Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 207 - 44 Setting Sail

Chapter 207: Chapter 44 Setting Sail

“The injury is severe; he won’t wake up anytime soon.”

Lady Dan shook her head. On the bed, Heizai’s face looked peaceful.

Sitting at the table, Xue Ba rubbed his forehead with aromatic oil, mumbling softly, “Anyhow, it’s either Zhang He or Zhufen, targeting them would be right.”

“Take good care of him, clean up, we’re heading to Quanzhou this afternoon.”

Li Yan turned his head to look at Chaoyi, “Brother Chaoyi, I’m counting on you to take care of matters within the gang.”

“Rest assured, oh, by the way.”

...

Chaoyi spoke up, “That high-ranking official surnamed Lin, something about him doesn’t seem quite right.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said not to mistreat him, so he asked to go for a walk. I thought it was harmless, so I agreed.”

“But later, I found out that they frequently visited our shipyard and storeroom for no particular reason, and in these two days, he deliberately struck up conversations with our people, including Shi Tuozi, An Laogui, Zhong Que, Qizai, and others. I must say, they actually got along quite well with this Lin Yuanfu.”

“Hmph, the old man might be a high-ranking official, but he pretends to be foolish and silly, a person who can humble himself, what do you think?”

Chaoyi thought for a moment, “I don’t believe he, with his lofty status and command, could potentially shake the foundations of our Red Flag brothers.”

“Anyway, keep a close eye on him.”

Li Yan smiled, agreeing with Chaoyi’s opinion, “Where are Madam Guo and her people locked up?”

…

In the dark and damp water prison, Zhi Nong opened her eyes.

There were shadows moving around the corner, along with the sound of crisp chewing.

Li Yan tossed some radish greens into the water, looking up at the woman in black veil sitting in the corner behind the iron bars.

“You, you give us food, and we help you kill.”

Zhi Nong swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her chin retreating with every word she spoke.

“Hmm. Straightforward.”

When Zhi Nong had first joined Madam Guo, she too had been utterly bewitching, her eerie ability to pluck the hearts and lungs of men from thin air ensured her success wherever she went. She started to feel that even the pirates of the South Seas were nothing special.

The problem with those who have it too easy is that they often cannot withstand a major blow.

After Li Yan’s relentless destruction, having rendered her hands useless, Zhi Nong had lost all will to fight.

Li Yan carried a food box, sliding pastries one by one through the bottom slit to Zhi Nong, as he asked,

“What benefits did Madam Guo offer you for working with her?”

“He promised to send enough food to our island every year to last until the seas open.”

“That’s it?”

Zhi Nong shook her head.

Li Yan sized up Zhi Nong, “How many people do you have on Guangyi Island? And among them, how many have the bloodline of Wupozi?”

“There are more than three thousand people in the village, with sixty-two claiming ancestry.”

“How far can your hands cast spells from?”

Zhi Nong, looking timid, replied, “Thirty steps.”

“Oh. You tell me thirty steps, so that means fifty steps then.”

Li Yan tricked her, but Zhi Nong reacted violently, looking up in panic, “It’s really only thirty steps. I’m not lying.”

After a brief pause, Li Yan nodded.

“Among the eight of you, how concentrated is your bloodline compared to the other sixty or so ancestors?”

“Besides Lan Sou and her few aunts, it should be us.”

Li Yan nodded, satisfied. A range of thirty steps to snatch someone’s heart and lungs meant certain death for the target; Zhi Nong’s ability was not weak. Li Yan mused, fortunate that he had faced Zhi Nong himself while letting Cha Xiaodao deal with the others.

Zhi Nong needed less than two seconds to cast a spell, and she had to use her hands. Thirty steps was enough for Li Yan to kill her, but Cha Xiaodao’s explosive rice-throwing speed might not be fast enough.

Futhermore, without Cha Xiaodao’s Fur Class heritage’s poison resistance and healing abilities, being poisoned by the Red Scorpion would have left him flustered and in disarray.

