Chapter 490: Leaving Edo, Re-Entering the Jianghu

Chapter 490: Leaving Edo and Returning to the Martial World

The morning sun glinted on the sea, its waves crashing against the flying boat.

Meng Xi stood at the prow, his face already ashen, his expression growing increasingly sinister as he watched the motionless figure ahead on the water’s surface.

“Don’t stop—ram straight into him.”

Meng Xi said coldly. The boat, skimming close to the sea’s surface, suddenly accelerated, slicing through the waves and heading straight for Xu Hai Chao, who stood with his hands crossed.

“This time, the troublemaker isn’t me. Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t take it out on me. And since we’re all officials, how can you kill a colleague without permission? You might have a hard time explaining this to the new Donglin Party, right?”

The calm words drifted in on the wind. Meng Xi tightened his lips and let them fall heavily downward, his eyes fixed on the front. It wasn’t until that hateful smile was close at hand that he finally spoke.

“Stop.”

The long boat, which had been moving at an extreme speed, suddenly became extremely still. The waves on both sides of the boat exploded, rolling up large patches of white foam.

Xu Hai Chao raised his sleeve to wipe away the water droplets that had hit his face, his smile at the corner of his mouth still as usual, showing no sign of anger.

“What a joke, Xu Da Ren. I, Meng Xi, am just a craftsman with a name on the Ministry of Works’ list, with no official position or rank. How dare I get angry at you, Da Ren?”

The words that came out of Meng Xi’s mouth seemed polite, but in fact his attitude was cold and condescending, looking down on Xu Hai Chao.

The long boat beneath him, shaped like an ink armor, was as tall as a two-story building, huge but not bulky, with a streamlined body that gleamed with a metallic cold light. Compared to Xu Hai Chao’s pretentious imitation ancient flat boat, the difference was stark.

Xu Hai Chao laughed: “You have no official position or rank only because you, Meng Da Ren, don’t have your heart in this. If you want to, not only the position of Minister of Works, but even that of a deputy minister of works should be a sure thing.”

“Xu Da Ren is not staying in the Wokou area to clean up the mess now, but is blocking my way here. This is not to discuss official positions with me, is it?”

Meng Xi raised his hand to adjust his glasses on his nose and sneered: “Or is it that Xu Da Ren wants to be flexible and wants to keep me in the Wokou area too?”

“Meng Da Ren, don’t joke with me. How could I, a small Confucian, dare to make plans? Moreover, the martial man who wants to kill the most people now is probably me, who represents the Confucian order and sets up the trap.” Xu Hai Chao smiled bitterly.

“Since that’s the case, just say what you have to say.”

By now, Meng Xi had no mood to continue playing these games with Xu Hai Chao. His brow was filled with impatience and annoyance.

Xu Hai Chao smiled at this, did not speak, and stepped aside one step, leaving the door of the cabin behind him.

“It’s been a long time, Meng Xi.”

A familiar, cheerful voice came into his ears, but the figure that pushed open the door made Meng Xi’s pupils suddenly constrict.

“Is it him?!”

Meng Xi’s heart suddenly trembled, and his face suddenly became very strange. He looked at Xu Hai Chao with suspicion for a moment, then looked at the old man with a short haircut.

“Meng Xi, ink order, I present my respects to His Highness the King of Min.”

Meng Xi suppressed the unnecessary expressions on his face and secretly ordered the ink armor beneath him to shrink in size until it was level with the flat boat in front of him, and then bowed to the old man.

But whether it was the short-haired old man with a smile on his face or Xu Hai Chao, whose eyes concealed mockery, they could both see clearly at this moment that the other person’s bow was very slow and the amplitude was very small, which was awkward and unwilling.

“Heh, ink order.”

Xu Hai Chao coldly laughed in his heart, then immediately lowered his gaze, eyes on nose, nose on heart.

“We are all old acquaintances, so these formalities are not necessary. And no need to say things like ‘His Highness’ anymore. Everyone knows what the royal family is like now, and it’s not smooth for you to say it, and it’s not comfortable for me to hear it.”

The old man was not concerned about Meng Xi’s attitude and joked: “Or have you forgotten the name of your old friend, so you can’t say it?”

Zhu Ping Yan, King of Min of the Great Ming Empire.

Meng Xi would certainly not forget this name, and it could even be said to be unforgettable and etched in his heart for life.

If it weren’t for this name, Meng Xi might not have suffered such heavy losses in the ‘World Divided into Martial Arts’.

But wasn’t he imprisoned in the imperial palace by the chief minister Zhang Fengyue after the death of Emperor Longwu? How could he appear here?

Was it that the conflict between the new Donglin Party and the royal family had eased, or had the royal family, which had been lurking for a long time, been unable to endure any longer and was preparing to counterattack?

