Chapter 219
Chapter 219
Count Jinhai, Tang Lun, bowed and said,
“My lord and my house will forever stand with Your Highness, the Crown Prince. Qiu Tianwei also holds Your Highness in the highest esteem. The Third Prince has the Marquis of Zhenxi and the Count of Wu'an on his side, so he always overlooks old subjects like us. We find them quite disagreeable.”
This was as good as a pledge of allegiance. It meant that if the Crown Prince took an interest in this matter and lent them a hand, Qiu Tianwei and Count Jinhai would side with him in the struggle for succession.
Su Nan frowned and asked,
“How many troops do you intend to deploy?”
“The combined forces of our two houses will number nearly thirty thousand. That's more than ten times the army of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.”
“How much gold did you say has already been produced on Despair Island?”
“Fifty thousand catties.”
“Once this is over, bring me thirty thousand catties immediately.”
Tang Lun was taken aback but dared not show it on his face. He could only bow and reply, “Yes!”
“But... must Jin Mulan be handed over alive?”
“Of course, she must be delivered alive. Do you think I would stand in the way of a woman the Crown Prince desires? However, she might lose her senses and try to harm His Highness, so cripple her martial arts. Sever the meridians in her hands and feet. Once they are reattached, she will still be able to walk, kneel, crawl, stand, and scream.”
“Yes.”
Tang Lun replied with a bow. The matter was more or less settled. It had concluded more easily than expected, making Tang Lun feel as if he had just wrapped up a minor affair. In truth, the Crown Prince sending Su Nan was as good as accepting their proposal. This face-to-face negotiation was merely a formality. It was often the same with modern nations on Earth. Both sides would have their insiders and experts coordinate all the terms in advance, and then the leaders would appear simply to sign. Otherwise, how could major international matters be successfully negotiated in just a day or two?
“Then, I shall take my leave. I will go and deliver this good news to Qiu Tianwei.”
“Once it's decided, it's best to move quickly. The sooner, the better.”
“Yes! As soon as I meet with Qiu Tianwei, I will return to assemble the troops and prepare for war.”
With that, Tang Lun backed away, only turning around once he was out of Su Nan's sight. Su Nan spoke in a languid tone.
“Someone, take my invitation to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate and tell Jin Mulan to come see me.”
“Yes!”
A eunuch took the invitation and hurried away. A smile graced Su Nan's exceptionally beautiful face.
‘Mulan, my dear sister-in-arms, they say you can never know what life has in store, isn't that right? We trained together under the great master Zhong Chuke. But my family met with disaster, and I fell from a noble lady to a commoner, while you still looked down on me from your high perch.
And now, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is on the brink of ruin, while I, Su Nan, have risen once more, able to control your destiny, Jin Mulan. Fate is truly a funny thing.’
Su Nan reached her slender hand into the air and clenched her fist tightly, as if she held Jin Mulan in her grasp.
* * *
Within Raging Tide City.
The Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei, was in a state of extreme, sustained excitement. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. When a man wins constantly, victory loses its thrill. Ordinary triumphs no longer stirred anything within him. The last time he had felt this excited was twenty years ago, when he annihilated the allied forces of Count Jinyu. Since that day, the Qiu clan had advanced by leaps and bounds, establishing the foundation of Raging Tide City.
For the past twenty years, Qiu Tianwei had roamed the seas unopposed, unable to find a worthy adversary. To have no rival was a lonely existence. In recent years, especially, he rarely had the chance to lead a battle himself. He had three commanders under him: his adopted son, Qiu Hu; his heir, Qiu Xiao; and his adopted daughter, Qiu Yao'er.
All three were capable generals in their own right, and Qiu Yao'er, in particular, was like a conquering king, victorious in every battle. Thanks to them, both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince of Yue sought to win him over, promising to enfeoff him as the Marquis of Raging Tide after ascending the throne. These promises moved Qiu Tianwei only slightly.
‘I possess a city, dozens of islands, and an army of tens of thousands. What use is the mere title of Marquis of Raging Tide? What I truly desire is a far grander enterprise. I want to build a foundation for the Qiu clan that will last a hundred, or even a thousand, years. And now, that opportunity has arrived.’
Like an alchemist devoted to his craft, he held an ancient gold vein in his left hand and the iron ore of Golden Mountain Island in his right. With money and weapons secured, what was there to fear about failing to achieve greatness? Hadn't the Great Jin Kingdom also risen to power after discovering an ancient gold vein?
Of course, the Great Jin Kingdom's success was also due to betraying its ally, the Great Qian Kingdom, at a crucial moment. Now, the Great Jin Kingdom had become the most powerful vassal state of the Great Yan Empire. The defeated Great Qian Kingdom was split into four, and the Great Jin Kingdom devoured a quarter of it. When the Great Qian Kingdom fell, the Great Jin Kingdom feasted.
Qiu Tianwei stood by the window, gazing eastward toward the distant Despair Island.
‘The Spring Festival is approaching. I'll enjoy the new year first, then gather the grand army and slaughter the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.’
Meanwhile, in Qiu Yao'er's tower, the atmosphere was festive in anticipation of the coming new year. Of course, this was just the several hundred women creating a sense of celebration for themselves; Qiu Yao'er couldn't care less about the Spring Festival. For her, every day was the same. As for Xu Qianqian, Lu Yi's death had allowed her to stay by Qiu Yao'er's side, but she had not become a close handmaiden like Lu Yi had been. Qiu Yao'er's most trusted female warrior attended to her daily needs.
