Chapter 153 Stepping Forward

The willow leaf-shaped skiffs were only four or five meters long, with three or four pirates standing atop each one. These pirates had dark skin, bare upper bodies, and various tattoos of fierce beasts and skulls inked across their chests and backs.

Across the twelve skiffs, there were over thirty pirates. Most of them were at the Human Realm or the Xiantian Realm, while three had reached the First Heavenly Layer of the Hundred Tribulations Realm.

Armed with sabers, tridents, and clubs, the pirates sneered weirdly and quickly surrounded Linda's vessel. The surrounding waters were filled with hidden reefs, and since Linda's ship was relatively large, maneuvering it was somewhat difficult.

However, the skiffs, being slender and narrow, were extremely agile. They darted back and forth through the reefs like agile serpents. The reefs not only failed to obstruct them but instead acted as their natural barrier.

The pirate leader was a burly man with a thick, bristly beard. His bare upper body was knotted with bulging muscles, covered entirely in ghost and demon tattoos. In his hand, he gripped a massive black spiked club, letting out eerie, cackling laughs all the way. A silk banner was erected on his skiff, embroidered with a bleeding eyeball. As the banner fluttered in the sea breeze, the bleeding eyeball seemed to blink, looking extremely fierce and terrifying.

Initially, Linda paid little attention, but the moment she laid eyes on that banner, her pretty face changed drastically, and she cried out sharply, "You belong to the Blood Pupils of the Black Water Sea Area!"

"Hehe, the beauty is quite knowledgeable. Since you've heard of our Blood Pupils, things will be much easier to handle," the bearded man laughed heartily.

Upon hearing that these pirates belonged to the notorious Blood Pupils faction from the Black Water Sea Area, Kamon, Jett, and the others also turned pale with shock. Kamon, who had previously spoken with such arrogance, furrowed his brows deeply, wearing a grave expression.

The Blood Pupils had first operated in the Black Water Sea Area, completely disregarding all rules. They even dared to plunder vessels belonging to the Heavenly Pool Holy Land, the Spirit Treasure Grotto-heaven, and the Holy Spirit Cult. Their outrageous actions eventually provoked a joint extermination campaign by the three major factions of the Black Water Sea Area, forcing them to flee to other maritime territories when they could no longer survive there. After drifting to other seas, their behavior remained equally unbridled. Whenever an opportunity arose, they would plunder ships from the fifteen major factions just the same. The moment things looked unfavorable, they would immediately escape to yet another sea, having no fixed dwelling. In the Endless Sea, the Blood Pupils were the most entanglement-prone and troublesome pirate faction, causing the greatest headaches for the fifteen major factions.

Therefore, upon learning that these people actually came from the Blood Pupils, both Kamon and Linda felt uneasy, realizing that the situation had turned ominous.

"We are people from the Three Gods Cult, and we have never had any grievances with you Blood Pupils. Do you dare to provoke even us?" Hojie asked with a dark face. "Our Three Gods Cult seems never to have suppressed you. It's best you don't look for trouble. Is it really worth offending the Three Gods Cult over some inexpensive supplies?"

"Haha! Once we kill all of you, how would the Three Gods Cult ever know it was our doing?" The bearded man laughed wildly, looking at Kamon with utter disdain. "Kid, was it you who just said you'd kill as many as come?"

Kamon’s expression turned ugly, and he let out a cold snort.

"What on earth do you want?"

Linda stepped forward, her eyebrows deeply knitted. "There are only some stones on the ship. Is it really worth making such a huge fuss?"

"Beauty, why don't you come with us for a trip? My big brother has inconvenient legs and wants to make a deal with you. If the deal goes through, we won't treat you badly, and maybe we'll even gift you some things. What do you say?"

The bearded man wore a full face of smiles.

"Sister Linda, you can't go!" Jett couldn't help but shout. "The Blood Pupils have a terrible reputation. Who knows what vicious scheme they're hatching?"

"Hehe, beauty, what do you say? If the trade is successful, we can all leave safe and sound, otherwise... hehe!" the bearded man threatened.

"Fine, I'll go take a look." Linda hesitated for a moment, then suddenly nodded in agreement.

"Linda, I'll go with you." Kamon’s expression shifted. At this critical juncture, he wasn't cowardly. "With the two of us going together, we can look out for each other."

"You kid can't go." The bearded man sneered and shook his head. "A fellow like you will only ruin things if you go. You'd better stay obediently on the ship."

"Linda, let me accompany you."

Just at that moment, Shi Yan stepped out from a corner, walking with a calm demeanor to stand side by side with Linda. Kamon, Hojie, Jett, and the others looked at Shi Yan with a mix of astonishment and strangeness.

"Kid, what kind of trouble are you stirring up?" Kamon's face immediately darkened, and he let out a cold snort.

"Shi Yan, what are you going for?" Jett also shrieked. "You can't help with anything! What on earth are you trying to do?"

Shi Yan ignored them entirely, turning instead to Linda with a calm smile. "Can you take me along?"

Linda’s beautiful eyes flickered with deeply complex emotions, her face shifting between shades of uncertainty. After a long while, she gave a slight nod, looked at the bearded man, and said, "I'm bringing someone along. Do you mind?"

The bearded man frowned, cast a few glances at Shi Yan, and nodded. "Fine."

"Very well." Linda glanced at Shi Yan. "Come with me."

"Mn."

"Come on, get on our boat. There are too many hidden reefs here, your ship has far too much restriction in movement," the bearded man shouted. A willow leaf skiff quickly pulled alongside. Another martial artist from the Hundred Tribulations Realm on that boat sneered, "Hurry up and board, don't waste my boss's time."

