Shaken (Part 1)

Knock knock knock.

There was a knock on the door.

Zhang Rongfang slowly came back to his senses from his meditative state and became fully aware.

Who is it?

"My father sent me to ask, Uncle Zhang, you haven't come over for meals for several days. Is there anything I can help you with?" The person who came was the daughter of Boat Boss Yan Zheng, whose Ni Ni Nini.

"It's nothing. I keep some dry food in my room. I've been busy these past few days, so I haven't been able to go out to eat. Thanks for your concern," Zhang Rongfang replied.

He cultivated his Civilian Skill without regard to the timing or the day, and now he doesn't even know how long it has taken.

"That's good. It's been two days. If you need anything, please let us know. We're all alone on this high seas. Apart from helping each other, there's really no one else who can help us," Ni Ni said softly.

"Okay, thank you." Zhang Rongfang got up and went to open the door.

Ni Ni, standing outside the door, carried a wooden tray with some edible biscuits, dried meat, and dried fruit on it.

"I'm not going in. By the way, it looks like there are some ships following us. It might be a bit bumpy later. My dad said he plans to shake them off," Ni Ni instructed.

"Okay, thank you." Zhang Rongfang took the food from the wooden tray.

He didn't think much of it. Anyway, this time when he left, he was no longer Zhang Ying Daozi, but Zhang Jing.

With Zhang Jing's status, there's nothing to worry about in doing anything.

After Ni Ni left, Zhang Rongfang ate something and went outside to the deck.

The sea breeze was howling, and a light drizzle was falling outside.

Looking back, Zhang Rongfang could vaguely see a small white boat closely following the merchant ship.

From a distance, the ship appeared entirely white, and it seemed as if someone was peering in this direction from the bow.

On the merchant ship, Captain Yan Zheng was nervously instructing the sailors to turn and accelerate, trying to shake off the White Ship behind them.

Judging from the sweat on his forehead, it was clear that this matter was not as simple as he thought.

Zhang Rongfang pondered that if he were caught up, he would have no choice but to destroy the White Ship.

However, this meant that his plan to conceal his strength was ruined as soon as he stepped out the door.

Revealing our strength so early could bring a lot of trouble.

A sudden, soft cheer startled Zhang Rongfang from his gazing. "Alright!"

Yan Zheng shouted loudly.

"I'll treat everyone to a good meal when we get back!"

"Boss is so generous!"

"Great Elephant Pavilion! Great Elephant Pavilion!"

"Okay! Let's go with the Great Elephant Pavilion!"

Yan Zheng and a group of sailors celebrated joyfully.

When Zhang Rongfang looked back again, he could no longer see the White Ship.

Like him, the dozen or so passengers who came out of the deck also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was that White Pirates's ship just now?" a middle-aged man who had moved closer asked in a deep voice.

The man wore a blue long robe, held a black fan, had a small tuft of beard on his chin, was tall and strong, and had sharp eyes, unlike an ordinary person.

Beside him were two young people, a man and a woman, who appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.

The young man's gaze kept following the boat captain's daughter Ni Ni, as she moved around.

The woman watched with great interest as the White Ship followed behind.

"Yes, Father, I've heard my cousins talk about it before. It's a ship owned by White Pirates. They often intercept passing merchant ships and charge them tolls."

"I never expected our ship could outrun the White Pirates; this speed is no ordinary merchant ship."

"Luckily, our boat is fast, otherwise if we were caught up, we would probably have to expose ourselves." The woman didn't finish her sentence.

Seemingly noticing that Zhang Rongfang was listening, she turned her head and glared at him fiercely.

Zhang Rongfang wasn't listening on purpose; rather, his senses were exceptionally sharp. The three people were only seven or eight meters away from him, making it difficult for him not to hear.

He ignored the woman's glare and didn't care.

The middle-aged man whispered a few words to his daughter, then turned and left.

