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Chapter 387: Revised - 356 Tang Sect

Chapter 387: Revised: Chapter 356 Tang Sect

The sails were filled with sea wind, and the old dark-brown wooden bow cutting through the sea surface, splashing waves landing occasionally on the gently undulating deck.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

The young Hua Mountain Swordsman Wu Ge grasped the railing, his face slightly pale.

He didn’t want to squeeze into the dark and damp lower cabin filled with the smells of sweat, foot odor, and mold; he preferred to stay on the deck.

With his excellent physique developed through years of martial arts training, he could barely withstand the dizzying sway of the ship, but seeing the distant black clouds that covered the sky and the thunderbolts falling amidst the storm, he couldn’t help but feel fear.

Even martial artists are just slightly stronger than ants in the face of the mighty forces of nature.

"Humph!"

Gray Rain stood on the bow deck, looking at the distant storm, seemingly recalling her days as an interstellar pirate, squinted her eyes and stroked the railing, wanting to recite a poem.

When her brain started thinking, a faint sound of CPU fan speeding up came from under her skirt. After racking her brains, she suddenly said, "South Sea, wide South Sea, sky as dark as old socks, MACHINE-CHECK-EXCEPTION."

Seems the CPU overloaded and blue-screened.

Li Cheng twitched his eye and quickly shook Gray Rain’s head, pressing her renzhong point to reboot her.

During the Emperor Yong’an’s reign, the Ming Dynasty actively engaged in overseas trade and long-distance colonization, so some coastal martial artists involved in maritime trade likely knew some English.

So, it wouldn’t work to trick young girls into shouting "I love you" like in the movies.

"The storm is coming!"

The sailor, with a figure as thin as a monkey, was perched on the mast looking out at the sea. The massive black clouds covering half the sky were rolling in, and the ferry couldn’t evade in time.

"Take down the main sails!"

The ship owner, with a gloomy face, shouted, directing the crew to take down the sails, leaving only a small storm sail.

Meanwhile, head to the lower cabins and move all heavy objects to the bottom cabin to lower the center of gravity. Close all gun ports and portholes to prevent water from entering.

The ship owner controlled the helm, and the first mate ran over to the crowd of martial artists, shouting urgently, "Please move to the lower cabins, the deck is dangerous with big waves and strong winds."

The martial artists looked at each other, with most complying and following the sailors to seek refuge below.

A few such as the Jinyi Guard Lu Hu, Xiangguo Temple’s Kuyu Monk, and Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Zhang Fulu, insisted on staying on the deck.

This was a kind of pride and self-regard of martial artists, at least the view was better on the deck. Even if a sea disaster occurred, they wouldn’t immediately sink with the ship to the sea bottom to feed the fish and shrimps.

Seeing these innate experts refusing to move, the crew didn’t persuade them further but continued tightening the mast stays and yard ropes, while tying themselves to the railing and mast with hemp ropes, preparing for the impact of the storm.

Splash!

The multi-masted ship plunged into the furious waves, with items like unfastened wooden barrels and cargo boxes being shaken high and falling into the sea.

Li Cheng, holding the over-thousand-pound Gray Rain, stood firm at the bow like a mountain.

The other innate experts remained silent, using their inner strength to adhere to the wooden boards beneath their feet, standing firm against the storm.

Heavy rain poured down on their faces, thunder exploded on the sea surface, near and far, creating a scene like the end of the world.

Wu Ge, a Hua Mountain swordsman, lost his footing and was flung by a wave, crashing off the deck.

His mind went blank instantly, feeling boundless regret, "I shouldn’t have shown off..."

He originally planned to hide in the cabin, but seeing many staying on the deck, he, representing his sect at the birthday feast, was torn and decided to stay.

Seeing Wu Ge about to fall into the sea, Zhang Fulu, the young Daoist of Dragon Tiger Mountain standing nearby, suddenly withdrew his inner strength from adhering to the deck, leaping to the side of the ship, and striking the rope binding the railing with a palm.

Then he threw out a rope, accurately looping around Wu Ge who had fallen off the deck.

"Up!"

Zhang Fulu kicked the railing and pulled the rope forcefully, as if he were a desperate fisherman pulling a fish onto shore, pulling Wu Ge back onto the deck.

The entire process was smooth and decisive.

Even if Li Cheng were to save someone, he couldn’t have done more beautifully—he would probably use his Bat Hook Claw Gun to shoot through Wu Ge’s body, then patch the wound with some instant noodles...

"Thank, thank you, Daoist!"

Wu Ge, still in shock, looked at Zhang Fulu, who was of similar age, even a bit younger, feeling both ashamed and fearful.

"You’re welcome."

Zhang Fulu’s expression was calm as water, turning to look at the vast sea, his brows furrowing.

In the dim sea, a huge shadow appeared, circling the ship’s bottom.

Maybe the ferry had invaded its territory, or it felt that the stormy moment was the best opportunity, the shadow tentatively bumped into the ferry.

Thud!

A loud noise came from the bottom of the ship, causing the entire ship to shake.

Thud!!

Another collision, wood creaking, one of the watertight compartments below was breached, and surging seawater immediately flooded in.

"Full left rudder! Open the right port cannon doors!"

The ship owner’s voice was almost distorted by the storm, with sailors struggling to keep balance, opening the cannon doors and aiming the muzzles at the shadow beneath the surface.

Boom boom boom boom!

The cannons fired a round, with spherical cannonballs tearing through the sea, creating white waves.

The world seemed to quiet down, everyone waiting.

