Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Chapter 13 Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea

First up was a box of gold and jade jewelry.

[Jewelry and Silks]

Valuable items, can be exchanged for two hundred Yan Fu points, or can be used as sacrificial offerings to the Lord of the Xiang River worth a thousand taels of silver.

[Night Guard Twin Blades] Quality: Rare

Sharpness: 60

Traits: [Penetrating] (Guaranteed to break defenses)

These were a pair of short blades, less than two feet long, with thin edges and a black-backed cormorant snout crawling on the blade's body, which looked quite impressive.

[Lotus Child Fishing Net]

Special item

Cannot be taken out of this event

Can be used for high-quality sea fishing, with a certain chance of obtaining precious sea ingredients.

[Frozen Tail Roc Map]

Yan Fu residual item

Cannot be taken out of this event

One of the patterns of the twelve Exotic Beasts of Southern Fujian, collecting twelve patterns will unlock a highly difficult large-scale Yan Fu event.

The image was of a bird-headed humanoid in red lantern pants, done in a simple and comical style.

Li Yan glanced over them and said without much thought, “Let's not split the last two items; whatever we haul up, we'll divide evenly between us and do the Yan Fu event together. I'll take the jewelry, and you can have the blades.”

“You're giving me such a bargain?”

Cha Xiaodao asked with a smile.

Li Yan replied, “If you've got enough ingredients for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, just share a portion with me after it's made.”

His Gu Huo Bird's Awakening Degree was currently at 56%, and the next event, with twenty ticks of Dragon Tiger Qi, a Nine Phoenix Talisman, and a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, he would be close to his second peak breakthrough.

“No problem,”

Cha Xiaodao agreed very readily.

“I say, with a face that has seen a hundred battles yet bears no peach blossoms, can you come up with some phrase?”

Li Yan asked with some curiosity. He was actually quite envious of Cha Xiaodao's inheritance; both Taotie and Kui had great creativity and malleability. Li Yan faintly felt that these were the directions in which inheritance could develop. Of course, in terms of direct combat strength, his Gu Huo Bird was currently still a notch above.

“Before deciding on the lineage I want to inherit, it's best to develop the inherited skills in complementary directions. Culinary Skill is still a bit auxiliary, so I was planning to put together something like 'not leaving a trace over a thousand miles,' you can tell it's a lethal move just by thinking about it,”

Cha Xiaodao said, not without anticipation.

Li Yan thought seriously for a moment, “How about 'Invincible in a hundred battles'?”

“Sounds good,”

It was calm and peaceful aboard the Spirit of the Duck., the vast sea stretched before them, the water black tinged with blue, occasionally jumps a fat white-bellied fish.

“Speaking of which, you've kidnapped that old man; do you really plan to ask the government for a ransom?”

“That's what's written in the Yan Fu event, but it's very difficult.”

To make the government bow to a gang of wild bandits was as hard as reaching the sky; considering that the progenitor of the Five Flagsi Alliance was the Zheng Family from Treasure Island, the government was even less likely to compromise.

Li Yan didn't mind either. The government would fight against bandits, that was a given. If they couldn't win, they would naturally come back to negotiate with him.

The distance from here to Lantau Island was less than a day's voyage; Madam Shi's days were numbered, but she should have enough time.

Inside Li Yan's heart, where it was hardest, a phrase kept repeating.

Madam Shi must die.

This female Pirate Leader was indeed a very attractive widow. She was meticulous in thought, ruthless at heart, and because she cultivated the Defying Skill, there was an inherent cold, bloody, and evil nature to her bones. But in front of Li Yan, she always seemed melancholic and expectant.

Moreover, this woman had a seductive figure and a unique aura, especially with her slightly husky voice that was so enticing that it occasionally reminded Li Yan of when he first met Judy, the indulgence of abstaining from the taste of meat.

Yet, this did not conceal the fact that Madam Shi posed a threat to Li Yan, surpassing that of any official or major figure on the high seas.

Almost all the elders of the Red Flag Gang had perished. Madam Shi was the true Dragon Head of the Red Flag Gang, and, at the moment, the only woman who might pull Li Yan down from his position at the helm of the gang.

