Chapter 8: Confrontation

Chapter 8: Confrontation

Even inside the cabin, the air was bone-chillingly cold. Qin Cang leaned against a wooden plank, silently counting the time. After about an hour, the cabin door finally opened.

The Lord of the Sea of Death carried only a single lantern. He walked in, placed the lantern on the floor, and sat down confidently on the pile of wooden boards opposite Qin Cang, leaning on the imposing large curved knife in his hand.

He said, "I ask, and you answer. Those who disobey will have their blood spilled into the river to feed the fish."

He first looked at the elderly witch and asked, "You've been selecting a bride for the River God for over a decade. Why did you decide to board this ship this time?"

The elderly witch spoke bitterly, "You people stole the River God's offerings. If the River God hadn't sent me a dream, I would never have known."

The Lord of the Sea of Death seemed utterly disdainful of dream-related claims. He chuckled coldly and asked, "What benefit do you gain from completing the sacrifice?"

The old woman clenched her mouth shut and refused to speak any further.

The Lord of the Sea of Death raised his hand, and someone entered from outside. He said casually, "Disable her left hand."

The black-clad person twisted her wrist, sealing her acupoints. The elderly witch only felt excruciating pain as her joints dislocated under the pressure, followed by numbness in her entire arm and the sensation of a sharp blade cutting at her wrist.

It felt as if they were trying to sever her tendons, a sensation that made her shudder with fear.

The old witch panicked and struggled, exclaiming, "Let go of me, release me! The River God will not spare you."

Sea Lord Wang wore an amused smile and asked, "Then, what must the River God do to spare me? You still have one right hand and a pair of legs; you might consider telling me."

The old witch attempted to resist further, but Sea Lord Wang seemed to lose interest and impatiently waved his hand, saying, "Let's disable your right hand as well."

"I said—don't lay a hand on me, I'll talk!"

The old witch took a deep breath and continued, "Thirty years ago, I was washing clothes by the river when a sudden downpour occurred. I was too preoccupied to hold onto my daughter, and she was swept away by the river. That night, I had a dream."

"A dripping black figure told me that if I offered young women with special birthdates daily, for thirty years, he would return my daughter to me. The following year, whenever it was time for the River God's bride selection, it would rain by the river. Several newcomers accidentally fell into the water, and the rain ceased. The third year, the rain grew even heavier."

Sea Lord Wang asked, "Those newcomers who fell into the river—did you send them as offerings to the River God?"

The old witch replied, "Of course not. I wouldn't dare to interfere with the government officials. That day, the old town mayor accompanied them to the river, and after they fell in, the retiring mayor had no choice but to continue serving."

"Then you approached the old town mayor, and both of you dreamt of the same black figure?"

The old witch nodded, saying, "The mayor and I continued the practice of offering brides to the River God year after year. The rain by the riverbank grew heavier, and the River God's appetite increased. The mayor aged and fell ill, but after each year's sacrifice, he would go out to stand in the rain, take a few sips of rainwater, and his illness would improve."

The old witch was about to continue when Sea Lord Wang scoffed and interrupted, saying, "The old town mayor?"

He continued, "Do you think these offerings could be taken away without the cooperation of the old town mayor? Do you truly believe he has faith in the River God?"

Qin Cang, listening nearby, thought to himself that the old town mayor was quite ruthless. At his advanced age, he managed to chase away his rivals with the River God's help while secretly selling off the sacrifices.

After the old witch finished her story, she was taken away, and Sea Lord Wang turned his attention to the remaining three.

His gaze moved over the trio, finally settling on Bai Yang. He remarked, "You haven't been drugged; you're not one of the offerings."

Sea Lord Wang retrieved a small sketchbook from his person, studied Bai Yang, and compared her to the sketches, asking, "Are you related to the other offering, the one in the drawing?"

He inquired again, "Where have you hidden her?"

