Chapter 402 - 298: Mysterious Song 2

Chapter 402: Chapter 298: Mysterious Song 2

Despite the giant ship’s enormous size, its movements still had to follow basic principles.

Particularly when turning, the effect of the water would cause the massive vessel to tilt ever so slightly.

Others might not have perceived this sensation at all, but Wu Liangchen could.

He used this seemingly impossible method to sketch a rough trajectory of their movement on a piece of paper.

He then discovered the giant ship had made several turns along its course. The process was so smooth it was as if the route had been plotted in advance.

But the question was, how could they see through this fog?

Wu Liangchen had tried several times, but no matter what method he employed, his senses couldn’t penetrate even an inch of the seemingly innocuous mist.

Therefore, they must possess some kind of technology that allowed them to see through the fog; otherwise, it would be impossible to plot such a precise course.

At this thought, Wu Liangchen suddenly recalled the horrifying, massive claw marks on the ship’s hull.

’Where did those marks come from? Is the monster that made them related to the rule against opening windows or going on deck?’

These questions swirled in Wu Liangchen’s mind.

Just then, he caught a faint sound and immediately put away his pen and paper, then sat down at the table and began to eat.

Soon, a knock came from outside the door.

"The door’s unlocked," said Wu Liangchen.

The door then swung open, and in walked Cai Liben, carrying some food and wine.

"Ah, eating already," Cai Liben said with a broad smile.

"Yeah, just started! Care to join?" Wu Liangchen offered.

"Hehe, that’s exactly what I was thinking." With that, he sat down opposite Wu Liangchen without a shred of ceremony and placed the items he was carrying on the table.

"Stop eating that slop. Try this!"

As he spoke, Cai Liben opened the food containers one by one. Inside were steaming, freshly stir-fried dishes.

However, these dishes didn’t look nearly as appealing as the ones Wu Liangchen had been eating.

Yet for some reason, the sight of these ordinary, even somewhat ugly-looking dishes actually stirred Wu Liangchen’s appetite.

How to describe the feeling? The exquisitely presented food from before was like a perfect doll—beautiful, certainly, and capable of satisfying a basic urge, but it couldn’t compare to the smile of a real woman.

To put it bluntly, it had no soul.

Cai Liben was clearly proud of himself. "To be honest, Brother Wu, the meals they deliver—and the stuff you get in the dining hall—they look decent and taste fine, I guess. It’s tolerable for a day or two, but if you had to eat that stuff every day, you’d start to feel sick."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because it’s all pre-made," said Cai Liben. "They loaded it onto the ship before we set sail—enough to feed the whole crew for three to five years. Now you see why it’s so cheap, don’t you?"

Wu Liangchen understood.

’So they’re just like the pre-packaged meals that were all the rage in my past life.’

’I didn’t expect this world to have developed to this level already.’

"Anyway, I’m fucking sick and tired of eating it. Here, these are some ingredients I secretly stashed before we departed. They kept well, so I just threw them in a wok. They might not look like much, but they taste a hell of a lot better than that other stuff. Don’t believe me? Have a taste."

As if afraid Wu Liangchen might be suspicious, he proactively picked up a piece with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth.

Wu Liangchen smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and placed a stalk of something resembling a garlic scape into his mouth.

To be honest, it was a little salty.

But even that slightly overpowering saltiness was far superior to the mellow-flavored dishes from before.

"How is it?" Cai Liben asked.

Wu Liangchen gave him a thumbs-up. "Not bad at all!"

"Hahaha! I knew it! I could tell just by looking at you, Brother Wu, that you wouldn’t be able to stomach that food. Here, this is my own home-brewed wine. Let’s have a good drink tonight."

Watching the solicitous Cai Liben pour the wine, Wu Liangchen had a faint feeling that he was being even more enthusiastic than when he’d first led him onto the ship.

He didn’t call him on it, however, instead joining him in a round of toasts.

The wine was slightly bitter and extremely potent. It went down like a line of fire, searing a path straight to his stomach.