Xiu'er was still young and not a concern, but Madam Shi, as Tianbao's confidante and someone who had been in close contact with Li Yan for a long time, could inevitably cause trouble. The last time she inquired about Xiu'er's origins, Li Yan had actually slipped up, but he recovered smoothly, and she did not become suspicious.

Once Madam Shi discovered that Li Yan was not the godson and lover, Tianbao, she had in her heart, her current tenderness toward Li Yan would turn into equal cruelty.

This woman had her lover consume her spinal bone to obtain the Defying Skill; she was that ruthless with herself, let alone with others.

As long as she lived, Li Yan might lose everything and become a stray dog hunted by the Five Flags Alliance.

At this thought, Li Yan laughed at himself mockingly. He was in such a rush to attack Humen, not only to establish power and probe the situation, but perhaps also in part because he didn't know how to face Madam Shi, who was about to die, preferring to stay far away instead.

Cha Xiaodao played with the Night Guard Twin Blades for a while and then put them away. However, the “Lotus Child Fishing Net” caught his attention and he examined it like a precious treasure.

This fishing net looked quite ordinary. In Li Yan's hands, it was called the Iron Spear Net, but now it was known as the Big Head Pole, roughly four meters long, conical in shape, divided into a pole and a net pocket, with sorghum branches in the middle acting as “shrimp whiskers” to separate the fish once they entered the net, preventing their escape. Fishermen would thrust the pole into the water, using the boat's motion or their wrist strength to drag the fish into the net, and then retrieve it to complete the task.

Using it was hard on the back.

In the sea, the surging schools of fish were visible to the naked eye. Cha Xiaodao seemed experienced in fishing, his movements deft and practiced. Bending over to cast the net, he waved the bamboo pole back and forth. After about the time it took to smoke a cigarette, Cha Xiaodao clenched the pole with both hands and forcefully yanked it upwards.

A curtain of water splashed noisily, but the net came up empty.

Li Yan couldn't help but let out a derisive laugh; his laugh prompted the nearby sailors, who were gambling with Pai Gow in pairs and groups, to join in the jeering.

Cha Xiaodao, with a face full of surprise, exclaimed, “This shrimp whisker is broken; it can't stop the fish!”

“Don't give me that. If you can't use it, just admit it. Would I laugh at you?”

Li Yan, holding the cigarette he had begged from Cha Xiaodao, unsparingly debunked his claim.

“I grew up by the Hai River; you're saying I can't use this? If you're so skilled, you try it!”

“What's the wager?”

“The cigarettes I have on me.”

Li Yan tossed the cigarette, leaped from the round table, and took two quick steps to grab the net.

“Watch closely now.”

As the fishing net hit the water, Li Yan pulled on the pole with his right hand, pressing down with his left thumb.

Initially, Cha Xiaodao's face was full of disbelief, but as he observed Li Yan's posture, he belatedly realized.

Li Yan might not know how to fish, but he was an expert in wielding a spear!

Swallow Through the Curtain!

Massive waves crashed over the sea surface. The black fishing net danced, forming bursts of spear flowers, with various fish and crabs cascading from mid-air. Li Yan's arm muscles bulged as he shouldered the pole, and with a shout, he pulled the net backward out of the waves, slamming the heavy net onto the deck.

“That doesn't count. It doesn't count. Did you scoop these up? You must have stunned them and picked them up!”

Cha Xiaodao hopped up and down, cursing halfway before clearly seeing what Li Yan had hauled up. His pupils instantly shrank.

Among the seven or eight flopping big-headed fish, the pole had speared a blood-drenched human head.

“Look over there!”

A sailor suddenly exclaimed, pointing westward. Without needing to be told, both Li Yan and Cha Xiaodao could see it clearly for themselves.

The splash of water gave rise to ripples spreading out in concentric circles.

A white carp leaped up from the water surface, reaching a height of twenty meters. The white fish was translucent, with a lustrous and supple complexion, resembling pure white grease. Its tail made up half of its body, roughly the size of a human palm. The white, flame-like tail bloomed, adorned with fluid golden lines, remarkably mystical.

Then followed the second, the third, countless white carps vying to leap out of the water, forming a white archway across the sea surface.

A commotion erupted on the ship, and someone shouted out first.

“The Heavenly Mother is crossing the sea!”

Chapter end