Chapter 245
Chapter 245
At that moment, Zhang Chong was not on the fleet at sea; only Zhang Chunhua and Qiu Hu stood on the deck of the flagship. Seeing the flags unfurled at the pier, Qiu Hu sighed with a complex expression.
“You truly succeeded. You’ve taken Raging Tide City.”
Zhang Chunhua’s eyes widened as she meticulously scanned the movements of the people on the pier. Seeing this, Qiu Hu spoke.
“To think that she-devil Qiu Yao'er was defeated. To think she could die. What on earth happened?”
Qiu Yao'er was invincible, so how could she have been defeated? But if she hadn't been defeated, how could Zhang Jin have possibly taken Raging Tide City?
“What will you have me do from now on? Will you keep the promise you made me?”
Zhang Chunhua did not answer. Qiu Hu issued a command.
“The grand army will prepare to land at Raging Tide City!”
“Yes, sir!”
If Zhang Jin had indeed taken Raging Tide City, the positions of Qiu Hu and Zhang Chunhua would be instantly reversed. It was now Qiu Hu’s turn to curry favor with her. Only then could he secure a promising future and enjoy wealth and honor. Soon, their fleet changed formation and prepared to dock at the Raging Tide City pier to officially make landfall.
Just then, Zhang Chunhua cried out in alarm.
“Go, go, run away quickly! It’s a trap! This is a trap! Fleet, turn around immediately and flee!”
Qiu Hu asked in a startled voice, “What’s wrong? What is it?”
“If Zhang Jin had taken Raging Tide City, wouldn’t he have come to the pier himself to welcome his father? Besides, the flag signals being waved from the pier are not the ones he discussed with Father. We’ve lost…! Quickly, we have to run! Shen Lang has won. This is all a trap laid by Shen Lang!”
Tears streamed down Zhang Chunhua’s face as she spoke, her silent weeping soon turning into loud sobs.
*Why? Why on earth did Shen Lang win again? My brother! What happened to Zhang Jin?*
Zhang Chunhua shouted toward the pier.
“Shen Lang, don’t kill my brother! Please, don’t kill him! Shen Lang, spare my brother’s life! I know you can see me, Shen Lang. Please, spare my brother!”
The nine-tailed fox, Zhang Chunhua, fell to her knees on the deck, desperately striking her forehead against the floor.
***
At the very same moment.
In Qiu Yao'er's white castle, Zhang Jin stood at a window, screaming desperately toward the fleet at sea.
“Father, go quickly, run! It’s a trap, a trap…!”
No one stopped him. The castle was far from the sea. From here, one could see the fleet, but from the sea, it was incredibly difficult to spot this place, let alone a single window.
“Father, run… Your son has been unfilial. Your son has been incompetent…! I will repay the grace of your upbringing in my next life! Father, you must go.”
After speaking, Zhang Jin threw himself from the window of the castle, which stood dozens of meters high, and plummeted to a brutal, instantaneous death. No matter how loud he had screamed, the fleet at sea would never have heard his voice. That was why he had thrown himself from the tower, hoping his father would notice.
In truth, Qiu Yao'er could have stopped his suicide, and so could the several female warriors present. But Xu Qianqian did not speak up to stop him, and Shen Lang, too, said nothing. They let him die.
Shen Lang raised a telescope and observed the fleet on the sea, but Zhang Chong was nowhere to be seen. Only Qiu Hu and Zhang Chunhua were on the deck. Zhang Chunhua was on her knees, her face streaked with tears, wailing and begging. She had clearly realized it was a trap. Shen Lang couldn't hear what she was shouting, but he assumed she was pleading for Zhang Jin's life. Since Zhang Chong hadn't even come, Zhang Jin’s suicide from the castle tower had been in vain. But perhaps, this was the best way for him to die. Even in death, he would believe he had been loyal to his father.
Xu Qianqian came to the window and looked down. Zhang Jin’s body, having fallen from such a height, had burst on impact and lay in a bloody heap. Her former husband, the man she loathed like an enemy, was dead. The man she hated most in the world was dead. She could have killed him herself, but she hadn’t. She had allowed him to die in the most glorious way he desired, allowing him to preserve his reputation as Zhang Chong's son.
Suddenly, Xu Qianqian felt an overwhelming sense of anguish, a feeling of being unmoored and empty. Her angry sobs gradually turned into heart-wrenching wails. She desperately wished for someone to hold her, and at that moment, Shen Lang opened his arms. But instead, Xu Qianqian threw herself into Qiu Yao'er's embrace, clinging to her tightly as she wept. For a moment, Qiu Yao'er was at a loss.
Everyone knew she disliked being touched by men, but in truth, she wasn’t fond of contact with women either. She especially detested being embraced by a woman.
“Thank you, thank you…!”
Xu Qianqian said between constant sobs. She was truly, immeasurably grateful to Qiu Yao'er. Her life, once filled only with darkness and lived solely for revenge, had been transformed by Qiu Yao'er's presence. Her brilliant light had driven away the darkness in Xu Qianqian's heart. To think there was such a magnanimous, such a bold woman in the world.
Of course, if Zhang Jin hadn't died, Xu Qianqian would never have been able to cast off the darkness in her heart. Now, with the death of Zhang Jin, the object of her resentment and hatred, she had finally achieved the revenge she sought and could at last shed that darkness. Although Zhang Chong was not yet dead, Xu Qianqian had no desire to pursue revenge any further. Zhang Jin's death just now had brought her a sense of release, but it had not brought her the joy of vengeance fulfilled.
