Chaotic World Book
Chapter 549 - 533 Angry Sea Gang

Chapter 549: Chapter 533 Angry Sea Gang

The pirate ship closed in swiftly.

It was easy to see that the pirate ship wasn’t as large in tonnage as the Tang family’s flagship, but it wasn’t smaller than any of the other ships in the Tang family fleet either. As upwards of a hundred ships rushed over, the visual oppression was quite intense.

Tang family sailors quickly spread across the deck, drawing their bows and nocking their arrows, even going as far as to pull away oilcloth with a swish to reveal several bed crossbows.

Zhao Changhe glanced sideways and thought to himself that these bed crossbows were very likely embezzled by Tang Buqi under the guise of public benefits—this man with thick eyebrows and big eyes was no good...

This stern and formidable posture made the scene somewhat comical, as the pirate ships, getting closer, were taken aback. Eventually, they split to the left and right, gliding past at a distance of several arrow shots, also demonstrating an extremely impressive standard of ship handling and command ability.

A voice carried over from afar, amplified by inner strength: "Whose fleet is this?"

This power... was formidable.

Across the span of several arrow shots, speaking like this over the vast ocean, Zhao Changhe would dare to say that ordinary people wouldn’t be heard even with a megaphone. To transmit one’s voice so clearly through inner strength alone was something that required the unlocking of Secret Treasure—the basic requirement of the First Layer of Secret Treasure was to merge with the environment, using the sea breeze to carry the voice.

Tang En clearly couldn’t accomplish this and was unable to reply, but the other side already had a clear view of the banner fluttering in the wind on the ship: "So it is the Tang family from Gusu."

He didn’t say anything more, and the pirate fleet turned around, seemingly escorting the Tang family fleet on either side as it continued on its way.

Tang En furrowed his brows, looking incredibly vexed.

Zhao Changhe didn’t understand and asked quietly, "What act are they putting on?"

Tang En replied, "There’s only theft for a thousand days, no defense against theft for a thousand days. By following us like this, it’s clear they mean we shouldn’t dock for rest and resupply. Once we disembark, who knows what could happen."

Zhao Changhe understood; if they actually reached a supply port, the other side likely had people on land. With an early signal, they could be caught between two fronts, resulting in an awkward situation. Especially since the other side had experts, and they didn’t; if an opportunity arose to catch them off guard, the bed crossbows wouldn’t be of much use.

This was the advantage of playing the home field coupled with the threat of a top-tier expert.

The best course of action would be to fight now, to intimidate the other side and settle the matter. But Tang En clearly wasn’t prepared to engage in a life-and-death struggle so soon after setting sail, and hesitated.

Zhao Changhe saw the situation and raised his voice slightly: "Well, that’s great, not sure who’s guarding against whom here. Just don’t give me the chance to board their ship, turning the tables and giving them a taste of their own medicine wouldn’t be so bad."

His voice seemed to grow louder just a touch, but it was substantial, not carried by the wind nor dispersed by it, solidly reaching each of the ships in the opposing fleet.

The pirates collectively were moved; this display of power was far superior to their leader’s! What level of cultivation is this!

The speaking leader also felt a change in expression and responded gravishly, "Who from the Earth List is this hero?"

Zhao Changhe almost subconsciously wanted to declare himself as Wang Daozhong; right now, impersonating Wang Daozhong came naturally to him, his power even matched, he was a special actor in his own right.

But after a moment’s thought, he restrained the impulse because the Wang family was the main character in this affair, and he himself wanted to watch quietly from the sidelines. Truly claiming to be Wang Daozhong would likely only make things worse, contrary to his intentions.

So he came up with something on the spot: "The Chaotic World Book is often biased, I’m not listed on there, just a nameless nobody."

In the Central Earth, probably few would believe this claim, yet at sea, people almost believed it immediately: "So you are a sea hero recruited by the Tang family, may I ask your honorable name?"

Zhao Changhe casually combined the name Lu Shouyi whom he had met some days before and modified it slightly: "Zhao Shouyi. And you are?"

To uphold the principle of Bao Yuan, he thought, more cultured than these Fanyang Lus, at least I seem more like a man of culture.

The other paused for a while, as if recalling whether he had heard of someone named Zhao Shouyi, not recalling any impression after a long thought, he had to reply: "I am Hua Zhenming of the Angry Sea Gang, acting on the orders of our third leader to advise the return of all fishermen and sea merchants venturing out to sea."

Speaking of advising their return, Zhao Changhe was inclined to believe it; after all, this was still near the coast, not even a day away from the shore. Earlier, even Tang En couldn’t believe that there were pirates here; instead, claiming they were here to advise on returning seemed more plausible. Of course, that was because their side was strong enough. If they had been weak, it would most likely just be a robbery – physical advising, who would be polite with you?

Zhao Changhe was actually quite amazed: "With your strength, there are still so many leaders above you?"

Hua Zhenming replied: "My strength is but a minor role within the Angry Sea Gang."

