Chapter 474: 474. A dish of loose sand

Translator: 549690339

Approaching noon, the sky was cloudless, and the sea sparkled.

Qiao Cong and Old Mu had just finished eating their dried food and were resting. Feng Ming was steering the boat, his eyes vigilant as he observed the surroundings.

Since they left Xingluo Island, they hadn’t seen a single person or boat for several days. Along the way, they came across a deserted island. Old Mu had explored it last year when he first traveled to Xingluo Island with Cen Man and found it covered in rubble, with no signs of human habitation.

The sunlight was glaring, and Feng Ming, with his focused attention, was beginning to tire. He rubbed his eyes, took out his water bag, and drank a few sips. Then he raised his arm, used his sleeve to wipe his mouth, and recapped the water bag.

Just as he was putting the water bag back around his waist, Feng Ming looked into the distance and suddenly his expression changed. “Seniors! Someone’s approaching!” he exclaimed.

Old Mu, who was about to doze off, immediately became alert and stood up with Qiao Cong. The small boat rocked violently twice but didn’t lose its balance.

All three of them looked ahead and saw a boat approaching them. It was still far away, and they couldn’t see it clearly.

Feng Ming frowned. “Could it be the people from Xingluo Island who went to meet with the prince returning?” The timing would be about right.

Old Mu shook his head immediately. “If Sheng Yue didn’t lie to us and the person he went to meet was a fake Mo Yan, Xiaogu wouldn’t let them return alive.” This was because they had sent the real Gu Ling, who should have been able to handle Mo Yan, who possessed a magic treasure, let alone an imposter.

“Then who could it be…?” Qiao Cong had a thought, but he wasn’t sure.

Old Mu confidently stated, “If it’s not unrelated people, it must be Xiaogu!”

“Do you really think he wouldn’t go home immediately after discovering the Mo Yan is fake?” Qiao Cong thought there was still a possibility that Gu Ling went home.

Old Mu shook his head. “No. There wouldn’t be any point in going home at that time.”

Old Mu was the decision-maker among the three. Hearing his certainty, Feng Ming’s expression relaxed slightly, while Qiao Cong furrowed his brows. “You mean, by now, Mo Yan has captured our apprentice?”

“I didn’t say that. Xiaoliang is not a helpless weak woman. Without seeing it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe that she was captured by Mo Yan.” Old Mu still had confidence in Su Liang. It was a realistic problem that she couldn’t block Mo Yan’s sneak attack, but that didn’t mean she would definitely be captured.

As they spoke, the boat came closer and closer. They could now see that there were only two people on the boat, and the one standing at the bow was tall and sturdy. Qiao Cong squinted and called out, “Jingjing! Is that you, Jingjing?”

Soon they heard a familiar voice. “Grandpa! It’s me!”

Qiao Cong let out a sigh of relief. No matter what, at least for now, everyone was safe. Qiao Jing’s arrival meant that the incident on the sea on the first day of the third month was probably consistent with Old Mu’s conjecture. As for the other person on the boat, it must be Gu Ling.

Soon, Qiao Cong and Old Mu saw Gu Ling and Qiao Jing.

The two boats stopped side by side, and Qiao Jing first asked about Old Mu and their experience on Xingluo Island.

Hearing Old Mu say that Sheng Yue even used a group of children on the island to guard the forbidden area, Qiao Jing frowned. “His methods are, as expected, quite ruthless.”

Old Mu shook his head. “Sheng Yue claimed it was Mo Yan’s idea. Regardless of whose idea it was, his attitude was clear. If you were going to destroy the forbidden area, you would have faced the same situation.”

Qiao Cong snorted. “That may not be the case. Don’t forget, Xiaogu infiltrated the island alone, rescued us as if it was unguarded, and caught Sheng Yue off guard. As long as Sheng Yue isn’t holed up in the cave all the time, Xiaogu will find a way to capture him once he leaves.”

