Chapter 584: Chapter 568: Mirage
The men were drinking, but San Niang remained aloof, her mood never high, always sitting off to the side, distracted.
Changkong had a lot on his plate, and although he found Zhao Changhe quite to his taste, he likewise had little inclination to talk too much.
Speaking of the illusory, in reality, he had boarded the Tang family’s ship only to ascertain what exactly Zhao Changhe and San Niang were up to at sea, especially since they had brought a powerful fleet, which was unsettling—a group of people fiercely engaged, and only now were the purposes of both parties beginning to be made clear.
Learning that Zhao Changhe was merely searching for an island, Changkong couldn’t help but laugh and cry: “Hai Qianfan really ran into a ghost here, this has nothing to do with you, yet you’ve barged in and made a huge mess.”
“Who says it’s got nothing to do with me? Guigui… San Niang’s issues are my issues too.”
Changkong glanced at San Niang, who was still distracted, seemingly not hearing what Zhao Changhe was saying. He smacked his lips and shook his head: “What island is it you’re looking for? Tell me about it.”
Zhao Changhe roughly described it, and Tang En by his side grew interested: “If one could see the Heart Fire of the Seven Dragon Constellations rise before their eyes… that would, in fact, be the boundary between sea and sky, wouldn’t it?”
Zhao Changhe said, “Theoretically, yes? Can one reach the end of the world by just heading east?”
Changkong shook his head: “Navigating the sea isn’t that simple, blindly following a straight line would inevitably lead to unknown currents, then there’s the issue of supplies and so on… Many through the ages have sought the end of the world, but who has ever succeeded?”
“Uh…”
“Mr. Zhao’s mentioned place does exist, but it’s not the true boundary of sea and sky, it’s actually still an island in the middle of the sea. The sun, moon, and stars you see as if right before your eyes are generally considered to be a mirage, refracting the true faraway boundary between sea and sky. Of course, followers of the Sea God might consider it a miracle.” Changkong smiled: “In fact, it’s quite possibly that the Sea God is nearby, the mirage could be a distortion of vision caused by the Sea God’s Power.”
Zhao Changhe perked up: “Where is this island?”
Changkong stood up: “There are quite a few who know of this island, including many in the Pirate Group… you just need a couple of experienced guides.”
Tang En: “… Hua Zhenming the bastard told me he didn’t know.”
“Hua Zhenming probably had his eye on your ships, trying to keep you here to deal with later… only now they don’t have the chance to execute that plan.” Changkong bowed slightly: “Have the customs of our hometown changed?”
Zhao Changhe returned the bow: “They haven’t.”
“Then, I bid you farewell.” Changkong leaped up and left: “If there is time in the future, I shall drink and discuss swords again with Mr. Zhao.”
Tang En watched his retreating figure, praising: “This Commander Chang is truly a character.”
Zhao Changhe nodded, thinking that he should mention, even Hai Qianfan was a character… After all, not everyone could dominate the seas for so many years, becoming a pirate leader that troubled nations, a position not easily supported. It’s a pity that obsessed with his thoughts, he met an untimely death before saying much.
These members of the Hai family seemed to be mostly the foster sons taken in early by Hai Pinglan, taught Martial Arts personally by him, which also reflected Hai Pinglan’s prowess. Not to mention anything else, just raising two individuals to the Earth List level alone outshone all the Heavenly List individuals from the Central Plains in terms of cultivating disciples.
Of course, this was also closely tied to the constant battling atmosphere at sea, unlike the Central Plains which was just entering a period of turmoil, unlike the seas where nations had always been at war. Plus, the special resources at sea were actually quite abundant and nourishing, though as of now, no one had truly enjoyed them.
Now, the pirates’ collection had evidently been taken back by Changkong, the entire Pirate Group was disbanded and brought back. How many had escaped to continue piracy was unknown, and overall, it’s unlikely they could pose much of a threat again. Zhao Changhe wanted to gather some resources, but didn’t obtain even a copper coin, though he did get some medicinal herbs and fresh water and hired a group of experienced guides.
An unexpected gain was several cannons, which were actually closer to stone cannons.
There were a few at the pirate base’s warehouse, but they were cumbersome and difficult to transport, Changkong, finding them too heavy, didn’t take them all. This time Zhao Changhe had moved them onto the ship, and a few men squatted by the cannon examining them.
“This thing, seeing them use it, seemed pretty average, the range isn’t great, the power lacking, accuracy like blindness, barrel easily damaged, loading times too long. Your Highness, why are you so interested?”