“Can you make decisions regarding the affairs of your village?”

“We have to, have to ask Lan Sou.”

Fearing Li Yan’s dissatisfaction, she quickly added, “Lan Sou is an open-minded person. It won’t be a problem.”

“Who is Lan Sou?”

“My sister.”

“How old is she?”

Li Yan asked as if possessed.

“Sixty-nine.”

“Oh~” Li Yan’s tone revealed no emotion, “Having lived so long, she must be quite skilled, huh.”

Zhi Nong said softly, “The abilities of our ancestors are innate; they have nothing to do with age.”

As Zhi Nong spoke, she lowered her head to look at the pastries in front of her and, with her wrists wrapped up like rice dumplings, she clumsily tried to pick them up. Trembling, she accidentally dropped the pastries to the ground. Biting her lower lip, she looked utterly miserable.

Li Yan, watching this, said, “I can have someone heal your hands, but you must stay within ten steps of me at all times and not leave.”

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“No, no problem.”

Zhi Nong nodded excitedly after hearing this.

…

The dagger and the spearhead collided, clanging loudly.

On the deck, Cha Xiaodao kept retreating, her twin blades crossed in front of her chest, her red patchwork jacket punctured in several places.

Zhao Xiaoyi’s spear shook vigorously, posing a constant threat to Cha Xiaodao, surrounding her with danger.

“The officials have been wanting to make a move for more than a day or two now. Regardless of whether we release Lin Yuanfu, they will definitely act. They’re gathering manpower and provisions from Zhejiang and Fujian; at the very least, it will take half a month. We will definitely be back within ten days. You let the word out, call back the brothers, and assign more men to patrol the docks. If we can nibble down this tough bone, our Red Flag Gang will have good days ahead.”

Just before boarding, Li Yan charged Chaoyi with these instructions.

“Chaoyi, I’m leaving now.”

“Take care on your way.”

Chaoyi glanced at Zhao Xiaoyi, who was entangled with Cha Xiaodao on the ship, and asked in a low voice, “You really want to recruit him into our fold?”

“With such handsome spear technique, I’m quite envious.”

“I’ve heard about Zhao Xiaoyi. His bravery is unquestionable. He has no relatives or friends, and has followed Madam Guo since he was ten years old. He has deep feelings for the Black Flag Gang. To be honest, it’s tough to sway him.”

Li Yan raised his eyebrows.

“To recruit him, doesn’t necessarily mean making him betray the Black Flag.”

Li Yan’s mouth curled into a smirk, “I want Xiu’er to become the Alliance Hierarch of the Five Flags Alliance.”

As he said this, he whispered a few words in Chaoyi’s ear…

“Set sail!”

The Spirit of the Duck raised its sails. This time, Li Yan wasn’t going into battle. He didn’t bring many men: two sluice boats, just over a hundred men, and about twenty cannons.

Of course, such an arrangement was already quite luxurious in the South Seas.

Cha Xiaodao sheathed her twin blades and wiped the sweat off her face. She bore wounds, both deep and shallow, but they healed quickly.

“Enough, let’s stop fighting.”

Zhao Xiaoyi, expressionless, put away his spear. He saw Li Yan boarding the ship and asked:

“You promised me that as long as I put in the effort this time, you would let our Black Flag brothers go. Is that true?”

“I keep my word.”

Li Yan nodded,

“Including my boss, Madam Guo?”

“That I cannot do.”

Zhao Xiaoyi was a bit disappointed but figured that getting the brothers released wasn’t a total loss.

Li Yan dealt with the matter and turned to look in another direction.

It wasn’t long after Lady Dan had healed Zhi Nong’s hands. Now she stretched out her arms, joyfully admiring something in the sunlight.

On her wrist was a string of valuable red agate bracelets, glittering brilliantly.

The descendants of the Wupozi, released by Li Yan, now sat around a table drinking. They seemed to have no psychological burden about abandoning the Black Flag Gang to join someone else.

Compared to Madam Guo, Li Yan was evidently much more generous.