Chapter 434: The Helpless Jiang Ke'er

“Don’t worry, we’re just passing through.”

Uncle Zhao firmly believed that pirates would not trouble fishermen, because there was no profit to be had.

Pirates wouldn’t waste time on fishing boats.

Even if they occasionally scared a fishing boat, it was only because they were too lazy to fish and wanted to hijack something along the way.

At worst, they could hand over the fish in the hold, but they didn’t have to turn back.

He absolutely could not return empty-handed—he needed this money.

“Captain, let’s go…” The first mate’s legs went weak as he watched the approaching lights on the distant sea.

“This batch of pirates is different from before!”

“How old are you? When you were still wetting your pants, I was already dealing with pirates!” Uncle Zhao glared with authority.

“Don’t worry, no pirate would waste time on a job with no profit. What could they possibly want from a bunch of broke roughnecks like us?”

With that, Uncle Zhao looked at Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian.

“You two, hide in the hold quickly. Don’t let them find you. Don’t worry, they won’t search the boat. This crappy little fishing boat of ours isn’t worth searching.”

The two women did as they were told. Jiang Ke’er had fully immersed herself in her role.

She squeezed into the pitch-black corner with Qiao Xiaoxian, a hint of tension on her face.

Qiao Xiaoxian took the opportunity to pick Jiang Ke’er up and sit her on her lap. Then she began to fumble around in the darkness.

To her surprise, Jiang Ke’er didn’t resist. Her body was tense, as if she was very nervous.

“What are you nervous about?” Qiao Xiaoxian asked, puzzled.

“I’m a helpless, innocent young lady now. I’m very weak.”

“…”

So Qiao Xiaoxian intensified her efforts.

“Stop it,” Jiang Ke’er quickly stopped her, her legs nearly going weak from the touching.

“Not now.”

“Then when?”

“Never!”

“Then how are you going to give birth to a Xian?”

“Huh???”

Jiang Ke’er was confused, but there was no time to ask.

The sound of heavy boots clattered on the deck—complex and dense, clearly indicating that many people had boarded the fishing boat. Jiang Ke’er quickly held her breath and fell silent.

“Sir, this is just a small fishing boat,” Uncle Zhao greeted the boarding pirates with an ingratiating smile. “We only have fish and a few burly old sailors on board. If you fancy the fish, feel free to take them.”

“Hmph!” The burly pirate sneered, grabbing Uncle Zhao by the collar roughly.

“What I fancy is you!”

“Huh???”

Two pirates immediately ran over and flanked Uncle Zhao.

“No, sir, you must have mistaken something,” Uncle Zhao said, on the verge of tears.

“I’m not good-looking at all. My face is full of pockmarks. Don’t you find it creepy looking at me?”

“Don’t worry, the Heavenly Demon won’t care how many pockmarks you have… Take them all away!”

In an instant, gleaming curved knives were held to the necks of the surrounding fishermen, and they were escorted onto the pirate ship.

“Search! Don’t let a single fish slip through! Capture every living person to fill the numbers!”

Uncle Zhao panicked.

“Sir, I beg you to spare this boat full of old and young! Every man here is an only son. If you take them away, their family lines will end! I have some savings at home. If you let us go, I’ll go back immediately and bring you everything. If that’s not enough, the villagers can chip in…”

“Do you think I care about your measly money?” The burly pirate leader glanced at him disdainfully.

“As long as we can take back the East Sea, your money means nothing. Less talk, get on the boat!”

Uncle Zhao finally realized how stupid he had been.

These pirates were truly insane.

His own death didn’t matter, but his wife at home, and these young crew members…

Now he could only pray that the two girls wouldn’t be found. If they fell into the hands of these beasts, their lives would be worse than death.

Jiang Ke’er listened with frustration. She had just heard the pirates mention the Heavenly Demon… What did that have to do with the Heavenly Demon?

What kind of black pot had been unjustly hung on her head this time?

She needed to figure out what these pirates were really up to.

To avoid alerting the enemy, she didn’t immediately rescue Uncle Zhao and the others.

Instead, she hid inside the Underworld Province Cauldron and quietly followed onto the ship.

“I’ll go alone,” she stopped Qiao Xiaoxian.

“Once everyone’s off the boat later, I’ll need you to send them back.”

“You’re quite considerate,” Qiao Xiaoxian said.

“I’m afraid Uncle Zhao can’t afford the wages!” Jiang Ke’er pouted.

“Fifty Spirit Stones—that’s enough to renovate the courtyard…”

“Fine.”

Qiao Xiaoxian agreed.

She wasn’t worried about Jiang Ke’er’s safety. At this point, there was no power in all of Shenzhou that could threaten her.

For Jiang Ke’er, Shenzhou was just a newbie village.

The pirates naturally didn’t notice the two women’s traces, which relieved Uncle Zhao.

He just didn’t know if they could sail the boat. If not, they’d be in big trouble.

—

Jiang Ke’er entered the Underworld Province Cauldron and boarded the pirate ship.

Following the pirates, she arrived outside the damp, hot cell at the bottom of the ship.

“Get in!”

Uncle Zhao and several fishing boat crew members were shoved into the cell.

The hot, cramped cell was obviously very uncomfortable, and if anyone got seasick and vomited, the environment would be even worse.

The cell was quite empty, currently only holding Uncle Zhao and the crew.

But there were traces left by others recently, indicating that those people had been gathered and transported somewhere.

The pirates were efficient.

They tied up Uncle Zhao and the others, locked them in, left a few guards, and then the rest continued to speed the ship, looking for the next target.

“It’s the season for fishing Amber Carp. I bet there are plenty of fools risking their lives to go out to sea,” one pirate said smugly. “We should have enough people by tonight.”

Many of the pirates were originally fishermen who found the pay too low and turned to robbery. So they knew the fishermen’s schedules inside out.

Once they set their sights on the surrounding fishermen, the locals were completely at their mercy.

The pirate ship soon swayed along and caught a few more batches of overconfident fishermen.

These fishermen were practically cut from the same mold as Uncle Zhao—they saw the pirate ship coming and still kept fishing and arguing, convinced that pirates wouldn’t touch fishermen.

Then they were stuffed into the hold.

No matter how much they cried or begged, it was useless. The pirates were after people.

“That should be enough!”

After filling the lower hold to the brim like a sardine can, the pirates suddenly became excited.

“Hehe, it’s finally time for revenge,” the burly pirate leader said excitedly, gripping his knife.

“Tonight, let’s drive those nosy bastards back to Beiju Luzhou! The East Sea is our turf!”

Jiang Ke’er stood invisibly at the bow.

Looking out over the sea, the wind carried waves of blood and alcohol.

It was a sight that would make maritime merchants wake up screaming in their dreams.

Thousands of large ships flying various pirate flags gathered together.

Countless huge cages were hoisted in the air from the masts, filled with heart-wrenching cries and pleas.

The ships were brightly lit, partying all night long.