The waves gradually dispersed, the sea tinged red, foul-smelling blood spreading. But the shadow remained, not only did it not retreat, but it fell into boundless rage.

Dark green, giant tentacles full of suckers and barbs wrapped around the ship from various directions. If not for the ferry belonging to the Tu Family of the Southern Sea, made of premium decades-dried wood, the hull would have been torn apart by now.

"It’s the Nine-legged Master, it’s the Nine-legged Master!"

Many sailors fell into hysterical panic; an octopus has eight legs, plus its body, making nine legs, thus called the Nine-legged.

Lu Hu, the Thousand Households Vice of the Jinyi Guard from Shuntian Prefecture,

didn’t hear or care about the sea monster stories spread by Southern Sea sailors. He drew the embroidered spring knife from his waist immediately, unleashing all his inner strength, enveloping the knife edge in a layer of white haze.

Rip——

He slashed at the dark green tentacles, slicing the outerskin like cutting through bamboo, then, no further.

The solid muscles inside the tentacles gripped the knife blade tightly, making it impossible to continue cutting downwards.

Veins popped on Lu Hu’s forehead, exerting his inner strength, silently wrestling with the tentacles.

He could hold on, but the wooden board beneath his feet couldn’t, cracking with a loud snap. Losing his footing, Lu Hu had to let go, allowing the tentacle to take away the knife.

Innate Peak martial artists have strong qi and blood, endless energy, able to play with stone grinding wheels as dumbbells on land.

But at sea, with no support, falling into the water would inevitably be toyed to death by the sea monster.

"The Nine-legged Master is angry, throw living creatures into the sea, quick!"

Sailors screamed and shouted, pulling out cattle and sheep from the ship, pushing them into the sea one by one.

It wasn’t enough, the tentacles still wrapped around the ship. Perhaps sensing the abundant qi and blood and fully armed little people on the ship, the Nine-legged sea monster cunningly attacked the ship’s bottom, no longer extending its tentacles onto the deck.

If sacrificing livestock didn’t work, then...

The ship owner gritted his teeth and waved his hand. Sailors dragged an ordinary farm woman holding a swaddled baby from the lower cabins.

"What are you doing? I’m going to the island to visit my husband!"

The farm woman showed terror; she didn’t have an invitation to the birthday feast, merely catching a ride to find her husband working long-term for the Tu Family.

"Take her, if the Nine-legged Master doesn’t leave, we’ll all die!"

Sailors tried to snatch the baby from the woman’s arms, but the latter held tight, protecting her child against the pullings, refusing to let go.

"Move aside, I’ll do it."

A Green Mountain bandit pushed away the sailors, single-handedly threw off the woman, grabbed the swaddle.

Gray Rain’s eyelids twitched, just about to step forward when she saw Li Cheng standing still with an indifferent look.

Huh?

Gray Rain froze for a moment. Despite Li Cheng doing countless evil things; killing unknown numbers of people, rescuing Side of Truth indirectly causing Evil Science Alliance’s birth, helping Noah sneak into the real world causing adverse effects, making Spiritual Energy mining machines ruining the ecology in the Immortal World,

doing evil thoroughly, innumerable crimes, the main culprit’s forum account identified, @BringBigAnt,

Gray Rain sincerely felt Li Cheng was a good person.

Since Li Cheng didn’t move, Gray Rain folded her arms, frowning, watching the situation unfold.

"Hold on!"

Kuyu Monk of Xiangguo Temple, bearing a square face, reached out to grab the swaddle. The Green Mountain bandit, knowing he was an Innate expert, dared not clash, lifted the swaddle to thrust at Kuyu’s hand.

Kuyu recoiled his hand, his body leaning back, feet spinning like ice-skating to narrowly avoid it.

The bandit laughed loudly, lifting the swaddle to throw off the deck.

Everyone’s expressions varied, Lu Hu of the Jinyi Guard looked indifferent, Wu Ge of Hua Mountain swordsman showed sorrow, Zhang Fulu of Dragon Tiger Mountain Taoist sighed, muttering, "Self-inflicted, cannot live."

Crack crack crack——

The sound from the swaddle was not a baby’s cry, but metal mechanisms operating.

The next second, the porcelain-like baby’s skin automatically lifted, revealing the intricate mechanisms beneath.

The machine suddenly shot several metal needles at such close range, the bandit had no room to dodge, getting pierced in both eyes and forehead, dying instantly.

"Ha ha."

The middle-aged farm woman, who earlier showed panic, suddenly changed her expression, leisurely removed a light leather mask, transforming into a charming and seductive lady, "I was just worrying about not having an invitation."

She pulled out the steel needle from the bandit’s face, taking the bronze invitation from the swaddle, then pushed the corpse into the sea.

A tentacle precisely caught the corpse in mid-air, slowly sinking underwater, the sea gradually calming.

"Tang Sect, Xicai. Greetings everyone."

The seductive lady bowed to the people on the deck, Wu Ge instinctively returned the gesture, only then realizing something was amiss.

If he had gone for the swaddle, he would be the one killed by the hidden weapon.

Li Cheng had long seen through the truth with his Information Integration Glasses, while Zhang Fulu judged the swaddle held no infant through the lack of heartbeat.

Gray Rain reacted belatedly, recalling that Li Cheng gave her a hot water bag beforehand, as Innate martial artists might detect body temperature.

The other half of her CPU, meanwhile, noticed the words "Tang Sect" in Xicai’s speech, immediately asking, "Are you from the Tang Sect? Do you know Furious Tang Lotus?"