Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 250

Chapter 250: Chapter 87 Learning to Mimic

Lantau Island's wharf, where the sea surface typically teemed with vessels, was now much sparser, with only a scattered array of large ships lined up, and hardly any people visible on board.

At the Red Flag outpost, Chaoyi clenched his fists, his expression far from pleasant.

Whether it was to counter-attack Guangdong and Guangxi or to launch a surprise attack on Macau, Li Yan's ambitions were grand, and so were his actions. The larger the action, the more flaws it exposed. Victory would mean taking all, but defeat would leave no room for maneuver. At this moment, Lantau Island's elite forces were all dispatched, and indeed, no capable troop could be formed to stand up to scrutiny. Against ordinary pirates, the Red Flag Gang could rely on fortifications to defend solidly, with no problem. However, facing the almost full-strength, raging Demon Thief, this bit of foundation and preparation seemed inadequate.

In Lantau Island at the moment, there were over a hundred thousand women, children, and the elderly, hundreds of craftsmen, six shipyards, the secretive sea charts and rosters of the Red Flag, as well as the “Heavy Cannon Regeneration Machine” that Li Yan had fished out during the “Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea”, the former East India Company manager Suo Heier, the Dragon Head of the Three Flags Gang, Madam Guo, and others.

Beyond that, as the naval battle preparation was urgent, the hostages Li Yan used to negotiate with the official forces, including the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Lin Yuanfu, had also been sent back. All of these were crucial and must not be lost…

Most importantly, Zheng Xiu'er had resisted several times but could not overturn Li Yan's decision. Before the launch of troops and generals by the Tianbo Division, and before the battle at Guangzhou Bay was sparked, Li Yan had someone escort Zheng Xiu'er, the South Seas Alliance Hierarch, and “Cai's Divine Being,” the Fire Cauldron Lady, both visiting the Red Flag Gang, back to Lantau Island together on the same ship.

“You'll have plenty of opportunities to see dead people and cannons in the future, but I've got to lay down a solid foundation for you first. Everything else is trivial, but this time, you must obediently go back,” Li Yan arranged thusly.

This was out of concern for the safety of Zheng Xiu'er but it also gave Zhang He a chance to find a foothold–to imagine Lantau Island falling was unthinkable.

On the dark blue sea, the Nine-star Black Flag fluttered, Zhang He built a Dharma Platform high up and arranged twelve tall Purple Gold Banners, his black cloud-patterned robe making him seem both bizarre and authoritative. In front of him was placed an incense burner, with white smoke curling up from the holes, revealing the undulating sea surface amidst the smoke. The faces of the sailors on the Red Sails ship opposite were clearly visible.

Taiping Document, Six Ren Kui Smoke!

The full Taiping Document, with forty-two chapters in two volumes of Yin and Yang, includes six hundred and twelve spells, of which Zhang He could neither comprehend nor even read more than five hundred. Yet, this did not prevent the Demon Thief from successfully cultivating this spell, which ranked among the top for its divine power and capability in the whole Taiping Document.

The Six Ren Kui Smoke could be considered Zhang He's most prized skill; it was the very technique that the Demon Thief had used to create momentum when the East India Company aggressively invaded An Nan.

However, the limitations of this technique were also vast, requiring a Dharma Platform, yellow paper, bathing, and burning incense. Preparation had to begin at least two hours in advance. At the grand meeting of the Tianbo Division, when Zhang He and Li Yan started fighting as soon as they boarded the ship, this Six Ren Kui Smoke naturally had no place to be used.

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But of course, the situation was different at this very moment.

Zhang He, his face devoid of emotion, reached for the sea within the smoke with his fingers.

On the vast dark blue sea surface, suddenly, indentations appeared as if made by five fingers!

The bandits fell silent, and the Demon Thief laughed heartily, “Xu Chaoyi, it's been two or three years since we last met, hasn't it?”

With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Chaoyi said, “Indeed, you got so frightened by my lady that you holed up in An Nan and refused to come out. No wonder we haven't met.”

