Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 538: Battle Under the Night Sky

“Why isn’t the third leader out yet? It’s been over an hour!” Hua Zhenming paced anxiously in the backyard. “Did something really happen?”

The other pirates exchanged uneasy glances, thinking to themselves that rather than something bad happening, it was more likely that their third leader had taken a liking to the guy, and things had... escalated.

The third leader is clearly a powerhouse at the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. Even if something really happened, it can’t be so bad that she couldn’t even cry out for help. Even if the Sea Emperor himself was here, it wouldn’t have gone down like that. So it’s more likely that things got steamy...

Still, they could not be absolutely sure, so the group stealthily snuck into the inn, crouching down by the door with their ears pressed against it to listen in. They were ready to break in and rescue her if anything seemed off.

Slam!

Just as they crouched down, the door suddenly swung open. Several pirates were sent tumbling backward. They looked up awkwardly to see Lady Three standing there, staring down at them with a completely expressionless face.

Their eyes met, and the awkwardness was palpable.

Lady Three then realized that she had been alone in the room with Zhao Changhe for quite a while... Enough time had passed for almost anything to have taken place.

Pirates were not exactly big on chastity. If there were female pirates on board, it was not uncommon for casual relationships to form during long voyages. Sure, there were exceptions, but they were rare. So, it was not hard to guess what the pirates were thinking.

Lady Three’s face turned frosty, her anger boiling inside. She had said that she did not trust him, but the fact that she had been comfortable enough to stay alone with him in a room for so long showed a deep level of trust, whether she admitted it or not. Now her reputation had taken a hit, sure to be ruined from Beimang all the way to the Eastern Sea...

“What’s wrong, Lady Three?” Zhao Changhe just had to poke his head out from behind her at the worst possible moment.

Without even turning around, Lady Three pressed a hand on Zhao Changhe’s face and shoved him back inside. “What’s it to you? Go back to sleep!”

Zhao Changhe’s face was squished under her hand, his voice muffled. “Sleep? I’ve been starving this whole trip... I’m running low on energy, and you ate all the crab—mmph...”

He seriously just had to talk about being hungry and low on energy now?

Hua Zhenming and the others sneaked glances at Lady Three, whose expression was blank, her thoughts racing. Finally, she managed to say, “What are you all looking at? Go get him some food.”

“Hohhh~” The pirates let out a long breath. Apparently, they had been holding their breath for some time.

Lady Three stomped her foot. “You with the surname Zhao, I swear, I’m going to kill you!”

Crack!

The floorboards splintered under her stomp. The pirates scattered in all directions. “We’ll get the food right away!”

Lady Three shouted after them, “And it’s not on the house! Remember to charge him double!”

“...Understood.” Double, huh? Is she counting the brothel fee?

Zhao Changhe called out from behind, exasperated. “I didn’t even charge you for the fleet, and you’re making me pay for food...?”

Lady Three spun around, seething. “They think you’ve paid to sleep with me! You aren’t paying up for that?”

Zhao Changhe folded his hands behind his back. Won’t it be better if I don’t pay so that they don’t think anything actually happened? But he did not dare say that out loud. He knew she would really stomp him into the ground if he did.

Besides, you came to me. I didn’t drag you in... Why do these things always happen to me?

He tried changing the subject. “From the looks of things, you’re not planning to move tonight, are you?”

“Of course not tonight. Just look around...” Lady Three gestured toward the main hall downstairs, where the Tang Clan’s sailors were already passed out drunk. “How are they supposed to fight?”

“Uh...” Zhao Changhe took the opportunity to suggest, “Then why not stay and chat a bit longer? The damage is already done—might as well leave the door open and chat.”

Lady Three gave him a sidelong glance, thinking, And you say you don’t have any ulterior motives with that name? Disgusting.

But Zhao Changhe really did not mean anything by his words. He was genuinely just curious about Lady Three’s many secrets, itching to know more. “You said you don’t remotely control things here from Huangsha Market, so why do they still respect you so much?”

Lady Three coldly replied, “If you could beat everyone down on your first day here, you’d earn their respect too.”

“Well, you should have faced them in one-on-one duels rather than thousands of them ganging up on you at once, right? Someone must have introduced you as the third leader...”

Lady Three explained, “Of course, I’ve always been the third leader. It’s just that most of the newer members had only heard of me and never met me.”

Zhao Changhe spread his hands toward the table like a lackey. “Third leader, venerable, care to chat some more?”

Lady Three glanced at him. “No, you should focus on getting your energy back. I’ll come find you tomorrow afternoon.”

With that, she strode off.