Old Mu nodded. “I know what you’re saying, but what if there are always innocent children in the cave? What if Sheng Yue uses the lives of the island’s women and children as bargaining chips? These possibilities need to be considered. Acting recklessly could easily be controlled by him in return.”

Qiao Cong was somewhat speechless, “Being a good person is really difficult! Those things were clearly caused by Mo Yan, yet we still have to worry about this and that! By the way, was that Mo Yan a fake? Have you already killed him?”

Qiao Jing briefly explained what happened on the sea on the first day of the third month.

Old Mu sighed, “That old villain is indeed cunning. Knowing that it would be difficult to get at you openly, he acted in secret. Xiaoliang is his granddaughter after all!” Mo Yan and Su Liang were both transmigrators, but their blood relationship was real.

“Will the prince go to Xingluo Island next?” Feng Ming asked.

Gu Ling nodded slightly, “Yes. You will go with me.”

Qiao Jing frowned when he heard this, “You want me to go back? No, I promised this time that we brothers would join forces.”

“I’m not asking you to go back; you’re not my brother.” Gu Ling said indifferently.

Qiao Jing: … Deeply suspected that Gu Ling was deliberately saying this, just like he always teased Lian Shun…

“We’ll go back together!” Qiao Cong said, “We’ll listen to Xiaogu’s instructions from now on!”

Gu Ling thought for a moment. He originally wanted Qiao Cong and Old Mu to go home, but in the end decided that since everyone was already so close to Xingluo Island, it would be better to act together. He would need help for what he was going to do next. As for the situation at home, it was still unclear, but more people would be useless against Mo Yan, and it would be too late to go back now.

“Let’s go together then.” Gu Ling said.

“Let’s go!” Qiao Cong clapped his hands, “We’ll slaughter that despicable Sheng Yue when we get back!”

Two boats, Qiao Cong and his grandson Qiao Jing together, Old Mu and Gu Ling’s apprentices together, and Feng Ming was also on their boat.

Old Mu inquired about Cheng Yun, who had gone to Jiaye City with Gu Ling earlier. Gu Ling said that he had left him in charge of the city.

Old Mu had a hard time imagining Cheng Yun leading soldiers to defend the city, but he thought that since Gu Ling had arranged it this way, he must have given Cheng Yun the appropriate training. Besides, Cheng Yun had always been obedient in front of Gu Ling, and he was not lacking in martial arts or intelligence, he just wasn’t very familiar with worldly matters and needed someone to guide him. Moreover, it was unlikely that anything would happen in Jiaye City now.

That night, Gu Ling steered the boat, letting Old Mu and Feng Ming rest.

Feng Ming couldn’t sleep, so he stood beside Gu Ling and talked to him about the current situation on the island.

After seeing Feng Ming, Gu Ling confirmed one thing: Su Liang’s speculation that Mo Yan’s magic treasure could take people in and release them was true. Before this point, it was only speculation, now it was confirmed.

Moreover, Feng Ming had learned from Xie Jun, who had been captured and taken into the space, how big the space inside the magic treasure was and what it looked like, and he had told Gu Ling everything.

This information was very useful. Gu Ling now had an understanding of Mo Yan’s portable space, and it was no longer just based on the concept of the stories Su Liang had told.

Gu Ling previously had no way of knowing about Mo Yan capturing almost all of the island’s masters into his space on New Year’s Eve, so even if he went to the island now without Feng Ming’s information, it would take him some time to find any useful information.

It wasn’t until now that Feng Ming truly felt that his trip back to the island, arranged by Su Liang, was somewhat useful.

Having lived on Xingluo Island for more than three years, Feng Ming knew all the people on the island quite well. The population of the island was not very large, only about the size of a village in the outside world. Feng Ming was very cautious and meticulous, so he recognized every person on the island and had as much understanding of them as possible, even including things like how many months pregnant an elder’s kidnapped daughter-in-law was, and he had observed and memorized everything in his heart during the few days he had been back on the island.

