Chapter 706: Chapter 88 Immortal Lord! Immortal Hall?_4

As the ships were still anchored in Reef Harbor, the sails on these sea vessels were not raised, with only the sturdy masts standing bare.

On the edge of the deck, dozens of bed crossbows were set up.

The strings on these bed crossbows were already drawn, with each thick crossbow arrow poised to strike, gleaming fiercely under the sunlight.

Just past noon, the sun was at its harshest, leaving the crew members on the ships feeling listless, each lying down for a nap with bare chests and bellies exposed. A few, finding the sun too glaring, simply covered their faces with cloths.

Aside from the snores and teeth grinding of the crew, almost no other sound could be heard in Reef Bay at this moment, making the silence eerily unsettling.

Suddenly.

The cabin door opened, and two figures emerged one after the other.

One of them looked middle-aged, with a robust build and attire similar to the crew, though slightly more clean and refined, with distinctive slightly red curly hair.

The other was a young gentleman dressed in brocade and splendid clothing.

He wore a jade crown and a magnificent brocade robe, exuding elegance and nobility, standing in stark contrast to the others on the ship.

The crew members at the door, seeing the two, scrambled to their feet in fright and greeted them nervously: "Boss, Young Master Cao."

It turned out that the middle-aged man was the owner of this fleet.

His surname was Nie, given name Long, nicknamed the "Red-haired Dragon King," and he was the leader of the "Red Dragon Pirates," one of the more active pirate groups in the Qingluo Sea.

On the surface, he was the head of a pirate group, but few knew he was actually a member of the Purple Mansion Cao Family.

Years ago, he was discriminated against due to his "Sea Barbarian Race" lineage, and during a secret realm expedition at sea, he was nearly drowned in a whirlpool, rescued just in time by Cao Youbin, the patriarch of the Cao Family at the time.

Since then, he was taken under Cao Youbin’s wing and infiltrated the pirate ranks as instructed. Over the years, he unconsciously became a pirate chieftain, and though not part of the largest fleet, he had garnered a reputable status among the pirates.

The Cao-named gentleman beside him was Young Master Cao Bangyan, from the Purple Mansion Cao Family—a renowned formidable figure in Liaobei County, existing at the Celestial Pride Level.

"Are your men reliable?"

As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, Cao Bangyan couldn’t help covering his nose and mouth, looking at the surrounding crew with undisguised disdain. Had it not been for his aunt Cao Youqing’s personal orders, he wouldn’t have bothered coming to such a detestable place.

The crew members had dark, coarse skin, resembling old bark, with a strong sea smell about them, seemingly lacking any combat capability.

"Don’t worry, Young Master Cao. Though they appear this way, when it really comes to a fight, each of them is quite skilled." Nie Long, the Red-haired Dragon King, was confident.

His men, wandering at sea year-round, may be a bit unkempt, but their abilities were assured.

Besides himself, a Celestial Human Realm early-stage leader, he also had over ten Spirit Platform Realm lieutenants and hundreds of Qi Cultivation Realm subordinates, easily capable of taking down a merchant ship fleet.

As he spoke, he beckoned a young crew member, instructing, "Go call your Uncle Wen over."

The crew member complied and quickly ran to the rear of the ship to find someone.

Soon, an elder in a brown robe approached from the stern, respectfully greeting Nie Long and Cao Bangyan: "Boss, Young Master Cao."

His robe, with many pockets, contrasted with the style of the other crew members.

Nie Long waved at him, asking, "Wenda, when will the fleet from Shouda Trading Company arrive?"

"Reporting to the Boss, the message bird has already spotted the Shouda Trading Company’s fleet. Judging by their usual sailing speed, they should arrive in a quarter of an hour at most," the elder named Wenda replied.

They had specially raised message birds on board. These birds had special jade talismans tied to their legs that emitted distinctive spiritual Qi waves, detectable even from afar.

When a raid was needed, they would release the message birds, which would locate the target fleet and hover above it, allowing them to detect the fleet’s approximate direction and position based on the jade talisman’s location.

Wenda was responsible for raising these message birds, and thus was well-aware of the current position of the target fleet.

"Alright, you may go~ Once the Shouda Trading Company’s fleet reaches the target sea area, notify me immediately." Nie Long waved him off, and Wenda promptly bowed and withdrew.

