Chapter 1188

Yan Tianlu said: "Come on, let's go to the Ju Yi Hall and have a look!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You plan to just swagger out like that? I'm afraid you won't even reach Ju Yi Hall before being spotted; Lu Qingyuan and his men surely have preparations, you'd better think it over first."

Seeing the two dead subordinates with white cloth tied on their heads, Yan Tianlu took the cloth off and tied it on his own head.

Hu Xiaotian secretly laughed; Yan Tianlu's disguise method was rather clumsy. He took out a human-skin mask from his bosom and handed it to Yan Tianlu. Before leaving Dongliang Jun, he had obtained a few human-skin masks from Qin Yutong and kept them on him. Although he had the ability to change his appearance through marrow-washing and bone-altering, it's still better to be well prepared.

Yan Tianlu didn't even say thanks, put on the mask, and Hu Xiaotian also took out one and handed it to Yan Nujiao. As for himself, he didn't need it; even if he went out like that, few people would know him, let alone he had the skill to change his appearance.

Perhaps due to the drastic changes on the island, there weren't many guards inside the Flying Fish Cave; the only two had just been killed by them. Upon exiting the cave, they found night had fallen outside, with howling gales and pouring rain. Hu Xiaotian couldn't help thinking of the fleet he had brought; indeed, the plan had changed from the original battle strategy, which now seemed completely ruined. In such terrible weather, he could only hope the fleet would find a sheltered harbor and avoid total annihilation.

Although the outside was hit by sudden storms, the pirates heading to Ju Yi Hall in the wind and rain kept coming in an endless stream; many walked while wiping tears. Yan Tianlu enjoyed immense prestige on Mangjiao Island, and upon hearing the news of his demise, many still felt grief and sorrow.

With Yan Tianlu, the lord of Mangjiao Island, as their guide, there was no need to worry about getting lost on the island; they followed the crowd to Ju Yi Hall. Finding the outside already packed tightly, there was simply no chance to get inside.

Yan Tianlu led the two of them to a large tree on the earthen slope before Ju Yi Hall, climbed up first. Hu Xiaotian looked up at the sky—wind blowing, thunder striking—now climbing a tree would surely increase the danger of being struck by lightning. Yan Tianlu beckoned from the tree: "Come up. You can see from here!"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, told Yan Nujiao to wait below, and then climbed up himself. From the high ground he looked toward Ju Yi Hall, only to see the courtyard in front also filled with people—likely the senior and junior leaders of Mangjiao Island, all dressed in white mourning garb. Before the spirit hall stood three persons: in the center was the Sixth Chief Lu Qingyuan, with Luo Qianfu on his left and Jiang Xingquan on his right.

Then Luo Qianfu said: "The island lord was slain by the scoundrels of Falling Cherry Palace; we must avenge him. We will bloodbath Falling Cherry Palace, capture the chief culprits, the Tang father and son, bring them to the island lord's grave, and behead them as an offering."

The pirates shouted in unison: "Bloodbath Falling Cherry Palace, avenge the island lord!"

Hu Xiaotian sent a mental transmission to Yan Tianlu: "Your followers are still fairly loyal."

Yan Tianlu replied, not without pride: "As long as I step out now, they will immediately obey my orders." After saying that, he saw Hu Xiaotian's doubtful expression, glared at him and snapped: "What? You don't believe me?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I believe you! But if you step out now, you'll probably become a target for arrows right away."

Yan Tianlu sucked in a breath of cold air; Hu Xiaotian's words were not alarmist. Although they were currently in the shadows, once he stepped out he would be in the open. Moreover, the Tang father and son of Falling Cherry Palace might not have left; even if he were at peak condition, taking on Tang Jiu Cheng would offer little chance of victory, let alone now that his martial prowess has been greatly diminished by his injuries. Lu Qingyuan has already publicly announced his death; if he steps out now, Lu might denounce him as an impostor. For the present, the only plan is to endure temporarily and see what these ambitious wolves intend to do.

Luo Qianfu added: "Brothers, a state cannot go a day without a ruler, a household cannot go a day without a master. Our Mangjiao Island, after decades of painstaking management by the island lord, has reached its present scale. The island lord was slain by treacherous men; this grudge we must avenge. But first we must elect a new island lord to inherit his legacy and lead us in avenging him and wiping away our hatred!"

Someone in the crowd said: "Fifth Chief, you are resourceful and wise; I think you should take the island lord's position."

Luo Qianfu shouted: "Gentlemen, you flatter me; what virtue or ability do I have to dare bear such a heavy responsibility? My younger brother Lu Qingyuan is young and capable, with far-reaching vision, deeply favored by the island lord in his lifetime, and has long been his designated heir. I believe the island lord's position should be held by the Sixth Chief, which would be most appropriate."

Immediately someone in the crowd echoed the sentiment, even Fourth Chief Jiang Xingquan nodded in agreement. Although Lu Qingyuan is young and his seniority among the six chiefs is still shallow, he is sharp-minded, mature and steady in his actions, and his abilities have long been acknowledged by the island's bandits; thus, once Luo Qianfu proposed it, he quickly gained the support of over half the people.