Seeing Bai Yang's silence, he paid it no mind and rose to his feet, saying without further ado, "Whether you speak or not, she will be found soon."

He sat back down, polishing his curved blade. After a while, the door swung open, and Bai Liusu and Miss Hu were pushed inside by He Yi.

Sea Lord Wang tilted his head to look at them and remarked, "I admire your courage. I'll give you the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and after that, except for the offering, all of you will die."

Someone entered and said, "Leader, the fog is too thick, and it seems like the ship's bottom hit something."

Sea Lord Wang glanced and instructed He Yi, "Keep an eye on them; I'll go up and take a look."

Bai Liusu had already awakened and threw herself into her sister's arms, tears streaming down her face.

While the family conversed, Qin Cang, an outsider, turned to Miss Hu and asked, "Are you alright?"

Miss Hu shook her head and replied, "I'm fine."

Qin Cang reassured her, saying, "I didn't expect things to take such a turn, causing you trouble. But don't worry, I'll find a way to get you back."

Miss Hu inquired, "Do you really have a plan?"

Qin Cang winked and smiled at her, "Of course."

He glanced at the jade bracelet on Miss Hu's wrist and continued, "I have three of these bracelets. When I received them from my teacher years ago, I planned to keep one for myself, give one to my future wife, and save the last one for our child."

Miss Hu remained silent, and Qin Cang felt a bit awkward for suddenly reminiscing about the past.

He cleared his throat and said, "I was just talking nonsense; you don't need to take it to heart."

Miss Hu lightly touched the cold and translucent jade bracelet with her fingertips and simply responded with a soft "Hmm."

The time of a single incense stick had passed in the blink of an eye.

Sea Lord Wang stood up and instructed He Yi, "Take care of the two offerings and make sure it's clean."

He Yi hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are we really going to kill them?"

Sea Lord Wang, looking down at him, gave him a stern glance. He Yi didn't dare to say much more and called for someone to lead the sobbing Bai Liusu away.

Qin Cang noticed that as He Yi left, his gaze lingered lovingly on Bai Yang and Miss Hu.

True to his observation, He Yi returned after a brief absence, accompanied by another black-clad person whose figure was almost identical to his. He removed the newcomer's hood, revealing two nearly identical faces—a pair of twins.

However, despite their identical appearances, the other black-clad individual appeared somewhat vacant, wearing a bewildered and foolish expression.

He Yi wore a fawning smile and said, "Master Jiang, can we spare these two young ladies for now?"

Sea Lord Wang hadn't spoken yet, but He Yi immediately bent over repeatedly, his face full of smiles. "I understand, I understand, you have your rules, but my younger brother here is a bit simple-minded. He's been unable to find a wife all this time, and it just so happens that..."

Sea Lord Wang furrowed his brow, seemingly struggling to grasp the reasoning behind it. "You won't marry when you return? You've been doing this for several years, aren't you well-off by now?"

He Yi explained, "None of the young ladies really fancy him, and he's too timid to forcefully pursue anyone. He's afraid that if he marries, the bride will mistreat him, after all, they have to live together peacefully..."

Qin Cang couldn't help but chuckle.

This old dog sure knows how to play the game.

Sea Lord Wang wasn't one to be swayed by sentiment, and upon hearing He Yi's words, he unsheathed his blade and advanced towards Bai Yang. In his desperation, He Yi reached out to stop him, saying, "Wait!"

Sea Lord Wang narrowed his eyes, emitting a dangerous aura. "I've made it clear since I took this job that when it comes to matters on the water, I call the shots."

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm following your lead, I never said I wouldn't. If you want them dead, I won't keep my brother's bride either. Can we delay the execution a little? Let our brothers enjoy a good meal."

Sea Lord Wang was growing irritated, and he didn't have the patience for further discussion. He roughly pushed He Yi aside, saying, "Get out of the way!"

He Yi raised his voice, "Master Jiang!"

