Chapter 304
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Once they had dug out the burly man’s corpse, although it had been buried for several days and gave off a foul stench, both men’s eyes lit up, just like Zhang Xiaohua’s expression when he first laid eyes on a Night-Luminescent Pearl.
Bai Yonggui glanced at Chai Feng, then smiled and said to Zhang Xiaohua: “Brother Ren, my senior brother and I will tidy up our late brother’s remains. Why don’t you go into the cave and straighten things up? Once you’re done, we’ll return to the boat and see you safely back to the mainland.”
Zhang Xiaohua smiled and replied: “Certainly, Hero Bai. That’s just what I had in mind. I left in quite a rush earlier—there are still some things in the cave I haven’t packed.”
With that, he cupped his fists in salute, picked up his longsword, and walked toward the cave.
Bai Yonggui and Chai Feng managed to hold back their impatience until Zhang Xiaohua’s figure disappeared from sight. Only then did they hurriedly flip the corpse over. Pinching their noses, they pulled a money pouch and an iron box from his clothes. After thoroughly patting the body down to ensure nothing was left behind, they examined the money pouch. But when they saw the iron box was no longer locked, they froze for a moment, their expressions growing tense. It wasn’t until they opened the box and saw the sheepskin scroll still lying inside, safe and sound, that their faces broke into expressions of unrestrained joy.
Bai Yonggui reached in and carefully examined the scroll, then said to Chai Feng: “Junior Brother Chai, it seems this really is the item we were looking for. But how did the box end up unlocked? According to what Tan Qi told us, the iron box and key were carried separately by Tan Wen and Tan Wu. So where did the iron lock go?”
Chai Feng chuckled: “Perhaps Tan Qi heard it wrong. He’s just a servant—what would he know? In any case, the item is in our hands now. We’ve earned another merit. Let the Chief worry about the details—there’s no need for us to overthink it.”
Bai Yonggui grinned as well. “Quite right.”
Then he frowned slightly. “Junior Brother, what do you think we should do about this Ren Xiaoyao? It was he who dragged Tan Wen out of the sea. What if he’s already seen the contents of the box? He might even be the one who removed the lock.”
Chai Feng burst into laughter. “Didn’t you see? He’s clearly just a sea-runner boy. That kind of petty scheming—he doesn’t have it in him. Besides, he’s been stranded on this island for four years. What could he possibly know about matters of the martial world? Even if he did look at the scroll, it’s unlikely he’d understand its significance. And anyway, he helped us find the scroll—he’s done us a favor. We can’t repay kindness with betrayal, can we?”
“But what if he lets slip a word of it? News like this could stir up a storm across the martial world.”
“Well… let’s get him back to the mainland first. All the brothers from the Sect are on the boat—we’ll see what they think.”
“I still don’t feel entirely at ease. What if the Chief blames us? Wouldn’t it mean we’ve failed our task?”
“Senior Brother Bai, best to put the items away first. You keep them. That kid should be back any moment now.”
Hearing that, Bai Yonggui quickly stuffed the iron box and the money pouch into his own clothes.
Sure enough, at that moment, Zhang Xiaohua’s figure appeared, walking down from the slope.
Chai Feng called out with a laugh: “Brother Ren, all packed up?”
“All packed up—shall we head out now?”
“Let’s go. We’ll leave right away.”
With that, the two men raised their feet, ready to depart.
Zhang Xiaohua asked in surprise: “Esteemed heroes? Are you just going to leave your senior brother’s remains behind?”
The two looked awkward. Chai Feng stammered: “Well… we thought we’d head back to the boat first to fetch something we could use to carry our senior brother’s body.”
Zhang Xiaohua chuckled: “No need for all that trouble. Let me handle it. I imagine this kind of task isn’t something you two heroes have much experience with.”
As he spoke, he walked over to the corpse, wrapped it in his own cloak, and lifted it onto his shoulder with one hand. Then he picked up his longsword from the ground and said: “Two heroes, let’s go!”
He set off at a brisk pace, taking the lead toward the shoreline.
The two exchanged a look, startled, then quickly followed behind. After walking for a while, Bai Yonggui subtly tugged at Chai Feng’s sleeve and made a chopping gesture with his hand. Chai Feng shook his head. Bai Yonggui gritted his teeth, made another strange hand sign toward Chai Feng. Upon seeing it, Chai Feng furrowed his brows, sighed softly, and seemed somewhat resigned. Seeing this, Bai Yonggui silently drew the sword at his waist. Chai Feng, with a helpless look, did the same.
At a signal from Bai Yonggui, he lunged forward from behind Zhang Xiaohua, thrusting his blade straight toward the youth’s back. Chai Feng followed suit, though his blade was aimed at Zhang Xiaohua’s shoulder rather than a vital spot.
Just as the blades were about to strike, Zhang Xiaohua’s foot struck a stone with a clatter. His body tilted, and the corpse on his shoulder shifted, perfectly blocking Bai Yonggui’s sword. Startled, Bai Yonggui hastily pulled back his weapon. Chai Feng also retracted his strike in time. Zhang Xiaohua, without so much as turning his head, casually said: “Careful, heroes—there are many rocks and loose stones around here. You don’t want to twist your ankle like I just did.”
With that, he picked up his pace and climbed swiftly toward the summit.
Bai Yonggui and Chai Feng stood frozen on the spot, full of doubt and unease, watching as Zhang Xiaohua’s figure gradually drew away from them.
