Ji Wangfei was not afraid in the slightest, nor was he worried.
His fleet belonged to the regular navy. The warships were equipped with crossbows, and the soldiers were professionally trained sailors.
Since they could not evade the approaching vessels, he simply ordered his fleet to slow down and let them draw closer.
The fleet flying salted fish banners came to a stop roughly four hundred feet away.
Only then did Ji Wangfei get a clear look at them. Although they wore no uniform, every one of them was powerfully built and armed with strange crossbows.
Crossbows?
He frowned slightly, finally realizing that something was wrong.
How could ordinary merchants—or even bandits—possibly possess crossbows?
Even more absurdly, the men leading the group were all wearing black eyepatches, each covering the left eye.
What kind of getup was that?
Were they all blind in the left eye?
And all blind in exactly the same way?
Xie Nanxiao had no idea that his unique “pirate” appearance was being ridiculed. He shouted toward the fleet.
“We are the Salted-Fish-Turning-Over Pirates! We only want your money, not your lives. Leave behind thirty ships and all your money and goods, and we’ll let you pass.”
“You have a quarter of an hour to consider it. If you refuse, we’ll attack. Whether you live or die will be up to fate.”
Ji Wangfei was so furious that he actually laughed. “Salted-fish pirates? What the hell are you supposed to be? How dare you block the Sizhou Navy?”
Xie Nanxiao frowned. “We’re the Salted-Fish-Turning-Over Pirates, not the Salted-Fish Pirates. There’s a fundamental difference. You’re the salted fish. With you, we’ll be able to turn our fortunes around. That’s why we’re called the Salted-Fish-Turning-Over Pirates.”
Ji Wangfei fell silent.
How arrogant. Incredibly arrogant!
Xie Nanxiao continued, “You say you’re the Sizhou Navy? Is the Sizhou Navy supposed to be impressive? Why have I never heard of it?”
As he spoke, he waved his hand. “All right, whether you’re from Sizhou or Wuzhou doesn’t matter. I’m not going to waste any more time talking to you. You have a quarter of an hour to decide. The clock starts now.”
Ji Wangfei gave a cold laugh. “We don’t need a quarter of an hour. I can tell you right now that we refuse. If you have the courage, come and fight us.”
Xie Nanxiao looked him up and down. “Are you sure? We may be bandits, but we’re all Han Chinese, so I’ll give you a word of warning. If you make us take action ourselves, you may not even be able to keep your loincloths.”
Ji Wangfei felt deeply insulted, and his expression turned cold. He stopped responding and instead issued an order. “Move in. Once we’re within range, fire!”
At their current distance, they were out of range.
The crossbows could reach the enemy, but their ships were positioned incorrectly, and the crossbow ports were not facing the opposing fleet.
Only then did he notice the problem. It seemed this group of pirates had considerable experience fighting at sea.
Noticing his movements, Xie Nanxiao’s lips curled upward. Since they were determined to die, he would grant them their wish.
“Fire!”
Ji Wangfei’s ship had yet to start moving when bolts rained over from the opposite side. Dozens of sailors standing on the deck were struck and fell instantly, their screams ringing out.
Xie Nanxiao had shown them some mercy. Their lord had specifically ordered them to leave survivors.
So the bolts were not meant to kill them outright, only to wound them as a warning.
The Cangming Guards were equipped with Longming crossbows.
Those struck in the arm had a huge chunk of flesh blown away. Those hit in the thigh suffered a similar gaping wound. The sight was horrifying.
Blood and flesh sprayed across the entire deck.
Ji Wangfei’s pupils contracted sharply. He waved his hand. “Stop!”
In truth, he did not need to give the order. Faced with the sailors’ agonized cries on the deck, the fleet had already stopped moving forward.
“Medics! Quickly!” he shouted.
Unfortunately, they had not set out for battle this time and had brought only two medics. For a while, everyone was thrown into confusion.
“Who exactly are you?” Ji Wangfei demanded, his expression grim as he stared fixedly at Xie Nanxiao.
Sun Zheng clenched his fists beside him, his face slightly pale.
As far as he knew, only the Jinyang Army possessed crossbows capable of killing at such a distance—and these were repeating crossbows, at that.
Xie Nanxiao tugged at the corner of his mouth. “We never hide our names. We are the Salted-Fish-Turning-Over Pirates, whose reputation resounds throughout Fengzhou and parts of Juan Prefecture!”
Ji Wangfei narrowed his eyes. “Impossible. Those repeating crossbows of yours belong exclusively to the Jinyang Army.”
Xie Nanxiao lied without the slightest hesitation. “What Jinyang Army? Never heard of it. Are you going to hand over your money and goods, or do you want us to fire another volley?”
Sun Zheng straightened his back. “You don’t know? The new emperor has ascended the throne, and we came to Fengzhou to deliver His Majesty’s imperial edict.”
Li Chun likewise drew himself up. “If you dare attack us, forget your little fleet—even Princess Jinyang of Fengzhou won’t escape responsibility.”
“Hmph. Not only are the crossbows you’re using from the Jinyang Army, but even if you aren’t members of the Jinyang Army, Princess Jinyang is still guilty.”
“Typical of a woman. She clearly controls Fengzhou, yet she can’t even eliminate a band of pirates. Who knows how she managed to seize Fengzhou in the first place?”
The smile that had been playing across Xie Nanxiao’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold expression.
“The new emperor? We know nothing about any new emperor. Since you refuse to see reason, I won’t be polite anymore.”
He pointed at Li Chun. “I want one of that old man’s hands.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the Cangming Guards beside Xie Nanxiao pulled their triggers without the slightest hesitation.
When Xie Nanxiao said he wanted one of Li Chun’s hands, Ji Wangfei had already sensed that something was wrong. He swiftly drew the saber from his waist, but no matter how fast he was, he could not outrun a bolt.
With a wet thud, blood sprayed across his face.
He turned woodenly toward Li Chun and saw that the entirety of the man’s right arm had been pierced. Through the mangled flesh, he could see what looked like a massive hole.
He barely needed to think to reach his conclusion. Even if Lord Li survived, that hand would almost certainly be useless.
“Ahhhhhh!” Li Chun stared at the enormous hole in his arm. The agony and terror drove him to let out a shrill scream before his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Ji Wangfei reached out and caught Li Chun as he collapsed. Pressing one hand against the arm that was still gushing blood, he shouted, “Doctor! Quickly!”
The two soldiers in the cabin finally came to their senses. They hurried over, lifted Li Chun, and carried him below deck.
Sun Zheng was trembling from head to toe. He instinctively took two steps back. “You—you dare kill us?”
Xie Nanxiao looked up at him, his gaze icy. “We’re pirates. What do we have to fear? Since you refuse to cooperate, we’ll kill every last one of you!”
“No!” Seeing that Xie Nanxiao was about to give the order, Sun Zheng hurriedly shouted for him to stop.
Ji Wangfei also called out loudly, “There’s room for negotiation!”
As he spoke, he made a concealed hand signal.
Behind him, the fleet began quietly changing formation.
Xie Nanxiao gave a cold laugh. “Negotiation is certainly possible, but covert maneuvers are another matter.”
With that, he swept his hand through the air, and another volley of bolts flew out.
Dozens of sailors standing on the decks of the ships that had secretly begun changing formation, as well as those positioned behind the gunwales, were struck instantly. Their screams rose once more, and the ships finally came to a halt.
Ji Wangfei felt a chill run through his entire body.
At last, he understood. These people were far too decisive and observant to be ordinary pirates.
Xie Nanxiao snorted coldly. “Well? Do you still want to continue? I don’t mind killing every one of you.”
