Chapter 133
Chapter 133
“Nonsense. Everyone knows Xu Qianqian was burned to death.”
Suddenly, a female pirate standing beside them thought for a moment and said.
“This woman really is Xu Qianqian. I’ve seen her before. She did business with the young mistress several times.”
The pirate leader grew excited in an instant.
‘This woman is really Xu Qianqian? The Xu Qianqian with all that wealth? She’s not dead?’
“Xu Qianqian, where are you going in the middle of the night?”
The pirate leader’s eyes gleamed. The words ‘treasure vault’ flashed through his mind. Why else would Xu Qianqian be out in the dead of night? The pirate leader was convinced she was up to something she didn't want others to know.
“Speak!”
The pirate leader’s saber lightly grazed her skin, leaving a thin cut on Xu Qianqian’s neck. Startled, Xu Qianqian trembled and collapsed to the ground.
“I… I… I…”
“If you don’t speak, I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you!”
“Zhang Jin forcibly took over my family’s estate and tried to burn me to death. I… I was going to retrieve our money and flee the State of Yue.”
The pirate leader’s breathing began to grow heavy.
‘My guess was right. There really is a secret vault. How could a family as wealthy as the Xus not have a secret vault?’
“Where is the secret vault? How much is in it?”
“About… about thirty thousand gold coins. I don’t remember the exact amount!”
Xu Qianqian answered, her body shaking.
‘Thirty thousand gold coins?’
The pirate leader felt his breath catch in his throat. The five of them exchanged glances. With thirty thousand gold coins, why would they serve a fickle and cruel young master like Qiu Xiao? They could take the money, flee to a distant country, and live out their lives without ever spending it all. Even split five ways, thirty thousand gold coins was enough for each of them to eat, drink, and be merry for a lifetime. The pirates quickly reached a consensus, nodding at one another.
“Xu Qianqian, take us to the secret vault. Otherwise, I’ll kill you…”
The pirate leader shouted. The thought of the money made him forget all about Xu Qianqian’s beautiful appearance. Xu Qianqian shivered as she stood up and spoke in a trembling voice.
“If… if I take you and give you the money, will you let me go?”
The pirate leader let out a loud, coarse laugh.
“Of course. Once we have the money, we’ll definitely let you go.”
‘Let you go? As if. Once we get the money, we’ll violate you a hundred times over and then kill you!’
The pirate leader pressed his saber to Xu Qianqian’s neck, forcing her to lead the way to the vault.
“How long will it take on foot? Ride the horse.”
The pirate leader practically threw Xu Qianqian onto a warhorse and was about to climb on behind her.
“No. If that female pirate doesn’t ride behind me, I’d rather die than lead you to the secret vault.”
Xu Qianqian shrieked sharply. The pirate leader was furious.
‘You bitch. Once I find the money, you’ll be the first one I kill.’
The female pirate mounted the horse and wrapped her arms around Xu Qianqian’s waist.
“Lead the way.”
With trembling hands, Xu Qianqian took the reins and galloped toward the Xu Clan’s secret vault. The female pirate held a saber in her hand and spoke in a cold voice.
“Let’s make this easy for both of us. Don’t try any tricks. Otherwise, I’ll slice open your belly with one stroke and see if a beauty’s guts look the same as ours.”
* * *
Traveling by horse was indeed faster. Half an hour later, Xu Qianqian had led the five pirates to the underground secret vault.
“I… I lost the key.”
Xu Qianqian said in a quavering voice. Without a word, the pirate leader stepped forward and struck the lock with his saber. He broke two blades before finally shattering the lock. He pushed the door open with all his might and entered the underground vault. The pirates immediately rushed inside. Just as expected, there were several chests inside the secret vault. They opened one and found glittering gold coins inside—several hundred of them. The pirate leader pocketed the few hundred gold coins, then turned to Xu Qianqian and asked.
“Where are the rest of the gold coins? Didn’t you say there were thirty thousand?”
With a trembling hand, Xu Qianqian pointed to the largest chest in the secret vault.
“The rest are all in there.”
