Chapter 670: Tanka People

Chapter 670: The Tanka People

“More than just Yu'er God?” Hearing this, Li Huowang felt a sudden chill run through his whole body. He had been in Daliang before and had paid no attention to this side of the world at all.

Recalling it now, what Xuanpin said was indeed true. When the Teachings of the Law first appeared, they were clearly pursued and blocked by the Monitors of Heaven from all regions; even the Strategists were deployed to deal with them.

Yet, under such circumstances, they had actually managed to destroy both Qiqi and Nanping, and were even marching into Latter Shu.

Even if those countries were not in the best shape, with perennial wars and a corrupt imperial court, for the Teachings of the Law to expand so rapidly in just a few short years seemed altogether too abnormal.

“Then it means it is not just Yu'er God, but other Ordainers are working against us as well?” Li Huowang asked Xuanpin before him, his expression exceptionally grave.

No matter which faction it was, the root of the problem tracing back would ultimately still lie with the Teachings of the Law behind them.

Xuanpin shook his head slightly, “Working against us? Why do you think all the Ordainers would certainly stand on our side? What the Ordainers think, can you fathom it? If they say they will help you, do you really believe them?”

Hearing these words, Li Huowang's heart could not be at peace for a long time, and a terrifying conjecture appeared in his mind. “You couldn't be trying to say that all the Ordainers up in the White Jade Capital are actually in cahoots with Yu'er God, could you?”

“The Monitors of Heaven, the Monitors of Heaven—this heaven is, after all, to be monitored. Whether it is so or not, do not think of relying on others, and do not place your own lifeblood into the hands of others.” Having said this, Xuanpin's massive red Daoist robe was slowly turning transparent.

“And no matter what it is that is helping the Teachings of the Law from the shadows, once you arrive in Latter Shu, act with caution. Beneath this sky, there are still many things that can kill you.”

“Though I do not trust you, at least in this matter of dealing with Yu'er God, you and I can be considered allies. I have already made all the arrangements with the Directorate of Heaven; whatever you command, they will assist you with.”

After finishing this final sentence, Xuanpin's body vanished completely, leaving the solitary Li Huowang behind in the original spot.

In this dim subterranean dark, Li Huowang, his expression very solemn, pondered in place for a long time before finally turning around and striding away from this gloomy chamber.

Once he came out, Li Sui and Bai Lingmiao, who were waiting, gathered around one after another. “Senior Brother Li, how did it go? They didn't make things difficult for you just now, did they?”

Li Huowang shook his head slightly and opened his mouth to reply, “It is nothing. Have your people replenish some supplies as quickly as possible; we are leaving this city.”

“Leaving just as we arrived? Where are we going next?”

“Latter Shu.”

“Latter Shu? Are we really going there? That region is currently at war. In recent years, one only sees people fleeing outward as refugees, never anyone running inward.” The boat master, missing a front tooth, squatted barefoot on the deck, sizing up the two youths before him.

One was a teenage lad by estimate, the other a handsome young woman in her twenties or thirties. To call them mother and son, the age gap was a bit short; to call them elder sister and younger brother, observing how the two interacted made it feel not quite like that either.

“It is fine. We are not going into the interior of Latter Shu; we will just take the boat to the edge of Cape Zhenhai. Boat master, I hope you can make an exception.”

Just as the boat master was hesitating, Yang Xiaohai handed over the envelope previously written by Sun Baolu's clansmen. “With this chaotic war, I do not want to run around blindly either, but I am a Tanka. My father and mother are still there, and I am going to save them; there is truly no other way.”

“You are a Tanka? Looking at your dress, you do not look like one of the Tanka people.” The boat master opened the envelope, scanning it quickly.

After reading the letter, the wariness in the boat master's eyes faded slightly. “It is naturally good that you have this filial piety, but then again, with a boat as large as ours, carrying only the likes of you for a trip, is it not a bit...”

Speaking to this point, when the boat master saw the silver Yang Xiaohai offered up with both hands, he reached out to take it, stuffing it into his bosom along with the letter in his hand.

“Ah, well, who asks me to be a filial son myself? For the sake of your parents, we shall take this voyage at sea.”

Hearing this, Yang Xiaohai immediately poured out a thousand thanks; he could finally see his family!

As the sails were quickly unfurled, Yang Xiaohai and his companion led the horse carriage onto this old flat-bottomed boat that was not large, but absolutely not small either.

The sails were swelled by the sea breeze, and the flat-bottomed boat gradually sailed away from the harbor. Watching the wharf grow smaller, amidst his excitement, Yang Xiaohai did not forget his wariness toward this boatman.

He had bought enough fresh water and dry provisions, sufficient for them to eat on the boat, to avoid being drugged by them.

He had not forgotten the time when he was with Senior Brother Li and the others on the river, forced by water bandits to choose between sliced noodles or wonton noodles.

The boat master clearly noticed Yang Xiaohai's wariness, but in truth, they were likewise wary of Yang Xiaohai.

In times of war and chaos, for this half-grown lad and a woman to actually dare to run about everywhere, it would probably be impossible without some means.

Under the mutual wariness of both sides, days passed one by one, but as the destination drew closer, spending night and day together caused the wariness of both sides to gradually soften.

Learning that they were about to arrive, Yang Xiaohai walked over to the side of the boat master, who was fishing, to strike up a conversation. “Boat master, how many years have you been running on this sea?”

“Heh, twenty or thirty years now. Counting my father and grandfather, it is even longer. This is an old trade; some things and people cannot easily take the dirt roads, so naturally they take the sea routes.”

Hearing this, Yang Xiaohai asked with a touch of curiosity, “So long? Then, boat master, have you ever dealt with the Tanka people?”

“Dealt with them? Of course I have dealt with them. For those who eat from the sea, how could they not deal with them?” Speaking to this point, the boat master sitting on the stool suddenly sat up straight and began to pull the fishing rod, rocking it left and right.

“Then... then what kind of people are they? Are they easy to get along with?” Yang Xiaohai asked somewhat nervously.

Although he already knew that his family were Tankas living on the sea, he knew absolutely nothing else besides that.

The boat master, now pulling the line and now letting it out, glanced at him with some surprise, “Are you not a Tanka yourself? Do you not know what the elders of your own house are like?”

“I... I went ashore just after I was born, so I do not know what it is like at home.”

Although this reason of Yang Xiaohai's was very clumsy, the boat master had no intention of exposing it at all. “The Tanka people, what else could they be like? The men fish and the women dive for pearls, just like the clodhoppers on land. When the harvest is good, it is fair enough; if the harvest is bad, then life is bitter.”

Hearing this, Yang Xiaohai's expression darkened slightly. It was precisely when the harvest was bad that he had been sold away by his family.

“Do not look at these Tanka people as poor; the poorer they are, the more rules they have. I am generally too lazy to deal with them.” The boat master spoke as his hands kept moving, beginning a rhythm of letting out two and pulling three to haul in the fishing line.

The next chapter will update at 23:47.

(End of this chapter)