“Ever since the incident on New Year’s Eve, the He family was wiped out, and the people on the island were terrified. Following last year’s failed attempts to leave the island and the loss of many masters, the island’s masters no longer hold out any hope that Mo Yan can bring them wealth and honor. They only have fear for Mo Yan, and they all know one thing very well – they could become Mo Yan’s sacrificial pawns at any time.” Feng Ming said seriously, “Therefore, my subordinate believes that if the prince goes to the island now to incite rebellion, he might be met with a great response! From what I’ve heard myself, there are already quite a few people who curse Mo Yan and insult Sheng Yue behind their backs. Although Sheng Yue has a brilliant mind and is powerful, he has never won the hearts of the people, nor has he tried to win them over.”

As for the fact that Sheng Yue had told Feng Ming himself that he didn’t need friends and didn’t have enemies, just things he wanted to do – Feng Ming had quickly relayed this information to Gu Ling after meeting him.

Gu Ling nodded, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“We can start with the Coast Guard. The captain is Xie Jun, who I mentioned to the prince. He’s not a bad person, but he had to follow the tide to survive on the island. He didn’t do anything evil.” Feng Ming said.

Gu Ling knew that the real villains on Xingluo Island were those old martial arts masters. They were also the earliest followers of Mo Yan, and most of them had already died. Among the young people, besides the second and third-generation islanders, many were either captured or deceived back to the island, including Feng Ming, Zhu Zan, and Xie Jun. Those with low status on the island were just cannon fodders for the elders and their descendants. After a few years, those who were left after the island’s survival rules were screened would get a “distributed” wife, and once they had children, they would be completely tied to Xingluo Island and unable to break free.

“Alright,” Gu Ling nodded, “You’ll make contact with Xie Jun when the time comes.”

Feng Ming’s expression changed, “Thank you for trusting me, Prince. I will do my best.”

In the middle of the night, Xie Jun was still standing on the shore, with only one young man who usually had a good relationship with him. As for the grandchildren of the elders, they all went back to sleep early. Although Xie Jun was the captain, his power was limited, and he dared not complain to Sheng Yue casually.

“I wonder how Feng Ming is doing now?” said the young man beside Xie Jun. “Actually, he’s quite lucky. He was in the dungeon for a while, but someone came to rescue him. That Divine Doctor Su is like her name suggests, even if Feng Ming didn’t accomplish anything, she would still save him. Not like us, the island isn’t that big, but we are oppressed and have no say, and our lives may be taken at any moment.”

Xie Jun smiled bitterly, “What’s the use of saying all this? We’re not as clever as Feng Ming. He’s not just lucky, he knows how to adapt to the situation and has the courage to make different choices than us. I only want to survive and am afraid of getting into trouble… I don’t aspire for wealth or honors, I just hope that one day I can leave this place alive, return to my hometown, and pay my respects at my grandfather’s grave.”

The young man patted Xie Jun’s shoulder, “Don’t be so disheartened. With the current situation, it’s hard to say what will happen next.”

“No matter what, we are just insignificant ants that no one cares about.” Xie Jun shook his head, “Let’s go.”

“The people who are supposed to relieve us are half an hour late and haven’t come yet.” said the young man.

“We’ll continue to keep watch. If you’re tired, go to sleep first,” Xie Jun said.

The young man shook his head, “We’ll do it together. Actually, I think you should tell Young Master Sheng. Those young masters have been getting more and more out of hand recently, and Young Master Sheng must have a way to deal with them.”

Xie Jun, however, shook his head, “It’s enough that someone is keeping watch. If I went to complain and Young Master Sheng punished them, I’m afraid I wouldn’t know how I died afterward.”

The two men continued talking as they walked in another direction.

The wind was chilly in the latter half of the night, and Xie Jun had barely slept in the past few days. He was exhausted and thought he was hallucinating when he heard Feng Ming’s voice.