Xu Qianqian asked Qiu Yao'er,
“My lady, are you sure you won't listen to *Journey to the West*?”
“I will not!”
Ever since she learned that Shen Lang had written the book, she refused to listen to it anymore. She stood by the window, looking out at the distant sea. The fact that Shen Lang had written *Journey to the West* for her immediately smelled of a conspiracy. It was pure intuition. Just then, an urgent bell suddenly rang out from the docks. All of Raging Tide City was startled. It was normal for the lighthouse bell to ring, but such a sharp, frantic toll signaled an emergency.
Then, a ship appeared on the sea. It wasn't large, and it flew the flag of Despair Island. Its deck was piled high with human heads. Everyone was horrified.
‘Did the she-devil, Lady Qiu Yao'er, go to war again and slaughter more people? It doesn't seem like it!’
She had been staying in Raging Tide City recently, having already killed all the defiant pirates in the surrounding waters. The ship drew closer and closer. Only then did everyone realize that the heads on the deck belonged to familiar faces. They were... all pirates from Raging Tide City. Moreover, when they saw the head held by the person standing on the deck, they were utterly dumbfounded.
‘Isn't... isn't that the head of the little pirate king, Qiu Xiao? H-how did he die? Even a scourge like him can die?’
* * *
Qiu Tianwei was perched on a windowsill, surrounded by three voluptuous, naked beauties. Another young woman, just as bare, knelt before him. Qiu Tianwei held a carving knife, etching a picture onto the woman's back. He was drawing a map of Despair Island. Though it was a bloody mess, the woman merely trembled in pain, not daring to make a sound. The slightest noise would mean a gruesome death. Halfway through the map, Qiu Tianwei grew bored.
He had seen and slept with too many beautiful women lately. Perhaps that was why ordinary beauties no longer held any interest for him. He was mulling over one thing.
‘Should I really send Jin Mulan to the Crown Prince? Can't I keep her for myself? Just imagine it, forcing Jin Mulan—a peerless beauty from a century-old noble house, renowned throughout the world—to kneel on the floor like this woman, carving pictures into her back and buttocks. How wonderful would that be?
Why should all the good things in the world go to the Ying clan? Why must all the famous beauties in the land be given to them? When I achieve my grand ambition, I must show the world that I have taken these world-admired beauties as proof of my success.’
Just then, the sound of urgent footsteps came from outside.
“Master, something terrible has happened!”
Startled by the sudden noise, Qiu Tianwei's hand slipped, carving a long gash on the woman's back.
“What is it?”
“Shen Lang has killed the Young Master and all two thousand pirates who went with him. And he's sent back all their heads.”
Qiu Tianwei froze as if struck by lightning. He remained motionless for a long time, as if he had just heard the most absurd thing imaginable.
‘Th-that's impossible. It defies all logic. Even if Shen Lang has gone mad, the Count of Xuanwu couldn't have gone mad with him.’
*Snap.*
Qiu Tianwei clenched his hands, brutally snapping the carving knife he held. He started to move, intending to see the truth for himself. If someone had reported false information, he resolved to flay the messenger alive.
* * *
The docks of Raging Tide City were completely sealed off. Thousands of pirate warriors stood guard at every corner. Then, the Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei, appeared on the ship. At his feet lay a dense pile of human heads, two thousand in all. In his hands, Qiu Tianwei cradled the head of Qiu Xiao, which had been handed to him by the subordinate he had sent.
Yes. The head he held was that of his son, his only son. An injury from a war two decades ago had left him able to sleep with women but unable to father any more children. Thus, Qiu Xiao was the sole heir of the Qiu clan. And now, that heir was dead. Qiu Tianwei couldn't even begin to imagine what his son had endured before his death.
Qiu Xiao's face was contorted in fear, his teeth were broken, and his face was a bloody mess. The messenger beside him reported everything he had seen in detail: how the Young Master was castrated, his neck broken, and how he had crawled thirty zhang with his teeth, begging for forgiveness in the most humiliating way. And yet, in the end, he was still beheaded by one of Shen Lang's female warriors. He had not only died a horrible death but had suffered all manner of pain and humiliation before he did.
The messenger continued.
“Shen Lang told me to pass on a message to you, Great King. He said not to be too heartbroken, and that Young Master Qiu Xiao did not die peacefully.”
The Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei, closed his eyes. His vision went black, and a wave of dizziness sent him stumbling.
“Graaah! Ugh.”
A guttural, beast-like roar erupted from Qiu Tianwei's throat. He clenched his jaw so hard that his gums bled, and bloody foam spilled from his mouth.
“Why? Why?! Even if Shen Lang is mad, has Jin Zhuo gone mad with him? Why? Why did you kill my son?!”
Qiu Tianwei spat out a mouthful of blood along with his furious rage.
“No, the reason no longer matters. Send word to the pirates in the Leizhou Archipelago. Summon all our forces and allies. Prepare for war! I will slaughter every last person on Despair Island. I won't leave a single soul, not even a blade of grass.
I will kill every man of the Jin clan, flay their skin, pull out their tendons, and subject them to death by a thousand cuts. I will trample every woman of the Jin clan until they are dead, and after they die, I will carve up their flesh and boil it. I will tear Shen Lang limb from limb and make him regret the day he was born. I will wipe the Jin clan from the face of this earth! Assemble the army and prepare for war!”