The pirate leader went to the large chest and struck it forcefully. The chest was thick and solid. The lock on it wasn’t even fastened, yet it wouldn’t open at all. The pirate leader drew his saber and began hacking at the chest’s lock like a madman. He broke two more sabers, but still couldn’t cut through the lock.
“Boss, just smash the chest.”
One of the female pirates suggested. The pirate leader realized it was a good idea and began striking the chest instead of the lock.
“What are you all standing around for? Come and help. You really think that bitch can escape with us here?”
The pirate leader yelled. Convinced that Xu Qianqian couldn’t escape, the five pirates began to furiously smash the chest. Xu Qianqian stood motionless, but her hands, hidden behind her back, reached for a torch hanging on the wall. Outwardly, she wore an expression of extreme fear, but inwardly, her mind was filled with cruel intentions. She felt an intense urge to harm someone. At that moment, she thought of Shen Lang.
‘Shen Lang must have felt this joyful and triumphant every time he succeeded in his revenge. It’s coming. It’s about to happen.’
Xu Qianqian was incredibly tense, and excited.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
The five pirates continued to frantically strike the chest. Xu Qianqian inched her way, bit by bit, toward the entrance. And then, the thick chest broke.
*CRACK!*
With a loud noise, a strange liquid shot out from inside the chest. It was sulfuric acid. This wasn’t a secret vault, but the Xu Clan’s storage for sulfuric acid, which was needed for dyeing fabrics. However, because sulfuric acid was extremely dangerous to handle and emitted toxic fumes, the storage was built entirely underground.
Just as ancient China had discovered sulfuric acid over a thousand years ago, it also existed in this world. The chest contained over two thousand catties of sulfuric acid, which had undergone a chemical reaction over time, causing it to expand. So, when the chest broke, the acid sprayed out with immense pressure. As the pirates created a hole in one part of the chest, the sulfuric acid inside instantly gushed out madly.
“Aaargh!”
A few pirates quickly dodged, but the pressurized acid sprayed in all directions, getting into their eyes. The moment the sulfuric acid touched their eyes, they were blinded. But something far more terrifying awaited them. Sulfuric acid produces a large amount of hydrogen, which is highly flammable and explosive. The pirate leader, though blinded by the corrosion, still lunged toward Xu Qianqian.
“You bitch, you dare to harm us? I’ll have my way with you first, then kill you!”
Xu Qianqian smiled coldly, snatched the torch from the wall, and threw it. Then, she quickly turned and fled. A moment later.
*BOOM!*
A massive explosion erupted as the hydrogen gas that had filled the air from the overflowing sulfuric acid instantly ignited. The entire large chest was blown to smithereens, and the two thousand catties of sulfuric acid inside exploded violently. Their bodies were instantly torn to shreds and corroded by the acid. Unable to even scream, the five pirates, who had committed all manner of evil deeds, died a gruesome death.
*BOOM!*
Several more explosions echoed from within the underground acid storage, the violent blasts tearing up the ground. The force of the explosion threw Xu Qianqian’s delicate body harshly to the floor. She managed to get up, coughing up a mouthful of blood. But inwardly, she felt an unparalleled sense of triumph. She had killed someone. She had used her own wits to escape her predicament and kill five pirates. She subconsciously felt that she had been completely transformed, different from who she was before.
She struggled to untie the ropes binding her, mounted the warhorse that had been startled by the explosion, and galloped madly towards the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. An hour later, the horse Xu Qianqian was riding arrived at the estate. By then, Governor Zhu Rong, the Fourth Prince, and the black-armored cavalry had all departed. Xu Qianqian was immediately surrounded by the cavalry of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
“I’m Xu Qianqian. Take me to see Shen Lang, quickly. Now, there’s no time!”
* * *
How much time had Shen Lang spent preparing for the Gold Mountain Island dispute? He had spent months laying the groundwork. By the time a problem was at hand, it was already too late. Success couldn't be guaranteed in such situations. When he wrote *Boundless Wind and Moon*, his father-in-law had asked him why he involved Jin Mucong when he could have written it alone. At the time, Shen Lang had replied that it was for the Gold Mountain Island dispute. Why did Jin Mucong keep copying his homework even after co-authoring *Boundless Wind and Moon*? That, too, was for the Gold Mountain Island dispute.
