Chapter 79: Sudden Change at Sea

The flames gradually died down, and darkness crept in around them. The riverbank was shrouded in a silence as deep as death itself. Zhang Long gazed into the distance, his heart torn with anxiety.

He had witnessed Ning Xiu’s strength with his own eyes, but the master of Ninefold Fortress, Peng Hu, was also a ruthless figure long renowned in the martial world. Moreover, Ning Xiu was facing the entire fortress on his own. Zhang Long truly had no idea who would emerge victorious. Yet his own fate hinged on the outcome—if Ning Xiu were to lose, every extra second he lingered here would only add to his peril.

Fortunately, his agonizing suspense did not last long. When he finally heard that familiar voice, Zhang Long was so moved he was nearly in tears.

“Senior!”

“Hm?” Ning Xiu turned to Zhang Long, his expression puzzled. He paused, then said, “Let’s move on to the next target.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No,” Zhang Long replied, on the verge of weeping.

He wanted to say, Can I take it back...?

The entire night passed with Zhang Long on edge, his nerves stretched taut. The events of that night would haunt him for a lifetime—he would never forget them, and would surely recount the tale at every opportunity. After all, this was a story he could boast about for the rest of his days.

...

There were dozens of pirate factions along the Jing River, large and small. It was clearly unrealistic for Ning Xiu alone to wipe them all out. Time alone would not allow it, and the smaller gangs had no fixed base. Thus, Ning Xiu chose only the largest factions as his targets. As long as these strongholds were toppled, the remaining pirates would pose little threat.

“Senior, those are ships from the Great River Gang!” Zhang Long shouted.

At his words, Ning Xiu opened his eyes and looked ahead. Sure enough, the banner of the Great River Gang was visible on the large ship before them.

The water stronghold ahead was his seventh target, but now it seemed there was no need to go further.

He was just about to instruct Zhang Long to turn the boat around when he sensed something amiss. Judging by its course, the Great River Gang’s ship was not heading for the stronghold at all.

Moreover, the people on deck looked hurried and flustered, more like they were fleeing than advancing.

Without hesitation, Ning Xiu spun around. With a light tap of his foot, he soared into the air, gliding towards the Great River Gang’s warship like a great bird.

“There’s trouble!” someone on deck shouted as they saw a figure flying toward them.

The others immediately drew their weapons, ready for a fight.

“Stand down!” A loud voice rang out, and a young man rushed from the cabin, blocking the others. Bowing to the approaching Ning Xiu, he said, “Senior.”

“It’s you,” Ning Xiu recognized the young man—he had stood by during the duel with Wang Ce that day.

If he remembered correctly, this was Wang Ce’s personal disciple, Chen Feng.

“Is your master on board?” Ning Xiu asked.

Chen Feng shook his head. “My master remains with the gang.”

Ning Xiu glanced around the ship; all those present were young disciples. “Where are you headed?” he asked.

“With pirates running rampant, my master dispatched us to hunt them down,” Chen Feng replied.

“I see,” Ning Xiu nodded. Just as Chen Feng breathed a quiet sigh of relief, Ning Xiu continued, “Ghost Blade Fortress is just ahead. But your course doesn’t seem to be taking you there.”

Chen Feng’s expression shifted, but he quickly composed himself. “The elders will handle Ghost Blade Fortress. We younger disciples are targeting the smaller, roaming pirate bands.”

Just as Chen Feng said, all aboard were young disciples, but Ning Xiu could sense that each was formidable—especially Chen Feng.

Wang Ce had been grooming him as his successor, after all. And as Chen Feng had said, when the gang assigned missions, elders usually led the teams. It was rare for a group like this to set out alone.

Clearly, Chen Feng was lying.

Ning Xiu simply looked at him. Just as he was about to leave, a sudden scream rang out from the cabin.

Ning Xiu was the first to rush inside, Chen Feng close behind.

As they entered, they saw a dark shape hanging in the air ahead and froze in shock. Some even drew their weapons. Only when they saw the true form of the shadow did someone cry out in horror:

“The Young Master!”

A boy of twelve or thirteen was hanging dead in the cabin.

Ning Xiu flicked his right hand, sending a burst of energy that instantly snapped the white silk tying the boy to the ceiling.

Chen Feng leaped up, catching the boy firmly and feeling for a pulse—his face turned ashen.

The boy was already dead.

The Young Master—meaning the deceased child was Wang Ce’s son.

But why would Wang Ce send such a young son out to sea—and how could he die so mysteriously on the ship?

“Now, will you tell me what’s really going on?” Ning Xiu said in a low voice, looking at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng handed the boy’s body to another disciple, his face full of grief.

He looked up at Ning Xiu and began, “The war between the Strange Alliance and the Jia family aristocrats—you must know more about it than I do, Senior.”

“Though the outcome is not yet decided, when elephants fight, it’s always the ants below who are trampled. My master has resigned himself to death, but he couldn’t bear to let his young son die as well. So, under the pretense of attacking the pirates, he arranged for one ship to quietly spirit his son away from Lingnan.”

“Those with him are the most promising disciples of the gang’s younger generation. Even if we elders die, my master hoped we would survive to carry on the Great River Gang’s legacy.”

At this, Chen Feng clenched his fists, his face contorted with anger. “But even after fleeing this far, they still refuse to let us go!”

By “they,” he meant the sinister organization known as the Phantom Alliance.

The fact that they could spare men to hunt down the Great River Gang meant that their battle against the Jia family was clearly going in their favor.

But that was not the main issue now. The pressing matter was that there was evidently a ghost among them on this ship.

Perhaps not just one.

Ning Xiu’s expression grew grave. He looked at Chen Feng and asked, “Who was with the Young Master just now?”

“When we heard the scream, all but the Young Master were outside the cabin,” someone replied.

Ning Xiu looked to Chen Feng, who nodded. “I was the last to leave the cabin; before I left, the Young Master was well.”

In other words, the Young Master had died after Ning Xiu boarded the ship.

All in all, only a few short minutes had passed.