"I remember you mentioned before that the Wang Family’s young miss is also on the ship?" Cao Bangyan suddenly asked, recalling something.

"That’s right." Nie Long nodded, "According to the reports from our spies stationed at the dock, the Shouda Trading Company has dispatched ten large sea ships this time, with nearly half the cargo being ’foreign glass products.’ Due to the high value of the cargo, the Wang Family’s young miss, Wang Luomiao, is personally escorting it, and the Faang Family’s direct lineage descendant, Faang Jinghui, responsible for the liaison, is also on board. The spies saw them board the ship themselves, so there’s no mistake."

"That’s good." Cao Bangyan chuckled, "Even though Faang Jinghui is a direct lineage descendant, he’s just a Little Celestial Pride at best. Moreover, he’s quite young, not worth worrying about. But that Wang Family’s young miss is said to be the current patriarch’s sister, quite a beauty~ Tsk tsk~"

"Hehehe~" Nie Long instantly understood, displaying a lecherous smile, "Once we rob their ship, naturally, Young Master Bangyan may dispose of these people as he pleases. As for the cargo..."

"Rest assured, the cargo is all yours." Cao Bangyan waved his hand dismissively.

"Young Master Bangyan is indeed magnanimous~!" Nie Long’s grin grew more sincere.

Foreign cement and foreign glass are fine goods indeed~ The cargo of ten ships must be worth at least 500,000 Qian Gold. This deal was truly profitable~~

"Look at you, getting so excited over such a small thing." Cao Bangyan remarked with exasperation, shaking his head.

Having been on the ship for more than ten days, he and Nie Long had gotten familiar, making their conversations less formal and much more casual.

"Yes, yes, yes, I’m merely an old bandit leader, how can I compare to Young Master Bangyan with boundless prospects." Nie Long was indifferent, smiling and flattering, "You are a Celestial Pride of the Purple Mansion Cao Family, favored by the ancestor and looked after by your brother, lacking nothing, naturally not interested in such trifles."

Cao Bangyan had advanced to the Celestial Human Realm at seventy-eight and now, not even 120 years old, had reached the Third Layer of the Celestial Human Realm. Though in terms of Realm, Cao Bangyan was slightly inferior.

However, in actual combat strength, he might not be a match for Cao Bangyan, who was a Celestial Pride level Celestial Human, a top figure even in the Academy.

Moreover, he was from the Cao Family’s direct lineage, the youngest brother of the current Cao Family patriarch, Cao Bangning, with a much higher standing within the Cao Family than himself, so naturally, he dared not show Cao Bangyan any disrespect.

Just as they were speaking, suddenly, the elder named Wenda hurried over from the direction of the stern, reporting to the two: "Reporting to the Boss, Young Master Cao, the Shouda Trading Company’s fleet has entered the target sea area, interdiction can be initiated."

Cao Bangyan and Nie Long’s eyes both lit up.

Nie Long was even more thrilled, slapping the railing: "Good!! The previous intercepts let them escape, but with Young Master Bangyan personally overseeing this time, there’s no way we can fail."

Cao Bangyan also sneered: "Don’t worry. Neither the ship nor people will escape."

"Hahaha~ Good!"

Nie Long laughed heartily, suddenly leaping to the ship’s bow, channeling profound Qi to shout loudly: "Brothers! Hoist the sails! Weigh anchor! Let’s take them down!"

The booming voice exploded over Reef Harbor.

In an instant, all the pirates who had been napping jumped up as if infused with adrenaline, promptly moving into action.

In just a few breaths, all the pirates had found their positions, quickly weighing anchor and raising sails emblazoned with pirate emblems.

Soon, several massive sea ships sped out of Reef Harbor like arrows, charging into the vast sea.

Cao Bangyan stood with hands behind his back at the ship’s bulwark, full of confident composure. With their strength, dealing with a merchant ship fleet was akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Wang Family, oh Wang Family, who told you to cozy up to the Qian Family, and dare to oppose my aunt Cao Youqing.

You even caused the Cao Family to suffer under the Zuoqiu Family’s oppression for fifteen years!

This account is one I, Cao Bangyan, will settle for the Cao Family.

...