Chapter 497: Meeting an Old Friend in a Strange Land (Two-in-One)

The ship sailed west for hundreds of miles, arriving at the border where the sea met the land.

Sand and sea converged beneath a lone plume of smoke rising from the vast desert.

A red sun hung steadily against the low, sinking canopy of the sky.

Several ships were arranged in a ring, resembling a fortress or a small kingdom. Staggered in height, they formed a neat and orderly formation.

A pure black cat stood at the bow of the ship, hurling curses.

Just pure, unadulterated cursing.

From their children all the way up to their ancestors, he cursed out every single one of them.

The crowd behind him tried to pull him back.

They couldn't hold him.

"Stop cursing, stop cursing, Captain, it sounds too awful."

Guo Xie desperately hugged Yan Jing's legs.

"If you keep cursing, I'll never be able to go back!"

Yan Jing panted heavily.

"Turtle shell formation! I've been cursing for so long and no one has come out. When did Minhu become so spineless?"

Nonsense.

Everyone knew you hacked your way from the south to the north. Why would they give you an excuse to attack?

Guo Xie grumbled inwardly.

Over the past few days, under Yan Jing's leadership, the fleet's attack strategy had simply been to deliberately provoke others into picking a fight, then smoothly wipe them out as a matter of course.

"Fighting for a justified cause—isn't that a Minhu tradition?"

Yan Jing's eyes went wide.

"If we went by our Heavenly Kingdom traditions, I would have gone up and flipped all these ships over by now!!!"

"If we went by Great Prison traditions, I wouldn't stop until I sucked the marrow from the bones of every man, woman, and child on these ships, I'd—mmph! Mmph!"

Beside him, Guo Xie slapped a hand over Yan Jing's mouth.

"Don't, don't, don't."

Guo Xie wanted to weep but had no tears. He still wanted his fallen leaves to return to their roots after he died, and he certainly didn't want to die with no one to offer him sacrifices.

"I'll go! I'll go talk to them!!!"

Guo Xie finally compromised. In truth, Yan Jing had asked him to negotiate from the very beginning, but he hadn't wanted to invite gossip, which led to this current spectacle. But if things continued like this, never mind him, even his friends and family would be scorned behind their backs.

"Alright then, you go."

Yan Jing instantly dropped the act and hopped onto Bobo's shoulder beside him.

"Prepare a boat!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Bobo saluted and immediately called for someone to prep a boat.

"Sigh..."

Guo Xie let out a sigh.

He knew Yan Jing putting on this show was aimed entirely at him.

Unexpectedly, before the boat was even ready, a crew member on lookout at the bow suddenly reported that a lone skiff had wobbled its way down from the opposing Cultivator fleet and was heading in their direction.

"On guard,"

Bobo ordered with a cold face.

There was no guarantee it wasn't a suicide attack from the enemy.

But soon, the person on the skiff seemed to realize they had been spotted and hurriedly raised a flag.

On it, written stroke by stroke with an ink brush, were the words "Peace Talks."

"They're here to negotiate, Captain."

Bobo sent several boats down to surround the skiff. After thorough inspections to confirm there was no danger, she spoke to Yan Jing.

Yan Jing nodded.

"Bring him over."

The three of them sat at the bow drinking tea. A moment later, a crew member's voice rang out from behind:

"Sir, the person has been brought here."

Yan Jing didn't turn around.

"What exactly does the Cultivator fleet intend?"

"It's like this, sir. We over at the Cultivator side also wanted to ask what your intentions are. You've been cursing at us for an hour or two; could it be that you're simply looking for an excuse to wipe us out?"

The man behind them sounded thoroughly wretched.

Weathered and somewhat hoarse, yet carrying a thin, shrill pitch, his voice evoked the image of a failed scholar from some bygone era. But Yan Jing narrowed his eyes.

Because he had only ever heard such a miserable voice from one person.

And truthfully, this voice sounded exactly like that man.

At this thought, Yan Jing tossed aside his teacup, whipped his head around, and looked at the newcomer.

He saw a man dressed in wide-sleeved robes, with a pointed mouth and ape-like cheeks, his triangular eyes drooping—a textbook, stereotypical villain.

Yet his high cheekbones were laced with a bitter sorrow, and his sagging brows and eyes combined to give him an exceptionally pathetic air.

Yan Jing felt a bit helpless.

It really was an old friend.

"This lowly one is Liu..."

"Liu Ye."

Yan Jing hopped down from Bobo's shoulder and spoke.

Liu Ye froze. He hadn't expected the other party to actually know his name.

This shouldn't be.

He had only recently arrived at the Great Prison.

Even Guo Xie beside the cat shouldn't know him.

Could it be an old acquaintance?

Liu Ye looked up at Yan Jing opposite him, growing more confused the longer he stared into those small eyes.

He truly had no memory of ever meeting such a black cat.

That was until Yan Jing raised a paw, and a badge landed in front of Liu Ye.

Seeing the appallingly clumsy artwork on the badge—mountains, seas, grass, stars—Liu Ye's body violently shuddered, and wild joy surged in his eyes.