Meng Xi, whose heart was raging with anger, appeared calm on the surface and said, “Your Highness is joking. You can be approachable, but I cannot fail to observe the rules.”

“It’s been so many years, and Meng Xi, you haven’t changed at all. You still have the same stubborn personality.”

Zhu Ping Yan laughed: “To be honest, aren’t you surprised to see me?”

“Yes, I am indeed surprised.” Meng Xi said frankly.

“Don’t worry, although the new Donglin Party currently has no intention of changing the dynasty, they also have no interest in turning swords into jade and silk with the royal family.”

Zhu Ping Yan seemed to be able to see through Meng Xi’s calm face and the many doubts beneath it, and said calmly: “I also took the opportunity of Zhang Fengyue’s temporary lack of attention to come out of that cage to breathe and relax.”

“Your Highness is very clever.” Meng Xi said this very sincerely.

Indeed, Zhang Fengyue now needs to deal with a huge amount of government business because of the implementation of new policies, but to say that this would make him unable to take care of other things is a huge joke.

Being able to secretly infiltrate the Wokou area under Zhang Fengyue’s nose, Zhu Ping Yan’s skills and courage are truly admirable.

Meng Xi’s words took a turn: “I wonder if Your Highness is waiting for me here today for some reason?”

“It’s not an order, just a chance to catch up after many years of not seeing each other.”

Zhu Ping Yan said with some emotion: “If we miss this opportunity, it won’t be so easy to meet again.”

“Catching up? At this time and in this place?” Meng Xi frowned slightly.

The old man spread his arms against the sea breeze and laughed: “How could it be bad? The world is vast, the wind is calm, the enemies behind me can’t catch up here for the time being, and there’s no need to worry about eavesdropping. We can all speak freely.”

Meng Xi stared at the man in front of him, and an inexplicable chill rose in his heart. He said coldly: “Although I have known Your Highness for many years, we don’t seem to have any old friendships worth catching up on. Moreover, I have urgent business now, so I won’t keep Your Highness’s time. Goodbye.”

As the words fell, the flying boat beneath him rose from the sea surface, making a loud mechanical sound.

“The urgent business you mentioned is probably to take advantage of the fact that the news of your failure in the Wokou area hasn’t yet reached the central branch elders before you communicate with your close elders, so as to exonerate yourself from responsibility for the inquiries that may come next and protect your position as deputy director, right?”

The boat that was about to fly out of the string suddenly stopped, and the roaring airflow stirred up turbulent currents on the sea below.

“But you didn’t inform the central branch elders of your actions this time, you acted on your own. If you succeeded, it would be one thing, but now you not only didn’t bring back the core of the Heretic, but you might have caused four more defections of fourth-rank ink armor in Meng Xi. In this situation, do you think those people will help you in your time of need, or will they throw you into a well?”

Zhu Ping Yan’s words were like sharp needles, piercing deeply into Meng Xi’s heart. A sense of unease and fear grew stronger and stronger.

His subconscious was urging him to leave this place, but the difficult situation drawn out by Zhu Ping Yan’s words made Meng Xi unconsciously give the order to stay.

Boom!

The floating long boat landed back on the sea surface, and the heavy hull created ripples.

Zhu Ping Yan looked at Meng Xi, whose expression was gloomy and ugly, and praised: “The Heretic was once the greatest pride of your central branch, but with his defection, pride became shame. Especially after he had been so cruel to Meng Xi over the years, it made you suffer a lot of criticism and slander from other branches. That’s why you have been working on how to recover and control the ink armor and ghosts. When you learned that the new Donglin Party was going to act against Su Ce, you immediately took people into the Wokou area, all in order to wash away the shame of the central branch. I admire you very much.”

“Your Highness doesn’t need to say these words. I, Meng Xi, know my own weight. I am just a craftsman, and I caught the Heretic only because he was a recognized traitor of Meng Xi. Researching his core would not cause anyone to raise objections, nor would it have a too negative impact in the ghost territory.”

Meng Xi said without emotion: “That’s all.”

“Well, it’s still the Meng Xi I know, quick-witted and straightforward.”

Zhu Ping Yan laughed loudly: “Then I won’t beat around the bush. Let’s get straight to the point. This time I can help you keep your position as deputy director, not only will you not be held accountable by the central branch, but you will also become famous in Meng Xi. In time, it might even be possible to push you up to the long-vacant position of Jizi.”

“I know that Your Highness is involved in the three orders, so there’s no need for empty promises.”

Meng Xi did not become arrogant because of the two words ‘Jizi’ mentioned by Zhu Ping Yan, but became even more calm. He said solemnly: “I just want to know how you can help me keep my position as deputy director.”

“I know that the central branch has been close to the new Donglin Party in recent years, but the new Donglin Party does not represent the Confucian order. Nowadays, the Confucian order is no longer just the new Donglin Party, there is also our Chunqiu Association.”

