Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 563: The Dissipating Fog

From the start, this battle had been too perplexing, leaving room for speculation in all directions, each with its own valid support.

For years, the pirate crew had kept the position of third leader vacant, waiting for Lady Three’s return. Hai Qianfan had always referred to himself as the acting leader and relinquished control the moment Lady Three came back without even a hint of a power struggle. If he truly wanted to lead the pirates, it would have been easy—Lady Three would not have even competed for it. Was there really a need for all this pretense?

Moreover, over the years, the pirate crew had gone through numerous internal shifts. The newcomers had always been taught that there was a third leader out there, and that they must follow her upon her return. It was not something that could be faked—the attitudes of the pirates were apparent at first glance.

In recent years, the pirates had been diligently engaged in trade with the Four Idols Cult, working hard and honestly. Even when it came to taking a cut of the profits, the amount they kept for themselves was surprisingly modest. When Lady Three realized that the power of faith was accelerating the Sea Emperor’s revival, she instructed them to dissuade the Great Xia Empire’s fishermen and merchants from heading out to sea, and they carried it out without hesitation, following her orders to the letter.

In every way, they seemed like loyal subordinates.

Most importantly, during the night raid by the Sea Tribe, it had been a real fight. The pirates had suffered significant casualties, and the Sea Tribe’s elite forces had taken heavy losses—powerful sharkmen and the water figure, all destroyed in that battle. Ordinary fishmen lay dead in heaps, filling the sea with with corpses.

Could that have all really been an act?

If this was all a ploy to trap Lady Three, then they did a terrible job. They failed to lure her into any traps, and her battle against the water figure was as straightforward as could be.

And now, when it looks like the pirates and Penglai had joined forces to attack the smaller nations’ fleets, it suddenly turns out to be part of some sacrificial plan for the Sea Emperor?

It’s just all too bizarre. Is there more to the story?

Perhaps due to the common origin that the two factions have, they’ve been secretly planning something against the hegemon of the sea. But then, the pirates might not have known about the sacrifices at all. Also, if this alliance had been in the works for a long time, it had little to nothing to do with Lady Three.

But at the end of the day, it doesn’t seem all that unreasonable for Penglai and the pirates to have been on the same side from the beginning, staging everything to deceive the Sea Emperor.

Should we trust Hai Qianfan then?

As Zhao Changhe secretly shared his thoughts with Lady Three, she found herself unable to make up her mind. She ultimately replied with the same sentiment she did before, “I’ll listen to you.”

As long as she was willing to follow his lead, Zhao Changhe was content. Shelly’s charm lay in the fact that, when her mind was stuck, she was willing to hand over the decision-making to someone else rather than stubbornly insisting on her own way.

And once the decision was Zhao Changhe’s to make, he was not one to be swayed by sentiment—he had no ties with the pirates. All he needed was a simple test. Even while being pushed into a difficult spot by Hai Changkong, Zhao Changhe had not used his sword or saber. He purposely left himself open, like he was a step away from being overwhelmed, waiting for the bait to be taken.

And sure enough, the bait was taken.

Hai Qianfan, now in his fifties, had once been the captain of Hai Pinglan’s guard. He was a few years older than the younger Hai Changkong. With his rugged face and graying beard, he cut a figure that looked steadfast and honorable.

Now, facing Lady Three’s furious punch, Hai Qianfan took a slight step back, his saber slicing in a diagonal arc. “Princess, you still haven’t fully recovered from your injuries, and you’ve even just exhausted yourself dealing with the water figure. You’ve injured yourself yet again... It really isn’t good to push yourself so hard.”

Bang!

Her fist crashed against his saber, and both were forced back several paces. Lady Three clutched her still-unhealed rib injury, her expression icy cold.

Hai Qianfan did not emerge unscathed either. With the difference in their strength, her punch—even while injured—had shaken him to his core, almost making him cough up blood.

He took a deep breath, looking over to where Zhao Changhe was fending off Hai Changkong and Hua Zhenming, swords flashing. Slowly, he spoke, “Young Master Zhao, this kind of test was risky. One wrong move, and you’d have been wounded by Hai Changkong. You must have already suspected me of being an enemy to take such a risk to force me to reveal myself. May I ask for your reasoning? I’d like to know where I slipped up. Was it just because of this naval battle? The reason behind this fight isn’t what the two of you think.”

Lady Three glanced at Zhao Changhe, curious to hear his reasoning as well.

Zhao Changhe parried Hua Zhenming’s attack with a swift motion, smiling. “My suspicions started with brother Hua here... On the night of the Sea Tribe’s raid on the base, Lady Three had just arrived and wasn’t in charge of the fleet, so it’s understandable that she didn’t think to evacuate the people on Taiping Island. But for a pirate captain used to constant movement, relocation should have been his first reaction. And yet, he failed to do so... I found that hard to understand. Even more puzzling was that, afterward, you showed no sign of anger or blame for such a critical mistake, Uncle Hai.”

