Chapter 542 - 241: Who on Earth is This?
Chapter 542: Chapter 241: Who on Earth is This?
Zuo Xuan and his two companions stopped their boat far away, quickly confirming that only a single large ship was approaching.
Their usual method for dealing with a ship this large was to bore through its hull and sink it.
But this time, they had no idea who was on board. The sea was shrouded in heavy fog, and from such a distance, they failed to notice the large flag emblazoned with the word "Tingtiao."
So, after estimating the distance, the three of them slipped quietly into the water and slowly swam toward the vessel.
After surfacing and pressing their ears to the hull for a moment, Zuo Hong couldn’t help but look at Zuo Xuan.
"It sounds like the ship is empty..."
"There are people on board."
Zhou Zhengze’s hearing was sharper than theirs. He whispered,
"There are three people on board..."
"Impressive!"
Zuo Xuan gave Zhou Zhengze a surprised glance. After pinpointing the locations of the people on board, he gave the order.
"Let’s board!"
Zuo Hong and Zhou Zhengze deferred to him completely, exchanging a glance and nodding in unison.
The three of them scaled the hull, and with a powerful leap, launched themselves out of the water, quickly reaching the large ship’s rail.
Not daring to linger, they leaped directly onto the roof of the main cabin.
From their high vantage point, it was easy to see a lavishly dressed woman standing on the deck below.
On either side of her were two disciples who had been left behind to guard the ship.
The two guards were now nearing the stern. If they discovered any sign of their boarding, it would ruin the element of surprise.
Thoughts raced through his mind before Zuo Xuan finally whispered to Zuo Hong,
"That woman’s status must be quite high. Everyone else went ashore, but she’s the only one who stayed behind. The only question is whether she knows any Martial Arts. You’ll try to take her hostage."
"Zhou Zhengze and I will handle the two men at the stern."
"Whoever succeeds will have leverage to control the situation."
"Subdue them first, then we take the ship."
The moment he finished speaking, Zuo Xuan waved his hand.
Zuo Hong shot forward instantly. At the same time, Zhou Zhengze bolted toward one of the Tingtiao Pavilion disciples.
Zuo Xuan, however, held back for a moment. Zuo Hong was his younger sister, and even though the plan was set, he still felt uneasy and wanted to watch over her.
But things went surprisingly smoothly.
Zuo Hong landed on the deck without a sound. In a single stride, her longsword was already pressed against the woman’s throat.
"Don’t move..."
Only then did Zuo Xuan nod in satisfaction. He turned to see that Zhou Zhengze had already succeeded as well.
Without further delay, he launched himself toward the other Tingtiao Pavilion disciple.
The disciple heard the unnatural rush of air and whipped his head around, only to see a palm strike already upon him.
He reacted instantly, raising a hand to block.
The two palms collided with a loud THUD. Zuo Xuan’s frame shuddered from the impact, and the Tingtiao Pavilion disciple was forced back three or four steps. He didn’t fall, but instead roared in anger,
"Who are you? How dare—"
He never got to finish his sentence. Having failed to take the man down in one move, Zuo Xuan immediately lunged forward again.
’I thought someone Zhou Zhengze could knock out in the blink of an eye would be no trouble for me.’
He hadn’t expected it to take three to five exchanges before he could finally knock the man unconscious with a chop to the neck.
Looking at the unconscious man on the deck, Zuo Xuan glanced down at his own palm. A sense of alarm rose in him, along with a strange feeling.
’His Martial Arts style... why does it look so familiar?’
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Just then, footsteps approached. Zhou Zhengze arrived, dragging an unconscious man, while Zuo Hong escorted the woman over, the sword still at her neck.
The woman was beautiful and elegant. Her eyes were calm, as if she wasn’t the least bit worried about her own fate.
She merely gave Zuo Xuan a curious glance and suddenly smiled.
"And what might you be doing?"
"Who are you?"
Zuo Xuan demanded in a low voice.
The woman arched a delicate eyebrow.
"You board our ship, and now you’re asking who we are?"
"Shouldn’t we be the ones asking you that question?"
"Besides, our identity is written right over there, isn’t it?"
She pointed. Zuo Xuan looked up and froze.
"Tingtiao Pavilion?"
Zuo Hong was shocked as well and couldn’t help but look at Zuo Xuan.
"We just... hijacked a ship from Tingtiao Pavilion?"
The woman, despite the longsword at her throat, showed no fear of being killed. She simply nodded lightly.
"Yes, that’s right. And how do you plan on cleaning up this mess?"
The three intruders stared at each other blankly for a moment. But Zuo Xuan and Zuo Hong were worried about something else entirely.
The Young Pavilion Master of Tingtiao Pavilion had once had a chance encounter with their Eldest Miss.
’We don’t know if he’s the one leading this group, but if he is, and if he recognizes us...’
Zuo Xuan took a deep breath and said grimly,
"No matter what, get the ship moving first!"
’The Tingtiao Pavilion members are on the island now. Whether they live or die is for Fang Shuwen to decide.’
’At this point, the only thing we can do is see this through to the end... I don’t care if you’re Tingtiao Pavilion or the Lingbo Sect, we’re taking this ship today!’
...
...
Under the leadership of a young master in white, the Tingtiao Pavilion disciples were fighting their way from the island’s edge toward its center.
They had no idea that their ship had already been hijacked by a few audacious souls... nor that the young master’s own sister had been taken hostage.
Thanks to Fang Shuwen drawing the attention of nearly everyone on the island, the Tingtiao Pavilion disciples encountered almost no resistance as they charged inland.
Or rather, they didn’t encounter anyone at all.
Everyone was momentarily surprised, and even the young master in white’s expression grew heavy.
Someone beside him whispered,
"Just how many of them are there?"
But the young master in white shook his head.
"That’s not the issue. The issue is, how did they manage to infiltrate so deeply?"