Braving the Sea

At Kinmen Harbor, three pirate fleets were surrounded by government troops and offered to surrender.

Some pirates distrusted the imperial court and tried to escape in small boats, but without exception, they were all rammed and capsized by the government troops' large ships. After Hu Zongxian gave the order, the government troops fired arrows and muskets at each other, killing all the Wokou Pirates who had capsized and fallen into the water.

This was Hu Zongxian's attitude: he could have recruited these Wokou Pirates, giving them a chance to reform and strengthening his own forces. But Hu Zongxian had very low tolerance; all he wanted were cowardly and submissive Wokou Pirates prisoners.

Those Wokou Pirates were slightly bolder and refused to surrender were regarded by Hu Zongxian as "unruly and difficult to control" and were shot dead.

Hu Zongxian likely killed Xu Hai for this very reason. While keeping Xu Hai alive would certainly add another great general, Xu Hai's mind was not settled, and there was a high possibility that he would surrender and then rebel again. If Xu Hai rebelled again, Hu Zongxian would be absolutely Parry the emperor's questioning and the Censorate's impeachment.

After a period of standoff, some pirates finally began to obey the orders of the government troops, throwing down their weapons, burying their heads in their hands, and kneeling on the deck to surrender.

The main problem is that the important figures of the pirates are all on Kinmen Island. Some have died, some have surrendered, and most of the pirates who remain in the port are not qualified to attend the three-way meeting. Their low status is self-evident. They are now in a state of leaderlessness. Upon hearing the news that their Boss Tier has been executed, they naturally lost the courage to oppose the imperial court.

After more than an hour of fussing, this large-scale surrender campaign finally came to an end, with Hu Zongxian capturing several thousand Wokou Pirates as prisoners.

Killing three Wokou Pirates Boss Tier and capturing thousands of elite Wokou Pirates was a great achievement. Hu Zongxian was very pleased with himself, stroking his beard and smiling as he accepted the compliments and congratulations from the generals on the ship.

Suddenly, a bodyguard jogged over and whispered something to Hu Zongxian.

Hu Zongxian's expression darkened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Bring her here."

A short while later, several Ming Army soldiers, accompanied by a beautiful woman, arrived at Hu Zongxian's flagship ship.

Bai Xiaowen recognized her; this woman was Wang Cuiqiao, whom he had met once before.

Wang Cuiqiao's face was somewhat pale. She bowed to Hu Zongxian and said, "Your Excellency, where is my husband? I was on the ship and heard the government troops shouting that the three bandit leaders had all been killed... May I ask Your Excellency, where is my husband, Xu Hai?"

Hu Zongxian coughed but did not answer.

A Ming Army officer Lu Tang coldly declared, "Xu Hai, the traitor, was not repentant; he has already been executed."

Wang Cuiqiao was stunned.

Hu Zongxian said gently, "Wang Cuiqiao, you are originally from Jiaxing. Although you have ended up in the brothel, you are still a citizen of our Great Ming Dynasty. Xu Hai is a traitorous Wokou Pirates who forcibly abducted you. Why are you so devoted to him?"

Wang Cuiqiao's lips were devoid of color. "... I beg Your Excellency, please allow me to collect Xu Hai's body. I am utterly despondent and only wish to spend the rest of my days in quiet contemplation."

"Xu Hai's head must be transported to the capital to report the victory. This notorious bandit has countless lives on his hands. Leaving his corpse in the wilderness is not enough to appease the public's anger. No one is allowed to prepare his body for burial!" Hu Zongxian snorted, but seeing Wang Cuiqiao's pale face, his tone softened, and he said, "You don't need to be afraid. I know you have not done any evil and will not be implicated by Xu Hai. I guarantee you a worry-free life."

Hu Zongxian beckoned to one side, and a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar walked over, bowed to Hu Zongxian, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Mr. Luo..." Wang Cuiqiao asked in surprise.

The man was none other than Luo Longwen, the scholar who had dealt with Bai Xiaowen before. He had changed out of his tattered long gown and was now dressed in a completely new outfit, transforming from a down-on-his-luck pirate into a well-dressed scholar.

Hu Zongxian laughed and said, "Miss Wang, you and Luo Longwen were old acquaintances. In his early years, he was poor and destitute, and you, still a young woman, sponsored his studies and examinations. That's quite a connection. It's just a pity that fate is unpredictable. Your father was convicted, and you were implicated and forced into prostitution. Later, Xu Hai broke through the city and kidnapped you. It was truly a double misfortune, not only natural disaster but also man-made one!"

Hu Zongxian, like a storyteller, rambled on for a long time, then paused before continuing, "As the saying goes, 'Priceless treasures are easy to find, but a true lover is hard to come by.' After Luo Longwen passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he heard that you had been abducted by Xu Hai. Yet, he abandoned his future career and took the initiative to come to me, willing to become my advisor. Later, Mr. Wenchang and I devised a plan to infiltrate the Wokou Pirates and sow discord. Luo Longwen, disregarding his own safety, volunteered to join Xu Hai's forces, all to find you."

