The conflict ended with the sailors of the Hunter sneaking away without getting a single copper peso.
In order to express his gratitude, Zhang Heng treated the brothels' patrons who regretted not being able to earn the reward for a free drink. He received unanimous praise.
As soon as he settled this issue, he was dragged to the arms dealer's office by the quartermaster. Dufresne was there to discuss the quantity of 24-pound cannons that he had asked for, as well as the recruitment of a new chef.
Zhang Heng was busy all the way until sunset, when he finally returned to his house.
He pushed the door open, but the red-haired girl was nowhere to be seen.
Zhang Heng went to her bedroom and found that it was empty as well.
After the bombardment of Charleston, the farmer's son had disappeared with the Queen Anne's Revenge. No one knew where they went. Now that Anne had moved away, Zhang Heng was the only one left in the house.
Zhang Heng suddenly felt that the house was a little empty, as if something was missing.
In the past, he would hear the red-haired girl complaining about how she was starving and why she wasn't ready for dinner. Now, however, he could no longer hear her voice.
Zhang Heng realized that he had unknowingly gotten used to it all.
He was used to the careless girl being around him. He was used to her going around looking for fights and coming home on time. He was used to her complaining about how women were discriminated against on the island and how all pirates were blind. So, he never really considered the fact that she would leave one day.
Until Anne started looking for a house according to her plan. Step by step, she was getting closer to her dream. At the same time, she seemed to have lost all reason to stay here. In the morning, the two talked about the new house. The red-haired girl excitedly talked about how she could do whatever she wanted in there. Zhang Heng was sincerely happy for her, but the two intentionally or unintentionally avoided the topic of separation.
…
At night, Zhang Heng finished his dinner alone at the table. He took out a travel book he took from the ship, flipped through it for a while, and then went to bed.
In the middle of the night, he was awakened by a rustling sound. Zhang Heng opened his eyes vigilantly in the dark and grabbed the saber by the window. He was the only one left in the house, so the rustling sound meant that an uninvited guest had arrived.
He had started to make some potential enemies on the island, especially considering the tense relationship between the Jackdaw and the black-market alliance. However, both sides hadn't completely fallen out yet, and they were at the cusp of the storm. Logically speaking, Malcolm wouldn't resort to such underhanded means, but Zhang Heng wasn't going to rely on his opponent's rationality.
To avoid becoming the target of the musket, he did not light up the oil lamp immediately. Instead, he lay in front of the wooden door and listened to the footsteps going up the stairs. When they stopped in the corridor, he waited for them to let their guard down. Then, he moved.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and Zhang Heng dashed out from behind. However, the black figure in the corridor reacted quickly. Instead of retreating, he raised his fist and swung it at Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng did not expect his opponent to be so ferocious. The uninvited guest attacked after him, but his fist was faster than his saber. If this continued, his opponent's fist would hit his chin before he could even slash at him. So, Zhang Heng had no choice but to change his strategy. He sheathed his saber and blocked the punch first.
After that, the two engaged in a fierce melee fight in the dark. After a while, Zhang Heng felt a sense of familiarity. He had sparred with the red-haired girl many times before, and they were very familiar with each other's moves. So, Zhang Heng was sure that Annie recognized him. However, the girl had no intention of stopping. Instead, she got more and more excited as the fight went on.
Zhang Heng hesitated for a moment, and two punches landed on his chest. He had no choice but to pull himself together and try his best to deal with Annie's surging attacks. After a quarter of an hour, the red-haired girl rode on top of him and pinned him to the floor. The fight finally came to an end.
Zhang Heng didn't expect that this fight would elevate his swordsmanship skill to Lv.2. When he received the system prompt, he was a little speechless. On the other side, Annie was panting heavily, and the redness on her face had yet to fade.
"You lost."
"…."
"Why aren't you talking?"
"Did you sneak back in the middle of the night just to fight me?"
"Of course not." Annie let go of Zhang Heng's arm, moved her butt, and got off him. "I came back to tell you that I don't want the house anymore."
"Huh?" Zhang Heng was a little surprised. "Is this okay? Isn't that your dream all this time?"
"I used to think that was my dream too," Annie said, leaning against the wall on the side of the corridor. "When I was young, my father provided me with a house and food, and my mother had to live by his whims. At that time, I thought that if I had my own place, I would be able to live freely. That was the goal I set for myself when I came to this island. Achieving this goal means that I can live an independent life here."
"What you've done is amazing in this era," Zhang Heng said. At this time, even European women had a low status, let alone Nassau, where pirates gathered. Although Zhang Heng helped Nassau, it was still impressive that Annie was able to establish a foothold in this place.
"But I don't want to leave this place," said the red-haired girl. "I bought a house so that I can live a free life. But if I can't choose the life I like after I have a house, then that's not freedom at all, isn't it? I mean, it's nice to have a house, and it's nice to be able to put my feet on the table and not have to finish my soup. But I don't want to be tied down by those things. True freedom has nothing to do with these things. It's the right to choose the kind of life I want to live. "
After that, Annie pushed Zhang Heng to the ground again, took off her shirt, and rode on him.
"I like you. I don't care if you like me or someone else, and I don't care when you leave. Maybe this love will disappear one day, and when that time comes, I will reserve the right to leave you."
As soon as the red-haired girl's voice trailed off, something burned in her eyes in the dark.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Heng finally put his hands on her body and gently touched the big and small scars on her skin.
"Are they ugly?" Annie's voice was hoarse, and she sounded a little nervous.
"No, they're beautiful." Zhang Heng paused. He wanted to tell Annie not to rush to the front in the future, but then he thought about Annie's personality. Even if he said that, it would be useless. In the end, he just said, "I'm glad you stayed."
"I'm glad you stayed."
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