Chapter 770: Chapter 59: The Secret Techniques of the Fiery Cauldron

The killing shouts simmered down, and Cai Qian carrying the barely alive Lin Ajin fled until they reached deep into the valley before he ordered a rest.

He felt an intense itch on his face, and without thinking, he pulled at it. With a popping sound, he actually pulled out two blood-red mushrooms from his temples, leaving behind two dry, bloody holes that looked particularly ghastly.

Seeing this, Yan Ajiu hurriedly offered two Western-style antibiotics, but Cai Qian waved them away, “I can hold on. You keep them for yourself.”

At this moment, Cai Qian looked as if he were a Golden Arhat descended to Earth, his hair and corners of his eyes showing a faint golden hue, his tendons and veins writhing on the back of his hands and neck like earthworms, giving off an immense sense of oppression.

It was the secret technique of the Cai Clan not passed on to outsiders: Fiery Cauldron Golden Man.

He set down Lin Ajin, straightened his body, poured hot medicinal soup brought by the physician into him, and asked with a frown, “Brother Lin, are you alright?”

Lin Ajin’s eyes were unfocused, and he seemed not to have heard Cai Qian’s words. His face and neck were covered with clusters of varicolored mushrooms, nearly paralyzing him. Only after a long while did he begin to shed tears.

Seeing this, Cai Qian could only say, “Brother Lin, take heart.”

From the battle, the Treasure Ship King met with a disastrous defeat. Many years’ worth of loyal followers had been lost by half; even Ao Xing, who had always been by his side, had been captured alive by the uncivilized tribes. Ao Xing was the mighty Quanlang Sea Ghost, regarded as a powerhouse in the South Seas, on par with the likes of Tianbao and the Demon Thief. This time, his chances of survival were slim, and he could hardly hope for an intact corpse, which made Lin Ajin’s heartache all the more understandable.

Nevertheless, the Treasure Ship King proved himself the hero of his time, soon gathering his spirits and saying with trembling lips, “I owe Mr. Cai a great debt for his timely rescue. I have long heard of the renown of the Cai Clan’s Golden Man, yet no heroes of the South Seas had ever seen Mr. Cai take action in person. Today, I have seen something new, and with Mr. Cai’s ability, if he had faced off against Tianbao at the Tianbo Division assembly, who the title of Great Alliance Leader would have gone to remains an open question…”

“The ocean is vast and filled with all manner of strange and mysterious creatures. The more I know, the smaller my courage becomes. Human strength sometimes has its limits; my little trick is really nothing special.”

While Cai Qian was modest in his words, he sighed inwardly, considering this his life’s great regret.

Cai Qian could no longer remember how many years it had been since he had last employed his Golden Man technique to its full extent. In those years, as he tossed and turned in bed, even when unexpected circumstances arose at the Tianbo Division conference, he failed to cast sorcery and take the position of Great Alliance Leader from Tianbao using his true strength. Who knew that upon using it today, it would be in a life-and-death situation.

The cunning and cruelty of the uncivilized tribes far exceeded Cai Qian’s expectations. Clearly, they had been plotting today’s battle for quite some time, setting up poison mist traps and casting forbidden curses, conjuring many so-called “Gandu Kala” formidable undead creatures. Impervious to weapons and possessing great strength, they would also cause corpse explosions upon falling, something even the esteemed Quanlang Type troops of the Treasure Ship King struggled to cope with, leading to their retreat.

The uncivilized queen herself had mastered strange and evil techniques that allowed her to command poisonous insects and beasts as well as control toxic miasmas. Her witchcraft was even superior to that of the past Madam Shi, with a monstrous bird with a turtle’s body aiding her. It was this beast that had captured Ao Xing, while Cai Qian barely escaped from her clutches and now was leading his remaining force, exhausted from fleeing.

After this battle, Cai Qian came to realize that although Borneo was rich in resources, it was also fraught with danger. He had set his sights on Borneo, intending to start anew here, but it was evidently not going to be as simple as he thought.

