Luo He soon grew bored. He returned to his shack to continue his research and engineering projects, tinkering with machines, schematics, and new experiments.
Time passed quickly in the quiet focus of his work. Then, one day, troubling news arrived. The Xu family's plan had succeeded. The palace magistrate had arrested a patrol of eight Jin guards.
Along with them, a public messenger was sent, demanding that Luo He bow before the Xu family or the guards would be tortured.
Luo He raised an eyebrow. "On what charge?" he asked the messenger.
The messenger hesitated before speaking.
"Trampling and killing seven people, including one man, three women, one elder, and two children." Luo He was led to the bodies. His jaw tightened.
"Monsters," he muttered. "How could they? They deserve death, every one of them." His eyes flickered slightly, though his tone remained calm.
He was thinking not only of the guards but implicitly of the Xu family who orchestrated this atrocity. The cruelty of the Xu family was staggering.
The two children, girls between five and ten, had been sacrificed for nothing more than a grudge.
Such inhumanity only strengthened Luo He's resolve. "Bow down? That's not an option," he murmured.
Calmly, he stepped back, the grim weight of his expression enough to silence the messenger. As the rider readied to leave, sensing the gravity of Luo He's presence, Luo He called out sharply, "Where exactly do you think you're going?"
The rider faltered, and guards closed in instinctively. "I strictly follow a policy of not killing messengers," Luo He said, voice low and his eyes narrowing.
"But my wife, she doesn't share that same courtesy." He turned toward Jin Mulan, who stood quietly by his side. "Do you?" he asked softly.
She shook her head slightly to say no, her expression calm but dangerous.
"Good," Luo He said. In an instant, the man moved.
Before the messenger could react, Jin Mulan jumped forward, but Luo He's arm intercepted her, gently yet firmly, holding her in place.
The guards seized the messenger. He struggled, attempting to flee, but Luo He's level twenty animal taming skills effortlessly halted his horse.
The animal froze, quivering under his control, forcing the rider to dismount.
"I want him tortured," Luo He instructed, his voice steady. "Until he admits his sins."
The guards nodded, gripping the man tightly as Luo He stepped back. Turning away, Luo He strode toward the mansion, his mind already racing with plans:
Rescue operations, countermeasures, and strategies to strike at the Xu family. Everything would be calculated, precise, and decisive.
The air around him felt heavier, charged with anticipation. Jin Mulan followed silently at his side, her presence steady and reassuring.
Outside, the wind shifted, carrying with it the faint scent of ash. Far away, Xu family troops had already begun burning villages. Luo He could almost see it in his mind: flames rising, people screaming, chaos spreading.
Every detail mattered. Every move was part of a plan.
Jin Mulan had already mounted her horse. Her grip tightened on the reins. "I'm going," she said. "I'll cut them down and save the villagers before they spread further."
Before the horse could move, Luo He stepped forward and grabbed the reins. "No." She turned sharply. "What?"
"That's exactly what they want," he said calmly. Her eyes narrowed. "People are dying."
"And more will die, but we must persist," Luo He replied, his voice firm but controlled. She froze.
"They want us to ride out," he continued. "They want us to react. They're burning villages to bait us." Mulan's grip loosened slightly.
"They plan to capture more of our troops," Luo He said, "and use them as hostages. Trade them for theirs." "And if we don't go?" she asked.
"They escalate," he said. "If we do go?" she asked again.
He looked at her directly. "We walk into an ambush." Heavy silence filled the space between them. "And there's more," Luo He added.
Her eyes sharpened again. "The moment we arrive, we become the culprits," he explained. Mulan frowned. "What?"
"They burn the villages," he said, "but the survivors will only see us arrive with soldiers."
A brief pause followed. "They control the narrative." Mulan exhaled slowly. "So we do nothing?" Luo He shook his head.
"Not exactly. But for now, we wait and attack instead of defend."
He stepped closer. "We ignore their moves and make our own to start controlling the initiative." Her eyes widened slightly.
"For now," he added. "They want us to sacrifice our pieces early," he continued, "but I am willing to play the long game."
His tone hardened slightly.
"They will strike at something they think we cannot ignore." A faint pause followed. "And that will be their mistake."
Mulan looked at him for a long moment.
Then slowly, she dismounted. "Fine," she said quietly. "But if you're wrong..."
"I won't be," Luo He said confidently. "If you want to act, then join me."
Soon after, an urgent family meeting was called. The main hall was filled with tension. Jin Quan sat at the head, his expression grim. Jin Su stood beside him, calm but clearly concerned.
Jin Yang leaned against a pillar, arms crossed. Jin Mulan stood near Luo He. A map was spread across the table.
"Family," Luo He began, his voice steady, "we are facing a crisis. The Xu family has begun targeting our villages." Murmurs spread through the room.