The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1660: Chapter 842: The Calamity of Guangzhou

As soon as the secret code was spoken, there was immediate movement inside.

With a light creak, the wooden door opened to reveal a gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.

A mixed odor of mildew, dust, and rust hit his face.

The sunlight outside was blocked by the door, making the warehouse extremely dim, with only a few small high windows casting weak pillars of light mixed with dust.

The fish seller quickly slipped inside.

The heavy wooden door closed silently behind him, shutting out all external noise.

The warehouse interior was empty, filled with dust-covered crates and unknown miscellaneous items, casting large shadows.

The air was oppressive and stifling, and at the very back, a vague silhouette could be seen sitting on an overturned barrel.

An icy voice spoke, "Sunk to the bottom?"

"Hmph, thirty thousand troops, flying wooden birds, quite a display. Zhang Xuanling, Lai Jiuling, Qingwei... The Mystical Sect elite have all come out."

The voice paused, "Those Ghost Sect people only think about taking action, unaware that their previous success was due to hiding in the shadows, coupled with the vastness of the Divine State, which caught the court off guard.

"But when the water is murky, it’s easier to fish! Thirty thousand troops entering the mountains, Guangzhou City is like a tiger with its teeth pulled. The blood debt owed to us Damen by the court should be settled!"

The fish seller also took off his tattered jacket, revealing a bare torso crisscrossed with whip marks and branding scars, and said resentfully: "Exactly, there are more than three hundred ships on Old Shark Head’s side, hidden behind the Sand Island outside Tiger Gate, with blades sharpened, just waiting for the tide."

"And what about the Red-haired Barbarian’s gunships?" another voice rasped from the shadows.

"Three decked ships, anchored in Lingding Ocean." The fish seller spat, "The foreign leader Red Beard said, once they break through the city walls, we can take whatever we want from inside the city, they only want the machinery and silver."

"And those who raise insects from the South Seas?"

"The black canopy fleet has already sneaked into White Goose Pond, led by Snake Lord who’s got a few jars of Blood Line Flying Head ready, just waiting for the signal."

The fish seller’s eyes gleamed with a wolf-like viciousness, "The Jianmu people have given real gold and silver, and also an opportunity for revenge. This time, we’ll wash Guangzhou Prefecture in blood!"

...

Meanwhile, on the second floor of a teahouse in the South City of Guangzhou.

A customer by the window holding half a piece of water chestnut cake sputtered their words, "Tsk tsk, thirty thousand troops! Such a spectacle, banners covering the sky, cannon muzzles pointing upwards! I heard they are heading to Nanling to exterminate the millennium Corpse King!"

The elderly woman selling rice dumpling leaves next to him spat, "Pah! What Corpse King, it’s the Demon Monk from the South Seas causing mischief! Just a few days ago, the daughter of Landlord Zhang at West Gate, wasn’t she possessed?"

She lowered her voice, speaking mysteriously, "They all say, it’s the court digging for treasures in Nanling, stirring up the Evil Spirits underground..."

At another table, a group of merchants appeared worried: "Whatever it is, let’s just hope there’s no more warfare. The sea hasn’t been peaceful these years, the Red-haired Barbarian ships are getting more aggressive, if chaos erupts on land too, business will be impossible to conduct..."

The group clinked glasses and drained their cool tea.

...

Crown Prince Mansion, West Garden Study Room.

Xiao Jingheng held the just-delivered secret report, his brows furrowed tightly.

Outside the window, the lingering echoes of dragon boat drums could faintly be heard, adding to the restless atmosphere. Though the roar of thirty thousand troops mobilizing still resonated in his ears, along with numerous experts accompanying the expedition, he felt a vague sense of unease.

"Your Highness," Zhou Qingyuan, dressed in the Jade Emperor Sect Daoist robe, stood silently in the shadows, "The Xuan Sacrificial Officer and Dragon Erosion have already delved deeply into Nanling. Master Zhang sent word, there are indeed signs of anomalies in the Earth Vein, but the target is well-hidden, searching will take more than a day’s work."

The Crown Prince nodded and said, "Our Great Xuan Country is vast, with many unseen nooks and crannies, but since those hiding have now poked their heads out, it’s a good opportunity to clear them out."

Saying this, his gaze swept across the large nautical map on the desk, his finger unconsciously pointing at the position of Lingding Ocean: "I’m also worried about the sea... although opening the sea routes has filled our Great Xuan’s treasury, once the gate is open, the demonic winds have blown in too. My father sent me here to stabilize the southeast."

"Furthermore, after the troops are transferred, Guangzhou City will inevitably be vulnerable."

"Your Highness, please rest assured."

Zhou Qingyuan quickly cupped his hands and said, "Several battalions of troops will temporarily remain in the city, each Magic Veins family has also dispatched disciples to patrol, and with the new firearms, such little pirate scum is no match."

"Hmm."

Only then did the Crown Prince nod with satisfaction, "It’s best to be cautious."

...

As dusk settled, a thin layer of gray mist floated on the surface of the Zhujiang River.

The muddy river water parted, and narrow Dantings without sails or lights and covered in black mud slid out silently like ghosts from the thick mangroves and reeds, merging into the main river channel without a sound.

There were no lights on the bow, the men were tan and robust, with water-dividing spears tucked in their waists and short knives with shark teeth strapped to their backs, while fishing nets dipped in tortoise blood trailed in the water beside the boats.

This was a local method of warding off water ghosts.

The scent of mugwort and rice dumpling leaves drifted faintly from the city, mixed with the clamor after the Dragon Boat Race.

On the bow of the largest dilapidated black canopy boat, quietly stood three figures.

On the left was a woman named Luolao, her skin dark and rough from years of exposure to seawater, wrapped tightly in a waterproof oilcloth skirt, with two large, ancient Conch Ear Dang on her earlobes emitting a faint jade glow in the dim light.

This Ear Dang was passed down from her Dan Family grandmother, capable of discerning the enchanting songs of sea demons.

In the center was a lean man with wrapped head, nicknamed Star Guest.

His eye sockets were deep-set, with a high and prominent nose, carrying some exotic features, his knuckle bones large and rough and his waist adorned with a curved blade inlaid with tortoise shell.

This man was also a Damen, but was a descendant of Arabian Sea shipbuilders left in this area a century ago. Not only skilled in spells, but also quite knowledgeable in shipbuilding.

As for the one on the right, it was a thin old man.

His name was Pearl Alchemist, a descendant of He Pu pearl collectors, with various small pouches and peculiar shells hanging from him, proficient in various Mirage Illusion Techniques.