Chapter 84: The Beautiful Chieftainess Falls in Love with Me

Scarlet cried out in shock, “Weren’t you tied up?” Only then did she glance behind him and notice that the vines had long been torn away. As the chieftain of a matriarchal tribe, Scarlet had always believed that men were the epitome of weakness and affectation—lowly servants made to be driven and enslaved by women.

Although Lu Ye had only revealed a hint of his strength, it was enough to leave her utterly dumbfounded. “How is this possible?” she gasped. “Aren’t you a weak man who couldn’t even truss a chicken?”

Lu Ye chuckled, “Chieftain Scarlet, it seems I must give you a proper lesson today and show you what a real man is!”

With a flick of his wrist, he sheathed his dagger and stood his ground, deliberately giving Scarlet a chance to strike back. Sure enough, she sprang forward, her long leg sweeping toward his chest with a whoosh of wind. But Lu Ye merely brushed her attack aside, effortlessly neutralizing most of its force.

Scarlet’s body faltered, but she quickly recovered, spinning gracefully as her other leg shot out in a side kick. Yet Lu Ye’s fist moved even faster—a short, sharp jab landed squarely on her soft abdomen, hard and unyielding, with not a hint of gentleness.

Scarlet let out a muffled grunt, her body sent flying onto the bed. Before she could get up, Lu Ye leaned over her, his fingertips gliding lightly along her smooth, delicate cheek. In that instant, a flicker of panic finally appeared in Scarlet’s eyes.

Having regained the upper hand, Lu Ye laughed softly. “Now do you understand the power of a man?”

He’d expected Scarlet to fly into a rage, but to his surprise, her gaze softened, her eyes brimming with tender affection as she met his. “Indeed, you are the man I’ve been waiting for all along.”

As she spoke, she slowly lifted the pair of leaves covering her, shyly asking, “Is it big?”

Lu Ye’s eyes widened, “Big… big what?”

“It’s illegal to cheat in marriage, you know. Adultery is punishable—do you want to be drowned in a pig cage?” Before Scarlet could fully offer herself, Lu Ye pulled the blanket over her again, covering her tightly!

Leaving aside the fact that he was already married, his own wife was currently suffering in a cell outside. And with these matriarchal tribes—who knew how many men Scarlet had already experienced? As the saying went: you think you’ve gone the deepest, but many have gone even deeper.

Just thinking about this, Lu Ye easily kept his composure. He pulled out the nautical chart and tossed it onto Scarlet’s face, pointing to a marked spot and demanding, “Do you know where this place is?”

Scarlet sat up, unconcerned as the blanket slipped down, revealing a fleeting glimpse of spring. She studied the chart in confusion. “A few days ago, a woman came to me with a map just like yours, asking for directions. She was looking for this same place.”

Lu Ye was momentarily stunned. “What kind of woman?”

Scarlet thought for a moment. “Blonde hair, blue eyes, very fair skin.”

“Did she find the place?”

“No, I didn’t have time to tell her before another woman with black hair and black eyes arrived. They fought.”

“And then?”

“The blonde was injured and ran away. The black-haired woman chased after her and never came back.”

Suddenly, Scarlet slapped her forehead in realization. “Oh right, during the fight, the blonde woman dropped something here!”

She reached beneath her pillow and produced a chain with a metal tag attached. Lu Ye took it and read the engraving: Ivanka (No.001).

It was an English name—Ivanka. The number in parentheses signified she was Number 001.

Lu Ye immediately realized that the blonde, blue-eyed woman Scarlet spoke of had to be Ivanka, the leader of the Hongying Society! Especially since the nautical chart he held had also come from Hongying Society.

A bold conjecture formed in Lu Ye’s mind… Was the location marked on this chart hiding something Hongying Society desperately wanted? Had Ivanka duplicated the chart and distributed it within her spy network to mobilize them for the search? And the woman who fought her clearly sought to prevent Ivanka from reaching the place.

As Lu Ye pondered, Scarlet slithered up to him like a water snake, whispering in his ear, “Do you think I’m dirty? In truth, I have never been intimate with any man but you…”

Lu Ye was caught off guard. “Why?”

Scarlet replied softly, “Because they are unworthy. Of all the men I’ve seen, only you have been able to conquer me!”

Ah. Good looks were truly a curse—even a beautiful chieftain, upon first meeting, couldn’t help but fall for him. Lu Ye sighed in resignation and gently pushed her away. “Among the two women you’ve imprisoned in the cave, one is my wife. My heart belongs only to her.”

“So, please have some self-respect.”

He spoke the truth, regardless of whether Scarlet’s words were true or not.

Scarlet stared at him for a long time, then nodded, crestfallen. “Forgive me, I was too forward.”

Too forward? He almost felt offended—she made him sound like a bashful maiden.

Scarlet put on her grass skirt and leafy covering, her expression serious. “I know where the place on the map is, but I can’t take you there. That’s the territory of the Prison Fish Tribe!”

Lu Ye nodded. “Just tell me the exact location and let my wife and companion go.”

“Oh, there’s something I’ve always wondered about,” he added. “Why do you all speak Chinese? Duoduo said you taught her.”

Scarlet was caught off guard, but then smiled and explained, “Our ancestors also came here from the outside world.”

So Scarlet began to recount the history of the two tribes on the island—a tale reaching back to the height of the Maritime Silk Road.

Back then, a merchant fleet passing by these waters was attacked by pirates. In the struggle, they were caught in a violent storm.

The waves were so fierce that both merchant ships and pirates were forced to seek refuge on this island. When the storm subsided, they found their ships unable to leave—the magnetic fields near the island distorted their compasses and navigation tools. No matter which way they sailed, they would circle back as if trapped by ghosts.

After many failed attempts, they were left with no choice but to settle on the island and build a new life. The present-day Mulberry Leaf Tribe descends from those merchants, and the Prison Fish Tribe from the pirates. The two groups carried on a bitter feud, and once even fought a war.

That war cost both sides most of their men. Gradually, the two tribes evolved into matriarchies. The Chinese they spoke was a relic passed down from that era, which explained why it sounded odd to Lu Ye.

Scarlet then asked, “Are you determined to go there? The Prison Fish Tribe is savage by nature—unlike me, they’re not so easy to reason with.”

Lu Ye retorted, “Easy to reason with? You just couldn’t beat me!”

Scarlet’s lips curved in amusement—he was right.

Stepping out of the tent, they found Duoduo waiting outside. Scarlet instructed her to release the prisoners.

Su Qianqian came running, throwing her arms around Lu Ye and comforting him, “Poor thing, you’ve suffered so much!”

Lu Ye was baffled. “Suffered how?”

Su Qianqian wiped her tears. “You must have seduced someone to get Xia Xia and me released, didn’t you? I should never have worn the Thor Armor to keep you at bay before! Ugh, I’m so mad—a primitive old woman stole your first time!”

Lu Ye glared at her. “What nonsense! I didn’t seduce anyone!”

Su Qianqian glanced at Scarlet, whose gaze lingered on Lu Ye with obvious affection, and huffed, “I don’t believe you! This beauty is clearly smitten with you—how could you resist?”

As expected, he’d been misunderstood again. Lu Ye sighed helplessly. “It’s not what you think. Let me explain.”

Su Qianqian covered her ears. “I don’t want to hear it, la la la!”

Lu Ye pursed his lips. “I found out where the treasure is…”

“Where? Where’s the treasure?”

Of course! At the mention of treasure, the “old woman’s” eyes lit up, all other concerns forgotten.

“Let’s talk as we walk. Xia Xia, hurry up and catch up.”