Chapter 1172

Hu Xiaotian roughly estimated that he was still about three li from the prison; he looked up, and just a moment ago the originally crystal‑clear, bright moon had hidden itself in the clouds—no moon, not a single star visible; the whole Python Flood Island was shrouded in a thick darkness, the wind had grown noticeably stronger, and walking downwind gave him the sensation of being shoved by an invisible pair of hands.

Hu Xiaotian took out his homemade compass to get his bearings; he had to sneak into the prison as fast as possible and hide in the dark. Remembering the Black Kiss Bird, he untied the cage hanging from his waist—thankfully the bird was unharmed. Afraid that Xia Zhangming would worry and blindly send rescuers, he quickly scribbled a charcoal note saying he was safe, tied it to the bird's leg, and let it fly.

Hu Xiaotian's concern was not unnecessary. After being separated from Hu Xiaotian on Python Flood Island, Xia Zhangming strained to control the Snow Eagle, trying to make it fly back to its original perch, but the Snow Eagle had been frightened—just moments earlier a predatory bird called the Flying Owl had come to hunt; it is the Snow Eagle's natural enemy. Xia Zhangming had thought such birds were long extinct, yet he unexpectedly encountered one in the skies over Python Flood Island. He silently lamented that the trip was ill‑fated, blaming himself while also deeply worrying about Hu Xiaotian's safety.

After finally regaining control of the Snow Eagle and redirecting it toward Python Flood Island, when they were still about five li away, the Snow Eagle refused to go forward no matter what. Xia Zhangming flew into a rage, about to punish the bird, when he spotted a white speck speeding toward them from afar. Focusing his eyes, he saw it was the little fly that had just gotten separated from them. He felt a surge of joy, thinking the little fly had brought Hu Xiaotian safely away from the Flying Owl's attack, but when the bird drew near he realized its back was empty—no one was aboard.

The Snow Eagle, overjoyed to see its companion and master, cried out with eager eagle calls, and the great fly responded with continuous cries.

Xia Zhangming's face turned pale. He silently thought, "This is bad," figuring Hu Xiaotian was likely to meet more misfortune than good fortune; his remorse reached its peak—if anything happened to the lord, he would surely die a thousand deaths without being able to absolve himself, and what face would he have to meet the other officers?

After finally managing to calm down, Xia Zhangming thought that since the incident had already occurred, rushing back to Python Flood Island would be pointless; the only option was to return quickly, find the main force, and launch an all‑out assault on Python Flood Island in hopes of locating Hu Xiaotian's whereabouts. Just as he was about to leave, a red speck shot toward him from the distance. It was the Black Kiss Bird he had given Hu Xiaotian as a communication tool. Xia Zhangming reached out, and the bird landed in his palm. He took the bamboo tube from its leg and saw the note inside. His hand trembled with excitement; though it was only a tiny slip of paper, it was enough to prove that Hu Xiaotian was safe and sound.

Xia Zhangming unfolded the note and read: "Safe and sound. No need to worry; await news. Do not act rashly!" At this moment Xia Zhangming admired Hu Xiaotian wholeheartedly. He had no idea how Hu Xiaotian had escaped the Flying Owl's clutches under those circumstances, nor how he had managed to land safely on Python Flood Island. It seemed Hu Xiaotian relied not only on his first‑rate martial arts and extraordinary intellect, but also on luck—perhaps this was what people call "boundless blessings."

Hu Xiaotian, however, felt no sense of boundless blessings, for shortly after he landed the night sky erupted in a gale, waves slammed the shore, one wave after another growing stronger in the darkness, and to make matters worse, a sudden downpour broke out, leaving the entire Python Flood Island battered by wind and rain.

Hu Xiaotian finally understood what Zhuge Guanqi had meant when he told him to pay attention to the weather at sea, warning him that the enemy was not only the pirates of Python Flood Island but also the unpredictable heavens. In such foul weather even the pirates would not venture out on patrol, and Hu Xiaotian certainly would not expose himself lightly; yet after taking just a few steps on the island he found it hard to move, as the sky raged with wind, lightning, and thunder. He had to take shelter behind a rock to wait out the storm. Looking out toward the distant sea, he saw the blackened surface rise and fall, and in the distance a line after line of white streaks rushed toward him at great speed. When they drew near he realized each white streak was a towering wave several zhang high, the giant waves crashing against the reefs as if smashed by an invisible giant hand. Spray flew everywhere, and the deep, muffled roar sounded like the low growl of an ancient beast.

Hu Xiaotian sighed to himself—indeed, heaven's changes are unpredictable; he never expected a storm to strike the moment he landed on Python Flood Island. He began to worry about his fleet, unaware whether Yang Yuanqing and Chang Fanqi could steer the fleet clear of this tempest.

