Chapter 395
Chapter 395
The Raging Thunder Archipelago.
At Skywind City, ships from the State of Wu docked at the port one after another, and waves of soldiers streamed into the city—though calling it a city was a stretch. The State of Yue had few naval forces, but the State of Wu was better off with several thousand. Still, that was the extent of their navy, so most of the troops heading south this time were regular ground forces.
The greatest fear when transporting regular troops by sea was seasickness. They would vomit until they couldn't think straight, their bodies trembling so much that fighting was out of the question. For this reason, they needed several days of rest to reorganize before any battle. Skywind City was less than a hundred miles from Raging Tide City, so the twenty to thirty thousand troops from Wu would rest and regroup in Skywind City for three days before boarding the ships again to sail south and attack Raging Tide City.
Qiu Hu, the Lord of Skywind City, held a new official seal and one hundred thousand gold taels, gazing outside with delight. The supreme commander of the Wu army smiled at him and said.
“General of the Sea, how is the Jin Clan’s naval combat strength?”
Qiu Hu looked down on the Jin Clan and replied.
“They are nothing but a bunch of landlubbers.”
The Jin Clan’s soldiers were indeed not skilled in naval warfare. However, as soon as Jin Zhuo took control of Raging Tide City, he assigned three thousand men to form the Jin Clan’s navy, conducting daily combat training at sea. The core of these three thousand were over a thousand pirates who had surrendered from Qiu Tianwei’s side. The Jin Clan’s main weakness, however, was a lack of naval officers. This was a difficult problem to solve. An officer was an important position; you couldn't just pick anyone, nor could you entrust your main naval force to pirates. Fortunately, the pirates in the eastern seas had been nearly wiped out, so a navy of three thousand was sufficient to maintain order. They were continuously training more naval forces, but for now, the Jin Clan’s naval strength was not particularly formidable.
The supreme commander of the Wu army said.
“Then I shall entrust the naval battles to you, General Qiu Hu. In three days, our grand army will move south to land at Raging Tide City. During that time, you must secure control of these waters. There must be no threat from any enemy ships, and our Wu army must be able to land at Raging Tide City smoothly.”
Qiu Hu pounded his chest and guaranteed.
“Leave it to me. With my fleet, there is no enemy on the seas who can stand against me.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you, General of the Sea.”
A few hours later.
After encouraging the pirates by showering them with gold, Qiu Hu’s four thousand naval troops boarded their ships, left Skywind City, and charged toward the waters of Raging Tide City. It was no wonder Qiu Hu looked down on the Jin Clan with such arrogance. The Jin Clan's fleet had been drastically reduced long ago and rarely appeared at sea. Not only that, but the Hidden Yuan Society’s merchant ships had also ceased their voyages. In such a situation, it was hardly a difficult task for Qiu Hu’s pirate army to seize control of the seas.
* * *
A ship departed from the docks of Yangwu City in Nujiang Commandery and headed toward Raging Tide City. The vessel was quite small but incredibly fast, perfectly capable of long-distance voyages. Onboard, besides the crew from the Hidden Yuan Society, there were a dozen or so other people. Huang Dong of the Hidden Yuan Society stood respectfully inside a cabin where a figure sat cross-legged.
It was a woman with a full head of white hair, wearing robes whiter than snow. It was clearly the height of a sweltering summer, and the eastern seas were particularly humid, yet she remained clad in a thick robe. She was Huang Feng’s master, the Snow Mountain Elder, Lin Shang—the supreme expert who often sought out Zhong Chuke for a challenge. It couldn't be helped. The State of Yue had only six Grandmaster positions. To become one, you had to defeat an existing Grandmaster and take their place. Everyone considered Grandmaster Zhong Chuke to be the weakest of the six, so they all challenged him. Naturally, this left Zhong Chuke quite displeased.
‘What’s the meaning of this? You think you can just pick on the weakest link? Why don’t you go challenge Li Qianqiu, or Yan Nanfei, or that ancestor in the royal palace? Everyone says I’m the lowest-ranked among the Grandmasters. Fine, I’ll raise the greatest disciple in the world and make you all piss your pants in shock.’
Of course, even the lowest-ranked Grandmaster was still a Grandmaster. To this day, everyone who had challenged Grandmaster Zhong Chuke had been defeated. The Snow Mountain Elder had challenged him three times and lost all three, with their last duel just a few months ago. Having lost all three matches against Zhong Chuke, she had lost face and intended to go into seclusion. The Hidden Yuan Society had to plead with her to protect Raging Tide City, paying a hefty price to finally secure her services. She put on more airs than a Grandmaster despite not being one; this expert was truly difficult to serve.
In truth, she had accepted their proposal because she owed the Hidden Yuan Society a great debt. What debt, you ask? The Snow Mountain Elder, Lin Shang, was originally a disciple of the Daoist Palace of Demon Rock Mountain in the State of Chu. Thinking too highly of herself, she was unwilling to endure the time needed to serve under another. In the end, the position of Sect Leader of the Daoist Palace of Demon Rock Mountain was passed to Banya. Was Lin Shang the type to accept that gracefully? She challenged Banya for the position over a dozen times but failed every single time, losing all face. Finally, in a fit of rage, she betrayed the Daoist Palace of Demon Rock Mountain and established her own Snow Mountain Daoist Palace. But unexpectedly, upon arriving at the Great Snow Mountain, she discovered that another Grandmaster, the Divine Maiden Xue Yin, had already settled there.
