As a "living puppet," Chixinzi quickly grasped He Ping's intention, splitting off from the shadow beneath his feet and transforming into an almost invisible shadow, moving from the deck to the other side...
This is also what makes the Nine Shadows Art so strange and unpredictable. After successfully mastering it, one can use shadows to move on a plane. Chixinzi has already begun preparations for escape as instructed.
" The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce is a powerful cultivation force; I don't want to clash with them unless absolutely necessary!"
He Ping knew that the three major chambers of commerce had a strong presence overseas and were local tyrants and behemoths. He did not want to provoke such a powerful force in the cultivation world.
"Given the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce's resources, they shouldn't lack experts at the Dao Entry level. My strength isn't enough to deal with true Dao Entry level experts. I can put up a fight, but if it really comes down to it, I'll have to run..."
Wait a minute, He Ping felt a sudden tightness in his chest, as if a dark cloud was rushing by. He suddenly realized that the light around him had dimmed a bit.
So he looked up at the sky, and the scorching sun that had been hanging in the sky was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a large patch of dark clouds.
"... Something's not right. These dark clouds are acting strangely."
He glanced at the sky and felt that the dark clouds were coming from somewhere rather strange. Meanwhile, on the ship and on the deck, the passengers who had boarded, as well as the ship owner and others, started arguing.
The blind old man's words made the shipowner and sailors believe that someone among the passengers who boarded the ship must have offended the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, which led to this terrible disaster.
Among these ship sailors who make a living at sea, who would dare offend such a powerful force Four Seas Chamber of Commerce?
"The acting officers belong to the Iron Banner Hall of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. That's a group of ruthless individuals who specialize in dealing with enemies outside the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. Those people in the Iron Banner Hall are soul-reaping messengers and deadly fiends at sea. Who would dare to offend these big shots!"
"We've raised Baocanghong banners, but the other side is the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. They don't even care about a small chamber of commerce like ours. Hey, the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, the Dragon Soars Across the Four Seas, they're the emperors of the four seas..."
The portly shipowner was drenched in cold sweat. He could understand the flag signals from the other side. The flags from the seven large ships at the front seemed to be requesting that his ship be inspected by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. Of course, it was impossible to anchor at sea. The other side would first send a small boat to hook the ship with an iron chain, and then send people to board.
"Gentlemen, things have come to this point, and Baocanghong has no other choice. Whatever happens, please bear with us. We are a small family and cannot afford to offend the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. At sea, we can only follow their rules!"
The shipowner wiped the cold sweat from his brow and began to offer advice in a somewhat helpless tone.
"Ship owner, you need to think this through. The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce has even sent out the substitute stewards of the Iron Banner Hall. They're coming on strong. I think we should run away as soon as possible!"
Among the guests, the man named Chang Shihong from the couple suddenly spoke up, "Sailing at sea mainly depends on the wind direction. Your ship is sailing against the wind. Now, as long as you turn around and drop the cargo, you can easily escape the pursuit of the fleet. They have many ships, and their ships are big..."
"That's right."
The woman then spoke up, "What kind of people are the Iron Banner Association's deputies? These people are always ruthless killers... If something really happens, who can say for sure? Our lives are at stake, we should escape now while we still can!"
She and Chang Shihong were guilty and had fled to the sea to seek refuge. They were filled with anxiety and absolutely did not want their ship to be inspected by the other side. If the other side was really after them, they would be doomed.
"It's too late!"
The shipowner shook his head, his voice hoarse, and slowly said, "Having run into the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, even if we can escape for a while at sea, can we escape forever? Sigh, gentlemen, let's not stay here enjoying the sea breeze. I think everyone should go back to their cabins."
He secretly signaled to the sailors beside him, ordering them to keep an eye on the group of guests. If the blind old man was right, then there must be one person among the guests on the ship who was being targeted by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, and who knows, there might be more than one person being targeted.
"We must get these people to stay in their rooms obediently. If they cause trouble, it will be a real problem!"
The shipowner was naturally unwilling to offend the aggressive Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. He clapped his hands, and the sailors carrying knives surrounded them from all directions, their eyes gleaming with menacing intent. Knowing the danger, the sailors silently approached the guests, knives in hand.
"Stop!"
Just then, a cold wind swept over, carrying two silver sword lights. As soon as the sword lights flew up, they fell into the group of sailors. Instantly, several splattered blood, and several heads were severed and fell to the ground. Seven or eight sailors, their severed necks still spurting blood, collapsed to the ground, their limbs twitching.
"Flying sword?"