However, having saved Lin Ajin this time, he had also created a good impression among the local Chinese community leaders. If they could escape to safety, it would be a solid step for the Cai Clan to establish itself in Borneo…

Suddenly, an uproar ensued. A few units of civilized tribes within the team did not understand the Han language and thought the uncivilized tribes were upon them again, with the tumult having the potential to escalate. It took a good while to calm down, clearly indicating that the civilized tribes had lost all morale. If it were not for the notorious reputation of the uncivilized tribe as cannibals and the area being filled with poisonous barriers and traps with no avenue for escape, the team might have already dispersed.

Soon, a small figure dressed in coarse clothing was brought before Cai Qian and the others.

“You’re from the Red Flag Gang?”

Cai Qian identified him by his clothes.

With a clasped fist, Xiao Qi of the Red Flag Gang, Gaoli ghost, clearly explained the situation.

Lin Ajin’s eyes brightened, “Could you return and ask Grand Alliance Leader Zheng to send troops? The Treasure Ship lineage will be greatly indebted!”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to pass the message.”

Xiao Qi said with a wry smile, “For some reason, the beasts in this dense forest have become incredibly fierce, even the flowers and grass seek to consume people. Now, I too have lost my way back.”

“For now, we can only head deeper into the forest,” Cai Qian sighed.

“I’m afraid that won’t work either.”

Xiao Qi shook his head again.

“Why?”

“I am alone; I had intended to gather information, then report back to the Great Alliance Leader. Who knew I wouldn’t be able to get out of the forest? I’ve just checked, and ahead of us is a hundred-zhang cliff, the surrounding rock walls are extremely smooth, it is indeed a dead-end. We have no retreat left.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Ajin’s face turned ashen, and Cai Qian’s brows were deeply furrowed.

“I’ll go and check again.”

Yan Ajiu refused to believe it.

“No need!”

Cai Qian waved his hand: “The brothers of the Red Flag have no need to deceive us.”

He bowed slightly to Xiao Qi: “How may I address this brother?”

“Liang Aqi.”

“Brother Aqi, please remain calm. I have something I wish to discuss with the Treasure Ship King. Please do not share what was said just now.”

“Alright.”

Xiao Qi glanced at the disheartened Treasure Ship King, then at Cai Qian who spoke with composure and clear reasoning, seeing that this allied force comprised of the Thirteen Hongs Company and the Civilized Tribes could now only be led by Cai Qian.

“…”

Cai Qian sent everyone else away and whispered to the Treasure Ship King for a while.

“You’re talking about breaking out? But now…”

“There’s no other way.”

Cai Qian’s face was stern: “At the moment of crisis, one must be bold. If we continue to delay, the situation will only become more adverse.”

Lin Ajin’s complexion changed multiple times.

“Brother Lin, today’s life-and-death situation compels me to reveal to you a great secret of the Fiery Cauldron Sect.”

Cai Qian looked solemn: “This world’s magic, at its root, always demands a price. Madam Shi’s witchcraft harms the body and life, the Supreme Tranquility Skill is vast and intricate, requiring high talent and decades of dedicated practice. However, what the Fiery Cauldron Couple seek are merely wealth and good fortune, hence, only those with immense blessings and overwhelming riches can practice it.”

“Money is my life.”

Seeing that Lin Ajin didn’t understand, Cai Qian continued: “Each time a member of the Fiery Cauldron Sect uses magic, they lose money and good luck. These words ‘good luck’ might sound ethereal, but they truly exist. My father told me that once the Cai family’s money is spent, our lives will end as well.”

“People call me the grand boss, which implies I have lots of money. But they don’t know that for us in the Fiery Cauldron Sect, magic, wealth, fortune, and life are all one and the same. That’s why I rarely engage in combat, and very few know that I, this tremendously wealthy boss, possess martial arts and magic skills. Over a decade ago, I defeated Madam Shi, at the cost of two of my merchant ships meeting with disaster at sea, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver vanished into thin air. That poisonous woman respectfully calls me ‘big brother,’ and it’s not for no reason.”

“Brother Lin, do you know how much money I have?”

With a fearsome expression, Cai Qian overwhelmed Lin Ajin, who couldn’t help but shake his head.

“For all this, I’ve spent incalculable amounts, until two years ago when the government wanted to take over the business of my Tianbo Division, and I hit a wall at every turn. To this day, the wealth I have left, when counted up, amounts to fourteen million taels.”

Cai Qian patted Lin Ajin’s shoulder: “I’ve staked it all on this one situation.”