Internally, Zhao Changhe cried out: "Blindness, you’re missing out – the Chaotic World Book’s omissions are a bit too much, right?"

But the blind chose to play dead and did not respond.

Zhao Changhe could only say: "Surrounding the fleet and following us looking for trouble, this is your way of advising us?"

Hua Zhenming replied: "Otherwise, what... With your ship so strong and your crossbows ready, without some strategy, how could we confront you head-on?"

Zhao Changhe laughed: "What about now?"

Hua Zhenming fell silent.

The threat posed by following the ship primarily stemmed from his strength. A miscalculation by the adversaries could lead to him boarding and wreaking havoc, forcing everyone to remain tense and on edge, making life unbearable. But now, the tables had turned. Wasn’t it the other party who would be the one tense and unable to live easily?

He sighed, "The seas are currently not peaceful, and our advisement to turn back is well-intentioned. Why must you insist on this?"

Zhao Changhe said, "If you can provide a persuasive reason, turning back is not out of the question. Otherwise, if you were in my position, would you head back just because someone advised you with good intentions? Do we still have an obligation to report to the young master?"

Hua Zhenming remained silent for a long while before responding, "I have nothing to disclose."

Zhao Changhe said, "Then there’s nothing to discuss. You all can continue following us."

Hua Zhenming said, "Beholden to the customs of the Worldly Society, I issue a challenge to you. If your side loses, you will all turn back."

Zhao Changhe could not help but chuckle, "Do you really think you’re a match for me?"

Hua Zhenming said indifferently, "Inner Strength or Secret Treasure does not represent true combat prowess."

"That makes sense," Zhao Changhe chuckled. "What if you lose?"

Hua Zhenming bluntly said, "We will surrender all our treasures and women."

Zhao Changhe instinctively glanced at their ship, which notably had no women on board. Damn liar.

Nevertheless, the current stalemate was unproductive, and Zhao Changhe himself was eager to test his mettle against a formidable foe at sea. He laughed and said, "It’s a deal."

As the sound of his voice faded, both sides simultaneously leapt into the air, meeting above the sea between the two ships. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than ten blows with a series of "bangs and pops."

Zhao Changhe used the Divine Brilliance Sect’s Divine Brilliance Wind and Thunder Palm Skill—a technique so defensively solid that it was ideal for gauging the opponent’s strength, and he suspected the other party wouldn’t recognize it.

From the first exchange, Zhao Changhe felt an unexpected sense of elation.

Hua Zhenming’s punches and palms were clearly honed within the waters. Each punch thrown felt as if one was facing the heavy water pressure at the seabed—seemingly slow, but in reality, the pressure was direct and overpowering. One could almost see a Vortex of circulating sea water forming around him.

This was the epitome of Martial Artists imitating the natural world, something that when recorded in the Heavenly Book, served as an excellent reference for advancing one’s own Martial Arts.

After more than a dozen exchanges, both fighters were out of breath and simultaneously descended towards the sea’s surface.

Zhao Changhe stretched his foot to lightly touch the water, using Water Stepping to rise into the air once again.

Hua Zhenming also trod on the water, though not by the same method as Zhao Changhe who used the buoyancy of the water to rise. Instead, it seemed as if an upward current had formed beneath Hua Zhenming, propelling him up.

Zhao Changhe laughed heartily, "Excellent! Take this palm from me!"

In an instant, the winds and thunder raged, and the Divine Brilliance Wind and Thunder Palm erupted forth with a thunderous strike.

Hua Zhenming brought both his hands up in unison, summoning a spiraling Water Dragon that ferociously collided with the descending might of the Wind and Thunder above.

Then, as the Water Dragon dispersed, Hua Zhenming clearly couldn’t withstand Zhao Changhe’s strength and plummeted back down.

Zhao Changhe swiftly grabbed his collar and casually tossed him back onto his pirate ship. Using the counterforce of the throw, he gracefully drifted back to the Tang family’s ship.

Both sides, friend and foe alike, were so captivated by the display that they erupted in unified cheers, "Excellent! Such skill!"

Indeed, Qinggong was the most flamboyant of displays, far more stylish than any Wind and Thunder Palm.

Upon landing back on the deck, Hua Zhenming stumbled a couple of steps and realized he was unharmed. Standing dumbfounded for a moment, he turned to Zhao Changhe and clasped his hands in a salute, "I have learned a valuable lesson!"

Zhao Changhe returned the gesture, "I have relied too much on brute force... Your technique has given me much to contemplate. I have learned as well."

Hua Zhenming exhaled deeply, "The wealth on this ship now belongs to you."

Zhao Changhe burst into hearty laughter, patting Tang En on the shoulder, "Speed up, let’s go."

The Tang family’s fleet sailed away, leaving a group of pirates exchanging bewildered looks.

After a long while, Hua Zhenming finally sighed and said, "The third leader was right... Even on land, there are heroes."

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PS: First update of the month, seeking a safety net of monthly tickets~