Chapter Thirty: The Feather Fan Displays Its Might

The hull trembled slightly, and it seemed the fleet had come to a halt. After practicing the Vast Wind True Method, Dieyi’s spiritual senses and hearing far surpassed those of Baiyi and Yang Nan. Her delicate face turned solemn as she said, “Young Master, the ship has stopped!”

Yang Nan stepped out of the cabin to find the Hun River ablaze with lights, dots scattered across the great river. It was impossible to tell how many ships had surrounded the Wang family’s fleet—all was as he had suspected, river bandits had indeed struck under the cover of night!

“Ah Nan, Lady of the Void, you're awake?” Chiyang’s voice quickly reached them. He stood on the second deck, his face grave as he watched the dozens of ships encircling the Wang family fleet. Seeing Yang Nan emerge, his heart lifted with joy.

“Brother Chiyang, where did these river bandits come from, to be so bold?” As Chiyang ascended to the third deck, Yang Nan asked in confusion.

Chiyang gave a bitter smile. “There have always been river bandits on the Hun River. The Wang family's fleet has long been under their watch. It's said that several groups have joined forces for a major raid; among them are not only martial experts but also cultivators, though their strength is uncertain.”

Speaking quietly, Chiyang explained, and Yang Nan finally understood. His previous havoc at Dejiang Prefecture’s Water Palace had delayed the bandits by over ten days, but had also given them time to gather more ships and men. The Wang family’s dozen cargo ships were ripe targets for these bandits. The Hun River connected countless lakes, and most bandits hid beneath islands in the lakes—some groups numbered in the thousands. The government troops were powerless to suppress them, able only to guard the main river channel.

The emperor of the Great Yuan dynasty had died a month ago. Before the crown prince ascended, fierce struggles erupted. The prince commanded four military camps, but the princes controlled the armies of nine cities, each with many loyal followers—even cultivator masters joined the contest for the throne.

The world was in turmoil; the princes withdrew troops from their domains to march on Chang'an. The month-long battle for the throne ended with both sides battered and exhausted. The princes schemed against each other and failed to form a unified force; the crown prince, unable to subdue his royal brothers and uncles, ultimately divided the realm, granting five of the twelve provinces to the princes. Thus, the feudal lords grew stronger and harder to control, and chaos deepened across the land.

In such times, even Tianzhou was affected. Its provincial troops had been drawn away by the crown prince, then ceded to the feudal lords—there was no way to suppress the river bandits. Their numbers now exceeded ten thousand! The Wang family’s fleet had only two thousand soldiers; even counting all cooks, sailors, and crew, they numbered barely five thousand. How could they withstand ten thousand bandits?

Yang Nan listened, his brows furrowing ever deeper. He wasn’t worried for his own safety—at worst, Lady of the Void could take him and flee. But they’d lose a place to rest, and the Wang shipmaster had treated them with great respect; to leave now would seem heartless.

“Brother, call forth Old Crab from the Ring of Mountains and Rivers. There are a thousand demon soldiers in the ring; that's enough to protect the flagship.” Yang Nan remembered his precaution, his eyes brightening. With General Crab and his demon troops defending, what fear was there of bandits storming the flagship?

Chiyang nodded and summoned General Crab from the Ring of Mountains and Rivers. While Yang Nan trained, Chiyang ensured he lacked nothing—there was no shortage of fine wines on the Wang family fleet. Chiyang spent gold freely, buying delicacies and wine for the demon soldiers, and Yang Nan’s skillful management, blending reward and punishment, had the little demons well under control. In just a short time, over a thousand demon soldiers were thoroughly obedient.

Old Crab, not having seen his master for over ten days, was busy training with the Shrimp Commander and lesser demons inside the ring, picking elite soldiers per Yang Nan’s instructions. When he emerged and saw his master watching him intently, he quickly bowed and said, “Old Crab greets the young master. May I ask what you require?”

Yang Nan saw General Crab full of vigor and spirit, clearly not shirking his duties. He nodded and explained the situation. Old Crab slapped his chest confidently. “Young master, as the saying goes, you raise troops for a thousand days, use them for a moment. With me here, those river bandits will not get past! Except…”

Yang Nan asked, puzzled, “Except what?”

Old Crab grinned. “Young master, our brothers’ weapons aren’t ready. We can’t fight the bandits barehanded. What do you think?”

Yang Nan chuckled. Little Copper Coin had eaten the iron pillar, leaving Old Crab’s weapons gone, and he’d neglected to prepare replacements while focused on training. No wonder General Crab looked troubled. Shaking his head, Yang Nan smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get weapons right away.”

Old Crab puffed out his hairy chest. “In that case, young master, watch us waterfolk in action—we will not disappoint you!”

