Sending You on Your Way

"Boy, was Doreze too scared to come himself, so he sent you here to die? Look at that soft, tender skin. I almost can't bear to lay a hand on you! Why not just join us brothers? Don't worry, if you come with us, we'll take very good care of you! Hahaha!" With that, the Plachy Brothers burst out laughing together.

"Captain Doreze! Is killing allowed aboard your ship?" After glancing at the arrogant Platchy brothers, Zhang Yao turned to Doreze and asked with a serious expression.

"Of course it is! This is a damned smuggling ship, not a merchant vessel! Brother Zhang Yao, go ahead and let loose. If anything happens, I'll cover for you!" Doreze, who had been terribly worried moments earlier, had finally relaxed after Luo De's assurances. Because he trusted Luo De, he was now brimming with confidence in Zhang Yao. He was also extremely curious about Zhang Yao's strength, which was why he gave Zhang Yao free rein.

"Good! Which of you wants to die first? Or do you want to die together? Come on, then. I'll send you on your way!" Zhang Yao nodded, then addressed the Plachy Brothers opposite him with contempt.

"Argh! You little brat! You don't appreciate a kindness when it's offered! Then don't blame your grandpa for being ruthless!" The Platchy brother standing farther forward-whether he was the elder or younger was unclear-let out a strange yell when he heard Zhang Yao's arrogant words and saw his contemptuous expression. He drew a dagger, crouched low, and charged at Zhang Yao.

Whoosh!

The dagger stabbed toward Zhang Yao's chest with a sharp rush of wind. Yet Zhang Yao stood motionless, as though he had been struck dumb. At the sight, quite a few of the surrounding sailors turned their heads away, seemingly unable to bear watching such a young man die horribly before their eyes. Even Doreze, who had been so confident in Zhang Yao a moment ago, paled drastically. Only Luo De remained perfectly composed as he watched the scene unfold.

Thud! The dagger plunged all the way into Zhang Yao's chest, but the scene everyone had imagined never came to pass. Instead, Zhang Yao, his chest pierced through, burst like a soap bubble before their eyes, dissolving into countless points of light that vanished into the air.

"Huh?" The attacking Platchy brother froze at the sight. A battlefield changed in the blink of an eye, and that single moment of hesitation had already sealed his fate.

A cold gleam suddenly appeared. Before he could react, it swept across his throat, and blood instantly gushed out like a fountain, splattering everywhere. Several nearby sailors were drenched in the spray. Even these sailors, bold enough to run contraband at sea and accustomed to life and death, went slightly pale at the sudden drenching.

"Ah! Little brother!" Seeing his brother die horribly, the Platchy brother who had stayed behind cried out and rushed forward. He caught his brother's corpse in his arms and shouted, "Bastard! Come out! I'll kill you!" Judging by how he addressed him, the dead one was the younger brother, and the survivor was the elder. The elder Platchy brother glared around him with wide eyes, screaming wildly.

Everything had happened as swiftly as a flash of lightning, far too fast. Before many of them could even understand what was going on, they saw the younger Platchy brother fall to the ground with blood spurting from his throat. Only after the elder brother's shouts did everyone realize that Zhang Yao had vanished after delivering the fatal blow.

"Come out! Bastard! Coward! Son of a bitch!" The elder Platchy brother kept shouting, his gaze sweeping the surrounding crowd again and again, hoping to spot Zhang Yao among them.

"Huff, huff." His brother's death, coupled with his relentless, agitated shouting, brought an almost irresistible wave of exhaustion over the elder Platchy brother. He held his dagger in a defensive stance and gulped down breath after breath.

Just as the elder Platchy brother was panting heavily, a pale hand suddenly reached out from the shadows behind him. It held the very dagger that had reaped the younger Platchy brother's life.

Thud!

Only when the dagger lay against his neck did the elder Platchy brother react. Unfortunately, it was already too late. With a flash of cold light, he too set foot on the road to the underworld in the same fashion, off to find the younger brother who had gone ahead of him.

Having attacked, Zhang Yao lost the effect of his Concealment Technique, and his figure appeared before everyone once more. He put away the Drowned Ghost Dagger, glanced down again at the dead Platchy brothers, then walked toward Luo De and Doreze.

"Hahaha, Doreze, didn't I tell you there was nothing to worry about? Zhang Yao could definitely take care of those two pieces of trash, but you wouldn't believe me! Now you know!" Watching Zhang Yao approach, Luo De patted Doreze on the shoulder and laughed loudly, as though Zhang Yao's killing of the Plachy Brothers had been entirely his doing.

"Brother Zhang Yao, you really are impressive! Clean and decisive-you put those two bastards down in just a few moves. If it had been me, I might've taken a few wounds before I could finish them off! Thank you so much, Brother Zhang Yao!" Though Doreze dearly wanted to knock Luo De down a peg, Zhang Yao's outstanding performance left him with nothing to say. So he simply ignored Luo De, who was looking rather smug, and turned to praise Zhang Yao.

"You flatter me, Captain Doreze. It was no more trouble than lifting a hand! Could you arrange a cabin for me to rest in? So much has happened today that I'm feeling exhausted in both body and mind!" Zhang Yao merely smiled faintly at Doreze's thanks and praise. Rather than say anything else, he asked to go rest.

Zhang Yao was telling the truth. His purpose in acting just now had been to test his current strength, not simply to help Doreze. Naturally, when Doreze thanked him, Zhang Yao did not claim credit or accept the gratitude as his due. He merely offered a polite smile.

How could Doreze refuse Zhang Yao's request? He immediately escorted Zhang Yao to a room himself. "Brother Zhang Yao, will this do?"

"Heh, this is more than fine. All I need is somewhere to rest." Zhang Yao glanced over the room's general layout and answered with a smile.

Although he did not know what the other rooms looked like, Zhang Yao was certain this had to be one of the finest aboard the Nightglow. After all, the thick red goose-down carpet, crystal chandelier, and large double bed were hardly things one could find just anywhere, especially aboard a ship at sea.

"Hahaha, how could I settle for that? Aboard my ship, I must give you the very best treatment, Brother Zhang Yao! Otherwise, if word got out, wouldn't people laugh at me for not knowing how to repay a kindness? Haha, get some rest, then. I'll leave a sailor outside your door. Just call out if you need anything!" Doreze teased Zhang Yao with a hearty laugh, then pulled Luo De along, said his farewells, and left.

"All right! Sorry for the trouble!"

Zhang Yao watched Doreze and Luo De leave. Once he closed the cabin door, his face immediately grew slightly pale, and his chest began heaving violently.

By now, Zhang Yao had lost every trace of the calm composure he had shown earlier in front of Doreze and Luo De.