Chapter 248 Swords Drawn and Bows Bent
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In Lei Wujie's eyes, Xiao Se was a person who never showed weakness. Even when they faced the Hidden River’s weird and unpredictable Thousand-Faced Ghost, or even when they fought the ruthless Heads of Su and Xie Houses, he didn’t flinch at all. But this time, he said it very seriously, that if they stayed here, everyone on the ship would die.
So even Lei Wujie felt alarmed and wondered what exactly Xiao Lingchen had said to Xiao Se, and what enemy they were about to face.
But Mu Chunfeng shook his head firmly. "No, none of us will die."
Xiao Se frowned slightly and did not speak.
"Besides." Mu Chunfeng paused. "You guys promised me that you would help me catch that iron crystal snake. Without you guys, it can’t be done."
"We’re already in dire straits and you’re still worried about your brother's illness?" Xiao Se asked faintly.
"This matter affects the inheritance of my Mu family, and even more, it’s about the reputation of my Mu family. Nobody is allowed to snatch anything from my Mu family's merchant ship, whether it's goods or people. Manager Tian!" Mu Chunfeng suddenly swept away his guise of an elegant young master and shook his sleeves. "Raise the family flag!"
The Mu family used two flags. One was the merchant flag which was the Phoenix Takes Flight flag. And the other was the family flag on which there was only one word written in large and blocky strokes - Mu.
"As you command." Tian Mozhi, who once again appeared out of nowhere, bowed his head slightly.
Tang Lian walked forward. "What now?"
"The Mu family has their own pride, so I will accept owing him this favor." Xiao Se paused. "We have about three days left. We should cultivate our energy."
"Will there be a deadly battle ahead?" Sikong Qianluo asked.
Xiao Se nodded. "One in ten chance of survival."
"I have an idea I’d like to try," Tang Lian said suddenly.
"You’ve just entered the Unrestrained realm. If you forcibly enter the Unfettered Heavenly Realm, you will suffer qi deviation," Xiao Se said softly.
Tang Lian sighed. "If it comes to that, I have no choice either."
Xiao Se looked up at the sky, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
Lei Wujie touched the sword in his arms, as if he was reminded of something.
Sikong Qianluo bit her lip, wanting to say something yet she didn't say anything.
They had encountered many dangerous situations before, but this time was different. In this vast and boundless sea, none of their masters would appear to rescue them. This time, they were completely on their own.
Xiao Se lowered his head and walked towards the cabin.
"What are you going to do?" Lei Wujie asked.
"You all train, I’m going to sleep." Xiao Se didn't look back.
The other three suddenly laughed.
Three days passed very quickly. Everything was very calm the last three days. Even Lei Wujie seemed subdued, concentrating on training his sword. Sikong Qianluo trained continuously with Tang Lian. As for Tang Lian who no longer used his hidden weapons, he no longer had the decisive and murderous skills of the past. But, each and every move in his martial arts showed even more of a master’s style and manner. Sikong Qianluo had just entered the Unrestrained Earthly Realm so her spear arts were also rejuvenated and her progress incredibly rapid.
Xiao Se continued to sleep the whole time.
Mu Chunfeng was always looking at his Moving Mountains sword, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Three days later, as expected, two ships slowly appeared in front of them. The two ships appeared almost at the same time, but it was obvious that they did not come together.
Because one ship was under the command of the Beili Gaocheng Prefecture navy, and the other was under the command of the Guotong Prefecture. Both were coastal prefectures that indeed had the right to send ships to patrol the open sea, but they rarely came this deep into the open sea. On the Gaocheng Prefecture ship, the navy commander was watching the Guotong Prefecture ship and he said softly, "They’ve sent people here too?"
Behind him was a man in gray robes, who looked like an advisor to a government official. He replied lightly, "The governor-general of Guotong Prefecture is the younger cousin of His Highness, the White Prince’s birth mother."
