A Safe Return
In the end, the Qian Household was relegated to a small boat.
The small boats were used by the treasure ship for escape. There were two of them, and each could easily seat a dozen or so people. They were just too small; in the vast ocean, they looked like leaves, which was quite frightening to look at.
The boy didn't want to get off the ship. Although he had a bad temper, he wasn't stupid. He dared to make a scene about getting off the ship earlier because he knew the steward would persuade him to stay and would help him resolve the situation. So, for the sake of his pride, he insisted on getting off.
But who would have thought that the people on this ship would be so disrespectful, actually kicking them off the ship!
However, since the boat belonged to Sang Ying and her family, even if the boy and the Qian Household were unwilling, they had no choice but to obediently disembark from the small boat.
Seeing the resentful look on the boy's face, Dong Fuzhu thought angrily, "If you give me that look again, you can forget about riding in this boat. You can just swim home by yourself!"
The boy wanted to say something to her, but he was pulled away by the Steward Qian.
Dong Fuzhu was quite pleased with the Steward Qian steward's tact. She imitated the boy's manner and snorted coldly. Only after confirming that the Qian Household members were all on the small boat did she leave, satisfied.
She believed that the Qian Household would never leave the large ship and sail alone; after all, they didn't have the guts to drift at sea in a small boat.
After finishing the matter, Dong Fuzhu went back to find Sang Ying.
She was a little confused by Sang Ying's actions. "Senior sister, look at the Qian Household's situation, why should we still care about them? We should just throw them overboard."
"Just by looking at that boy's clothes, you should be able to guess that he's no ordinary person. Moreover, this group of people all share the surname Qian, and they've been rude to our ship several times. I suspect this person probably has some connection with Subdue the Sea Shipyard." Before leaving the dock, they had also learned about several large shipyards, among which the head of Subdue the Sea Shipyard was surnamed Qian.
Seeing her junior sister listening attentively, Sang Ying continued to explain, "Subdue the Sea Shipyard is very powerful. If anything happens to those people today, they will definitely find a way to find out the truth. We are not afraid of Subdue the Sea Shipyard's power; at worst, we can just leave Cloud Mulberry Realm. But those local fishermen will definitely not escape. They lost their boat and offended the shipyard. Their fate is predictable."
Dong Fuzhu immediately understood. "If we keep them here and save their lives, they won't be able to blame the fishermen, and they'll have to obediently compensate them for the small boat."
That Steward Qian, Mr. Qian, said in front of everyone that he would definitely compensate them. A steward of such a prestigious family as the Da Chuan Fang Lineage couldn't possibly deceive a few poor fishermen!
Having figured things out, Dong Fuzhu stopped targeting the Qian Household on the small boat. In fact, she would even offer to help when the sea got rough.
The boy thought that Dong Fuzhu was afraid of him, and he was secretly quite pleased with himself, not knowing that Dong Fuzhu only regarded him as a debtor who would pay compensation.
Sang Ying's boat was closest to Zhang Ping'an and the others, and given their large number, the people on board discussed it and decided to head directly to their Blue-Green Dock.
During their journey from the deep sea to the nearshore area, Sang Ying and her group also encountered some mischievous sea monsters that came to attack them.
But everyone on the ship was a formidable character. Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue stayed behind to guide Dong Fuzhu and the others in handling the situation.
Fighting against sea beasts they had never seen before was a novel and exciting experience, and these Nascent Soul Cultivator gained a lot from their daily battles.
Bai Kejin had the best comprehension, even managed to cultivate his own Sword Intent during a fight with the Eight-Legged Crimson-Helmet Octopus.
Zhang Ping'an and the others were terrified when they first saw the large sea beast. They hugged their father and said their last words. Later, when they saw something big appear on the sea, they quickly went to notify the others to come and cultivate.
Who could have imagined that such a huge transformation would happen in just five days?
The beautiful ship slowly approached the barren Blue-Green Dock, attracting a large crowd as soon as it appeared.
The Lanqing people, who have lived here for generations, have never seen such a magnificent ship.
Everyone hurried toward the shore, eager to get closer and admire the ship's beauty.
The commotion also attracted the attention of two people living in a dilapidated mud house in Blue-Green Village.
Zhang Ru'an tried to raise her hand to open the window, but she was so weak that even the small action of sitting up from the bed almost exhausted all her strength.
She was panting heavily, but she continued trying, determined not to give up.
Fortunately, at that moment, Zhang's mother came in with a bowl of spiritual vegetable porridge. Seeing her daughter's face turn pale again, she hurriedly put down the bowl and helped her lie down again. "What are you doing? If there's anything you want, just tell your mother. Why torture yourself like this?"
Zhang Ping'an coughed lightly, said nothing more, and simply asked, "Mother, it sounds very lively outside, is the fleet returning?"
More than twenty days ago, a few daring people went to the deep sea area and were lucky enough to catch a spirit fish, which they brought back and sold for a good price.
These people, suddenly wealthy, proposed to take the rest of the village to sea to make another fortune. Zhang Ping'an, who had already Qi Refinement Great Perfection of Qi Refining, was naturally one of the main invitees.
After much deliberation, Zhang Ping'an and his father finally agreed. They left quietly without telling Zhang Ru'an, without even leaving a word of farewell.
At first, Zhang's mother was able to keep her father and brother's departure a secret from her daughter. But as time passed, Zhang Ru'an realized something from her mother's bitter expression.
The mother and daughter didn't bring up the matter; they simply waited quietly for their family to return.
These days, Zhang Ru'an keeps watch by the window, hoping to hear news of the fleet's return.
Looking at her daughter's expectant eyes, Zhang's mother felt a pang of sadness. "I just asked, and a big ship has arrived at the dock in our Green-Blue Village. Your father and brother are still working outside; they'll be back in a few days."
The light in Zhang Ru'an's eyes dimmed inch by inch. She stopped talking, afraid that if she asked another question, she would be stabbing her mother in the heart again.
Zhang's mother was pleased that her daughter didn't ask any questions and continued to serve her the porridge made with the medicinal herbs.
This spiritual vegetable is unique to their Blue-Green Village. Although it doesn't have much Spiritual Qi, anything with Spiritual Qi is considered a good thing by the people here.
Zhang Ru'an asked his mother to bring another bowl, and forcefully divided more than half of it among his mother's portions before the two of them ate their first meal of the day.
He ate mouthful after mouthful of the spirit vegetable porridge. The bland taste and the pungent spirit vegetables weren't very tasty, but Zhang Ru'an was quite satisfied.
The mother and son ate their meal quietly, and Zhang's mother quickly cleaned up the dishes in the house.
As she stepped out of the room with the bowls and chopsticks, a cheer rang out from afar, instantly echoing throughout the entire Blue-Green Village: "The fleet that went to sea is back! They're back safely!"
A note from the author:
What did I see? I actually wrote "take a look" instead of "open your eyes" in the title of the previous chapter!
Sparrow looking dejected (squatting in the corner drawing circles JPG)