Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 256

Chapter 256: Article 93 of the Taiping Document!

Fulin's mind turned, and he asked Cai Qian with a surging momentum, “Shunguan, when fighting the Red Hair, how many of those cannons with yellow gunpowder do you have on hand?”

“Not a single one, the ships belong to the Lin Family, and the cannons belong to the Red Flag Gang…”

Cai Qian's words were like a salty duck egg, completely stuffed into Fulin's throat, leaving him unable to utter a word.

“Now the Red Flag has become powerful. Even the Demon Thief who once tried to sneak attack Lantau Island has disappeared without a trace. Tianbao, wielding the might of a great victory, has all the pirates of the South Seas looking to him in awe. Sir, impatience can spoil great plans.”

It took Fulin half a day to squeeze out a sentence: “So we can't deal with this bunch of country bumpkins?”

“Not necessarily…”

Cai Qian leisurely drained his cup of wine, revealing a shallow smile on his face. He lowered his head, and from his sleeve slipped out a glass bottle, within which a membrane bubble twisted continuously.

The secret of envy, the Siren Algae Bacterium.

“Wrath? Tianbao Dragon Head, we still have a fight ahead of us.”

“Back to Lantau Island first!”

Li Yan instructed the helmsman.

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Gu needed to stay in Guangzhou for a while longer, and after some time, Chaoyi would also go there. This time Fulin had bled profusely. With Guangdong ravaged by both the Red Hair and pirates, its vitality greatly damaged, he still had to offer a substantial amount of silver and connections to confer titles and ranks upon the pirate leaders of the South Seas. This reward had to be demanded by the pirate leaders of the Red, Cai, and Lin families. It was also a favor to the other pirates. Li Yan didn't want to deal with these trifles, but he needed to find someone trustworthy to keep an eye on them.

He grew up inland and wasn't used to living at sea. But after these days, when Li Yan saw the endless expanse of the Azure Black Sea again and smelled the fishy sea breeze, he felt a different kind of closeness, and his body felt much more comfortable.

“Tianbao, aren't we leaving in a bit of a rush?”

“A rush? Now there are rumors everywhere that I let Zhang He raid my lair. Shouldn't I rush back to check it out? Lantau Island sent word that they have the Demon Thief under control, but do you have any idea how exactly?”

The man rubbed his head.

“Hey, Tianbao, you're not taking one of those spirited girls with you?”

“Whoever is interested, just take her home. But there's one thing, you can't already have a wife and then expect to take someone from me, a single man, right?”

The man clicked his tongue: “What a pity, I've already got a wife at home.”

Li Yan turned his head and pressed his palm on Xiao Ba's head.

“Xiao Ba, don't you want to choose one?”

“No, they are too young.”

Li Yan smiled and rubbed Xiao Ba's hair. With the wind billowing the sails, the grand and victorious Red Flag fleet returned laden with bounty. The Spirit of the Duck, carrying Wupozi's Shell and the Living Seawater Turbine, led the way ahead of the first thirty-odd warships, returning to the Lantau Island headquarters.

The ships were filled with rich treasures, including one million and five hundred thousand taels of silver, various precious medicinal herbs, antiques, furs, astronomical instruments, barometers, firearms, weapons, and six eighty-meter oak Dragon Bones. The blueprints and equipment from the three major shipyards in Guangzhou were taken as well, and anything that could be carried off was not left behind. If not for Cai Qian's supervision, Li Yan had the intention of even locking up and taking away the various craftsmen in the city.

Useful or not, they were first taken back to Lantau Island, which lacked nothing, nor did they feel there was too much.

“Once we get there, Cha Daozi and his gang should also have returned.”

Li Yan shook his head: “I told them to wait for me at Mage Island. Once the cargo is unloaded, I will go straight to Mage Island.”

The pirates didn't understand why their Dragon Head cared so much about Mage Island, yet they nodded in agreement.

Someone coughed: “Tianbao, there's something I haven't had the chance to tell you. When Zhang He launched a surprise attack on our Lantau Island, Madam Guo and the others were killed by the invading pirates, and not even a complete corpse was left.”

Li Yan was taken aback and immediately asked, “When did this news come in?”

“This morning.”

Li Yan pursed his lips: “Open up that seawater turbine for me. We must hurry back before noon tomorrow.”

The Spirit of the Duck left the main fleet behind, and by the next morning, the crew could see the Lantau Island starting to appear… as well as the towering cyan flames that rose from the sea beside the reefs of Lantau Island, majestic like mountains, clustering like budding flowers.

Before Li Yan even set foot on the stones of Lantau Island, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably at the sight of the towering mountain of cyan flames rising up from the sea. His vision was better than that of ordinary people; behind the cyan flames, there were clearly lines of warships.

Li Yan paid no heed to the incessant chatter of the crew, instead gazing intently towards the cliff ahead, where a beautiful silhouette stood watching him.