The Red Flag pirates aboard the ship jeered and began making a racket, whistling and swearing at will, only to bring up with vicious delight every dark secret Zhang He had accumulated over the years. Zhang He had been under Madam Shi's thumb for too long, with plenty of disgraceful moments to his name. Now, as the Red Flag pirates aired his dirty laundry, every word was a dagger to the demon thief's pride.

Far from panicked or annoyed, Zhang He replied with a chilling tone, “But here I am, aren't I? So, Xu Chaoyi, now that I'm at the doorstep of Lantau Island, surely you won't deny me the honor of offering incense to Mrs. Yan? Speaking of which, why don't I see that Alliance Hierarch lass around? After the Tianbo Division incident, wasn't she sent back to Lantau Island to cry her eyes out by little Tianbao?”

“Hmph, I might not boast about anything else, Xu Chaoyi said, but I sure know how to knock a few of your teeth out. You've betrayed our trust, ripped up our pact, and turned your guns on Lantau Island. You've already ruined your reputation in the South Seas–not just with us Red Flags, but Cai Qian, the Lin Family, they won't let you off easily either. Zhang He, did you exert so much effort just to end up in mutual destruction with the Red Flag?”

“Mutual destruction?” Zhang He pointed his finger towards the smoke, causing Xu Chaoyi to suddenly feel darkness encroaching as if a mountain bore down on him, yet he gave nothing away on his face.

“Don't mention how Tianbao can hardly save himself, even if he did win against the Red Hairs and mustered the South Seas pirates to exterminate me…” Zhang He licked his lips, “I still think there's a treasure in your Lantau Island worth risking my neck for!”

From his watch post, Xu Chaoyi fell silent.

Zhang He grew more certain of his theory; the treasure that drove the Red-haired Men mad with desire had to be on Lantau Island. Even if it wasn't, leveling Lantau Island was his lifelong ambition. With the Red Hairs invading Guangzhou, and the South Seas pirates rallying–it was a golden opportunity. Without question, Madam Shi was dead. As for facing the South Seas pirates on opposite sides, if Zhang He wasn't willing to take even this risk, he didn't deserve the title of Demon Thief!

The night was long and fraught with dreams. Tired of bantering with Xu Chaoyi, Zhang He slapped and shattered the white smoke–both Red Flag Gang ships fore and aft exploded into countless fragments as if by the might of gods and demons.

At the sight of such spectacle, even Xu Chaoyi couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Among the South Seas, those considered top-tier were like the Gaoli ghost–perhaps one or two were geniuses blessed by the heavens, and even with magic and Spell Nightmare, they were not beyond human reach. Yet, the Demon Thief's methods were seemingly divine. The Taiping Document that brought such glory to Zhang He seemed nothing less than a gift from the Heavenly Mother…

Xu Chaoyi turned his gaze away, looking over the table at the young woman who was craning her snowy neck to see more.

This woman had come from the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea…

Thinking to himself, Xu Chaoyi was puzzled how this woman, brought by Tianbao from the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea, had suddenly become the Fire Cauldron Lady of the Cai's Tianbo Division. However, that didn't stop Chaoyi from harboring great expectations for Lady Dan.

Chaoyi wanted to speak but hesitated for a moment. Lady Dan, seeing the man's embarrassment, took the initiative, “Just call me Lady Dan.”

“Ah, Fire Cauldron Lady,” Chaoyi said, glancing at the expressionless Cai Hucong beside her and deciding to stick to the formal title.

“Our Lantau Island is under a dire threat, and it just so happens that the revered divine being has arrived. I hope the lady will offer us salvation,” Chaoyi said, deeply bowing, yet still, some of the Cai's people looked dissatisfied, as if the honor he showed was insufficient.

“The Taiping Document… This magic is similar to the prayers for divine intervention. I might have some confidence,” Lady Dan mused about her stance, which she hesitated to declare outright. Privately she thought that knowing she and Li Yan's identities was sufficient for the people of the Cai Clan and Red Flag to avoid trouble.

