Chapter 592: Capture
As night fell, Gu Kaiyuan had long since locked onto the island. He anchored their ship a good distance away and led his selected men into small boats, quietly rowing closer.
The island was dead silent. It was unclear if it was deserted or if its inhabitants were already asleep, but neither possibility affected Gu Kaiyuan’s plans. Riding the tide, the group landed smoothly. They secured their small boats and crept ashore. Gu Kaiyuan had drawn up a map before they arrived. Even though this was his first time setting foot on the island, he quickly located their target.
In the quiet night, obscene laughter, cursing, and degenerate sounds drifted through the air. Hearing this, the guards—who had initially harbored some moral reservations—now had ice in their eyes. They were indeed those cunning and treacherous Japanese pirates. There was no telling how many families from the Central Plains they had ruined. Even if they hadn’t been personally victimized, the people of the Rong Dynasty were one family. How could they allow these foreigners to humiliate them so?
Even Bai Jiannan, who had tagged along, gnashed his teeth. It seemed Kaiyuan hadn’t lied to him; these people truly deserved to die. Looking at the guards beside him, Bai Jiannan whispered, “Don’t hold back later. Consider this avenging our families. Pass the word to the men: give it everything you’ve got. I’ll reward everyone generously based on their merits when we get back.”
Before coming, he had worried that Kaiyuan might do something reckless, so he had secretly ordered his men to hold back and leave some leeway. Now, it was clear he had overthought things and judged a gentleman with the mind of a petty man. The guard beside him nodded heavily and immediately passed the order down.
In truth, Bai Jiannan’s concerns were entirely unnecessary. Once these people’s identities were confirmed, not a single person wanted to hold back. The pirates thought this was an isolated island that no one could sneak onto, so they hadn’t bothered to post sentries. This made things incredibly convenient for Gu Kaiyuan and his men. The moment Gu Kaiyuan gave the signal, everyone charged forward in unison and struck.
The pirates, interrupted at the height of their pleasure, were so terrified that their limbs went weak. Before they could even react, some had already become ghosts under the blades. This was immediately followed by a series of shrill, bloodcurdling screams and the sound of suppressed weeping.
Seeing the scantily clad, seemingly innocent women, a soft-hearted guard picked up a piece of clothing and handed it over. But before he could fully process what was happening, a flash of silver streaked toward him. His body reacted faster than his brain, dodging just in time, but a bloody gash was still left on his arm. At this commotion, everyone instantly went on high alert, glaring hostilely at the supposedly weak women.
Gu Kaiyuan scoffed coldly. “Stay sharp, all of you! Don’t sympathize with them. They might look similar to us, but they’re Japanese too.”
The men couldn’t understand. They wondered, “If these women are their own kind, why would they gather together to commit such disgusting acts? Do they have no sense of propriety or shame?”
As if seeing through their thoughts, Gu Kaiyuan said, “It’s my fault for not warning you earlier. Did you really think they would bring outsiders back to their hideout?”
Honestly, Gu Kaiyuan hadn’t expected to stumble upon such an obscene scene either. In the past, when he had tracked them down, these seemingly weak women had dared to wield Japanese katanas and fight them to the death. By now, some of the men had lit torches. Illuminated by the firelight, the twisted, hateful expressions on the women’s faces became visible, fully confirming Gu Kaiyuan’s words.
“They are not of our kind, so their hearts must be different. This is no time to be soft-hearted.”
Bai Jiannan closed his eyes. The decisiveness of the Bai Family Head was fully on display at this moment. “Give them a quick end.”
There were ruthless struggles among merchants as well. He understood all too well the hidden dangers of pulling weeds without uprooting them, and the consequences such negligence would bring. Even though they were just women, he didn’t dare underestimate them. Sometimes, a woman holding a grudge could be even more terrifying.
With the Family Head having spoken, the guards no longer hesitated. They surged forward and gave the women a swift death. Gu Kaiyuan then had Lin Hua and the others sweep the area. Anyone who seemed even remotely suspicious was dealt an extra strike.
“Should we report this to the authorities?” Bai Jiannan asked after confirming there were no survivors left on the island. Though he was a merchant, he was a law-abiding one.
“And then what?” Gu Kaiyuan rolled his eyes at him and began to search the area. The enemies were dealt with, but it was time to collect their spoils.
“Pretend I never asked.” Bai Jiannan quickly realized the implications and chuckled, following close behind Gu Kaiyuan. “Now that the people are taken care of, shouldn’t we head back?”
The stench in this place was truly revolting, and Bai Jiannan looked visibly disgusted.
Gu Kaiyuan replied, “What’s the rush? Have your men fan out and look for a water source.” He actually knew where the water source was, but Jiannan talked too much. It was better to give him something to do.
“That’s not a problem. It’s just that we’ve been out for so long. If we don’t go back soon, Suihe is definitely going to worry.” Bai Jiannan brought up Bai Suihe, essentially daring Gu Kaiyuan to defy his wife.
Gu Kaiyuan didn’t even turn his head. “Since you know Suihe will worry, you’d better hurry up and clean this place up. Have your men clear it out; this might become our foothold in the future.”
“No way. You want to claim this place for ourselves?” It was just a broken-down, tiny island. What could they even use it for? “Kaiyuan, you should at least find a larger island so we can grow something on it. With a place like this, even docking the boat is a hassle.”
“We fought hard to take this place,” Gu Kaiyuan scoffed. “Do you want to just hand it over to someone else? Or do you want to let those Japanese pirates have it cheap and turn it back into their den of sin?”
“Right, Kaiyuan, speaking of that, are you sure all of their men are here? Could they have accomplices?” Bai Jiannan finally showed a moment of brilliance, hitting on the crucial point.
“If they have accomplices, we’ll just keep taking them out until they learn to fear us.” Following his memory, Gu Kaiyuan arrived at the entrance of a small cave. It wasn’t large and appeared to have been recently excavated, but it was spacious enough to store their food and valuables.
“Wow, there’s good stuff in here!” Bai Jiannan exclaimed softly. “This place is really well-hidden. They even knew to cover the entrance with grass. Kaiyuan, how did you know about this?”
“Did you forget the men I have locked up in the back mountain?” Gu Kaiyuan gave the excuse he had prepared long ago. “Don’t you think they’d know where their own lair is?”
Bai Jiannan finally understood why Gu Kaiyuan knew this place so well despite never having been here. He gave him a thumbs-up. He thought to himself, “It seems if I ever run into those Japanese pirates in the future, I can spare their lives for interrogation.”
He didn’t know exactly what was inside, but since Gu Kaiyuan had found it, he was content to just watch the excitement. He definitely couldn’t overstep and try to claim it first. Whatever was hidden inside, even if it were rare treasures, didn’t matter to him. He often strolled through the grand storehouses of the Bai Family in his free time; there was no shortage of priceless treasures there.
Gu Kaiyuan glanced back at him. “You aren’t curious?”
“I am quite curious, especially since this is pure profit,” Bai Jiannan laughed merrily. “When we get back, I should form a team to hit a few more bandit camps. Who knows, I might just amass another fortune.”
Gu Kaiyuan didn’t buy that excuse for a second. With the Bai Family’s current wealth, they wouldn’t bother with such schemes. They were better off focusing on other ways to make money.