After hearing this story, everyone on the boat was filled with mixed emotions. Some praised Luo Xiucai for his deep loyalty and righteousness, while others lamented the many obstacles that had befallen Luo and Wang. Of course, most people, after considering the meaning behind Hu Zongxian's words, were the ones who vehemently criticized Xu Hai.

Indeed! If Xu Hai hadn't interfered, Luo Longwen could have continued his studies, passed the imperial examinations with flying colors, become a Juren or even a Jinshi, returned home in glory, and then brought back Wang Cuiqiao, who had become a famous courtesan in Hangzhou, from the brothel. Wouldn't that have been a happy ending for everyone?

Of course, the current outcome isn't bad either. Luo Longwen has made considerable contributions, and with Hu Zongxian, the Governor-General of Zhili and Zhejiang, as his backer, it will be much easier for him to pass the imperial examinations and achieve Gold List Honors. He also has a beautiful wife and concubines. Moreover, with the addition of Xu Hai as a villain in his story with Wang Cuiqiao, it could be written into a play and passed down for thousands of years.

Hu Zongxian stroked his beard and smiled, "Miss Wang, from now on you should follow Master Luo... no, Luo Xiucai back to Jiaxing and wait for him to earn you an imperial title. Isn't that much better than following Xu Hai and living in fear?"

Luo Longwen, on the contrary, was somewhat flustered. He wanted to say something, but when he looked up and saw Wang Cuiqiao's deathly pale face, his throat tightened, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Wang Cuiqiao smiled sadly, "So it was all a lie."

"Well?"

The scene everyone expected— Wang Cuiqiao throwing herself into Luo Xiucai's arms and him winning the beauty's heart—did not happen. Everyone was stunned, and the boat fell silent for a moment.

Wang Cuiqiao didn't even glance at Luo Longwen, only looking at Hu Zongxian:

"Hu Zongxian, you have arbitrarily killed those who surrendered. Where do you place justice?"

Hu Zongxian was annoyed when he was addressed by his first name.

Before Hu Zongxian could react, Wang Cuiqiao had already turned towards Kinmen Island, her voice shrill:

"Ming Shan! I've let you down!"

The white skirt draped over her shoulders as she suddenly leaped into the sea.

Luo Longwen panicked and shouted, "Quick, get her out of there!"

However, Luo Longwen was a nobody, and seeing Hu Zongxian's ashen face, everyone on the boat knew better than to jump into the water to save him.

Luo Longwen looked around, gritted his teeth, and jumped into the sea. But he couldn't swim and thrashed about aimlessly.

"What kind of behavior is it to rescue Master Luo!" Hu Zongxian snorted. Two bodyguards jumped down and faithfully followed Hu Zongxian's orders to rescue "Master Luo." As for the other figure in a white skirt being swallowed by the sea, they tacitly ignored it.

In the Team Channel, Li Shuyi said with great reluctance, "This Hu Zongxian has gone too far. Xiao Wen, I really want to save Wang Cuiqiao."

Bai Xiaowen sighed, "She had long been determined to die. Wasn't that rebuke of Hu Zongxian just to prevent anyone from saving her? You can't save someone who's made up their mind to die."

"Why can't Hu Zongxian allow people to collect the body? He won't even let them become nuns. That's too much!" Li Shuyi said indignantly.

Bai Xiaowen shook her head and said in the Team Channel, "Hu Zongxian is thinking about his own reputation. After all, betraying his promise is not a glorious thing. If he lets Wang Cuiqiao become a nun, wouldn't that just create another resentful woman to slander him? If Wang Cuiqiao gets together with Luo Xiucai, it means she has let go of Xu Hai, and only then can Hu Zongxian truly feel at ease. After all, Luo Xiucai Luo Xiucai be following Hu Zongxian in the future, and if Wang Cuiqiao follows Luo Xiucai, it's equivalent to being under Hu Zongxian's influence and control."

After a pause, Bai Xiaowen continued, "Shu Yi, I know you're moved by Wang Cuiqiao's loyalty to Xu Hai, and consequently you've come to dislike Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei. But to be fair, Xu Hai, as a citizen of the Great Ming Dynasty, betrayed the country by collaborating with the Wokou Pirates Wokou Pirates, leading them to raid Great Ming territory, slaughtering countless civilians and robbing countless treasures. His crimes are heinous; he's a traitor to the Ming Dynasty. This is a crime of principle, while his personal loyalty is merely a minor matter."

"Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei painstakingly resisted the Japanese pirates and protected the people of the Great Ming along the southeast coast. They can be called Hero Tier. This is justice in the grand sense. As for their moral character, being untrustworthy and treacherous, these are merely minor matters."

Bai Xiaowen's attitude was very clear: he sided with Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei.

Li Shuyi actually understood all of this, but women are more emotional and easily swayed by feelings.

