"What? Huang Xiao accepted Chu Yun's offer and left with the Shu Clan's fleet?" Upon hearing this news, Tie Ao's face turned ashen.
He was held back by the flying warship, and by the time he realized he couldn't subdue the Spirit Demon, it was too late. His subordinates told him that Huang Xiao had already followed Chu Yun.
"This is bad! Huang Xiao was the talent I specifically asked to recruit in the Ingenious Strategy Pouch. 'Chu Yun came to Rainbow Island, ignoring everyone else, not even the flying warship. He just wanted to see him. Chu Yun must know something. Alas!" Tie Ao's heart sank. Now that Rainbow Island was about to close, he was no longer swayed by others, nor tempted by treasures, and his thoughts became clear.
"Let's go take a look at the thatched hut," Tie Ao suddenly ordered.
"Young Island Master, Huang Xiao has already left. What are we going to do there?" a follower asked, puzzled.
"You know nothing!" Tie Ao shouted, immediately silencing the soldiers around him.
The group arrived at the thatched hut and saw Jiang Xiaobei watering the vegetable field with manure. Huang Xiao had indeed already left.
"Uncle Huang Xiao is no longer here," Jiang Xiaobei kindly reminded him.
Tie Ao stamped his foot angrily. "Search them!"
"Yes!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices sharp and menacing.
"Hey! How can you do this? This isn't your house." Jiang Xiaobei tried to stop them, but was pushed to the ground.
"Get out of the way if you don't want to die!" The leading general sneered, kicked open the door to the inner room, and rushed inside.
Dozens of fierce-looking soldiers followed, rushing in one after another. Dust and smoke immediately filled the simple thatched hut, and pots, pans, bedding, tables and chairs were brutally overturned and pushed aside. The soldiers searched the place thoroughly.
"Report! A secret underground chamber has been discovered!" A moment later, a soldier reported.
"As expected..." Tie Ao's eyes lit up. "Lead the way!"
He entered the underground chamber, only to find it completely empty, and his face immediately darkened.
"Young Island Master, it's just an empty basement," a follower said softly.
Snap!
Tie Ao turned around and saw that the person who had instigated him earlier was the same person who had spoken. He was furious and slapped him to the ground.
"You idiot, what do you know?! Why would there be an underground chamber? Isn't it obvious? It's clearly used to hide treasure! How many treasures could such a large underground chamber hold? Huang Xiao has been hiding his strength all along. Over the years on Rainbow Island, who knows how many treasures he's amassed... It's infuriating! Now all of these things have been taken by that Chu Yun!" Tie Ao gritted his teeth. He had worked hard for three days and three nights, but what he had obtained was nothing compared to Chu Yun had gotten. Even his two Immortal Pouch had been stolen by Chu Yun.
The thought of his two Immortal Pouch made Tie Ao's brows furrow with heartache.
" Huang Xiao has been hiding his strength? That's impossible. Our subordinates have inquired about his past for decades. How could someone with such strength have remained hidden for so many years? What could he possibly be doing this for? There's no reason at all!" The followers were all puzzled.
" Huang Xiao was able to endure until he was 61 years old, such a character..." Tie Ao felt his heart sinking. The more he learned about Huang Xiao, the more uneasy he felt. And yet, such a talented person had been snatched away by Chu Yun right under his nose.
A feeling of regret welled up in his heart.
"Go and find out what Chu Yun took from here before he left," Tie Ao suddenly said.
"Report, there is indeed a batch of items. But we don't know exactly what they are; they're covered with a black cloth. There are about several dozen items." The guard quickly reported the intelligence.
"That must be a treasure chest. Dozens of pieces..." Tie Ao felt his heart bleed. He silently blamed himself. "I should have thought of that sooner. Even if a person is ordinary and has lived in a treasure land like Rainbow Island for more than 60 years, how could he be so poor? Alas, I was wrong, I was really wrong this time. Even if I can't get Huang Xiao, getting this treasure can still fill the increasingly depleted coffers of my Iron Family."
"Young Island Master, shall we set sail and catch up with the Shu Clan fleet?" an attendant cautiously suggested.
"Chase him?" Tie Ao raised his voice, glaring at the speaker, who immediately trembled. "How can we chase him? Do you even know where he went? He can just change course anytime, how could we possibly know? He has the Eagle Soaring, how could we possibly catch up?"
A surge of anger welled up inside him, but one question remained unspoken, "Even if we catch up, can we defeat Chu Yun?"
The battle on Rainbow Island forced him to admit that Chu Yun, whom he had once looked down upon, was now far stronger than him. He had no confidence in defeating Chu Yun at all.
"Tear this hut down! I hate it!" Tie Ao said, frustrated, and turned to leave. Now, he could only vent his anger on this hut.
The young island lord gave the order, and his followers naturally dared not disobey. However, after only half of the demolition was completed, Tie Ao suddenly realized that if word got out that he was jealous of talent and ability, who would want to serve him in the future?
He immediately stopped them, saying, "That's enough! Stop it all."
The soldiers were bewildered and dared not disobey Tie Ao's orders, so they all stopped.
