Chapter 306
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Zhang Xiaohua, on the other hand, casually waved his hand and walked away, completely at ease.
He left behind a cabin full of people frozen in awkward silence.
The unfortunate brothers of the Xinrong Sect glanced at one another, each unsure of what to say.
Indeed, in their eyes, he was nothing more than an ordinary boat-handling youth, no different from an ant they could crush with a flick of the wrist. But when they truly tried to make a move, they suddenly realized—the part of himself he revealed to them was nothing more than a pinky toe. What they actually saw… was but a vague, blurry leg. As for his full strength? Please, they hadn’t even had a chance to get a proper look.
At this moment, Junior Brother Li spoke up, saying: “Senior Brother Bai, I think that youth is no more than fifteen or so. Even if he’s a disciple of some prestigious sect, and began cultivating internal energy at the age of four or five, at most he has ten years of training. Based on what you said this afternoon, he probably inherited some teachings from a fallen martial wanderer. Even if he exaggerated a bit, he’s practiced internal strength for no more than five or six years. I reckon all of his ability lies in his qinggong. If it really came down to a fight, there’s no way he could match us.”
Another skinny fellow chimed in: “That’s right, Senior Brother! He’s only one person, while we’ve got more than ten brothers here—what’s there to be afraid of?”
Chai Feng curled his lips and said: “Picking on the weak with numbers—so dignified.”
Bai Yonggui frowned and replied: “The affairs of the sect must come first. How can we be concerned with such trifling details?”
Then someone asked: “By the way, Senior Brother Bai, are you certain that youth only knows qinggong and no other martial skills?”
Hearing this, a line Zhang Xiaohua had spoken back on the deserted island suddenly surfaced in Bai Yonggui’s mind: “Heroes, be careful. There are many stones on the ground here. Don’t twist your ankles like I did—watch your step.”
At that moment… wasn’t he trying to sneak up from behind?
“Could it be? Could it be that he already knew then? And deliberately used the corpse to block my sword?”
In that instant, sweat broke out across Bai Yonggui’s forehead, his heart sank with unease, and a chill ran down his spine. “If that’s true… then isn’t this youth truly terrifying?”
Noticing Bai Yonggui’s pale expression, the skinny man asked: “Senior Brother Bai, what’s wrong? Are you afraid? That was just a moment of carelessness earlier. If it were a proper fight, would you really let him get close?”
Bai Yonggui glanced at everyone present. His eyes shifted slightly, then he chuckled and said: “It’s nothing, brothers. Just now, I was merely caught off guard. What Junior Brother Yu said makes sense. How about this—let’s hand this difficult task over to Junior Brother Yu.”
Then, stroking his chin thoughtfully, he added: “Junior Brother Yu, if you can handle this matter well, I will report it truthfully to the Sect Leader and let you take the credit for this first merit. What do you say?”
The skinny man’s eyes lit up at once. He immediately stood up and asked: “Senior Brother Bai, do you really mean that?”
Bai Yonggui laughed and replied: “We’re all brothers here—why would I lie to you?”
Junior Brother Yu said: “Very well. Since that’s the case, I’ll go now and take that fellow’s head as a gift for Senior Brother Bai’s wine.”
As he spoke, he was about to leave his seat, when the short, stocky man beside him quickly tugged at his sleeve and shot him a meaningful look. Junior Brother Yu wasn’t someone entirely rash. Realizing that this close brother of his was warning him, his heart chilled slightly. He scanned the others—each wore a look of indifference, as though the matter didn’t concern them in the slightest. Some even had mocking glints in their eyes.
In that moment, he understood.
He immediately halted his steps, forced a smile, and said: “Senior Brother Bai, perhaps I’d best leave it. I only came along this time to assist Senior Brother, nothing more. You enjoy the meat, just toss me a bit of broth. As for this first merit… I think it’s best left to your judgment. I’ll be right beside you, waving the flag and cheering you on.”
Bai Yonggui’s face darkened. “Junior Brother Yu, now that’s not the right attitude. The Sect Leader has made it clear—doesn’t matter if it’s a white cat or a black cat, so long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat. Whether it’s a senior or a junior, as long as someone can render service to the sect, they’re a good disciple. I’ve only brought you all out here—it’s up to you whether you earn merits and rewards. I won’t block anyone’s path just for my own gain. I say this matter should go to you.”
Junior Brother Yu hastily declined, saying: “Senior Brother Bai, you’re being too modest. I’ve always followed your lead in everything, and I certainly wouldn’t dare steal your glory this time. Besides, if you truly don’t wish to lower yourself to act, why not let Junior Brother Li handle it? He’s already seen through that youth’s strength, so I’m sure he’s confident in dealing with him.”
Hearing this, Junior Brother Li was furious in his heart and cursed silently: “This bastard is truly despicable. I was just flattering Senior Brother Bai with a few words, and now that you see the situation turning sour, you try to shove the task onto me? Everyone knows that brat’s Qinggong is remarkable—he can easily close the distance. If he’s holding a longsword, a single swing or thrust would be hard to guard against. Even someone as skilled as Senior Brother Bai got caught off guard, let alone the rest of us. If he gets desperate and fights to the death, he’s sure to drag a few down with him. And that’s assuming we gang up on him. If it comes down to a one-on-one, wouldn’t it be even worse? You’d have to be brain-dead to volunteer for that.”