Of the three contests, the first was Mulan’s martial arts duel with Tang Yan. Although the most space was dedicated to deciphering the ‘Meteor from Beyond the Heavens’ Sword Style, this was the last thing Shen Lang had prepared for. Now, victory in the martial contest was beyond doubt—though Zhang Chong and the Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, surely thought they would win. Tang Yan had never lost a duel and had a record of defeating all the young masters. How could he possibly lose to Mulan? But everyone knew that no matter how invincible a sword style was, the moment its weakness was found, it would crumble in an instant.
The second contest was a scholarly duel between Tang Yun and Jin Mucong. According to decades of tradition, the test would consist of one policy essay and one poem to determine the winner. There was no need for any other prediction for this battle; Jin Mucong was certain to lose.
Tang Yun’s achievement of Third Place Laureate in the Palace Examination was no exaggeration; he had earned third place on his own merit among last year’s examinees. The difference in level between Jin Mucong and Tang Yun was like the gap between the hill behind one’s house and Mount Everest.
But Shen Lang believed he could salvage this fatty. It wasn't because Jin Mucong was smart; he still couldn't even memorize the *Jin Clan Precepts*. However, as the saying goes, a dull pen is better than a sharp mind. Jin Mucong’s special talent was his ability to copy books with great diligence and speed. If you asked him to memorize a book, he couldn’t remember it, but if you gave him a book to copy, he would remember every single word after copying it a few times. And so, for over a month, Jin Mucong did nothing but copy books.
For this literary contest, the King himself would set the topic, place it in a box, and seal it with wax. The box could only be opened on the day of the contest, so no one except the King would know the topic beforehand. Therefore, Shen Lang read all the King’s writings and edicts, paying special attention to the *Edict on New Policies*.
Shen Lang believed there was a high probability that the topic of this literary contest would be related to the new policies. Based on the King’s personality, he used his computer to generate a list of potential questions in advance. This was similar to how prestigious high schools prepare practice questions for the college entrance exams every year.
Shen Lang came up with a total of nineteen questions for the policy essay section. For the answers to these nineteen questions, he searched his computer's database for policy essays written by some of the most brilliant minds in Chinese history for their own civil service exams. The answers Shen Lang provided were from great masters like Wang Yangming, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, and Su Che. Every sentence they wrote was an immortal masterpiece, which he slightly modified to be used as answers for the policy essays.
For the poetry section, Shen Lang also prepared one hundred and thirty potential topics. He then searched the database for famous poems and verses on those topics. In this category, the works of even more illustrious masters appeared. He included works from masters known as the Immortal Poet, the Sage of Poetry, the Ghost of Ci Poetry, and the Demon of Poetry.
Thus, the final prepared answers contained nineteen classic policy essays and one hundred and thirty immortal poems and verses. All that was left was to push Jin Mucong, saying, “Jin Mucong, memorize all of this! Life or death, you must memorize every single essay and poem here.”
And so, the poor fatty spent fourteen hours a day copying the potential answers. But was Shen Lang’s method reliable? To be honest, the probability of success wasn't very high. No matter how many potential questions the computer generated, the chances of one of them being the actual topic were incredibly slim. It was like a blind cat catching a dead mouse. The probability of hitting the right topic was no more than ten percent, but even so, Shen Lang hadn't given up on curing the fatty’s foolishness.
Fortunately, Jin Mucong’s greatest virtue was his obedience. He was like a timid student at school who would do whatever the teacher told him, whatever the class president told him, and even whatever the group leader told him. So, Jin Mucong copied what Shen Lang told him to copy and memorized what Shen Lang told him to memorize.
It might all be for naught, but Shen Lang’s attitude toward the literary contest was to hope for the best but not expect it. Besides, the contest after the literary one was the true opportunity for victory that Shen Lang had prepared. If he seized that chance, he could win this entire affair. But before that, if the fatty Jin Mucong somehow managed to defeat the Third Place Laureate Tang Yun in the literary contest, it would be an interesting situation. Terribly interesting. If that happened, it could completely turn the tables on the entire competition.