Chapter Fifty-Three: Battling the Wind! Pursuit and Escape at Sea

Wang Cheng twisted his waist and abdomen, strength exploding as the slightly curved blade scraped against its scabbard, sending out tiny sparks before shooting forth with the sudden force of gunpowder igniting.

Draw-cut technique: Cloud Dragon Clutch.

The bear-hide cloak on his shoulders billowed like a storm cloud, and the shining blade of his treasured weapon, the Dragon's Maw, flashed across the sky like a streak of lightning, aiming straight for Monkey Two's eyes.

Vital fire burning at its purest, all power unleashed!

In that instant, Monkey Two and the monkey handler performing rituals behind it both saw the same illusion: it was as if a true cloud dragon had reached its claw down from the storm above.

Rip!

The slash was blindingly fast. Monkey Two had no time to react; barely had it closed its eyelids in an attempt to repeat its old trick of blocking the blade with muscle, when the tip of the sword struck its right eye.

The resilient muscles and bones of its palm could stop a musket ball, but the thin eyelid was no match for the Dragon’s Maw’s keen edge.

Blood spattered, and one eye was blinded on the spot.

Had it not instinctively leaned back at the last moment, that almost divinely inspired blow might have pierced its skull and churned its monkey brain to pulp!

Screeching piteously, Monkey Two staggered backward, no longer able to focus on destroying the mainmast standing so close at hand.

At the same time, Han Shushu, a seventh-rank officer known as the "Sea Fisher," caught up. Using her small stature to dodge a thick, furry arm, she shrank and then sprang up from Monkey Two's blind spot, swinging her twin hammers hard into its ribs.

War hammers are weapons designed to break armor, their force capable of penetrating straight through to cause internal injury. No matter how tough the monkey's bones and muscles became with its "Bestial Crown" technique, they could not protect its fragile organs.

With a guttural cry, Monkey Two spat out a mouthful of blood.

Wang Cheng's blade flashed again—a sweeping strike along the deck left a deep, bloody gash between Monkey Two’s chest and belly, nearly disemboweling it.

In this world, most monsters must be reborn into human wombs before they can take on human form; naturally, their physical toughness remains within reasonable bounds.

Previously, it dared to block a matchlock bullet only because there was a single gun pointed at it; had there been a whole firing line, it would have been riddled with holes in an instant.

Screee!

After suffering one heavy blow after another, the monkey’s primal beast nature began to resurface; it let out a piercing shriek, almost breaking free from the handler’s control.

But only almost.

The mind-fixing golden circlet tightened and loosened in turn, sending waves of agony through its head and forcing it to surrender.

Sensing that the enemy had circled behind it, its thick tail whipped out in a powerful sweep, the tip cracking the air like a whip.

Having witnessed what happened to Hou Yong, Wang Cheng was already prepared for this move. With the "Mind's Eye" technique active, he could not be ambushed from behind even with his eyes closed.

Evasion step: Hidden Dragon Twist!

He pressed off with his toes, riding the gust from the tail’s swing, twisting past the attack.

Landing steadily, he did not retreat but instead advanced, exhaling forcefully as he brought the Dragon’s Maw slashing down at the base of Monkey Two’s tail.

Shrill squeals erupted as the thick tail thrashed across the deck like a crazed serpent.

In agony, Monkey Two lashed out, snapping several ropes on the mainmast and tearing a gaping hole in the sail.

Then, with a splash, it leapt into the sea, frantically swimming toward the rapidly approaching warship.

Clearly, after so many failed attempts, the monkey handler performing his ritual on deck feared losing his precious treasure through carelessness.

The mind-fixing circlet was not at a disadvantage due to any flaw of its own, but because Monkey Two’s foundation was simply too weak.

If he were to sacrifice his ancestral treasure for the greater good of the Gentlemen’s Guild, how could he answer to generations of forebears? He’d be driven to despair.

Wang Cheng and Han Shushu had little desire to seize spoils; with an overwhelming crisis looming over them, preserving their lives was the priority.

The situation was now clear.

Pu Shouying's first plan had failed, so he struck a deal with the traitor from the Five Peaks Banner, working together to capture Han Shushu and, incidentally, eliminate Wang Cheng—killing two birds with one stone and removing all resistance in Yue Harbor, thus seizing control of this world’s center of trade.

“According to convention, shouldn’t they be using attrition tactics, wearing us down by throwing in expendable troops? To start out at this level of intensity—does that even make sense?!”

The two of them looked together at the towering behemoth emerging from the snowstorm, both struck by a suffocating sense of dread.

Towering far above the fortune ship, the massive sails and flaming muzzles of the warship’s cannons made any thought of direct resistance seem laughable.

If the Zhang Fushun were of the same class—or even just one class lower—Wang Cheng’s first command would have been: “Sail windward!”