At once, he stood up and said: “Senior Brother Yu, I was merely speaking from reasoning earlier. You needn’t take my words seriously—just treat them like some wind passing through, not worth remembering. And besides, you’re my senior brother, and Senior Brother Bai is your senior. Since you don’t even want to steal Senior Brother Bai’s glory, how could I dare claim it over you? In my opinion, you’re the best one for the task.”
Junior Brother Yu had no intention of going himself, and now he had to force a smile while recommending a few others. But those who were named were naturally angered by being “volunteered” and all pushed the task back with the grace of Tai Chi practitioners, one after another. In the end, not a single person was willing to face Zhang Xiaohua and his ghost-like Qinggong once more.
Bai Yonggui watched this scene unfold for some time, his brow furrowed. He gave a light cough and said: “Brothers, we serve the Sect Leader. Even if it means walking through blades and fire, we must not frown. How can we be passing the buck like this?”
The others brightened at once and chorused: “Then it must be Senior Brother Bai who will act personally?”
A flush rose to Bai Yonggui’s face as he replied: “This matter is no small one. It’s best for all of us to discuss it further and come up with a foolproof plan before we act. What do you all think?”
Everyone laughed: “That’s just as it should be.”
Chai Feng, who had been watching for some time as well, finally spoke up: “Senior Brother Bai, fellow brothers—though this matter is indeed important, we’ve still a long journey ahead of us. There’s no need to rush. It’s already late—why don’t we all rest for now and continue the discussion tomorrow?”
The others agreed, stood, and cupped their hands in salute before returning to their cabins.
Once the sailors had tidied up and brought fragrant tea, the two took a sip. Only then did Chai Feng speak again: “Senior Brother Bai looks like what we’ve got on our hands is a real hot potato.”
Bai Yonggui nodded in full agreement and said: “Junior Brother, are you also thinking of what Ren Xiaoyao said back on the deserted island?”
“Yes, Senior Brother, thinking back now, there was definitely more to those words than met the ear. If our guess is correct, then this youth’s martial prowess is far beyond what we can match. Perhaps only if we all act together can we hope to accomplish something.”
“You’ve changed your mind about escorting him safely to the mainland and letting him go?”
Chai Feng said: “A gentleman’s word is his bond, and not easily taken back. I still intend to keep my promise to send him ashore. But I’m not so inflexible as to ignore changing circumstances. If this youth were truly someone with no martial strength, just an ordinary person with no ties to the jianghu, then returning to the mundane world wouldn’t pose any threat to us. He’d have no reason to leak news of the sheepskin scroll.
But now it seems this youth is highly skilled in martial arts. Who knows—he might have some lingering ties with a sect or school. If he returns and spreads word of this, he could very well expose the fact that our Xinrong Sect was the one who profited. The Sect Leader has made it clear—until we are absolutely certain, we must keep this matter from leaking into the jianghu. That being the case, I feel we can’t just let this youth go free.”
Bai Yonggui laughed and said: “So Junior Brother agrees we should silence him? Then let’s properly plan how we’ll do it.”
But Chai Feng shook his head and said: “Senior Brother Bai, it’s not necessarily the case that only by killing him can we keep this under wraps. The youth stumbled into this by accident and doesn’t know the full picture. I say we invite him to stay at our sect for a while—keep him around until the storm passes. Once it’s safe, we can release him. What do you think?”
Bai Yonggui shook his head vigorously and said: “Only the dead keep secrets—that’s what the Sect Leader always reminds us. Junior Brother, have you forgotten that at such a time? Besides, this boy’s martial skills are formidable. He could very well be a spy from another sect. If we bring him back and something goes wrong, wouldn’t that be inviting a wolf into the house? I think your idea is far too cautious.”
Chai Feng gave a cold laugh and said: “Then what does Senior Brother propose? That youth’s Qinggong is otherworldly. We don’t even know the full extent of his martial abilities yet. But just from today’s display, he’s shaken everyone. None of the other brothers dare face him alone. Even if all ten or so of us were to surround him, I doubt anyone would dare be the first to strike.”
Bai Yonggui was also at a loss—he himself didn’t want to be the first to make a move, let alone expect it of the others. At this moment, he suddenly said: “Junior Brother, what if we make our move tonight, while he’s asleep? What do you think?”
“Make a move in the dark?”
Chai Feng let out a faint scoff and said: “Didn’t you see how cautious he was? He barely touched a single dish at the banquet—like he was afraid we’d poison the food. He’s someone who’s spent years making a living at sea; he’s seen his share of the world. Believe me, there’s no way he’ll sleep soundly tonight. He’s probably lying in wait for us to come to him.”
Thinking back on Zhang Xiaohua’s behavior earlier, Bai Yonggui couldn’t help but agree with Chai Feng’s assessment, and he temporarily gave up the idea of a night attack.
As for Zhang Xiaohua—this youth whose true level of martial skill remained unknown—he didn’t want to rush into open hostility just yet. The journey ahead was long, and there would be plenty of opportunities along the way. For now, the best approach was to keep him steady, bide their time, and wait for the right moment. Who knows? They might even find a way to deal with him cleanly and without bloodshed. With that, the two chatted idly for a while longer before each returned to their cabins to rest.
