Section Eight (Part Two)

As soon as these words left his mouth, Yang Haisheng and his men immediately wore expressions of tearful gratitude and once again fell to their knees in the great hall. “My lord!” they cried.

Lin Feng, as expected, stepped forward to offer them comforting words. Though the pirates were not especially articulate, with each man chiming in and supplementing the story, they managed to explain themselves well enough.

It turned out these pirates truly had reached the end of their rope. In these times, the Zheng family’s fleet from Taiwan dominated the seas along China’s coast. Yang Haisheng and his men originally eked out a living on the waters off Zhejiang, but as the saying goes, how could the sovereign allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed? The Taiwanese navy, so close at hand, naturally regarded them as enemies. Over the years, Yang Haisheng’s crew had been relentlessly hunted by the Zheng family’s forces, engaging in several naval battles and losing every single one. In the end, they were forced to hide among the coastal islands. Where once they had more than ten ships, now only seven or eight remained, and their lives had become so desperate that they could barely find enough to eat.

Not long ago, faced with utter destitution, Yang Haisheng had mustered his courage to go out raiding once more. They had always avoided the heavily armed European merchant ships, but now, driven to desperation, they risked everything for a chance at fortune. Though they succeeded by luck, their leader perished in the attempt. Later, after Lin Feng had righteously spared Yang Haisheng, the pirates all felt that Lord Lin was indeed a man of honor. Since they could no longer survive as they had, they decided to seek him out and offer their service. If, as their late leader had said, Lin Feng was truly a hero of noble character, then perhaps they had found a way out at last. After some discussion, they came together to petition Lin Feng to take them in.

By the time their story was told, the food and wine had been brought forth. Lin Feng, though troubled in his heart, maintained a hospitable manner, urging the pirates to eat and drink. Watching them devour the food as though starved, he concluded that their tale was no lie.

Regaining his composure, Lin Feng suddenly smiled gently. With a relaxed air, he said, “But be that as it may, since you gentlemen are in trouble, I cannot stand idly by, whether or not you join my ranks. As I have said before, whether you need provisions or silver, simply say the word. If I, Lin Feng, utter a single word of refusal, I am no true man!”

Yang Haisheng could no longer restrain himself. He seized a wine bowl and smashed it hard, then leapt from his seat and knelt again. “My lord, with righteousness as vast as the heavens, would I, Yang Haisheng, be so base and ungrateful? Have you forgotten what I said in court that day? Through water and fire, whatever comes, I, Yang Haisheng, pledge my life to you from this day forward. I will follow you unto death without hesitation!”

The other pirates also knelt in turn, all declaring, “My lord is a hero of virtue! We are willing to serve you!”

Lin Feng seemed stunned, gazing at them in a daze for a moment before hastily helping them to their feet, laughing aloud. “Good! From now on, we live and die together, sharing honor and disgrace as one!”

Joy filled his heart. Unable to help himself, he glanced at Zhou Peigong, who was sitting at the table as his companion. Zhou Peigong, unperturbed, quietly sipped his wine and picked at his food, as though the scene before him was nothing out of the ordinary. Only then did he look up, meeting Lin Feng’s gaze and giving him a sly, knowing wink.

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Thanks to the editor from 17K who helped update the story these past few days. From now on, the author will resume updates personally.

Ideal Era

July 24