"You know Young Master Luo?! Or Mr. Yi?!"

Liu Ye felt his heart pounding, terrified that the other party might deny it.

"I know them all."

Yan Jing retrieved the badge.

"I know Old Master Liu, too."

"Lord Azure Heaven!"

Liu Ye clenched his fists tightly, two lines of tears nearly spilling from the corners of his eyes.

He knew it—Heaven wasn't going to let him die.

"May I ask how I should address you, my lord?"

"Mao Si."

"Fourth Master!"

Liu Ye cupped his fists in salute.

Yan Jing nodded.

"I remember Mr. Yi writing a letter to Young Master Luo, saying he had a good friend heading to the Heavenly Kingdom. How did you..."

"Don't bring it up, Fourth Master. The place I went to was a minor nation, and not long after I arrived, that country fell."

As if recalling something, Liu Ye's eyes grew somewhat vacant.

"The Heavenly Kingdom is truly too brutal. Caught in the middle, small nations don't even have the chance to play both sides."

"As the vice minister of the Minhu East Lake Prefecture Diplomatic Department, they didn't take me seriously at all."

"Instead, they made an example out of me and exiled me to the Great Prison."

Yan Jing clicked his tongue, feeling a dull ache in his teeth.

This Liu Ye—who knew if his destiny was genuinely missing something, but it felt like he had never caught a break.

Liu Ye continued:

"I was originally assigned to the Sand Tower region, but that place is incredibly barbaric. The tribes there are always either pillaging women or fighting over territory. As a Fourth Tier, I had absolutely no place to use my skills."

"Hearing there was a Cultivator fleet in Haidu, I went to great lengths, surviving by the skin of my teeth to escape the Sand Tower and reach Haidu to join the Cultivator fleet."

"But..."

He let out a melancholic sigh.

The Great Prison was the Great Prison after all, and the people here were long distinct from those in Minhu.

"Afraid you would strike, they sent a newcomer like me to handle the diplomacy, dressing it up by saying I was a vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But the way I see it, they just figured it wouldn't matter if I died."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Good, very good."

"Our ship just happens to lack a diplomat. You're the one. I appoint you as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Cat Four Fleet."

"Really?"

Liu Ye was pleasantly surprised. His face showed not a shred of hesitation about defecting, only a deep yearning for a better life.

Advisor Yan, Young Master Luo, Mr. Yi—just follow anyone associated with these names.

Following them was always a sure bet.

He had experienced this profoundly firsthand.

"No, no, no." Guo Xie hastily interjected.

"Captain, inciting an enemy envoy to defect is a massive taboo."

Hearing this, Yan Jing was displeased and glared at him.

"Then what isn't a taboo? Does chopping down everyone on the other side count as a taboo? Does taking all their men, women, and children captive count as a taboo? I'll chop up their ships for firewood, I'll—mmph! Mmph!"

Seeing Yan Jing's voice getting louder and louder, Guo Xie leaped out of his wheelchair to cover Yan Jing's mouth.

"You're the boss, you're the boss."

"That's more like it." Yan Jing nodded.

"Minister Liu, I want a shipbuilder from your side—the one who can build the biggest ships. Bring him to me."

"Understood." Liu Ye nodded. Without another word, he got in the skiff and rowed right back.

Before long, he brought a figure back with him.

"Fourth Master, the shipbuilder you requested." Liu Ye pushed the old man beside him forward.

Guo Xie blinked in confusion.

"How did you manage that?"

"Very simple."

Liu Ye wrung out his cuff, which had gotten wet climbing the deck ladder.

"I said that if they didn't hand him over, you would chop up their ships, burn down their houses, and snatch their women..."

"Just like that?" Guo Xie was starting to doubt reality.

Liu Ye raised his eyes and cast a glance at Guo Xie.

"Bullying the weak, entirely lacking courage, burning, killing, and pillaging, committing every evil deed imaginable!!!"

"Few care about morality, most care only for profit. These are the things the Cultivator faction does; don't tell me you aren't aware."

"When I first arrived, half the women traveling with me were raped to death. Don't tell me you don't know about that either."

"..." Guo Xie was speechless.

Because Liu Ye had hit the nail on the head.

Ignoring this exchange, Yan Jing looked at the white-haired artisan and spoke:

"Old gentleman, I want to build a ship. Can you do it?"

"Hmph. If I can't do it, there are no more than five people in all of Haidu who can." The old man scoffed coldly, giving Yan Jing little face.

Yan Jing didn't mind, simply looking at the old man with burning eyes.

"I want to build the biggest ship in this world!"

"..." Hearing this, the old man's gaze shifted slightly.

"What do you want this ship for?"

"I need it to pass through spacetime turbulence. Ideally, it should be able to hold half of the Great Prison, and if there is a Domain Seed, it can transform into an independent Domain on its own!"

Yan Jing declared.

The old man was instantly excited by this, his white beard puffing up:

"Are you telling the truth?!"

"I'm just asking if it can be built," Yan Jing said.

"Yes! Of course it can!" The old man nodded.

