Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilds - Chapter 119: Abandonment

The thunder-crossbow, powered by niter and explosive fire, fires bolts attached to ropes and iron anchors. It is a formidable weapon, a primary tool for pirates to intercept vessels and plunder at sea.

At this moment, the Chen family’s merchant ship had been struck by a thunder-crossbow, its hull gripped fast by an iron anchor. The vessel’s momentum slowed abruptly, causing it to pitch and sway violently. The men on board lost their footing, collapsing in a heap.

"Cut the rope!" shouted A-Hu.

But the rope was several feet from the gunwale, out of reach, and the violent rocking of the ship made it impossible for anyone to wield a blade effectively.

The pirates' large ship had closed in to within twenty zhang. The brigands at the prow were heaving on the ropes, dragging the Chen vessel toward them.

"Tao is here!"

With a sharp shout, Tao Feng launched himself from the ship’s tower, diving toward the enemy while brandishing a blade of light. Suddenly, a thunderous boom erupted. A bolt as thick as an arm and over a zhang long whistled through the air. Unable to reach the rope and too late to evade, Tao Feng hurriedly swung his sword to deflect it, only to be sent flying backward by the impact.

The force of the bolt was immense. Without losing momentum, it slammed into the ship’s gunwale, its sharp barbs anchoring deep into the wood, snapping the attached rope taut.

Tao Feng struck the hull and tumbled downward. Just as he was about to fall into the sea, a rope snaked out and caught him. He rolled in mid-air and crashed onto the deck, spitting out a mouthful of blood. It was Yu Xin, An Yunsheng, and the others who had saved him. Gritting his teeth, he scrambled to his feet.

The pirate ship was now within ten zhang. The brigands on the prow swung their arms, hurling bamboo poles like javelins.

The poles, sharpened to lethal points, pierced the cabin walls with a series of tearing sounds. Two of the Chen family’s men, caught off guard, were skewered and knocked to the deck. Tao Feng, Yu Xin, and the others scrambled to deflect the projectiles.

Yu Ye and Meng Qingqing, while observing, were forced to duck to avoid being hit.

The aggression and ruthlessness of these pirates exceeded all expectations. If they continued to be pursued, the Chen ship would be destroyed, and they would be in grave trouble.

Yu Ye and Meng Qingqing exchanged a nod and sprang up. Yu Ye ducked a flying pole, leaped, stepped onto the gunwale for leverage, and dashed forward.

Supported by Yu Xin and the others, Tao Feng managed to steady himself. Ignoring the blood on his lips, he shouted, "Alas, this is not good..." Seeing Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan nearby, he urged them, "Fellow Daoists, quickly cast your flying swords! Just cut the ropes! Do not engage in close combat, or the ship will be imperiled!"

His logic held weight; cutting the ropes would shake off the pirates. Close-quarters fighting or a collision between the ships would lead to an unimaginable disaster.

Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then both leaped into the air.

In an instant, Yu Ye’s momentum faltered. Above the surging waves, a rope hung in the air. He tapped it lightly with his toes, using it as a springboard to vault upward.

A few zhang away loomed the pirate ship.

The brigands on the prow were reeling in the rope when they saw the young man, dressed like a simple servant, flying toward them. Panic-stricken, they hurled more bamboo poles and axes. One man raised a torch, attempting to ignite the fuse on the wooden post where the bolt was embedded.

Yu Ye waved his hand, casting a blade of light.

"Clang! Cling! Boom!"

The bamboo poles shattered, and the axes were sent flying.

Suspended in mid-air with no footing, Yu Ye’s momentum stalled again. The wooden post with the bolt was aimed directly at him, and the torch was about to touch the fuse. He threw his arm out with force, and his green steel sword hummed as it whistled through the air, piercing the man with the torch and pinning him to the deck. Yu Ye tapped the rope again, using the momentum to leap high.

At that exact moment, two beams of light flashed past him, heading straight for the pirate ship. Before the brigands on the prow could even register their surprise, they fell one after another under the flying swords.

It was Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan. With the two of them helping, none of these pirates would escape!

Yu Ye did not look back. He took a few steps through the air, landed on the deck, retrieved his green steel sword, and unleashed a wave of light.

Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan followed, driving their flying swords into the chaotic crowd.

Blood sprayed, and shrill screams echoed one after another...

Seeing the three men’s prowess, the Chen family disciples cheered, but their joy turned to shock in the blink of an eye.

The Chen ship’s sails were torn, and its speed dwindled. The pirate ship, catching the wind, grew faster. The two vessels were now only five or six zhang apart, on the verge of collision.

Tao Feng roared, "Yu Xin, cut the ropes!"

"Senior Brother, wait—"

"No!"

Meng Qingqing tried to intervene, and A-Hu shouted a warning.

But Yu Xin’s flying sword had already struck, and the ropes snapped one by one. Simultaneously, Tao Feng cast his own sword toward the sails of the pirate ship. With more snapping sounds, the sails collapsed. Deprived of the wind, the once-swift pirate ship slowed down. Freed from the drag of the ropes, the Chen ship surged forward, and the distance between the two vessels began to widen.

Meng Qingqing cried out, "Stop the ship!"

A-Hu was equally anxious but shook his head repeatedly.

Chen Biao, standing beside him, said, "The winds are high and the waves are rough. If we stop now, the consequences are unpredictable!"

There are rules to sailing the sea.

