Chapter Twenty-Four: The Japanese Arrive (Part Two)

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On the official vessel, a young man dressed as a constable was looking around with open curiosity.

“Seriously? So many officials have come? Isn’t this diplomatic mission supposed to be handled by the newly appointed envoy for relations with the Wanu Kingdom?”

“That goose insignia on his chest means he must be the prefect of Yuezhou. Good heavens, there isn’t just one prefect—there are two, three, four, five! Could every prefect in Yue have come? And who are those men? The maritime commissioner, the naval vice commander—wait, isn’t that Governor-General Niu’s chief secretary? I heard that old fellow never wanted to be an official. And look, even the investigating censor is here. Isn’t that External Director Zhao? There are also a whole host of presidents and bank directors from the Grand Thoroughfare Merchants’ Guild. They’re all filthy rich! Brother Xu, I see your father—and your superior too—”

“Shut up!”

Xu Kaishan finally lost patience and roared. His face immediately twisted as though he had swallowed something foul.

Ever since returning from overseas, he had not encountered a single stroke of luck. Suppressing the Burning Body Hall should have been a fine opportunity to earn merit. The arrangement had been for three generals from the capital and three commanders from the local forces, but because his injuries had not fully healed, he had been unable to take part.

At long last, he had managed to secure a place in the expedition, only to discover that he was being assigned to escort envoys from the Wanu Kingdom. What sort of joke was this? In the past, the southeastern troops had fought those pirates until their brains nearly spilled out. Now the pirates had transformed themselves into envoys—and he was expected to escort them. Escort their mothers!

Xu Xiaoxiao, however, refused to give up. He edged closer and asked curiously, “Brother Xu, we’re family, after all. Could you quietly tell me which of these Wanu men have fought your people before? Which of them is the strongest?”

“Get lost, get lost, get lost!”

Xu Kaishan rolled over in annoyance on the deck, his anger still burning.

“Go catch your rebels. What the hell does this have to do with you?”

Xu Xiaoxiao turned pale with fright and hurriedly lowered his voice.

“Brother Xu, don’t say things like that. I’m only a constable. I came here to arrest the White-Robed Bandit. What Arhat Temple rebels are you talking about?”

Xu Kaishan summoned a soldier with a listless wave and asked, “How much longer?”

“Reporting to you, sir, perhaps half an hour.”

“Then I’ll sleep for a while. Wake me when they arrive.”

Xu Kaishan simply shut his eyes, determined to see and hear nothing. He continued muttering under his breath, “So I said a few nice things about His Majesty, and now a whole pack of officials is fawning over pirates. What kind of madness is this?”

Seeing him in such a state, Xu Xiaoxiao stopped pestering him. Instead, a thoughtful glimmer appeared in his eyes.

* * *

On the other side of the sea, ten distinctive Sakaya longships from the Wanu Kingdom followed the river toward the Central Lands. Their hulls resembled enormous, elongated turtles. According to the shipmasters of the Wanu Kingdom, although these vessels were not as large as the warships of the Central Lands, they were still great ships of the “land upon the sea” class.

Strange and bizarre banners flew high above every ship: a seabed yaksha, a pufferfish boy, a ghost-fire lantern, and countless other uncanny emblems.

They represented the ten most powerful feudal clans in the Wanu Kingdom.

One of the vessels bore the pirate clan crest of a cherry tree floating above a river of blood. Its branches were thick with foliage, its blossoms and leaves uncannily like human skin. Hidden among the crown was the faint outline of a beautiful woman’s head, her eyes curved like new moons.

This was the Cherry Maiden Tree of the Shinyin clan, a newly risen power in the Wanu Kingdom.

Standing on the deck was a middle-aged warrior wearing a black eyepatch. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and at his waist hung two swords, one long and one short.

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This man was Shinyin Zhai, a rising master of the Shinyin clan and practitioner of the Two-Sword Style.

“What are you thinking about, Brother Zhai?” asked a broad, dark-limbed man with an honest, simple face and a booming laugh.

“I wonder how Sakurako is doing in the Central Lands. I’m worried about her,” Shinyin Zhai replied quietly.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. My little sister is certainly safe. Princess Feng is an imperial envoy; she would never risk offending both our sides. Besides, our adoptive father has made arrangements this time.”

The big man picked his nose as he spoke.

Shinyin Zhai hesitated, then asked, “I heard that Prince Dragon-Treasure was recently wounded. I wonder how serious his injuries are.”

“Our adoptive father? That old man is as healthy as ever. He could still spend the night with nine women without trouble. We needn’t concern ourselves with him.”

“That is true. I spoke out of turn.”

The warrior lowered his head in apology.

“Honestly, you Wanu people are good at everything except this excessive obsession with etiquette. It’s no fun at all.”

The big man chatted with Shinyin Zhai for a while longer, then hitched up his trousers and announced that he was going to relieve himself.

He had not been gone long when a hunched old man appeared. Short and dressed in a hunting robe, the elder spoke in a gloomy voice.

“What a crude fellow. No wonder he can only be a lowborn pirate.”

“Elder, do not underestimate him. He is Zhu Baozai’s third adopted son, Zhu Sanchi, commander of the Iron Shark Fleet. He is one of the most formidable figures among the Ten Shark Generals, ranking within the top three.”

