Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 713 Crossing the Stormy Sea
“I have a friend, Senior Zhang Juhai of the Zhang Dynasty. About eight years ago, Senior Zhang Juhai stayed at my place for half a month,” Li Shangyuan explained.

Yang Zhengshan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"

He knew that Zhang Juhai had gone traveling. In the past, the Zhang Dynasty had to face the threat of the Taro Dynasty, so Zhang Juhai did not dare to go too far. However, after the Taro Dynasty was destroyed and the Dajing Dynasty took its place and maintained a good relationship with the Zhang Dynasty, Zhang Juhai went out to play.

Speaking of Zhang Juhai's personality, it is very similar to Li Shangyuan's. Zhang Juhai is also a person who likes to make friends, so it is not surprising that the two can become friends.

"Where did Senior Zhang go?" Yang Zhengshan was also very curious about Zhang Juhai's whereabouts.

Li Shangyuan said, "He should have gone to Dazhao, but he didn't go through the Storm Sea area; instead, he went around through the Tianfeng Sea area!"

"I see. I didn't expect him to beat me to it!" Yang Zhengshan said.

In fact, Zhang Juhai had looked for him when he left, but he was in Da'an at the time and did not meet with Zhang Juhai, so he really did not know that Zhang Juhai had returned to the Great Zhao Dynasty.

With Zhang Juhai's connection, the two immediately became much closer, and they spoke less formally, becoming more relaxed and at ease.

Li Shangyuan then asked, "I heard that you plan to set sail in a few days?"

“Yes! Five days later,” Yang Zhengshan said.

Li Shangyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I wonder if you could take me with you, senior!"

"Hmm! Aren't you going to wait a bit longer?" Yang Zhengshan asked in surprise.

"Hehe, there's no need. I trust you, senior!" Li Shangyuan said.

Yang Zhengshan laughed heartily, "You're quite amusing!"

Li Shangyuan also burst into laughter, "Actually, I believe that Senior Zhang Juhai wouldn't lie to me!"

It should be noted that Zhang Juhai held Yang Zhengshan in extremely high regard and often spoke highly of Yang Zhengshan's strength in front of him.

While being strong doesn't guarantee safe passage through stormy waters, it does provide a degree of assurance.

Moreover, since Yang Zhengshan decided to set off in five days, doesn't that mean he is confident that he can safely pass through the stormy sea area?

He didn't think Yang Zhengshan was a reckless brute!

“In that case, I will take you with me!” Yang Zhengshan said with a smile, without refusing.

"Thank you, senior!" Li Shangyuan stood up, clasped his hands in thanks, and said.

Afterwards, Li Shangyuan discussed with Yang Zhengshan how to travel together. He did not want to follow Yang Zhengshan in his boat, but rather wanted to ride directly on Yang Zhengshan's boat.

Yang Zhengshan readily agreed. Li Shangyuan did not plan to take too many people to the Great Zhao Dynasty, only his apprentice Tang An. Yang Zhengshan's large ship would not be a problem for the two of them.

……

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for Yang Zhengshan to set off.

On this day, Yang Zhengshan and his group boarded a ship at the pier on Linfeng Island, where many people watched them quietly.

Yang Zhengshan and his group were among the first to set off into the storm-affected sea area this year, which is why they attracted so much attention.

Yang Zhengshan and the others naturally ignored these people. They were just strangers who had met by chance and had no connection with each other, so there was no need for farewells.

The ship raised its white sails and then slowly sailed away from the dock.

Linfeng Island is about 300 miles away from the storm area. Although Linfeng Island is not within the storm area, the waves around Linfeng Island are still quite large.

The ship had just left the dock when its sails were hoisted, and it headed east like an arrow released from a bow.

The wind was howling. Yang Zhengshan stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the surging sea. Li Shangyuan followed beside Xuanzhen, asking him for advice.

In the past few days, Li Shangyuan has also become familiar with Xuanzhen.

Li Shangyuan is a very charismatic person. No matter who he is facing, he is always calm and composed, neither arrogant nor humble, which makes people like him.

After getting to know him better, everyone felt that he was a person worth befriending.