* * *

As the night deepened, Zhao Changhe found himself staring at a table loaded with enough seafood to feed ten people. He wondered if Lady Three had maliciously ordered him to be overfed.

He did not mind, though. Sitting alone, he leisurely ate his way through all of the food on the table, finishing off every last bit.

At his level, eating was no longer just about digestion. The energy from the food would be broken down by his body almost instantly, thanks to his internal energy, nourishing every part of his body that needed it. In truth, popping an Energy-Replenishing Pill and eating a full meal would have the same effect, but eating brought its own kind of joy.

In any case, with a battle looming, maintaining peak physical condition was crucial.

Zhao Changhe had a faint sense of foreboding...

The pirates probably have a very extensive intelligence network, allowing them to know exactly how many troops and ships were coming for them and when they would arrive. That would explain why they haven’t evacuated the island yet. They might even be planning to take the offensive and strike first... But I still can’t help but feel that things aren't going to go as smoothly as they hope.

Within the human forces, sure, they can easily plant spies. Hell, they might even have a king or two under them. There’s definitely a good number of rulers who aren’t too fond of their people worshiping the Sea Emperor.

But what about the Sea Tribe? What about those energy constructs? If they managed to infiltrate the fishmen and the constructs, then all I can say is, I’m impressed.

In fact, Zhao Changhe suspected the pirates might not even be aware of such things. The Sea Emperor had only recently started to make more moves this year. Before that, much of his actions were done in secret, and many things had never been revealed. Xia Longyuan’s decisive action in capturing one of the Sea Tribe’s constructs and “consuming” it revealed much, but others may have no clue about such things.

And this island could very well be the first real showcase of all of it.

The sounds of drinking and laughter, the noise of the gambling dens, and the playful chatter from the brothels filled the air, giving the place a lively and peaceful atmosphere. Extending his senses, Zhao Changhe could vaguely hear the waves crashing on the shore. On the side of the island opposite of where the Tang Clan’s fleet had docked, pirate ships were patrolling.

This probably isn’t their main base... This place is far too obvious, even the merchants knew about it... Their real base is likely hidden somewhere no one else knows about.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, fireworks suddenly shot into the sky in the distance, exploding in a burst of color like a shower of blossoms.

Lady Three, who had been sulking in her room about her ruined reputation, sprang to her feet at the sound of the fireworks.

Outside, Hua Zhenming hurriedly knocked on her door. “Third leader, there’s an alarm from the base! We’re under attack!”

Lady Three strode out. “There’s a traitor among us?”

Logically, there had to be. Otherwise, how could they have found the hidden base so easily? The vast ocean had countless islands, many of which had not even been discovered yet—places that did not exist on any nautical charts, making them perfect hideouts for pirates. How could someone have found their base so quickly?

But Hua Zhenming frowned. He had a feeling that was not the case.

Not only was their base’s location exposed in a suspicious way, but the timing of the attack was also odd. According to their intelligence, the joint crackdown fleet had only just set sail. It would take at least ten days to half a month to get here, so how could there already be an attack?

The pirates did not have time to dwell on it. They quickly left, rushing to the ships patrolling behind the island.

Lady Three boarded a ship, then suddenly turned to look back, realizing she had not brought Zhao Changhe...

Eh, whatever. It’s not like the Tang Clan’s fleet can be used right now, so do we really need Zhao Changhe? Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe wiped his mouth, stepped onto the roof, and leaped off the island, heading straight for the Tang Clan’s flagship.

Not everyone had disembarked from the fleet to mess around—half the crew had stayed on board to stand guard, in case of an attack. Next time they reached another island, they would switch around who would go onshore.

Captain Tang En happened to be among those that hadn’t disembarked. He stood on the deck, watching the fireworks in the distance, shocked. “There’s a battle?”

Zhao Changhe landed on the ship in the moonlight. “Old Tang, do we still have enough people to fight?”

Tang En replied, “If we just use the flagship, we’re good. The other ships are mostly used for transportation, and most of the crew is too drunk to fight anyway.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Wake everyone up. Get everyone back on board and ready to move. That includes our people and the island’s residents. Take everyone with us.”

Tang En gaped. “The people on the island too? Are we kidnapping them?”

“Just take them out of here for now. The pirates are in chaos and won’t be thinking about this place. I’ll take over for that dumb tortoise for now.” Zhao Changhe added, “You’re in charge of this operation. Forget the valuables, just get the people out. And prepare a small boat for me.”

Tang En asked, “What do you need a small boat for?”

“To join the fight, of course.” Zhao Changhe grinned. “The battle with the Sea Tribe—it’s already begun.”