The horizon turned fish-belly white, and a red sun slowly rose above the sea.
"When we run into a Kongqing Island patrol ship, pull straight alongside. We'll board them! Meet them head-on! You two keep your Golden Light Talismans ready and protect yourselves! Change into Kongqing Island clothes in a moment."
Before long, they spotted the second patrol ship in the distance. Zhao Yi adjusted the sail, and the two ships gradually drew closer. As they approached, Zhao Yi hunched over, trying to make himself look as small as possible. There was no helping it; he was rather large.
"Hey, any activity on your end?"
The voice carried over from afar.
"Nothing. What about you?"
Yuan Zifeng replied, playing along.
"Nothing here either."
The two ships gradually drew closer. Zhao Yi kept his body turned sideways as he continued steering, closing the distance.
"Hey, what's going on? Slow down! You're about to hit us!"
A few breaths later, crack! Zhao Yi drove the bow straight into the middle of the other ship.
Before the other side could curse, Zhao Yi straightened up and, like a tiger pouncing on its prey, leaped aboard in a single bound.
This time, he used the Long Ji rather than the short ji. Its sweeping, powerful strokes smashed an opposing cultivator's short saber into his chest, sending man and blade crashing through the cabin wall to tumble onto the deck, his fate unknown.
Another blow shattered the cabin roof. Amid flying splinters, three figures sprang through the gaping hole in the cabin, brandishing longswords as they lunged at Zhao Yi. At the same time, a Communication Talisman flew out of the cabin toward Black Wind Island.
"Good!"
Zhao Yi roared. His Long Ji danced up and down with the grace of a startled swan, first flicking aside the first longsword, then striking the edge of the second as he turned sideways to evade the third.
Before the third cultivator could change his move, Li Hai had already boarded. Sword Light flashed, thrusting straight at the cultivator's heart.
Paying that cultivator no further attention, Zhao Yi swept his Battle Halberd across the two cultivators facing him. To his right, Yuan Zifeng was already locked in combat with the last cultivator.
Zhao Yi's gaze was icy. He shook the Long Ji in his hands, its blade glinting coldly in the sunlight, and attacked first. Like a flood dragon emerging from the sea, it thrust straight at the cultivator at perfection of Meridian Opening. The cultivator swung his longsword, blocking Zhao Yi's Long Ji. At the same time, the other cultivator seized the opening to thrust his longsword straight at Zhao Yi's abdomen. Zhao Yi pressed down with the butt of the shaft, knocking the sword aside, then traced a semicircle with his Long Ji and slashed sideways at the cultivator at perfection of Meridian Opening.
For a time, the clash of Dharma Weapons rang out without pause as the three fought fiercely. The two opponents' longswords danced like spirit snakes as they worked together, constantly seeking openings in Zhao Yi's defense.
Seeing how difficult the two were to handle, Zhao Yi deliberately exposed an opening, luring the cultivator at perfection of Meridian Opening into attacking. Just as the longsword was about to pierce him, Zhao Yi neither dodged nor flinched. Holding his ji in his right hand, he shot out his left like lightning and punched the flat of the sword. The blade shuddered and veered to his left. Before his opponent could change his move, Zhao Yi punched the blade again, unleashing a savage surge of force. The cultivator grunted, dropped his longsword, and began retreating while clutching his wrist. Zhao Yi stamped forward, his Long Ji whistling through the air. A bitter look crossed the cultivator's face, and his head parted from his body.
The cultivator on the right roared and advanced with his sword. Zhao Yi twisted aside, only for his opponent to seize the chance to retreat. Zhao Yi kicked the longsword on the deck straight at him. The man knocked it down, but Zhao Yi's Long Ji had already arrived. Sword and ji collided, the longsword snapped, and the ji's blade sliced through the cultivator's throat. Watching the defiance in the slowly falling cultivator's eyes, Zhao Yi grinned.
Meanwhile, the cultivator facing Li Hai panicked when he saw the strongest cultivator killed. He misstepped and nearly slipped. Li Hai seized the opening and drove his sword through the man's heart, then pulled it free and cut off his head with another stroke. It seemed he had taken Zhao Yi's words firmly to heart.
The last cultivator roared and threw out two Water Arrow Talismans, forcing Yuan Zifeng back. He then shattered a Divine Movement Talisman with a slap and abruptly leaped overboard. He did not sink when he hit the water, but raced across it, fleeing for his life toward Black Wind Island.