“I merely require the assistance of Leader Xu, for a favor.”

“Speak freely, my lady.”

Chaoyi spoke with gravity.

“He constructs a Dharma Platform and sets up an incense burner; I too shall erect a Dharma Platform, set up an incense burner, and it must only be taller than his, not shorter.”

“I shall see to it immediately–”

Just as Xu Chaoyi was about to step out, the people of the Red Flag could not stop her, the orphan of the two former Dragon Heads of the Red Flag Gang, the young Zheng Xiu'er, who had just turned nine the day before, burst in.

“Xiu'er, it's dangerous here; you go back first. If you've been wronged, wait for Tianbao to return, and Uncle Chaoyi will decide for you,” Xu Chaoyi instinctively coaxed.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Xiu'er glanced at him with disdain, brushed past him, and with a childish voice asked the Cai Hucong, “I heard that your boss once performed the grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows for the Fire Cauldron Lady. Is it true or false?”

The Hucong was stunned but merely nodded.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiu'er immediately knelt down before Lady Dan, who stood up to pull her by the shoulders, but seeing the girl's earnest expression, she hesitated and didn't intervene.

After kneeling twice and knocking her head six times, her forehead turned bright red as she stood up. The little girl dusted the dirt from her blue cloth pants and said, “Although Uncle Cai is older, as the commander of the alliance, he should be lower than me. If he kowtows three times and bows nine times to the lady, then it is only natural that I should perform two bows and six kowtows.”

Lady Dan looked at the earnest-faced Zheng Xiu'er and asked with a smile, “So, what request does Alliance Hierarch Xiu'er have?”

“The same as Uncle Chaoyi, I hope the Fire Cauldron Lady will save my Lantau Island.”

“In that case, I agree.”

Lady Dan nodded her head in assent.

“Uncle Chaoyi,” Zheng Xiu'er turned her head, “where are the four faction leaders held captive by Tianbao?”

Xu Chaoyi was taken aback. Why bring this up now? But then Zheng Xiu'er added, “I've long heard Tianbao say that once the matters here are resolved, he'll release three of the faction leaders. The Five Flags were originally branches of the same tree; this is all just a misunderstanding. With Lantau Island in imminent danger, Uncle Chaoyi, you must watch over the three Dragon Heads. If their lives are lost, the Red Flag will ensure the Demon Thief pays with his blood and gives them justice.”

Xu Chaoyi, with his shrewd mind, understood her implications halfway through her speech.

Now that the Three Flags' Dragon Heads were in the hands of the Red Flag, they had become a hot potato. Killing them was inappropriate; releasing them, even less so. If they were to die at Zhang He's hands, that would be clean and leave no loose ends. As for Li Yan, he had long coveted the Blue Flag's Qianjun Biao and Black Flag's Zhao Xiaoyi.

“I heed the command,” Xu Chaoyi bowed his hands in respect and left at a measured pace.

He closed the door, and standing outside was Lin Yuanfu…

The two exchanged glances, and Xu Chaoyi pursed his lips, staring at the old man for a long while before turning around to leave.

Old Man Lin, carrying half a catty of huadiao wine, had listened at the foot of the wall for quite a while and only now nodded, “Didn't forget her lines, nor was she stage-shy, not bad.”

Demon Thieves and pirates, each as brave and fierce as the next. Their fleet tore through the Red Flag's defense like decayed wood, and within half an hour, most of Lantau Island's shore was overrun! At least six groups of Demon Thieves had slain their way into Lantau Island, some even penetrating the heartland of the shipyard!

At this moment, Zheng Xiu'er's ten fingers were intertwined, biting her lips with an anxious look. Yet in her occasional glances, there was an unusual air about her.

Lady Dan waited for Chaoyi to prepare the Dharma Platform, incense burner, and long banners. Bored, she started staring intently at Xiu'er's face.

After a long while, Xiu'er looked up and stared back at Lady Dan.

“Want some cake?”

“Not hungry.”

“Okay.”

Chapter end