Every old person deserved respect.
Those who had weathered the mortal world and lived to such an age were no ordinary people. As the saying went, an old person in the family was as precious as a treasure.
An elder's experience was an invaluable treasure. The younger generation ought to seek their advice, learn from them, and draw on their wisdom.
That was especially true of Old Red Spear, Old Fish King, and Old Monkey Qiao, who had safely withdrawn from the battlefield. Their life experience was all the more extraordinary.
After hearing about Tianbao Shop, all three elders wore expressions of unprecedented gravity.
When Chu Yun asked about it, Old Red Spear replied in a low voice, "What ordinary shop would do such a thing? Tianbao Shop is no ordinary establishment. There's a vicious air about it. My instincts tell me they could well be pirate spies."
"Pirate spies?" Chu Yun paused.
Old Monkey Qiao explained, "The geography around our All-Star Archipelago is exceptionally complex. Islands crisscross the sea, reefs stretch everywhere, and the shipping lanes are ever-changing. With so many ships passing through, plenty of pirates have sprung up. To rob passing vessels, pirates need sources of information. Organized pirate forces often send spies to the islands to gather intelligence."
"Pirates..." Chu Yun murmured. He truly hadn't made the connection. In his previous life, he'd spent twenty-three years seeking out hidden places and unraveling mysteries. When it came to exploring and treasure hunting, he was an expert. But when it came to hunting down pirates, he lacked experience.
"Strange. If they're pirate spies, why are they gathering intelligence on Shu Family Island? Our island is known throughout the All-Star Archipelago for its bold, valiant people. But we're not wealthy, and there's little to be gained here. Our largest fleet isn't a merchant convoy—it's the island lord's navy," Old Fish King said, frowning.
"Whatever the case, let the boy take us to have a look. We can't afford to be careless about this." Old Red Spear was decisive and brisk. By the time he finished speaking, he was already on his feet.
"Sure." Chu Yun answered without hesitation and immediately led the way.
The Phantom Scorpion Bat was practically the most powerful wild Demon Beast in the outer forest. Few other large Demon Beasts lived in its territory. Moreover, the bat only drank blood, never ate flesh, and was nocturnal. So when the four arrived at the scene, the bodies on the ground were still relatively well preserved.
The first thing they saw was a corpse with a gaping hole in its chest, the stench of decay thick in the air.
"This one died to a Claw Monkey's claws. Heh, one strike, one kill!" Old Monkey Qiao stroked his goatee, his eyes gleaming. He knew this kind of wound all too well.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" A small Claw Monkey perched on his shoulder, hopping up and down.
It was Old Monkey Qiao's Demon Beast, also a Claw Monkey. He owned a Copper Bell Coconut Grove, and the coconut trees there were so tall that he used this Claw Monkey to climb them and harvest the fruit.
"At night, the Claw Monkey ambushed someone from the trees and killed him. Then the people from Tianbao Shop killed the Claw Monkey." As he spoke, Old Red Spear crouched down. The intense stench seemed not to bother him at all as he carefully examined the corpse.
Chu Yun crouched down too, not wanting to miss this excellent chance to learn. He wanted to see how Old Red Spear could tell where someone came from just by examining a corpse.
Old Red Spear felt around for a while, searching the body for scraps of evidence. But everything he found was trivial and irrelevant, proving none of his suspicions.
Then, under Chu Yun's curious gaze, Old Red Spear stripped the clothes from the corpse, took a mouthful of liquor, and sprayed it over the body's chest.
"What are you doing?" Chu Yun stared wide-eyed, but saw no change. At last, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked.
"Every pirate force has a tattoo to identify its members. Pirate spies have hidden tattoos too. Once you splash them with liquor, they'll show up." Old Red Spear turned and patiently explained.
"I see." Chu Yun nodded, his expression serious.
A look of appreciation flashed through Old Red Spear's eyes. "That corpse reeks so badly, yet young Chu Yun can stand it. What impressive endurance!"
What he didn't know was that Chu Yun had spent his previous life seeking out secret places and mysteries. What perilous places hadn't he visited? The stench of a corpse like this was nothing to him. He was entirely unfazed.
"Although this corpse has no tattoo, that doesn't prove he wasn't a pirate spy. Pirate spies are usually very cunning. They'll recruit people who don't know the truth, using them to cover their own identities. Let's go look at the other bodies." Old Red Spear stood up and sighed.
"All right. I remember we came from this way."
Chu Yun continued leading them. A short while later, they found two bodies burned beyond recognition, reduced to blackened lumps.
"These were killed by a swarm of Firefly Spiders." Old Red Spear furrowed his brows. Even if these bodies had tattoos, they wouldn't be able to find them.
The four continued onward. After a while, they finally reached the Phantom Scorpion Bat's territory.
There, they found eight bodies. Six had been killed by the bats, their blood and essence drained dry. The other two had been beheaded. Their heads lay apart from their bodies, and the ground was stained a dark red.
The three elders were immediately shaken.
Old Red Spear wheeled around and asked Chu Yun, "Boy, did you kill these two?"