The next moment, a hand grabbed Xie Jun’s shoulder. He was startled and turned around to see a familiar face, “How…how did you come back?”

Feng Ming pulled Xie Jun into a small wooden house by the sea where the night watchmen rested temporarily. It had been blown away by the wind previously but was quickly repaired. At this point, Xie Jun’s companion had already dozed off in another wooden house.

“Will anyone come?” Feng Ming closed the door and listened for any sounds outside.

Xie Jun subconsciously shook his head, “No…no one will come in the second half of the night.”

“There aren’t enough people on night watch, and Sheng Yue doesn’t care?” Feng Ming asked.

Xie Jun sighed, “Young Master Sheng has been in the forbidden area lately and hasn’t come out. Since the Island Master isn’t here, a few elders are plotting behind the scenes to escape. I overheard it accidentally and didn’t dare to make a fuss.”

Hearing this, Feng Ming grabbed Xie Jun’s shoulder once more, “I know you’ve always wanted to leave, and now your chance has come!”

Xie Jun trembled slightly, pressed his lips together nervously, “What do you mean?”

“You know who my master is now. I can tell you, the Island Master won’t be back anytime soon. You can leave, everyone on the island can.”

“You didn’t come back alone, did you?” Xie Jun asked.

Feng Ming nodded, “No, but you don’t need to worry about the others. Go pack your things now, prepare dried food, find a boat and leave. If you have any trustworthy companions, you can invite them to join you. I promise no one will stop you before dawn.”

“What about you?” Xie Jun asked.

“I still have things to do.” Feng Ming said, “To avoid running into the Island Master, you should head west first, then north. That way, you can reach the shore of the former Yin Country.”

Xie Jun hesitated for a moment, but after seeing Feng Ming’s sincere gaze, he finally made up his mind, “Alright! I’ll listen to you this time! Take care of yourself!”

Dawn broke.

It was another ordinary day on Xingluo Island.

The first to notice Xie Jun’s disappearance was the grandson of an elder since he was supposed to replace Xie Jun’s shift and lead the patrol. Instead of making a fuss, he went straight to his grandfather.

“Is he really gone?” The elder’s eyes sparkled with intrigue.

“Definitely! The guy who was with him last night is also gone! And I checked, there’s one less boat at the dock! I never thought that the usually timid and scared bottle gourd could be so bold!”

Upon hearing this, the elder paced back and forth in the room before slamming his fist on the table, “Tell your parents and siblings to pack their bags quickly! Let’s take advantage of the chaos and leave too!”

“Should we leave in broad daylight? Will it cause any problems?”

“We can’t afford to worry about that! If anyone dares to leave, more people will want to flee, and there won’t be enough boats! If we delay any longer, we won’t be able to leave at all! That despicable Sheng Yue is only concerned with the forbidden area, and he won’t be able to stop anyone when everyone wants to run. No one will listen to him then! Hurry up!”

About an hour later, Xingluo Island was still peaceful, but an elder had secretly taken his family on a boat. In the meantime, another elder’s family discovered them but didn’t raise the alarm, choosing to quickly follow suit instead.

The forbidden area was the quietest place on the island, containing nothing but Sheng Yue, a few trusted men left by Mo Yan, and a group of children. However, even if their children and grandchildren were inside the forbidden area, some people would rather abandon them if they had a chance to escape.

Today’s weather was great, and people with rebellious hearts on Xingluo Island started their escape one after another.

However, a problem soon arose: there were too many people and not enough boats.

Consequently, fights erupted on the dockside as people fought for boats, leading to casualties.

Gu Ling sat on a tree in the dense forest by the coast, not far from the largest dock, and watched all this unfold with cold eyes.

This was his plan with Feng Ming, which was going more smoothly than expected because people’s hearts had long been divided on Xingluo Island. They didn’t need the wind to blow them apart, they were already scattered.

Gu Ling glanced at the dock again and quietly left the dense forest, heading towards the forbidden area. He thought that Sheng Yue must be waiting for him…