In contrast, Yang Zhengshan and his group were more difficult to deal with.

Yang Zhengshan was somewhat better; as long as you didn't offend him, he was willing to give you some face.

Xuanzhen has always acted eccentrically and has a somewhat unpredictable personality. If you want to befriend him, you not only need to have enough strength, but you also need to be able to match his temperament.

Chen Zhongshu is a smiling tiger. He's always smiling and seems very kind, but in reality, he doesn't open up to anyone.

Finally, only Lü Hua remained. He was wearing a black metal mask and exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.

After half a day's journey, they entered the stormy sea area.

The sea became visibly turbulent, and the ships began to rock violently.

Feeling the ship rocking, everyone's expressions turned serious, and they all stood by the ship's railing, looking at the surrounding sea.

The wind ruffled the whisk in Xuanzhen Daoist's hand as he frowned and gazed at the gloomy sea ahead.

"Are you sure this is a calm period? This wind is probably not much worse than the storms in the southeastern sea area!" Xuanzhen said in a deep voice.

The storm he mentioned was actually a typhoon. Typhoons frequently break out in the southeastern sea area and hit the Fuhai and Jiangnan areas, so Xuanzhen was no stranger to typhoons.

Moreover, the Dao intent he cultivates is the wind attribute Dao intent, and the natural phenomenon he is most familiar with is the wind.

Yang Zhengshan gazed at the surging dark clouds in the distance and said in a deep voice, "It is indeed a calm period, but a calm period is also very dangerous. Back then, Zhou Tianci entered the stormy sea area during a calm period, and the result was that his ship was destroyed and everyone on board perished."

"I see!" Xuanzhen lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "This place is indeed very suitable for my cultivation!"

After saying that, he actually ran to the platform at the stern of the ship, sat down cross-legged, and stared intently at the howling wind and waves.

The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and all the sails had been lowered. The sailors tightened the sails, which were absolutely not allowed to be unfurled under these conditions, because if the sails were unfurled, the strong wind could easily break the mast.

As the ship ventured deeper into the sea, the waves grew larger and larger.

Suddenly, a huge wave crashed towards us, the bow of the ship leaped up, and then the waves crashed onto the deck.

Yang Zhengshan channeled his innate true energy, repelling the oncoming seawater.

A giant wave came crashing down, followed by a thunderclap and then a torrential downpour.

Waves and raindrops pounded against the deck one after another, making it impossible to distinguish between seawater and rainwater.

Under the raging wind and rain, the ten-zhang-long ship bobbed and swayed like a small boat. Under such circumstances, ordinary people dared not stand on the deck. Even martial artists had to be careful when standing on the deck, for fear of being thrown off the ship if they were not careful.

The sailors had already taken refuge in the cabins, leaving only a few innate martial artists on deck. Yang Zhengshan remained standing at the bow, frowning as he gazed at the sea, which was churning like a boiling pot.

The terror of this stormy sea area far exceeded his imagination. He was certain that it was currently a calm period, but if the wind and waves were this terrifying during a calm period, what would it be like when it wasn't a calm period?

They are still on the edge of the storm sea area and have not yet gone deep into the storm sea area. What is the deep part of the storm sea area like?
Fortunately, the ship they were on was specially designed, and its ability to withstand wind and waves was much stronger than that of ordinary warships.

As things stand, such storms are not enough to capsize their boat; at most, they'll just be a bit bumpy.

Time passed amidst the violent rocking. Staying on the ship was like riding a roller coaster. Yang Zhengshan was alright, but the accompanying guards suffered. They were quite strong, but they couldn't get a proper rest. Even though they were tied to the cabin, they couldn't fall asleep.

For several days in a row, everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally, by the storm.

However, on this day they finally entered the depths of the stormy sea.

One after another, towering waves crashed down, nearly capsizing their ship.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, damn it, this damned Heaven is too terrifying!" Xuanzhen couldn't help but swear and curse the heavens.

"Look ahead! Look ahead!" Chen Zhongshu suddenly exclaimed.

