Chapter 231: Pirate Duel (1)

On the East Coast under the cover of night, soldiers were cleaning and repairing the damaged warships. The moonlight was still bright, and the waves were washing over the fine sand on the shore as usual, but the atmosphere on the beach was somewhat strange.

Su Ling and Gu Yun looked at each other, both feeling helpless and puzzled.

Standing on their left were over a hundred bandits led by Mu Cang. Wuji, Yan Ge, and the other bandits were all in awe of her; anyone with eyes could see she was the leader of the bandits. In fact, all the imperial court wanted was the gold, and since the gold had been recovered, no one cared who the real bandit leader was. The Su Family Army's mission this time was to wipe out the pirates, so the bandits were currently not under their jurisdiction.

Standing on their right were the assassins from Juling Island led by Ao Tian, all of them in black with cold faces, their eyes full of chill, exuding a murderous aura.

One side was bandits, the other side was assassins. If they had to have a grudge, both sides should have had a grudge against the Su Family Army, and if they wanted revenge, they should have looked for Su Ling, right? But the current situation was not like that at all.

The leaders of both sides were staring coldly at each other. Ao Tian's side was still relatively calm, but the bandits looked like they were about to pounce and start a group fight. Gu Yun was puzzled.

Mu Yi, who had been standing with the bandits, flashed to Su Ling's side at this time, watching with great interest. He must know the inside story. Feeling Gu Yun's gaze, Mu Yi turned his head and glared at her fiercely. Gu Yun laughed; this man really held a grudge.

Yan Ge suddenly stepped forward, staring at Ao Tian's icy face, and shouted loudly, "Hand over the Spirit Stone!" To outsiders, the Spirit Stone might just be an ordinary stone, but to the Yongmu tribe, it was a treasure.

Ao Tian didn't even look at him. Yan Ge was annoyed. "Don't think that just because you don't speak, we'll give up! Hand over the Spirit Stone!" Yan Ge swung the silver whip in his hand toward Ao Tian. Just as the whip was raised, two men behind Ao Tian instantly leaped up. One held a long sword to meet the falling whip, and the other held a large saber to slash at Yan Ge's right hand holding the whip.

Gu Yun gasped. If that saber landed, Yan Ge's hand would definitely be severed!

Just as Gu Yun was about to intervene, a dark green python-patterned long whip wrapped around the man's arm holding the saber. Under the night, the long whip actually glowed with a faint green light, and it was covered with extremely sharp scales. Mu Cang pulled the long whip hard, and the scales immediately sank into the flesh of the man's arm. The large saber clattered to the ground, and bright red blood soaked the dark green scales.

Ao Tian's cold eyes tightened, and the dark Ciling sword was unsheathed. Everyone only saw a black shadow flash by; he had already approached Mu Cang, and the Ciling in his hand simultaneously entangled the dark green long whip. The friction between the blade and the scales on the whip created sparks, and the sharp sound made people's ears ache.

Gu Yun wanted to go up and persuade them, but Su Ling gently pressed her shoulder. Gu Yun said urgently, "That woman's snake-skin whip is very powerful."

Su Ling replied in a low voice, "Ao Tian's sword is no ordinary object either. Let's watch and see."

Both of them had strong martial arts, fighting to a standstill. The duel between the soft sword and the long whip was evenly matched. Gu Yun thought about it and didn't step forward again.

"Snap!" Another whip struck heavily on the solid wood hull of the warship, immediately leaving a deep whip mark. The two fought to their heart's content, but the warships docked on the shore suffered. Whip marks and sword marks crisscrossed on the hulls, and since the warships were already damaged, they now looked even more unbearable.

Su Ling's face grew darker and darker. Gu Yun coughed lightly and asked, "Are you sure you want to keep watching?"

"Stop!" Su Ling shouted in a low voice, drawing his Red Blood sword to separate the two. The powerful internal energy and the scorching sword energy of Red Blood forced both of them back several steps.

Gu Yun also stepped forward to block Ao Tian. Ao Tian hadn't intended to fight Mu Cang from the start, and since Gu Yun came to persuade them, he took the opportunity to put away his long sword.

Although Mu Cang also withdrew her long whip, her bright eyes were still full of murderous intent.

What deep hatred did they have? Gu Yun sighed, "I don't know what personal grievances you have, but I am very grateful to both of you for saving us. If there's anything, we can sit down and talk properly. If you don't want to talk properly, then wait until you leave the Su Family Army's territory to fight."

What happened today was truly dramatic. They were besieged by pirates at sea during the day, and in a crisis, it was actually the bandits and the people from Juling Island who saved them. After finally returning to the shore, these two teams of people fought again. Could someone explain what was going on?!

Gu Yun's mediation clearly had some effect. Wuji held back Yan Ge, who still wanted to clamor, and said in a deep voice, "We chased from the rainforest to the sea entirely for the Spirit Stone. Unless they hand over the Spirit Stone, there is nothing to talk about."

What was the Spirit Stone again? Gu Yun looked at Ao Tian. Ao Tian replied coolly, "I don't know what Spirit Stone."

Mu Cang's expression softened a little, and she asked in a low voice, "Ten years ago, people from Juling Island stole the Spirit Stone from my father, and three years ago, you killed my father. I know Juling Island only takes money to do things. Since so much time has passed, I don't want to pursue the rest, I just want to know where the Spirit Stone is now? Who hired you to kill my father?"