"Pass the order: all ships keep their distance and accelerate toward Python Flood Island!" Yang Yuanqing bellowed hoarsely, a bolt of lightning twisted across the sky, lighting his face deathly pale as paper; in the instant the lightning flashed across his eyes, his inner panic was clearly reflected. Although Yang Yuanqing was an experienced naval commander, he had never before faced such a mighty hurricane. Having served many years on the Yongjiang River, he found the ocean's raging waves and breakers nothing like the gentle spring waters of the Yongjiang.

When Hu Xiaotian left, the sky was still clear, but once night fell the hurricane slammed in without warning, shrieking arrogantly as it tore through the rigging at astonishing speed, bringing torrential rain that pattered down. In an instant the sea turned choppy, whipping up waves as high as five zhang that tossed their warships about like a mountain turned upside down—one moment they were hurled high into the night sky, as if riding the wave crests, the next they were shoved into the troughs, seawater slamming the bows like a flood breaking loose and pounding their heads and faces.

Yang Yuanqing, however, knew this might only be the beginning; the raging wind and rain, the rampaging waves would only grow fiercer, perhaps lasting a few hours, perhaps several whole days. He urged all the soldiers to cheer up and throw themselves into the struggle against the wind and rain.

In the gale and lightning, two warships, unable to dodge each other in time, were driven by the waves into a collision. Splinters flew from the point where their hulls struck; the left‑hand vessel suffered heavy damage, a gap about one zhang square torn in its side, and churning seawater immediately poured in. Before the crew could even begin repairs, another giant wave slammed the ship, knocking it sideways until onlookers could see the keel. Dozens of sailors on the deck were flung into the air like paper scraps, screaming as they flailed their arms and fell into the raging sea.

In such circumstances the hardest thing was to keep the warships balanced. The fifty "thunder‑crash" cannons that Hu Xiaotian had previously loaded onto the ships now caused no little trouble: two of them, not properly secured, slid from the starboard side across the deck to the port side because of the hull's tilt, crushing two soldiers who couldn't dodge in time into a bloody pulp; the cannons' momentum did not stop, smashing into the port rail and shattering it before sinking straight into the sea.

As Yang Yuanqing directed the troops to forge ahead through the waves, Chang Fanqi, while gripping a rope and straining against the hurricane that threatened to sweep him away, struggled over to Yang Yuanqing's side and shouted with all his might: "We must first find a place to shelter from the wind… otherwise… we could be wiped out entirely."

Just as Chang Fanqi was speaking, another three warships, having lost control, crashed into one another. Yang Yuanqing, using the lightning's flash to look, saw that to the rear right of the flagship two warships had already been overturned by the giant waves and were slowly sinking into the black water.

In the terrifying hurricane he seemed to hear the cries for help and the wails of sailors who had fallen overboard; Yang Yuanqing said to Chang Fanqi, "My lord… is still on Python Flood Island." Although he knew the right course would be to seek shelter, his duty and obligation would not allow him to do so.

Chang Fanqi roared back, "Do you really want everyone to perish together?"

Yang Yuanqing certainly did not want that, yet he could not abandon his lord to danger and turn a blind eye; their gazes locked, and they reached an impasse.

A white flash streaked overhead—it was Xia Zhangming arriving on his Snow Eagle just in time. He shouted, "Hurry, get out of here! To the northwest there's a reef that encloses a lagoon… that place can shelter you from the wind and rain; I'll guide you there."

Seeing Xia Zhangming arrive, the two men realized Hu Xiaotian must be all right, and Yang Yuanqing then ordered the fleet to follow the Snow Eagle toward the lagoon. The lagoon Xia Zhangming spoke of is formed by a dam‑like reef enclosing it; its surface is broad, its diameter about ten li, making it a typical atoll lagoon. The lagoon's water circulation is affected by the width of the inlet and the tidal range. Winds blowing into the lagoon also have an effect—they can raise the water level, and when they subside they cause the lagoon to drain. Flow speed is greatest in the transverse channel. Yet once inside the lagoon the waters become calm and windless; the atoll effectively blocks the surrounding giant waves, creating the striking contrast of tumultuous seas outside the reef and still waters within.

Twenty warships had struggled against the wind and waves, but by the time they reached the lagoon six were missing; Yang Yuanqing himself saw two sink into the sea, and he guessed the other four were likely to meet more misfortune than good fortune. There was no time now to search for the lost vessels—seeing the wind and waves grow ever larger, they had to get into the lagoon first to escape danger.

Chang Fanqi's eyes were locked straight ahead, where he saw a reef almost level with the sea surface; were it not for the successive giant waves slamming into it and kicking up spray like shattered silver, he could hardly have made it out at all.

Xia Zhangming, guiding them from the air, shouted loudly, but the hurricane garbled his voice; fortunately Yang Yuanqing heard him, and though he couldn't make out the exact words, he promptly spotted the channel ahead—a passage about ten zhang wide between the reefs. For their warships such a channel was not especially wide; many narrow spots allowed only the hulls to squeeze through, and the rolling waves made the lagoon's inlet appear and disappear, creating an even greater obstacle to their smooth entry.

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