The root cause of her father Xu Guangyun’s death and the Xu Clan's ruin was Xu Guangyun’s insatiable greed. If the Xu Clan hadn't sought ever greater prosperity, would they have provoked Shen Lang and been driven to bankruptcy? If they hadn't gone bankrupt, would the Zhang Clan have chosen to kill her fiancé rather than simply break the engagement, murdering Xu Guangyun and burning the Xu estate to the ground? Every tragedy was merely the reaping of seeds they themselves had sown. If she continued her quest for revenge and killed Zhang Chong, what then? Would she have to kill Shen Lang after that?
“I won’t seek revenge. I won’t seek revenge anymore…”
Xu Qianqian sobbed, clinging to Qiu Yao'er. Her tears quickly soaked the front of Qiu Yao'er’s clothes, which made Qiu Yao'er feel even stranger.
Shen Lang stood by the window, continuously watching Zhang Chunhua through the telescope as she banged her head and wailed on the deck. He let out a deep sigh.
*Prefect Zhang Chong, you are truly something else!*
***
Zhang Chunhua was still on her knees on the deck, kowtowing toward Raging Tide City.
“Shen Lang, please, spare my brother’s life. Please don’t kill Zhang Jin.”
Qiu Hu's fleet moved farther and farther away. Zhang Chunhua continued to strike her head, begging, her forehead now a bloody mess. No one had heard Zhang Jin’s shouts from the white castle. He had jumped from the tower to alert his father, Zhang Chong, hoping the sight of his suicide would catch the attention of Qiu Hu's fleet. But no one saw him. He died a miserable, unnoticed death.
***
The second largest island in the Leizhou Archipelago was called Tianfeng Island. A fleet approached its shores. On the island, a small castle was built atop a sheer cliff. The island was covered in a primeval forest and housed a massive shipyard.
Inside the castle.
Zhang Chong sat on the highest floor, playing Go against himself. One by one, the stones fell from the board. He had been waiting here for over a dozen two-hour periods, yet no news had arrived. No news was bad news, and Zhang Chong soon realized he had lost his son. Tears streamed relentlessly from his eyes.
“Aim for the best to achieve the mediocre; aim for the mediocre, and you will achieve less!”
***
“Prefect Zhang Chong is truly on another level! Incredible!”
Shen Lang repeated the words, sighing. Jin Hui and Shen Thirteen didn't understand why he was saying this.
*Didn't we win a great victory? Why is the Young Master saying such things? And with such a regretful expression.*
But Shen Lang quickly shook off his heavy mood and began to enjoy the fruits of his victory.
The merchants of Raging Tide City were a bold lot. The moment the war ended, they couldn’t wait to reopen their shops for business. Shen Lang received dozens of gift slips from them, each accompanied by a present. Shen Lang didn’t refuse any of them. He opened them and marveled aloud. To think there were so many rare treasures in the world! Unfortunately, no one had sent Shen Lang any beautiful women as gifts.
*Do you all see me, Shen Lang, as a man of such noble character that he preserves his chastity?*
Aunt Xu poured Shen Lang a cup of tea. Her face was radiant with happiness. To be able to conceive at her age was an unexpected joy. Of course, in Shen Lang's view, thirty-six or thirty-seven was not old at all; he considered it a woman's prime. It couldn't be called getting pregnant at an old age in the slightest.
Shen Lang used his X-ray vision to check the fetus in her womb and confirmed it was healthy. He was happy for An Zaitian. An Zaitian had been through difficult times. He had spent over a decade in hiding beside his enemy to fulfill a mission with no end in sight. And those ten-plus years must have felt more like a waste of time, a period spent grasping for a sliver of a chance rather than with any real expectation of successful revenge. Fortunately, his vengeance was achieved through a series of incredible events, and with all his goals met, he no longer needed to remain in this castle. But after spending more than a decade here, the castle of Raging Tide City now felt like home. As a result, Daoist An Zaitian would sometimes burst into tears while talking, then suddenly laugh, then talk some more and cry again.
*Old Master, are you watching from the heavens? The Young Master has avenged you. Father, are you watching from the heavens? We have avenged you.*
Shen Lang said with a smile.
“Uncle An, your face is disfigured, even uglier than Huang Feng's. How did you manage to win over a beauty like Miss Xu?”
Outside, Huang Feng heard this but maintained a stoic expression. A martial artist must not be swayed by joy or sorrow. Otherwise, she would have beaten Shen Lang to death more than ten times over by now.
Shen Lang sighed and said, “It’s so unfair. I know a disfigured friend who couldn’t find a wife his entire life.”
An Zaitian said, “That’s because your friend hasn't hit rock bottom yet, Young Master. It's only when a person is in dire straits that they begin to see the heart, not just the appearance.”
That made sense. Perhaps the Shen Lang of the past hadn't possessed such a heart.
Aunt Xu said, “Qiu Tianwei was a pervert. Before I became pregnant, he often abused me. Every time, the Daoist would treat my wounds, and I began to think that he was a very good person.”
Shen Lang read between the lines of what she left unsaid.
*So, Aunt Xu seduced the Daoist first and slept with him. Amazing!*
Shen Lang asked her, “Did Qiu Tianwei not suspect your relationship?”
“He was an incredibly proud man. He believed himself to be overflowing with charm and thought the Daoist was ugly and shabby, so he assumed all the women in the Castellan's estate would despise him. Qiu Tianwei mistakenly believed that I didn't like him either.”