"Back to Tie Family Island. Hmph, Chu Yun, your good days are over. I'll settle all the old and new scores with you soon!" There was no point in staying any longer. Tie Ao coldly tossed out these words and turned to leave. He didn't want to stay in that thatched hut for even a moment longer.
A group of people came and went in a hurry.
What remained was a thatched hut that was half demolished, and Jiang Xiaobei who had been pushed to the ground.
"Hmph, thank goodness Uncle Huang Xiao didn't side with you. I never thought the young master of the Iron Family would be like this!" Tie Ao's image in Jiang Xiaobei's mind plummeted.
"Uncle Huang Xiao, Xiao Bei can't protect your thatched hut. But your most treasured vegetable garden will remain. Don't worry, I will take good care of it from now on." Jiang Xiaobei Bei simply sat down on the ground, looked back at the thatched hut, then turned her head back to look at the vegetable garden, her eyes brimming with tears.
Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. "Huh? These vegetables Uncle Huang Xiao grows look ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they're somewhat different from regular vegetables. What a strange person, even the vegetables he grows are odd."
"Staring at the vegetable patch, it seems to look more and more different..." Jiang Xiaobei murmured to herself, but her eyes unconsciously drifted off-focus.
boom!
She seemed to hear a deafening roar. Then, the entire world changed dramatically.
A vast, blue sea!
Smoke billowed and battle cries shook the heavens. Amidst the raging waves, hundreds and thousands of warships were engaged in an extremely fierce naval battle.
As the ships sailed, countless ingenious tactics unfolded: T-shaped assaults, wolf pack tactics, swan tactics, encirclement tactics. Avoiding the enemy's strong points, using feints and real attacks, dividing and encircling, gradually chipping away at their strength...
"What is this?!" Jiang Xiaobei cried out in horror. Her mind went blank, and the scene before her shattered like glass. With a bang, she was back in the real world.
She was still sitting on the ground, surrounded by rows of vegetables. Her eyes blinked repeatedly as she suddenly realized that the vegetables in front of her looked very familiar.
Recalling what he had just witnessed, he was immediately startled. "If each vegetable is considered a warship, wasn't that just like that epic naval battle? What on earth is going on?"
"The vegetable garden in the yard is my most precious treasure. I hope you can take care of it for me, Xiao Bei." Suddenly, Huang Xiao's parting words echoed in Jiang Xiaobei's ears.
"The most important treasure... No wonder Uncle Huang Xiao said such strange things on the first day." Jiang Xiaobei suddenly realized.
On the first day, Huang Xiao was pouring manure when he asked Chu Yun, "Are you trying to recruit me? Then let me test you. Do you know what I'm doing right now?"
Chu Yun couldn't tell.
Huang Xiao then said, "How can you see through the tricks of the trade if you don't get involved?"
"So this is the setup?" Jiang Xiaobei murmured. "I see."
March of Star Calendar 754.
Chu Yun recruited Huang Xiao on Rainbow Island and directly appointed him as the chief general of the Shu Clan. The news shocked the world.
"Just who is this Huang Xiao? Why does the Little Overlord value him so much?"
" Chu Yun has really misjudged this time. This guy is just a fame-seeker, stuck on Rainbow Island for over 60 years, nobody even looks up to him. I don't know what Chu Yun did, he actually recruited him!"
"Hehehe, youth is always reckless. If I were Chu Yun, I too would be blinded by the glamour and lose my senses. The Shu Clan may seem to be at its zenith, but beneath the surface, there are turbulent undercurrents. Many forces are already secretly plotting to deal with the Shu Clan."
Shu Family Island was also thrown into turmoil.
"Why does this Huang Xiao deserve such treatment from Chu Yun? He was appointed as the chief general as soon as he entered officialdom. I haven't seen him have much ability!" Old Red Spear sat angrily in his wide-backed chair when talking about Huang Xiao.
"I've spoken with Huang Xiao a few times. He compares himself to Zhuge Ming and is arrogant. This won't do. The Shu Clan has worked hard to build its current foundation; starting a business is difficult, but maintaining it is even harder," Old Monkey Qiao sighed, also deeply worried.
Old Fish King, however, had a different opinion. "I don't think so. I watched Chu Yun grow up; don't we know Chu Yun personality? He must have his reasons for doing this."
"Even so, it's inherently unfair that an outsider, a poor fellow so destitute he can only live in a thatched hut, was promoted to chief general as soon as he entered officialdom. The surrendered generals of the Yan Family dare not say much. But Wu Datou, Wang Zelong, and others actually have objections. We are veterans of the Shu Clan, and we should think more about the Shu Clan. In my opinion, we should report this situation to Young Island Master Chu Yun and the Island Master." Old Red Spear was mature, prudent, and conscientious.
Chu Yun's appointment of Huang Xiao inevitably triggered a series of uproar. Other generals in the Shu Clan's faction had strong opinions, but dared not express them due to the prestige of Shu Tianhao and Chu Yun.
The three veteran generals, deeply concerned about this matter, have gathered here today to discuss it.
"My lords, General Huang Xiao has come to visit." Just then, a servant came up to report.
.