Chang Shihong and the woman beside him both looked terrified. They looked to the other side and saw two young men who looked exactly alike, like twins, taking a step forward in unison.
"They keep making noise, it's so annoying."
"Get the boat away right now, or we brothers will start killing!"
The two men had similar faces, and their eyes revealed a cold killing intent. Two flying swords hovered in the air.
"The flying sword belongs to the immortal!"
"Spare me! Spare me!"
Upon seeing the flying sword, the sailors were terrified, their faces turning pale. They knelt on the deck, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
"Immortal... Immortal Master?"
The shipowner felt parched and sweat dripping from his forehead. His narrow eyes widened, filled with worry, indignation, and fear. His temples throbbed rapidly, and his sallow face turned ashen.
The fat shipowner's lips moved, but he kept them tightly shut. He knew how powerful they were; no, it should be said that the environment overseas was completely different from that within the Great You Realm, and ordinary people also knew the formidable skills of those cultivators.
Furthermore, overseas cultivators are not as restrained as those within the Great You Realm. Killing people with Daoist techniques is a common occurrence for them. The sailors on the ship also knew the danger, and upon seeing the two flying swords swirling in the air, they immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
"Stop talking nonsense and get back on your feet. Don't you want to live long enough?"
One of them shouted loudly, and the sailors present immediately turned around, preparing to turn their ships around and take advantage of the tailwind to get away from the fleet that was heading their way.
The guests on deck exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions towards the twin brothers filled with apprehension.
Everyone was wondering if these two brothers were the ones being targeted by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.
"Cough cough."
One of the brothers coughed a few times and said slowly to the shipowner, "Don't be alarmed, shipowner. We are two brothers from Blackwater Reef Great Venerable Fortress. We recently made a deal and want to go out to sea to avoid trouble. We need to borrow your ship!"
"Could Lu Twin Heroes from Great Venerable Fort? Could it be that the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce has come for the sake of the two of you...?"
The middle-aged scholar swiftly closed his fan, his eyes flashing with a ghostly light, like emerald flames, his sharp gaze fixed directly on the two brothers.
The two brothers exchanged a glance, discerning something amiss, and then clasped their hands in a fist salute to the middle-aged scholar.
"That's right, we are indeed surnamed Lu. It seems this gentleman is also a member of the cultivation world. However, there's one thing you've misunderstood..."
" The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce has no grudge against us," the other brother explained.
"Regarding the situation on this trip, my brothers and I are certain that the Iron Banner Association's acting officers aren't after us. The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce probably doesn't even know we're going to sea. However, we don't want to get entangled with the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce of Commerce either."
The other person next to him also spoke up slowly.
"If the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce wants to board the ship for inspection, it will inevitably cause a commotion. My brother and I have made a big deal on the Dongli Circuit. Do you expect us to let the Iron Banner Association Society come aboard and search us? There is absolutely no reason for that in the world."
"So, according to you, the Iron Banner Association isn't targeting the two of you. Then what are they planning?"
The middle-aged scholar seemed unafraid of the two sword lights, while the wolf-eyed boy revealed Sha Qi, as if he were about to question the two cultivators.
"Then we brothers don't know."
One of them shook his head and gave a cold laugh.
"There might be other big fish lurking on board, buddy. Instead of suspecting us, you should think carefully about who here is worth suspecting."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged scholar turned to look at the group of people present. His gaze was as sharp as a knife, and everyone seemed to be intimidated by his eyes, instinctively taking a step back.
"Never mind."
The middle-aged scholar shook his head.
"What you brothers say is right. The Iron Banner Association is no benevolent group. For now, we should escape first..."
With a whoosh, he waved his fan, and a fierce gust of wind seemed to rise in the air. The entire ship creaked and groaned, as if a strong airflow was surrounding the vessel, causing it to push aside the seawater and accelerate its escape.
"Call!"
The middle-aged scholar let out a slight sigh, his face losing some color.
"My mastery of the Xun Wind Art is still insufficient, but it can still accelerate this ship several times over in the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea. I hope to use the wind to shake off the pursuers behind us!"
Everyone was shocked by his methods, especially the young couple, Chang Shihong and Kong Juchan, who knew that this middle-aged scholar was an extremely powerful cultivator.
"I don't know if we're lucky or unlucky... It seems these people are all cultivators, but one of them is hiding his identity and is being targeted by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce!"
Thinking this through, Chang Shihong's gaze shifted to the middle-aged scholar.
"In my opinion, this person is the most suspicious. He seems detached from worldly affairs, so why would he help this ship escape danger? Judging from his words just now, the cultivator that the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce wants to capture might be this person!"