Chapter 673: The Secrets of Bat Island
Chapter 673: The Secrets of Bat Island
Yun Conglong glared at Jin Banhua, his teeth gritted and his voice filled with the rage of being wronged. "I never served Bat Island as a dog!"
"Sure, but what does that have to do with us?" Jin Banhua smiled and winked at Yun Conglong. "Do you think the virtuous people of Taihu Renyi Manor and the Wang family of Jinling will believe you? What about the heroes of the jianghu?"
Yun Conglong was speechless.
Jin Banhua chuckled, saying nothing more.
Hua Zhenzhen stood to the side, her eyes filled with sympathy for Yun Conglong, but she didn't interrupt.
Yun Conglong stared at Jin Banhua. Despite her innocent smile, her words were sharp as knives, and her eyes held a chilling, piercing light. This finally calmed him down.
"Who are you really?" Yun Conglong asked again.
"She is the Supreme Patriarch of the Huashan Sect, and I am the Second Palace Master of the Divine Water Palace, the younger brother of Water Mother Yin Ji," Jin Banhua replied.
Yun Conglong, "..."
"Since you two are unwilling to tell the truth, why bother with such lies to deceive me?" Yun Conglong's lips trembled with anger, feeling deeply insulted.
Hua Zhenzhen rubbed her forehead.
Jin Banhua remained noncommittal. "Now it's your turn."
Yun Conglong hesitated, then sighed.
Indeed, he was the fish on the chopping block, and the others could easily ignore his questions. Even if they chose to insult him, it was his own fault for being in this situation.
"What information do you want?" Yun Conglong asked.
"Tell us everything you know about Bat Island," Hua Zhenzhen said.
"That's a long story..."
Yun Conglong sighed. "I do business along the Yangtze River, so I have access to a lot of information. A few years ago, I heard about a suddenly appearing golden den where you could buy anything.
I tried to gather more information and learned that this golden den wasn't just any place. Only those who received an invitation could set foot on the mysterious island."
"Then, a year ago, I finally received an invitation from the golden den."
Yun Conglong's face was filled with fear. "It wasn't an ordinary invitation. The owner of the golden den had marked a specific item for auction."
"That item was exactly what you needed," Hua Zhenzhen interjected.
Yun Conglong's face turned pale as he spoke in a grave tone. "I realized the island was no ordinary place, but the allure of that item was too great. I couldn't resist going.
Moreover, the invitation promised that the other guests on the island would never know my identity, and they would keep the details of the transaction confidential."
Hua Zhenzhen sneered, and Yun Conglong lowered his head.
"You have no idea how terrifying Bat Island is!" Yun Conglong suddenly looked up, his eyes wild. "That place is a living hell!"
Hua Zhenzhen's voice was cold. "Even if it's hell, he stole from me, and he must return what he took!"
Yun Conglong stared at Hua Zhenzhen, seeing the determination in her eyes, and looked away.
"I met the island's representative at the river mouth. Under his guidance, we sailed out to sea, heading east for a day, then southeast for two more days, before arriving at the golden den. It was only then that I learned the golden den was called Bat Island," Yun Conglong explained.
Hua Zhenzhen asked, "Why is it called Bat Island?"
Yun Conglong's eyes were filled with fear. "Because from the outside, it looks like a deserted island. Everything is hidden inside the mountain's belly, and there is no light at all in there."
"Do they not light any lamps?"
Hua Zhenzhen asked.
"No way!" Yun Conglong replied firmly. "Before entering Bat Island, everyone must hand over anything that produces light, like flint and steel. The rule on Bat Island is that there must be no light at all."
Hua Zhenzhen frowned. "No light at all?"
"Exactly, no light at all!" Yun Conglong took a deep breath. "That's why no one knows each other's identities on the island, and we trust Bat Island's promises!"
"But apart from the darkness, the island offers every other kind of enjoyment," Yun Conglong continued. "There are beautiful women, fine wines from all over the world, and exquisite dishes. After we are satisfied, the auction begins.
Once the auction is over, we are escorted out of the cave by the people of Bat Island and board our respective ships to return to the mainland."
"Everything that happens on the island over those few days feels like a dream," Yun Conglong added. "No one knows we've been out to sea, and no one knows our secrets."
Hua Zhenzhen coldly remarked, "But Bat Island knows."
Jin Banhua chimed in with a smile, "And they can use that to blackmail you into obedience."
Yun Conglong fell silent, then sighed, "Yes, that's true!"
"But now your savior has arrived," Jin Banhua patted Yun Conglong's shoulder. "We have no interest in your secrets. Just tell us how to get to Bat Island and who the people there are, and the rest won't be your concern."
Yun Conglong hesitated. "I've spent my whole life on the Yangtze, but I don't know the sea routes. I drew a map, but I'm not sure if it's accurate..."
He took a piece of paper from a cabinet against the wall and handed it to Jin Banhua.
Jin Banhua unfolded it and saw that it was indeed the map he had given to Chu Liuxiang in the original story. A bat was drawn in the center, surrounded by wavy lines representing water currents. In the upper left corner was a glowing circle, and there were various black dots around it.
Jin Banhua was speechless. "This is a sea map?"
Yun Conglong looked a bit embarrassed and pointed to the map. "The sun is in the east, and this edge here is Songjiang Prefecture. These black dots around it are other islands we encountered while sailing..."
Jin Banhua glanced at the map, nodded half-heartedly, and thought to himself that Bat Island must be on one of the Ryukyu Islands, not far from the mainland coast. As long as they didn't encounter a storm, they should be safe.
"Alright," Jin Banhua nodded and put the map away.
"Regarding the people on Bat Island..." Yun Conglong's eyes showed a hint of fear. "He's called Ding Feng. I've heard he's the disciple of Bat Prince, responsible for welcoming guests to the island."
"Bat Prince is the lord of Bat Island," Yun Conglong added.
"The one who threatened me is also Ding Feng!" Yun Conglong clenched his teeth. "He wants me to give him an answer in a few days."
"And what will your answer be?" Jin Banhua asked with a smile.
"Even if I die, I won't be a dog for Bat Island!" Yun Conglong took a deep breath. "I've already arranged for my disciples to take over. They won't let Bat Island control the Dragon Cloud Gang, even without me."
"Yun Gangzhu is a true man," Jin Banhua nodded and then asked suddenly, "I've heard that Yun Gangzhu and Wushi Yang of the Phoenix Tail Gang have become close friends after a few battles. Is that true?"
Yun Conglong was taken aback. "How did you know?"
"How I know isn't important. I just want to ask Yun Gangzhu, since both your gangs are in the Jianghuai region, how do you know Bat Island hasn't set its sights on Wushi Yang?"
Yun Conglong: Σ(°△°|||)︴
(End of Chapter)
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