“Hmph. Zhu Baozai’s eldest and second sons died in battle, leaving only this simple-minded third son. His vast domain can only be inherited by Princess Sakura—and Princess Sakura belongs to our Shinyin clan. An adopted son will always remain an outsider. Remember that, Zhai.”

“Yes!”

After a brief silence, Shinyin Zhai suddenly said, “We do business with Zhu Baozai, and the Assassin Corps has fought the troops of the Central Lands before. Could that damage our relations with the imperial court there?”

“Put your mind at ease. The officials of the Central Lands are completely controlled by their emperor. Since we are meeting the emperor himself, they will certainly receive us with the utmost enthusiasm. Besides, our clashes with their troops took place only at sea; we never advanced inland. The Nishikawa clan is different. They followed the pirate king Meng Tianban in attacking prefectures and counties of the Central Lands, slaughtering countless people. They are the ones the imperial court truly fears.”

“I see.”

Shinyin Zhai nodded respectfully.

“Although the Nishikawa clan’s maritime campaign failed, they are still a great power of the Central Plains. Three of the Four Grand Masters of the Central Plains were invited by Nishikawa Xiong. This journey to the Central Lands must therefore conceal a profound scheme.”

“Precisely. Our Shinyin clan has Zhu Baozai’s fleet supplying us, so the imperial maritime ban will have little effect on us. That is why our most important task on this journey is to welcome Princess Sakura.”

“Yes!”

Though he said this, Shinyin Zhai’s gaze still drifted toward Nishikawa Xiong’s clan crest: a huge, faceless ogre fluttering in the wind. Given the other clan’s domineering reputation in the Wanu Kingdom, this journey would certainly not be peaceful.

* * *

“Commander, a secret report. Martial artists from the six southeastern provinces have been arriving one after another. There is Iron Lion Wu Tie, Mo Family Boxing’s Bao Shenlong, Iron Arhat Jia Fo, the Three-Bamboo Spearman…”

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Kou Li listened to the Ogre’s report, then turned his head.

“After making a circuit, what did you find?”

“We identified roughly seventy-five trained fighters and ran into quite a few familiar faces.”

The Nanzhi Fist Patriarch had long been famous for appearing and disappearing like a ghost. With the Consumptive Ghost’s mastery of the grand boxing arts, there were few people in Yue’s martial world capable of concealing themselves from him.

“I heard only fifty-five sets of footsteps. That means at least twenty of them have practiced their martial arts to the bone. It seems quite a few formidable fighters have come indeed.”

Kou Li’s gaze swept toward Young Master Huang, who was exchanging greetings with officials from every region. He gave a self-mocking smile.

“Unfortunately, hardly any of them are here to help us.”

“Of course not. Back then, when they followed Marshal Hong, commander of the six-province campaign against the Wanu, their first goal was to defend their homeland, but more importantly, they could earn military merit. Now that the imperial court has established relations with the Wanu Kingdom, offending the Wanu would mean disgracing the court. They would be caught between both sides. Even when defending one’s country, a man still has to make a living.”

The Consumptive Ghost chuckled and took another drink.

“Damn it! Are we really the only ones from the Phoenix Residence expected to deal with the Wanu masters? This is too much!”

Toad Face swallowed hard.

“Isn’t this perfect? How many chances does a man get in his lifetime to stand alone against an entire nation? Without storms and roaring waves, how could you temper yourself between life and death and shatter the barrier between the two? That is where the true exhilaration lies!”

Kou Li’s eyes shone as he threw back his head and laughed.

“Exactly. I’ve spent more than a decade drunk on life and dreams. It’s time I stretched my limbs.”

The Consumptive Ghost smiled faintly.

“Two madmen.”

Toad Face hunched his head down, then suddenly widened his eyes.

“The ships are here.”

“The ships have indeed arrived.”

Kou Li accepted the secret letter handed over by the Ogre, his gaze deepening.

“Fifty miles away, at the Min River estuary near Water Hyacinth Town, pirate vessels have been sighted.”

“At a time like this…”

The Consumptive Ghost and Toad Face both frowned.

The Wanu envoy delegation had only just arrived, and pirates were already appearing. If they were allowed to plunder the coast, regardless of whose face was ultimately bruised, Young Master Huang, as the envoy responsible for relations with the Wanu, would certainly be punished.

Kou Li noticed that the mustached investigating censor had already furrowed his brow. Clearly, somehow, the news had slipped into his ears.

“We…”

Kou Li nodded toward Young Master Huang and smiled faintly.

“We needn’t concern ourselves. Pirate affairs should naturally be settled by pirates.”

At the Min River estuary, three pirate ships flying the banners of the Water Dragon Gang blocked two other pirate vessels that were preparing to land. The two groups of pirates stood glaring at each other, swords drawn and weapons readied.

“Guo Fanzi! We’re all in the same trade. We’ve never interfered with each other. What the hell do you want?”

the pirate captain roared.

“Who’s in the same trade with you? I’m going to become a righteous citizen someday. I’m fundamentally different from scum like you. Take the hint and leave, or I’ll personally lead a campaign against every last one of you vermin!”

Fishhead Wolf ran his tongue around the edge of his curved saber, his face gleaming with bloodlust.

I’ve already given you my pledge of allegiance. Don’t disappoint us, Commander!