Seeing this, Zhao Yi jumped overboard right after him. He too did not sink, his legs moving as though he stood on solid ground as he raced across the sea even faster than the fleeing cultivator. A dozen or so breaths later, under the cultivator's despairing gaze, Zhao Yi drew level with him and grinned. He grabbed the man and burst his head with a single punch, a cloud of bloody mist suddenly blooming. Then he returned to the ship, treading the waves.
Yuan Zifeng stared at him in astonishment as though he had seen a monster, and even Li Hai kept his eyes fixed on him. Zhao Yi smiled. "Treading the Waves. Just a minor technique! I'll teach you when we return to Linghua Island."
Then he asked Yuan Zifeng, "Did a streak of white light flash past just now?"
Yuan Zifeng nodded. "They sent out a Communication Talisman. The Kongqing Island cultivators on the island already know they're under attack."
Zhao Yi nodded, unconcerned. The two attacks had already disposed of two cultivators at perfection of Meridian Opening and eight Meridian Opening stage cultivators.
After Li Hai finished clearing the battlefield, Zhao Yi smashed a hole in the hull and sank the ship. Then the three sailed away from Black Wind Island aboard the Single-Masted Ship.
Back aboard, Yuan Zifeng was overjoyed. He had never imagined this trip would go so smoothly. They had easily dealt with Kongqing Island's patrolling cultivators, killing two at perfection of Meridian Opening, three at great completion of Meridian Opening, and five at the Meridian Opening stage. In one stroke, they had weakened Kongqing Island by half.
Though Kongqing Island was stronger than Black Wind Island, the difference was not great. Before the fighting began, Kongqing Island had five cultivators at perfection of Meridian Opening and seventeen other Meridian Opening stage cultivators. After they launched their attack on Black Wind Island and fought repeated battles, Black Wind Island had only one cultivator at perfection of Meridian Opening and four Meridian Opening stage cultivators left, while Kongqing Island had suffered injuries to two cultivators at perfection of Meridian Opening and lost three Meridian Opening stage cultivators.
Now, after these two attacks, Kongqing Island probably had fewer than ten cultivators left!
If they attacked Black Wind Island now, striking in coordination from within and without, they might be able to defeat Kongqing Island completely!
At this thought, Yuan Zifeng could not help looking at Zhao Yi. His expression brightened, and he opened his mouth to speak.
Zhao Yi raised a hand and waved at him, signaling him not to get so excited. "My junior brother and I definitely won't be going ashore!"
"Zhao Yi, but..."
Yuan Zifeng hesitated.
"The Communication Talisman was sent out just now, and we don't know the situation with the cultivators on the island. Given how cautious Kongqing Island's cultivators are, they'll definitely withdraw from Black Wind Island. Black Wind Island's predicament will naturally be resolved."
"Isn't that good enough?"
Zhao Yi asked in return.
Yuan Zifeng stared fixedly at Zhao Yi, as though seeing him anew. After a long while, he said dejectedly, "You're right! The siege of Black Wind Island can be considered lifted."
Zhao Yi nodded. "What do you plan to do once you return to the island?"
"Plans? What plans? I'm missing a limb now, and my path of cultivation has been severed. Once I return to Black Wind Island, I'll marry, have children, and pass what remains of my life!"
Yuan Zifeng flicked his left sleeve without a care and spoke mildly.
"Yes, that's good. Once this turmoil passes, things should be peaceful for a while. It's time you considered settling down."
Zhao Yi thoroughly agreed. Neither of them said anything about stumbling upon a fortuitous opportunity or regrowing a severed limb. There was little point in such talk.
After sailing more than ten li from Black Wind Island, the little ship stopped for a while, and the three waited quietly. Sure enough, around noon, a Two-Masted Ship sailed away from Black Wind Island. Zhao Yi watched the departing ship, his thoughts unknown.
Only when Yuan Zifeng called to him did Zhao Yi come back to himself. The three sailed back to Deserted Island, and after a short rest, Zhao Yi and Li Hai sailed away. As for the promised generous reward, they had agreed with Yuan Zifeng to collect it at this year's Trade Fair on Little Wave Island.
Watching the Linghua sail into the distance, Yuan Zifeng felt a wave of loss. The situation in the Cloudsand Archipelago was treacherous and unpredictable. After this parting, who knew whether they would meet again!
Before you continue