Seeing this, Yan Tianlu gritted his teeth in anger, wishing he could rush out right now to expose the conspirators' plot. Hu Xiaotian guessed his thought and promptly reminded him: "Patience prevents ruin; rushing out now would likely be of no avail."

Lu Qingyuan clasped his fists and said: "I am grateful for your mistaken favor, but I, Lu Qingyuan, lack the virtue and ability to dare undertake such a great task. However, the island lord was slain by treacherous men; my elder brother is not on the island, my third brother was also schemed against, and both elder brothers have firmly declined, so I can only grit my teeth and accept this responsibility. I hereby declare to you all that I am not a person who clings to power; once my second brother returns to Mangjiao Island, I will hand back the authority to lead the island to the Second Chief."

The crowd murmured among themselves, all believing Lu Qingyuan's words came from the heart.

Yan Tianlu gritted his teeth and spat: "Treacherous scoundrel! It infuriates me!"

Hu Xiaotian, however, said: "Based on that remark alone, I suspect your Second Chief is also in danger." Lu Qingyuan had painstakingly climbed to the island lord's position; he would hardly spit out the fat meat he had just gotten into his mouth. Since he dared to say that publicly, he must be confident that the Second Chief of Mangjiao Island will never appear again—perhaps that Second Chief has already been killed.

Lu Qingyuan said: "The island lord's corpse is still warm; I have placed the bodies of the island lord and the Third Chief in a crystal coffin for you all to mourn. Today is a disgrace to our Mangjiao Island; from now on we stand irreconcilably opposed to Falling Cherry Palace. I, Lu Qingyuan, even if I must sacrifice my life, will surely avenge the island lord and redress this wrong for our Mangjiao Island." These words immediately stirred the crowd's emotions, and for a moment the assembly was roused to fervor.

The rain grew heavier, and the pirates began to enter Ju Yi Hall in an orderly fashion to pay their last respects to the two chiefs. Hu Xiaotian had no wish to join the crowd, but Yan Tianlu insisted on going in to see for himself. They followed the throng into the spirit hall, patiently trailing behind for a full half hour before reaching the crystal coffin. Gazing at the person lying inside, they found the deceased looked almost exactly like Hu Xiaotian himself. Yan Tianlu's heart gave a jolt; fortunately, that kid had just reminded him not to show his face rashly. Setting aside the fact that appearing openly now would likely get him assassinated, he simply could not prove his identity.

Hu Xiaotian also made out the appearance of the corpse in the crystal coffin; from this it seemed that Lu Qingyuan, Luo Qianfu and the others had long been preparing a rebellion. He suddenly recalled Luo Qianfu's trip to Dongliang Jun to deliver a message—could the hostage exchange also be part of their scheme? According to their original plan, they likely intended to use the hostage exchange to kill Yan Tianlu and then pin the blame on him. Perhaps this sudden typhoon thwarted their plan, forcing them to act against Yan Tianlu ahead of schedule.

Urged on by the pirates behind them, the two left the spirit hall, went outside, and met up with Yan Nujiao who had been waiting there. Although Yan Tianlu wore a mask, one could still see the gloom in his eyes. He had always believed his rule over Mangjiao Island was impregnable, but now he realized that undercurrents had long been stirring within. All he could do now was lament his poor judgment of people.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Old man, you also saw what just happened; with just the three of us, we probably can't turn the tide."

Yan Tianlu, offended by being called "old man", glared at him fiercely and snapped: "Kid, if you're scared, get lost; no one asked you to help me!"

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help laughing: "You forgot our earlier agreement? You help me rescue people, and I'll help you regain the island lord's position."

Yan Tianlu pointed ahead; the three found an empty thatched hut and went inside to temporarily shelter from the wind and rain. Yan Nujiao went to the window to keep watch, while Yan Tianlu coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian and demanded: "Kid, who exactly are you? Come clean, or forget about working with me!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Do pirates always go back on their word?" Seeing that Yan Tianlu was already at the end of his rope, wanting to turn things around, the only chance lay in cooperating with him. Hu Xiaotian naturally no longer feared he would harm him, and smiled: "I am Hu Xiaotian; although we have never met in person, we have already had dealings."

Yan Tianlu stared, eyes wide open; although he knew the other party was from Dongliang Jun, he never imagined that the lord of Dongliang Jun, Hu Xiaotian, would dare to infiltrate Mangjiao Island alone—this fellow's courage was truly enormous. Yan Tianlu was half‑believing, half‑doubting; he first glanced at his niece, Yan Nujiao nodded, thereby confirming Hu Xiaotian's identity.

Yan Tianlu lowered his voice and said: "You've got a lot of nerve!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If it weren't for you seizing my people and using their lives as leverage, I wouldn't bother coming to suffer on this miserable, rain‑soaked, broken island of yours."

Yan Tianlu sighed, "Fate plays tricks." Between him and Hu Xiaotian, they are now friends rather than foes; if he hadn't seen through Hu Xiaotian's situation, the latter would not have voluntarily revealed his identity. Yan Tianlu lamented darkly: "I really regret it—I was duped by Lu Qingyuan's honeyed words and ended up in this state of being abandoned by all." (To be continued~^~)