"Yeah. The bats had fed their fill and let these two go. I figured that since they'd come after me, I couldn't just let them escape so easily. So I finished them off with my cleaver." Chu Yun rubbed his nose and smiled, his tone casual and flat.
Silence fell.
The three elders exchanged glances, each seeing the shock in the others' eyes.
Originally, when Chu Yun had mentioned this, he hadn't gone into detail. The three elders had also been focused on the information itself.
Now that they were seeing the scene for themselves, they finally understood what it meant.
Chu Yun, a thirteen-year-old boy, had actually hacked two men to death?
The three elders were all battle-hardened. The scene had not been disturbed much, and with only a little deduction, they could put themselves in the thick of the action. They reconstructed most of what had happened in their minds, from Chu Yun's ambush to his kills, and had come close to the truth.
The three elders were shaken to their cores!
Hearing was believing, but seeing was knowing. If they hadn't come here themselves and witnessed it with their own eyes, none of them would have imagined that Chu Yun, a mere thirteen-year-old boy, could accomplish such a feat!
He'd killed two men, from laying the plan to launching the ambush and swinging his blade to strike them down and secure victory! The ruthless resolve and fiery, heroic spirit he'd displayed would leave ordinary people dumbstruck. Even the three elders were swept up in excitement.
"What a sharp blade!" After a long pause, Old Red Spear was the first to speak, breaking the silence.
His eyes were fixed on the wounds on the two headless bodies, gleaming like lightning. Though he praised the blade, he was really praising Chu Yun.
Even the sharpest blade in the world wouldn't kill a single person in the hands of someone whose heart quailed like a mouse's.
He wouldn't dare.
But Chu Yun had dared!
Not only had he dared, he had done it—and done it beautifully!
One stroke, one kill, leaving the enemy no chance. If he failed to kill with a single strike, he would be the one trapped in mortal danger. That kind of swordsmanship was steeped in the iron and blood of the battlefield.
Old Red Spear knew that flavor all too well. It was the flavor of the military.
That was why it resonated with all three of them.
"Nine burly men and two Spirit Beast Masters, all taken out by you alone. Well done, boy—you've got both courage and brains!" Old Monkey Qiao finally came around. He slapped Chu Yun on the shoulder again and again, laughing heartily.
Old Fish King nodded in agreement, deeply impressed. "Lure the enemy in with a plan—that's wisdom. Strike and kill—that's courage. At such a young age, Chu Yun has both brains and bravery. Remarkable! Truly remarkable!"
Faced with such praise, Chu Yun could only smile, feeling a little awkward. He didn't think it was anything special. In his previous life, he'd been through all sorts of perilous places and desperate situations, escaping death time and again. The risks he'd faced then had been far greater than in this battle.
The three elders naturally had no idea he'd been reborn. After this incident, they looked at him differently. Their previous warmth remained, but now it was joined by greater respect and admiration.
"This bearded man is a Spirit Beast Master. He's of no low standing. Whether or not he was a pirate spy probably depends on him." After speaking, Old Red Spear took a mouthful of strong liquor and sprayed it over the man's chest.
Pfft.
This time, the man's bare chest immediately changed!
A tattoo appeared!
Black, sinister lines depicted a lifelike lone wolf. It seemed to prowl the wilderness, its blood-red eyes half-lidded as an air of cunning and cruelty spread from it.
A black wolf, with blood-red eyes.
"Ah, that tattoo!" Old Red Spear cried out first.
"Remnant Wolf!" Old Fish King and Old Monkey Qiao both shuddered.
"Remnant Wolf! It's the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group!" Chu Yun cried out inwardly, his mind trembling. He was all too familiar with that name. In his previous life, his adoptive father, Shu Tianhao, had died at the hands of this pirate group!
He hadn't expected that name to appear again in this life!
So soon!
Chu Yun clenched his fists, a fierce look suddenly appearing in his eyes.
The Remnant Wolf tattoo appeared, and everyone was shaken.
"Mad Lion, Crimson Tiger, Remnant Wolf... This is trouble," Old Red Spear said, his expression as grim as water.
Old Monkey Qiao knitted his brows. "The Remnant Wolf Pirate Group is notorious. Now they've infiltrated Shu Family Island. They must have some sort of plan."
"What do we do? The island lord is out patrolling the sea. We must inform him of this. Let's head back at once!" Old Fish King said.
"Right!"
There was no time to lose. This grave military intelligence had to be reported immediately, or disaster would descend upon the whole island. The three elders understood the gravity of the matter and agreed to head to Shu Family City to report it.
"Chu Yun, you've done a great service this time by uncovering such important military intelligence ahead of time. You also took out so many of their people. When the island lord returns, he'll surely reward you. Go back to Salt Field Manor now and prepare for your coming-of-age trial. Leave this matter to the three of us."
Before they left, Old Red Spear patted Chu Yun on the shoulder and told him what to do. There was a note of reassurance in his voice.
Chu Yun was not entirely at ease, but he knew that right now, his voice carried little weight and his strength was limited; he couldn't be of much help. Besides, the coming-of-age trial was crucial to his plans, so he nodded sensibly and agreed.