Chapter 307
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
In the days that followed, the elite disciples of the Xinrong Sect continued to stare at each other wide-eyed, unable to come up with any solid plan. After all, they had never practiced any formation for a coordinated assault. If they were to swarm him in a disorganized attack, none could guarantee they’d escape unscathed from the youth’s outstanding qinggong. Even though they had been thoroughly instilled with the doctrine of “forsake the self for the greater good”, when the moment came, who would be willing to gamble with their life?
As for Zhang Xiaohua, he behaved exactly as Chai Feng had anticipated—just like a seafarer youth well-versed in survival. Ever since his first encounter with the group, he hadn’t shown himself again. His daily meals and needs were all delivered to the ship’s cabin by the sailors. Bai Yonggui had visited several times, hoping to probe further, but was politely rebuffed every time with the excuse: “Having just escaped life on a deserted island, my body is unwell.”
Even the food brought by the sailors was barely touched—only a bit of staple grains and a little clear water. He didn’t take a single bite of the meat or fish. This alone dashed the hopes of those who had thought to poison his food.
In truth, Zhang Xiaohua had already entered a state of inedia—he no longer needed food or drink. But if he were to go several days without so much as a drop of water or a grain of rice in front of the Xinrong Sect disciples, they might really start to see him as some kind of monster. Who knew if they’d strike while he was supposedly weakened by hunger and thirst? Wouldn’t that completely unravel his plan to conceal his true strength?
In fact, Zhang Xiaohua was deeply reluctant to fall out with the Xinrong Sect before setting foot back on land.
The more flawlessly Zhang Xiaohua concealed himself—like a hedgehog curling into a spiny ball, impossible to bite into—the more it affirmed Chai Feng’s judgment: this was no more than an innocent seafarer youth. Conversely, Bai Yonggui grew all the more anxious. The supplies aboard the ship were limited; they couldn’t delay indefinitely and refuse to make port. Once they did dock, he’d have no more excuse to detain the boy. At that point, there would be no choice but to settle things with force.
Thus, amid the boundless sea, aboard this single vessel, a strange equilibrium formed.
Yet the two sides maintaining this balance were anything but equal—one passive, the other active.
Xinrong Sect’s passivity stemmed from two causes. On one hand, they truly lacked an effective method that wouldn’t endanger themselves. On the other, they were divided in their intent—some advocated silencing him permanently, while others preferred to escort him back to the sect. Though both voices aimed to prevent the secret from leaking, the means and outcomes of their plans were entirely different.
As for why Zhang Xiaohua held the upper hand, it was because—even though he knew the Xinrong Sect harbored ill intentions toward him—he was merely hitching a ride back to the mainland aboard their ship. Just as Zhang Xiaohua thought: “As long as I stay cautious and leave you no opportunity, I don’t believe you’ll stay at sea forever! And once we’re ashore… heh heh…”
Of course, the main reason Zhang Xiaohua could act so confidently was simple: his overwhelming strength!!!
The disciples of Xinrong Sect had only witnessed his extraordinary qinggong but knew nothing of the true depth of his martial prowess. Zhang Xiaohua, however, was perfectly clear on it—even if he engaged them using only his qinggong and the short sword in his hand, not one of them could touch so much as a strand of his hair. Let alone the fact that, so long as he stayed hidden in his cabin, he could command the sword with his divine sense and take lives like a ghost from the shadows.
Since the initiative in this precarious balance rested firmly in his hands, Zhang Xiaohua lived quite leisurely. His cultivation routine remained much the same as it had been on the deserted island. The only difference was that he temporarily suspended the practice of the Jade Blood Refining the Pill Heart in order to preserve his true qi for any emergencies that might arise. At night, when cultivating, he placed restrictions in all directions around him to guard against sneak attacks while he was asleep at midnight.
Aside from devoting himself fully to understanding restrictions and formations, Zhang Xiaohua also carved out ample time to carefully study the first jade slip left behind by the True Person Fire Dragon. This slip contained a wealth of knowledge about cultivation basics, along with a large number of foundational techniques. Back on the island, Zhang Xiaohua hadn’t bothered with it—since it wasn’t directly related to cultivation, he hadn’t wanted to waste time. But now that he was about to step into the pugilistic world, a realm where power reigned supreme, if all he had was peerless true qi but no method to wield it, wouldn’t he be like some nouveau riche who inherited a treasure vault but didn’t know how to spend a single coin? Utterly foolish.
More than ten days passed. Though land was still nowhere in sight, the occasional silhouettes of distant ships had begun to appear on the horizon. Zhang Xiaohua knew in his heart that the coast couldn’t be far.
That day, around noon, Zhang Xiaohua once again politely declined Bai Yonggui’s invitation. After sipping a bit of water and nibbling on some food, he extended his divine sense, blanketing the entire ship.
Inside the cabin, Bai Yonggui had just stepped in when Junior Brother Li approached and asked: “Senior Brother Bai, that brat still won’t come out?”
“Mhm, that’s right. It seems he’s sensed something. No matter what we say, he refuses to step outside even half a pace.”
“Could it be that something we did made him suspicious?”