General Crab returned energetically to the ring to gather his troops. Yang Nan’s promise of weapons was easily fulfilled; the Wang family fleet already had two thousand soldiers, so weapons were plentiful. Facing over ten thousand bandits, Captain Wang was beside himself with anxiety, but when Chiyang offered a thousand demon soldiers to help, he nearly jumped for joy, clutching at a lifeline, agreeing to any request.

Captain Wang was no ordinary man; he had witnessed Chiyang’s immortal arts and knew the bandits had powerful sorcerers among them. He eagerly provided thousands of weapons and endless food and drink to encourage the demon soldiers.

Chiyang accepted graciously, and General Crab led a thousand demons onto the ship, taking up arms and armor with fierce spirit, reassuring Captain Wang considerably.

Seeing all arrangements made, Yang Nan relaxed a little. Lady of the Void beside him sneered, “Such weak rabble, why go to such trouble? One sword would settle it!”

With a wave of her fair hand, three golden lights transformed into three golden dragons in the sky. The dragons snarled and twisted, rushing toward the bandit ships not far away. As the golden light flashed, the bandits screamed in terror—one by one, the golden dragons crushed them viciously, giving them no chance to resist.

The dragons suddenly turned into a gigantic sword, slicing across the river, then changed into a rain of arrows falling like stars. The bandits were thrown into confusion, left to cry for their lives or jump into the water to escape.

The golden dragons rampaged for a long while. Suddenly, three ships exploded with a thunderous crash, breaking into fragments and sinking slowly into the river. The surviving bandits shrieked on the surface, their cries chilling to the bone, while fish and shrimp feasted on the carnage.

Yang Nan, seeing Lady of the Void’s ruthless power, sighed. “Sister, your wounds haven’t healed yet; you can only summon three golden dragons. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of enemy ships still on the river. We can’t slaughter them all by ourselves. If we could capture their leaders, we might end this threat once and for all.”

Lady of the Void knew Yang Nan was right. Had she been at full strength, no matter how many ants came, they’d all die, but now, still badly wounded, she couldn’t force her powers lest all her prior recovery be wasted. After a brief pause, she said, “Very well, you keep watch. If a strong enemy appears, I will step in.”

With that, she returned to the cabin, leaving Yang Nan with a bitter smile. This lady was truly hard to please—he’d spent so much effort healing her, hadn’t even finished his own recovery, and yet she simply left everything to him.

Still, with Lady of the Void on board, Yang Nan felt much more at ease. The distant bandit ships, tightly surrounding the Wang fleet, saw three vessels destroyed by a single attack and could no longer hold back—they began their assault!

At the sound of the horn, dozens of bandit ships surged forward like a swarm of bees. Captain Wang issued orders, calling every soldier, sailor, cook, and servant to arms. This battle would decide life or death, and everyone was prepared to risk everything.

Yang Nan saw the bandit ships vastly outnumbered the Wang fleet. He knew this would be a tough fight. Although the guards had better equipment, they were greatly outnumbered by the bandits. Without intervention, these eleven cargo ships would surely be captured.

He pondered briefly, then produced a multicolored feather fan shimmering with light. Turning to Dieyi, he said solemnly, “Dieyi, use this fan to cast wind spells against the enemy ships.”

Dieyi nodded obediently and took the fan with delight. This treasure, won from the pheasant spirit, was imbued with powerful wind magic and could summon gusts and waves. With the fan in hand, she silently recited wind incantations from the Vast Wind True Method. The feather fan instantly grew to a yard-long giant, and Dieyi raised her delicate hand, vigorously fanning toward the bandit ships in the distance.

A series of shrill whistles echoed. The feather fan, brimming with wind magic, unleashed a frenzy of storms across the Hun River. Dozens of tornadoes formed, battering the bandit ships speeding toward them, throwing them into utter chaos.

Yang Nan saw the fan’s effect and was overjoyed. “Again!” he urged.

“Yes, young master,” Dieyi replied softly, lifting the multicolored fan once more. She looked fragile and delicate, but the fan in her hand was fearsome. With each wave, winds howled and waves surged, wind and water joining forces. Dozens of bandit ships swayed wildly, bandits falling into the river or being swept high into the air by tornadoes.

The world was filled with raging winds, the roar raising towering waves, as if the heavens themselves were shrouded.

From time to time, ships broke apart and sank, bandits’ screams echoing and raising goosebumps.

Dieyi swung the fan until her face turned pale and her magic was spent. The fan, deprived of its master’s power, reverted to a small fan and fell into her palm. She looked at Yang Nan and murmured, “Young master, I can’t fan anymore.”

Yang Nan gently supported her frail form, inwardly marveling—never had he expected that little Dieyi, after practicing the Vast Wind True Method and with this multicolored feather fan, could be so terrifying! On this great river, if Dieyi’s magic were limitless, even ten thousand troops would be doomed! Yet, against true cultivators, the feather fan would be of little use…