Seize the windward advantage, use longer range and better wind conditions to exchange fire.

Alas, Zhang Fushun was only a fishing boat; its only combat tactic was to board and fight hand-to-hand, with bows and crossbows as a meager backup.

But to pit a band of recently converted fishermen against the elite, well-trained forces of the Five Peaks Banner in close combat would mean losing everything they’d worked for.

Now, the best and only choice was:

“Run!”

There was no time for hesitation. Wang Cheng vaulted from the Han Xingfa, calling out to Han Shushu:

“Junior Sister Han, at sea, whoever has more cannons is stronger. Even together, our two boats can’t match them. Split up and escape! I’ll try to delay them and buy you time.”

Han Shushu was no pampered maiden prone to weeping at adversity. At this critical moment, she did not protest with, “If you go, I go!” Instead, she understood the peril of blocking a warship and, with tears brimming in her eyes, bit her pale lip hard.

“Senior Brother Wang, take care of yourself!”

In this instant, the radiant image of the “Steward”—a man of his word and unwavering loyalty—was fixed in her heart.

Not only had “Senior Brother Wang” saved her life, he had snuffed out a conspiracy that could have upended Yue Harbor before it could begin.

When crisis struck, he had not chosen the cold wisdom of “You don’t have to outrun the enemy, just your companion,” but instead volunteered to stay behind and cover the retreat.

In Han Shushu’s eyes, Wang Cheng shone with a dazzling light!

She swore to herself that if she survived, her uncles and elders must handsomely reward him.

“Quick, trim for a windward tack! Keep sharp—now that the traitor’s gone and the snow cuts visibility, as long as we keep our distance, there’s hope of escape.”

With her encouragement, the Han Xingfa, with its broken foremast and torn main sail, lurched downwind into the storm.

Fortunately, fortune ships used stiff-ribbed sails; even with a hole, they could still function. Had it been a Western soft sail, the whole canvas could have been torn away by the wind, and they would have been left helpless.

Meanwhile, the Zhang Fushun braved the storm, positioning itself boldly in the path of the warship.

Yet this was not mere foolish bravado.

“Light the incense, bow—!”

Incense Master Zhang Wen led the crew in prayers to the ship’s patron goddess, the Heavenly Consort, and to Lord Jing, channeling their spiritual power to activate the lionhead prow’s fixed ability, “Majesty”:

“In battle, when the enemy gazes upon the lionhead, they cannot help but feel dread; their fighting strength falters, and the chance of mistakes rises sharply.”

For the gunners of the sailing warship to target Zhang Fushun, they had to sight past that very lionhead prow.

Affected by the “Majesty” effect, the already low accuracy of the muzzle-loading cannons dropped even further.

“Hmph, one last desperate struggle. The Han family girl’s ship is crippled and can’t get far—let’s finish this one first. Close in and fire at will.”

On the afterdeck of the warship Ziying, a young man in craftsman’s garb glanced at Monkey Two, now reverted to its true form, then gave the order. The warship accelerated toward Zhang Fushun.

Third-rank officers, no matter their field, could only advance by serving in their official capacity and accumulating merit. The Night Soil Collector must diligently haul refuse; the West Lake Boatwoman must work tirelessly, providing comfort and cheer; the Executioner must continue lopping off heads...

Maritime officers were destined to remain at sea, haunted by all manner of ghosts and demons.

Compounded by the highest casualty rates among all three classes of officers, the Water Division suffered severe losses in talent.

Not all shipmasters among the Five Peaks Banner and the pirate and merchant fleets were maritime officers.

Take the Ziying’s shipmaster, Cui Sheng, for example: a “Stone Mason” of the Earth Division, skilled in the techniques of Master Lu Ban, specializing in stonework.

“Lately, I don’t know if I’ve offended someone who practices curse arts, but it’s as if I’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest of Lu Ban magic. Their tricks are not only devious, but include a cursed stone spell: fire a bewitched stone shot from a cannon, and it explodes like a shell.”

Aboard the Zhang Fushun, Wang Cheng peered at them through his brass spyglass.

He shifted his gaze from Stone Mason Cui Sheng to the rest of the crew.

Most of the warship’s crew were short-statured Wokou—Japanese warriors. Though small, they looked fierce, many bearing samurai swords, clearly ronin from some distant domain.

The Five Peaks Banner had established the East Sea State in Japan, acting as kingmakers among the sixty-six nations by monopolizing the arms trade and stirring up chaos—naturally, they had plenty of Japanese in their ranks.

But such a mix of personnel made it impossible for Wang Cheng to discern their exact origin, much less guess the traitor’s identity.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Under cannon fire, Wang Cheng shouted his command:

“Trim for a windward tack! Northward, to seize the upwind position—run!”