"So, we won’t have to do anything?" The commander sighed in relief. Although his prefecture governor-general also had an extraordinary relationship with His Highness, the Red Prince in Heavenly Revelations, the orders that they’d received was a great toll on their forces. The moment the governor-general received the letter, he immediately turned pale.
"I'm afraid they will have the same thought." The gray-robed man sighed.
Sure enough, as soon as the Gaocheng Prefecture ship slowed down, the Guotong Prefecture ship also slowed down. The two ships were almost side by side and sailing closer and closer.
The commander sighed. "This matter is not going to be easy."
The gray-robed man insisted, "It must be done."
The commander pointed to the ship they were facing that was slowly coming towards them, and pointed at the flag on their mast. "Mister, do you know what flag that is?"
The gray-robed man raised his head and muttered, "Qingzhou Mu family?"
"Obviously, you received news that the person was heading east to go to Three Snake Islands by boat, but you didn’t know what sort of boat he was on. The Nine Cities of Qingzhou are independently self-governed, so there is no provincial government and they report directly to Heavenly Revelations. That’s because these nine cities represent the entire wealth of Heavenly Revelations. And the Mu family of Yunjian City are called the richest family in Qingzhou, not because they’re the most wealthy, but because they sat at the helm of the Chamber of Commerce. As long as they wished it, do you believe that by next year, half of the citizens in Gaocheng Prefecture will become refugees?" The commander sighed. "We can't fight them."
Mu Chunfeng stood at the bow of his ship, looking at the two approaching ships. He had no intention to avoid them and his eyes remained firm. "Although I don't like to use my status to pressure others, my father often told me, handling people is like doing business. Sometimes you have to give in, sometimes you can’t back off even a single step."
The Mu family flag at the top of the mast was fluttering loudly in the wind. Xiao Se had a faint smile on his face. "The present head of the Qingzhou Mu family is indeed worthy of admiration."
"Is there a story behind it?" Lei Wujie asked curiously.
"Our Mu family used to be a wealthy family in Qingzhou. During my grandfather's time, we were swindled by a scoundrel and lost our family fortune. My father was left with a small medicine shop which he managed himself. Later, my father was able to recover the family fortune and once again became the richest family in Yunjian City and he ordered someone to remake our family flag. The Phoenix Takes Flight flag has been our Mu family’s flag for over a hundred years, but this single-character flag was made by my father. We seldom hang it up, but once we do, then according to my father, we mean only one thing."
"What meaning is that?" Lei Wujie asked.
"It’s to let others know how we write the character Mu!" Mu Chunfeng suddenly drew the Moving Mountains sword from his waist. The seawater surged and there was a grand feeling of pride in his words.
Everyone present couldn't help but admire the head of the Mu family, and also the pride and bearing of the entire Mu family.
"They’re getting closer," the gray-robed man said slowly.
The commander pressed down on the long sabre at his waist. Their target was still far away at the moment, so of course, he didn’t need to draw his blade to meet the enemy. If he drew his blade, it was only to issue his orders.
Attack a Qingzhou Mu family ship? The commander smiled bitterly. "Are we really not worried about the consequences?"
The gray-robed man said solemnly, "Once they’re dead on this vast and boundless sea, who will know it was us?"
The commander looked at the Guotong Prefecture ship that was not far away. "They’ll know."
The gray-robed man flashed a fierce look in his eyes. "So we can also say that they did it."
The commander shook his head. "I have had dealings with the Qingzhou Mu Office. Considering the style of the current head of the family, if they can’t make clear who was right and who was wrong, he’ll end both sides."
The gray-robed man hesitated for a long time at those words, but in the end, he slowly ordered, "Fire the arrows."
"Gaocheng Prefecture will pay a heavy price for this." The commander knew in his heart that he could no longer convince the other man to change his mind.
"After the deed is done, all under Heaven will be ours. What’s more, your Gaocheng Prefecture?" The gray-robed man was firm. "Fire the arrows."
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