“Old Tang, never mind the others, but the loading times are crucial, aren’t they? Your bed crossbow has an even longer interval between two shots.”
“But ours shoot farther and with greater force.”
“Was it that strong from the start?”
Tang En paused, thoughtful.
Zhao Changhe finally stood up to walk to the cabin: “In any case, this isn’t something you can research, everyone has their specialty. Let’s set sail first, to that mirage island where one can see the sea-sky boundary, no need to bother with Penglai.”
“Understood.”
“Later tell Wanzhuang and the incompetent one to find professional craftsmen, take extra care with this. Trust me, the bed crossbow will be phased out.” Zhao Changhe walked on, then suddenly paused, seemingly with a deeper meaning: “If things go wrong, even Martial Artists might be phased out by half.”
In this world, Zhao Changhe dared say only half would be phased out.
Those in the Imperial Realm who have reached the level of Divine Soul Cultivation are no longer human. Going even further, someone like the blind person who randomly grabs people across time and space, even modern technology can’t do that.
“Blind Blind.”
“What?”
“Huh? Just calling to touch base, didn’t expect you to actually reply.”
Blind person: “…”
“Now that you’ve replied, why not talk about how you compare to an atomic bomb?”
“Boring.” The blind person said blandly, “You might as well talk about why you intentionally or unintentionally guided Changkong to discuss matters of belief. What were you thinking?”
Zhao Changhe wondered, “Changkong brought it up himself, what does it have to do with me?”
“Heh…” The blind person leisurely said, “There are some things you shouldn’t pry into recklessly… You used to be cautious, I think you’re a bit off track now.”
Zhao Changhe didn’t argue, whether he was off track was debatable, but he definitely felt a sense of urgency. He truly admired the blind person for silently watching from Xia Longyuan until now, for decades, quietly waiting for the moment she wanted.
Perhaps that’s the confidence that comes with long life. Unlike Changkong, who was also quite a hero but nearing fifty, had lost further self-confidence, he seemed to have even given up the thought of returning to the land, after all, people are just people.
Zhao Changhe didn’t dwell on this and instead asked, “What do you have to say about the Sea Emperor’s business this time?”
“Nothing.” The blind person said blandly, “The world doesn’t revolve only around you, there are many other interesting matters.”
“Like the struggle between Hai Pinglan and the Sea Emperor?” Zhao Changhe took the chance to say, “Isn’t the Sea Emperor a bit dull? It seems like all it does is throw out a few constructs to do its bidding and doesn’t react much elsewhere. We’ve killed a pile of rotten fish and shrimps before, and it didn’t seem to take any new actions.”
The blind person said, “Then just keep watching. Take advantage of the fact that others don’t yet see you as a formidable opponent, you can float around a bit longer.”
“Even if you subtly create a sense of urgency for me, I am still going to soak with Guigui, sorry to disappoint you.”
Blind person: “…”
“Why bring Lai Qi to bother us, are you in a hurry?”
“… None of my business.”
Dropping these four words, the blind person completely fell silent, his heart, however, skipped a beat for a rare moment, finally understanding what the people Zhao Changhe had investigated in the past two years must have felt.
Even though he often had no concrete evidence, his intuition was uncannily sharp.
On the other side, Zhao Changhe had already pushed the door open and entered the room. While they were out moving the cannon, San Niang had already returned to the room early, leaning by the window, pondering over two crystal cores.
But seeing her preoccupied look, it was hard to tell if she was focusing on the crystal cores or was lost in thoughts.
Zhao Changhe sat next to her and softly asked, “What are you thinking about?”
San Niang came back to her senses, smiling brightly, “Nothing much… I was thinking, although I’m from the Third Layer Secret Treasure, it seems I’m still not as good as Changkong.”
“Not as good?”
“I once said that I wanted Emperor Ye to descend to let Xia Longyuan and Hai Pinglan know, all these talks of emperors and supreme power are just empty words.” San Niang leaned back in the chair, tossing the two crystal cores: “I was wondering why I’ve never thought about letting them know this myself.”
Zhao Changhe said, “So are you considering it now?”
“Not really.” San Niang stretched lazily: “Thinking about it like that, I just feel so annoyed, might as well just sleep.”
Feeling Zhao Changhe’s twitching expression, the blind person almost laughed out loud.
Trying to guide her, huh? Feels pretty hopeless, doesn’t it?
But then Zhao Changhe hugged her, “Indeed, my beloved Venerable, it’s this attitude that’s the cutest…”
The blind person left in a huff.