“So that's how it was controlled…”

“You should be careful. Zhang He is only trapped. You going in there alone still poses a great risk.”

Li Yan fastened his hard leather gauntlets as Lady Dan reminded him.

“If I were Zhang He, I would have been scared out of my wits by your move, let alone have the will to resist.”

“Actually, you could have achieved this step sooner or later.”

Li Yan punched his own hand, and his brows suddenly furrowed: “By doing this, are there any side effects?”

Lady Dan opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Li Yan's frown deepened and he interrupted her directly: “Don't try to comfort me.”

“…” Lady Dan chuckled: “It's nothing, except that with the cyan flame unextinguished, I don't have any magic left to do anything else.”

Li Yan wanted to ask a few more questions, or simply use A Fleeting Glimpse to check Lady Dan's current state. With their current relationship, this wouldn't be too big of a deal. But after thinking about it, he decided to restrain himself.

“Then, let me take you in.”

Li Yan nodded.

Without seeing Lady Dan make any motion, a path opened up in the azure flames above the sea. Li Yan was too lazy to bother with a boat, so he walked over the ice and into the midst of the sea of azure flames.

Lady Dan, hugging her shoulders, watched Li Yan walk away with a smile blooming like flowers, the reason for which was unknown. Perhaps to her, words like “do not worry about me” could be considered a form of endearment.

As Li Yan stepped into the azure flames, the fire concealed a gloom akin to a ghostly realm, filled with melancholy clouds and dismal fog.

Seventeen days had passed since Lady Dan made her move…

Almost the moment Li Yan entered, a “Hollow Knife” attack came slashing down at him.

Li Yan's ears twitched and he twisted his waist to dodge, ice spraying in all directions beneath his feet. He folded his body twice on the dented deck, and before the pirate, a demon thief, had a chance to see clearly, darkness flooded his vision as Li Yan forcefully grabbed him by the head and hoisted him up.

“Warm welcome, eh?”

Li Yan's smile was tinged with mirth.

“It's the Red Flag Gang!”

“Tianbao, Tianbao!”

After being trapped by flames for seventeen days, out of food and fresh water, these pirates looked as unkempt as beggars, their eyes glinting with the green of starved wolves.

The voices grew louder and one by one, heads emerged, their strong crossbows and firearms all pointed at Li Yan. Yet their fingers trembled, none daring to act.

Li Yan flung his arm, throwing the man far away.

“Call Zhang He out to see me.”

No sooner had he spoken than a deep, hoarse male voice reached his ears.

“To the victor belong the spoils; tell me what you want, and it shall be done.”

Li Yan narrowed his eyes; Zhang He's attire and complexion were as cold and gloomy as ever. But the bloodshot in his eyes looked like those of a vulture.

“Hand over the Taiping Document, and I'll let you leave Lantau Island alive.”

Zhang He sneered with disdain, “Do you think I'd believe your lies?”

“Madam Guo and the others are dead; I need you alive to take the blame for me.”

Li Yan didn't pay lip service to pleasantries and simply laid out his plan.

“Besides, Cai Qian is not an easy man; having you around will also serve to constrain him.”

“Aren't you afraid I'll make a comeback?”

“If Madam Shi can suppress you, I can do the same,” Li Yan chuckled coldly. “Besides, do your men still have the courage to come to Lantau Island?”

Zhang He was left without a response.

Li Yan looked around: “I'll give you an hour to consider.”

“No need…”

Zhang He glanced over his brothers and disciples, his fists tightening and loosening, blood seeping from his bitten lips. “You want the Taiping Document? Fine.”

Li Yan gestured for him to continue.

“Follow me.”

Zhang He turned around and, after a silent incantation, levitated and flew out toward the warship.

Li Yan walked over the ice, step by step, following him closely, leaving a trail of frost in his wake.

The two of them, one after the other, walked a good distance until they were surrounded by no one else, just the abandoned, charred remains of a ship.

“Last time at the Tianbo Division, I lost to you because I had already clashed with Elder Yan.”

“So?”

“Let's fight again. If you win, the Taiping Document is yours to take!”

Li Yan stared at Zhang He's face and nodded.

“Agreed.”

The black smoke billowed as frost patterns spread beneath Li Yan's feet.

Taiping Document*Wang Lingji!

Tiger Rises! Swallow Through the Curtain!

The spear roared, demon shadows flickered, and water burst violently.

As the sun set in the west, the towering like mountains of azure flame blossoms eventually dissipated into nothing, with the last bit of azure fire being drawn into the Black Cauldron in Lady Dan's hand. The battered and depleted demon thieves also gradually retreated.

“So, he fought again and lost?”

Xue Ba sneered.

Li Yan licked his lips, “If the roles were reversed, I would lose too.” He lowered his head, gripping a gold and a purple pill in his hand.

Others could not discern their authenticity, but Earth Endurance's prompt would not deceive him.

[Taiping Document*Yang (Yin) Scroll]

Chapter end