Zhu Ping Yan said softly: “Although the Chunqiu Association has not yet stepped onto the stage, there are still some friends among the elders of the five branches of Meng Xi who share our ideals. I can let them stand up and support you, and make you a hero who is not afraid of death for the honor of Meng Xi.”

Zhu Ping Yan spoke eloquently, but Meng Xi had already lost interest in listening.

Because when he heard the three words ‘Chunqiu Association’, he was like struck by lightning, standing there stupidly.

When did a Spring Autumn Society emerge within the Confucian order? And looking at Xu Hai Chao's composed demeanor, it was clearly one of its members.

Moreover, the establishment of this Spring Autumn Society must not have been brief; otherwise, it could not possess such immense power, capable of so severely penetrating the ink order.

The most critical point is that the emergence of a new faction signifies that the Confucian order is likely to face another major transformation, perhaps even a power struggle!

At this moment, Meng Xi's heart was already filled with regret. If he had not chosen to stay, he would not have let this misfortune touch himself.

Thinking about the actions of the Confucian order's members during a power struggle, even as a third-rank ink order member, Meng Xi still felt a chill.

"Zhu Ping Yan, set aside past sequence disputes. I, Meng Xi, have no grudges with you?"

A sudden harsh shout interrupted Zhu Ping Yan's words. Staring at Meng Xi's terrifying face, he smiled, "You and I have no grudges."

Meng Xi clenched his fists, angry, "If there are no grudges, why are you harming me?"

"This statement you've made is incorrect. It was you who acted out of greed, joining in voluntarily. Now, how can I be blamed for harming you?"

Zhu Ping Yan spoke with fervor, "Greed is the root of ambition. Greed is not bad; even the Spring Autumn Society's existence stems from our individual greed. If not greedy, how could one achieve such a snake-like, dragon-like grand ambition? So the 'Zhuzi' position I mentioned earlier is not an empty promise."

Zhu Ping Yan's words were grand and stirring, but Meng Xi, already filled with fear, could no longer listen to a single word. He coldly said, "Today, we have never met, nor have we spoken a word."

"Everyone can have not met. But after saying so much, you can't just say it for nothing."

A faint voice drifted into his mind, and suddenly, Meng Xi's arms, as if gaining their own consciousness, lifted up. Ten calloused fingers clamped down on his throat.

"You remember I am the King of the Flying Sequence. You, a mere ink order member who only knows to forge iron, why stand here so long before me? Meng Xi, you've truly forgotten the pain after healing your wounds."

A sound of breaking bones and metallic distortion echoed as Meng Xi's face turned red, his bulging eyes seemed to burst out, yet his gaze remained cold, devoid of despair.

"Stop wasting effort. All your ink armor and the research group members hidden in this ship will die today. Within five li, communication and the yellow dust dreams are blocked by me. No one knows you're here, nor can anyone save you."

Zhu Ping Yan stepped forward, stepping onto the four-rank ink armor flying ship, standing before Meng Xi with his hands behind his back.

Their eyes locked, like a hungry tiger staring at a lamb.

"The King has been guiding the Donkey King in secret, making him choose self-destruction to save others, creating a killing scenario. Yet, Su Ce broke through it forcefully, becoming a gift for others. So, should I praise Su's sharp blade still being sharp, or blame you all for being too incompetent?"

Zhu Ping Yan's voice chilled to the bone: "This time, the King lost a precious three-rank weapon heart and missed the chance to send Li Junsnow to the cold. Wasted on Zhang Fengyu's work. Thinking of this, the King is so angry!"

Zhu Ping Yan raised a finger, piercing Meng Xi's chest. Blood flowed, bones shifted, the scene surreal.

"Eat what you need, the King is hungry now, so he must eat people. Use your life to compensate for my loss."

Puff!

His finger pierced the heart, inch by inch.

Meng Xi's eyes widened, his body convulsed, yet he could not utter a sound.

"Notify Sugihara Hei True to come collect the body. He has a death of an ink order research group member, plus Meng Xi, a third-rank. His position in the Hongyu should rise. If lucky, maybe he can use this to climb the ranks with Li Jun, that evil dragon who has already emerged from the depths."

"Yes!"

Xu Hai Chao lowered his gaze, nodded silently.

"Lonely Sequence Four, truly unfortunate."

Zhu Ping Yan looked at the sea horizon, tossed the white cloth he used to wipe his bloodstained finger.

The bloodstained cloth caught the wind, rising straight up, floating into the endless cloud sea.

Bang!

A massive whale leaped from the clouds, soaring through the air.

"Uncle, where are we going now?" Li Hua sat on Li Jun's shoulder, clinging to his neck, asking.

"To your Su grandfather's old home."

"That's where?"

"Liaodong."

"Why are we going there?"

"To send him home."

(The Southern Area Chapter is officially concluded)