But after drinking, a comfortable warmth spread through his entire body.

"How about it? The wine’s not bad either, right? I brewed this myself with all sorts of precious medicinal herbs. I only have this one jar, and I’ve been saving it. But since we hit it off so well, Brother Wu, I just had to bring it out."

"Then I must thank you, Big Brother Cai!" Wu Liangchen said with a chuckle, raising his cup to toast Cai Liben.

"Hahaha, don’t mention it! Come on, bottoms up!"

Soon, the two had downed four or five cups. Wu Liangchen was still fine, but Cai Liben was already slurring his words.

To keep up the pretense, however, Wu Liangchen also feigned drunkenness, slinging an arm over Cai Liben’s shoulders and endlessly calling him "big brother."

"Brother, you know, in all my years at sea, I’ve seen eight hundred, if not a thousand, Martial Artists. But I’ve never seen a single one like you."

"Oh yeah, Big Brother? How am I so different?"

"Putting everything else aside, just based on your looks, you’re a real stud. If I were a dame, I’d probably fall for you too."

"You’re messing with me again."

"What do you mean, messing with you? I’m being completely serious here! The main thing is your talent, brother, it’s just incredible! I’ve never seen any Martial Artist achieve Opening Veins on their own in such a restrictive environment. So, brother, tell me... where did you pick up skills like that?"

Wu Liangchen understood in an instant. This wasn’t a drinking session; it was a clear attempt to dig up his past. He sneered internally but put on a smug and self-satisfied expression.

"To tell you the truth, Big Brother, I’ve never had a master."

"No master? Without a master, how did you gain all this skill?" Cai Liben asked, his face a mask of astonishment.

And he truly was astonished.

After all, his purpose for this visit was clear: he wanted to learn the name of Wu Liangchen’s sect and lineage.

Cai Liben had already had a taste of success and wanted more.

After all, by tricking Wu Liangchen onto the ship, he had not only earned the captain’s praise but also been promised a ten-percent cut of the reward.

This had made him ecstatic, and he immediately thought that if Wu Liangchen could achieve the Cultivation of Opening Veins, the sect that trained him must be extraordinary. It probably had other talented Martial Artists as well.

Even if they couldn’t reach the Opening Veins realm, as long as their talent was exceptional, they would still fetch a good price.

But he never expected that Wu Liangchen hadn’t had a master at all.

’How is that possible?’

"To be perfectly honest, I stole all my skills." Wu Liangchen then proceeded to tell Cai Liben a "tragic" life story.

His parents died when he was young, forcing him to survive by begging. One day, he chanced upon a martial arts school disciple practicing and began to learn in secret. As it turned out, he was a once-in-a-generation genius and grasped the basics in just a few days. From then on, it was a constant process of learning in secret and making meteoric progress, ultimately culminating in his achievement of Opening Veins.

This bizarre backstory left Cai Liben utterly dumbfounded. He had a nagging feeling that he was being lied to.

But Wu Liangchen’s performance was simply too perfect. Besides, Cai Liben was confident he hadn’t shown his hand, so he figured Wu Liangchen had no reason to deceive him.

This left him feeling rather dejected.

He had been hoping to land another big score, but the result was a disappointment.

But Cai Liben was a shrewd man. He quickly pulled himself together and decided to probe again, this time about whether any of Wu Liangchen’s friends or rivals had any decent skills.

But before he could get the words out, the faint sound of singing drifted in from outside.

The song sounded like a woman’s sorrowful lament, full of grief.

But upon hearing this song, Cai Liben, his eyes previously bleary with drink, was seized by a violent tremor. He shot to his feet, ignoring the cups and chopsticks he’d knocked over, and lunged toward the window.

Outside, the dense fog still permeated everything, but accompanying the song, the mist began to swirl and writhe at a much faster pace.

Cai Liben’s expression turned grim. He whispered, "Brother, you stay right here. Don’t go anywhere. No matter what you hear, do not go outside. Remember that!"

With that, he turned, rushed out of the room, and vanished down the corridor.