The two children kept their voices down and talked for a while before turning back to the cabin.

Zhang Rongfang paid no attention to the three people. To him, the White Pirates behind him and the family of three hiding their identities were just background figures he occasionally encountered on the road.

As long as you don't provoke him, everything else is fine.

After shaking off the White Pirates ships, the merchant ship sailed for a day and a night in the light rain. The wind and waves grew stronger and stronger, and the entire ship began to rock, sway, and tilt.

Fortunately, despite the wind and waves, the ship quickly arrived at the transit port – Liao Zhou Port.

Half of the goods were unloaded, and then half were reloaded.

A few passengers disembarked, but about ten more boarded.

The following day, the Flying Cloud set sail again.

Surprisingly, the White Pirates' ships reappeared not long afterward.

Yan Zheng and his men were on high alert, constantly trying to shake off their opponents, but to no avail. The opposing helmsman was excellent, and the ship was faster than before.

The distance between them has been shrinking and shortening.

On the deck of the White Ship.

Kong Chi and the other dozen or so people from the Western Sect were already prepared and ready to make their move at any moment, just waiting for the two ships to get close enough.

Last time, the Flying Cloud encountered them halfway, but after some effort, it was actually shaken off.

This time, the Flying Cloud will definitely not be able to shake it off.

"We'll keep an eye on them from the port, and catch up with them as soon as they come out. We just don't believe it."

"If you escape again this time, I'm afraid I'll never be able to hold my head up again!" Kong Chi gripped his bronze staff, his eyes low and somber.

"Everyone, get ready!" the Spectacled Monk beside him shouted, raising his hand.

Those who survived Shangguan Feihe's encirclement and massacre were all absolute elites.

Among the Kong Generation, there is one grandmaster Kong Chi, and Three Voids Worship God.

There are five people in the Hui Generation, all of whom are involved in the Three Voids and Internal Method.

Then there's the Jue Generation, nine people. They all practiced Internal Method External Medicine, Worship God.

With such strength, they could easily slaughter an ordinary city. Not to mention a mere small merchant ship.

"Grand Initiation Master, this distance should be enough." A Dwarf approached from the rear of the ship and reported respectfully.

"Then prepare to light the fire." Kong Chi chuckled.

Fire some cannons first to see what's on the cargo ship.

Immediately, a dozen or so sailors were transformed into part-time gunners, taking out flints, loading cannonballs, and igniting them to fire.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

In an instant, a series of shells crashed down.

The entire White Ship began to rock violently.

"What the hell! Who's firing randomly?!" Kong Chi immediately cursed.

"Grand Initiation Master, it wasn't our cannons, it was the merchant ship in front that fired first!!" The captain looked at the merchant ship in front of him in shock.

"Holy crap! This is a merchant ship?!"

Looking ahead, there were more than a dozen cannon barrels that could be turned freely.

Everyone on the White Pirates ship was stunned.

This wasn't the case a moment ago, but now they've lifted some of the tarpaulins covering them. "They have twice as many cannons as we do!! Who's the pirate here?!"

Kong Chi stared in disbelief at the cannons of the Flying Cloud, which were spewing out tongues of fire, and for a moment he didn't know how to react.

On the *** Flying Cloud.

"This is troublesome. The White Pirates are getting closer and closer. What if they make a move?"

Yan Zheng sighed.

"We are just a merchant ship; if we get hit, the losses will be huge."

The helmsman standing nearby felt his eyelids twitch.

"So you decided to strike first? No wonder I always heard that you rarely encountered pirates when you went to sea. So, if you sink all your ships, it's not just encountering pirates, it's encountering a shipwreck, right?"

"Sigh, we had no choice." Yan Zheng's eyes showed helplessness. "These days, a kind person is bullied, and a good horse is ridden. If you don't fight back, you will suffer."

But is this what you call resistance? This is called a proactive attack! The helmsman didn't dare to say it aloud.

