Chapter 739: Chapter 28 The Dharma on This Land is Inadequate to Speak Of (Part 1) Chapter 739: Chapter 28 The Dharma on This Land is Inadequate to Speak Of (Part 1) “`
“Session initiation failed, the other party may have concluded this Yan Fu incident.”

Several seagulls flapped their wings and perched on the ropes, cocking their heads to size up the pirate with furrowed brows scratching his head against the mast.

“Commander Cha!”

A few vigorous men leapt onto the deck and chorused.

Cha Xiaodao returned to his senses and nodded in acknowledgement to the few Red Flag pirates who were coming over to set sail, “Are we setting out?!”

“Yes. Leader Xiu said we must reach Borneo within half a month.”

Cha Xiaodao, bored to death, stretched lazily, stood up to make way, and only when he passed by did a trace of gloom unavoidably appear on his face.

Li Yan had been out of contact for over half a month, and Cha Xiaodao tried to initiate a conversation almost every day, but all attempts ended in failure.

“With Dayan’s skills, he couldn’t be held by the officials’ fleet, and even if he truly couldn’t escape, he could use the Summoning Gold Medallion to return. Why has there been no news at all for half a month?”

That day at Lantau Island, the Red Flag Gang split into five groups. Cha Xiaodao and several other leaders escorted Zheng Xiu towards Borneo. Riding the advantage of the sea breeze, they sailed southward for eight or nine hundred miles non-stop and found an island with lush vegetation, where they rested and resupplied for a night.

As he pondered, Cha Xiaodao noticed several dark spots drifting on the ocean and squinted reflexively. When he saw clearly that they were six or seven three-sailed large galleys with sails as red as blood, he realized they were the gunship fleet led by Xue Ba.

“There’s a ship!”

A few breaths later, a sharp-eyed sailor also noticed something.

No sooner had he spoken than everyone saw Cha Xiaodao dive headfirst into the water, and after about ten breaths, he was no longer in sight.

Cha swam through the water like a fish, gripping the ship’s bottom planks in the dim sea, and with a concerted effort of his legs and arms, he leaped out of the water and flipped onto the deck.

A drenched and agile young man emerged on the ship, his eyes darting like lightning from side to side, which startled the sailors who began to shout and raise their firearms. It was only after seeing who it was that their nerves relaxed.

Xue Ba, hearing the commotion, grabbed a copper hammer and pushed open the cabin door, coming face to face with Cha Xiaodao.

“Where’s Tianbao?”

Xue Ba’s lips trembled, and his eyes reddened as he knelt on the ground and burst into a howling cry, “Dragon Head was taken away by Heavenly Mother.”

“Hmm?”

It turned out that on that day Tianbao had ordered Xue Ba to chase Zheng Xiu’s tower ship, but Xue Ba had a hunch and had been lingering in the surrounding waters. He happened to capture a few soldiers fleeing the edge of a storm, and from them, he heard that
the Allied Fleet was scattered by a storm, with various odd sea monsters emerging. And then, suddenly a massive whirlpool appeared out of nowhere, consuming all the debris and sunken ships in the sea, including Tianbao.

Latter, the Allied Fleet, gathered its remnants, filled in the coast of Lantau Island, destroying that natural harbor, and hurried back. Xue Ba circled the area for several days without success, and after hearing that the officials had paraded Tianbao’s blood-stained Red Sails through the streets to spread the news throughout Yue Min, grief overtook him. After much thought, he decided to head south to chase after Zheng Xiu, and that’s when Cha Xiaodao arrived.

“Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea!”

“`
Ordinary people couldn’t understand, but Cha Xiaodao managed to piece together the ins and outs, realizing that somehow Li Yan had triggered the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea.

“…Xiao Ba, don’t let your fleet approach the shore. You’re coming with me to see the Great Alliance Leader,” he said.

“Okay.”

Xue Ba agreed without hesitation.

“Why aren’t you letting us land? What does it mean to take only Commander Xue with you?”

Unable to hold back, Hu Bailing spoke out.

