Chapter 64: Should You Respond When I Call You a Dog Thing? Part 2

The two weren’t drawing much notice now, but with the dance floor open and them still skulking off to the side, it’d look odd.

So the toes turned, and the pair headed toward the dance floor together.

Xie Jianxun poked his head out from under the table, gulped fresh air, and fixed on the pair… their backs.

One taller, in black clothes, with a little heart-cat emblem on the back.

One shorter, also black-clad, with an obvious bald patch on the crown of his head.

Sensing eyes on them, they both whipped around. Xie Jianxun ducked behind the pillar, heart pounding.

The lights dimmed, all beams converging on the central dance floor.

Eager star thieves had already rushed in, twisting their burly bodies wildly.

But no matter how hard they tried to hit the beat, their moves looked more like boxing in the ring than dancing.

The crowd below booed. The pioneers slunk off sheepishly to drown their defeat in drinks.

Xie Jianxun darted from the pillar and dumped his plate at the collection point.

Pretending keen curiosity about the dance floor, he stumbled forward through the throng, desperate to find Huo Jing.

Dim lights, surging crowd—he couldn’t count how many passed before him.

Xie Jianxun’s eyes blurred. No sign of Huo Jing anywhere.

He slowed. Could Mr. Huo have skipped the buffet banquet altogether, watching from some high perch and laughing at him?

At the thought, Xie Jianxun glanced up at the ceiling instinctively.

Nothing but whirling light fixtures.

Too many people, men and women jostling. Xie Jianxun grew dizzy and, turning, spotted a familiar face on the dance floor’s far side.

The crowd respectfully gave him half a person’s width of space, not bumping into Huo Jing’s right-hand man.

Xie Jianxun’s eyes lit up.

The First Mate!

Perfect. If it was the First Mate, he definitely knew how to reach Huo Jing.

He pushed arduously through the crowd, hopped behind the First Mate, and tugged his sleeve. “Sir! Do you know where Huo Jing… uh, the boss… is?”

The First Mate turned, gray eyes flat upon seeing him.

Then the young First Mate arched a brow, said nothing, and simply gripped Xie Jianxun’s shoulder.

The world spun. Xie Jianxun was shoved toward the dance floor.

“Wait, wait—”

The music shifted then, lights narrowing. One hand seized Xie Jianxun’s shoulder, the other locked onto his waist.

Huo Jing’s face appeared abruptly before him, lips curved in a careless smile.

Black shirt, silver-chain pants, thick-soled boots studded with metal.

Already tall, he now stood out like a crane among chickens.

The one constant was the Copper Pendant Necklace still dangling from his neck, swaying with his movements.

Unlike before, he wasn’t in that flashy patchwork jacket.

But even in solid colors, he seemed to shimmer with every hue under the lights.

All of Xie Jianxun’s words scrambled. He blurted, shocked, “Sir, you clean up way better than I imagined.”

Huo Jing grumbled, “My wardrobe’s stuffed to the brim—didn’t you tour it earlier?”

Xie Jianxun told the truth. “Busy hunting for slippers.”

Huo Jing’s hand stayed at his waist, giving a casual tug to set the person in his arms into motion.

A classic partner ballroom dance.

The music obligingly switched to a timeless tune.

Everything seemed perfectly normal—if this were a city dance hall or any ordinary social ballroom party, there wouldn’t have been any issue at all.

But this was definitely not the case on a star pirate fleet.

The rowdy star thieves were all dumbfounded, unable to believe their ears and eyes.

…Good lord, what was this sticky, slow, mushy tune?

When had their playlist ever included something like this?!

But their boss didn’t understand their shock at all. He even narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, dancing the most basic steps.

Coincidentally, Xie Jianxun had learned these steps before and managed to keep up, barely.

He didn’t notice the eerie silence from the crowd, nor did he see the ghostly expressions on the surrounding star thieves’ faces. They would glance at their burly brother’s robust body, dry-heave on the spot, then flee the dance floor as fast as they could.

He was nervous as hell, still organizing his words in his throat, eager to tell Huo Jing everything about the conspiracy he’d just overheard.

He desperately tiptoed, his fingers gripping Huo Jing’s upper arm.

The Great Star Pirate was already taller than him to begin with, and now, dressed in this outfit with thick-soled boots, he towered like a giant.

Xie Jianxun had to practically hang off Huo Jing’s body to get close to his ear.

The Little Adventurer’s lips brushed against the star pirate leader’s earlobe, intimate as if whispering sweet nothings.

“Your subordinates are plotting a rebellion!!!”

The music was blaring, so Xie Jianxun had to raise his voice, afraid Huo Jing wouldn’t hear.