Qin Cang, watching and hoping for a fight between the two, was disappointed when the ship suddenly lurched violently. A black-clad figure rushed down and nervously reported, "Master Jiang, the fog is too thick; it seems we've hit something."

While they were still talking, the ship's speed had gradually decreased. Sea Lord Wang immediately stood up and instructed his subordinates, "You keep an eye on them; I'll go check."

He Yi didn't go up; it was evident that he had ulterior motives. However, with the black-clad person present, he couldn't make any moves.

Qin Cang made a slight movement and slowly urged He Yi, "Mr. He, could you help me bandage my arm? The old lady scratched me earlier."

He Yi impatiently replied, "For someone about to die, what's the point of bandaging?"

Qin Cang chuckled, "In case you decide to show some leniency, and I don't die but bleed out first, wouldn't that be quite unjust?"

"Leniency? Dream on."

Qin Cang's words carried a deeper meaning as he remarked, "You never know."

He Yi wasn't a fool, and he could sense that Qin Cang had something up his sleeve from his insinuations. He hesitated for a moment but then decided to go along with it. He moved closer and tore a piece of cloth to bandage Qin Cang's wound.

Qin Cang turned his face slightly, tilting his head, and took advantage of the swaying ship to whisper softly, "I have an earring on my earlobe; take it off and examine it closely."

He Yi quickly glanced and indeed spotted a small earring embedded in Qin Cang's fair earlobe.

Using his body as cover, he forcefully yanked it down, exerting no small amount of strength, yet Qin Cang remained stoic, eyes fixed straight ahead, silent once more.

He Yi found an excuse to go up on deck and glanced over briefly by the light.

The earring was not made of precious gems but crafted from mysterious iron. It was tiny, yet carved with extreme intricacy.

Since becoming a pirate, he had seen his share of treasures but had never encountered craftsmanship like this.

It was a three-dimensional carving, with openwork all around. The flying lines intertwined, forming a structure that was half a universe and half a cage, trapping a dragon within—yet it wasn't a concrete dragon shape, but rather as if a character had taken form.

The dragon is not an image to be used lightly.

He Yi ran back to the cabin in haste, only to see a trail of blood meandering from the door. A knot tightened in his chest as he pulled open the door, finding two groups in a standoff.

Bai Yang, somehow freed from his bonds, was using hands and feet to lock down a man in black, with a silver needle held against the man's throat.

The remaining few had also been captured by the men in black.

He Yi felt like his head was going to explode—it was his younger brother!

Qin Cang heard the door and turned, giving He Yi a meaningful look upon seeing him.

As if to emphasize, he spoke again, "I've already said, I am a lord of the current dynasty. Jiang Ye, these people—you cannot kill a single one."

Bai Yang gripped the dagger tightly, his hair disheveled, eyes bloodshot: "I'll take someone with me to the grave, even in death."

The Sea King looked at Bai Yang with scorn: "If you kill him, your comrades won't escape either. Do you know how to kill? Maybe I should show you by killing one first? Who do you want to see die first?"

The Sea King’s curved blade pointed sequentially at Qin Cang, Qian Yi, and Miss Hu's chests, as if to ask, "Him, him, or her?"

Bai Yang's lips trembled, unable to speak, her hand unsteady, leaving a fine red line on the hostage's neck.

Qin Cang said, "Anyone present is welcome to try and experience what it's like to have one's entire family executed."

The Sea King expressionless, commanded his men: "Kill."

He Yi shouted, "Stop!"

The Sea King turned around as He Yi rushed up to him: "Have you lost your mind? That's my blood brother!"

There was no flicker of emotion in the Sea King's eyes.

No wonder the underworld says the Sea King is cold-blooded and ruthless. Today, He Yi has truly witnessed it.

He Yi, with a headache from frustration, changed his approach: "Didn't you hear him? He's a marquis!"

"How do you know he is who he says he is?"

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