Regardless, Wang Cuiqiao's suicide by jumping into the sea was unexpected and caused Hu Zongxian to lose face. He snorted, turned around, and left.

Xu Wei gave Yu Dayou a few instructions, ignored Hu Zongxian, and leisurely walked to a cabin on the ship with his hands behind his back, then covered his head and went to sleep.

"Let's go. It's not a good time to turn in the quest right now. Let's open the treasure chest first."

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi chose an empty cabin to open the treasure chest. Only Yu Dayou was miserably organizing the newly surrendered Wokou Pirates, binding them into long lines with ropes, and then conducting a full-island search to ensure that not a single Wokou Pirates escaped.

In completing this C-Tier Hero Quest, Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi obtained two Golden Treasure Chest dropped by the final Boss Tier, as well as two Silver Treasure Chest.

First, open the Silver Treasure Chest. Both of these chests only have C-Tier – probably because they came from High Elite Tier. If they were from Mid Elite of similar level to Bai Xiaowen, the rating would probably drop to D-Tier or E-Tier.

There's only one chance to get a C-Tier rating, but thankfully you won't be left out.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi each received a treasure chest and quickly finished drawing from it. There were no surprises; each of them drew a piece of Blue Gear, both of which were Bind on Pickup and were basically meant to be used as auxiliary equipment to enhance their own gear.

It's worth mentioning that each of the two treasure chests contained a special item called "Pirate Blood," which is a guaranteed drop and won't count towards the loot drop list.

"It must be because we have ' Unclean Essence ' on us that killing pirates drops this special item." Bai Xiaowen took out a clump of "Unclean Essence" obtained from the Elite Tier Vengeful Spirit spirits and tried to fuse it with the special item "Pirate Blood".

The originally pale red essence gradually lost its red glow upon contact with the pirate's blood, as if the resentment residing within it had been washed away.

After the light faded, the "Pirate Blood" had disappeared, and the name of the "Unclean Essence" had changed.

[Empowered Essence: This essence contains a spiritual energy, and the resentment that once lingered within has been cleansed away.]

Bai Xiaowen then took out Absolon's Blood Essence Stone) and infused it with "Empowered Essence." Unexpectedly, the surface of the Blood Essence Stone merely flashed with light, and after absorbing the Empowered Essence, there was no significant Transformation.

However, Bai Xiaowen had a better understanding of the situation. Since the Blood Essence Stone was willing to eat it, it meant that they were on the right track.

It's normal that there's no Transformation. Absolon's Blood Essence Stone) is a high-end item obtained from lords, while "Empowered Essence" is merely a special item obtained from Elite Tier. There's a qualitative difference between the two. Unless you use a large amount of essence to stack it up, it's impossible for Blood Essence Stone to improve with just a single clump of essence.

Bai Xiaowen then took out the [Tainted Essence Core], a trophy obtained from White Ghost Queen.

Using a second dose of "Pirate Blood" on the [Tainted Essence Core] had no effect. Bai Xiaowen then received a notification from the Spirit Realm Rules:

"The injustice and resentment dwelling within the Tainted Essence Core are too intense."

Li Shuyi saw the shared prompts about the Spirit Realm Rules and said, "The White Ghost Queen is Leader Tier Vengeful Spirit. Her fallen essence core should also require the blood of Leader Tier pirate to cleanse it."

Bai Xiaowen nodded and said, "Perfect timing, we still have two Golden Treasure Chest belonging to the Boss Tier of the Wokou Pirates that we haven't opened yet."

After opening two Golden Treasure Chest, Bai Xiaowen didn't choose a card yet, opting instead to obtain the guaranteed special item. Sure enough, he got two portions of "Pirate Chieftain's Blood".

Bai Xiaowen used the blood of pirate Boss Tier Chen Dong, and successfully cleansed the essence core of the White Ghost Queen, then handed it over to Absolon's Blood Essence Stone to devour.

After the absorption was complete, Absolon's Blood Essence Stone) finally Transformation, and its name became [Broken Absolon's Blood Essence Stone) ].

"Damaged," literally, is better than "incomplete." However, Bai Xiaowen still couldn't use it.

"Unfortunately, there are only these two: the essence and the core. There's one more item that resonates with Absolon's Blood Essence Stone, the [Defiled Heart] dropped by the Black Zombie King. However, this heart requires the blood of True Wokou Pirate Blood to cleanse it."

Bai Xiaowen still had a sample of Ye Mazi's blood left. He was a fake Japanese, not True Wokou, and his blood couldn't cleanse the Black Zombie King's filthy heart.

"Anyway, after we finish the main quest, the next step is the ' Search for the Sword ' side quest, which will inevitably involve fighting the True Wokou," Li Shuyi said.

Bai Xiaowen nodded. "That's right, let's choose the Loot Card first." He put away Absolon's Blood Essence Stone, Ye Mazi's Blood, and another portion of Elite Pirate Blood.