Yang Zhengshan suddenly looked ahead. Under the gloomy sky, giant waves crashed in one after another in a very regular manner, making Yang Zhengshan's scalp tingle. But what was even more terrifying was that a dark city wall was sweeping towards them in the distance.

It really is a city wall, even higher than a city wall!
Although it's still quite far away, it's estimated to be three or four zhang high!
"We're going to have to fight this hard!" Li Shangyuan said solemnly.

Isn't it necessary to risk everything?
It was obvious that the giant wave would definitely smash their ship underwater.

They might even smash their ship to pieces.

“You take care of the boat, and I’ll lead it across!” Yang Zhengshan said to Xuanzhen.

Xuanzhen smoothed his disheveled whisk and said, "I'll lead the boat across!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded and said, "Alright!"

In such an environment, wind and water attribute Dao intents have a natural advantage, while the thunder attribute Dao intent cultivated by Yang Zhengshan is of little use in comparison.

The group was prepared to take a gamble and quietly awaited the arrival of the giant wave.

Soon, the giant wave arrived close by.

It's so terrifying!
The feeling of being hit head-on by towering waves is extremely terrifying.

"Get up, you poor monk!"

Xuanzhen suddenly let out a loud shout, and with a fierce wave of his whisk, a hurricane rose from the bottom of the boat, lifting it three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high.

"Almost there!" Yang Zhengshan stared at the waves right in front of him.

"That's all the force you've used!" Xuanzhen Daoist shouted, his face red and neck bulging.

"..."

Okay, let's not make things difficult for this 160 or 170-year-old.

Ignoring everything else, Yang Zhengshan suddenly leaped out, raised his spear, and violently slammed it down on the giant wave.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared. The pale spear light was over ten feet long. With a loud boom, the giant wave split open, and the widest part of the top was over ten feet long.

However, the seawater quickly filled the gap, but after a few bumps, their ship successfully crossed the giant wave.

"Damn it! This is going to kill me!" Xuanzhen landed on the deck and cursed again.

Lifting such a ship with one's own Dao intent is definitely not an easy task. Fortunately, Xuanzhen has a deep understanding of the wind attribute Dao intent; otherwise, no one else could have done it.

"There shouldn't be a second one!" Yang Zhengshan looked at the sea. Fortunately, although the waves behind were still large, they were not as terrifying as the giant waves.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

In the following days, wave after wave pushed them eastward. Although they did not encounter waves more than three zhang high, waves two zhang or one zhang high came from time to time.

It wasn't until the tenth day after they entered the stormy seas that the waves finally subsided considerably.

Although the sea was still boiling over, the terrifying giant waves had subsided.

On the fifteenth day after they entered the stormy seas, they finally saw a clear sky.

The wind and waves are still there, but the sky is no longer covered with dark clouds.

The next day, they clearly felt that the wind had subsided considerably, and the sails could be unfurled again.

"Hahaha~~ We're here!" Li Shangyuan laughed heartily.

His face was pale, and he looked disheveled. His clothes were wrinkled and covered in water stains.

He wasn't the only one; Yang Zhengshan and others were the same.

These days they haven't been eating or sleeping well, and they have to be prepared at all times to block the giant waves and prevent them from capsizing their ship.

Although the group could take turns resting, it was impossible to truly relax on the boat.

Meanwhile, the sailors and guards on board were all like limp shrimps, helping each other out of the cabin.

"Oh my god, I'm finally alive!"

"Waaah, we can finally see the light of day again!"

The crowd was shouting and crying, making a scene that looked utterly miserable.

"Haha, your salaries will be tripled this year!" Yang Zhengshan said happily.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately snapped out of their laughter and tears, and shouted excitedly, "Long live the patriarch!"

"Haha, thank you for the reward, Patriarch!"

They cheered.

The salary Yang Zhengshan mentioned was naturally a cultivation salary. These sailors and guards all came from the Shenmu Navy and their cultivation levels were all at the seventh or eighth level of the Acquired Realm. In fact, their cultivation salary was not much. Even if it were tripled, it would only amount to a hundred or so jars of wine and a few dozen kilograms of tea.

For Yang Zhengshan, this little bit of stuff was nothing, but for them, it was a considerable reward.

(End of this chapter)