"Our family has been born to build massive ships since childhood. During the Imperial Era, my ancestors designed a great ship for one of the past emperors that crossed a hundred million li to another realm, safe and sound."

"It's just..." He hesitated.

Yan Jing asked:

"Just what?"

"It requires resources." The old man's brow furrowed in worry.

"We have resources." Yan Jing pointed to the large and small ships behind them, all of which were past spoils of war.

"Not enough." The old man shook his head.

"It's fine. Just build it, there will be more later." Right as the old man was about to open his mouth, Yan Jing flicked a seed into his sleeve, his gaze gentle.

"Just a little measure to protect you, don't mind it."

Then, he leaped lightly from the deck, jumping off the ship and heading straight for the enemy fleet.

"But if there are any mistakes in the shipbuilding, the entire Cultivator fleet will pay the price on your behalf."

"And if the ship is a success, you will share the same monumental achievements as your ancestors. Do you know of Li Qinghe, Holy Emperor Li? We have a very deep relationship!"

"You know Holy Emperor Li?!!"

The old man surged forward in excitement, but Yan Jing's figure was already gone.

Opposite the deck, the ring of ships had already begun to disintegrate. Explosions rang out everywhere, and the roar of the waves was deafening.

Guo Xie slowly sighed and closed his eyes.

In the year 672 of the Great Prison calendar, the entire Cultivator fleet was captured and assimilated into the Cat Four Fleet.

"The photos you wanted."

Tonight, Ning Wei had once again chosen to take the night shift in the Special Prison Cell.

In truth, he shouldn't have done this.

Coming to this place too often would cause the risk factor to skyrocket, and it would also draw the attention of others with ulterior motives.

But he came anyway.

Firstly, he wanted to give the photos to the woman as soon as possible.

Secondly, he wanted to hide from Cen Ji for a bit.

"Thank you."

The woman was delighted. She hopped out of bed barefoot, took the photos, and examined them carefully, one by one.

Suddenly, when looking at one of them, she paused. The smile on her lips morphed into an irrepressible joy, and even Ning Wei could see the light shining in her eyes.

Looking at that photo from a strange angle on the right, Ning Wei frowned.

It was the one he felt he'd taken the most poorly.

Because in this photo, Wen Xu had ambition in his eyes and a confident smile on his lips.

This was entirely different from the previous Wen Xu.

He thought it would give the game away.

He hadn't expected the woman to seem to like this one the most.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

The woman carefully tucked the photos away, then smiled.

"What would you like to predict today?"

"The opportunity to break through to the Eighth Tier."

Without any pause, Ning Wei spoke the thought he had prepared in advance.

The Great Prison was going to be destroyed soon.

He needed to prepare some means of self-preservation.

"That's simple."

The woman closed her eyes just like last time, but this time she was significantly faster.

In just a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked at Ning Wei.

"Someone will come looking for you very soon. Just agree to their terms."

Ning Wei nodded, half-believing and half-doubting, then turned to leave.

The woman didn't try to make him stay this time. She simply returned to her bed, murmuring as she began to hum a song.

Hearing the song, Ning Wei stopped in his tracks of his own accord.

"Last time I..."

He hesitated for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"Last time I went to that place you mentioned."

"I heard the vice warden mention your name."

What he had heard from the ventilation duct last time was exactly a conversation between the vice warden, who had just broken through to the Ninth Tier, and an Eighth Tier head guard under him.

"What did he say?"

The woman smiled.

"He said..."

Ning Wei sighed. "He said that the Wizard Alliance capturing you was just a smokescreen."

"That warden wants to use you as a fallback method to advance to the Tenth Tier."

"Is that so." The woman nodded, smiling.

"Thank you."

"He really will do it. I know him," Ning Wei said flatly.

Because he felt the woman hadn't taken his words to heart.

"Then why didn't you plan on telling me in the beginning?" the woman asked with a smile.

"Because I initially thought you were seeking death." After Ning Wei said this, the woman was momentarily stunned—a rare reaction for her.

Ning Wei continued, "But I realized you don't seem to want to die anymore."

The woman didn't answer. She merely placed her index finger to her lips and blinked at Ning Wei.

"Could you keep this from Xiao Xu?"

Ning Wei turned and left.

He didn't understand. The woman clearly looked very mature, yet there was absolutely no sense of incongruity when she acted cute.

After Ning Wei left, the woman's gaze fell upon the moonlight on the floor, and she continued murmuring her song:

"Sleep now, sleep now, I'm here..."

"Yiya yiya~~"

Xiao Xin flew in a circle above the palm of Yan Jing, who was currently in the guise of Wen Xu, telling him that it had already found the woman's location.

It had also mapped out most of the Great Prison's layout.

"Not bad. Xiao Xin is very well-behaved."

Yan Jing nodded, smiling.

"Come, open your mouth. Here's a reward."

"Yiya? Ahhh—"

Xiao Xin obediently opened its mouth wide. Yan Jing tossed a cluster of something that radiated a faint glow—looking like stone yet also like vapor—right into it.