Meng Qingqing could not force them, and turning in anger, she demanded, "Brother Tao, how could you do this?"

Tao Feng, having recalled his sword, appeared invigorated despite the blood on his lips. He replied dismissively, "We were nearly rammed just now; it was fortunate I made a decisive choice!"

"But Yu Ye..."

"Yu Ye is accompanied by two masters, Qingmei. What is there to worry about?"

He Qingnian, An Yunsheng, Luo Chen, and Yu Xin all averted their eyes, remaining silent.

Only A-Hu offered comfort: "Everyone, do not worry. If the three masters are unharmed, they will surely find a way to reunite with us!"

If they were unharmed?

Did that not mean Yu Ye was doomed?

"Sigh—"

Meng Qingqing stomped her foot and turned to lean against the gunwale, gazing into the distance. The pirate ship was already fading from view.

An old man walked onto the deck, grumbling, "My servant is lost just like that, damn it..."

But the servant he was mourning was currently searching through the cabin of the other ship.

There were no living brigands left in the cabin; even those who had managed to flee to the deck had not escaped the flying swords of Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan.

In the dim space, grain, oil, and salt were piled up, alongside barrels of niter and sulfur, crates of new clothing, and dozens of jars filled with wine.

While searching, Yu Ye suddenly felt his ear grow warm. He reached up to touch it, confused, then gathered several sets of well-fitting clothes and all the wine jars into his storage ring.

A moment later, he returned the way he came.

Just as he stepped out of the cabin onto the deck, he realized the ship was no longer moving forward, but drifting and spinning in the waves.

The Chen family’s ship was nowhere to be seen.

Yu Ye was shocked and was about to investigate, but he suddenly stopped and stood perfectly still. His right hand secretly formed a sword seal.

To his left and right stood two men—Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan—trapping him in the middle. Two beams of sword light circled him, hovering back and forth.

Both sides stood motionless, a standoff between enemies.

In the blink of an eye, the sword light vanished.

Gan Xing gave a muffled snort and signaled, "Look."

Yu Ye retracted his sword seal.

The deck was covered in blood, littered with discarded blades, and strewn with corpses that had yet to be thrown overboard. The two masts held only the severed ends of ropes fluttering in the wind, and the sails that had once caught the breeze now lay in heaps. With no one at the helm and deprived of the wind, the ship could only drift and spin, ready to capsize in the waves at any moment.

"Hmph, this is the fine work of Tao Feng and his lot!"

Gan Xing snorted, grumbling, "When we were in danger, we stepped up to help, yet those Daoist disciples stabbed us in the back, leaving us to die!"

Qiu Yuan, usually reticent, could not help but add, "Tao Feng cut the ropes and destroyed the sails. It is only fortunate the waves are not larger, or we would have been buried at the bottom of the sea long ago!"

"He has a grudge against us, but no quarrel with you, Yu Ye. How could he commit such a treacherous act? Where is the morality and righteousness of the Daoist sects?"

There was fury in Gan Xing’s words. "I said before, the Great Marsh Daoist sects are content to remain in their corner, lacking ambition. Their disciples only know how to boast and scheme against each other. If such sects are not destroyed, heaven itself is blind!"

Yu Ye understood the cause and effect, feeling deeply awkward. Beyond the awkwardness, he was also burning with anger.

The pirates were indeed rampant, but with the skills of himself, Gan Xing, and Qiu Yuan, they could have overcome the danger. Who would have thought that just after a great victory, they would be abandoned?

Could this all have been Tao Feng’s doing?

Had he not agreed that "harmony is precious"? How could he go back on his word? Even if he wanted revenge, he should not have resorted to such a lethal scheme at a time like this. Such despicable behavior was truly shameful and a disgrace to the Daoist path!

"Hmph!"

Yu Ye could not help but snort. "When we meet again, I will demand an explanation from Tao Feng!"

"Heh, what kind of explanation?"

Gan Xing scoffed. "Tao Feng will claim the collision was dangerous, that he was forced to take this drastic measure for the sake of everyone’s safety. What will you do then?" He shook his head and continued, "Besides, we can barely save ourselves. There will be no 'meeting again.' Sigh..."

"This... it will be fine..."

Yu Ye wanted to offer comfort, but he felt powerless. As he looked around, he hurriedly reminded them, "The rudder is still intact. If we reattach the ropes, we can raise the sails—"

Gan Xing and Qiu Yuan’s eyes brightened.

Rather than complaining, it was better to save themselves. As he had said, they only needed to man the helm and raise the sails for the ship to catch the wind and set sail!

"No time to lose!"

The three reached an agreement and divided the tasks.

Qiu Yuan took the helm to prevent the ship from turning broadside and capsizing.

Yu Ye climbed the mast with a coil of rope, while Gan Xing stood on the deck to assist. Both were agile, moving freely despite the rocking of the ship. Before long, they had spliced the severed ropes. Yu Ye then leaped through the air to the other mast, working busily with hands and feet.

The ship’s two masts held two main sails and three smaller ones.

Half an hour passed. Yu Ye leaped down, and he and Gan Xing pulled the ropes with synchronized effort. The sails rose one after another with a rustling sound.

Then they heard Qiu Yuan shouting that the rudder was difficult to control, perhaps because the small sails were rigged incorrectly, causing the bow to veer off course.

The three were thrown into another flurry of activity.

Slowly, the ship began to move forward...