Chapter 527 - 236: A Tailwind for Martial Pursuits

Chapter 527: Chapter 236: A Tailwind for Martial Pursuits

The black-clothed leader was being ridiculously cooperative.

But Daoist Wuyi was anything but happy...

’How was this fair?’

’I’d spent so much effort, used so many methods, and still couldn’t pry these guys’ mouths open.’

’And yet Fang Shuwen does nothing, just walks up and asks a single question, and this black-clothed leader just spills everything?’

’How the hell is the gap between two people bigger than the one between a man and a beast?’

He found it hard to believe. He squatted down and patted the black-clothed leader’s shoulder.

"You’re talking just like that?"

"What’s it to you?"

The black-clothed leader had a foul temper. Even after suffering the torment of A Line, he hadn’t been reduced to groveling. And yet, the reality was... no matter what Fang Shuwen asked, he would provide a roundabout answer.

But his mouth hadn’t gone completely soft.

Especially when it came to Daoist Wuyi, the man he had defeated.

The disdain in his eyes was plain to see.

Daoist Wuyi was fuming.

He was tempted to give the man a couple of hard slaps, but it felt like it would be an empty victory.

’Then again, this bastard hit me with a palm strike, so I should probably return the favor...’ 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

’But if I beat him up now and this punk changes his mind about taking us to Black Island, what then?’

Fuming, Daoist Wuyi paced back and forth several times in his tattered old Daoist robe—a garment so worn that even the cuffs were missing. Finally, he pointed at the black-clothed leader and cursed.

"Count yourself lucky, you bastard."

"Right now, I can’t do anything to you... but just wait until we get to Black Island. You’ll see how I deal with you then."

With that, he turned to leave. But after just two steps, he stopped and asked Fang Shuwen:

"Kid, where am I supposed to stay?"

"Just find an empty room."

Fang Shuwen waved his hand dismissively.

’In the end, this ship is just a temporary tool.’

’After the Black Island trip, we’ll still have to blend in on other ships to avoid attracting attention...’

’Then again, at this point, was it really necessary to avoid attracting attention?’

’Even if the Dragon Emperor Hall knows that I, the "Human World Demon God," have arrived in the East Sea, as long as Luo Shuqing, the holder of the Profound Celestial Iron Mirror, is here, they’ll just assume I’ve come to protect her.’

’That would be consistent with my usual style.’

’There’s probably no need to be so sneaky...’

’Then again, being completely open about it doesn’t seem right either.’

’A certain amount of risk mitigation is still necessary.’

’We should hide if we can, but if we can’t, there’s no point in obsessing over it.’

With this in mind, Fang Shuwen called Zuo Xuan over and had him consult with the black-clothed leader on which course to take.

Zuo Xuan quickly returned with an answer.

"Black Island isn’t too far from our current position. This is a fast ship, so if the wind were in our favor, we could make it in half a day."

"We’d arrive right around dawn..."

"That’s how they were able to get here so quickly."

"But now that we’re heading back, we’re sailing against the wind. If it stays like this the whole way, I’m afraid it’ll take two days to get there."

"That long?"

Fang Shuwen frowned slightly. In war, speed is everything.

The proper course of action was to wipe out Black Island before they could learn what had happened here.

If they delayed too long, Black Island would start to get suspicious, even if they had no concrete evidence about Luo Shuqing.

And once word got out... there would be no hiding at all.

But at this point, their speed depended not only on the ship but also on the whims of the heavens. His worrying was irrelevant.

He waved his hand.

"So be it. We’ll depart immediately."

He then paused for a moment.

"By the way, can we set sail against the wind?"

"Of course."

Zuo Xuan’s reply was so unhesitating that Fang Shuwen was momentarily surprised.

However, this wasn’t his area of expertise; Zuo Xuan was the expert.

Fang Shuwen knew that when you didn’t understand something, you shouldn’t run your mouth about it.

So he just let Zuo Xuan handle it.

Zuo Xuan nodded and called Zuo Hong over. One of them took the helm while the other went to unfurl the sails. After adjusting the angle, they set the ship in motion.

Fang Shuwen watched for a while and began to understand.

Even though they were sailing against the wind, the two of them worked in coordination. The ship wasn’t moving straight forward, but was tacking across the sea in a zig-zag pattern.

The speed was certainly not fast, and it was time-consuming and laborious, but the ship was, ultimately, moving forward.

However, the technique was quite complex. Zuo Xuan and Zuo Hong were perfectly coordinated, and as they sailed, they were able to use the stars and other markers to determine their direction, preventing them from getting lost on the vast sea.

To be honest, Fang Shuwen felt their methods were almost magical.

In any case, it wasn’t something a "landlubber" from the Eastern Domain like him could ever hope to understand.

So he paid it no more mind, found a room, and sat on the bed to meditate.

But he had just sat down when the cabin door opened with a CREAK.

He looked up. It was Luo Shuqing.

Her eyes betrayed her nervousness, and her hands were clutching her dress, whether consciously or not.

Seeing Fang Shuwen’s gaze on her, she finally spoke, her voice hesitant.

"C-can I... rest... in here? I-I’m a little scared."

Fang Shuwen watched her in silence, and Luo Shuqing lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.

After a long moment, Fang Shuwen finally spoke with resignation.

"Alright, you can rest here. I’ll meditate in the chair."

"Thank you."

Luo Shuqing’s voice was thick with emotion, as if she were about to burst into tears.