“Rubbish. What did we even do? We’ve just been gathering to discuss our options. Unless he has clairvoyance and divine hearing, how could he possibly know what we’re up to?”
“Senior Brother Bai is absolutely right. That brat is nothing but a cunning little fox and a coward to boot. At the slightest rustle in the grass, he immediately holes himself up and doesn’t dare show his face again.”
“He eats so little… even if we wanted to poison him, it’d be useless. What if we just stop delivering food and water to him? What do you think?”
“Sigh. Do you think I haven’t considered that? But even if we stopped sending water, you think he doesn’t know where we store it on the ship?”
“He never leaves his room—how could he possibly know?”
“Calling you stupid really isn’t unfair. If you had such advanced qinggong, wouldn’t you take advantage of the night to sneak under the deck and scope things out? That boy grew up sailing the seas—he’s far more experienced than we are in this. So even if we don’t bring him food, you don’t think he could get it himself?”
“So, after thinking it through, there are only two paths left to us.” Bai Yonggui spoke with a grim expression.
“Two paths, huh? Senior Brother Bai, you truly are brilliant! I’ve racked my brains and couldn’t come up with half a solution, and you—you open your mouth and it’s two at once. I’m all ears!” Someone said with a flattering grin, laying it on thick.
But Bai Yonggui was in no mood for sycophants. He shot the man a cold glance and snapped: “If you’ve got nothing useful to contribute, then just follow orders. That’s what makes a good disciple of our Xinrong Sect.”
The man shrank back, sensing the shift in tone, but still plastered on a smile. “Yes, Senior Brother Bai, please go on. Let’s see if this little brother has the strength to contribute.”
Sweeping his gaze over the others, Bai Yonggui said: “The first option is this: we surround his cabin. Two men go in through the door and window to draw his attention, then the rest of us follow through both openings at once. That brat’s qinggong might be impressive, but that cabin’s only so big—he’ll have nowhere to maneuver. I refuse to believe we can’t kill him in such close quarters!”
Then, pointing at the very flatterer from before, he added; “You. You’ll go in through the door. If you manage to kill him, I’ll give you credit for the first merit.”
The man’s face instantly paled. He forced a smile and said: “Senior Brother Bai, you must be joking. With my humble martial skills, I’d be better off lending support from the back. Such a grand opportunity to earn merit should be gifted to someone more worthy.”
Bai Yonggui let out a cold “haha” and sneered. Sweeping his eyes over the gathered crowd—none of whom dared meet his gaze—he grew angry and snapped: “You raise troops for a hundred days only to use them for a moment, and now that the Xinrong Sect needs to put its disciples to use, no one dares step forward?”
Just then, someone muttered under their breath: “Why doesn’t Senior Brother Bai go first himself?”
Bai Yonggui immediately shouted: “Who said that?! Who!?”
But when no one answered, he continued: “Of course I’m willing to be the first to charge in. But as the saying goes, ‘an army cannot go a day without a commander.’ I need to stay in the middle and direct the overall operation, ensuring everything goes smoothly. That seafaring brat is just a small ripple—there are more important matters ahead that require my attention.”
“What about the second plan?” Someone asked.
Bai Yonggui glanced at the man with a faint smile and said: “This second plan is something I’ve discussed at length with your Senior Brother Chai. You could say it’s a foolproof strategy.”
“Oh?” The crowd’s eyes lit up, expressions filled with curiosity and surprise.
“The main goal of this voyage was to recover the sheepskin scroll. That mission has already been successfully completed, and I imagine the rewards from the sect will be plentiful. That seafaring youth is merely an unexpected variable. As for ‘not letting him leak any information’—that’s a job best left to the professionals. I propose we send word to the Sect, and let the Sect Master send someone specialized in this sort of thing to take care of it. What do you think?”
As soon as they heard that, everyone clapped their hands in approval. “Good, very good!”
It was as if Bai Yonggui had expected this outcome all along. He nodded and said: “Since we’re all in agreement, then let’s treat this as a collective decision from all of us. Junior Brother Li, I’ll leave this matter to you. Judging by the time, the days are passing quicker and quicker—how far are we now from Songluo City?”
That Junior Brother Yu quickly replied: “Reporting to Senior Brother Bai, it’s just a two or three-day journey at most.”
“Good. Then go inform the sailors to slow the ship’s pace. If necessary, take a detour.”
“But Senior Brother Bai, we don’t have much in the way of provisions left on board. If we run into a storm, we might not even make it to shore in one piece…”
Bai Yonggui glared at him and barked: “No matter what, we must hold out until we get a reply from the sect. Otherwise, this entire trip might have been for nothing.”
Junior Brother Li saw the look in his eyes and quickly replied: “Understood, Senior Brother Bai. I’ll send the message right away.”
Bai Yonggui nodded and gestured for him to hurry.
Not long after Junior Brother Li stepped onto the deck, a bird slightly larger than a pigeon but smaller than a falcon flew out from a small porthole. It circled above the ship a few times to get its bearings, then swiftly soared off in a determined direction.
Junior Brother Li watched it go with satisfaction, then closed the window and turned back toward the cabin to report—yet just as he shut the window, a streak of black light shot out from the second-floor cabin like lightning, chasing straight after the fleeing bird!