Cha Xiaodao glanced at him. Hu Bailing felt a chill in his heart, but with over a hundred firearms and brothers on board, he steadied himself and said, “Tianbao Dragon Head told you to protect the Great Alliance Leader but didn’t make you our leader. We are all leaders here; by what right do you give orders? We have traveled thousands of miles to find the Great Alliance Leader, but you only call for Commander Xue to land. Could it be that you want to play the game of wielding the Emperor’s authority over the lords, sending Xiao Ba off to his demise? Seizing the opportunity when we are headless, do you intend to capture us all in one fell swoop?”

Xue Ba was about to object, but as he listened to the rest, his heart sank, and his complexion flickered.

Cha Xiaodao laughed hehehe. Since he had partnered up with Li Yan, he was mostly fixing leaks and providing meticulous support at the rear. With Li Yan playing the role of the amiable young man, his own demeanor had also become more pleasant. But one shouldn’t forget that the first time he had met Li Yan, they had confronted each other with weapons, and he was a man who could kill without batting an eye.

If he let these thousands of people onto the island, the news of Tianbao’s disappearance would certainly leak, and there were still more than eight thousand pirates on the island. When people’s hearts would become unsettled, how could Zheng Xiu, a teenage girl, possibly keep those pirate wolves at bay? Xue Ba had a simple and reckless nature; if he hadn’t thought of this, it would be one thing, but Hu Bailing was a veteran thief of more than thirty years known as Bailing Bird, extremely shrewd. How could he not understand Cha Xiaodao’s intentions? In this critical life-or-death moment, yet he was intentionally causing disturbances, clearly harboring ulterior motives.

“You make a good point, and it’s rare for you to care for Xiao Ba. Since that’s the case, come with me,” Cha Xiaodao said.

Before he finished speaking, his hand had already reached the other’s collar. By the time he mentioned going with him, his five fingers had already enveloped Hu Bailing’s face.

Hu Bailing tried to jump back, but suddenly felt darkness overwhelming him as if the sky was falling. His body was involuntarily lifted, and at the same time, Cha Xiaodao turned around with his back against the balustrade, lifting Hu Bailing who weighed over 160 pounds like a poster, using him as a shield in front of himself.

The pirates shuddered and several firearms were simultaneously raised. Especially Hu Bailing’s subordinates, who had already nervously cocked their guns. However, Cha’s body was not exposed at all, and they could only tensely move their gun barrels following Hu Bailing’s back.

“My brothers, be careful not to fire. Xiao Ba, what’s your take?” Cha Daozi slightly increased the strength in his hand, and Hu Bailing bellowed out in pain, attempting to pry Cha Xiaodao’s fingers off, as fruitless as trying to bend iron hoops.

“Put your guns down,” Xiao Ba growled.

Immediately, over a hundred of Xue Ba’s subordinates instinctively lowered their guns and, after a while, a large number continued to follow suit. Only a few stubborn ones who had already cocked their guns refused to relent, “Commander Xue, do you not care for our commander’s life?”

Xue Ba turned around and smashed the back of his fist into the face of the one who was speaking. There was a muffled thud and the man’s eyes bulged out half an inch as several jets of blood spurted out a foot from the edge of the fist, and he fell to the ground, life and death unknown.

Xue Ba’s pupils were bloodshot as he said, “Tianbao Dragon Head didn’t say that Brother Daozi can be the leader of the commanders, but he did say that I could be your leader. I won’t give the order a second time, okay?”

With no one else raising their guns, Cha Xiaodao laughed heartily, “Xiao Ba, you stay here, I’ll be back shortly with Brother Bailing.”

As he spoke, he whispered into Hu Bailing’s ear, “Brother Bailing, there are still two hundred Gaoli ghosts by the Great Alliance Leader’s side. The sky won’t collapse. Be honest with the Great Alliance Leader when you see her, and after the storm passes, I’ll invite you for a drink to apologize.”

He couldn’t see the color drain from Hu Bailing’s face as he gripped Bailing’s head and tipped him over backward into the sea, where he disappeared with a splash.