‘How can this be? I am the Snow Mountain Elder, and you are the Divine Maiden Xue Yin? Your name has the character for “snow” in it, just like mine. Are you trying to ignore my existence? I used the character “snow” first, so no one else can.’
And so, the Snow Mountain Elder went to fight Xue Yin. At the time, Xue Yin had not yet earned the title of Grandmaster, so Lin Shang thought she would be an easy target. But she lost again. They fought three times, and she lost all three times! The Snow Mountain Elder suffered defeat after defeat against various people.
‘That wench Xue Yin doesn't take many disciples or establish a sect anyway. When people talk about the Great Snow Mountain, they’ll only know of my Snow Mountain Palace, not her.’
She was far too overconfident. Although Xue Yin had only one disciple, whenever people mentioned the Great Snow Mountain, they thought of the Divine Maiden Xue Yin, not the Snow Mountain Elder. Her life was truly a series of damnations. Thus, the Snow Mountain Elder was in a constant state of fury, feeling that the entire world had wronged her. Of course, her Snow Mountain Palace could never find stability because she was a traitor to the Daoist Palace of Demon Rock Mountain. Grandmaster Banya had led experts to attack her Snow Mountain Palace on several occasions. Every time her palace gained a few more disciples, Banya would come to attack, causing the disciples to betray her and flee to the Daoist Palace of Demon Rock Mountain. After all, the martial arts they practiced were similar either way.
What was this if not bullying? The Snow Mountain Elder fumed with anger but was completely helpless. Although her martial arts level was only slightly below Banya's, she ultimately could not defeat her. It was then that the Hidden Yuan Society appeared. Using some unknown method, they stopped the attacks from the Daoist Palace of Demon Rock Mountain, and only then did the Snow Mountain Palace find a bit of stability.
However, Lin Shang's Snow Mountain Palace had no income and produced nothing of value. Food, clothing, and shelter all cost money, but Lin Shang had a twisted personality and was incredibly arrogant, so no one wanted to associate with her. Once again, the Hidden Yuan Society stepped in, providing aid and donating money to the Snow Mountain Palace every year, which allowed her to maintain her palace and her lifestyle.
So, what good was there in practicing martial arts in this world?
Lin Shang possessed martial skills comparable to a Grandmaster, yet she needed the charity of others just to afford the basic necessities of a full belly and a warm place to sleep. She wasn't alone; Sword King Li Qianqiu lived on Sword Island with a total of five people and assets not exceeding three hundred gold taels. Grandmaster Zhong Chuke was one of the few who lived comfortably. His disciples were all from powerful and noble families, allowing him to own an entire mountain and build a small fortress upon it. The six Grandmasters of Chu were no different; among them, only Yan Nanfei truly enjoyed wealth and splendor.
Huang Dong spoke respectfully.
“Great Master, your meal is ready. What kind of wine would you like? Grape wine? Rice wine? Or shall I bring fruit wine?”
The Snow Mountain Elder, Lin Shang, glared at him and said coldly.
“What did you say? Are you trying to insult me? I am not a Grandmaster, yet you call me ‘Great Master’?”
Huang Dong’s hair stood on end, and he quickly changed his address.
“Sect Leader Lin, what kind of wine would you like?”
“Anything.”
“Then shall I serve the grape wine?”
“No. It looks like blood, and it’s sour.”
“Then I will bring the rice wine.”
“I won't drink it. It smells stale.”
“Then would you like some fruit wine?”
“That’s too sweet. It’s not even like alcohol.”
On the verge of tears, Huang Dong asked in a trembling voice.
“Great Master, we only have these three types of wine on the ship. Even if they are not to your liking, please choose one of the three.”
“Didn’t I say I would drink anything? Are you deaf?”
It was no wonder people disliked her. She was truly a difficult person to serve. Huang Dong couldn't help but offer a moment of silence for the Marquis of Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, because his own ordeal would soon be over. Once he escorted the Snow Mountain Elder to the Great Sage Pavilion in Raging Tide City, his mission would be complete. From then on, the task of hosting her would fall to the Jin Clan.
This time, the entire Snow Mountain Palace had been mobilized to protect Raging Tide City and the Marquis of Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo. A total of nineteen people had come. This couldn't be helped; including the kitchen staff, the Snow Mountain Palace had exactly nineteen members. The reasons for so few disciples were, firstly, the palace's poverty, and secondly, the Snow Mountain Elder's terrible temper and lack of patience when teaching. Many disciples couldn't continue learning from her and left for the Daoist Palace of Demon Rock Mountain, where the martial uncles and senior sisters were all beautiful and spoke pleasantly, making it feel like returning home.
What was the price for mobilizing their entire force to protect the Marquis of Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo? Five thousand gold taels for three months, no discounts! Of course, she only accepted because the Hidden Yuan Society had requested it. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to hire Lin Shang, no matter how much gold they offered. Looking at this situation, only one thought came to mind.
There was no future in practicing martial arts!
Five thousand gold taels was an amount Shen Lang could easily spend in a few days when scheming to harm others. So, it seemed that marrying into wealth and living off one's wife was truly the most promising path in life.