Linda did not hesitate further. With a single bound, she landed steadily onto the skiff. Shi Yan maintained an expression of complete calm, jumping down right after Linda and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

"Brothers, leave half the men to watch them," the bearded man shouted loudly, then ordered, "Old Second Kong, let's go."

The Hundred Tribulations warrior from Shi Yan's ship nodded and urged the two nearby pirates to maneuver the craft. The skiff wove swiftly through the hidden reefs, heading rapidly toward the left.

Before long, a forty-meter-long iron ship suddenly came into Shi Yan's view. The iron ship flew the banner of the Blood Pupils. On the deck sat a refined, pale-faced middle-aged man with narrowed eyes and a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He was seated in a wheelchair, his legs severed from the knees down. Indeed, his mobility was impaired.

This pale-faced middle-aged man possessed the cultivation base of the Third Heavenly Layer of the Hundred Tribulations Realm, and the vital essence within his body was profound and pure. However, with both legs severed, his combat strength should be heavily discounted.

Behind him, over twenty Blood Pupils pirates were mostly at the Human Realm or Xiantian Realm. Each one of them looked rugged and ferocious, exuding an air of violence and brutality.

"You two go on up." Once the skiff drew close to the iron ship, the cold-looking pirate known as Old Second Kong gave a chilly command to Shi Yan and Linda.

Neither Shi Yan nor Linda spoke. They climbed up to the deck using the lowered rope ladder.

"My name is Lin Xiaochang. It truly gladdens me that the two of you could come here to see me." The disabled, pale-faced middle-aged pirate cupped his fists from his wheelchair, a smile at the corner of his mouth. "You are both outer disciples of the Three Gods Cult?"

"Mn." Linda nodded, furrowing her brow. "I wonder what business Your Excellency wishes to discuss by bringing us up here?"

"You must be transporting the cargo on your ship to the Gu family's island, right?" Lin Xiaochang took a leisurely sip of tea and smiled. "We wish to add some items onto your ship and hope you can deliver these things together to the Gu family. How about it?"

"Add items?" Linda was surprised. "What items?"

"You must know?" Lin Xiaochang frowned.

"Naturally, I must know."

"Very well then. We wish to add boxes of explosives to your ship." Lin Xiaochang smiled faintly. "What do you all think?"

"You want to deal with the Gu family?" Linda cried out sharply.

"Correct." Lin Xiaochang nodded. His expression suddenly turned gloomy. "The Gu family has hit us hard, and we want to teach them a lesson. You just need to deliver the explosives to the Gu family according to our instructions. Once you leave, we will detonate the explosives, and the Gu family members receiving the goods will all be blown to pieces. Rest assured, no one will ever know the problem originated from the supplies you delivered."

"No way." Linda shook her head. "There are rules in our trade. The Three Gods Cult and the Gu family are allies; I cannot harm the Gu family. There is no such thing as an airtight wall. Once this matter is exposed, not only will we be executed by the Three Gods Cult, but our families will also find it hard to escape disaster. I will never help you."

"No room for negotiation?" Lin Xiaochang narrowed his eyes, lowered his head, and took another sip of tea.

"This is utterly impossible!" Linda said with unyielding firmness.

"You refuse, but that doesn't mean others refuse." Lin Xiaochang raised his head, this time not looking at Linda, but instead fixing his gaze on Shi Yan. "Little brother, as long as you nod, we can deal with this woman, and then elevate you to the leadership position on the ship. As long as you help us deliver the goods to the Gu family, what do you say?"

"I am more than happy to help you deal with the Gu family," Shi Yan replied with a calm smile.

Linda's expression shifted drastically. She stared at Shi Yan with bitter hatred and snapped, "You ingrate!"

"Good, good, good!" Lin Xiaochang was in high spirits. He nodded toward the bearded man and Old Second Kong, saying, "This wench is useless now. Capture her, and the rest of you can have some fun together before we finish her off."

"Understood, Boss! Hehe, I'll taste this wench first in a moment." The bearded man laughed aloud, slowly closing in on Linda along with Old Second Kong.

These two men, just like Linda, were both in the Hundred Tribulations Realm. Combined with the dozens of Human Realm and Xiantian Realm pirates currently on the ship, not to mention Lin Xiaochang himself, Linda would likely find it impossible to sprout wings and escape.

"Do you think he can command obedience?" Linda laughed coldly, glaring bitterly at Shi Yan. "He is not even a member of our Three Gods Cult! If he takes the lead, the Gu family will never acknowledge him, and the crew on the ship will not accept his leadership. You are wasting your efforts for nothing."

Lin Xiaochang paused, looking at Shi Yan with a smiling gaze. "Little brother, you can't handle those crew members?"

"I might not be able to handle them alone, but with your help added in, I should be able to," Shi Yan smiled. "Those who know times are current are brilliant heroes. I don't want to die, and I know what I must do."

"Mn, promising future." Lin Xiaochang leaned back against his wheelchair, stretched lazily, and chuckled, "Little brother, if you have any interest in this wench, you can have a taste of her later too, but you'll have to wait until my two brothers finish playing. How about letting you go third? That should give you enough face, right?"

"Many thanks." Shi Yan lowered his head and cupped his fists in gratitude, though his eyes were bone-chillingly cold, a murderous intent flashing briefly within his pupils.

The reason he had followed Linda over was to use the lives of these people to restore his own strength. Although he equally wanted to deal with the Gu family, his top priority was to recover the power within his body at the fastest possible speed. He silently calculated and estimated that the strange energy generated by the deaths of these people should be just about enough to restore him to his peak condition.