"Hahahaha!!" A middle-aged man approached from the side, his eyes revealing admiration.

"I never expected to encounter such a hero just from a casual outing. He truly is worthy of being Da Ling Citizens! He is incredibly brave and valiant!"

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, then smiled at Captain Yan Zheng.

"My name is Kong Yuhui. Having just witnessed your actions, I must offer you a toast!"

"It's a pity there's no wine! My name is Yan Zheng. I used to be in the navy, so I know a little about self-defense. Please excuse my poor manners." Yan Zheng returned the greeting with a smile.

"No wonder. He's from the navy." Kong Yuhui was the man who had been chatting with his children on the deck earlier.

At this moment, he became interested and started chatting quietly with Yan Zheng.

At this moment, the cannon fire continued, forcing the White Pirates ships behind to create distance.

After several rounds of cannon fire, the White Pirates ship was also hit, breaking off a section of its hull.

Standing by the ship, Zhang Rongfang, with his eyesight and the Dark Light Vision, had just spotted the group of bald monks on the White Pirates' ship.

The other party was burly and strong, and it was obvious at a glance that he was a martial artist.

I originally thought I might have to take action myself.

Unexpectedly, the Flying Cloud lived up to its reputation as a seagoing vessel that dared to undertake long-distance cargo transport all year round; it really had some skills.

"That's true. If they didn't have some trump card up their sleeves, they couldn't have been safe so many times. They would have been scrapped on their very first voyage."

Zhang Rongfang could understand.

These days, there aren't many clean cargo ships at sea.

Some cargo ships, even when business is bad, will occasionally take on piracy as a side job.

This was the first time he had ever seen a ship with such exaggerated firepower as the Flying Cloud.

He had never seen such impressive equipment on a cargo ship in Citong before.

Zhang Rongfang shifted his gaze to Captain Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng was having a pleasant conversation with the middle-aged man.

The man's two children were chatting with Yan Zheng's daughter Ni Ni.

The two sides seemed to have become familiar with each other.

'So be it. Consider them to have escaped a calamity.'

After Zhang Rongfang released the restraints, he had no good feelings towards the bald monks. If they dared to come up and hijack the ship, he would drain them dry.

Now that there is a more convenient way to deal with the worship of Worship God, he no longer needs to search for the Spirit Core and kill it repeatedly as before.

Regardless of whether it's Worship God or not, draining someone's life force is the fastest way to kill.

At this moment, the White Pirates ships were gradually forced to widen the distance and could no longer keep up.

Zhang Rongfang lost interest, turned around and returned to the cabin, preparing to continue his Civilian Skill cultivation.

But he's settled down here.

On the White Pirates Ship, Kong Chi and the others were furious.

"Get closer!! A mere merchant ship! A cargo ship!!? Didn't you claim to have once been warships!!?"

Kong Chi roared loudly and slammed his bronze staff into the deck with a loud bang.

He was like a dog running away from Shangguan Feihe. He couldn't beat Shangguan Feihe, but that didn't mean the other party could kill him!

Because he can run! But now, he can't even beat a mere cargo ship!?

The Dwarf captain was sweating profusely from the scolding, but the gap was still a gap, and the distance between the White Pirates Ship and the Flying Cloud continued to widen.

Until all the people of the Western Sect completely gave up the will to pursue.

Kong Chi gritted his teeth, trembling with rage.

"A bunch of useless trash!!"

Bang! He pulled out his staff and struck a sailor beside him, sending him flying. The sailor coughed up blood, his side caved in, and he was clearly going to die.

Looking ahead, the Flying Cloud gradually disappeared into the sea fog, getting farther and farther away.

"You're lucky to be alive!" Kong Chi's last hope of making up for his losses was completely gone.

He could already foresee what he might face on his return trip.

Overwhelmed by his emotions, Kong Chi slammed his palm hard against the ship's side.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and another piece of the ship's hull was smashed open.