Hua Zhenming’s face darkened, his attacks growing increasingly frantic, but his strength was a level below Zhao Changhe’s, posing no real threat. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Hai Changkong, on the other hand, seemed amused. He held back from using any killing moves, engaging Zhao Changhe blow by blow, as if he was genuinely interested in what Zhao had to say and was waiting for more.

“The only conclusion I could draw was that you intended to abandon Taiping Island from the start, to give it to the Sea Tribe—maybe even as a source of food to help grow this new race... Every species needs to eat. Once they’ve mutated and gained intelligence, what do they feed on?”

The expressions of the onlookers shifted dramatically.

“Of course, this might just sound like some conspiracy theory,” Zhao Changhe continued. “It’d make me seem petty to accuse someone of treachery over a single mistake. That’s why I never mentioned it to Lady Three. But afterward, something else happened that I truly couldn’t understand...”

Hai Qianfan asked gravely, “What was that?”

“Marshal Hai Changkong mentioned that there’s a spy within the pirates, and they already know the location of the pirates’ new base... That just doesn’t add up. It hasn’t been that long since the move, and the relocation itself took several days. The only way they could have received the information so quickly is if someone went to report to the marshal the moment you arrived at the new location. But if someone was able to sneak off in a boat right after moving in and you didn’t notice, then how has the pirate crew survived this long? Uncle Hai, are you really telling Lady Three that you’re incompetent and you’ve only gotten this far by sheer luck?”

Hai Qianfan fell silent.

Zhao Changhe continued, “So I have reason to believe that there isn’t some spy sending out information—the spy is you. And perhaps it wasn’t even a boat that delivered the message. It was transmitted by the Sea Tribe, wasn’t it? That’s why your information travels faster than anyone else’s. This might be why you’ve been able to thrive in the Eastern Sea for over a decade without any other power crushing you. Otherwise, for the pirates to outpace entire nations would be beyond incredible... It seems to me that you’re nothing but Penglai’s own royal pirate crew, and that the so-called split back then was nothing but an act.”

He paused and sighed. “I’d honestly like to believe what you said earlier as well. Perhaps the reason behind this naval battle really isn’t what we think—the real reason behind this conflict could simply be that Penglai has begun to reel everything in, using the pretense of a Sea God’s decree to eliminate pirates as the perfect opportunity to unify the Eastern Sea.”

Even Hai Changkong could not help but sigh. “Impressive. Anything more?”

He looked like an eager reader waiting for the next chapter.

“Well, I’m sure there’s more, but I don’t know the full story,” Zhao Changhe replied. “If Penglai wants to unify the Eastern Sea, the Sea Emperor won’t accept it. This situation involves the struggle between the Dragon King and the Sea Emperor. Some of you are loyal to the Dragon King, while others side with the Sea Emperor, creating a very confusing situation... Lady Three and I got pulled in by accident, and her identity only made the whole thing more complicated. As for who thinks what, I’m not inside your heads, so how would I know? Now that I’ve said so much, could you tell me a few things in return to clear things up for me?”

Hai Changkong burst out laughing. “If all the people in the Central Plains are like you, then I’d better stay here in the sea for the rest of my life and not set foot on land.”

***

Around the same time, far away in Penglai, the Dragon King Hai Pinglan was entertaining Xia Chichi, the Four Idols Cult’s saintess, as they drank and talked.

No one knew how long the conversation had gone on before, but at this point, Xia Chichi wore the same stunned expression as the spectators on Dongan Island. “Lady Three is your daughter?”

“She never told you?”

Xia Chichi scratched her head. “I’ve only joined the cult recently, and I haven’t interacted much with Venerable Black Tortoise, so she never told me. Uh, actually, I doubt even Venerable Vermilion Bird. She never mentioned anything about it before I left.”

Hai Pinglan chuckled. “She doesn’t acknowledge me, and she doesn’t want to talk about the past. You’re much the same, aren’t you?”

Xia Chichi narrowed her eyes. “You seem to know quite a bit about my situation, Your Majesty.”

Hai Pinglan said casually, “It’s the Wang Clan’s guess, and I think they’re pretty close to the truth.”

Xia Chichi readily admitted, “I don’t acknowledge him because he doesn’t deserve it. So why doesn’t she acknowledge you?”

“Because I don’t deserve it either,” Hai Pinglan replied calmly. “I personally suppressed her, sent people to hunt her down, and told Changkong that if he saw her, he was to kill her without mercy. If she had died, perhaps he could have become the crown prince.”