The low, hoarse voice didn't sound like a woman's voice at all, especially when paired with her stunningly ethereal face, making people feel a sense of horror.

Ao Tian looked at a man in his forties behind him. The man stepped forward respectfully and whispered a few words in Ao Tian's ear. Ao Tian's expression didn't change after hearing it. He replied in a low voice, "Why should I tell you?"

Mu Cang looked at Gu Yun, who was standing silently beside Su Ling, and said loudly, "If you tell me, I will help her wipe out the pirates."

Gu Yun was startled. Since when did wiping out pirates become helping her? Qiao Linfeng sneered and said, "This girl has a big mouth. You only have those six small boats, yet you dare to boast about wiping out the pirates?" Although it was indeed her help today that gave them a chance to fight back, she couldn't be so arrogant.

Mu Cang was not annoyed, and replied in a hoarse, indifferent voice, "I know where the pirate den is, and I know exactly how many ships and how many people they have. If I don't tell you, you might not find them even if you search for three or five years."

The Su Family Army had searched for more than three months and indeed hadn't found them. Qiao Linfeng asked skeptically, "Where is the pirate den?"

Mu Cang looked at Ao Tian. The meaning was obvious: if Ao Tian didn't answer her question, she wouldn't reveal the location of the pirate den.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Ao Tian. Gu Yun found it funny. Why did Mu Cang think Ao Tian would answer her question for something like wiping out pirates? Just when Gu Yun thought Ao Tian wouldn't pay attention, Ao Tian suddenly said, "Juling Island only makes transactions and never betrays its clients. However, I can also take your business. Give me one tael of silver, and I will help you find your Spirit Stone, and I can also help you kill your father's murderer."

Mu Cang's cold brows furrowed slightly. She wanted to kill the murderer with her own hands, but it seemed impossible for the cold man opposite to tell her. That he was willing to compromise to this extent was entirely for the woman named Qing Mo, right? After a long while, Mu Cang replied loudly, "Good." After saying that, she readily took a tael of silver from her waist and threw it to Ao Tian.

Raising his hand slightly to catch the silver easily, Ao Tian said, "In three months, you will receive the Spirit Stone and the head of your father's murderer."

The calm tone and cold voice made it seem as if they weren't trading a person's life, but an extremely ordinary object! Gu Yun was secretly shocked. Was he still the Ao Tian she knew?

They seemed to have reached a consensus. Qiao Linfeng asked excitedly, "Can you tell us where the pirate den is now?" Five of the pirates' main warships had been annihilated today; if they could find their lair, they could soon wipe out the pirates completely!

"It's too late today. I will come to find you at noon tomorrow." Ignoring the expectant gazes of the crowd, Mu Cang turned and left.

"Hey!" Qiao Linfeng stared at the figure who left just like that and said angrily, "What do you mean! Are you playing with us!"

The roar did make Mu Cang stop, but she didn't look back. "Su Yu is on my ship. You'd better find someone to take him away." Leaving this sentence behind, Mu Cang walked away without looking back.

Yu was with them?! Su Ling looked at Mu Yi beside him and said urgently, "What happened to Yu?"

Mu Yi put his hand on Su Ling's shoulder and replied, "Don't worry, he's just unconscious." That kid Su Yu had a tough life; he could drift at sea for so long relying on a broken piece of ship plank. He had originally thought Mu Cang wouldn't save him; he didn't expect her to actually save him.

Just unconscious? Did this count as comfort? Su Ling slapped Mu Yi's hand hard and said to Gu Yun beside him, "I'll go take a look. You get some rest early."

"Mm."

After Su Ling left, when Gu Yun turned back, Ao Tian had already walked far away. After hesitating for a while, she still shouted loudly, "Ao Tian, I have something to say to you."

Far away, Ao Tian's footsteps paused, and he waved his hand at the people following him. Those people left quickly, at a speed that made Gu Yun feel incredible.

The two walked side by side on the fine, soft sand. Ao Tian kept looking coldly ahead, and the two were silent for a long time.

"Thank you for saving us." Gu Yun spoke first, trying to break the stalemate of silence. Unfortunately, Ao Tian didn't respond for a long time. Gu Yun frowned. What was wrong with him? She felt he was strange every time they met.

Just when Gu Yun thought he intended to walk with her in silence like this, Ao Tian finally spoke, "Are your injuries healed?"

"They are completely healed." She knew Ao Tian had always felt guilty about the sword injury last time, and she didn't want to bring it up again.

Three or four miles away from the Su Family warship, the black-sailed ships of Juling Island were docked. Those dark, large ships seemed to blend into the boundless moonlight; if one didn't look carefully, it was hard to discover their existence.

Gu Yun stopped and asked in a low voice, "Did you become the clan leader of Juling Island?"

Not wanting to talk much, Ao Tian gave an "Mm" and stopped responding.

"Why?"

Gu Yun didn't understand. Didn't he try his best to get rid of Juling Island back then? Why would he become the clan leader now? After thinking about it, Gu Yun sighed, "Is it because of Ye Mei? The clan leader is elected every ten years. As long as you hide during this period, once there is a new clan leader, they won't capture Ye Mei to force you."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 232 =====