Chapter 523 - 234: Fearsome Reputation Spreads Far

Chapter 523: Chapter 234: Fearsome Reputation Spreads Far

The black-clad leader knew all about this. He just never dreamed that the Demon Evil God himself would appear right before him, and for a moment, his mind went blank.

Fang Shuwen paid him no mind. The leader’s earlier words had clearly indicated that there were more people behind him.

And a great many of them at that...

It was as if the group from earlier in the day had just been bait, sent by the black-clad leader’s men to test the waters.

If the black-clad leader and his men also returned in failure... Fang Shuwen figured that the next group to show up wouldn’t be arriving on a single ship.

Fang Shuwen sighed. At this point, there was nothing more to say.

He stood up, seized the black-clad leader’s shoulder, and strode outside.

Luo Shuqing and the others exchanged a look and hurried to follow.

Exiting the private room, they saw the ship captain standing at a distance, not daring to eavesdrop. At the same time, he kept watch on the surroundings, shooing away any crewmen who approached.

This wasn’t just an act. Fang Shuwen’s senses were sharp; he knew the man had been standing watch here ever since they entered the private room, preventing anyone from eavesdropping or causing a disturbance.

He immediately beckoned to him.

The ship captain hurried over, and Fang Shuwen said:

"It’s best you take what happened tonight to your grave. If word gets out, it won’t cause me any problems.

"I’m more worried you’ll find yourself in a world of trouble."

The ship captain nodded repeatedly.

"I understand."

Fang Shuwen glanced at him. ’This man truly gets it,’ he thought. ’He’s well-versed in the art of survival.’

He then patted the captain’s shoulder.

"Let’s go."

After a moment’s hesitation, the ship captain followed behind Fang Shuwen.

First, they found the man the black-clad leader had planted on board and killed him. Then, the group exited the cabin and stepped onto the deck. In the distance, a small sea vessel was moored not far away.

Fang Shuwen glanced at Luo Shuqing and the others.

"Are you confident you can make it over to that ship?"

While the two ships weren’t too far apart, the distance was still too great to cross in a single leap.

He had thought a few of them would have trouble with it. Unexpectedly, everyone nodded except for Luo Shuqing.

Fang Shuwen was taken aback for a moment, then said:

"In that case, let’s head over. We’re switching ships tonight.

"Captain, we’ll part ways here."

As he spoke, he grabbed Luo Shuqing.

He pushed off with his foot, his figure dissipating like smoke. In the blink of an eye, he was in midair. Then, with a tap of his toes on nothing at all, he flashed like lightning, his body becoming a streak of thunder that landed him on the other ship’s deck in an instant.

Zuo Xuan and Zuo Hong exchanged a look and unleashed their Body Techniques as well.

Although they weren’t as fast as Fang Shuwen and couldn’t cross such a great distance in one go, they were by no means slow. After leaping from the large ship, the pair ran across the surface of the waves.

Last was Zhou Zhengze, whose Lightweight Technique was in no way inferior to that of Zuo Xuan and Zuo Hong.

In fact, despite starting last, he arrived first, beating them by a step.

But just as he set foot on the deck, he heard a wretched scream.

Everywhere he looked, the deck was covered in bodies. The only ones left alive were Luo Shuqing, who was standing, and the black-clad leader, who was kneeling.

Some bodies were spilling out of windows, others lay sprawled in the doorways of cabins.

Fresh blood was still flowing, a clear sign they had died only moments before.

By the time Zuo Xuan and Zuo Hong boarded the ship, they saw Fang Shuwen walking out from a cabin, frowning and dusting off his sleeves.

Upon seeing them, he said:

"Clean up these bodies. By the way, do any of you know how to sail a ship?"

Zuo Xuan, Zuo Hong, and Zhou Zhengze all nodded simultaneously.

For a "landlubber" like Fang Shuwen, who hailed from the Eastern Domain, sailing a ship was a technical skill.

But for these three, it was practically instinctual.

Following Fang Shuwen’s orders, they searched the bodies on the ship for valuables before tossing them into the sea one by one.

In the distance, the captain’s large ship turned its bow and fled in the opposite direction without a second thought.

The ship captain even took the helm himself, feeling that the farther away he got from Fang Shuwen and his people, the better.

Although he didn’t know who Fang Shuwen’s group was or what they were planning to do, judging from the Martial Arts Fang Shuwen had displayed, it was clearly a world he couldn’t afford to get involved in or pry into.

Only after he was a safe distance from Fang Shuwen’s group did he finally feel like he could breathe again.

As the sails were raised, he called his crew over and issued a strict gag order.

The crew knew the stakes; they weren’t about to risk their lives.

After taking care of everything, the ship captain still felt as if something was missing...

’Did I forget something?’

He paced back and forth, and then it suddenly hit him.

"Oh, no! The old Daoist!"

The old Daoist had helped them out of a jam earlier in the day, and they had been treating him as a guest of honor ever since.

After the black-clad leader defeated the Daoist, he had him taken away... but he, the captain, had been so intimidated by Fang Shuwen’s Martial Arts that he’d completely forgotten all about the old man.

’The old Daoist is probably still on the black-clad leader’s ship!’

"This... doesn’t that mean he’s fallen into the lion’s den?"

At this point, the ship captain didn’t dare turn back to search for him.

All he could do was pray silently and hope the old Daoist was blessed with good fortune...

...

...

A flurry of activity broke out on the small ship.

Zuo Xuan and Zuo Hong got to work; one searched the bodies while the other tossed them into the sea.

Zhou Zhengze diligently grabbed a rag and began scrubbing away the bloodstains.

Luo Shuqing wanted to help too, but she either tripped over a corpse or nearly threw herself into the sea along with one...

Fang Shuwen watched her with a detached gaze for a moment, then sighed and had her follow him down to the cabins below.

Inside one of the cabins, there was actually an iron-barred cell.

An old Daoist, pale-faced with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, was lying inside the cell.

He looked utterly wretched, and it was impossible to tell if he was dead or alive.

Fang Shuwen glanced first at Luo Shuqing, then at the old Daoist.

"Alright, drop the act."