Then Bai Yonggui gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing, and made to hurry forward. But Chai Feng quickly reached out and grabbed him, muttering under his breath: “Brother Bai, it’s too late. That boy’s already reached the summit. If we attack him from behind now, the others on the boat will see—and we’ll be laughed at for stabbing someone in the back.”
Bai Yonggui flinched. He raised his eyes, and sure enough, Zhang Xiaohua had already crested the hilltop—clearly visible from the ship. If he were to strike now, while it might earn him credit before the Chief, it would utterly disgrace him in front of the others.
If only he and Chai Feng had finished things earlier on the trail, none would be the wiser. Chai Feng himself had struck from behind—he certainly wouldn’t have talked. But now? It was far too late.
Sigh… That stone on the path just now—what a stroke of ill luck!
Bai Yonggui glared fiercely at Zhang Xiaohua’s back before quickly catching up with Chai Feng.
What he didn’t know was that the unremarkable country youth ahead of him had already perceived everything through his divine sense—and was silently sneering in his heart!
The three of them arrived at the shore. The small boat was still waiting there, and from afar, the people aboard the large ship could see a young man carrying something red on his shoulder. It looked rather strange, and they all began pointing and whispering among themselves.
Zhang Xiaohua stood by the small boat, carefully inspecting it while silently muttering to himself.
“This may just be a ferry boat, but it’s not much smaller than the river boats used by the South Sea Flood Dragon Palace in Jingyue City. It must be specially made for sea travel. Hmm… it should be able to bear the weight of the longsword.”
With that thought, he gathered force in his feet, and his body shot up from the ground, landing steadily at the center of the boat. The moment Zhang Xiaohua touched down, there was a loud “whoosh”, and the boat dipped heavily into the water. The two men already on the boat were startled—both were seasoned sailors and well acquainted with the ways of the sea. Yet in that instant, a bizarre thought popped into their minds: What the hell? How can this scrawny kid be so heavy? Even an elephant wouldn’t weigh this much!
Bai Yonggui and Chai Feng were stunned as well, but they didn’t feel the impact as directly as the sailors. They simply assumed it was due to the corpse Zhang Xiaohua was carrying. At the same time, they mused, This kid’s qinggong is really nothing special. And he looks thin, but he’s actually packed with a lot of flesh, huh?
Thinking this, they both leapt onto the boat. Yet when they landed, the boat didn’t so much as sway.
On the way back to the sea vessel, the two sailors were utterly worn out. After all, they were hauling something that felt like it weighed five or six thousand catties across the sea with only two men rowing. How could they not be exhausted?
As a result, the return trip took several times longer than their initial crossing. By the time they finally reached the large vessel, the two sailors were nearly foaming at the mouth from fatigue!
Once they were alongside the ship, Chai Feng asked: “Brother Ren, can you climb up on your own? If not, we’ll have them lower a rope.”
Zhang Xiaohua thought to himself, A rope? That’s out of the question. Who knows how many people it would take just to hoist the longsword up?
He said aloud: “Let me give it a try, Hero Chai. If I can’t make it up, we can lower a rope then—it won’t be too late.”
With that, he stomped down with force, and the boat once again sank deeply with a lurch. The next moment, Zhang Xiaohua shot toward the ship like a catapulted pellet. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua leap, the two behind him didn’t hesitate any longer and followed right after.
Zhang Xiaohua stood steadily on the sea vessel with the burly man’s corpse slung across his back—even the ship itself tilted slightly to one side under his weight.
At that moment, a dozen or so people gathered around. Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to speak, Bai Yonggui landed on the deck as well, seizing the opportunity to speak first: “Junior Brother Li, come over here—quick, help carry Senior Brother’s corpse and take it to the cabin.”
“Senior Brother? Corpse?” A chubby man with dark skin who was half a head shorter than Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head in confusion. But when he caught a glance from Bai Yonggui, he immediately feigned realization and said: “Ah, I understand. Senior Brother Bai, I’ll take Senior Brother’s remains to the cabin right away.”
With that, he stepped forward and reluctantly accepted the burden from Zhang Xiaohua’s shoulder, a frown deepening on his brow.
At this time, Chai Feng also stepped forward and said: “Brother Ren, thank you for carrying Senior Brother’s body up here. You must be tired. Head down to the cabin, wash up a bit, have something to eat, and rest. Tonight, we brothers will hold a banquet to express our gratitude.”
Zhang Xiaohua cupped his fists and said: “Many thanks, Hero Chai.”
Chai Feng called over a sailor and gave him a few instructions.
That sailor then led Zhang Xiaohua to a room on the second level of the ship’s cabin, bowed slightly, and left. Not long after, he returned carrying a tub full of steaming hot water, along with an assortment of refreshments and snacks.
Once the sailor closed the door behind him, Zhang Xiaohua let out a hearty laugh. Carefully placing the longsword at his feet, he stripped off his clothes and leapt into the bath, beginning to scrub himself clean.
Truth be told, Zhang Xiaohua was already on the verge of reaching the sixth level of Qi Refinement. His entire body surged with true qi, making it impossible for dust to cling to him. Even the impurities within his body had long since been tempered away—there was really no need for him to bathe at all. But upon seeing something he hadn’t used in four years, he couldn’t help feeling delighted and decided to indulge himself in this rare luxury.