“I just overheard it—two idiots conspiring to kill you. They mentioned some plan at Lihou Port. I memorized their features: one with a black cat little heart tattoo, the other with a duck-like voice and a bald spot…”

He tried his best to describe the matter gravely, but Huo Jing didn’t take it seriously.

He just hummed twice and led Xie Jianxun into a turn.

Xie Jianxun: “…”

What kind of person was this? So laid-back?

Rebellion right at your doorstep, and your seat’s in jeopardy!

Seeing the little treasure in his arms clearly getting angry, those golden pupils fixed in fury, glaring at him—even his footwork turning perfunctory, stomping around messily.

The star pirate leader patted his back and immediately compromised. Any smart person would choose to placate first.

“It’s my fault for not listening properly. Let’s finish this dance first, then deal with it seriously, okay?”

Xie Jianxun calmed down and thought it made sense.

No boss would abandon a dance halfway in a panic to handle troublesome subordinates.

It would lack any boss-like dignity or poise.

Maybe Huo Jing was leisurely dancing on the surface while his mind raced with plans on how to deal with them.

Xie Jianxun let out a breath of relief and pushed at him, feeling feverish.

The Great Star Pirate leader didn’t look bulky, but he was all muscle. Being this close, he felt like a furnace radiating heat.

Not to mention being wrapped in his arms, heat transferring all over his body.

“So hot.”

Huo Jing obligingly loosened his hold a bit, letting him catch his breath.

He teased along the way, “Young master has no stamina? Gasping like this after just five minutes?”

Xie Jianxun shot back without thinking, “It’s not like I was helping you eavesdrop on those two old guys under the table—my legs went numb squatting there.”

With the weight off his mind, Xie Jianxun finally noticed the bizarre quiet around them.

A bad feeling crept over him.

Xie Jianxun slowly peeked out from over Huo Jing’s shoulder and glanced around.

He couldn’t help sucking in a cold breath!

In the dance floor now, only the two of them were left spinning round and round.

The surroundings were like a vacuum—no one there. Everyone had gathered at the edge of the dance floor, their eyes gleaming like spotlights.

Watching their spectacle!

Xie Jianxun froze, then frantically slapped at Huo Jing’s arm in horror. “I thank your grandfather profusely, Huo Jing! Let me down now!”

The star pirate leader seemed quite pleased as he tilted his head, revealing the ear beneath his black hair.

“Calling my name sounds pretty nice. Say it again.”

What responded was Xie Jianxun stomping hard on his foot.

The Little Adventurer in his arms said seriously, “Call you dog thing—do you respond?”

He’d been genuinely worried for Huo Jing, analyzing all sorts of schemes. To hell with conspiracies.

Huo Jing commented, “Nice name. I don’t mind it—more emotional than just calling my name.”

Xie Jianxun was expressionless. “Let me down.”

The star pirate leader grinned wickedly. “Wait a bit. Finish this song.”

Xie Jianxun endured until the music ended, then eagerly jumped away. Huo Jing followed lazily behind. “Don’t be mad, young master.”

The star thieves gave them token cheers and applause, ready to resume their revelry once the music returned to normal.

But after the music stopped, it didn’t start again.

“Bring Bolder and Lingis to see me.”

Huo Jing gave a simple order, blocking Xie Jianxun’s path and stuffing a glass of deep red drink into his hand.

“Specialty tomato juice flavored beverage.”

The star pirate leader drawled, “A specialty from my city. Very rich flavor, decent sales too.”

Xie Jianxun took a sip on reflex—it was indeed delicious.

Moments later, the two named by the leader appeared, dragged in stumbling and terrified.

Xie Jianxun recognized them at a glance.

Wasn’t this the black cat little heart and the duck-voice bald spot?

“There are a lot of people on my ship—over twenty thousand since the beginning of the year. With so many, naturally I can’t keep tabs on everything below.”

Huo Jing said coldly, stopping in front of the two.

“I’ve never cared about your little schemes, except for two things: no being someone else’s spy, and no flaunting it in my face.”

“You two perfectly triggered both conditions.”

The pair immediately wailed, “Boss! We’re really your people—we never thought of rebelling!”

Huo Jing abruptly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, on the return trip, there’s apparently a resource-rich planet… seems like it’s called… PN-57?”

The two looked like their necks had been gripped, staring at him fiercely.

“You can’t…”

“I can.”

The lights flowed like water over Huo Jing’s well-defined profile, coating the barrel of the gun in his hand.

“Relax. I’ll send you to your real boss soon enough.”

Bang bang.

Two bodies crumpled to the ground on the spot.