The Three Elders Looked at Chu Yun with New Eyes

Every elder is worthy of respect.

Those who have been tempered by the dust of the mortal world and lived to such an age are no simple folk. As the saying goes, having an elder in the house is like having a treasure.

An elder's experience is a precious wealth. The younger generation should seek their counsel, learn from them, and draw inspiration from them.

In particular, Old Red Spear, Old Fish King, and Old Monkey Qiao—the three who retreated safely from the battlefield—possessed life experiences that were anything but ordinary.

Upon hearing about the situation at the Tianbao Shop, these three elders wore expressions of unprecedented gravity.

When Chu Yun asked for their thoughts, Old Red Spear replied in a deep voice, "What kind of ordinary shop would do such a thing? This Tianbao Shop is far from normal; it reeks of something sinister. My intuition tells me that, more likely than not, they are pirate spies."

"Pirate spies?" Chu Yun was taken aback.

Old Monkey Qiao explained, "Here in our All-Star Archipelago, the geography is exceptionally complex. With islands intertwined, reefs spreading everywhere, and shipping routes constantly shifting, there are many ships, which in turn breeds many pirates. For pirates to raid passing vessels, they must have a source of intelligence. Organized pirate factions often dispatch spies to islands to gather information."

"Pirates..." Chu Yun murmured. He truly hadn't considered this angle. He had spent the twenty-three years of his previous life seeking out mysteries and exploring. When it came to adventure and treasure hunting, he was an expert, but he lacked the experience and knowledge regarding the suppression of pirates.

"Strange. If they are pirate spies, why would they be gathering intelligence on our Shu Family Island? Our island is known throughout the All-Star Archipelago for its heroism and bravery, but our assets are not vast, and there isn't much profit to be made here. Our largest fleet isn't a merchant fleet, but the navy of our Island Lord," Old Fish King frowned from the side.

"Regardless, little one, take us to see. This matter cannot be taken lightly." Old Red Spear was a man of swift action; as he said this, he had already stood up.

"Very well." Chu Yun answered crisply and immediately led the way.

The Phantom Scorpion Bat could be considered the most powerful wild demon beast in the outer reaches of the forest. Within its territory, other large demon beasts were rare. Furthermore, because these Phantom Scorpion Bats only drank blood and did not eat flesh, and were nocturnal, the corpses on the ground were still remarkably well-preserved when the four of them arrived at the scene.

The first thing the group saw was a corpse with a gaping hole in its chest, emitting a pungent, foul odor.

"This one died under the claws of a Claw Monkey. Heh, killed in one strike!" Old Monkey Qiao stroked his goatee, his eyes flashing with sharp light. He was all too familiar with this type of injury.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" On his shoulder, a small Claw Monkey hopped up and down.

This was Old Monkey Qiao's demon beast, also a Claw Monkey. He owned a Copper Bell Coconut Grove; the trees were tall, so he used this Claw Monkey to climb up and harvest the coconuts for him.

"At night, the Claw Monkey launched a surprise attack from the trees, killing one person. Afterward, the Claw Monkey was killed by the people from the Tianbao Shop." Old Red Spear spoke while crouching down, seemingly oblivious to the thick stench in the air, as he carefully examined the corpse.

Chu Yun also crouched down, not wanting to miss this excellent learning opportunity. He wanted to see how Old Red Spear could discern the origin of someone just by looking at a corpse.

Old Red Spear rummaged for a while, finding some trivial items, but they were all inconsequential and could not prove his hypothesis.

Then, under Chu Yun's curious gaze, Old Red Spear stripped the clothes off the corpse, took a mouthful of wine, and sprayed it onto the chest of the body.

"What is this for?" Chu Yun widened his eyes to watch, but seeing no change, he finally couldn't help but ask.

"Every pirate faction has tattoos to indicate their identity. And pirate spies have hidden tattoos. Once the wine is sprayed, they will be revealed," Old Red Spear turned his head and explained patiently.

"So that's how it is." Chu Yun nodded, his face showing a serious expression.

A glimmer of appreciation flashed in Old Red Spear's eyes: "The corpse is so foul-smelling, yet this little one, Chu Yun, can actually endure it. What patience!"

He did not know that in his previous life, Chu Yun had explored mysteries and visited all sorts of perilous places. He had long since become accustomed to the stench of corpses, remaining as calm as ever.

"Although there is no tattoo on this body, it doesn't mean he isn't a pirate spy. Pirate spies are usually very cunning; they will develop unsuspecting pawns to cover their own identities. Let's go look at the other corpses," Old Red Spear stood up and sighed.

"Alright, I remember walking this way at the time."

Chu Yun continued to lead the way, and a moment later, they discovered two corpses that had been burned beyond recognition, reduced to charred, blackened husks.

"This was caused by a swarm of Firefly Spiders." Old Red Spear frowned. With corpses in this state, even if there were tattoos, they wouldn't be able to find them.

The four continued forward. After a while, they finally arrived at the territory of the Phantom Scorpion Bat.

There, they saw eight corpses. Six had been killed by the Phantom Scorpion Bat, which had drained them of their vital essence. The remaining two had been decapitated. With heads separated from bodies, the ground was stained with dark red blood.

The three elders were moved by the sight.

Old Red Spear turned his head abruptly and asked Chu Yun, "Little one, did you kill these two?"

