Chapter 762: Not Needed, But Must Have

The pirates, seeing the two of them strike down one man with each sword, instantly fell into chaos; their bows swung wildly to shoot at the two, but ended up wounding their own men, forcing them to switch to blades and charge forward.

These mere pirates were no match for the two; aside from slight fatigue and minor tremors in their Hukou from the clashes, not a single one could harm them at all.

This was almost a one-sided massacre.

"Make way—"

With a loud shout, the clustered pirates scrambled backward, but the man who shouted didn't wait for them all to retreat—he already lit the fuse.

Pan Yun turned around just as the gunpowder propelled the lead bullet flying; she raised her sword before her face—clang! —a bullet struck the blade and ricocheted off…

Then, a dozen lead bullets rained down; Pan Yun flipped away to dodge, while Master Xuanmiao moved even more nimbly, twisting through the air, and seized the moment while they reloaded and lit fuses to leap forward and thrust her sword…

Pan Yun followed close behind; the dozen men holding muskets frantically raised their weapons to block…

One musket fell; Pan Yun reached out, seized it, flashed—and it vanished from her hand.

She was curious about the muskets of this world.

Master Xuanmiao had already seized the man who had shouted "Make way," denying him the chance to kill himself, and struck him unconscious with a chop.

The imperial troops' counterattack came swiftly; several cannonballs flew over; the imperial ships had already reformed their formation, holding and slaughtering the Japanese pirates near the large vessels, while closing in on two pirate ships, soldiers surging aboard via gangplanks, ropes, and martial arts leaps—shouts of battle erupted everywhere.

Wang Cong wanted to charge forward too, but his two ships had been ordered to the rear by Yang Shan, surrounded by other vessels; he could only leap from ship to ship with his sword, but the moment he jumped, Tao Ji grabbed his collar and yanked him down: "You and Xue Shao guard the main ship. We'll go."

Wang Cong pleaded: "Third Master, I can fight too!"

"To prevent bandits from slipping through the chaos, there are enough men up front—you're not needed."

Xue Shao was far more obedient than Wang Cong; upon hearing the order, he immediately leapt onto another large ship and began searching for any remaining pirates.

Tao Ji gave Wang Cong a look that screamed, "Look at him," then led Seeing Miao Zhen and the others, ship by ship, cutting through the enemy.

Xiao Hong, after exposing all the hidden pirate skiffs, turned and charged onto another pirate ship.

There was no choice—Hong Yan was here.

The two of them, clad in red, killed fewer enemies than Pan Yun and Master Xuanmiao, but focused their attention on the pirates manning cannons and large crossbows.

With those two long-range weapons silenced, the imperial troops seized the chance to close in and boarded the ships at minimal cost.

Pan Yun leapt over, scanned the scene, spotted a pirate in ordinary armor, kicked him out, before he could react, dislocated his jaw, pressed his acupoints, then tossed him to the boarding soldiers.

The man's pupils shrank, staring at Pan Yun in disbelief.

"Pretending to be someone in front of a Daoist Priest—who are you insulting?" Pan Yun shouted loudly: "Take him away!"

The soldiers responded and dragged him off.

The pirates on the main ship fell silent, gripping their blades and standing in standoff against the imperial troops.

Pan Yun sneered: "Your leader's been captured alive—still going to resist?"

The pirates swallowed hard, glanced at their comrades, and involuntarily stepped back.

Each step they retreated, the imperial troops advanced two.

Pan Yun grew bolder, stepping forward relentlessly: "You sent out so many men—how many have already been captured alive? Are you really willing to die for some coward hiding in the shadows, enjoying the spoils?"

The pirates averted their eyes, retreating further, their blades lowering slightly; they stammered: "Y-you don't come closer—we won't fight anymore, just give us a few small boats to leave." Pan Yun: "Leave? Do you think you'll survive if you go back? Not just you—your families will be purged too. But the imperial court can offer you a promise: no punishment for your families, no extermination of nine clans."

The pirates panicked, hesitating even more—just then, the last man had retreated to the ship's edge, his back pressed against the rail.

Pan Yun roared: "Still not surrendering?!"

One man dropped his blade with a clang; the pirates' hearts pounded, and they immediately threw down their weapons.

The imperial troops surged forward, pinned them down, kicked away their weapons, then bound and dragged them away.

This time, no one committed suicide.

The ordinary pirates knew little; they simply followed orders—told to raid someone, they raided; beyond that, they knew nothing.

Pan Yun handed them over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for interrogation—professional work for professional hands.

She turned to return to her own ship, then caught the scent of gunpowder and char on Hong Yan.

She sniffed, frowned, grabbed Hong Yan's hand, rolled up the red sleeve—and saw the arm pierced by a lead bullet, blood seeping steadily, the edges still smelling of gunpowder scorching.

Her face darkened: "You're injured—why didn't you say anything?"

Hong Yan lowered her head and licked the wound, unconcerned: "I'll just lick it—it doesn't hurt much."

Pan Yun: …

Just then, Tao Ji and the others arrived; she handed Hong Yan over: "Treat her."

Tao Ji's gaze sharpened, troubled: "Muskets can actually injure you?"

Master Xuanmiao: "Cultivators are still human—even true gods can be wounded, let alone mortals."

Tao Ji: "But—"

Master Xuanmiao: "I know—you fear they'll use muskets against us. But even immortals can be wounded by mortal weapons. Only by refining ourselves can we truly protect ourselves."

Pan Yun, holding a musket nearby, turned it in her hand and smiled: "They have weapons—we'll make better ones."

Master Xuanmiao's gaze settled on the musket in her hand, expressionless: "Greed leads to indigestion, younger sister. Don't see something and think you must make it."

Pan Yun shrugged: "Geniuses don't worry about greed."

"Then why did you hand maritime trade to Wang Cong?"

"Because I'm not interested," Pan Yun said. "Making money isn't my passion—it's a necessity. Improving muskets is different—this is fun. Muskets can become rifles."

Pan Yun was currently most fascinated by mechanical modifications; she not only wanted to refine the silver refining line, but was also deeply interested in cannons and muskets.

What's the point of buying low and selling high? Isn't it more interesting to recreate things the Laozu Sect once made but this era cannot—then bring them to benefit the people?

Pan Yun expressed her lofty ideals.

Tao Ji stared at her, speechless: "This is a weapon—what do you think it is, a civilian tool? Benefit the people? You're lucky if you don't harm them."

Pan Yun shook her head: "Not so. Weapons defend the nation. Imagine—if Great Ming had superior weapons to repel enemies, would Japanese pirates, southern barbarians, and northern nomads keep violating our sovereignty? With powerful weapons guarding the state, the people won't fight, military expenses drop—what else is this if not benefiting the people?"

Pan Yun said: "Weapons depend on who holds them. We may not use them—but we cannot be without them." (End of chapter)