"Yes. The Phantom Scorpion Bat was full and let these two go. I figured, since they were hunting me down, how could I let them escape so easily? So I used my mountain-clearing blade to finish them off." Chu Yun rubbed his nose and smiled, his tone flat and casual.

A moment of silence followed.

The three elders looked at each other, seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.

Originally, when Chu Yun mentioned this part, he hadn't gone into detail, and the three elders' attention had been captured by the news itself.

Now, seeing the actual scene, they finally realized the implications.

Chu Yun, this thirteen-year-old little one, had actually used a blade to kill two men?

The three elders were all people with rich combat experience. Since the scene hadn't been too badly disturbed, a little deduction allowed them to visualize the event as if they were there. In an instant, they reconstructed the scene in their minds—from Chu Yun's surprise attack to the final kill—getting close to the truth.

The three elders were shaken!

Hearing is believing, but seeing is reality. If the three elders hadn't come here in person to see and hear for themselves, no one would have imagined that he, Chu Yun, a thirteen-year-old youth, could achieve such a feat!

Killing two men—from the planning to the initial ambush, to the final strike of the blade that sealed the victory! The ruthlessness, decisiveness, and heroic spirit displayed in this would make an ordinary person gasp in astonishment. The three elders were also stirred by the sight.

"What a sharp blade!" After a long while, Old Red Spear was the first to speak, breaking the silence.

His eyes were fixed tightly on the wounds of the two headless corpses, his gaze flashing like lightning. Although he was praising the blade, he was actually talking about Chu Yun.

If the sharpest blade in the world were to fall into the hands of someone as timid as a mouse, it would never be able to kill anyone.

They wouldn't dare.

But Chu Yun dared!

Not only did he dare, but he was capable of doing it, and doing it beautifully!

A single strike to kill, never giving the opponent a chance. If the first blow failed, one would instead find themselves in deep peril. Such blade technique was filled with the flavor of iron-blooded courage.

Old Red Spear was no stranger to this flavor; it was the flavor of the military.

Thus, it resonated with the three of them.

"Nine burly men, and two Spirit Beast Masters, actually wiped out by you alone. Good lad, you have both courage and strategy!" At this moment, Old Monkey Qiao also snapped out of it, patting Chu Yun's shoulder repeatedly while laughing heartily.

Old Fish King nodded in agreement, adding with deep sentiment, "Luring the enemy with a design is wisdom. Striking to kill the enemy is courage. Chu Yun is young, yet possesses both wisdom and courage. Remarkable! Truly remarkable!"

Being praised to his face like this, Chu Yun could only smile, feeling somewhat awkward. He didn't think much of it; in his past life, he had drifted through all sorts of dangerous, desperate situations, surviving by the skin of his teeth. The risks there were far greater than this battle.

The three elders naturally did not know he was a man reborn. After this incident, the way they looked at him had quietly changed. Their original affection was now joined by a great deal of recognition and admiration.

"This bearded man is a Spirit Beast Master. His status is not low; whether he is a spy for the pirates or not, the answer likely lies with him." Having said this, Old Red Spear took a mouthful of strong liquor and sprayed it onto the man's chest.

Pfft.

This time, the previously smooth chest immediately underwent a change!

A tattoo appeared!

Evil black lines depicted a lifelike lone wolf. It seemed to be prowling the wilderness, its blood-red wolf eyes half-open and half-closed, and a cunning, ferocious aura instantly radiated outward.

A black wolf, blood-red eyes.

"Ah, this tattoo!" Old Red Spear was the first to exclaim in shock.

"Remnant Wolf!" Old Fish King and Old Monkey Qiao were both shaken to their cores.

Remnant Wolf, it's actually the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group! Chu Yun shouted in his heart, his mind trembling. He was by no means a stranger to this name. It was all because in his past life, his foster father, Shu Tianhao, had died at the hands of this very pirate group!

To think that in this life, this name would appear again!

So soon!

Chu Yun clenched his fists, his eyes suddenly turning ferocious.

Once the Remnant Wolf tattoo appeared, everyone was unsettled.

"Mad Lion, Crimson Tiger, Remnant Wolf... things have become troublesome." Old Red Spear's face was as heavy as water, his tone deep.

Old Monkey Qiao furrowed his brows: "The Remnant Wolf Pirate Group is notorious. To think they have infiltrated our Shu Family Island this time. There must be some objective."

"What should we do? The Island Master is currently out patrolling the sea; this news must be conveyed to him. We should head back now!" said Old Fish King.

"Agreed!"

There was no time to lose; such critical military intelligence had to be reported immediately, otherwise, a great disaster might befall the entire island. The three elders were all men who understood the gravity of the situation and immediately declared they would head to Shu Family City to report it.

"Chu Yun, you have performed a great service this time by discovering such vital intelligence ahead of time. You also wiped out so many of their men; the Island Master will surely reward you when he returns. You should head back to Salt Field Manor now and prepare well for the coming-of-age assessment. Leave this matter to the three of us."

Before leaving, Old Red Spear patted Chu Yun on the shoulder and instructed him. His tone contained a hint of consolation.

Chu Yun's expression was not calm, but he knew that at this moment, his words carried little weight and his strength was low, so he could not be of help. Furthermore, the coming-of-age ceremony was crucial to his grand plan, so he nodded rationally and agreed.